Survival Strategies: Underground

Underground Survival Map:

I think the strategy for this map is pretty obvious.  There is a tunnel that is fairly easy to defend, if one person stands at position 1 and the other at position 2.

For all regular waves (non juggernaut waves) one person has to sit at position 1 for the first few seconds of the wave in order for all of the enemies to go to the position 2 opening.  If both sit at position 2 then many enemies will funnel down the stairs at position 1.

So at the beginning of the waves one person sit at position 1 for 10-15 seconds, then make sure there are claymores at position 1 and go down to help the guy at position 2 fight off the enemies.

I put a sentry gun facing up the tunnel as well.  This is good for getting into the mid-20's easily.  I played with a guy from Australia with lag that nearly made the game unplayable, and we still got to wave 26.  I played solo and got to wave 29 the first try.

Underground is a Tier 1 map.
Helo waves:  6, 23+
Juggernaut waves:  10, 15, 20, 26, 30, 34

Marketing Ideas for MW3 DLC and Elite Premium

This idea won't actually work for MW3 since the contract with Microsoft will still be in place at the end of MW3's life cycle but I'll still refer to it as an example.  

MW3 will have new content up to September, and the big marketing push for the next title will likely start right when the last content collection is released.  Many people will have stopped playing MW3 by that time, and a few others will move to Black Ops in anticipation for Black Ops 2.  The major premise for this idea is that adding maps from CoD4 and MW2 to MW3 costs IW/Sledgehammer very little.  

I think a great way to give a last hurrah to the game would be to release a map pack of 5 or more maps from old games, and offer a large XP boost to those that buy the map packs.  Sell 5 maps for $10 (or even $5) and along with it something like 4 times the normal XP while playing during the last month of the game.

Another idea is to sell Elite Premium memberships with double or quadruple XP incentives.  If someone buys a year of Elite Premium between Oct 1st and the release of the next title give them XP incentives in MW3 (or prestige tokens to buy double XP, weapon XP, other stuff).  If that were the case I would consider buying Elite Premium separate rather than buying the Hardened Edition of the game as I did with MW3.

MW3 June DLC for Xbox

Release date:  JUNE 19 (official)
Details will be released June 18th


The calendar has been updated (finally):

Images courtesy of Charlie Intel


U-Turn:

Vortex:

Intersection:

Arctic Recon:

More here.

The three Face Off maps are probably some of the leaked ones, just different names.  Arctic Recon is probably the same thing as Shipbreaker.

Here's another note:

Mark Rubin says there probably won't be more Face Off maps.

I think somewhere I speculated that every month's drop would include at least one normal multiplayer map, but I was wrong.  I'm genuinely surprised that they are doing a whole month's drop without a normal multiplayer map.  I think they'll need at least 3 normal maps in July in order to flesh out the next content collection.  I already thought collection 2 was weak with only 3 MP maps, but the 2 free Face Off maps sorta made up for it.

Survival Strategies: Foundation

Foundation is a Tier 5 map.  Here's the best spot on the map I think:

Co-op:

Me and my partner sit in positions 1 and 2, watching the entrances during the normal rounds.  Then during Juggernaut and helicopter rounds what I've found pretty useful is to both partners to get predator missiles and take out either helicopters or juggernauts as early as possible.  

These are the only two entrances to that raised level, and it's also right beside the equipment armory which I think is the most important armory.  On this map the weapons armory is a straight shot for the person at position 1, but a little harder for whoever is at position 2, so I usually try to leave most of the enemy ammunition on the ground for the position 2 person to pick up.  You should plan out which rounds you'll go over to the air support armory and on those rounds when there are only a couple of enemies left head over, and take out the guys either once you're there, or on your way back.

Solo:

If you are alone on the map sit in position 1 facing the weapons armory and most of the enemies will head toward you instead of up the stairs at position 2.  Then you can claymore the stairs at position 2, and at some point put a sentry gun behind yourself facing position 2 to head off the tougher enemies that do end up going up those stairs.  For jugg rounds it's pretty much the same as every other map, run loops and go prone to avoid the helos, use C4 and flashes on the juggernauts, etc.

Once you play the map a couple of times you get to know where the juggernaut drop points are relative to where you are (there's a pretty consistent pattern), and take out the more powerful juggernauts with the predators.  

Juggernaut + Helicopter Waves: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 28, 32

Survival Strategies: Sactuary

Sanctuary is a Tier 5 map along with Foundation, Overwatch and Black Box.  Your loadout and the wave progression is the same.  My strategy when I'm playing co-op goes like this:

One person covers the long stairway that looks down on the bridge across the chasm.  The other person watches the back stairs that go into the little room.  Those are the only two ways to get up to that level, so no one will surprise you by getting behind your back.  When the juggernaut and helicopters come one person flash the juggernauts and occupy their attention, the other focus on the helos.  Once we got up to 14 and above one we would both get predator missiles and take out the helicopters with those, then loop the map and take out the juggernauts.

When playing solo I couldn't find a better place to hole up during the regular waves.  The upper right part of the map at the top of those stairs gives a great vantage point, and just put some claymores in that back room, with perhaps a sentry or two looking toward that room to guard your back.  If you are looking down the long stairway most of the enemies will be coming toward that stairway and not around back.

On solo I got to wave 19, and in co-op mode this was good for a decent 24.  It's not great, but I'm not a great player.

Jugg/helo waves: 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 28, 32

I played this map at 5am eastern time and got to wave 14, then looked at the leaderboards and was pleasantly surprised:

Yup, for at least a moment I was number 1 in the world for Sanctuary Solo Survival.  Now let's all take a moment to remember the hundreds of AI that lost their lives in the making of that record.

Here's the actual Greek monastery that this map is based on:  Meteora

MW3 May DLC for Xbox

I'll update this post as more info comes out.

Finally the calendar has been updated:

Getaway and Lookout counted as a single piece of DLC when I downloaded them.  It showed pieces 9-12, with Getaway and Lookout listed together, and that's a good thing.

Call of Duty preview video has all the info.  IGN's video.

May 16th will see all Xbox players getting a new game mode, with special maps tailored specifically for the mode, called Face Off:

It's a one-on-one or two-on-two deathmatch mode featuring four brand new maps custom built for more intimate combat.

Apparently it'll be TDM or Kill Confirmed, 1v1 or 2v2.

The 2 maps free to everyone are called Aground and Erosion.  The same day Xbox players will get May's DLC which will consist of the multiplayer map Oasis, 2 additional Face-off maps called Getaway and Lookout, and the 2 spec ops missions whose achievements were leaked a few weeks back, Iron Clad and Kill Switch.

May 15th Elite Premium gets
- Getaway (Face Off map)
- Lookout (Face Off map)
- Oasis (multiplayer map)
- Kill Switch (spec-ops mission)
- Iron Clad (spec-ops mission)


2 free Face Off maps to everyone on Xbox May 16th
- Aground
- Erosion


And then on May 22nd all of that premium content as well as Foundation and Sanctuary will be packaged as Collection 2 and made available for general purchase.


Here are some screenshots from the IGN vid of the various pieces:

Aground:

Erosion:

Lookout:
(in the IGN video he says you can get outside of the map, but it's covered in mines; very cool)

Getaway:

Oasis:

Kill Switch:
Normally Spec Ops missions are segments of the campaign that are given different objectives.  Kill Switch doesn't seem to be anywhere in MW3's campaign.  Perhaps they were considering and developing another campaign level but ended up scrapping it, and now they're putting that work to use in this mission.

Iron Clad:
This mission is a segment cut out of the campaign mission Goalpost, and as usual it's run the opposite direction as the campaign was.

Achievement list for Iron Clad and Kill Switch:

Also, prestiges 16-20 will be added May 15th.

(better pics at CharlieIntel)