CoD fans want “garbage” Prestige system replaced with the classic in Modern Warfare 2

Nathan Warby
Modern Warfare 2 player carrying gun

Hopes are high that Modern Warfare 2 will be a return to form for the Call of Duty series, and fans feel that bringing back the original Prestige system would make the new game more rewarding straight off the bat.

Modern Warfare 2 is set to arrive later this year and players can’t wait to see how Infinity Ward shakes up the series. After the lukewarm reception to Vanguard, the community is expecting the follow-up to the 2019 reboot to set things right.

While Modern Warfare 2 is a completely new game and the title alone, which carries so much weight among fans, has people hoping that this year’s game will feel more like classic Call of Duty.

We’ve already heard that a number of iconic maps from the 2009 MW will arrive, but players have picked out another feature they want to see – the original Prestige system.

CoD fans hope Modern Warfare 2 brings back old-school Prestige system

Users on the Modern Warfare 2 subreddit spotted a Steam listing that seemed to confirm that players will be able to Prestige once again in this year’s game. It’s hardly surprising given that it’s a feature that has been around in the series for almost 15 years, but the way it works has changed slightly in that time.

Originally, after its debut in CoD 4, players could Prestige when they reached the maximum rank. This reset their level and unlocks, essentially allowing them to start from scratch in exchange for a new badge to highlight how many times they had reached the top.

Since Warzone arrived and the yearly CoD games became integrated into the battle royale, the system has been revamped. After the initial 55 ranks, leveling becomes tied to the in-game season, resetting back to one with each new update.

With Modern Warfare 2 on the horizon, fans are clearly hoping that Infinity Ward will revert back to the old system.

“I hope prestige isn’t tied to [a] season, that version of prestige is garbage. Just let us do it old school to 1000 max prestige and stop resetting crap over and over again,” said one player. “Came to say this. The seasonal reset is a terrible way to retain players. I miss the OG MW2 system,” responded another.

The general feeling seemed to be that dropping everyone’s rank at the beginning of the new season makes leveling feel less meaningful and takes the fun out of chasing higher ranks.

“They thought I’d log in and think ‘oh s**t I gotta hit max level before the season ends,’ when really it made me play less because now rank means nothing,” argued a disgruntled player. “I was more inclined to maybe log on and play when I wouldn’t otherwise have if I saw my friends ‘catching’ me in prestige.”

We’ll have to wait and see how Infinity Ward decides to implement the Prestige system in Modern Warfare 2, but the community has spoken and they want to see a return to the series’ roots.