MW3 Rust easter egg delivers a sharp reference to 2009’s MW2 campaign
ActivisionMW3’s Rust map features a killer easter egg reference to 2009’s MW2 campaign’s climatic end against General Shepherd.
Leading up to the launch of MW3, Activision’s marketing push focused on a return to the days of old; red dots appear on the mini-map after firing, slide canceling returning, and the long-awaited arrival of classic maps were just a few highlights of said push.
While exciting, the idea of 2009’s MW2 maps caused a hint of timidity, as fans wondered what creative liberties Sledgehammer would take in recreating said maps. For the most part, each map has been nearly identical to its original counterpart, albeit with a few minuscule changes that are easily missed.
One of those maps is Rust, and its newest iteration features a neat easter egg nod to the game the map first came from.
MW3 easter egg nods to MW2’s final battle against General Shepherd
2009’s Modern Warfare 2 campaign saw Task Force 141 embark on a globetrotting journey to stop Vladimir Makarov. However, Makarov wasn’t the only villain, as the notorious General Shepherd handed players one of the most devasting losses in the original trilogy’s story with a brutal murder of Ghost and Roach.
The game’s final level unfolded on Rust, which saw John “Soap” MacTavish and Captain Price battle Shepherd. The battle ends in a cinematic throwing knife to Shepherd’s face as the duo earned revenge for their losses.
This moment was massive in CoD’s history, as it introduced players to Throwing Knife and Rust, both franchise staples. Head into MW3’s iteration of Rust right now, and you’ll see Sledgehammer Games thinks highly of this moment as well, with an in-game easter egg nod towards the climactic end of MW2.
It’s easy to miss this, with Rust thrusting players into battle in a matter of seconds. Nonetheless, it’s a neat homage to the game MW3’s maps are from, with replies echoing that sentiment. “This is actually a nice lil nod to the original,” one fan replied.
As we’re still fresh off the launch of MW3, stay tuned for any future easter egg reveals.