For veteran and returning players, here are a few quick notes on major new features and changes in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
Rigs
Rigs are specialized suits of combat armor, each with a unique set of abilities that can be used to support you on the battlefield.
Every Rig has six different abilities: three payload abilities and three passive traits.
The payloads are often powerful weapons that you can use a few times in a match, while the traits are usually always-active bonuses, similar to (but often more powerful than) perks.
Rigs can be changed at any time in combat, so if you feel the need to adjust your setup, you can change both your Rig and your class loadout mid-match in response to specific threats or situations.
Health and Killshots Display
Ever been angry at an escaping player for getting away after you drilled them with what felt like a lethal number of shots? Or ever died and felt like you dropped far too quickly for whatever weapon your enemy was using?
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare has added two new features to the HUD to help with these serious aggravations.
The first is health bars for all players. Now, when you shoot an enemy, you can see exactly how damaged they are. This lets you prioritize weakened foes and call out damaged enemies for teammates to eliminate.
The second is a new part of the killcam HUD. When you are killed, the killcam now shows you exactly how many hits you received and how many players were shooting you.
Those situations where it felt like you died too quickly are usually the result of multiple enemies tagging you with a few bullets, and now it’s possible for you to see when that happens.
A bonus to the killcam feature, it’s now possible to test any weapon’s damage at any range, on any map, whenever you want. All you need is a cooperative friend or two and a private match.
Transforming Weapons
Several weapons have two different forms. These modular weapons can transform in an instant simply by holding the Weapon Switch button for a moment.
There is an assault rifle, submachine gun, and a sniper rifle with this trait. In their transformed modes, they act as a different type of weapon, giving you more flexibility in combat.
Energy and Ballistic Weapon Classes
Infinite Warfare is set far in the future, where battlefield weaponry has evolved with the deployment of multiple types of energy weapons.
Energy weapons regenerate ammo automatically over time, and their shots ricochet off surfaces, rather than penetrating them.
Energy weapons have an Extended Mags replacement that allows for faster ammo regeneration, instead of larger bullet capacity, and an FMJ replacement that enhances the ricochet effect.
Many Modes
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare multiplayer packs in a lot of gameplay variety, and there are a lot of different gameplay modes. Most are returning favorites, familiar if you are a longtime fan, but there are also new modes and party modes.
eSports fans also have tools, allowing for customization of any gameplay rules for any mode, and a CoDCaster mode for easy spectating of both teams.
Simplified Class
For fans who are familiar with the Pick 10 or Pick 13 systems, this class customization should feel familiar and comfortable.
There are a few differences, mostly in that adding second perks, equipment, or primary weapons is all automatic and handled right in the interface.
If you want to purchase a second perk or piece of lethal or tactical equipment, the UI simply deducts the extra cost for the second item and equips it immediately.