Currently,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2players have no details about how the Prestige system will function beyond its format. To the dismay of many old school fans hoping for a traditional Prestige system with unlock tokens and armory resets,the newestModern Warfaregameis confirmed to feature the system that appeared inVanguardandBlack Ops Cold War. This is not the only thing that should be taken fromBlack Ops Cold War, though, as the Prestige Shop deserves to return.
The Prestige Shop was a way to push players to keep leveling up and Prestiging, and without it, there is little motivation to do so in the seasonal system. This is because Prestiging feels like an endless, year-long grind, with players blocked off from progressing beyond a few Prestige levels each season. Ranks being reset when a new season begins bothers some gamers too, and the lack of difficulty since arsenals are not reset when Prestiging adds to the complaints. While these complaints are not going anywhere as long as the seasonal approach is in place, Infinity Ward could limit the negativity by bringing back the Prestige Shop inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
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The Prestige Shop’s Removal Makes Little Sense
WhenCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Prestige Shop was first added, it seems like a feature that was going to be present withinWarzoneand every other modernCall of Duty. After all, players could spend their keys (earned by Prestiging and leveling up) on calling cards and emblems from every past game, not just those developed byTreyarch. If they wanted the maximum Prestige emblem fromCall of Duty: Infinite Warfare, they could unlock it, and they could go back and grab a Calling Card fromBlack Ops 2as well.
Unfortunately, even though the Prestige Shop seemed like an excellent reward system - something the seasonal approach was and currently is lacking - it was not present inCall of Duty: Vanguard. With no mention of it in any blog posts yet, it can be assumed that it will not be appearing inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, either. That would be a shame, though, asInfinity Wardcould provide an even better version of the Prestige Shop.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Could Add an Even Better Prestige Shop
Like with the originalPrestige Shop, including all the past Prestige emblems and iconic calling cards from every game would be a must. It would be great if the progress from the last Prestige Shop could be maintained, as players would not have to spend skins unlocking emblems and calling cards that they already have. Regardless, this should only be the tip of the iceberg for the new and improved Prestige Shop.
Though the Prestige Shop became more attractive later inBlack Ops Cold War’s life cycle since blueprints were added, a new version of the shop should aim to have unlockable blueprints from day one. Further, the blueprints within the shop should be themed around fan favorite guns from all across theCall of Dutyuniverse. Thecult classicCall of Duty: Ghostscould be represented through a Honey Badger blueprint,Advanced Warfarecould get love with a futuristic blueprint for a modern gun, and the Commando fromBlack Opscould make a visual appearance via a Prestige Shop blueprint. With this store built on nostalgia, adding blueprints that look like old school guns is the best path.
This same approach could be taken with Operator skins, which would be a brand-new Prestige Shop feature. For returningcharacters like Price, Soap, Ghost, and so on, their originalModern Warfaretrilogy designs and outfits could be made unlockable with Prestige Keys. Other Operators could be given skins resembling figures like Frank Woods, or even members of the Zombies cast like Edward Richtofen. By adding blueprints and Operator skins directly themed around legacy weapons and characters, a new Prestige Shop could be even better than the original.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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