Sam Hill is a news writer at Polygon covering gaming and entertainment. He’s a Portland, Oregon–based journalist known for covering gaming, the outdoors, national parks, tech, food, and internet culture. He has written for a range of publications including Outside Magazine, Boston Magazine, Vice, the Seattle Times and Digital Trends.
Completionists have hit a roadblock less than a week after launch
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has barely been out for a week, and players are already dealing with a change that could make 100% completion impossible. A new update to the game’s Free-for-All mode has lowered the score limit below the number of kills required to earn a nuke, potentially locking completionists out of a major in-game achievement.
According to a post from the verified Call of Duty Updates account on X, the developers have made two adjustments to Modern Warfare 4‘s Free-for-All mode: party sizes are now limited to two players, and the score limit has been reduced to 25 kills to win the match.
The problem is that the Calling Card challenge tasks players with earning a nuke killstreak in a Free-for-All match, and it requires 30 kills in a row. The change effectively puts 100% completion out of reach for players who need the Free-for-All nuke for their achievement or challenge progress. Unless the developers adjust the requirements or restore the previous score limit, players may have no way to finish the challenge.
Modern Warfare 4 multiplayer is already facing criticism
The Free-for-All adjustment arrives as Modern Warfare 4‘s new DMZ mode faces scrutiny. Although the extraction shooter promised a slower, more tactical experience, early criticism has focused on its fast-paced player-versus-player combat, frustrating difficulty when playing solo, and bugs affecting enemy AI and balance.
As is the nature of live-service games, it’s possible, even likely, Infinity Ward addresses these concerns early in the game’s life cycle. For now, whether the Free-for-All score limit will be reverted or the requirements for earning a nuke will change remains unclear.