Modern Warfare 2 beta’s second weekend: quieter footsteps, faster perk earn rates and more visible enemies

We’re just a couple of days away from the second and final weekend of the Modern Warfare 2 beta. This round expands to PC and Xbox, and offers PlayStation players another chance to go hands-on with the multiplayer shooter.

As you might expect, players wasted no time offering feedback about design changes they liked, didn’t like, and a few of the bugs and map exploits discovered thus far – even if many of those grievances return from Modern Warfare 2019 in a clear sign Infinity Ward doesn’t intend to change them.

What the developer does actually want to do are a few tweaks in time for weekend two. In a blog post, Infinity Ward addressed several major points of feedback and whether or not they’ll be changed this weekend.

Enemy visibility was a big headache for players, particularly when fired upon by opponents in shadow. Infinity Ward will make enemies stand out from friendlies this weekend, but the developer is also reducing the muzzle smoke opacity to make muzzle flash clearer to see.

This should make it easier to track your target once you started firing, not to mention have a bit of an easier time identifying enemies in general.

Footstep audio is always a minefield of hot takes, but Infinity Ward actually agrees that sounds were a little too accurate during the first weekend. This weekend, the range at which enemy footsteps become clear is being cut. Enemy footsteps will also sound different from those made by friendlies to further make it easier to identify them.

The new perk system has been a controversial topic as well. For weekend two, Infinity Ward will experiment with speeding up the earn rate of the Bonus, and Ultimate perks.

Beyond the beta itself, Infinity Ward is also making changes for the final build based on feedback. The UI is one such area that will see bug fixes and changes in design to make it easier to navigate.

As for the effect the removal of slide-cancelling has had on the game, the developer said it’s aware that some players managed to get around that. We may see changes aimed at fixing that this weekend, but the bigger changes will arrive at launch. The goal is to make sliding “feel a bit more fluid and snappy,” though the developer didn’t elaborate further.

The early access portion of the second beta weekend kicks off Thursday, before it opens up Saturday for everyone. Pre-loads are available now for all platforms.