Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is becoming more and more of an expansive title with each passing week, given its huge range of singleplayer and multiplayer modes and the many updates that they receive. Despite this, it is still a difficult challenge for Activision to keep fans of the title satiated, especially given how the Modern Warfare brand is set to be given a two-year uncontested spot where no other mainline franchise titles are released.
This two-year life cycle for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is an unprecedented move for the IP, and will of course require a serious level of innovation and content implementation to keep players engaged with the release for so long. Modern Warfare 2 is already facing criticisms for its perceived lack of multiplayer content only five months on from its initial release, and so recent content additions like the Path of the Ronin camo challenges should be the start of a consistent trend for the game going forward.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's Path of the Ronin Camo Challenges
Like many other popular multiplayer modes within the contemporary gaming space, Modern Warfare 2 is typified by seasonal events and post-launch content updates. These seasons are accompanied by things such as new battle passes, maps, and game modes, offering a spate of new experiences and points of exploration for players to enjoy.
As can be expected, these multiplayer seasons are absolutely integral for Modern Warfare 2 maintaining its multiplayer player base, with Season 2 of Modern Warfare 2 recently releasing on February 15. Many of these seasons have dedicated themes that inform the overall aesthetic of their involved content, and Season 2 of Modern Warfare 2 has opted for a Japanese theme.
Japanese-inspired maps, characters, and content packs populate Season 2 throughout, with the Path of the Ronin event perhaps being the most overt portrayal of the season's theme. The Path of the Ronin event is available until April 5, and includes the "Seven Virtues of Bushido" challenges that offer things like operators and dynamic emblems as rewards. The biggest allure of the Path of the Ronin event, however, concerns its weapon camouflage challenges, with the addictive nature of them proving the need for similar challenges in the game's future.
The Benefits of the Path of the Ronin Camo Challenges
Progression is a massively important part of player retention within multiplayer shooters such as Modern Warfare 2, and the two-year lifespan of the title requires an immense amount of it. Imposing challenges are present for newer players in the form of reaching the highest possible rank, or engaging in serious camouflage grinds such as unlocking Orion camo.
However, dedicated players have already achieved all of these feats by this point in Modern Warfare 2's life cycle, and so it is necessary for seasonal updates to offer more in the way of challenges that foster dedicated efforts to unlock something that players are proud to attain and show off in-game. The Path of the Ronin challenges do this perfectly, with each weapon class having its own unique challenge that unlocks the "Winds of Ash" challenge for that weapon sub-set. Once Winds of Ash has been unlocked for all weapons, the player will unlock the rare "Bowing Blossoms" camo for all weapons, adding to Modern Warfare 2's overall camo grind.
It is imperative that this form of camo challenge is continued in future updates, as they offer a great burst of player dedication and engagement for an exclusive in-game reward, making season's more memorable and giving players something more to look forward to. While many will argue that Modern Warfare 2 still needs to do more to keep fans hooked, the Path of the Ronin camo challenges hopefully mark the start of greater progression going forward.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.