Three Tips for Modern Warfare 3's Next Content Drops

The Modern Warfare 3 content season continues apace, with the third set of drops happening for Call of Duty: Elite members on the Xbox 360 on March 13, 2012. Before that happens, though, you need to know what to expect, or else you'll walk into a world of hurt from the terrorist elite. Thankfully, we got to play the maps early with Michael Condrey from Sledgehammer Games, who was able to offer us plenty of insights as we played. Absorb the following information, soldier.

Start Prepping for Spec Ops Leaderboards
The March content drop contains the first-ever downloadable Call of Duty Special Ops missions. The first is called Black Ice and sees you racing down a mountain on a snowmobile before infiltrating a diamond mine, planting explosives, and getting the hell out of there. This will be the first time that Call of Duty Elite leaderboards will include Special Ops mode, so you'll be able to see how your scores match up to your friends. Our advice: Get practicing in the existing Spec Ops maps now so you're ready to start dominating later.

Avoid the Hostages; Score Some Sweet Achievements
In the second Spec Ops map, Negotiator, you and your partner start off as hostages. The first player has to shuffle forward, grab the gun off one of your tormentors, and then take out the two guards. Then, the race is on to get over to your teammate's location and save him before he's executed. It's very easy to inadvertently kill hostages on this map, either by allowing them to be executed or by shooting them yourself. Both these things have an impact on your score, so you'll need to play this map a few times and memorize their location. But it's worth doing because saving all the hostages on the level will unlock a healthy achievement bonus.

Pick Your Position in Black Box
The final map in the package features Air Force One, which has crashed in the middle of an unfinished housing estate. As soon as you get into the map, you're going to want to run up the hill and take up a position at the front of the opened-up house. The shotguns you start with aren't much use from up there at first, but as you progress and get more money to spend, you'll get a tactical advantage. Plant mines on the stairs, stick an automated turret on the second floor, and call in Delta squad or a predator missile when the juggernauts arrive.

So those are three of the six new maps for the Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection #1 and our tips for success when they arrive. Are you excited for the latest Call of Duty content drop? Let us know in the comments.