MW3’s Rust features brutal MW2 2009 campaign Easter egg & players love it

Joseph Pascoulis
MW3 rust map screenshot

Rust has returned in MW3, but the devs haven’t forgotten its past as players have found an Easter egg that pays homage to MW2 2009’s iconic campaign ending.

Modern Warfare 3 is full of Easter eggs and secrets. Not only is Zombies littered with Easter eggs, but the campaign and multiplayer are also filled with secrets for players to discover.

Some are more extravagant than others, with some being simple nods to the classic Modern Warfare series. The multiplayer maps are host to some of these references to previous MW titles, as players found the old lady Easter egg on Underpass and now the community has discovered an ode to the iconic ending of MW2 2009’s campaign.

Be warned, there are spoilers ahead for the MW2 2009 campaign, so if you wish to play the classic campaign and not know the ending, don’t read any further.

Found by X user LucaBoechat and posted by TheMW2Ghost, players can find a skull in the sand on Rust with a throwing knife in its eye. This is a tribute to the final MW2 2009 mission, where Soap managed to kill the main antagonist, General Shepard by throwing a knife right into his eye, saving himself and Captain Price from certain death.

The Easter egg can be found in the Office Buildings section of the map, in F4 on the Tac-Map, buried in the sand just outside the small building before the ramp up to the top of the tower. This is actually in the exact location where Soap nailed Shepard with the throwing knife, giving the Easter egg even more depth.

The MW2 2009 campaign ending Easter egg in MW3 has been well appreciated, as TheMW2Ghost described it as “brilliant,” while one user in the comments said, “It’s little things like this that go such a long way, actually beautiful.”

It has also sparked plenty of nostalgia towards the MW2 2009 campaign, as one player called it the “most satisfying ending to a COD ever.” Some players appreciate the devs even more now thanks to this nice touch, “Thanks for giving me another reason to like sledgehammer.”

This Easter egg took some time for players to actually discover, so who knows what else is hiding in the classic MW2 maps for MW3. We’ll have to wait and see, but for now, check out the new The Boys collab coming to multiplayer and Zombies.

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About The Author

Joseph is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel, specializing in shooters such as Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch. He also enjoys Souls-likes, the Resident Evil franchise, and Tekken. After writing for KeenGamer, he joined CharlieIntel in 2021. If Joseph isn't writing about games, he's most likely playing them. You can contact him at [email protected].