The battlefield of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been irrevocably transformed in 2026. The launch of the game's second season brought with it a relentless, month-long PvE onslaught known as the Horde Hunt, an event that successfully breached the walls between every major game mode. For a limited time, the undead scourge from the MWZ universe spilled over, infesting the tactical arenas of Multiplayer and the sprawling landscapes of Warzone. Operators from all playlists found themselves united in a common, gruesome purpose: to slay waves of zombies and claim exclusive rewards, from powerful MWZ Acquisitions to unique Operator cosmetics. This narrative delves into the mechanics of the hunt, the chaotic new Hordepoint game mode, and the coveted prizes awaiting those brave enough to face the horde.

🧟 What Is Horde Hunt?

Horde Hunt was not a singular game mode but a pervasive infection that spread across Modern Warfare 3's entire ecosystem from early February through early March. The core objective was straightforward yet demanding: eliminate the shambling and sprinting undead to collect two types of event currency. Standard zombies had a chance to drop Bones, while more formidable, specialized zombie variants guaranteed a drop of Skulls upon their defeat. Accumulating these grisly trophies unlocked a progression ladder of 12 unique rewards.

Operators could engage in this macabre harvest across three distinct fronts:

• Multiplayer: Through the dedicated Hordepoint playlist, a twisted version of Hardpoint.

• MWZ: The entire Zombies mode, where special enemies were particularly abundant in the High Threat region.

• Warzone: By completing Eradication Contracts on the Fortune's Keep map.

The event masterfully blended PvE and PvP elements, forcing teams to contend not only with enemy Operators but also with an ever-present, aggressive undead threat that demanded constant attention and ammunition.

💥 The Hordepoint Game Mode: Chaos Redefined

Hordepoint stood as the flagship experience of the Horde Hunt, a 6v6 Multiplayer playlist that injected pure zombie mayhem into the classic Hardpoint formula. The fundamental rules remained—teams fought to control a rotating objective zone to accumulate points up to 250—but the battlefield was never static. Zombies would spawn continuously throughout the match, almost always converging on the active Hardpoint, turning the objective into a frantic killzone.

These initial zombies were comparable to the Low-Tier threats in MWZ, but they served as a persistent distraction and damage sponge. The silver lining was that felling these creatures could yield familiar power-ups from the Zombies universe, though they only affected the undead:

• Insta-Kill

• Nuke

• Max Ammo

Furthermore, players could occasionally find Pack-A-Punched weapons on the ground, offering a temporary but significant power spike to mow down both zombies and opponents—a crucial advantage that did not persist after death.

To keep veterans on their toes, the mid-match transition introduced a heightened threat. The playlist's name itself served as a warning, indicating which elite zombie type would dominate the latter half. For instance, an "Armored Apocalypse" week meant waves of tougher Armored Zombies would crash the point. This rotating modifier ensured the mode's meta and strategies evolved throughout the event's duration.

🏆 Horde Hunt Rewards: The Spoils of War

The true driving force behind the Horde Hunt was its robust reward track, split into two parallel progression systems. Players could monitor their gruesome collections in the Challenges menu under the "Events" tab.

Base Zombie Rewards (Bone Collection)

This track focused on the mass eradication of standard zombies to collect Bones, unlocking primarily MWZ Acquisitions that could be used in the Zombies mode itself. Each standard zombie kill had a moderate chance to drop a bundle of ten Bones.

Efficient farmers quickly identified MWZ extraction points as prime Bone-collection sites. The longer a match progressed, the more intense the zombie swarm became during the helicopter evac sequence, creating a perfect finale for grinding Bones. Escort Contracts in MWZ also provided a steady, dense stream of targets.

Featured Zombie Rewards (Skull Collection)

This track challenged players to hunt specific, more dangerous zombie variants, each guaranteed to drop one Skull upon defeat. The rewards here were exclusive event cosmetics.

• Armored Zombies (600 Skulls): These tanky foes were most prevalent in MWZ's High Threat zone and within the treacherous Dark Aether.

• Hellhounds (300 Skulls): The fiery canine nightmares were common in High Threat zones and became the star of specific "Hellhound" weekly rotations in the Hordepoint playlist.

• Mimics (200 Skulls): This reward posed the greatest challenge. The most effective farm was the limited-time Hordepoint: Mimic Mania playlist, where these deceptive enemies were the primary spawn. Even in this dedicated mode, players could expect only 6-12 Mimic skulls per match. Outside this playlist, pursuing Bounty Contracts in MWZ was the next best strategy.

🎭 The Ultimate Prize: The Killshot Operator Skin

The grand finale of the Horde Hunt was locked behind a monumental task: collecting every single previous reward. This meant a player's tally needed to reach:

• 1,000 Zombie Bones

• 600 Armored Zombie Skulls

• 300 Hellhound Skulls

• 200 Mimic Skulls

Only upon achieving this gruesome quartet of quotas would the final reward unlock: the exclusive Killshot Operator skin for Swagger. This skin served as the ultimate badge of honor, a testament to an Operator's dedication and prowess in surviving the season's most intense undead onslaught across every facet of Modern Warfare 3. The Horde Hunt event of 2026 successfully blurred the lines between game modes, creating a unified, high-stakes PvEvP experience that rewarded comprehensive mastery and relentless grinding.