Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 was officially unveiled earlier this year, and now, with roughly week left until its full launch, Activision has revealed more new details on the upcoming free-to-play battle royale shooter, as recently reported.
The foundation of the whole experience is, of course, going to be Warzone 2.0’s new map- Al Mazrah. The map will feature 18 unique points of interests, which will also cover multiple subsections that are maps from the recently-launched Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer component, including Al Bagra Fortress, Embassy, Zarqwa Hydroelectric, Taraq, Sariff Bay, and Sa’id. An “expanded map guide” on Al Mazrah will be shared in the coming days.
Warzone 2.0’s Gulag will also bring some intriguing twists to the formula. It will now function as a 2v2 environment where Duos will be randomly paired together, with each player having a predefined loadout (which, at launch, will be a pistol or a shotgun, a lethal grenade, and a tactical grenade).
Duos can work with each other to take out the rival team, though in the middle of the match, the game will also throw in an AI-controlled character called the Jailer. If both teams work together to take the Jailer down, all four players get respawned into the map. If neither team or the Jailer have been eliminated after a brief period of time, all four players lose. The dilemma, then, is- do both Duos wait for the Jailer to arrive to take him down, or decide not to waste that much time and try and take down the other team first?
Some other areas in matches will also feature AI opponents- such as Strongholds, several of which can be found across the map. Teams that complete Strongholds will get their custom loadouts, but the first one to clear one will also get a key to a Black Site. Black Sites will also be populated by AI opponents, and will offer a great challenge- though the reward at the end will also be greater, in the form of a permanent weapon blueprint and more valuable in-match items.
Several other new features have also been confirmed, such as proximity voice chat, being able to interrogate downed player-controlled enemies for intel on enemy locations, having the choice to join up with enemy Operators to form a larger squad in certain squad-based modes and playlists, up to three safe zones within the collapsing circle rather than just one, two new vehicles in the form of a heavy chopper and the Hummer EV pickup, and more.
Warzone 2.0 will also feature aquatic combat, not only in the form of water-based vehicles, but also while your Operator is submerged, at which point you will be able to use sidearms, melee weapons, throwing knives, and tactical and lethal equipment. Activision also confirms that custom loadouts will still be part of the game, while a new backpack system is also being introduced for battle royale modes as well as DMZ.
Speaking of which, brief new details on the new extraction-based mode have also been revealed. Activision describes DMZ as “an open-world, narrative-focused extraction mode where Operator squads have free rein to complete faction-based missions, take on additional side objectives, engage with enemy Operators or AI combatants, and search for valuable items, all while fighting to survive toward exfiltration.” Expect more details on the mode in the lead-up to launch.
Meanwhile, it’s also been confirmed that Warzone 2.0 will also feature third-person playlists. A third-person option was introduced in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer. “This shift in perspective could completely change the Battle Royale fundamentals in Call of Duty, allowing for different visibility tactics and an altered, but still action-packed gameplay feel,” Activision writes.
Activision has also unveiled details on Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0’s Season 1, revealed a new Battle Pass system for the two games, and confirmed that after brief intermission, the original Warzone will be relaunched as Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 launches on November 16 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.