Announcing Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0
With over 125 million players dropping in to play the original Call of Duty: Warzone, and over 200 streamers and content creators playing an early Alpha version of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 at the Call of Duty: Next event, the first official intel has dropped regarding this massive, free-to-play Battle Royale experience featuring a huge and incredibly detailed new map, a host of innovations, and many more details we plan to share between now and November 16, when Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is officially launched – free for everyone – as part of Modern Warfare II Season One.
Right now, here’s a recap of what was shown on Call of Duty: Next:
ATTENTION! The following briefing represents only the first wave of intel related to Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and is by no means exhaustive. Look for a number of additional intel drops to come! The original Call of Duty: Warzone is continuing and we’ll share more information in the weeks ahead.
The Biggest Call of Duty: Warzone Map Ever: Welcome to Al Mazrah!
Where are we dropping?
Glad you asked: Welcome to Al Mazrah!
Meticulously crafted and polished by a host of developers across multiple studios, offering distinct and diverse geography never experienced before in Call of Duty: Warzone before, this brand new map is immense, dynamic, and rewarding with the emphasis on loading up your favorite custom weapon, dropping in, exploring the vast landscape, and having a hell of a good time doing it.
Expect to drop into a massive metropolitan area featuring coastal towns, depots, deserts, rocky peaks, subterranean spaces, rivers, and an entire city to explore. Reconnoiter by land, air… and water!
In fact, Al Mazrah is so expansive, that there’s a dedicated blog giving a first look and overview of the major points of interest, including hints on locations for veteran players.
A True Extension of the Modern Warfare II Universe
Expect Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 to extend the Modern Warfare II universe, and fully leverage the most advanced tech – shared for the first time across Call of Duty – to deliver an all-new and seamless Battle Royale experience before, during, and after a match. This is a Call of Duty technology built for next-gen, offering a shared experience and systems, with key learnings from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) as well as community feedback. The key innovations discussed for Multiplayer gameplay exist across Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 as well. For a deeper dive into these innovations, check out the Call of Duty: Next: Modern Warfare II blog.
Initial Intel: Swimming and Aquatic Combat
Expect combat across the land, sea, and air as the environment expands to include rivers, lakes, parts of the ocean, and more water-logged locations. This presents an all-new set of challenges and opportunities for combat. With a vast map the size of Al Mizrah, clandestine swimming up river tributaries, underwater ambushes and exploration, expanding your combat options considerably, using the tactics you’re learning during Modern Warfare II Ground War combat.
Initial Intel: Over a Dozen Unique Vehicles
With combat across Modern Warfare II Ground War and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, you’ll have the chance to pilot, drive, or steer over a dozen new vehicles, and many of them are accessible on the Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 map Al Mizrah. Naturally, a Guide to Vehicles showcases the vehicles in readiness for their use during the Open Beta; click HERE to read more.
What’s more, depending on the vehicle you’re commandeering, you can customize it with a skin, including the free “Floor It” Vehicle Skin you can unlock during the Open Beta (click here for intel on all ten free Open Beta rewards). In addition, expect to climb or drop onto vehicles, damage tires and doors, shoot out windows, and be on the lookout for gasoline, as every vehicle (including boats and helicopters) gradually runs out of fuel.
You’ll need to then weigh up the advantages of keeping a vehicle running and extending its longevity by tactically locating and occupying a local Gas Station (or searching for Gas canister loot). While vehicle tires can be re-inflated anywhere in the warzone, Gas Stations are likely to be occupied as they allow vehicle repairs to be made… and ambushes by enemy teams, so watch your six!
Naturally, if you’re using the rapid and almost-silent EV as your method of transportation, a different course of refueling action is required….
Initial Intel: The Shop
As well as a new and impressive array of ground loot and adjustments on how to access and store them, one of the biggest innovations is the expanding, yet streamlining of your purchases within a match. This comes courtesy of “The Shop”. These enhanced Buy Stations serve locations to buy and upgrade equipment and weapons, including the custom weapons you created before dropping in. Here are some actions you can complete at The Shop:
- Squadmate Buy Back
- Buy Gear
- Limited Equipment
- Buy Weapon
You purchase these custom weapons from here. Note this takes the place of a full Loadout (your Primary, Secondary, Tactical, and Lethal as well as Perks). - Custom Weapons are constructed by the Gunsmith and then bought here. They take up your weapon slots. Tacticals and Lethals are very common ground loot. Perks will not be available in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 at launch.
Initial Intel: Circles Collapse
A choking storm gradually envelopes the Al Mazrah landscape, you may be familiar with the encroaching wall of vapor from your time in Verdansk and Caldera. This time, however, expect variations within the Circle Collapse. One possible occurrence may be the result of extreme weather pattern anomalies resulting in the safe zone splitting into multiple Circles throughout a match that reconverge into a single safe zone as the match gets closer to the final circle.
Initial Intel: The Gulag
This isn’t your commanding officer’s Gulag: This is a live-fire training complex as well as a prison, where foes need to be neutralized, and sometimes… partnered with? You’re dropped into a multi-level arena with only your fists, and a plan to loot, shoot and win a decisive 2v2 battle before you’re allowed back into the big map for a second chance at victory. Optionally, your Gulag combat can include searching for an AI combatant known as “The Jailer”, dropping him, and using his key as the means of escape. Don’t forget to loot as you go; that gear comes with you if you win.
Initial Intel: AI Combatants and Strongholds
Al Mizrah warzone is a living, breathing world with a number of AI combatants ready to defend their patch of land, all integrated into the fabric of the world. If you choose to engage AI combatants, expect a different type of firefight compared to player versus player.
If you’re concerned that AI combatants are going to get in the way between you and your W, then don’t be: It’s entirely your choice to engage the non-player combatants scattered across the map, or NOT to engage them. AI won’t actively pursue you or your squad, and you can choose never to interact with them. While they may defend their territory like a CDL pro, they won’t seek out combat.
Conversely, if you’re ready to take on any combatant you see, there are locations with a concentration of enemies dotted around the map where you’re guaranteed to have your combat mettle tested. Known as Strongholds, expect locked doors and a high density of AI combatants with a variety of innovative features to their responses depending on your tactics. Conquer a Stronghold and expect impressive loot, including an item that allows you to purchase one of your customized Gunsmith weapons at The Shop for free….
Initial Intel: DMZ
The most closely-guarded, leak-proof secret in Call of Duty history can finally be revealed; there is a special “extraction mode” coming to Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. Known as DMZ, this is a passion project for the teams at Infinity Ward and across the contributing studios, and the main premise is about choosing your own experience within the warzone, working socially if you wish, and collecting gear to keep in your Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 inventory and utilize from match to match. We’ll have much more to share about the host of new challenges, bounties, gameplay features, and more when DMZ drops alongside Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.
RICOCHET Anti-Cheat on Day One
RICOCHET Anti-Cheat – including its PC kernel-level driver – will be active on Day One for both Calls of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 to protect the game.
