At launch, the game featured two main game modes: Battle Royale and Plunder. Warzone introduced a new in-game currency system that could be used at "Buy Stations" in and around the map. "Loadout Drops" were a key in-game object allowing players to access and switch between their customized classes and were obtainable through purchase with the Cash currency.[3] At launch, Warzone only offered Trios, a squad capacity of three players; Solos, Duos and Quads were added to the game via post-launch updates.
Warzone is the second main battle royale installment in the Call of Duty franchise, following the "Blackout" mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Warzone differs from Black Ops 4 by reducing reliance on equipable gadgets and instead encouraging the accumulation of a new in-game currency called "Cash".[7] The game supports up to 150 players in a single match, which exceeds the typical "100 players" size that is seen in other battle royale titles.[8]
At launch, Warzone featured two primary game modes: Battle Royale and Plunder.[7] These game modes were initially playable in a squad capacity of three players ("Trios"); post-launch updates made the modes playable in other squad sizes, such as Solos, Duos and Quads.[9] In addition to Battle Royale and Plunder, several new game modes, including various limited-time modes and the "Resurgence" game mode, have been introduced throughout the course of the game's life cycle.[10] Warzone has also been used to reveal upcoming Call of Duty titles through similar limited-time gamemodes.[11][12]
The Battle Royale mode is similar to other titles in the genre, where players compete in a continuously shrinking map to be the last player remaining. Players parachute onto a large game map with a basic un-customized pistol and two armor plates, where they encounter other players. Players can pick up most components found in a standard loadout (primary and secondary weapons, lethal and tactical equipment, field upgrades, and "killstreaks") as they search the map for items scattered across the ground and from supply boxes found in designated locations. Players can also pick up additional armor plates for increased protection.[13][7]
After several minutes have passed within the match, "Loadout Drops" will begin to spawn at various points of the map, allowing players to equip custom loadouts; Loadout Drops can also be purchased by players at a "Buy Station" using Cash. As the game progresses and players are eliminated, the playable area shrinks, forcing the remaining players into tighter spaces; the non-playable areas become contaminated with a yellow gas that depletes health and eventually kills the player if they do not return to the safe playable area.[13][7]
Character death in Battle Royale does not necessarily translate to player defeat like in other titles. Instead, the mode offers a respawn mechanic which players can take advantage of in various ways. Players who are killed are transported to the "Gulag", where they engage in one-on-one combat with another defeated player, with both players being given the same weaponry. Players may only enter the gulag after their first death in a match. The winner of this combat is respawned into the game. Other methods of respawn are available using the in-game currency system.[13][14]
In the Plunder mode, teams have to search for stacks of Cash scattered around the map to accumulate $1 million. Once found or if time is almost up, the game goes into overtime, multiplying all Cash sums by 1.5. The team who has gathered the most money when the clock runs out is declared the winner. Players respawn automatically in this gamemode. Players spawn with custom loadouts, similar to regular multiplayer modes.[15]
Resurgence, a mode introduced with the integration of content from Black Ops Cold War into Warzone, is a modified Battle Royale mode; upon death, players are respawned into the match as long as there is at least one squadmate alive in their team. If the entire squad is wiped, they are eliminated from the match. In solo modes, each player is given a respawn timer to wait out before they can respawn again. The Gulag is not employed in Resurgence modes.[10]
Verdansk was the original map featured in Warzone for the content seasons of Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War. It was themed after the fictional city shown in Modern Warfare's campaign and multiplayer modes. It is divided into five main sectors that are further divided into zones, each with a unique point of interest. The map is based on the real-life Donetsk city.[16]
An updated version of the map, titled "Verdansk '84", was released in April 2021 alongside the third post-launch season for Black Ops Cold War; it was unveiled after the nuclear destruction of its modern-day counterpart.[17] The majority of structures and locations were rethemed and revisited, along with global touch-ups across the entire map. The map featured seven new locations, five revamped locations,[18] the removal of several structures and obstacles, and the addition of a new centerpiece, the Grid Radar Array.[19] Several new locations and points of interest were added to the map as the integrated seasons of Cold War and Warzone progressed. These included Nakatomi Plaza, survival camps, CIA outposts,[20] several satellite crash sites, and "Red Doors".[21] Also featured were new global weapon loadout changes from Modern Warfare to Cold War, with weapons from the former still being accessible via Loadout Drops.[22][23]
Rebirth Island was the second map introduced in the game with the integration of Black Ops Cold War's contents. The map was based on the real-life Vozrozhdeniya Island, which was also featured in the campaign mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Design-wise, the map is a re-imagination of "Alcatraz Island",[24] previously featured in Black Ops 4's Blackout mode. Unlike Verdansk, Rebirth Island is smaller in scale, only allowing 40 players maximum per match.[25] An updated version of the map, titled "Rebirth Island Reinforced", was released in March 2022, featuring two new points of interest, Stronghold and Docks, and various cosmetic tweaks.[26]
Caldera was a World War II-themed island map, released with the first post-launch season for Call of Duty: Vanguard in December 2021, replacing Verdansk as the primary map for Battle Royale and Plunder modes. The map is characterized by dense forests, caves, and large water-based areas.[27] Caldera remained as the only playable map within Warzone, following the release of its 2022 successor, up until the game's shutdown.[1][28]
Fortune's Keep was a small-sized island map introduced with the fourth post-launch season for Vanguard. The map takes place in a Mediterranean setting, with seaside town areas and coves, in addition to water-based areas similar to Caldera.[29]
Warzone's story is intertwined with the seasonal narratives of Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard. Verdansk is used as a common setting across various multiplayer maps in Modern Warfare, while Rebirth Island is inspired by locations and stories in previous Black Ops games. Caldera and Fortune's Keep complement Vanguard's seasonal story.[30][31][32]
In 2020, following an attack orchestrated by terrorists Khaled Al-Asad and Victor Zakhaev, the city of Verdansk is engulfed in a cloud of toxic gas. The Armistice, a joint faction consisting of Russian (Allegiance) and NATO (Coalition) operators, quickly disbands amidst the chaos of the attack, while the operators form smaller sub-factions as they fight one another for survival. The remaining Armistice leaders attempt to track down Zakhaev and learn of his plans. Following months of searching, Task Force 141, led by Captain John Price, eventually locates Zakhaev and stops him from launching a nuclear missile.
Several months later, in February 2021, a Soviet-era cargo ship, named Vodianoy, appears and crashes on the shores of Verdansk, long after its disappearance in 1984 during the transportation of a large supply of lethal gas, named Nova 6. The ship breaks in half, unleashing hordes of the undead into the wild. In the following weeks, the undead tread throughout the city, leaving behind contamination traces. Armistice deploys its forces to Verdansk and they attempt to contain the threat, but are largely unsuccessful in doing so.
After two months of fighting, on April 21, 2021, a full evacuation of the city is ordered and Armistice launches a final attempt at eliminating the undead threat. Within 45 minutes of its start, however, the operation is deemed to be a lost cause. In a last-ditch effort to stop the undead from spreading beyond the confines of Verdansk, Armistice Central Command launches a ballistic missile strike towards the Kastovian capital, annihilating both the undead threat and large portions of city in the process; though by November 2023, several major areas of Verdansk, including the Zordaya Prison Complex, had been restored to operational capacity.[c]
In 1984, Perseus operative Vikhor "Stitch" Kuzmin rebuilds and recommissions Rebirth Island's facilities for production of the lethal Nova 6 gas. At some point, the cargo ship Vodianoy departs from the island, only to mysteriously disappear in the middle of the sea. Some time later, Stitch lures his nemesis, CIA agent Russell Adler, into a trap and captures him. The CIA conducts a search and rescue operation, and eventually tracks Adler from Laos to Verdansk, where Stitch holds him captive. A CIA squad led by Frank Woods rescues Adler in Verdansk, while Stitch continues to carry out his plan: to reactivate Project Nova, a numbers broadcast program once helmed by Nikita Dragovich, as well as to seize control of various brainwashed sleeper agents embedded in Verdansk.
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