COD Modern Warfare 2 and WarZone 2 are getting some pretty significant updates to the gameplay.
Infinity Ward is making widespread changes to not only the maps and equipment but also to some core game mechanics. Loadouts play a large role in what makes this game unique. In the November upcoming release, players will get faster access to their Loadout’s Primary Weapon.
There’s also a new extraction shooter mode called DMZ. In the DMZ mode, operator squads have “free rein to complete faction-based missions.” Gamelevate anticipates that there will be many more details about this new mode released in the upcoming weeks.
Here are the fully released COD Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 updates:
A New Era for Call of Duty
Starting on November 16, Season 01 COD Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 will deliver action on all fronts: the next iteration of the massive free-to-play Battle Royale experience featuring the much-anticipated DMZ mode, reimagined maps in Multiplayer, and an additional Special Ops mission prior to the first Raid Episode. There will be plenty of content across both games through the all-new Battle Pass, football-themed events, and more.
Season 01 for COD Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 goes live on November 16 at 10 AM PT. Modern Warfare II will receive its Season 01 update on November 14 at 10 AM PT. All platforms can preload Warzone 2.0 starting on November 14 at 10 AM PT.
WARZONE 2.0 OVERVIEW
- Al Mazrah, Home of Warzone 2.0: Use 18 major points of interest to plot out your victory in Battle Royale or explore them en route to extraction in the brand-new DMZ experience.
- Ready for the New Era: Masses of gameplay innovations and new features make Warzone 2.0 an incredible experience, built on community learning.
- A Shift in Perspective: Third-Person Playlists Coming In-Season to Warzone 2.0: For the first time in Warzone history, we welcome fans of third-person Battle Royale action during Season 01.
Welcome to Al Mazrah — New Big Map
Central to the COD Modern Warfare w universe, the city of Al Mazrah within the United Republic of Adal is your first battleground for Warzone 2.0.
Those who are playing COD Modern Warfare 2 right now are getting some serious training on Al Mazrah. For example, the following Multiplayer maps are subsections of this massive region:
- Al Bagra Fortress (Core Map)
- Embassy (Core Map)
- Zarqwa Hydroelectric (Core Map)
- Taraq (both Core and Battle Map)
- Sariff Bay (Battle Map)
- Sa’id (Battle Map)
We already gave a brief overview of Al Mazrah here. Expect an expanded map guide before launch.
Warzone 2.0 Innovations, Updates Since Call of Duty: Next
Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 is ready to make its impact as a rebuilt, free-to-play, free-for-everyone take on the Battle Royale game that has redefined the Call of Duty franchise.
Before the Season 01 launch, an entire blog will be dedicated to diving deeper into new features and mechanics that have been updated since what was shown at Call of Duty Next. For now, here is a taste of the biggest highlights we can share:
Loadouts Are Not Leaving
Custom Loadouts are back for Warzone 2.0.
Similar to the original Call of Duty Warzone, Loadouts play a large role in what makes this game unique, and in this new era, players will have quicker access to their Loadout’s primary benefit: the Primary Weapon. There are three ways to earn a Loadout, or at least, a Primary Weapon:
- Shops – Players can use in-match Cash at the Shops (the new name for the Buy Station) to purchase their Primary Weapon from their created Loadouts.
- Loadout Drop Public Event – Loadout Drops will drop into Al Mazrah in the middle of Battle Royale matches. However, these are not limited or assigned to individual squads, but instead can be accessed by any player.
- Strongholds and Black Sites – Players can also earn their Loadout in the early game as a reward for clearing a Stronghold or a Black Site.
Additionally, in-match Cash can be used to purchase your Primary Weapon from created Loadouts.
Looting Mechanics: Battle Royale Remaining Traditional, New Backpack System in DMZ
Warzone 2.0 will implement a new Backpack system, fully integrated for DMZ and streamlined for Battle Royale modes.
In Battle Royale, like the previous Warzone, Supply Boxes will throw out items to pick up. When a player interacts with any other loot container, such as a duffel bag, or medical case, they will function with a loot menu.
When a player dies, they will drop their Primary Weapon on the ground and their Backpack, which contains the rest of their content, and is accessed through a loot menu.
Defining the New Gulag
After Next, the new Gulag received some changes over the past two months while still being grounded within a traditional Warzone experience.
The Gulag will be a 2v2 environment where randomly paired Duos must coordinate to take down their opposition. All players will receive a predefined Loadout — at launch, this will be a Pistol or a Shotgun, a Lethal Grenade, and a Tactical Grenade — with highly effective weaponry and gear placed toward the map’s center.
The Gulag will also include a Jailer, who will appear in the middle of the match to help speed up combat. Defeating the Jailer will return all four Gulag prisoners back to the Battle Royale, which offers a dilemma: Do both Duos agree to wait and fight this powerful enemy together, or does one get greedy and try to go for the elimination victory?
Instead of a traditional Overtime mechanic, if neither team nor the Jailer is eliminated after a brief period of time, all four Operators lose.
AI Combatants in Battle Royale — Only at Strongholds, Black Sites, Gulag Overtime
The Gulag is just one of three places where players can fight AI combatants, as they will be restricted to guard specific locations.
The other two locations are Strongholds and Black Sites, which are clearly designated on your in-game Tac-Map to allow you to opt-into engagements with AI combatants.
During each match, several Strongholds will be activated around the map. Squads can visit these areas to fight AI combatants. The first team to complete a Stronghold must disarm a bomb and will earn a key to a Black Site and their Custom Loadout. Successive teams must eliminate a specific number of defenders (AI or players) and will earn their Custom Loadout, but not a Black Site key.
Black Sites are a more dangerous form of Strongholds, but they offer a permanent Weapon Blueprint reward and even more valuable in-match items for those who clear it out. These are available only via the Black Site key, given to the first team that clears one of the active Strongholds.
Additional New Features: Aquatic Combat, New Vehicles and Fuel Mechanic, and More
Not everything will be different from what we saw at Next. In addition to some other new features, expect the following in Warzone 2.0:
Circle Collapse
There may not be only one safe zone — in Battle Royale modes, there can be up to three circles within the collapse, which will ultimately remerge for the final showdown. Prepare to adjust your strategies accordingly, as this feature is randomized in each match.
Proximity Chat
Got something to say? Comms are now open, so any in-game chatter can be picked up by any other squad. This can open up new ways to tackle engagements . . . or mess with enemies who are holed up inside buildings.
Assimilation
In squad-based DMZ modes, as well as special Battle Royale playlists, you have the choice to join up with enemy Operators and form a larger squad.
Interrogation (Battle Royale and DMZ only)
In squad-based modes, intel is everything. Reveal enemy locations by successfully shaking down player-controlled enemies while they are downed.
Heavy Chopper and Hummer EV
Two new vehicles define the refreshed vehicle roster for Warzone 2.0: an aerial powerhouse known as the Heavy Chopper, which can hover in the air without a pilot, and and the GMC HUMMER EV Pickup, a versatile means to quickly cover serious ground with the whole squad in this all-electric supertruck.
Here is the full roster of vehicles you can expect to find in Al Mazrah:
ATV: Nimble three-seater with little protection
UTV: All-terrain lightweight four-seater.
Hatchback: Four-door civilian vehicle without any significant protection.
SUV (Standard): All-terrain civilian 4×4 with a boxy frame.
GMC Hummer EV: All-electric supertruck engineered for off-road.
Cargo Truck: Large industrial vehicle with a flatbed.
Light Helo: Twin-engine light helicopter for rapid traversal and combat support.
Heavy Chopper: Heavily armored search-and-rescue helicopter.
RHIB: Maneuverable tactical boat designed for Special Forces.
Armored Patrol Boat: Reinforced aquatic vehicle with mounted .50 Cal machine guns.
Vehicle Fuel, Gas Station Mechanic
No more unlimited fuel sources — all vehicles (yes, including the EV) use fuel over time, and when it runs out, that vehicle is no longer usable. Vehicles can be refilled either with Gas Cans found around the map or at Gas Stations.
Gas Stations can also repair body damage and tires, thereby restoring vehicle health. However, Operators can also perform flat tire repairs anywhere in the world by interacting with individual tires.
Aquatic Combat
Whether by boat or breaststroke, Operators can navigate waterways, rivers, and the open sea as part of their overall victory strategy. Remember only Sidearms, melee weapons, and Throwing Knives can be used while you’re submerged. Also, try using Lethal and Tactical Equipment on or underwater for a wide variety of potentially destructive effects.
The Shops: Buy Station 2.0
Each Buy Station contains a unique set of items for purchase in limited quantity, including Killstreaks, Armor Plates, and more. You can see these offerings and can buy back fallen squadmates, within a new interface.
DMZ — Play Your Way in a Completely New Warzone Experience
In addition to traditional Warzone modes — Battle Royale Solos, Duos, Trios, and Quads — Warzone 2.0 will launch with a brand-new experience known as DMZ.
DMZ is 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 a Tactical Overview into this mode closer to its launch next week.
Coming In-Season: Third-Person Playlists
As announced, Warzone 2.0 will include Third-Person Playlists.
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. COD Modern Warfare 2 owners can already get a taste of Third-Person now through the game’s Multiplayer.
Third-Person Playlists will be introduced into the Battle Royale weekly rotation during Season 01.
