Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play Call of Duty game developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows. Warzone is also a component of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The game features two main modes, a Battle Royale mode and a Plunder mode.
Announced on March 9th, 2020, Call of Duty: Warzone was released the next day on March 10th. Warzone was downloaded and played by more than 6 million players in 24 hours[1], 15 million after 3 days[2], 30 million after 10 days[3], 50 million after a month[4], 60 million after less than two months[5] and over 75 million after five months.[6]
Overview
Health
Players start with 100 health and 2 Armor Plates equipped. Each plate adds 50 extra health. If a player equips another Armor Plate, up to a total of 3 plates, their health raises to its maximum, 250. Players can hold 5 plates in reserve at a time, or 8 if carrying an Armor Satchel, in addition to the armor they are wearing, making for a total of 8-11. Armor Plates can be purchased at Buy Stations in a bundle of 5, as well as an Armor Box which when placed can instantly fill the player's Armor Plate reserves.
Weapon Tiers
Warzone consists of Weapon Tiers that can be found by looting and completing Contracts. Unlike other battle royale games where a weapon's rarity level determines its damage, fire rate, accuracy, etc, rarity tiers in Warzone simply apply more attachments to a weapon as the rarity increases.
- Player Loadouts
- Common
- Uncommon
- Rare
- Epic
- Legendary
Contracts
Contracts are optional objectives that teams can complete to earn XP and Weapon XP as well as rare loot or Cash, which can be spent at Buy Stations.
- A Bounty contract tasks the team with killing a specific player.
- A Recon contract will have the team capture a set point in the map.
- A Scavenger contract will have the team search for specific Supply Boxes located around the map in a limited time.
- A Most Wanted contract marks the person who picked it up on the map for a specific time, rewarding them and their team for surviving the duration as well as redeploying any eliminated teammates.
- A Supply Run contract will have the team travel to a Buy Station approximately 500m away in a limited time. Upon completion, each team member will be able to purchase one discounted item, or get a Self Revive Kit or revive a teammate for free.
- A Contraband contract has a chance of occurring after completing any of the aforementioned contracts. Among the loot the team is rewarded with, Contraband will spawn. It must be picked up and brought to a highlighted point for helicopter extraction within a time limit. This contract rewards the team with an unlock for a unique weapon blueprint that changes with each season.
Buy Station
Buy Stations are boxes that can be found throughout the Warzone map where players can purchase equipment, killstreaks or Squad Buybacks using Cash earned during the game.
Equipment
- Armor Plate Bundle: $1,500
- Gas Mask: $3,000
- Self-Revive Kit: $4,000
- Munitions Box: $5,000
- Armor Box: $6,000
- Loadout Drop Marker: $10,000
Killstreaks
- Cluster Strike: $3,000
- Precision Airstrike: $3,500
- UAV: $4,000
Playzones
The playzone in Warzone is surrounded by toxic gas that bypasses armor plates and reduces health directly. To become invincible to the gas for a certain time, players can find a Gas Mask in Supply Boxes randomly within the map or can purchase one from a Buy Station. Gas Masks can protect players from the gas for 10 seconds. After that, depending on its phase, the gas can kill a player in 15 seconds.
Vehicles
Call of Duty: Warzone features 5 different vehicles in both the Battle Royale and Plunder mode.
- ATV (1 driver, 1 passenger)
- SUV (1 driver, 3 passengers)
- Heli (1 pilot, 10 passengers)
- Cargo Truck (1 driver, 4 passengers)
- Tac Rover (1 driver, 3 passengers)
Progression and Crossplay
Like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Warzone supports Crossplay across consoles and PC.
Both games feature a unified progression system; all items unlocked in Modern Warfare will carry over in Warzone and vice versa.
Call of Duty: Warzone also shares the same Store and Battle Pass system as Modern Warfare.
Game Modes
Battle Royale
- "Loot and Kill. Last team standing wins."
- — Battle Royale description.
In Battle Royale, players fight to be the last team standing. Warzone was released with squads of three players but on March 17th, a solo mode was added to Battle Royale[7] followed by a 4-player Quads mode on April 8th[8]. In addition to the loot found on the map and dropped by eliminated players, players can collect Cash to buy equipment or killstreaks from Buy Stations. Squads can also take on Contracts to get loot and Cash.
Redeployment
When a player dies for the first time, a cutscene will show them being captured and brought to the Gulag. Inside the Gulag, 2 players will take part in a 1v1 fight similar to a Gunfight game taking place inside the prison showers while other players in queue for a fight may watch and throw rocks at the contestants. The winner of the fight will be redeployed into the main game again while the loser may spectate the rest of the match or quit.
While playing with no other living teammates, the loser of the 1v1 fight won't be able to redeploy and the game ends indefinitely for them.
If the player dies a second time after winning a Gulag fight, only their teammates can bring them back with a Squad Buyback.
Redeployment can be done by other teammates either with a Squad Buyback, which costs $4,000, or by completing a Most Wanted contract.
Periodically in a match of Warzone, the Jailbreak event has a chance to occur, where anyone who is spectating the game or in the Gulag after dying will be brought back into normal play.
Players can also use a Self-Revive Kit to revive themselves when downed. These are available as loot and at Buy Stations for $4,000.
Plunder
- "Collect as much Cash as you can"
- — Plunder description.
In Plunder, squads race to collect one million in cash by opening Supply Boxes, defeating opponents, taking Contracts or opening Cash Drops, which periodically spawn around the map. Every player has unlimited respawns, and is able to choose their own loadouts and Field Upgrades.
The overall goal is to accumulate the most amount of cash before time runs out. When a team reaches $1,000,000, an overtime timer comes into play that increases all cash value to allow other teams to earn more before the game ends. Cash can be banked using Cash Deposit Balloons and Deposit Helipads, preventing it from being dropped upon death.
Map
Warzone is set in Verdansk, Kastovia. The map supports up to 200 players depending on the modes and playlists.
During Season Four, a train track was added to the western part of Verdansk creating a tunnel near the Hospital. Several small shacks were also added onto the map but were locked to prevent players from entering them. In Season Five, the Stadium roof was destroyed, allowing players to access its interiors. Underground parking lots were also made available around the Stadium. The interiors of the Train Station also became available for the players. Several rappelling ropes were added to high buildings around the map such as the SNK building and the Art Museum in Tavorsk District or the Stadium. A freight train was also added which traveled around the train track added in Season Four. In Season Six, an underground metro system was added to the map, which allows for fast, relatively safe travel between areas of the map.
![Pre-Release Verdansk map.[9]](/wiki/File:Verdansk_Map_PreRelease_Warzone_MW.jpg "Verdansk Map PreRelease Warzone MW.jpg (510 KB)")
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Story
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Storyline
Following a series of operations carried out by the ARM-4 team of Armistice, a localised alliance between the Allegiance and the Coalition, to dismantle an Al-Qatala network in Verdansk, Khaled Al-Asad released a massive amount of poisonous gas into the city as part of the Ultranationalist Victor Zakhaev's plan to dissolve Armistice and increase tensions between Russia and the West.
With the gas engulfing the city, Armistice operatives started fighting among themselves to survive. Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley, a member of the Task Force 141 stationed in Verdansk, reported to Captain John Price, the task force leader, several blue on blue incidents and requested reinforcement and operators he could trust.
Zakhaev's plan was a success. As the situation deteriorated, Price informed Ghost, who managed to leave Verdansk, that Armistice was officially disbanded. Zakhaev allowed Al-Qatala to return to Urzikstan while his own army stayed in Verdansk. The conflict continued, however, and soon Price and Kyle Garrick, another member of Task Force 141, joined the fight. Many operators from Allegiance and Coalition also arrived in Verdansk.
With no progress made to stop Zakhaev, a private military company called Shadow Company and its Senior Officer, Marcus Ortega, joined the fight in Verdansk. After receiving intel from the Allegiance about Ultranationalist comms traffic coming from the Verdansk National Arena, Ortega and a small team of Shadow Company operatives stormed the stadium, blowing off its roof and landed in its soccer field to eliminate any hostiles and hunt down Zakhaev. This proved to be fruitless, and Zakhaev was nowhere to be found.
With the help of Ghost, operators were able to discover that Zakhaev had been evading detection by using the underground metro system to travel on foot. Chimera leader "Nikolai" enters the subways alongside Farah Karim, now a Chimera operator, and powers the trains for use against the Ultranationalists. Farah contacts Price in preparations for capturing Zakhaev. Afterwards, Price contacts Sergeant Griggs of the Demon Dogs to stand by for orders.
Easter Eggs
Bunkers
Following the release of Title Update 1.21 on May 18, 2020 for Modern Warfare and Warzone, some of the twelve bunkers, Bunker 00 to Bunker 11, in Verdansk could be opened. The bunkers featured several Supply Boxes and rare items.
Bunkers 00, 04, 05, 06, and 09 could be opened using a Red Access Card, that could be looted from a Supply Box or a dead player who already had one. Once in possession of a card, a player could travel to one of the five bunkers available and interact with the panel outside the bunker to "Enter Access Code" and open the bunker. Each bunker featured another door inside that was locked by an 8-digit keypad.
Bunker 11
Bunker 11, located in the far north of Verdansk, requires to activate several phones to open it. At the start of a game, several specific phones can be picked up to start the sequence. Once the correct phone is picked up, the player will hear someone speak Russian, and after a small chime they'll hear three numbers spoken in Russian from 0 to 9.
The numbers matched another set of specific phones that need to be activated in the same order as the numbers spoken originally. Once a player activated the three phones in the exact order, they would be able to travel to Bunker 11 and enter the "Number Station Code" to open it.
Once inside, the players would follow a series of corridors with the sentence "Resume cover. Await further instructions" written on a wall at one point. They would then find themselves in a central room leading to another locked door. Two rooms could be accessed on the left of the central room and one room on the right.
In the first room on the left, players would find a room with a computer that could be rebooted. The second room on the left featured a meeting room where a monitor presented a 10 second countdown that would reset at 00:00:02. The room on the right contained the Legendary "Mud Drauber" MP7 blueprint, which when obtained would unlock the blueprint in the player's Armory. This room also featured a secret passage leading to a Shiny Red Button. Activating the button would clear smoke through a window to the next room, letting players see several nuclear warheads.
Stadium
Following the release of Title Update 1.24 on August 5, 2020 for Modern Warfare and Warzone that came with Season Five, the stadium was opened and new Blue Access Cards became available to the players.
There are three areas in the stadium, the underground Parking Lots, the Concourse and the Executive Level on the upper part of the stadium. The Blue Access Cards can be found anywhere within the stadium but cannot be found in Supply Boxes. Each Blue Access Card unlock one specific room at each specific area. The "P2-16" Access Card is used to open a room in the underground Parking Lots, the "CL-19" Access Card is used to open a room in the Concourse near the bar, and the "EL-21" Access Card is used to open a door in the Executive Level.
Each room contains a computer that, when interacted with, gives a 8-digit code consisting of numbers from 0 to 9 and three specific symbols. Each computer gives the same code but some numbers are replaced by some of the three symbols. Using the three codes, players can decipher the actual 8-digit code and enter it in a keypad next to a double door in the Executive Level.
Once the door is unlocked, players can enter the room and obtain the Legendary "Enigma" CR-56 AMAX blueprint, adding it to their Armory. The opening of the door is accompanied by fireworks launching all around the stadium.
Metro Station
Following the release of Season Six, a keypad became accessible inside the Parliament building in Downtown Verdansk, alongside a computer that had the option to "Enter Password."
In the metro stations in Verdansk, players could see portions of a code on signs inside the stations, with the rest of the code redacted. Different parts of the code were redacted at different stations; the complete code was "2179".
Upon entering the code 2179 at the keypad in the Parliament building, the building would enter a lockdown in which the doors would close and lock, trapping any players inside. Toxic gas would fill the room, eventually killing any players within after a short time. After this, the lockdown would end and the doors would open again. This can be repeated with no limits.
During the lockdown, the computer at the desk would be accessible, displaying a sequence of images that corresponded to paintings inside the building, then providing a keypad interface where 2 halves of several numbers are displayed. Roman numerals appear on plaques under all of the possible paintings. Remembering the sequence and solving some math, the player can find the correct code. They will have to first type the top half of every number in the code in the first 4 spaces, then type the bottom half.
If the correct code is inputted, the lockdown will end inside the building, and any players inside may exit it alive. The computer will briefly display the text "Subway Override Authorized."
After authorizing the subway override, the team must then travel to the metro station at Verdansk International Airport, where they can interact with a keyboard to "Enter Computer Override." Doing this will cause the next subway train that arrives to travel to an otherwise inaccessible Maintenance area. Inside this area, a massive amount of loot will be accessible, including rare killstreaks, the Specialist bonus, and the Legendary "Firebrand" Bruen Mk9 blueprint. Picking up the weapon will unlock it in the player's armory.
Intel Missions
Introduced with Season Four and accessible in the "Missions & Challenges" section of the menu is the "Intel" section.
To complete the Intel Missions, the player has to collect several intel, contained within signs, computers or small golden coins, scattered around the map of Verdansk and hinted by provided images. Collecting a piece of intel will advance to the next objective, tasking players with finding another piece of intel. Some pieces of intel require certain perks to be used to collect them. Only one piece of intel per Mission may be collected in a single match of Warzone.
Completing the Missions will reward the player with experience points and reveal details of various events that occurred in Verdansk during the events of Warzone.
- "Find the cause of the airport attack."
- — Mission description
The "Fractured" mission was released on June 11, 2020. It required players to collect intel in the BCH4 TV Station; the airport main terminal; the airport control tower; a crashed plane south of the Arklov military base and two buildings inside the base.
- "Begin the hunt for Zakhaev."
- — Mission description
The "Hunting the Enemy" mission was released on June 30, 2020. It required players to collect intel in the swimming pool; a building near the airport; inside Bunker 03 where two intel can be collected with the second of which required the Spotter perk to access a laptop; in a meeting room near the BCH4 TV Tower in Downtown Tavorsk and near a time table in the Train Station.
- "Track down the missing shipment."
- — Mission description
The "Hidden Cargo" mission was released on July 7, 2020. It required players to collect intel at the top of the Train Station; in the Port of Verdansk on one of the south cranes; between containers in the north of the port; in the vacant building in the port and in the building next to the WHP Camp in the Lozoff Pass.
- "Uncover the truth behind the airport attack."
- — Mission description
The "New Perspectives" mission was released on July 21, 2020. It required players to collect intel at the top of one of the walls of the training course in the Arklov Peak airbase; the control tower inside the base; inside sheds next to the eastern tarmac; a laptop near a down UAV inside a hangar south of the boneyard and a computer inside the Verdansk Parliament.
- "Track down the missing Armistice member."
- — Mission description
"The Lost Team" mission was released on August 5, 2020. It required players to collect intel in the Verdansk Airport tunnel; a small building left of Burger Town in the Torsk bloc; a crashed helicopter in Tavorsk District, next to the Acropolis National Bank; three comms towers, one next to the BCH4 TV Station, one south of the Tavorsk Park next to the Styor Spomenik and one south of the Barakett Promenade West.
- "Discover how Zakhaev has been staying hidden."
- — Mission description
The "Old Wounds" mission was released on August 25, 2020. It required players to collect intel in the Zordaya Prison Complex; on a desk in the spire, next to a radiator in the B2 cell; above the Gulag showers; on a desk in the officer above the prison entrance and in the A3 cell.
- "Zakhaev wants to finish what his father began..."
- — Mission description
The "Sins of the Father" mission was released on September 8, 2020. It required players to collect intel at the top of the Zordaya Prison Complex; on a CCTV camera of an apartement building next to the subway station of the airport; on one of the shelves next to a Teddy Bear in Atlas Superstore; in a truck south of the Verdansk stadium; three intel pieces in Suit 320 after completing the Stadium Easter Egg; on a computer in a room in the Stadium parking using the "P2-16" Access Card.
- "Uncover the next steps in Zakhaev's plan."
- — Mission description
The "New Threats" mission was released on September 22, 2020. It required players to collect intel near the windmills of Krovnik Farmland; at a camp site north-east of the Stadium; on a desk in the Dam power station; in front of the Styor Spomenik; on a desk in a cabin next to the Styor Spomenik after hitting the antena at the top of the monument with a EMP Drone; on the computers inside Bunker 10.
- "Find what Z has been moving through the tunnels."
- — Mission description
The "Secret Trails" mission was released on September 29, 2020. It required players to collect intel at the entrance of the tunnel near the Hospital; on a computer inside a room next to the metro platform in the Barakett Promenade East subway station; on a dest inside a room next to the metro platform in the Stadium subway station; on a red box with a biohazard symbol in the 3rd floor of the Verdansk Hospital; next to a CRT TV inside the Krovnik Farmland barn using the code 49285163; inside of the deposits in the Acropolis Bank vault.
- "Uncover Zakhaev's plan for Armistice."
- — Mission description
The "Tighten the Noose" mission was released on October 14, 2020. It required players to collect intel on a tree stump above the tunnel in the northwestern part of Verdansk; in the shack next to TV Station using the code 27495810; on a computer in the Acropolis National Bank; on a desk outside the western part of the Verdansk Parliament; on a burning truck in front of the Train Station; on a CRT TV in Bunker 01 using the code 97264138.
Combat Pack DLCs
Combat Packs are available as free limited-time downloadable content for Warzone that were exclusive to Playstation 4 users until October 1, 2020. Most Combat Packs were released coinciding with the launch of a new season.
Season Two
The Call of Duty: Warzone - Combat Pack for Season Two was available between March 10, 2020 and April 7, 2020.
It included:
- "Track Star" Yegor Operator Skin
- "Showstopper" Model 680 Blueprint
- 1 Hour Double XP Token
- "Covert Operation" Calling Card
- "Shredded" Weapon Charm
- "Skilltrack 56" Watch
Season Three
The Call of Duty: Warzone - Combat Pack for Season Three was available between April 8, 2020 and June 1st, 2020.
It included:
- "The Woodsman" Wyatt Operator Skin
- "Open Season" Kar98k Blueprint
- "Good Company" .357 Blueprint
- "Toothpick" Combat Knife Blueprint
- 1 Hour Double XP Token
- "Nature Provides" Calling Card
- "Off The Lawn!" Spray
- "Bear Trap" Weapon Charm
Season Five
The Call of Duty: Warzone - Combat Pack for Season Five became available between August 5, 2020 and August 31, 2020.
It included:
- "The Footballer" Zane Operator Skin
- "On the Volley" AUG Blueprint
- "Injury Time" Watch
- "The Sparks" Charm
- "Stunning Strike" Calling Card
- "Sparks Pride Emblem
- 1 Hour Double XP Token
Reloaded
The Call of Duty: Warzone - Combat Pack (Season Five Reloaded) became available on September 1, 2020.
It included:
- "Lock and Stock" Otter Operator Skin
- "Yellow Belly" M19 Blueprint
- "Box Cutter" Combat Knife Blueprint
- "Price Check" Charm
- "Shop Smart" Calling Card
- "Checkout" Emblem
- 1 Hour Double XP Token
Gallery
Videos
Trivia
- Call of Duty: Warzone was teased during the Season Two intro cutscene of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. A "Classified" slide was added at the start of that season in the Modern Warfare's main menu.
- On February 25, with Title Update 1.15, the slide was updated to display "Transmission Incoming" under "Classified".
- On March 9, after the announcement of Warzone, a 24 hour countdown timer was added to the slide. The slide displayed "Incoming Transmission" the next day before the release of Title Update 1.17 and Warzone.
- Footage of Warzone was featured in the Modern Warfare reveal trailer released on May 30th, 2019.[10]
References
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1237865764167639041
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1238632552946003969
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1241035908079480832
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1248688976514318336
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1257784185969754112
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1290750623315447809
- ↑ https://twitter.com/InfinityWard/status/1239976201084518400
- ↑ https://www.infinityward.com/news/2020-04/MW_Patch_Notes_Apr_7
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1237068139390590976
- ↑ https://twitter.com/ArtPeasant/status/1237820177913278464