2024 video game
2024 video game
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0[b] is a free-to-play battle royale video game developed by Infinity Ward 💵 and Raven Software for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.[2] It is a sequel to 💵 2024's Call of Duty: Warzone. The game is a part of 2024's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and 2024's 💵 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, but does not require purchase of any of the parent titles. It was introduced 💵 during Season 1 of Modern Warfare II content. The game features cross-platform play and a new extraction mode titled DMZ.[3]
Warzone 💵 2.0 was officially revealed by Activision at Call of Duty Next in September 2024, and was released on November 16, 💵 2024 as part of a single cross-game launcher known as Call of Duty HQ.[4][5][6]
Overview [ edit ]
Gameplay [ edit ]
Similar 💵 to its predecessor, in Warzone 2.0's primary game mode, Battle Royale, players compete in a continuously shrinking map to be 💵 the last player(s) remaining. Players parachute onto a large game map, where they encounter and eliminate other players. As the 💵 game progresses and players are eliminated, the playable area shrinks, forcing the remaining players into tighter spaces. A new feature 💵 in Warzone 2.0, Circle Collapse, allows multiple circles to spawn within the map, which close independently of one another, before 💵 converging into one single safe zone. Like the first Warzone, upon death, players are sent to the "Gulag", a small-sized 💵 arena where killed players battle one another for a chance at respawning into the map. In Warzone 2.0, Gulag matches 💵 were initially introduced in 2v2 format, and included an artificial intelligence (AI) combatant called "the Jailer", whom players can hunt 💵 down to acquire a key and escape, in addition to the traditional method of winning Gulag matches. This change was 💵 reverted for Season 2 to the original 1v1 format, while the Jailer is also removed in favor of the overtime 💵 point capture system. In-game cash currencies also return, allowing players to buy various items at several buy stations scattered across 💵 the map, including custom loadouts with personalized weapons and perk setups.
A new extraction game mode, named DMZ, is also featured 💵 at the release of Warzone 2.0.[7] In DMZ, players battle against both AI-controlled and player-controlled opponents while attempting to exfil 💵 with loot they found within the playable area (also known as the Exclusion Zone). Players start out with a limited 💵 inventory, which allows storage of extracted loot from matches; said inventory can be expanded by completing Faction missions, allowing for 💵 more guaranteed loadout weapon slots or the opportunity to unlock base weapons and cosmetic rewards, usable in both Warzone 2.0 💵 and Modern Warfare II.[8]
At launch, AI combatants were a prominent feature in Warzone 2.0, as they defended various strongholds and 💵 black sites throughout the main map, in both Battle Royale and DMZ. Players were able to engage in combat with 💵 the AI-controlled enemies in order to seize the strongholds and gain access to the loot items within. Following numerous balancing 💵 updates and changes, AI combatants were completely removed from Battle Royale modes in Modern Warfare II Season 4.
In Modern Warfare 💵 II Season 2, Warzone 2.0 featured the return of Resurgence, a game mode in which player combatants can respawn and 💵 rejoin matches after being killed, provided that at least one member in their squad remains alive following a short cooldown 💵 period. Squad members can help reduce the cooldown period by completing contracts or killing other players.[9]
Modern Warfare II Season 3 💵 reintroduced the game mode Plunder, in which teams have to search for stacks of Cash scattered around the map to 💵 accumulateR$2 million. Once found or if time is almost up, the game goes into overtime, multiplying all Cash sums twice. 💵 The team who has gathered the most money when the clock runs out is declared the winner. Players respawn automatically 💵 in this game mode. In addition, for the first time, a Ranked competitive mode was introduced in Warzone, developed in 💵 partnership with Treyarch using the official Call of Duty League ruleset.[10]
In addition to shared progression with Modern Warfare II and 💵 Modern Warfare III, Warzone 2.0 also features shared cross-platform progression and social aspects with Warzone Mobile, a new Warzone title 💵 made exclusively for mobile devices.[11]
Maps [ edit ]
Al Mazrah [ edit ]
Al Mazrah is a large desert-themed map with nearly 💵 20 points of interest, and is used as the primary Battle Royale map for the Modern Warfare II seasons. The 💵 map is larger compared to the previous two Battle Royale maps in Warzone, Verdansk and Caldera, and features more water-based 💵 areas, allowing players to take advantage of new swimming and underwater combat mechanics introduced in Modern Warfare II.[12] Following the 💵 release of the Urzikstan map, Al Mazrah is removed from rotation, and remains accessible via DMZ only.
Ashika Island [ edit 💵 ]
Ashika Island is a small-sized Asian Pacific-themed map, which serves as the first locale for the Resurgence mode. Introduced in 💵 Season 2, the map notably features several surrounding water-based points of interest, complemented by Japanese towns, markets, and a castle 💵 area at the center.[13]
Building 21 [ edit ]
Building 21 is a DMZ-exclusive location, introduced in the mid-season update for Season 💵 1. It is accessible only by acquiring a specific keycard item looted from the Al Mazrah map in DMZ. Unlike 💵 other DMZ maps, Building 21 is only open for access during the weekends. This small map pits four squads of 💵 players against each other as well as heavily armored Shadow Company mercenaries, who are more aggressive and difficult compared to 💵 enemy combatants in other DMZ locales.[14]
Koschei Complex [ edit ]
Koschei Complex is the second DMZ-exclusive location, introduced in Season 3's 💵 mid-season update, and is accessible via one of four hidden entrances located within the Al Mazrah map. This map is 💵 characterized by flooded areas and darkly lit rooms, requiring the use of night-vision goggles to navigate. Similar to Building 21, 💵 the map features highly difficult AI combatants.[15]
Vondel [ edit ]
Vondel is a medium-sized Baroque European-themed map, released at the launch 💵 of Season 4. The map is initially playable in Resurgence and DMZ modes, while a standard Battle Royale version is 💵 introduced in the mid-season update. The map features 15 points of interest including a castle, town houses, a stadium, and 💵 a canal system among others. It also introduces dynamic fog and a new land/water hybrid vehicle initially exclusive to this 💵 map.[16]
Urzikstan [ edit ]
Urzikstan is a large-sized map, and serves as the third main Battle Royale map, released with the 💵 launch of Modern Warfare III's first content season. Urzikstan is also used as the main playable map for Modern Warfare 💵 III's Zombies mode. The map features 11 points of interest, with more connectivity between each point utilizing new mechanics such 💵 as horizontal ziplines and drive-able locomotive.[17] The introduction of Urzikstan also adds new features and quality-of-life changes, such as movement 💵 updates from Modern Warfare III, new loadout perks and intrinsic perks to improve gameplay pacing.
Fortune's Keep [ edit ]
Fortune's Keep 💵 is a small-sized island map, previously introduced in the first Warzone as part of the Call of Duty: Vanguard content 💵 season. The map takes place in a Mediterranean setting, with seaside town areas and coves, in addition to water-based areas. 💵 The map is set to release in early 2024.[18]
Rebirth Island [ edit ]
Rebirth Island is a small-sized island map, previously 💵 introduced in the first Warzone as part of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War content season. The map 💵 is based on the real-life Vozrozhdeniya Island and is set to release in 2024.[18]
Plot [ edit ]
Similar to the first 💵 Warzone, Warzone 2.0's story is told via cinematics included at the launch of each seasonal update. Al Mazrah is featured 💵 in the campaign mode for Modern Warfare II, while Amsterdam, which the map Vondel is heavily based on, also briefly 💵 appears in several missions. Urzikstan is a setting featured across the Modern Warfare reboot games, with several POIs featured in 💵 Modern Warfare III campaign and multiplayer levels.
The DMZ mode also features story missions, which revolve around various factions all vying 💵 for control of Al Mazrah, Ashika Island and Vondel. At launch, three factions were introduced: White Lotus, Legion, and Black 💵 Mous. A fourth faction, Crown, was introduced in Season 2, with missions exclusive to Modern Warfare II owners, and a 💵 fifth faction, REDACTED, was later introduced in Season 3 for all players. In Season 4, Legion and REDACTED factions were 💵 removed, followed by the introduction of a new faction, Phalanx. In Season 5, Shadow Company - implied to be the 💵 REDACTED faction from Season 3 - was added as a new faction.
Modern Warfare II story arc [ edit ]
Following Task 💵 Force 141's successful operation in taking down Iranian Quds Force Major Hassan Zyani, CIA Station Chief Kate Laswell begins to 💵 oversee new covert missions taking place in the city of Al Mazrah, in order to undermine the activities of the 💵 terrorist organization Al-Qatala. At the same time, several private military companies begin to move into Al Mazrah, looking to wrestle 💵 control of the city from AQ forces as well as each other. At some point, the Shadow Company PMC was 💵 discovered to be running new operations in Al Mazrah, as well as the Asia-Pacific island Ashika and the elusive underground 💵 facility Building 21.
In April 2024, Valeria Garza, leader of the Mexican Las Almas Cartel, manages to escape captivity, having been 💵 imprisoned for several months by the Mexican Special Forces squad Los Vaqueros. She then gathers the cartel to Al Mazrah 💵 to conduct new activities. Valeria's former comrade and Los Vaqueros leader, Alejandro Vargas, is requested by Laswell to infiltrate Al 💵 Mazrah and apprehend Valeria. Several months later, a terrorist attack was reported in the city of Vondel, Netherlands, with a 💵 mysterious special forces group calling themselves the Peacekeepers seizing control of the city following its evacuation. Laswell establishes contact with 💵 the Black Mous organization and partners with them in order to investigate the Peacekeepers and learn their true intentions. They 💵 soon learn that the Peacekeepers are actually a Russian PMC known as the Konni Group, and the attack on Vondel 💵 was orchestrated by them.
In August 2024, the leaders of the Urzikstan Liberation Force, Farah Karim and Alex Keller, meet with 💵 Shadow Company Commander Phillip Graves, who had faked his death since his last encounter with Task Force 141 in Mexico. 💵 Graves proposes an alliance between the Shadows and ULF in order to prevent an invasion in Al Mazrah from the 💵 Konni Group. Later that month, Graves, under the command of General Shepherd, leads an assault on the Konni-occupied Zaya Observatory 💵 in Al Mazrah as part of Operation: Rogue Arsenal. After destroying the observatory with missile launchers, Shadow Company locates an 💵 underground weapons facility containing chemical weaponry and begin extracting gas canisters, but are forced to exfil when the tunnels begin 💵 collapsing. However, per the orders of the Ultranationalist terrorist Vladimir Makarov, Konni operatives masquerading as Shadow soldiers managed to infiltrate 💵 their ranks and hijack the planes carrying the gas shipment, rendering the operation a failure.
Modern Warfare III story arc [ 💵 edit ]
In December 2024, Konni's second-in-command, Andrei Nolan, manages to escape captivity, after his previous defeat at the hands of 💵 Task Force 141. He resumes his duties and rallies Konni troops to the city of Zaravan, Urzikstan for a new 💵 operation.
Reception [ edit ]
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[19][20]
Notes [ edit ]
