Warzone 2 Season 2 is out now, here’s what’s changed

MAPS

• Ōganikku Farms
  • The majority of the northwestern sector of Ashika Island is composed of mixed agricultural, residential and industrial use, along with old shoreline defenses.

• Town Center
  • The western and parts of the southwestern island comprise a bay with impressive sea wall defenses. Northwest of the main submarine canal is a Ferry Terminal and tourist facilities. Cross the canal bridges to reach a hotel and market district, with an additional Gas Station and the semi-circular City Hall structure.

• Beach Club
  • Further southwest of the Town Center and east of the Port is an aquarium and Beach Club and open-air swimming within the southwestern ocean beach. Parts of the area are easily spotted from a parachute drop as the pathways are a vivid aquamarine-blue color.

• Tsuki Castle
  • The higher ground in the center of Ashika Island is dominated by an ancient castle with multiple fortifications and a natural defensive hill along the southwestern side of the structure. This is a large plateau with shallow, stepped battlements, cherry blossoms in bloom, and a scattering of secondary structures throughout the grounds. Look high for combat opportunities, but also look low; there’s an entire underground waterway and submarine base directly under this fortification!

• Port Ashika
  • The southwestern edge is dominated by rocky bluffs, and a port named after the island. There’s steep terrain to the north as you venture to or from the castle, and a variety of industrial warehouses, offices, a comms tower as you venture towards the ocean, as well as a canal entrance to the subterranean submarine base.

• Residential
  • On the lower ground below the castle battlements to the north and east of the Farms and allotments sits some residential housing between a couple of industrial structures (a Power Plant and Water Treatment Facility). Easily accessed (and surrounded by) tarmac roads, there are plenty of places to discover, both over and underground.

• Shipwreck
  • The inclement weather and hazardous shoreline spelled doom for two cargo tankers. Both vessels have run aground here, and the containers they were carrying have been mostly saved and stacked in a pleasing manner. Further northeast are cliffs and the main looping tarmac road, as well as a comms tower and lookout above a gas station.

In DMZ specifically, Players will experience foggier conditions than those of Battle Royale. Players can utilize the fog for cover, but so can your enemies at range. For a full look at Ashika Island, the brand new Warzone™ 2.0 map, check out the official COD Blog deep dive here.

Map Updates 

• Al Mazrah
  • Downed aircraft at Sattiq Caves
  • Underground tunnels in Suburbs 14
  • New passenger train moving counterdirectional to the existing cargo train
  • Added a path through the cliffside north of Zarqwa Hydroelectric.
  • Added vehicle ramp to garage rooftop in Al Malik International.

• Gulag
  • The Gulag map has been updated to better suit 1v1 combat in Season 02.

BATTLE ROYALE PLAYLIST

MODES

Resurgence New Mode

Resurgence is back! Grab your Squad and drop into this fast paced, high-action Mode that allows Squads to respawn as long as one member remains alive. The last Squad standing wins, regardless of how many times they’ve had to redeploy. Get ready for an intense fight.

How does it work?

When eliminated, Warzone 2 Players enter a spectating state and must wait for the Resurgence timer to tick down. Squad members can shorten the timer by completing Contracts, looting, and eliminating enemy Players.

• Resurgence
  • Respawns are disabled on the fourth circle, so keep an eye on the clock

• New Score Events
  • In addition to the traditional score events, we have added new ways to shorten the respawn timer for Squad members:
    • Headshot
      • Eliminating an enemy Player via Headshot
    • A.I. Elimination
      • Eliminating an A.I. Combatant
    • Uplink
      • Capturing a Data Heist uplink point in
    • On The Move
      • If you move more than 25 meters while your teammate is dead
    • Hunt 
      • You eliminated a Player while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic
    • Hunter Double 
      • You eliminated two Players in a row while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic
    • Hunter Spree 
      • You eliminated more than three Players while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic
    • Armor Break
      • You broke all of a Player’s active Armor Plates
    • Audacious Elimination
      • You got an elimination while a Squad member was down
    • Fearless Elimination
      • You got an elimination while being the last living member of your Squad

• Hunt & Track Mechanic 
  • At any point during a match, eliminating an enemy Player will display their Squad members for a few seconds on the minimap.
  • Specific to Solos, eliminating an enemy Player will display their location upon redeployment for 10 seconds.

• Loadouts
  • Players can acquire their Loadouts via two different methods in Resurgence. Towards the end of the first circle there is a Public Event that drops a Loadout crate for your Squad. Loadout Dop Markers are also available for purchase via Buy Stations, using the same price scaling as standard Battle Royale.

• Additional Information
  • Strongholds are disabled
  • Weapons found via ground loot always have attachments
  • Blue Resurgence Supply Boxes restock after 90 seconds
  • Both Restore Honor tags and eliminations show red dots on the minimap
  • Enemy A.I. Combatants only spawn during the Data Heist Public Event or during a Search & Seizure Contract

GENERAL

• Private Matches
  • Private Matches are enabled for Battle Royale Standard (Solos, Duos, Trios, Quads) on Al Mazrah
  • The spectating feature for Private Matches will be enabled at a later date

WARZONE 2 GAMEPLAY

New Gameplay Features

All Maps | All Modes

• Counter UAV New Killstreak
  • A defensive Killstreak that deploys an autonomous UAV to target an area and jams the enemy’s radar, minimap, as well as their HUD.

Al Mazrah | All Modes

• Redeploy Packs New Equipment
  • This new Tactical Equipment will give Warzone 2 Players another shot at victory! They can be found in ground loot, on some Buy Stations and are guaranteed from completing the Strongholds & Black Sites mission.

Ashika Island | Event

• Restore Honor New Recovery Mechanic (Season Launch)
  • Every Player in Resurgence will drop a dog tag upon death once per match, which can either be picked up by a Squad member or themselves after redeploying. Doing so grants a small Cash reward, as well as a single UAV ping that marks both enemy threats and nearby Supply Boxes.
  • If a Player recovers their own Fallen Soldier Tag or one belonging to a teammate, they get a 50-meter loot ping, a normal 300-meter UAV ping, and $1000.
  • The money reward will only be awarded once but the pings will be given each time honor is restored thereafter.

• Search & Seizure New Contract (In-Season)
  • Recover a stolen vehicle protected by local mercenaries and transport it to a safe location for extraction. Avoid the enemy deterrents and ambushes along the way.

• Data Heist New Public Event (In-Season)
  • A public event where laptops with enemy intelligence are spawned around the map, giving Players the opportunity to steal the data for intel themed rewards like UAV and Advanced UAV. Downloading the data, however, takes time, and Players will need to defend their download against AI defenders and other Players.

• Redeploy Drones New Field Upgrade (In-Season)
  • Interact with a cable suspended from a heavy lift drone to ascend skyward and quickly relocate.

• Rusher New A.I.  (In-Season)
  • An aggressive A.I. Combatant that specializes in close quarters combat, utilizing evasive forward movement to try and close the distance for an attack. Has a handgun as a backup Weapon in case an enemy can’t be reached for melee and mini-smoke bombs to help reposition and retreat.

Gameplay Adjustments

• Loot that spawns across Al Mazrah has been adjusted…
  • Slight adjustment to the existing loot pool
  • Counter UAV has been added

• Cash Economy
  • Players will now drop more Cash upon elimination
  • Players will now retain more Cash upon redeployment
  • Overall balance change to economy so that Players earn more Cash per match
  • Slight reduction to Cash rewards for completing Contracts
  • Cash found via ground loot has been increased to compensate for the above change
    • Minimum Cash value found:
      • On ground increased to $500
      • In cash registers to $500
      • Basic Supply Boxes – $500
      • Legendary Supply Boxes – $800
        • It was previously mentioned that Cash would no longer be obtainable via Basic and Legendary Supply Boxes – this has since been adjusted

• Armor Plates & Vest
  • All Warzone 2 players will now have a 3-Plate Armor Vest at all times
  • Players will also spawn with a different number of equipped Armor Plates depending on the following:
    • Infil deployment
      • Players will deploy with 2 plates
    • Gulag redeployment
      • Players will redeploy with 3 plates
    • Resurgence redeployment
      • Players will redeploy with 2 plates

• Perk Packages
  • Players will now be able to customize their own Perk Packages
    • Disabled
      • Overclock
      • Birdseye

• Buy Stations
  • Spawn locations have been adjusted
  • All spawn locations will be static across each match
  • Loadout Drop Markers now have unlimited stock at all Buy Stations and prices have been reduced. Prices will scale to Squad sizes.
    • Solos
      • $8,000
    • Duos
      • $12,000 ($6,000 per Player)
    • Trios
      • $16,000 ($5,300 per Player)
    • Quads
      • $20,000 ($5,000 per Player)

• Strongholds & Black Sites
  • Strongholds & Black Sites are now a primary way to earn a Redeploy Pack
  • A.I. Combatant damage decreased:
    • Assault Rifle Damage decreased to 22, down from 34
    • Shotgun Pellet Damage decreased to 15, down from 17
  • A.I. Combatants in Strongholds or Black Sites will evacuate the area during the 3 final circles

• Champion’s Quest
  • Players may notice an adjustment to difficulty
  • A new Weapon Blueprint reward is now available for completing Champion’s Quest
    • The Season 01 FTac Recon “Brass Tacks” Weapon Blueprint reward has been vaulted
    • All other Champion’s Quest rewards remain the same

• Backpacks & Inventory
  • Loot will now drop out of all containers in the world, similar to loot from Supply Boxes
  • Eliminated Players will drop loot onto the ground rather than loot-filled Backpacks
  • To better define each Player’s role within the match, Medium and Large Backpacks will no longer be found in the environment
  • Every Player will have the same Small Backpack throughout the entire game
  • When Players expend an item in their active Loadout, stored items from the Backpack will no longer fill that slot. The only two items that will still automatically populate the Loadout from the Backpack are Armor Plates and Ammunition.
    • The changes above should reduce the impact of stacking medical supplies, Equipment, and Killstreaks

• Loadout Drops
  • A second Loadout Drop Public Event has been added, which means the drops will now happen on the first and fifth Circles each match.

• Spawn Protection
  • Protects the Player when they are between 64 to 19 meters off the ground.

• Gulag
  • Players will now face one another in a 1v1 Gulag
  • Flag Control has replaced the Jailer as the overtime mechanic
  • Player Loadouts will change as Circles progress and can include:
    • Either Assault Rifles, Submachine Guns, or Light Machine Guns as Primary Weapons
    • Handguns will remain available as Secondary Weapons
    • Snapshot Grenade as Tactical Equipment
  • Shotguns have been removed
  • Cash will now spawn as ground loot

IMPROVEMENTS

• Pre-Match Loadout Selection
  • Now able to select and edit Loadouts in pre-match lobbies

• Plating Improvements
  • Global plating animation speed increased by approximately 25%
  • Movement speed increased while plating
  • Players can now sprint while plating
  • Players can now bust through doors while plating

• Ping Visibility
  • Each squad member will have a unique color highlighting their name and pings.

• Interrogation
  • The reveal mechanic has been changed from an orange outline to a red marker to remain consistent with similar mechanics.

• Loot Improvements
  • Improved the separation of loot on steep inclines and in tight areas.

UI/UX

• Combat Records
  • Warzone 2.0 Combat Records will come online as part of Season 02. The statistics present in the Warzone 2.0 Combat Record will only be from the activation date forward, and will not include statistics from Season 01.

• Play Again
  • This menu option enables Players to do the following:
    • As the party leader:
      • Play Again With This Squad
      • Play Again With Party and Fill Squad
    • As a squad member not in the party:
      • Play Again With This Squad
      • Play Again With A New Squad

BUG FIXES

• Fixed collision issues with various elements across Al Mazrah allowing Players to exploit/peek/shoot through them.

• Fixed an issue causing Loadout icons to disappear on the Tac Map.

• Fixed an issue where Custom Loadouts would reset to a Default Loadout after exiting a match.

• Fixed an issue where Players could continue driving vehicles after running out of fuel.

• Fixed an issue where the Revive Pistol could be duplicated.

• Fixed an issue where the Revive Pistol would not do melee damage to downed Players.

• Fixed an issue where Stronghold Bombs could be defused through walls.

• Fixed an issue where the Champion’s Quest Bombsite would spawn near water and cause a physics issue.

• Fixed an issue where Helicopters could sometimes clip through the Control Tower at Al Malik Airport.

• Fixed an issue that caused obstructed or misaligned loot.

• Fixed an issue that caused geographic elements to float.

• Fixed an issue that caused corrupted lighting inside of one the Mawizeh Marsh buildings.

• Fixed an issue with Loadout Drops around Mawizeh Marsh.

• Fixed an issue where the Heartbeat Sensor was tracking incorrectly, almost never showing Players on the radar.

• Fixed an issue that allowed Players to duplicate Field Upgrades.

• Fixed an issue that allowed Players to see the Bonus Battle Royale Challenge prior to completing Daily Challenges.

DMZ

GENERAL

New Exclusion Zone

• Ashika Island
  • New Weapons Case
  • New boss: The Bombmaker
  • New rewards
  • New locked and dangerous spaces

New Faction

• Crown
  • New Faction Mission set
  • Available to Modern Warfare II Owners only

Season 02 Reset

• Faction Mission progress has been reset for Season 02
• Previously unlocked Insured Weapon slots will remain unlocked
• Contraband weapon inventories have been reverted to starting weapons
• Key stashes have been emptied

Mission Refresh

• New missions sets have arrived with Season 02 for all players. These are comprised of new missions, updated missions, and some returning missions.
• New mission sets will send Players to all 3 Exclusion Zones of DMZ.
• The Key Stash can now hold items for missions so Players can transport them across Exclusion Zones to complete objectives.

WARZONE 2 GAMEPLAY

• Missions
  • Adjusted the overall scaling of difficulty in Missions as the Faction Mission Tiers progress.

• Contracts
  • Secure Intel Contract no longer calls reinforcements to the radio tower.
  • The Attack Helicopter in Cargo Contracts will now react more quickly to the vehicle’s movement while firing, and the Attack Helicopter’s  missiles will more accurately hit the Operator vehicle when moving slowly.
  • The HVTs for “Eliminate HVT contracts” will now drop more rare keys and will sometimes drop stronghold keycards.

• Enemy Tuning
  • Adjusted lethality of AI across Al Mazrah including number of AI spawning, and the accuracy of AI at range.

• Locations
  • Infiltration locations have been updated in Al Mazrah.
  • Dead Drop locations have been updated in Al Mazrah.
  • Exfiltration locations have been updated in Al Mazrah.
  • Boss locations have been updated in Al Mazrah.

Adjustments

• Plating Improvements
  • Global plating animation speed increased by approximately 25%
  • Movement speed increased while plating
  • Players can now sprint while plating
  • Players can now bust through doors while plating

• Ping Visibility
  • Each squad member will have a unique color highlighting their name and pings.

• Interrogation
  • The reveal mechanic has been changed from an orange outline to a red marker to remain consistent with similar mechanics.

For more details on these updates to DMZ, check out the Warzone 2 blog.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue where attempting to pick up an Armor Plate with a full inventory could sometimes cause a crash.
• Fixed an issue where players could duplicate weapons in DMZ
• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on the infiltration screen.
• Fixed an issue where players couldn’t mute their squadmates
• Fixed an issue where two exfil helicopters could collide
• Reduced instances of Players becoming stuck on a “downloading instance inventory” message.
• Fixed an issue that would cause two items to be removed from a backpack when trying to remove only one in the pre-game loadout screen
• Fixed an issue that allowed Players to duplicate Field Upgrades and Killstreaks
• Fixed some issues that caused obstructed or misaligned loot