The former top dog of the battle royale is back to claim its throne with the recent release of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. The game touted many big changes prior to launch to spice up the gameplay loop that so many players have come to know and love. Accompanying this are new features such as DMZ and proximity chat, which are sure to provide many more fun moments to those willing to give it a try.
Some well-known features are unfortunately missing, but there is hope with leaks and announcements either hinting or outright stating some of them will return. In the meantime, players have much to explore and discover in Warzone 2's new map, Al Mazarh. This list won't be going over the big changes and new features in Warzone 2.0, but instead, highlight the small improvements the game made based on what was learned in the original Warzone.
4 Loot In Places That Make Sense
Warzone prided itself on having a plethora of loot for players to find and fight for across the massive maps. Players would soon find out this loot was quite random, and only select locations would feature a chance for better loot. These would inevitably turn into high-traffic areas where a majority of the fights would occur.
Warzone 2.0 looked to make a small improvement in this area by adding logic to certain loot spawns. For example, the "Stim" is more likely to spawn in medical cabinets found in bathrooms, as that is where medical supplies would be found in the real world. Of course, loot still retains an element of randomness, but this adjustment is beginner-friendly and will be utilized by veterans to get to their best loadouts faster.
3 Less Instant Deaths
When operators first landed in Verdansk at the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone, they were greeted with a massive map and many locations to visit. Unfortunately, the map also had many ways for players to meet their untimely end. The original Warzone was notorious for having a few too many ways for operators to just drop dead, some of which were purely because there was no mechanic to prevent it from happening.
Warzone is already a difficult game. When operators couldn't swim, fall from too great a height, or even survive a love tap from a vehicle without instant death, frustration for the game was at an all-time high. Even if a player had a "Self-Revive Kit," most of these instances would not give them another chance at life.
Thankfully, Al Mazarh is far less deadly, and that is most definitely by design. Operators will notice that they can fall from greater heights without taking as much damage. There is now a swimming mechanic, and vehicles will only kill operators if a certain speed is reached before impact. In general, players will appreciate knowing there is a higher likelihood that they will die thanks to other players rather than the game itself. There remain many instant death scenarios that players will encounter, but thankfully, Warzone 2.0 has made improvements in the right direction.
2 Ping Color Options
When partied up with other players, communication is key in any competitive multiplayer game. Callouts are a big part of communication. They can sometimes be the deciding factor in why a team wins or loses, especially when the proper information is relayed. With that being said, it is impossible to always give the best possible callouts in any situation. Therefore, operators must rely on other aspects of gameplay to help in their efforts for better teamwork. That is why the pinging system is so useful in a battle royale, as it can provide a visual representation of exactly what a teammate called out.
The pinging system is not without its flaws, however. By default, the color of pings is white, which can be difficult to see in the heat of combat. Once again, Warzone 2.0 made an improvement in this area by giving operators options to change the color of their pings. This, along with many other accessibility options that Modern Warfare 2 added on launch, is a great example of a small change that can have a major impact on gameplay. Now operators won't miss that crucial ping from a teammate about finding one of the best guns in the game.
1 More Stats
Statistics are a great way for players to review games to see what aspects they excelled at or struggled with. Stats such as "Kill-Death Ratio" and "Objective Time" are not new to the Call of Duty franchise, but they don't always tell the full story. Often, the outcome of a match can come down to numerous aspects out of a player's control, which can be frustrating. When the game isn't frustrating, it can be rewarding in so many ways. One of them is knowing how to win and the best way to do so.
Upon bringing up the scoreboard in a match of Warzone 2.0, operators will notice two new stats titled "AQ Kills" and "Damage." These represent A.I. kills and damage done to players, vehicles, and A.I. in-game respectively. While some of the more requested stats are still missing, what is provided does give valuable feedback. Damage is a fairly underrated stat, as it can provide insight into what is required to destroy a helicopter or car for example. This can be helpful, as oftentimes players may fear going up against opponents in a vehicles. But when equipped with the knowledge of what is required to take down a vehicle, that fear can be turned into confidence. Also worth mentioning is the "End-Game Commendations," which highlight what each member of a team did well that game. These are usually the reasons why said team won.