Despite the many surface-level similarities between Call of Duty: Warzone 2 and its predecessor, many of the fresh additions to the newer title can be difficult to navigate. While some of these changes concern more obscure mechanics that may not impact new players as much, changes have also been made to vitally important systems like armor plating.
Armor plating is a necessary aspect of Call of Duty: Warzone 2's core gameplay loop to engage with, and the changes that have been made highlight a stark departure from the way it had previously been implemented. Clearly influenced by other battle royale titles, this new armor plate system offers an increased level of strategy that adds to a controversially slower overall pacing.
Armor Systems in Battle Royale Games
The concept of armor, or shields more generally, has become a staple of the successful battle royale genre. With the massively popular Fortnite finding acclaim with its shield potion system, and the likes of Apex Legends introducing different tiers of armor, each battle royale aims to make its systems exciting, unique, and engaging for their particular audience.
The Warzone franchise has a more realistic, grounded setting than many other battle royale titles, and this has always been reflected in the way the series presents its armor. Warzone's shields take the form of armor plating that can be found around the map, although this system now functions in a more methodical manner.
Warzone 2's New Armor Plate System
For Warzone 2's core gameplay, players will spawn into a match with two armor plates already equipped, much in the same way that the original Warzone operated. In total, three armor plates could be equipped at a time, meaning players have to find one additional armor plate as ground loot or in a loot crate to maximize their protection. This aspect has been turned on its head in Warzone 2, with players being limited to only two armor plate slots upon spawning. Even if a player finds an additional armor plate, they will not be able to equip it, putting them at a significant disadvantage.
To remedy this, players must now find an armor vest either by looting areas or completing certain in-game contracts, which will unlock a third armor plate slot. In-keeping with the more realistic and grounded gameplay of Warzone 2, an armor vest is essential for any of Warzone 2's playlists, much like other gear being brought to the battlefield. As an indicator of how much of a tactical advantage this armor vest provides, a player wearing an armor vest will have a purple hitmarker when taking damage instead of the standard blue, giving much-needed context to aggressors as to how much health their target has.
Many fans of the battle royale genre note the similarities between this new system and the aforementioned armor in Apex Legends, which itself is built different colors of hitmarker indicators to give context to a player's health pool. Considering there are also likely inspiration from Fortnite behind many Warzone 2 changes, it is clear that the newly released title is attempting to adapt the most successful features of its peers, which could be a recipe for success.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
