October 28, 2022
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II Officially Live
Squad up. Grind it out. Have fun. No matter how you play, welcome to the new era of Call of Duty® with the launch of Modern Warfare II.
November 09, 2022
Get Ready for a New Era — the launch of free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and its much-anticipated DMZ mode, the debut of reimagined community-favorite maps in Modern Warfare® II Multiplayer, and the lead-up to the Special Ops Raid all highlight Season 01, the ultimate kickoff to an incredible year of content.
Get Ready for a New Era — the launch of free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and its much-anticipated DMZ mode, the debut of reimagined community-favorite maps in Modern Warfare® II Multiplayer, and the lead-up to the Special Ops Raid all highlight Season 01, the ultimate kickoff to an incredible year of content.
November 09, 2022
Ready up and prepare to drop in.
Starting on November 16, Season 01 Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II and Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0 will deliver action on all fronts: the next iteration of the massive free-to-play Battle Royale experience featuring the much-anticipated DMZ mode, reimagined maps in Multiplayer, and an additional Special Ops mission prior to the first Raid Episode. There will be plenty of content across both games through all-new Battle Pass, football-themed event, and more.
Central to the Modern Warfare II universe, the city of Al Mazrah within the United Republic of Adal is your first battleground for Warzone 2.0.
Those who are playing Modern Warfare II right now are getting some serious training on Al Mazrah. For example, the following Multiplayer maps are subsections of this massive region:
We already gave a brief overview of Al Mazrah here. Expect an expanded map guide before launch.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is ready to make its impact as a rebuilt, free-to-play, free-for-everyone take on the Battle Royale game that has redefined the Call of of Duty® franchise.
Before the Season 01 launch, an entire blog will be dedicated to diving deeper into new features and mechanics that have been updated since what was shown at Call of Duty: Next. For now, here is a taste of the biggest highlights we can share:
Loadouts Are Not Leaving
Custom Loadouts are back for Warzone 2.0.
Similar to the original Call of Duty®: Warzone™, Loadouts play a large role in what makes this game unique, and in this new era, players will have quicker access to their Loadout’s primary benefit: the Primary Weapon. There are three ways to earn a Loadout, or at least, a Primary Weapon:
Additionally, in-match Cash can be used to purchase your Primary Weapon from created Loadouts.
Looting Mechanics: Battle Royale Remaining Traditional, New Backpack System in DMZ
Warzone 2.0 will implement a new Backpack system, fully integrated for DMZ and streamlined for Battle Royale modes.
In Battle Royale, like the previous Warzone, Supply Boxes will throw out items to pick up. When a player interacts with any other loot container, such as a duffel bag, medical case, they will function with a loot menu.
When a player dies, they will drop their Primary Weapon on the ground and their Backpack, which contains the rest of their content, and is accessed through a loot menu.
Defining the New Gulag
After Next, the new Gulag received some changes over the past two months while still being grounded within a traditional Warzone experience.
The Gulag will be a 2v2 environment where randomly paired Duos must coordinate to take down their opposition. All players will receive a predefined Loadout — at launch, this will be a Pistol or a Shotgun, a Lethal Grenade, and a Tactical Grenade — with highly effective weaponry and gear placed toward the map’s center.
The Gulag will also include a Jailer, who will appear in the middle of the match to help speed up combat. Defeating the Jailer will return all four Gulag prisoners back into the Battle Royale, which offers a dilemma: Do both Duos agree to wait and fight this powerful enemy together, or does one get greedy and try to go for the elimination victory?
Instead of a traditional Overtime mechanic, if neither team nor the Jailer is eliminated after a brief period of time, all four Operators lose.
AI Combatants in Battle Royale — Only at Strongholds, Black Sites, Gulag Overtime
The Gulag is just one of three places where players can fight AI combatants, as they will be restricted to guard specific locations.
The other two locations are Strongholds and Black Sites, which are clearly designated on your in-game Tac-Map to allow you to opt-into engagements with AI combatants.
During each match, several Strongholds will be activated around the map. Squads can visit these areas to fight AI combatants. The first team to complete a Stronghold must disarm a bomb and will earn a key to a Black Site and their Custom Loadout. Successive teams must eliminate a specific number of defenders (AI or players) and will earn their Custom Loadout, but not a Black Site key.
Black Sites are a more dangerous form of Strongholds, but they offer a permanent Weapon Blueprint reward and even more valuable in-match items for those who clear it out. These are available only via Black Site key, given to the first team that clears one of the active Strongholds.
Additional New Features: Aquatic Combat, New Vehicles and Fuel Mechanic, and More
Not everything will be different from what we saw at Next. In addition to some other new features, expect the following in Warzone 2.0:
Circle Collapse
There may not be only one safe zone — in Battle Royale modes, there can be up to three circles within the collapse, which will ultimately remerge for the final showdown. Prepare to adjust your strategies accordingly, as this feature is randomized in each match.
Proximity Chat
Got something to say? Comms are now open, so any in-game chatter can be picked up by any other squad. This can open up new ways to tackle engagements . . . or mess with enemies who are holed up inside buildings.
Assimilation
In squad-based DMZ modes, as well as special Battle Royale playlists, you have the choice to join up with enemy Operators and form a larger squad.
Interrogation (Battle Royale and DMZ only)
In squad-based modes, intel is everything. Reveal enemy locations by successfully shaking down player-controlled enemies while they are downed.
Heavy Chopper and Hummer EV
Two new vehicles define the refreshed vehicle roster for Warzone 2.0: an aerial powerhouse known as the Heavy Chopper, which can hover in the air without a pilot, and the and the GMC HUMMER EV Pickup, a versatile means to quickly cover serious ground with the whole squad in this all-electric supertruck.
Here is the full roster of vehicles you can expect to find in Al Mazrah:
ATV: Nimble three-seater with little protection
UTV: All-terrain lightweight four-seater.
Hatchback: Four-door civilian vehicle without any significant protection.
SUV (Standard): All-terrain civilian 4x4 with a boxy frame.
GMC Hummer EV: All-electric supertruck engineered for off-road.
Cargo Truck: Large industrial vehicle with a flatbed.
Light Helo: Twin-engine light helicopter for rapid traversal and combat support.
Heavy Chopper: Heavily armored search-and-rescue helicopter.
RHIB: Maneuverable tactical boat designed for Special Forces.
Armored Patrol Boat: Reinforced aquatic vehicle with mounted .50 Cal machine guns.
Vehicle Fuel, Gas Station Mechanic
No more unlimited fuel sources — all vehicles (yes, including the EV) use fuel over time, and when it runs out, that vehicle is no longer usable. Vehicles can be refilled either with Gas Cans found around the map or at Gas Stations.
Gas Stations can also repair body damage and tires, thereby restoring vehicle health. However, Operators can also perform flat tire repairs anywhere in the world by interacting with individual tires.
Aquatic Combat
Whether by boat or breaststroke, Operators can navigate waterways, rivers, and the open sea as part of their overall victory strategy. Remember: only Sidearms, melee weapons, and Throwing Knives can be used while you’re submerged. Also, try using Lethal and Tactical Equipment on or underwater for a wide variety of potentially destructive effects.
The Shops: Buy Station 2.0
Each Buy Station contains a unique set of items for purchase in limited quantity, including Killstreaks, Armor Plates, and more. You can see these offerings, and can buy back fallen squadmates, within a new interface.
In addition to traditional Warzone modes — Battle Royale Solos, Duos, Trios, and Quads — Warzone 2.0 will launch with a brand-new experience known as DMZ.
DMZ is an open-world, narrative-focused extraction mode where Operator squads have free rein to complete faction-based missions, take on additional side objectives, engage with enemy Operators or AI combatants, and search for valuable items, all while fighting to survive toward exfiltration.
Expect a Tactical Overview into this mode closer to its launch next week.
As announced at Next, Warzone 2.0 will include Third-Person Playlists.
This shift in perspective could completely change the Battle Royale fundamentals in Call of Duty, allowing for different visibility tactics and an altered, but still action-packed gameplay feel. Modern Warfare II owners can already get a taste of Third-Person now through the game’s Multiplayer.
Third-Person Playlists will be introduced into the Battle Royale weekly rotation during Season 01.
Warzone Intermission, Relaunch as Call of Duty®: Warzone™ Caldera
While we look ahead to Warzone 2.0, we also want to address our plans for Call of Duty: Warzone:
Access to Call of Duty: Warzone continues as normal until November 16, when a short “intermission” takes place during the launch window of Warzone 2.0:
Relaunch — Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera
Following the relaunch, you will have two different Warzone games you can play: Warzone 2.0 and Warzone Caldera.
Warzone 2.0’s weapons, progression, and inventory systems will be tied to the new Modern Warfare II content and systems. This is due to a combination of feedback from the community, technical limitations, and a need to simplify the next and newest Warzone to create a seamless player experience moving forward.
Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera continues as a separate game from Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0. Expect the following gameplay experiences within Warzone Caldera once it launches:
Shoot the Ship II — Shoot House at Launch, Shipment Mid-Season
Season 01 is bringing back two reimagined favorites from Modern Warfare (2019) — Shoot House and Shipment. These maps are hallowed ground for camo grinders and are incredibly notorious for frenetic and fun action.
Shoot House (Launch)
Situated in the jungles south of Las Almas, the Shoot House’s new home was built for training cartel hired guns with the same level of intensity as Mexican Special Forces Operators. This live-fire facility is just as deadly as you remember it — a small, three-laned map conducive to all playstyles.
Shipment (Mid-Season)
Set on a cargo ship taking on water in a storm-ridden part of the Atlantic Ocean, a new Shipment is ready to bring back the chaos that only an ultra-compact map can provide. Thinking about working around and off the map’s boundaries, which was possible in previous versions? You might find yourself all at sea…
In a future Modern Warfare II season, Treyarch is teaming up with Infinity Ward and other partners to provide a Ranked Play experience in Multiplayer, modeled after the game’s highest level of competition: the Call of Duty League.
As previously announced, Modern Warfare II Ranked Play will be based off the past two years of continuous feedback and will contain, among other new features, Ranked Skill Divisions, visible Skill Ratings, a Top-250 Leaderboard, and rewards fit for our most competitive Operators.
While this mode is still being fine-tuned for that eventual seasonal update, the developers created a special CDL Moshpit Playlist for Season 01.
This Playlist will use the League’s standard rules, restrictions, and map rotation across all three of its official game modes: Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control.
Grab up to three of your most competitive squadmates and get that practice in for Ranked Play; you can afford the tough losses now before it starts hurting that Skill Rating!
Special Ops — New Mission at Launch, Raid Episode 1 Mid-Season
Call up that Duo at the start of the season and prepare the Trio for the ultimate test — Special Ops is getting a new mission and the first episode of Raids during Season 01.
High Ground
Successfully find and destroy enemy communication servers to locate and extract three hard drives with vital enemy intel. One Operator will be tasked with piloting an Attack Chopper to clear out dangerous land mines, while the other works with AI allies as part of a Ground Assault Team to infiltrate the buildings that contain enemy equipment.
Be sure to replay this mission to get those three weekly Stars, and tackle those Daily Challenges for additional Stars.
Coming Mid-Season: Raid Episode 1
Continuing the story of the Modern Warfare II Campaign, Raids will be the ultimate challenge for Trios with a mix of stealth, all-out action, and puzzle-solving objectives.
Expect a full Tactical Overview and additional Raids intel at mid-season.
The Tier 1 playlist will be available at the start of Season 01; this playlist will feature decreased health, limited HUD elements, and friendly fire turned on for a more mil-sim-like experience.
Combat Records will also arrive in Modern Warfare II in Season 01. More intel to follow.
We appreciate your patience regarding the launch of these expected features.
In the seasons of Modern Warfare (2019), the Battle Pass system offered players a collection of free items, including functional weapons and Call of Duty Points, just by playing the game. It gave our community visibility into what content they were earning or buying, with the ability to upgrade and access 100+ items, including a new Operator, Weapon Blueprints, and more.
In Season 01, we are introducing a brand-new iteration of the Battle Pass with a host of innovations — players will have more choices and more agency than ever before.
Instead of a linear stream of tiers set out in a scrolling row along the bottom of your screen, your Battle Pass takes the form of a multi-Sector map. Players will unlock items using earned Battle Token Tier Skips across this map, which is themed within the current season. Each map has at least 20 Sectors with five items in each Sector — tokens can be used to either unlock adjacent Sectors or earn more items within an unlocked Sector.
Essentially, these tokens can be used to unlock specific items within the Battle Pass at your own pace — whether it is a new free functional weapon or a cool new Operator Skin, you have control over what gets unlocked earlier on the road to 100% map completion. Are you looking for a particularly impressive Operator Skin, Weapon Blueprint, or one of the new weapons? Then pick the appropriate Sector and start acquiring tokens to unlock those items!
Check back next week to see the new Battle Pass in detail.
Four New Weapons, Two Free in Battle Pass
Eagle-eyed players may have seen (and even used) both of the season’s functional weapons within this season’s Battle Pass system while playing the Modern Warfare II Campaign. Now you can wield them across Multiplayer, Special Ops, and Warzone 2.0 modes. Introducing the Victus XMR and the BAS-P SMG at launch and the Chimera and M13B Assault Rifles during the season:
Victus XMR Sniper Rifle — Imperatorium Platform (Launch, Battle Pass)
Hard hitting, bolt action sniper rifle with .50 cal BMG ammunition. Its tungsten sabot tipped bullets are fast and powerful, but require precise shots over long distances.
How to unlock: Free weapon within the Battle Pass.
BAS-P SMG — Bruen Ops Platform (Launch, Battle Pass)
An aggressive fire rate and modular frame make the BAS-P perfect for the discerning operator who wants to customize their submachine gun. Subsonic ammo hides kill skulls from the enemy team.
How to unlock: Free weapon within the Battle Pass.
Chimera Assault Rifle — Bruen Ops Platform (Mid-Season)
With an integrated suppressor and slow, high-energy .300 BLK rounds, the Chimera is adept at close-quarters combat. Subsonic Ammo hides skulls from the enemy team.
How to unlock: Store Bundle or Weapon Unlock Challenge.
M13B Assault Rifle — Bruen Ops Platform (Launch)
The M13B features a short-stroke piston system that allows for a high rate of fire and low recoil.
How to unlock: Store Bundle or Weapon Unlock Challenge
Remember: Each new weapon can use attachments from other weapons across the Modern Warfare II arsenal. Also, they will come with new Base Camos to use across all weapons once unlocked and will count toward the road to Orion Mastery Camo.
A Nigerian counterterrorist group founder. A Danish Elite Special Forces soldier. And one of Task Force 141’s finest.
These three individuals represent the most elite soldiers you can have in your Operator roster during Season 01. Here’s some background intel on each:
Zeus (Launch)
Born in the South Niger Delta, Zosar Kalu is the eldest of three children, helping to raise his younger siblings while his parents pursued political aspirations. His nickname comes from his youngest brother, who was born with dysarthria (a speech disorder) and would pronounce his name “Zeus.”
Following his year of military service shadowing a Nigerian Army Special Forces Battalion, he enlisted and rose through the ranks of those same Special Forces. At the same time, his family became involved in a high-profile state election but tragically died to a local Al Qatala cell.
Orphaned, and now the last of his name, Zeus established the “Thunder” Corps, a counterterrorism group dedicated to hunting AQ wherever they hide and bringing them to true justice.
How to Unlock: Zeus is automatically unlocked with purchase of the Season 01 Battle Pass.
Klaus (Mid-Season)
A member of Denmark’s Elite Special Forces, Klaus Fisker can almost be considered a living legend among Operators.
Some say his scotopic vision — his natural night vision — was powerful enough to help him navigate a mile in pitch-black darkness before he could read. Others witnessed his exceptional training record, leading his peers with unbridled optimism through exercises.
But legend was made one night on the Urzikstan border, where he carried a wounded comrade 18 miles to the nearest base using the lessons taught by his father . . . and an unusual amount of chocolate that wounded solder carried with him.
Gaz (Mid-Season)
Price’s right-hand man, Gaz became legend in 2019 when his valiancy during an attack on Piccadilly Circus grabbed the attention of the formidable SAS Bravo Team captain. He ultimately joined Price’s elite unit, known as Task Force 141.
During the events of the Modern Warfare II Campaign, Gaz was pivotal in saving CIA Officer Kate Laswell from Al Qatala. Now he will join his squadmates Price, Ghost, and Soap, as well as ally Farah — all who make up Red Team 141 — to help SpecGru maintain peace around the world.
How to Unlock: Obtain Klaus and Gaz in Bundles to be featured during the Mid-Season Update.
There are also three football-themed Operators who will be available for a limited time…
Whatever name you call it by, the international game of football is making its impact in Season 01 through the Modern Warfare FC event.
During this event, you can sign three of the world’s greatest athletes to your Operator roster by picking up special, limited-time Bundles: Neymar Jr., who will debut on November 21; Paul Pogba, set to debut on November 25; and Leo Messi, who will complete the Operator hat trick on November 29.
More details, including information on a limited-time CODBall mode and a community Support Your Team Pick’em minigame, will be shared in-season.
This year, leveling up past Rank 55 will allow you to earn a persistent Prestige Rank across all seasons, rather than having it reset at the end of each season.
Beginning in Season 01, reaching Rank 56 will unlock Prestige 1. This will grant an Emblem, additional rewards, and a set of challenges — complete those challenges to unlock an exclusive Calling Card.
Season 01 includes four more Prestige Ranks, which also unlock a new set of challenges and rewards:
At the end of Season 01, players can continue ranking up from wherever they ended up on the Prestige Ranks. This allows players who may not have enough time to level up to catch up in later seasons, while also not resetting the progress of anyone who reached the Max Rank during that season.
Support the Call of Duty Endowment in Honor of Veterans Day
Through November 13, visit a participating Pilot or Flying J travel center to round up your in-store purchase and donate the difference to support the Call of Duty Endowment. Since 2019, Pilot Company and guests have funded the placement of more than 6,000 veterans and counting.
C.O.D.E Bowl III, Call of Duty League Major to Kick-Off Mid-Season
Speaking of the Call of Duty Endowment, the Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Bowl III presented by USAA will be held on December 16th from 12-4pm ET during the first Call of Duty League Major, taking place right after the Season 01 mid-season update December 15 to 18 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Call of Duty League Major will also host the first Call of Duty Challengers Open. If you think your squad has what it takes to start on the road to glory, see here for more details.
New Call of Duty League Launch Pack, Team Packs to Be Released
During Season 01, we are celebrating an early return to the Call of Duty League™ with a special launch pack for the 2023 season. We are also releasing Team Packs for all 12 of the League’s teams.
Check back here for more intel on these closer to Season 01’s launch.
The Call of Duty Shop will hold a special Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale from November 15 to November 28. All items site-wide are 20% off.
If you have not already, keep those comms open for more details closer to sale dates, and be sure to visit the Call of Duty Shop and gear up!
Still Time to Drop into MWII and Get Ownership Benefits, Upgrade to Vault Edition
Now is a great time to pick up Modern Warfare II before Season 01 kicks off.
Purchase Modern Warfare II to get access to a ton of content across three modes, including the ability to unlock 14 exclusive Operators to use across both games, as well as other ways to quickly level up the available 30 Weapon Platforms and over 50 Weapons through Multiplayer and Special Ops.
Modern Warfare II owners also get Premium XP while playing Warzone 2.0 — at the end of each match, owners will receive additional XP on top of any XP that can be earned by all players.
Plus, as already mentioned, those who own Modern Warfare II will have access to all the content coming in Season 01, including the first ever Raid, arriving mid-season.
Those who want even more benefits should consider upgrading to the Vault Edition, which grants four additional Operators — Ghost, Farah, Price, and Soap — as Red Team 141, the FJX Cinder Weapon Vault, an ultimate version of a Weapon Blueprint with 50+ attachments included, the Season 01 Battle Pass along with 50 Battle Token Tier Skips, and more.
Stay frosty.
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