Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific launches in just over a week, and we’re getting our first detailed look at the new Caldera map, intel on the various points of interest, and information on critical changes coming to the Warzone experience when Verdansk goes away.
We first got a clear look at the Caldera map and its 15 points of interest via a tweet, after which the Call of Duty blog detailed the assorted POIs in a lengthier post granting a tour of the sunny Pacific island.
marks your drop.
Where will you be dropping? #Warzone pic.twitter.com/F9btJRH0Q0
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) November 30, 2021
There’s also a tourist-style promo video for Caldera, showing off the sites and sounds of the island that will soon be filled with battle.
Now boarding to Caldera
LIKE this tweet for exclusive pre-launch intel from our excursions across the island. #Warzone pic.twitter.com/HC7gaKlp8I
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) November 30, 2021
When Caldera launches, there will be two playlists: Vanguard Royale and a classic Battle Royale. Vanguard Royale will include new vehicles and dogfighting in planes, limit loadouts to Vanguard weapons and Operators, and offer some changes to the circle collapse to introduce new pacing to the overall game. Each collapse will now also have an in-game event take place to really make each match feel unique and change the flow.
Additionally, there are a few key changes that should help change up how the battle royale feels to play. The Gulag returns, but players who win will take their unused ammo, equipment, and the selected weapon back into the field with them when they redeploy. No more dropping back in with nothing but a pistol. Dead Silence, Stun Grenades, dual-wield melee weapons, and Heartbeat Sensors are being nerfed, and Stopping Power Rounds are being removed entirely.
Loadout Drops can now only be purchased after the free loadout drop happens in game, making it less of a mad rush for a loadout in the early moments of a match. But it’s not all nerfs. Some lethal equipment will get a bit more powerful, Snapshot Grenades will have an increased radius, Stims will grant a movement boost, and Decoy Grenades will launch out “rubber bullets that deal just enough damage to pester enemies.”
Gas masks have also been looked at, with the animation not interrupting as many actions as they previously did. There are also new gas canisters littering the map that will release the same gaseous vapors that make up the circle. You can carry these, shoot them, attach them to an ascender, and more to create tactical clouds of gas. A bunch of new contracts and public events have been added, including one that marks the player with the most kills. Feel free to hunt them down, though be warned in going after them, there’s a good reason they have that many kills.
Perhaps one of the most interesting changes is the addition of shallow water, which allows Operators to reduce tracking for those with Tracker equipped, as well as giving Operators the effects of Cold Blooded if they crouch in knee-high water. Fire-based equipment, such as molotovs or the thermite, will react with the water and cause smoke/steam, creating a new tactical playground on an island that is littered with new shallow pools of water.
You can check out the Call of Duty blog for more intel on the assorted points of interest and changes coming when Warzone Pacific and Caldera launch on December 8th for Vanguard owners and December 9th for everyone else. The complete intel hints at a number of secrets to discover littered across the map, including the remnants of Captain Butcher’s plane, and a few [REDACTED] items that will no doubt be part of Easter eggs.
More details on Season One of Warzone Pacific and Vanguard are incoming over the next week. Rumors and leaks have revealed upcoming potential crossovers, including Attack on Titan, Captain America, and Indiana Jones. The Call of Duty blog has also teased festive holiday events coming up in both games as well. There’s no word yet on a PS5 or Xbox Series X version of Warzone, or if Warzone Pacific will continue to launch from the Modern Warfare application.
And yes, Bobby Kotick is still in charge at Activision Blizzard, despite resounding criticism and calls for him to resign following a Wall Street Journal report that said he not only knew about the abuse at the company, but also shielded abusers and even mistreated women himself.
