Call of Duty Warzone gets a new map and significant gameplay changes

Call of Duty: Warzone is getting a new map as well as new gameplay changes that will change the battle royale forever.

A Call of Duty blog post and a YouTube trailer have all the details a fan could ever want. There is a detailed section, as well as pictures, of Warzone's new Pacific map called Caldera. With 15 areas of interest dotted around the place, it looks like it will be about the size of ye olde Verdansk.

The Naval Arsenal in the northwest is mixing the inside/outside dynamic with a Shipment-esque setup. Peak is a sniper's dream, with all the high rise nooks and crannies for a ghillie suit one could ask for. Now, Caldera Airfield is looking familiar to Airport, but it has plenty of buildings lining that exposed airstrip. There is plenty more to dig into!

On December 9th — Call of Duty: Vanguard owners get early access on December 8th — there will also be some unexpected gameplay tweaks included in the patch. Upon release, Vanguard and Warzone will be integrated with all-new weapons, 12 operators, calling cards, and more. Let's hope it goes better than the Cold War integration!

Vanguard Royale is a huge addition available to all. There are two differences over Battle Royale. Vanguard Royale will add both new vehicles and dogfighting for the first time. Now you Top Gun debonaires will be able to fly pilot fighter planes as well as decimate rival pilots with AA guns or trucks. This is, however, a Vanguard weapon arena only, so only loadouts containing Vanguard weaponry will be allowed, thus keeping the Warzone gun-meta a bit restrained. Vanguard Royale will have different circle collapses, too, with an in-game event at each one.

Other changes and new features coming to Warzone include:

Players who win the Gulag will drop back into the game with the weapons and lethal equipment given to them in the Gulag.
Dead Silence is being nerfed.
Stopping Power Rounds will be removed.
Stun Grenades, Heartbeat Sensors, and dual-wielded melee weapons will also be nerfed.
Loadout Drop Markers will only be purchasable from Buy Stations after the Loadout Drop event occurs in matches.
The Radius of Snapshot Grenades will be increased, the Stim will apply a movement boost, and Decoy Grenades will do a small amount of damage.
Gas Masks won't interrupt as many actions as they previously did.
New Explosive Canisters will be introduced that can explode and release a cloud of non-toxic gas.
Operators will be able to wade through shallow water.
Shallow water can also hide footsteps, even if you're tracking a player with the Tracker perk. Crouching in knee-high water also grants you the Cold Blooded perk.

Another exciting addition is the inclusion of three new Contract Types. Supply Drop will pop a valuable crate on the map for anyone to pick up, with only the contract holders knowing the exact position of it. A really interesting one is Big Game Bounty, which targets the player with the highest kill count. This is a once per game thing, though. The Top Secret contract is yet to be revealed.

Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific is out and about on December 8th for Vanguard owners, but is available to all players on December 9th. Tell us what you think of this in the comments!

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Written by Kes Eylers-Stephenson

Editor Kes is our resident expert in PlayStation and other gaming news. He writes about PS5 exclusives like The Last of Us and Horizon, PS Plus news, and his favorite games — The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, and God of War — before an evening swim.