It’s 2020 and we are all too familiar with battle royale games and what they’re all about: survival, scavenging, and merciless combat. But Call of Duty: Warzone isn’t just any battle royale. Developer Infinity Wars went all out this time, ensuring that Warzone would be something unique.
As the game has quite a lot of systems to learn, I decided to share a list of things to know before playing Call of Duty: Warzone, so that you are ready to kick ass!
Pre-game upgrades
Like most other battle royales, Warzone has a warm-up area, where players can mess around and shoot at each other. The difference here is that during this pre-game, killing off opponents will actually level up your weapon. That means that even before the match itself, you can already start building an advantage.
Starting off right
One thing I didn’t know the first time I played Call of Duty: Warzone, was that you start the match with a pistol. This is different from other games in the genre, which usually toss you in the arena unarmed. That means that when you jump from the plane, you are already able to kill enemies. This would have been nice to know beforehand, since I got killed before even landing.
Not even kidding about that. I jumped out of the airplane at the same time others did and was shot down almost immediately. So, avoid my mistake and be prepared for a full-on mid-flight attack.
The best way to do so, in my opinion, is to close your parachute as soon as you jump out of the plane. I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry, in Warzone you are able to re-use your parachute whenever you’re far enough from the ground.
So, this is your course of action: jump, close the parachute, draw your weapon, get some kills and then just re-open the parachute again. That way you won’t be a sitting duck, and you might just increase your score in the match.
Loadouts
Another interesting thing about Warzone is the loadout system. After playing in a match for a certain period of time, a package will drop into the map.
When I first started the game, I figured that these packages would be the same as in all battle royales, so I didn’t place too much importance on them. This was my mistake, really. As it turns out, these packages provide custom loadouts and perks, and those perks don’t exist anywhere else in the game, making the packages extremely valuable.
This also means almost every player in the match will be coming for them.
In-game stores
Ding-ding! The best part of this game, if you ask me. I started the game not knowing that there are actually in-game stores, and was at a disadvantage for it. These stores provide armor plates, self-resurrection abilities, and other bonuses. They are marked on the map with little shopping trolleys.
But don’t just go into one as if you were going to the local supermarket. There might be enemies lurking around, looking for their next kill.
Gas kills
Much like any other battle royale game, Warzone slowly shrinks down the game area through a deadly force, ensuring players eventually run into each other. In this game, the deadly force is gas.
However, keep in mind that this gas won’t work as it does in other games. In fact, if you are swallowed up by it, your vision will become blurry and you will die within 10 seconds. That means you can’t just linger, trying to hunt down an enemy. However, buying a gas mask in Warzone will grant you 5 extra seconds before it breaks.
Gulag system
The Gulag system is another unique feature of the game. Simply put, when you die in a match, it gives you a chance to return to the game. How does it work, I hear you ask?
When you die, you are sent to the Gulag, which doesn’t appear on the match’s map. Once there, you will face off another opponent who has also died. The fights are 1v1, but there is sort of a waiting list. That means that if you are not first in line, you will have to wait in the balcony, watching other players face off.
The Gulag reminds me of Fight Club, and like the movie, it has rules. And no, the first rule isn’t “Don’t talk about fight club”. The first rule is that the 1v1 match only ends when you capture the flag, or when you kill your opponent. The matches will be 40 seconds long, but if both parties are still alive by that time, it will go into overtime. The winner will be returned to the main match.
Another rule is that at no point will your health regenerate, so don’t go all crazy attacking your enemy head on, as you might just end up squandering your chances to resurrect.
Contracts
Something that is quite interesting in Warzone, and quite possibly my favorite part, as the contracts. When in a match, you will find contracts scattered across the entire map, offering you cash and even game-changing advantages.
There are 3 types of contracts for you do to gain rewards:
Recon Contracts: these will ask you to close in on a flare and upload data. Keep in mind, that the flare’s smoke will draw enemy attention. But if you are successful, you will be given money, loot and the location of the next circle!
Bounty Contracts: When you activate this contract, you will be ordered to kill someone else, whose location will be highlighted on the map. The rewards for this contract are cash and EXP.
Scavenger Contracts: If you are in need of loot, then this is the best contract for you to take on. Activating these contracts will highlight one of 3 supply boxes in the map. Once you find it, the second one will be highlighted and so on until you find all three.
There you have it! I hope this list of things to know before playing Call of Duty: Warzone will help you out! Stick around with SQUAD for more Warzone content!
