It’s no secret: Activision’s free-to-play battle royale title Warzone has been in dire straits for a long time now, with both the community and streamers growing increasingly frustrated with the game. This prompted me to write a scathing post begging the devs to “make Warzone great again” (that’s tongue-in-cheek, folks) and suggesting a wide array of changes.
Lackluster maps like Al Mazrah and Urzikstan, changes to gameplay and the increasing problem with cheaters have all conspired to make the game a lot less fun than it used to be. e return of Verdansk, Warzone’s original map which first launched in March of 2020 and was later shelved in December of 2021 with the release of Call Of Duty: Vanguard and the Caldera map.
For one thing, this is by far the best map Warzone has ever had. Every location is distinct. The terrain has tons of variety. Playing in Verdansk is a recipe for nostalgia. Unlike the last few maps, this one is filled with the locations we remember fondly. Even certain buildings evoke memories of intense gunfights. In my first match back on Verdansk, we worked our way south from the Dam all the way to Farmlands, where we ended in a four-squad exchange that was both hectic and thrilling. We snagged second place, but even without the “W” I was smiling ear-to-ear. I can remember so many great shootouts in Farmlands, trudging through the hay bales, pushing into fortified buildings with my squad, nobody falling in from Redeploy Balloons, everyone either on foot or in a vehicle.
The other changes to Verdansk, which I list in this post, are also incredibly welcome. The return of floating loot is a huge quality of life improvement. The sound effects, from footsteps to the cracking of enemy armor, to the glowing hum of a nearby loot chest, are not only nostalgic, but objectively better than the game has sounded in a long time.
And Verdansk looks terrific. It always looked great, but it looks better than ever now. It also plays better than ever. The gunplay is tighter than OG Warzone, and the addition of omni-movement makes it more fluid. Thankfully, movement has been nerfed from its previous state, making it slower than before, with more friction. Players aren’t sliding around quite as much. Engagements feel more grounded. The devs have struck a really nice balance between the original gameplay and the changes made at the release of Black Ops 6.
Other issues still face Warzone going forward. It’s too early to say whether Activision’s efforts with Ricochet anti-cheat will go far enough. That’s a tough battle. It’s always the worst in Ranked and that hasn’t gone live yet, so time will tell. But as of right now, Warzone is in the best shape it’s been in years, and hopefully Activision sticks with the working formula. I’m still hopeful that the Avalon map is coming to the game. As much as I love Verdansk, I still want map variety. I just want better maps and I want Activision and its various dev studios to stop making radical changes to the game’s core gameplay. Where we’re at right now with movement, gunplay, loot, etc. should remain the same, with only iterative changes, new weapons and so forth. The game doesn’t need to change radically with each new premium Call Of Duty title.
All told, this is a huge win for Warzone, Activision and its studios and more importantly, for the Call Of Duty community. I haven’t had this much fun with the game in years. Now, if only they’d add mini-Resurgence mode to Verdansk . . . .
