The release of the new map “Caldera” at the start of the Pacific Update in Call of Duty: Warzone is imminent. However, you can already gain comprehensive insights into the new map: Various content creators have already gone on an exploration tour.
What’s happening in CoD Warzone right now? On Wednesday, December 08, the “Pacific Update” marks the start of the first Warzone season in combination with the new game Vanguard. The highlight: The new Caldera map, for which we already have a large overview here.
The current launch trailer for the Pacific Update has already highlighted a bit of what you can expect in Season 1. Now, however, many content creators have also shared their first impressions of the map and show firsthand how it all is designed.
Streamers explore the new map Caldera in Warzone
Overview of the new map: One of the YouTubers who have already roamed the new map is IceManIsaac (via YouTube). In a pre-lobby without opponents, he had the chance to get a fairly comprehensive impression.
He flies over the map in one of the new planes, races through the area in a Jeep, and explores the main locations on foot. If you’re looking for a good overview of the map, you’ll find it in his “flyover.” The video is in English:
IceManIsaac describes the map as “quite dense” with relatively few open areas. There are trees everywhere that could be used for cover. And places like the docks offer plenty of cover opportunities: “There’s cover everywhere on the map!”.
He often emphasizes how satisfied he is with the design decisions of the developers: “It’s as if the developers played the place and then asked themselves ‘if I get stuck here, what can save me in this area?'” And if they didn’t have an answer, something was changed.
He also highlights that he expects very good visibility on the map. Overall, he describes it as an “absolutely stunning map”.
Fights and new Gulag: A slightly more focused insight can be found with the German YouTuber Fantou (via YouTube). Here you can also see how fights unfold on the new map (Fantou emphasizes, however, that mainly content creators were in the lobby, who are very skilled at the game).
An interesting aspect: The new Gulag. It appears to be quite small and straightforward, and players will quickly encounter their opponents.
Additionally, Fantou highlights new locations, like the stylish tunnel system in the volcano from his perspective, and that there will again be a bunker on the map. We embed his gameplay video here:
Regarding gameplay, he mentions that in the locations where he fought with his team, it generally felt “good”.
However, he noted in one situation that the jungle combined with foggy visibility and lighting indeed caused him to not recognize an opponent: “I knew where they were thanks to the minimap, but I didn’t see them.” However, he is not quite sure if this was rather an isolated problem.
He also briefly discusses the planes from the Vanguard Royale mode. They are entertaining, and you can also see in his video how to secure kills with them. Just landing should be approached carefully since the planes can explode quite quickly.
To get in the mood, you can also rewatch the trailer for Caldera here:
When does Caldera start? The update starts on December 08 at 6:00 PM and brings not only the new map but also the remaining contents of Season 1 of CoD: Vanguard and Warzone. Here you will find the current roadmap for Vanguard.
At this point, however, only players who have purchased CoD: Vanguard can start on the new map. If you only play Warzone and do not own the new main title, you will have to wait 24 hours.
This results in the following situation:
- Vanguard buyers: Caldera access on 08.12. at 6 PM
- Non-buyers: Caldera access on 09.12. at 6 PM
Non-buyers can still play at least two versions of the small “Rebirth Island” map during these 24 hours: “Resurgence” and “Mini Royale” should be in the playlist.
Want to dig deeper into the new update? Here you will find the special with all the information about the Pacific Update in CoD: Warzone.
