That the Call of Duty: Warzone continues with Black Ops Cold War has been a topic for a while. However, how this is supposed to work is still not definitively clarified. What is known is shown by MeinMMO here in the overview.
Yesterday, on September 9th, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War officially showed many images of the multiplayer mode for the first time. The trailer and a gameplay insight can be found here. But not only the multiplayer of the new CoD was a topic, the developers also discussed the battle royale Warzone and its connection to this year’s and the previous Modern Warfare.
The new CoD launches on November 13th and the beta is already at the beginning of October, but there are still uncertainties about how the battle royale is supposed to be integrated into the new game with the new weapons and mechanics. Two important questions can already be clarified after yesterday’s event:
- Which contents from Modern Warfare can we use with Cold War in Warzone?
- How does the Battle Pass fit in?
Warzone takes over content from both CoDs
What happens to the battle royale at release? The developers promise that Warzone will continue to be developed constantly after the launch of Cold War and that you can keep all your items. Some of the content from Cold War is also supposed to influence the battle in Verdansk, which includes:
- Weapons, attachments, blueprints, operators, cosmetics
- A new leveling system
- Contents of the Battle Pass
- Purchasable items from the in-game store
If you earn a weapon through the “Cold War Battle Pass,” you can also use the new firearm in Warzone. Furthermore, both share their progression system. So if you gain experience points in Warzone, your level in Cold War will also increase.
What is certain – you can continue to use all your purchased and unlocked content from Modern Warfare in Warzone and over time this will mix with the content from Cold War. However, items from Modern Warfare do not work in Cold War. So if you bought a cool weapon skin, it will still be part of the arsenal in Warzone, but will not be usable in the “Cold War” multiplayer.
Cold War, however, also announced a revised loadout system – it is still unclear how this will affect Warzone. During the presentation, it seemed that new features will be gradually introduced in the battle royale. At the release of Cold War, Warzone might initially continue largely unchanged and then receive some new features over time.
This also includes, for example, a new leveling system, which will not be launched directly in Warzone. Currently, it appears that Cold War will start similarly to Modern Warfare: There will not be a Battle Pass at launch; for MW, the first Battle Pass started about 6 weeks after the game’s release. Together with the first Battle Pass of Cold War comes the new leveling system for Warzone. It is unclear whether you can collect XP for Cold War in Warzone before the introduction of the new progression system.
It is also uncertain whether the return of the prestige system requested by the community will happen. If some rumors and leaks are to be believed, the prestige levels will remain in the digital drawer and will not return.
What is so good about the announcements? The system with shared content allows you to use most of your earned content across multiple CoD generations for the first time. In Warzone, the “Cold War” items mix with the stuff from Modern Warfare. This is a fair approach from the developers, even though the MW items are not available in the “Cold War” multiplayer.
How all the new mechanics and changes will affect the Warzone experience remains to be seen. But at least the beloved skins will remain part of the arsenal.
Battle Pass runs like in MW, with seasons and free updates
What is already known about the Battle Pass? The entire system with the seasons and the Battle Pass will likely run like in Modern Warfare:
- Season 1 does not start at release; the first Battle Pass will come later
- Each season comes with a fresh Battle Pass
- New base weapons will be introduced with the Battle Pass (Warzone & Cold War)
- The Battle Pass has a free and a premium path
- The contents of the seasons and Battle Passes will follow a specific theme
- With the seasons come free content, like new maps and weapons
- The cosmetics and items from the Battle Pass can be unlocked and used in Warzone and Cold War, but not in MW
This way the developers rely on the proven system, which has provided new content and excitement in Modern Warfare over the past months. And as in the still current title Modern Warfare, the seasons will have an impact on the battle royale Warzone. The creators talked here about “thematic content” that will affect the seasonal adjustments and offered cosmetics.
It is not yet clear how Cold War and Warzone will merge together. However, the announcements for players of the battle royale Warzone already sound fair and promising. The developers are also maintaining the familiar system with the Battle Pass. However, it has not been said whether you will be able to extract enough real money currency from the pass to buy the next one.
You do not have to worry that your CoD credits will suddenly be gone. These have been shared across CoDs for several years and can still be spent in the new Black Ops.
For more on multiplayer, new features, weapons, and lots of information, check out our special on the reveal – CoD Black Ops Cold War: What the multiplayer offers – All facts after the reveal.
