The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will shake up the Battle Royale Warzone significantly. What is currently known about the merging is gathered here at MeinMMO for you in an overview.
It won’t be long now until this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launches. The release is on November 13. However, this year, the popular multiplayer of the new CoD title seems to be taking a back seat. For some players, what actually happens with Warzone when the new CoD arrives is much more exciting at the moment.
So far, the developers have kept quiet on this topic but have promised to provide more information in the coming days about the merging of the two CoDs.
Update November 6: There is a lot of new information about the connection of Warzone, Cold War, and CoD MW.
The official information – From loadouts to graphics engine
Where do the information come from? A significant portion of the official statements regarding the merging of Cold War & Warzone comes from a quarterly report from Activision Blizzard. In the document, they discuss how well Modern Warfare has worked alongside Warzone and that they are attempting to replicate this success with similar concepts.
Some of the information has also been shared by CoD in a Activision blog post released during the “Cold War” beta.
Cold War will likely leave Warzone alone at launch
What happens on launch day? As it stands, Warzone players likely won’t notice too much from the new CoD launch at first.
On November 13, the new premium title will be released, focusing initially on the introduction of the 3 new modes included in Cold War:
- A campaign set in the 80s centered around the Cold War
- A multiplayer mode that draws on earlier “Black Ops” titles
- The zombie mode for an exciting cooperative PvE experience
Warzone will receive a lot of “Cold War” content with the first season
When does Cold War come to Warzone? The developers do not specify an exact date. However, the quarterly report states: “With the first season, new content will arrive in December, and then Black Ops Cold War will be integrated into Warzone.”
Last year, the first season of Modern Warfare started about 6 weeks after the launch. This year, it will probably be a bit faster. If you apply the same pattern to Cold War, you’d land exactly on December 22, which is quite close to the Christmas holidays. It is rather unlikely that the developers would make such significant changes to Battle Royale so close to the holidays.
Probably, the release of the first season of Cold War and the accompanying Warzone fusion will take place between December 1 – 16. However, a release just before or after Christmas seems possible as well.
Warzone’s engine will remain as it is
Will Warzone get a new graphics engine? A developer commented on this in a blog post on “resetera.com”. In brief, a verified Activision employee answered: “There will be no engine change for Warzone.”
The battle royale will therefore remain just as you know it:
- The tactical sprint remains in the game
- Doors will remain usable
- Swimming is not possible
- Weapon mounting is still available
These 4 points likely represent the biggest adjustments that Warzone would have experienced if Cold War had a significant impact on gameplay.
However, as it currently looks, the adjustments do not go so far that Warzone becomes a completely new experience that plays entirely differently than before. However, it cannot be ruled out that Warzone will still receive some changes in gameplay. Here you can find more differences in the multiplayer mode of CoD MW & Cold War.
Warzone could have more than 100 weapons in December
What new weapons and equipment will there be for Warzone? This is where it gets exciting. Because in the quarterly report, the developers quite clearly state:
We will introduce Black Ops Cold War characters and weapons into the free-to-play experience, along with substantial content to ensure that Warzone remains both: a great experience and a powerful ramp for premium franchise content.
From the Q3 Activision Blizzard quarterly report
The CoD creators often use the phrasing that Cold War will be integrated into Warzone and not the other way around. So far, it reads that indeed all weapons and operators from the new premium title will come into the Battle Royale Warzone.
With the release of the first “Cold War” season, Warzone players can therefore expect the biggest content drop that the battle royale has ever seen. Nearly 20 weapons are already known for the new CoD through the extensive beta phase. Even more could possibly come. Modern Warfare had about 40 guns at launch. If Cold War reaches a similar number, the selection in Warzone might exceed 100 weapons.
Many players are therefore worried about the balancing in the new Warzone.
