The new Warzone Battle Royale mode has landed, and eager fans like me are asking some very big questions. If you’re curious and need a quick rundown of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s new BR, we’ve got all your primary questions answered — or at least, all the questions I was asking myself while watching the reveal trailer.
We all know about Battle Royale. It’s been the biggest new mode in multiplayer for years now, thanks to the success of PUBG and explosive popularity of Fortnite: Battle Royale. The new Warzone follows that familiar formula — you drop with 100+ players into a giant map with nothing, scavenge up items, and try to be the last team standing. Last year, Blackout followed a similar formula, but Warzone is a very different beast than Black Ops 4: Blackout.
And if you’re curious about that new Gulag feature, check out our guide explaining how respawning works in the new Warzone Battle Royale.
Do I Need To Own Modern Warfare To Play Warzone Battle Royale?
No! If you don’t own Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, you can still play Warzone Battle Royale — it’s a separate free download that’s available for everyone on March 10th.
NOTE: To download and play the free version of Warzone on PC, you’ll need to download Battle.net.
You don’t need to download the separate F2P version to play Battle Royale either. Just download all the latest updates for Modern Warfare to unlock the new ‘Warzone’ tab on the main menu.
Do I Need Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus Subscriptions To Play Warzone Battle Royale Online?
You don’t need PS Plus, but you will need Xbox Live Gold to play online. This is another totally arbitrary choice — some games are the opposite, but this one does require an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play online.
Is Warzone Battle Royale Solo-Only or Squads-Only?
Warzone’s two modes — Plunder and Battle Royale — are both Squads-Only, you won’t be able to play Solo in either of these modes. You’ll automatically be paired with a team. It is possible to play alone (or with one squadmate) but you’ll be severely handicapped.
How Many Players Per Match?
150-players will drop into each session — that’s 1v149. This makes this one of the biggest Battle Royales in gaming today. The second largest in Modern Warfare is Ground War, with a 64-player maximum.
Do Guns Work Different In Battle Royale?
No. Guns are effectively exactly the same in Warzone as they are in other Modern Warfare modes. The only difference is that you can find them in loot crates and use them. Long-range matters more here, so accurate Assault Rifles are key.
All weapons do the same damage, have the same bullet drop-off, and the same handling. The only (slight) change involves headshots — headshots, generally, do more damage in Warzone Battle Royale.
How Does Health Work? Is It Different Than Other Modern Warfare Modes?
Instead of healing with items, you’ll auto-regen just like in other Modern Warfare modes. Don’t take too much damage at the same time, and you’ll be back to 100%. That also means you can die much, much faster than in other Battle Royale games — that includes Black Ops 4: Blackout.
You can find armor pieces that protect different parts of your body. The heavier the armor, the more damage you can sustain before going down.
NOTE: Every match, you start with two armor pieces standard. You won’t die quite as quickly as in standard MW multiplayer.
Is The Circle Deadly? How Long Can I Survive Outside The Circle?
The circle is extremely deadly in Warzone Battle Royale — but, it’s also very slow. You can outrun the circle if you’re sprinting, but if you’re caught inside the circle, you won’t last long. You’ll take sustained damage, you won’t be able to see due to the thick green fog, and you’ll be stunned.
An optional Gas Mask pick-up can help you survive in the circle. But, don’t expect to stay in the gas for long. Even if you have a top-tier rare Gas Mask, it will break in about 15 seconds. Standard Gas Masks will give you even less time in the gas.
How Does Inventory Work?
Inventory is simplified in Warzone Battle Royale — there’s a much larger focus on immediate action. On console, press [Left / Right] on the D-Pad to access your quick inventory. Ammo is assigned to each weapon type. Armor is automatically equipped and dropped when collecting loot, and weapon mods are specific to each weapon.
Weapons and gear drop in a tier system — better weapons with auto-equipped mods (called Blueprints) drop from loot less frequently. Similar to Blackout, you’ll want to loot drop kits first to get the best loot.
Does Warzone Battle Royale Have A Ping System?
Yes! Press [Up] on the D-Pad to ping — you can callout loot, enemy players, or locations you want your team to move to. The Ping system is a little awkward, but you’ll be able to easily communicate with your team without voice or text chat.
Is There Skill-Based Matchmaking?
No. Like Ground War, Warzone does not feature Skill-Based Matchmaking — you’ll be dropped into a map with players of all skill levels. You might even get teamed-up with them!
How Big Is The New Battle Royale Map?
It’s huge — about 30 times bigger than a Ground War map. Just check out this visual representation shared by u/GaabbbaaaFACE on Reddit to give you an idea.
Are There Vehicles To Use?
Yes! Like in Blackout, you’ll have access to vehicles you can drive around the map — ATVs, jeeps, trucks, and helicopters with mounted guns are all available to use in Warzone.
What Are Operators? Are They Like Heroes In Apex Legends?
Yes and no. Operators are specific characters with their own unique, operator-specific cosmetics like skins. Operators are purely cosmetic, though — you won’t get special abilities or powers. All Operators are equal on the battlefield, they just have a different look.
Is There A Battle Pass?
Yes, there’s a premium Battle Pass you can purchase to unlock 100 tiers of extra, optional content. The Battle Pass costs 1,000 COD Points ($10~). All content is cosmetic, so the Battle Pass is not required if you just want to have fun and play Warzone.
The Warzone Battle Pass and the Modern Warfare Battle Pass are the same thing — if you buy the Battle Pass, you’ll be able to earn rewards in Modern Warfare multiplayer and in Warzone.
You will unlock Battle Pass tiers even if you don’t own the Battle Pass — but you’ll need to purchase the full Battle Pass to claim your rewards.
What Are COD Points? How Do I Earn Them?
COD Points carry-over from Modern Warfare and can be used to purchase premium content in Warzone. COD Points can be purchased in bundles, and cost about $1~ for 100 COD Points.
You can earn COD Points in Warzone — you can earn up to 300 COD Points without purchasing the COD Battle Pass, and you can earn an additional 1,000 COD Points with the fully-purchased Battle Pass. If you fulfill all the tier requirements, you can earn up to 1,300 COD Points total. That’s enough to unlock future Battle Passes for free.
If there are more questions, I’ll add them to the list here. For now, that’s everything I wanted to know. Goodluck when you land in Verdansk, operator!
