Players will experience what made Task Force 141 become the iconic and legendary squad that it is, featuring familiar heroes and new allies who will be challenged to work together in missions across Europe, Asia and the Americas. The Campaign is set to be an incredible experience, featuring offshore sieges with underwater combat, all-out explosive assaults from 30,000 feet above enemy strongholds, and high-stakes, low-profile stealth missions. Players can also join up with their duo for evolved Special Ops, a tactical co-op mode that will advance team-building skills, and also sets the scene for the near-endless hours of gameplay available in the world-class Multiplayer.

In Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s multiplayer, players will be able to try out and level up the multiple base weapons, explore a wide range of maps and modes, meet an international cast of Operators and more. Modern Warfare II will also have an incredible post-release calendar, set to include a massive amount of free post-launch content drops featuring new maps, modes, and blockbuster special events that can’t be missed.

Soon after the launch of Modern Warfare II, Warzone 2.0 will launch as an extension of the Modern Warfare II universe. With it comes new technology, new features, and new gameplay that work seamlessly together. Throughout, the team has taken a wide range of community feedback to heart with both experiences. In order to fully deliver this state-of-the-art Warzone experience, Warzone 2.0 will feature new Modern Warfare II content and systems with brand-new progression and inventories. To add, today’s Warzone will continue as a separate experience that will include a continuation of player progression and inventories within that Warzone experience.

Expect a massive calendar of free content post-launch featuring evolving gameplay with new maps, modes, seasonal events, community celebrations and more.

In addition, for the first time in Call Of Duty history, the team is using one unified engine across the franchise. Starting with Modern Warfare II, the new title features the new, next-generation engine first debuted with Modern Warfare (2019).  Modern Warfare II will be the most advanced Call of Duty in history, with a truly immersive experience with stunningly realistic sound, lighting, and graphics. New technology, including new toolchains, AI and locomotion models are refined. Modern Warfare ll features a physically based material system allowing for state-of-the-art photogrammetry, a new hybrid tile based streaming system, new PBR water and underwater decal rendering system, world volumetric lighting, 4K HDR, and more as well as a new GPU geometry pipeline. All of this is in service of a massive cinematic campaign.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is set to arrive this November 16, as part of Modern Warfare II’s Season One.

New Innovations: Emergent Gameplay

Since releasing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2019, Infinity Ward has been hard at work to create a new high-watermark for multiplayer fans, and today is ready to reveal a suite of new, innovative features for the highly-anticipated sequel. Whether you’re playing the Campaign or the cooperative modes with your squad, or you’re casually ranking up in Multiplayer or grinding MP competitively, there’s always something to focus on with an entertaining end goal in sight.

Call of Duty: Next showcased the many innovations Infinity Ward have made to ensure you’re getting the deepest Multiplayer experience yet. All of this stems from what Infinity Ward calls “emergent gameplay” — a host of exciting innovations in design and technnology shared across titles seamlessly in all facets of your Call of Duty experience, from menu navigation to social features, to all-new modes of play. This gameplay convergence means that whatever your playstyle, you can expect deep franchise connectivity uniting Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile.

The new era begins on October 28 with the launch of Modern Warfare II. The sneak peek at the era-defining Multiplayer features begins tomorrow with the Open Beta.

Today’s Call of Duty: Next event was focused on Multiplayer, though this is just a glimpse of the full game that launches on October 28. Modern Warfare II also features an incredible Campaign you can play up to a week early if you digitally preorder the game, and we are excited to confirm that a robust Special Ops mode – the cooperative intel-gathering, action-packed cooperative experience synonymous with Modern Warfare – as well as a brand-new Raids game mode involving strategic thinking, puzzle-solving and most importantly bouts of intense co-op combat action, launches this year as part of the incredible content drop to come to Modern Warfare II players. Read on for initial intel on both modes, and we can’t wait to tell you much more about Special Ops and Raids soon.

For now, here’s a deeper dive into some of the innovative Multiplayer features, as you gear up and get ready to drop into the Open Beta starting tomorrow:

Water: Swimming and Aquatic Combat

Ask any Operator who dropped into Verdansk, and they’ll tell you even campers in the airport tower weren’t as lethal to your health as accidentally touching water: Drop into the ocean and you died immediately. Fortunately, every Operator in Modern Warfare II has taken swimming lessons; and the new water-based combat is one of incredible technological advancements made by Infinity Ward.

Action now occurs above, on, and in water. The Modern Warfare II game engine’s water physics captures the currents and rapids in rivers and large, cresting waves in oceans. Water can be clean, murky, polluted, or have debris floating and bobbing on the surface. Vehicles can be driven into or on top of water, leaving a wake. Most importantly, there’s an abundance of fresh and new gameplay tactics you can employ.

In the Open Beta, maps with water showcase these advancements. Water can be used as a stealth or escape mechanism for you to lurk in or retreat into. If you’re not traversing by boat, wade into water as you would normally, and when the water is deep enough, change stance, or sprint and look down to plunge underwater. Fire underwater using sidearms and certain equipment, and you’ll see your weapon’s projectile is affected by the increased density, meaning you may need to lead your aim. If you’re checking for caches, they may be submerged and require you to swim to them. Re-evaluate how each piece of equipment, particularly Tactical items, can achieve on or under the water; you’ll need all-new strategies when attacking boats, enemies below the water’s surface, when you’re avoiding (or deploying) explosive ordnance….

This is just a sampling of what you should expect when it comes to aquatic advancements in Modern Warfare II.

Mantle and Ledge Hang Movements

Modern Warfare (2019) introduced several new movement options, including the Tactical Sprint (the fastest movement option in the game on two feet) and Mounting (allowing the player to fix a weapon to any hard surface).

Modern Warfare II builds on this with additional traversal mechanics, including the following:

You can either Slide or Dive to the floor, depending on your running speed. As before, a Slide occurs when you go from a Sprint into a Crouch. The new Dive occurs when you go from a Tactical Sprint into a Crouch. Think of the Slide as more combat focused as you land with your gun up, while the Dive doesn’t move you as far along horizontally but allows you to quickly do a tactical drop, enabling a window dive from a building or a swift drop into cover to avoid enemy fire.

For more vertical maneuvering, look for the Ledge Hang. A natural progression from a Climb or Mantle, this allows you to peek from a Mantle and look around. Infinity Ward is also testing the ability to pull up a pistol (if you have one equipped), and engage from a Ledge Hang. Those wanting some spectacular helicopter mounting can jump and Ledge Hang from one. And the days of face-planting into the edge of a building may be numbered; you can now Ledge Hang and Mantle out of a parachute descent, assuming the building has something to hold on to.

Vehicle Interactivity and Destructibility

Dynamic destruction and more action-oriented maneuvers on the various new vehicles are things that Infinity Ward is particularly focused on innovating. Expect a variety of tactical advancements, including:

• Leaning out of vehicle windows (and shooting, both for the driver and passengers).
• Mantling onto a vehicle roof.
• Destroying vehicle sections (bumpers, doors can be destroyed with an RPG or high-powered rifle)
• Blowing out tires, slowing or incapacitating a vehicle.
• Having the ability to employ multiple ground, air, and water vehicles, depending on the game mode and map.

There’s a veritable convoy of all-new vehicles, ready for you to drive, pilot, and ride on in both Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. Nine of them are land-based, and range from a Hatchback car to a Heavy Tank. All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) return, as well as new Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs), Tactical Vehicles (TAC-Vs), SUVs (including a special electric one!), as well as some old favorites like the Cargo Truck. Two tanks and an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) round out the new collection of land rigs.

Take to the skies with the Light Helo as well as a new Heavy Chopper that works a little like an airborne Cargo Truck in terms of carrying capacity. Then take to the waters in the Rigid Inflatable Boat, a nimble craft capable of traversing narrower waterways, or the Armored Patrol Boat with a slower turning circle, but a toughened hull and a mounted .50 Cal machine gun, useful for raiding coastal objectives.

Tacticals, Lethals, Field Upgrades and Perks

Tactical Equipment and Field Upgrades have more unique options than ever before. Here are some highlights, ready to test during the Open Beta:

Tactical Camera (Field Upgrade)

Throw this at a surface and a small camera and tripod unfolds, monitoring the area (see image below). This is accessible by anyone on your team. Should an enemy approach, the camera emits a warning sound. Throw out multiple cameras for an impressive surveillance system that spots and marks enemies. Imagine the final circle of a Battle Royale, where this can offer you an extra pair of eyes on a structure you can’t visibly see.

Shock Stick (Tactical Equipment)

A tactical piece of equipment with multiple uses, depending on the environment, is the Shock Stick, which adheres to surfaces before sending out a burst of electricity that harms foes, destroys equipment, and causes vehicles to go haywire. But what happens when you throw it into the water? Try it and find out!

Drill Charge (Lethal Equipment)

Foes entrenched inside a building can be a real problem to neutralize. Previously you could throw in a Flashbang, then charge in blasting. A Drill Charge changes all that — lob this onto the outside of a building and it starts to bore a hole (any enemies close by will hear it and see a grenade indicator). Once the drill is through, it launches a grenade that inflicts splash damage that flushes foes out (or rips into vehicles if placed on one).

DDoS (Field Upgrade)

A DDoS attack lets you know if there’s equipment or vehicles in your visual vicinity, deactivates them temporarily, and disrupts enemy sensors in the immediate area. When your foes are scrambled, try lobbing a Drill Charge at a stalled vehicle to force the enemy out. Just one of the various and interesting ways you can combine your or your squad’s equipment. . . .

Inflatable Decoy (Field Upgrade)

Everybody needs a synthetic polymer dummy that rapidly inflates after throwing, appears to be an enemy combatant, and acts as a proximity mine when activated again. It can also be left to fool foes into thinking there’s an enemy where the Decoy was dropped. The possibilities for subterfuge and violent confusion are immense. Also, be sure to help Infinity Ward name this helpful plastic fellow. His current, unofficial name is “Al.”

Perk Packages (Perks)

This consists of four Perks — two base, plus two more known as a “Bonus” and “Ultimate.” All are earned during a Multiplayer match, usually at the 4- and 8-minute mark in non-round-based modes. Kills, assists, objective and tactical plays can unlock these more quickly. Edit your Perk Package in your Loadout or utilize the several premade Default Perk Packages; preplanning a match is now more tactical than ever!

Additional Intel: Modern Warfare II Open Beta Guide:

• Weapons // Equipment Guide HERE
• Weapons // Perk Guide HERE

Gunsmith: Weapons Platforms

With Modern Warfare II, the Gunsmith weapon customization system receives brand-new enhancements, enabling you to create an extension of your personal playstyle like never before. The biggest innovation is the Weapons Platform:

Weapons Platform Topline Intel

In Modern Warfare (2019), every weapon was a separate family within Gunsmith. Now weapons are grouped into “Platforms”, allowing for complete control over the weaponry you bring into matches, based on your preferred playstyle. Here’s how they work:

• Rank up to receive every base Weapons Platform.
• The first weapon unlocked on a Platform is known by its Receiver.
• The Receiver is an attachment. Think of it as the core of the weapon that determines its primary use and strengths.
• Unlock more Receivers as you progress to access additional weapons within a Platform.
• Change a Receiver, and you completely alter the weapon; it’s considered a “new” weapon when building a Loadout but still lives within the same Weapons Platform.
• A Weapons Platform to try in the Open Beta is the M4. Here you unlock the base M4 AR, as well as four additional Receivers. You can change the style and scope of your armament completely:
  • The four additional M4 Receivers are the M16, the 556 Icarus LMG, the FTac Racon Battle Rifle, and FSS Hurricane SMG.
  • Change the Receiver to build a weapon with different capabilities (an Automatic Rifle, Light Machine Gun, Battle Rifle, or Submachine Gun in the previous example).
• This results in you building out the perfect weapon for a multitude of play styles.

Weapon Attachments: Specific and Universal Attachments

After picking your chosen weapon, start to level it (and the Platform) up, and augment it via two different “pools” of attachments:

• Weapons Platform Attachments: These are attachments usable only within the Weapons Platform. The core one is the Receiver. Expect barrels, magazines, stocks, and rear grips within this attachment subcategory.
• Universal Attachments: These are attachments usable across all Weapons Platforms, and examples include muzzles, underbarrels, ammunition, lasers, and optics.

Weapons use a mixture of Weapons Platform and Universal Attachments. Unlock a Platform Attachment, and it becomes usable across the Weapons Platform.

Unlock a Universal Attachment, and it becomes usable across the entire Gunsmith (for weapons that use the attachment). It only needs to be unlocked once (whether in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Warzone 2.0, or Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile as cross-progression of weapon inventories will be active) leading to an incredibly satisfying attachment progression experience.

Weapon Vaults: The Ultimate Weapon Blueprint

The FJX Cinder Weapon Vault, free to use in the Open Beta and full game for those who preorder the Vault Edition of Modern Warfare II, is an entirely unlocked Weapons Platform. In the case of the FJX Cinder, this is the M4 Weapons Platform. The following details exactly what a Weapon Vault entails:

• Owning a Weapon Vault means having every attachment from an equivalent Weapons Platform ready to use.
• This is the Ultimate Weapon Blueprint, instantly unlocking dozens of platform-native attachments.
• Access immediate customization with a collection of Weapons Platform Specific Attachments — receivers, barrels, stocks, rear grips, and magazines.
• Universal Attachments (optics, ammunition, underbarrels and foregrips, and muzzles) are outfitted to the FJX Cinder once they are unlocked normally.
• Every attachment inside a Weapon Vault features a specific cosmetic appearance; aesthetic properties are maintained across all corresponding attachments.
• Weapon Vaults are designed for those who care about appearance just as much as effectiveness, especially for a specific Weapons Platform.

The Open Beta allows you to utilize many of these Gunsmith innovations. Expect to have the full assortment of attachments and customization in the full game.

Additional Intel: Modern Warfare II Open Beta Guide:

• Basics // Firing Guide HERE
• Multiplayer Loadout // FJX Cinder Guide HERE
• Multiplayer Loadout // Weapons and Gunsmith Guide HERE

New Maps, Modes, and Third-Person Perspective

Call of Duty: Next and the Open Beta are showcasing Infinity Ward’s design focus and refinement across a variety of MP maps and modes. Initially, there are two types of MP maps for you to play:

Battle Maps (Up to 32v32)

Maps created for Ground War are known collectively as Battle Maps, and are based on key learnings from the creation of Call of Duty: Warzone’s Verdansk. Topline intel includes the following:

• Battle Maps are accessible within the Ground War modes, with multiple squads of players per team.
• They are nested within the worlds of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, allowing the teams to stress-test the areas for hundreds of hours, adjusting and refining as they go.
• This allowed the team to optimally lay out the Battle Map (and by extension, a POI within Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0) to cater to almost any circumstance, leading to a well-rounded experience in both Ground War and Battle Royale.
• Every building can be explored, vehicles can be driven, and various styles of gameplay are available within a single Battle Map.
• AI combatants appear on Ground War maps in the new Invasion Mode, adding atmosphere and providing the sense of a living, breathing world. This results in gameplay that is both chaotic and supremely satisfying.

Core Maps (6v6)

Nesting the larger Battle Maps within the Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 worlds enabled Infinity Ward to further refine the core maps:

• If Ground War maps present large-scale combat and warfare, Core 6v6 maps are where special Task Forces are deployed to neutralize opposing factions throughout the world.
• All the Core 6v6 MP maps are custom-made, built exclusively for 6v6 game modes. They are slightly smaller and more straightforward in design than previous MP maps.
• Valderas Museum is set in Spain, with very clean sightlines, easy-to-read thoroughfares, and modern architecture.
• Compare this to Farm 18, a training facility in an undisclosed location within an old, abandoned cement factory and a “Shoothouse” in the middle of it.
• Mercado Las Almas is a small bustling marketplace with fast-paced routes and lanes that blend together that lead to pure, frenetic fun.
• Expect a robust series of additional maps for Modern Warfare II at launch and across every subsequent season.

New Mode: Knockout

Aside from the fan-favorite core modes like Team Deathmatch and Domination, the following three brand-new modes are scheduled during the Open Beta. The first is Knockout:

• Eliminate the opposing force or hold the package to win. No respawns. Teammates can revive each other.
• Knockout takes elements from Modern Warfare’s 2v2 Gunfight and from the final circle action within Call of Duty: Warzone. It is a very fast, very tactical round-based mode.
• Two teams fight over a bag of Cash placed in the middle of the map. Running over the bag captures it for the team, with the bag holder’s position appearing on the minimap.
• You can drop the bag at will or after you’re downed. Hold the bag for 60 seconds, or eliminate the entire enemy team and win the round.
• This emphasizes team play; the use of Equipment, Field Upgrades, Killstreaks, and defensive tactics; and split-second decisions as you try to lock that bag down!

New Mode: Prisoner Rescue

A mode made with innovations to the equipment in mind and with “breach and siege” gameplay front and center:

• Leave no man behind. Locate the hostages and get them out alive or defend them at all costs. No respawns. Team revives are enabled.
• What happens when you take Search & Destroy and crank up the stakes? Each team has a prisoner to protect, held close to their spawn area.
• The hostages are impervious to enemy weaponry, but they’re immobile. Find the enemy hostage and carry them back to your extraction point.
• The Operator holding the prisoner is slowed, uses a sidearm, and can’t perform certain actions (like going prone or climbing).
• Points are awarded for every prisoner prevented from being extracted (Defenders) or for every prisoner extracted or held at the end of the round (Attackers), or if the defenders are neutralized.
• Ensure you have enough teammates to defend your prisoner while pushing forward to secure the opposition’s hostage. This can lead to a variety of sieging opportunities and outcomes.

New Mode: Invasion (Ground War)

Crank up the mayhem in a massive Deathmatch set across sprawling maps:

• This is war. A massive and chaotic battle with a mix of player and AI fighting alongside each other and against each time. Earn points by eliminating the AI and human enemies with Loadout items, vehicles, Killstreaks, and UAV or Counter-UAV assistance.
• The goal is straightforward — eliminate or be eliminated — but the fighting is fraught and involves more troops than any previous Ground War experience.
• Each team starts with multiple squads of human Operators, bolstered by AI combatants, all infiltrating the map from a headquarters.
• Advance! Each team — on foot or aboard a variety of vehicles — pushes forward, and the game determines a front line; this front line is the average player position across the battlefield for each team, which is used to determine respawn locations.
• Neutral Killstreak Care Packages periodically drop throughout the map. Grab one — don’t be on the receiving end of one!
• The team with the most points at the end of an allotted time wins.

A New Perspective: Third Person

Offering up a new tactical way to play Multiplayer, it’s time for a change of perspective:

• Across Multiplayer and specific modes within Modern Warfare II are clearly defined “Third-Person” Playlists.
• The intent for the Open Beta and launch is to keep Third-Person and First-Person Playlists separate, but feedback and gameplay could change this plan.
• In this mode, the camera is set a few feet back over the right shoulder of your Operator. This allows you more perspective on your overall surroundings, in exchange for less depth of field in front of you.
• You’re able to “shoulder swap” (change the view from your right to left shoulder), assisting you when peeking around corners.
• Zooming is automatic whenever the camera moves, and the camera stops before colliding with objects you’re close to, encouraging you to pivot for a better view.
• Your crosshair is automatically set in the middle of the screen, along with an “X” — sometimes in a separate crosshair — whenever the camera is angled behind an object. This shows where a bullet would hit if you fired the weapon.
• When you’re aiming down sights (ADS), the perspective switches to a First-Person view, allowing for more accurate firing.

Additional Intel: Modern Warfare II Open Beta Guide:

• Basics // Third-Person Guide HERE
• Play // Map Intel Guides HERE
• Play // Mode Recon Guides HERE

More Intel: PlayStation Exclusive Operator, Special Ops, Raids Content

PlayStation Exclusive** Operator: Hiro “Oni” Watanabe

PlayStation players who preorder Modern Warfare II through the PlayStation Store will receive an exclusive Operator, Hiro “Oni” Watanabe, at launch. Oni is a warrior and gun-for-hire who descended from a centuries-old samurai clan. Torn between country and family, he honors the code of the samurai while fighting to clear his disgraced family name. This additional Operator also brings with him a high-level Weapon Blueprint. Oni, and his equipment, will be playable in both Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

Firing Range

Firing Range is available for Modern Warfare II players at launch on October 28. Once you’ve tuned your meta-defining weapon in the Gunsmith, get a true sense of your weapon’s handling by testing it out in the Firing Range, an offline testing ground with three firing lanes, ledges for mantling, and multiple targets at different ranges.

Special Ops

Continue the story after the Modern Warfare II Campaign concludes with this in-depth two-player cooperative experience allowing you to explore large-scale hot zones with your fellow squadmate. Assemble your two-person strike team for a number of branching operations against [REDACTED], available at launch.

Raids

Confirmed for Modern Warfare II players later this year after launch, Raids are a whole new experience for the franchise — a three- player cooperative engagement requiring teamwork and strategic, puzzle-solving thinking in-between bouts of intense combat.

COD Shop: Celebration: 20% Off

In celebration of Call of Duty: Next, we are offering 20% off all items across the Call of Duty Shop for our Call of Duty community. Drop in at the Call of Duty Shop here. Gear up, and use promo code NEXT20 at checkout. Offer ends September 18.

RICOCHET Anti-Cheat on Day One

RICOCHET Anti-Cheat – including its PC kernel-level driver – will be active on Day One for both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. RICOCHET Anti-Cheat is upgraded and improved for both games, combining a year of updates from #TeamRICOCHET with new features and mitigations to protect the game.

You’ve Seen What’s Next: Play the Beta and Look to the Future

Despite the sheer volume of content described in this blog, this is merely scratching the surface of the content to come across Call of Duty. For now, test out the features in the Open Beta, and remember that the innovations you’re seeing during Call of Duty: Next are simply the start of a years-long journey to come with our players.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 are published by Activision. Development for both games is led by Infinity Ward with additional development support provided (in alphabetical order) by Activision Central Design, Activision Central Tech, Activision Localization Dublin, Activision QA, Activision Shanghai, Beenox, Demonware, High Moon Studios, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, and Treyarch.

Announcing Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0

With over 125 million players dropping in to play the original Call of Duty: Warzone, and over 200 streamers and content creators playing an early Alpha version of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 at the Call of Duty: Next event, the first official intel has dropped regarding this massive, free-to-play Battle Royale experience featuring a huge and incredibly detailed new map, a host of innovations, and many more details we plan to share between now and November 16, when Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0is officially launched – free for everyone – as part of Modern Warfare II Season One.

Right now, here’s recap of what was shown at Call of Duty: Next:

ATTENTION! The following briefing represents only the first wave of intel related to Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and is by no means exhaustive. Look for a number of additional intel drops to come! In addition, the original Call of Duty: Warzone is continuing on, and we’ll have more information to share in the weeks ahead.

The Biggest Call of Duty: Warzone Map Ever: Welcome to Al Mazrah!

Where are we dropping?

Glad you asked: Welcome to Al Mazrah! 

Meticulously crafted and polished by a host of developers across multiple studios, offering distinct and diverse geography never experienced before in Call of Duty: Warzone before, this brand new map is immense, dynamic and rewarding, and built literally from the ground up with the emphasis on loading up your favorite custom weapon, dropping in, exploring the vast landscape, and having a hell of a good time doing it.

Expect to drop into a massive metropolitan area featuring coastal towns, depots, desert, rocky peaks, subterranean spaces, industrial areas, rivers, and an entire city to explore. Reconnoiter by land, air… and water!

In fact, Al Mazrah is so expansive, there’s a dedicated blog giving a first look and overview of the major points of interest, including hints on [REDACTED] locations for veteran players. Read it here.

A True Extension of the Modern Warfare II Universe

Expect Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 to extend the Modern Warfare II universe, and fully leverage the most advanced tech – shared for the first time across Call of Duty – to deliver an all-new and seamless Battle Royale experience before, during, and after a match. This is a Call of Duty technology built for next-gen, offering a shared experience and systems, with key learnings from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) as well as community feedback. The key innovations discussed for Multiplayer gameplay exist across Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 as well. For a deeper dive into these innovations, check out the Call of Duty: Next: Modern Warfare II blog.

Initial Intel: Swimming and Aquatic Combat

Expect combat across the land, sea, and air as the environment expands to include rivers, lakes, parts of the ocean, and more water-logged locations. This presents an all-new set of challenges and opportunites for combat, many of which were explored within the Modern Warfare II presentation at Call of Duty: Next. With a vast map the size of Al Mazrah, clandestine swimming up river tributaries, underwater ambushes and exploration, as well as quicker movement courtesy of the RHIB or Armored Patrol Boat is all possible, expanding your combat options considerably, using the tactics you’re learning during Modern Warfare II Ground War combat.

Initial Intel: Over a Dozen Unique Vehicles

With combat across Modern Warfare II Ground War and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, you’ll have the chance to pilot, drive, or steer over a dozen new vehicles, and many of them are accessible on the Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 map Al Mazrah. Naturally, a Guide to Vehicles showcases the vehicles in readiness for their use during the Open Beta; click HERE to read more about the Tactical Vehicle, UTV, Light Tank, Heavy Chopper, and Rigid Inflatable Boat just to name a few.

What’s more, depending on the vehicle you’re commandeering, you can customize it with a skin, including the free “Floor It” Vehicle Skin you can unlock during the Open Beta (click here for intel on all ten free Open Beta rewards). In addition, expect to climb or drop onto vehicles, damage tires and doors, shoot out windows, and be on the lookout for gasoline, as every vehicle (including boats and helicopters) gradually runs out of fuel. 

You’ll need to then weigh up the advantages of keeping a vehicle running and extending its longevity by tactically locating and occupying a local Gas Station (or searching for Gas canister loot). While vehicle tires can be re-inflated anywhere in the warzone, Gas Stations are smaller points of interest, but are likely to be occupised as they allow vehicle repairs to be made… and ambushes by enemy teams, so watch your six!

Naturally, if you’re using the rapid and almost-silent [REDACTED] EV as your method of transportation, a different course of refueling action is required….

Initial Intel: The Shop

As well as a new and impressive array of ground loot and adjustments on how to access and store them, one of the biggest innovations is the expanding, yet streamlining of your purchases within a match. This comes courtesy of “The Shop”. These enhanced Buy Stations serve locations to buy and upgrade equipment and weapons, including the custom weapons you created before dropping in. Here are some actions you can complete at The Shop:

• Squadmate Buy Back: Just like in Call of Duty: Warzone, you’re able to buy back a teammate after they’ve been taken down either in combat, or failed to return from the all-new Gulag.
• Buy Gear: Just like the function of the original Buy Station, you can purchase equipment such as Gas Masks, Killstreaks, Armor, and more.
• Limited Equipment: Some items are likely to be limited in number, and once purchased, they are gone from the Shop.
• Buy Weapon: Prior to a match, your main preparation is focused on creating a number of custom weapons for your next match in Al Mazrah.
• You purchase these custom weapons from here. Note this takes the place of a full Loadout (your Primary, Secondary, Tactical, and Lethal as well as Perks).
• Custom Weapons are constructed in the Gunsmith, and then bought here. They take up your weapon slots. Tacticals and Lethals are very common ground loot. Perks will not be available in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 at launch.

Initial Intel: Circles Collapse

A choking storm gradually envelopes the Al Mazrah landscape, you may be familiar with the encroaching wall of vapor from your time in Verdansk and Caldera. This time, however,  expect variations within the Circle Collapse. One possible occurance may be the result of extreme weather pattern anomalies resulting in the safe zone splitting into multiple Circles throughout a match that reconverge into a single safe zone as the match gets closer to the final circle.

Initial Intel: The Gulag

This isn’t your commanding officer’s Gulag: This is a livefire training complex as well as a prison, where foes need to be neutralized, and sometimes… partnered with? You’re dropped into a multi-level arena with only your fists, and a plan to loot, shoot, and win a decisive 2v2 battle before you’re allowed back into the big map for a second chance at victory. Optionally, your Gulag combat can include searching for an AI combatant known as “The Jailer”, dropping him, and using his key as the means of escape. Don’t forget to loot as you go; that gear comes with you if you win.

Initial Intel: AI Combatants and Strongholds

There are more than human Operators active within the Al Mazrah warzone; this is a living, breathing world with a number of AI combatants ready to defend their patch of land, all integrated into the fabric of the world. If you choose to engage AI combatants, expect a different type of firefight compared to player versus player.

If you’re concerned that AI combatants are going to get in the way between you and your W, then don’t be: It’s entirely your choice to engage the non-player combatants scattered across the map, or NOT to engage them. AI won’t actively pursue you or your squad, and you can choose never to interact with them. AI combatants have a variety of lethality levels and behaviors and are usually encountered in specific areas of the map. While they may defend their territory like a CDL pro, they won’t seek out combat.

Conversely, if you’re ready to take on any combatant you see, there are locations with a concentration of enemies dotted around the map where you’re guaranteed to have your combat mettle tested. Known as Strongholds, expect locked doors and a high density of AI combatants with a variety of innovative features to their responses depending on your tactics. Conquer a Stronghold and expect impressive loot, including an item that allows you to purchase one of your customized Gunsmith weapons at The Shop for free….

Initial Intel: DMZ

The most closely-guarded, leak-proof secret in Call of Duty history can finally be revealed; there is a special “extraction mode” coming to Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. Known as DMZ, this is a passion project for the teams at Infinity Ward and across the contributing studios, and the main premise is about choosing your own experience within the warzone, working socially if you wish, and collecting gear to keep in your Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 inventory and utilize from match to match. We’ll have much more to share about the host of new challenges, bounties, gameplay features and more when DMZ drops alongside Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

RICOCHET Anti-Cheat on Day One

RICOCHET Anti-Cheat – including its PC kernel-level driver – will be active on Day One for both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. RICOCHET Anti-Cheat is upgraded and improved for both games, combining a year of updates from #TeamRICOCHET with new features and mitigations to protect the game.

COD SHOP Next Celebration: 20% Off!

In celebration of Call of Duty: Next, we are offering 20% off all items across the COD Shop for our Call of Duty community. Drop in at the COD Gear Shop HERE, gear, up, and use Promo code: NEXT20 at checkout. Offer ends 9/18.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 are published by Activision. Development for both games is led by Infinity Ward with additional development support provided (in alphabetical order) by Activision Central Design, Activision Central Tech, Activision Localization Dublin, Activision QA, Activision Shanghai, Beenox, Demonware, High Moon Studios, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, and Treyarch.

Introducing Al Mazrah In Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, the sequel to the seminal Battle Royale experience over 125 million players dropped in to play, is set to arrive this November 16, as part of Modern Warfare II’s Season One.

This massive, free-to-play offering leverages new technology shared with Modern Warfare II, introduces a host of new innovations, and continues the new era of Call of Duty coming this Fall, starting with Modern Warfare II’s launch on October 28.

New DZ Identified — Get Ready to Drop in!

As part of this announcement, we are excited to introduce Al Mazrah, a brand-new map for Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

This massive metropolitan area plays an equally gigantic role within the Modern Warfare II universe, featured within the Campaign and a pivotal part of the events following it.

Just like in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), consider Al Mazrah and its major points of interest as your new home for a variety of missions: four-player special operations, 6v6 squad battles, Ground War operations, up-to-150-player Battle Royales, and more.

Additionally, if you’ve been playing Call of Duty for a while, this new home might be more familiar than you think.

Here is your initial intel on Al Mazrah:

Located in Western Asia, the Republic of Adal defines just a small part of the original cradle of civilization, an unfortunate result of modern state lines being drawn to control the gifts it gives to the world.

No other place in the world has an abundance of natural resources right on a coast that sees an incredible amount of international trade. And that is what makes it a battleground for foreign powers at the cost of the local population.

The capital of the Republic of Adal is Al Mazrah, a fountain of strategic and luxury resources that fostered life thousands of years before the Common Era. Its history stretches through some of the greatest empires in history, as reflected in the ancient architecture across the capital.

Your missions will take place at the southernmost tip of Adal, rather than in the deserts controlled by masses of enemy troops to the north.

Starting from that northern boundary, these are Al Mazrah’s major points of interest:

• Oasis: Several pools of fresh water and palm trees offer respite from the desert beyond it. Note the ancient ruins — this small area was once a means of life in a bygone age.
• Taraq Village: A United Offensive reduced this once peaceful village to mere Rust and rubble. The tight confines of these areas make it conducive to small squad combat, especially duels.
• Rohan Oil: One of the largest employers in the region, the Rohan Oil refinery is positioned strategically near some of Adal’s oldest petroleum derricks. Note the living quarters to the north and south of this otherwise sprawling factory.
• Quarry (Al Safwa Quarry): Massive deposits of limestone make the Quarry one of the three largest industrial areas in Al Mazrah, with nearly a dozen warehouses and hundreds of individually chiseled stone blocks.
• Al Mazrah City: The past 100 years of Adal history encapsulated: High rises and modern buildings are at the core of the largest point of interest in Al Mazrah. It was planned to be the ideal city — it soon welcomed nearly a million people, who were pushed out to the slums on the outskirts.
• Hydroelectric (Zarqwa Hydroelectric): The cradle of civilization now comes full circle to the modern era with the advent of renewable energy. A mix of historical landmarks, midcentury living arrangements, and modern industrial buildings are scattered around the rivers that create electricity for this small town, as well as for the entire region.
• Marshlands (Mawizeh Marshlands): The Marshlands was once the home of the ambitious River Diamond Luxury Resort in the 20th century. Now, due to rising river levels, it and the town around it are completely flooded, both with water from the rivers and trash flowing from the city to the north.
• Caves (Sattiq Caves): A deep network of underground hideouts lies in plain sight of a small village — where a plane once crashed — built on the mountainside. Elsewhere, a tall communications tower and small collection of homes span back toward the Quarry.
• Observatory (Zaya Observatory): Atop the tallest mountain in Al Mazrah, several Domed structures, including a destroyed one, help the region chart out the stars. Note the research facilities between each of the observation buildings.
• Al Sharim Pass: This old monastery and mausoleum overlook a modern village and zoo. The tallest hill contains several modernized buildings over the rest of the area, partially destroyed due to the elements and the war.
• Ahkdar Village: “An Old Town Fit for a Showdown,” as one writer covering an old coup once wrote. The world heritage site consists of a central courtyard, and market areas define the western half, while more modern apartments make up the east.
• Sa’id City: An extensive modern mall is juxtaposed by old apartments that housed generations of port workers. The area also contains a medieval-themed carnival and a minor league football stadium.
• Port (Hafid Port): The Port is the economic gemstone of Al Mazrah, ending the Rohan Oil pipeline out to the greater seas. Several large warehouse structures can be found inland, while the Port itself has little containers due to the international economic restrictions for the region.
• Sawah Village: Rising sea levels caused this once-bustling coastal village to be submerged underwater, with a crashed freight ship being a symptom rather than the cause of the evacuated population.
• Cemetery (El Samman Cemetery): A monument to the fallen, a significant graveyard is now mostly derelict and unkempt, especially with a collapsed water tower flooding dozens of graves. The area is completely open to the elements, with a broken stone wall defining its boundaries.
• Sariff Bay: Home to the country’s valuable fisheries, this Bay maintains the history of Al Mazrah, as well as Adal. It contains a vibrant downtown section with suburbs, a modern resort, and a few small islands.
• Al Bagra Fortress: The definition of the region’s medieval history, this walled island city was a museum dedicated to displaying its cultural significance up until occupation. Note the large crab factory on the east end, a spillover from the adjacent Sariff Bay.
• Airport (Al Malik Airport): Terminal to the south tip of Al Mazrah, this modern airport mixes traditional and modern architecture to host both business and leisure activities. The observation tower near the sea is extremely approachable.

We will have more details on each of these major points of interest, as well as the suburbs that surround it, closer to the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.  In addition, the original Call of Duty: Warzone is continuing on, and we’ll have more information to share in the weeks ahead.

Key Features:

• Modern Warfare ll picks up the action as the sequel to Modern Warfare 2019, as the newly formed Task Force 141 faces a massive global threat across a campaign of missions that push the boundaries of gameplay.
• The action takes players around the world as Task Force 141 works to neutralize a terrorist conspiracy and attack on the US, spanning locations around the globe.
• A newly aligned menace conspires to create chaos inside the US' borders and Task Force 141 must come together against all odds.
• Players will fight alongside the most iconic characters in Modern Warfare, including Captain Price, Ghost, Soap, Gaz and Laswell, as well as encounter a host of lethal new allies like Mexican Special Forces, Colonel Alejandro Vargas and adversaries drawn from the murkiest corners of the global war on terror.
• Infinity Ward has continued to innovate upon the blockbuster Modern Warfare 2019, ushering in the new era of Call of Duty. In a memorable new take on classic boots-on-the-ground gameplay, players will need to strategically consider the role of night vision, stealth, amphibious assaults, vehicular warfare, and more as they fight against the odds.
• Modern Warfare ll and a new Warzone 2.0 experience will deliver revolutionary new advancements in Al that affect each game experience, including squad mate positioning & enemy patterns to NPCs & civilian movement, & much more, all dynamically react to your choices.
• New gunsmith that provides players with a massive amount of weapon customization.
• RICOCHET Anti-Cheat will continue its multi-faceted approach to combat cheating in Modern Warfare II and to the new Warzone 2.0 experience. Team RICOCHET is bringing its consistently updated suite of server-side tools and detection systems to our title in an effort to fight unfair play.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC on October 28, 2022.