Infinity Ward has now revealed Warzone 2.0‘s pre-load times as well as a number of new features and improvements as the game approaches release on November 16 along with Season 01 of Modern Warfare 2:

COD Warzone 2Pre-Load Times and Everything You Need to Know

• New Map: Al Mazrah: Use 18 major points of interest to plot out your victory in Battle Royale or explore them en route to extraction in the brand-new DMZ experience.
• DMZ: DMZ is an open-world, narrative-focused extraction mode where Operators have free rein to complete faction-based missions, take on additional side objectives, engage with enemy Operators or AI combatants, and search for valuable items, all while fighting to survive toward exfiltration.
• Custom Loadouts are Back: Players will have quicker access to their Loadout’s primary benefit: The Primary Weapon.
• New Backpack System: Fully integrated for DMZ and streamlined for Battle Royale modes.
• New Gulag: The Gulag will be a 2v2 environment where randomly paired Duos must coordinate to take down their opposition. It will also include a Jailer, who will appear in the middle of the match to help speed up combat.
• Third-Person Playlists Coming In-Season to Warzone 2.0: For the first time in Warzone history, we welcome fans of third-person Battle Royale action during Season 01.

Here at MP1st, we’ve put all the details of all that new information into one handy list, along with details of the future of the original Warzone title.

Call of Duty Warzone 2.0 Pre-Load Times:

• Related Reading: COD: Warzone 2.0: Details on Al Mazrah Map, New Gulag, DMZ, Shop, Swimming, & More

Players across all platforms will be able to pre-load Warzone 2.0 at 10AM PT/1PM ET, with the game going live two days later on November 16 at 10AM PT/1PM ET. It has been reported that the servers will go live 30 minutes prior as a “soft launch,” so players can expect to be able to play Warzone 2.0 around 9:30AM PT/12:30PM ET on November 16

Warzone 2.0 Loadouts:

It was previously understood that Custom Gunsmith weapons would be replacing Loadouts in Warzone 2.0, but it appears that is not the case anymore. In Warzone 2.0, players will have “quicker” access to the Primary Weapon of their Custom Loadout, and can earn Loadouts (or at least Primary Weapons) in three ways:

• Shops, using in-match Cash (which can also be used to purchase the Primary Weapon from created Loadouts)
• Loadout Drop Public Events, which will drop into the middle of Al Mazrah and can be accessed by any player
• Strongholds and Black Sites, which players can clear out in the early game to receive their Loadouts as a reward

Backpacks and Supply Boxes:

Warzone 2.0 introduces the new “Backpack” inventory management system. Supply Boxes still throw out items to pick up, and all other loot containers (duffel bags, medical cases etc.) will function with a loot menu. Players drop both their Primary Weapon and their Backpack (which contains the rest of their inventory) upon death. This Backpack will also be accessed through a loot menu.

Warzone 2.0 Gulag:

Further details have been revealed about Warzone 2.0’s revamped Gulag. Instead of a 1v1 between two downed players for a chance to return to the main map, the Gulag is a now a 2v2 zone, where randomly paired Duos must coordinate to take down their opposition. When players enter the Gulag, they will do so with a pre-defined Loadout (Pistol/Shotgun, Lethal Grenade, and Tactical Grenade at launch) with stronger gear placed for the taking towards the map’s center. Player inventories can be taken back to the main match upon victory to upset the odds.

The “Jailer” AI combatant, who spawns in the middle of the match, was said to drop a key upon death that can be used to return to the main map, but now it appears that should both Duos unite to defeat the Jailer, all four players will be returned to the main match. This opens up an exciting dilemma between eliminating the opposition or coordinating efforts between Duos for a greater chance at success.

If both teams wait out the timer instead of defeating each other or the Jailer, all four Operators will lose.

AI Combatant Areas and Black Sites:

As previously revealed, Al Mazrah is also home to hostile AI concentrations that only attack when provoked. AI combatants can be encountered in one of three locations: the Gulag (Jailer), Strongholds, and the newly-introduced Black Sites.

Players seeking to test their skills can choose to mount an assault on the map’s “Strongholds,” which are AI territories that can be conquered to obtain special loot, including an item that allows players to buy one of their customized Gunsmith weapons for free. During each match, several Strongholds will be activated around the map, where Squads can take on AI combatants. The first team to complete a Stronghold must disarm a bomb and will earn a key to a Black Site and their Custom Loadout. Successive teams must eliminate a specific number of defenders (AI or players) and will earn their Custom Loadout, but not a Black Site key.

Black Sites are a more dangerous form of Strongholds, but they offer a permanent Weapon Blueprint reward and even more valuable in-match items for those who clear it out. These are available only via Black Site key, given to the first team that clears one of the active Strongholds.

Both Strongholds and Black Sites are clearly designated on the in-game Tac-Map to allow players to opt-into engagements with AI combatants.

Warzone 2.0 New Vehicles & Al Mazrah Vehicle Roster:

Two new vehicles headline the new Warzone 2.0 vehicle roster: the Heavy Chopper aircraft, which can hover in the air without a pilot, and the GMC HUMMER EV Pickup, an all-electric supertruck that can quickly cover vast stretches of terrain while carrying an entire Squad.

The full roster of vehicles available on the Al-Mazrah map has been revealed:

• ATV: Nimble three-seater with little protection
• UTV: All-terrain lightweight four-seater
• Hatchback: Four-door civilian vehicle without any significant protection
• SUV (Standard): All-terrain civilian 4×4 with a boxy frame
• GMC Hummer EV: All-electric supertruck engineered for off-road
• Cargo Truck: Large industrial vehicle with a flatbed.
• Light Helo: Twin-engine light helicopter for rapid traversal and combat support
• Heavy Chopper: Heavily armored search-and-rescue helicopter
• RHIB: Maneuverable tactical boat designed for Special Forces
• Armored Patrol Boat: Reinforced aquatic vehicle with mounted .50 Cal machine guns

All vehicles including the EV use fuel over time, and are no longer usable once fuel is completely depleted. Vehicles can be refilled either with Gas Cans found around the map or at Gas Stations.

Gas Stations can also repair body damage and tires, thereby restoring vehicle health. However, Operators can also perform flat tire repairs anywhere in the world by interacting with individual tires.

Warzone 2.0 DMZ:

DMZ is Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 take on the “extraction mode” found in competitive first-person shooters, described as a “rich sandbox” set in the Al Mazrah map. Players will be empowered to pick their own win condition, and can choose to complete a larger mission or engage in a variety of activities across the entire expanse of Al Mazrah.

DMZ is an open-world, narrative-focused extraction mode where Operator squads have free rein to complete faction-based missions, take on additional side objectives, engage with enemy Operators or AI combatants, and search for valuable items, all while fighting to survive toward exfiltration.

More details about DMZ will be revealed in a Tactical Overview closer to launch.

Additional Features:

New features in Warzone 2.0 include:

• Circle Collapse: In Battle Royale modes, there can be up to three circles within the collapse, which will ultimately remerge as the match nears its conclusion. This feature is randomized in each match.
• Proximity Chat: Proximity Chat introduces the element of psychological warfare with open comms resulting in voice chats going out to other Squads as well. Although it can accidentally reveal player movements and strategies, it can also be used to deceive and outsmart enemy Squads.
• Assimilation: In squad-based DMZ modes, as well as special Battle Royale playlists, Operators can unite with enemy Operators to form a larger Squad.
• Interrogation (Battle Royale and DMZ only): Interrogation allows players to find out enemy locations by successfully shaking down player-controlled enemies while they are downed.
• Third-Person Playlists: Warzone 2.0 will include Third-Person Playlists, changing visibility dynamics and providing a completely different gameplay experience in the same conditions. Third-Person Playlists will be introduced into the Battle Royale weekly rotation during Season 01.

Warzone 1 Future – Warzone Caldera:

Access to Call of Duty: Warzone continues as normal until November 16. At 8AM PT/11AM ET on November 16, Warzone servers will go offline as the Call of Duty: Vanguard Season Five concludes. After Thanksgiving, the original Warzone will be relaunched at approximately 10 AM PT/1PM ET on November 28.

Warzone Caldera will continue as a separate game from Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare 2. Player progression, inventories, purchases, and Battle Pass content from Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard will be accessible only within Warzone Caldera (and within their respective games). Modern Warfare 2 or Warzone 2.0 content, including new Battle Pass and Store Bundles, will not be available within Warzone Caldera. The Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep maps will additionally be removed with the launch of Warzone Caldera.

COD Points will be transferrable between all Call of Duty games.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 releases November 16, 2022 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

Source: Call of Duty Blog