Cod Warzone Gameplay Review

Updated:

06 Jun 2020

Ready to start playing the hottest Battle Royale out there?

Call of Duty Warzone was released on March 10th, 2020, and quickly became the hottest new free-to-play battle royale. Bolstering 150 player games for you to play in and cross-platform play between Xbox, Playstation, and PC, it’s easy to see why the game got so popular. With two different game modes, squads of up to four players, tons of weapon customization, and the most stunning map in Call of Duty history, Warzone is the new obsession you’ve been waiting for.

Battle Royale

Modern Warfare: Warzone Battle Royale HONEST Review (Good & Bad)

The main gamemode Warzone has to offer is the Battle Royale. Your team is up against 150 players, each competing to be the last team standing. As you gear up and collect some kills, a cloud of gas slowly closes in forcing you to go head to head with the remaining teams.

Scattered around the map are loot boxes full of money and weapons. You can use that money at buy stations to get useful gear like killstreaks, a gas mask, a self-revive kit, or a custom gun loadout.

With the constant threat of the gas, your games will always feel fast-paced. But you can choose whether you’re pushing enemy squads the full game, or taking a more covert stealthy approach. I do both, and it really helps keep the gameplay fresh every time I play. Combine that with the many different places the gas can close in on, and I don’t think I could ever get bored of the game.

The Gulag

"THE GULAG" EXPLAINED! (Call of Duty Warzone)

Once a game if you go down you’ll have a chance to respawn in the Gulag. All you have to do is win a 1v1 against another fallen player.

This mechanic does so many things right. It doesn’t give you a free pass. Instead, you have to rely on your own skill to bring yourself back into the game. And if you’re confident in your 1v1 skills, you can play more aggressively in the early game without being afraid of dying.

But it doesn’t give skilled players too big of an advantage. The Gulag will close near the end of the game. If you’ve been alive the full game, you won’t get that second chance. In my opinion, this balances out the gameplay for beginners. It gives the people who are more likely to die quickly a second chance.

Plunder

Call of Duty Warzone: Plunder Fully Explained (New Game Mode Gameplay)

Plunder is the other gamemode available in Warzone, but it is a lot different than Battle Royale. There’s no Gulag, no gas or collapsing circles, and no last team standing. This game mode is all about money.

Collect money from loot boxes around the map or by completing various contracts. Once you have enough money, head to a helipad to cash out and keep your money safe. If you keep money on you and die, a good chunk of it will be dropped for the enemy to pick up. But the reverse is also true. If you can kill the top players you’ll get rich quick.

The goal of Plunder is to be the first team to reach $1,000,000. But even if you're not first, there’s a two-minute bonus round where any team has the chance to become the richest team and win the game.

If you’re a beginner this is a good gamemode for you. You can get familiar with the map, test your loadouts, and practice your firefight skills without the threat of dying.

The Map

Call of Duty Warzone: All Map locations (Battle Royale Gameplay)

Let’s talk about the absolutely massive map for Warzone. It’s the biggest map in Call of Duty history, but it doesn’t feel small. The map is full of points of interest that each caters to different play styles.

At the start of the game you can see the names of all the points of interest as you drop-in. These locations offer a lot of good loot but are also magnets for other players. Areas with no names aren’t as good for loot, but you’re much less likely to get targeted by an enemy squad.

The map’s amazing graphics and attention to detail are off the charts.The whole map feels like a real location. It doesn’t feel like a bunch of places thrown together for a video game. You can get a sense walking around what it would be like to actually live here, if the map wasn’t a war-torn battleground.

Loadouts

*NEW* Warzone Top 10 BEST LOADOUT + CLASS Setups (Call of Duty Warzone Tips)

Before you start a game, you can create up to 10 custom loadouts. Every pro player prefers their custom guns over the guns found in-game. There’s a ton of different guns to choose from. Each gun can be modified using the five attachment slots.

The weapon types you can choose from are Assault Rifles, Submachine Guns, Light Machine Guns, Marksman Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Pistols, Launchers, a Riot Shield, and a Combat Knife.

You can also choose lethals and tacticals, and pick three perks. Loadout drops are the only way for you to get useful perks like Ghost, making you invisible to an enemy UAV. You’re going to want to take advantage of that.

Loadout drops help you play the way you want to. You can go for a long-range sniper build, a fast-paced SMG build, a heavy LMG and rocket launcher build, and so much more. This customization is a huge part of what makes Warzone so fun.

Controls and Movement

Advanced Tips to Master Movement! [Warzone for Beginners]

Warzone has a bunch of movement controls for you to master if you want to become a pro. There’s the staple moves Call of Duty has had forever, like running and crouching and going prone. Warzone adds a couple more that make gameplay a little more interesting.

Mt favorite movement option is sliding. Sliding is a great way to take an enemy by surprise and get the upper hand. If functions a lot like the dropshot, where players go prone to avoid getting hit by bullets. Sliding feels natural and intuitive. Once you get the hang of it, your firefights and your movement feel a lot smoother.

Another important movement control for you to know is the tactical sprint. It’s a faster version of your regular spring, except you aren’t able to aim or shoot as quickly. It’s a great way to get around the map quickly or flee from combat, but not the best when entering a firefight.

Next you have the parachutes. You mainly use the parachute when you are dropping into the map. But you can also use it to get off tall buildings or cliffs quickly. When you have your chute pulled you can easily cover a lot more space than by running. Watch out though, you’re also an easier target to spot.

There’s also various vehicles around that map to help you and your squad travel faster. Of these, the helicopter is the fastest way to get from one side of the map to another. There’s also ATVs, Tactical Rovers, SUVs, and Cargo Trucks for land travel. These vehicles are easy and intuitive for beginners to use. Anytime you are in a vehicle it will show up on the enemy’s radar. It’s a high risk high reward way of getting around fast.

Battle Pass

COD Warzone Battle Pass: Is It Worth It? Should You Buy It? What Do You Get? How Much Does It Cost?

Like many season-based free-to-play games, Warzone has a battle pass available for purchase. It mostly adds cosmetic items, and won’t give some players an advantage over others. The Battle Pass also offers some free rewards for any player to claim. All you have to do is play and rank up.

Should you buy the battle pass? I’d say yes. If you play a lot of Warzone, the battle pass will pay for itself. It costs 1000 Cod Points (about $10USD) which itself isn’t too bad. But by the time you’ve completed all the tiers in a season, you’ll have made back that 1000 Cod points and then some. Basically, you only need to pay for the Battle Pass once.