Warzone map update – Verdansk ’84 arrives as Call of Duty season 3 kicks off following nuke event
WARZONE season three is here and it is better than ever.
Along with Cold War's Battle Pass, Call of Duty has made a host of changes and has finally unveiled the new map in the hit battle royal game.
Long-time location Verdansk was nuked in an incredible event this week, leaving fans on the edge of their seats wondering what's to come next.
The map is back, but a little different, transporting players back to 1984 - the height of the Cold War to put it in line with the most recent CoD game.
The Battle Pass has also been reset with a plenty more cool new weapons, modes and skins.
Read our Warzone event blog below for the latest updates and rumours...
LET'S GO!
It's been an exciting evening.
Call of Duty finally revealed what’s coming next, after the dramatic nuclear destruction of Warzone’s longstanding map.
Au revoir, nuked Verdansk – and bonjour to Verdansk '84.
You can read the full story here.
BRING THE HEAT
HELLO VERDANSK ’84
Call of Duty has finally revealed what’s coming next, after the dramatic nuclear destruction of Warzone’s longstanding map.
Activision destroyed Warzone’s Verdansk map in an epic nuclear attack.
And in the aftermath of this blast, Verdansk (and players) transported back in time to 1984 – at the height of the Cold War.
This brings Warzone in line with the latest Call of Duty game, Cold War – as opposed to Modern Warfare, which originally hosted Warzone.
TUNED IN
A musician has struck a chord with Call of Duty fans after posting videos of him playing the game by using a PIANO as a controller.
Reddit user grooviehoovie hooked up his PC to an electric keyboard, mapping the keys to the moves of his in-game character.
Clips shared to the popular website on Tuesday show the tech whizz racking up kills on battle royale shooter Warzone using the bizarre setup, Eurogamer reports.
Grooviehoovie says he trained with the clunky system for a month before he was able to play the game properly.
"It was a terrible idea, but I did learn a lot and improve a decent amount from it lmao," the pianist said.
A SPECTACLE
One of the biggest spectacles on Verdansk ’84 is the Grid Array.
These are huge gridded towers with a giant base building, and can be scaled up as an enormous sniper’s nest.
It’s hard to overstate the size of the Grid Array – it’ll be immediately obvious as you’re dropping in.
You’re also coming in on helicopters now, for that true Cold War vibe.
NEW LOCATIONS
Activision said every building surface and object has been reviewed and retouched.
Gone is the grim wintry theme - now Verdansk pops with springtime colours, with the might of Soviet power clear for all to see.
There are at least seven new locations across Verdansk, and existing locations have been given new layouts.
MAP REFRESH
Call of Duty has finally revealed what's coming next, after the dramatic nuclear destruction of Warzone's longstanding map.
Warzone first launched as a free-to-play side-game to Call of Duty in March 2020.
The 100-player battle royale has been a global hit – but calls from fans to refresh the map have been growing.
You can read the full story here.
SERVER QUEUES
Lots of players have said they are still stuck in server queues.
A reminder - Activision extended the event for an hour yesterday for players who missed the original window due to server issues – so they could do the same again today.
'KNOCKED IT OUT THE PARK'
"A complete map change could've ruined the flow. This is perfect," a delighted player tweeted.
NEW WARZONE EVENT
Season 3 introduces a new Warzone event by giving players challenges to hunt down Adler.
"Starting with the launch of Season Three, the new 'Hunt for Adler' limited-time event will task Operators with unique in-game challenges in both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone to learn of Adler’s whereabouts," the Call of Duty website says.
"Complete these Intel Challenges to unlock Event rewards, including Weapon Charms, Calling Cards, a new Operator Skin, and more.
"You can find more details about this event in the Seasonal Event tab on the main menu between Play and Weapons once Season Three kicks off in Warzone.
"Once you’ve completed a full set of challenges in either Black Ops Cold War or Warzone over the course of the event, you’ll unlock an exclusive Adler skin for use in both games!"
WILL THE ORIGINAL VERDANSK RETURN?
It's unclear how long Verdansk '84 will remain, and Activision hasn't confirmed whether the original Verdansk will ever return.
But it seems likely that the new version of the map will stay in place for the bulk of the Cold War expansion at the very least.
VERDANSK '84
Quarry has been replaced by the Karst Salt Mines.
Downtown is now less dense.
And Standoff – a classic map – has appeared in front of the Gulag.
Superstore is no longer in disarray, and is now well-lit with upright shelves, offering a brand new feel.
GRID ARRAY
One of the biggest spectacles on Verdansk '84 is the Grid Array.
These are huge gridded towers with a giant base building, and can be scaled up as an enormous sniper's nest.
It's hard to overstate the size of the Grid Array – it'll be immediately obvious as you're dropping in.
You're also coming in on helicopters now, for that true Cold War vibe.
REVAMPED AIRPORT
Activision has revamped the airport to reduce the amount of open space.
There's now a large second floor with extensive windows, to provide counter-sniping opportunities to the aircraft control tower.
A new location called Old Mine has been added in the northwest corner of the map, replacing dead space.
And there's a new Airplane Factory, which was previously a couple of cylinders – but now features a multitude of buildings.
SEVEN NEW LOCATIONS
Gone is the grim wintry theme: now Verdansk pops with springtime colours, with the might of Soviet power clear for all to see.
There are at least seven new locations across Verdansk, and existing locations have been given new layouts.
Activision says that every building surface and object has been reviewed and retouched.
HELLO VERDANSK '84
Call of Duty has finally revealed what's coming next, after the dramatic nuclear destruction of Warzone's longstanding map.
Activision destroyed Warzone's Verdansk map in an epic nuclear attack.
And in the aftermath of this blast, Verdansk (and players) transported back in time to 1984 – at the height of the Cold War.
This brings Warzone in line with the latest Call of Duty game, Cold War – as opposed to Modern Warfare, which originally hosted Warzone.
SERVER ISSUES
Activision extended the event for an hour yesterday for players who missed the original window due to server issues - so they could do the same again today.
RETURN TO REBIRTH ISLAND
Here's the latest mission info on the Call of Duty website...
MISSION LOCATION: Rebirth Island
MISSION PARAMETERS: Calling All Operators to Rebirth Island
Operators,
RICO-W is experiencing extreme electrostatic interference and is no longer able to provide updates via regular communications.
With our final message, we are updating the order given last night at 21:00:
Return to Rebirth Island.
Repeat to all Operators: Return to Rebirth Island.
--END TRANSMISSION—
ARE YOU READY?
END OF THE LINE
Activision banned a staggering 30,000 players from Call of Duty last month.
The shock “banwave” was designed to cull gamers who are cheating in the Warzone mode.
Importantly, a statement from Raven Software said that there would be “more to come”.
It’s part of a growing crackdown on Warzone cheaters, who cause chaos for legitimate gamers.
WHAT TO EXPECT
In terms of the main Cold War game, we can expect new guns, maps and Operators.
We’ll also get a brand new Battle Pass that has fresh rewards for you to earn as the season progresses.
The big news relates to Warzone, where huge changes are rumoured.
COUNTDOWN
If you log into the game right now, there will be a countdown to the second nuke event later today.
Until the time comes, you can play on Rebirth Island.
For Brits, the big event will begin at 8pm UK time.
IT'S NOT OVER YET
Once you have downloaded the latest update and logged in, Season 3 will start - but players are limited to Rebirth Island for now.
We will see the second part of the nuke event tonight - and the likely return of Verdansk, according to .
Yesterday, Activision extended the event for an hour for players who missed the original window due to server issues - so make sure you show up nice and early for tonight's event.
'EXPLOSIVE IMPACT'
This is what the official Call of Duty website has to say:
"Expect an explosive impact as the free content keeps flowing, with four more Multiplayer maps, six new weapons, the next chapter of Zombies in Outbreak, an earth-shattering Warzone update, and much more. Welcome to Season Three."
SNEAK PEEK
Warzone players were briefly able to play the new 1980s-themed Verdansk map this morning before developer Raven shut it down.
The new map was accessible via Private Matches - but it's no longer available.