Call of Duty: Warzone is going through some significant changes when the new Caldera map and the first Warzone Pacific season go live on December 8.
Disclaimer: Activision Blizzard is currently involved in a lawsuit regarding allegations and practices of sexual misconduct, misogyny, and unfair treatment of marginalized workers.
Owners of Call of Duty: Vanguard will have an exclusive 24 hours of access for the new Warzone Pacific map, Caldera. This replaces the long-running Verdansk players have come to know so well. A full rundown of map specifics is available on the Call of Duty blog.
Caldera is roughly the same size as Verdansk with 15 distinct regions on the map.
The all-new Ricochet anti-cheat system will also debut with the Season 1 update as well. The kernel-level driver enabling the anti-chat only runs and operates when Warzone is being played on PC. In addition, it had been revealed now machine learning is used to combat cheaters.
Another layer in the battle against cheaters is the evolving use of machine learning (ML). ML algorithms examine gameplay data from the server, helping to identify suspicious behavior trends, and add another layer of security as part of the overall RICOCHET Anti-Cheat initiative.
Source: Call of Duty blog
Another big change for the upcoming season of Warzone is regarding player loadouts. Players will have to buy them from the Loadout Drop Markers available at Buy Stations, but only after the Loadout Drop event has happened in a match. This is a significant change and people have some thoughts about it, to say the least.
Some of the more prominent members of the Warzone community seem to be against it, while others are going to enjoy what appears to be a more level playing field.
Other upcoming changes include Gulag winners re-entering the map with weapons gained during their duel. New playlists include Vanguard Royale and Vanguard Plunder, arriving at a “later date.” These playlists will only include Vanguard-specific weapons.
