This year's Call of Duty, now officially revealed to be Modern Warfare 2, has been one of the most discussed games of the last year or so, with constant leaks about it springing up seemingly every other week. Though Modern Warfare 2 hasn't even had an official trailer yet, fans already reckon they know just about everything the game will have to offer, from returning fan-favorite characters to classic maps to even a new survival mode. And right alongside all of these Modern Warfare 2 leaks, Call of Duty: Warzone 2 has also received its fair share of industry insider reports.
Though Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is yet to be unveiled in any official capacity, if the countless leaks over the last year are to be believed, then it'll be a next-gen exclusive sequel designed to build the Warzone experience from the ground-up, providing a much more streamlined, balanced game. As Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 inch closer to their October release date, the leaks continue, with the latest one supposedly revealing all 18 points of interest for Warzone 2's new map.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2's Leaked Points of Interest
As has been the case with the vast majority of the info surrounding Call of Duty: Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2, this leak once again comes from the fairly reputable industry insider Tom Henderson. Henderson, along with some YouTube creators such as NerosCinema, have been responsible for leaking essentially everything fans know about Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 so far, and though leaks should always been taken with a pinch of salt, their information has been correct in the past.
The latest leak, unveiled by NerosCinema first and then confirmed by Henderson, suggests that Warzone 2's map will retain the large-scale of maps like Verdansk and Caldera, and will also include a handful of iconic multiplayer maps, this time coming from the original Modern Warfare 2. Much like Verdansk's Quarry and Farmland, Warzone 2's map will have a selection of returning Modern Warfare 2 maps littered around as points of interest, integrated into the map's geometry.
Both NerosCinema and Henderson confirmed that at least four classic maps were returning in Warzone 2. The first of which is Highrise, one of the most memorable maps in Call of Duty history. Henderson claims that Highrise will be present at the top-right of Warzone 2's map, integrated into a series of skyscrapers and an industrial cityscape. This would line up with previous leaks that have claimed a Colombia-inspired city will be one of the main points of interest in Warzone 2.
Modern Warfare 2's Quarry map is also making a comeback, though with the original being a smaller map, it's likely that it's been expanded and tweaked a little to fit Warzone 2's larger map size. Quarry was infamous for its sniping and camping spots back in the day, so it'll be interesting to see how its gameplay translates to a bigger arena.
Towards the center of Warzone 2's map, Afghan will apparently make its return. Another instantly-recognizable arena, Afghan's downed cargo plane, surrounded by cliffsides, should fit in pretty well with Warzone 2's Battle Royale gameplay. Henderson has reported that this point of interest will be named "Caves," which might suggest that more of an emphasis will be placed on the interior elements of this classic map than the outside area.
Though Call of Duty: Warzone's Verdansk had a massive airport section, it missed a trick by not including one of the most beloved Call of Duty multiplayer maps, Terminal. Apparently, Warzone 2 is seeking to fix its predecessor's oversight, including Terminal as one of its key points of interest. Henderson has claimed that this area of Warzone 2's map will also feature one of the brand-new Stronghold objectives, which seeks to switch up the classic Warzone formula a little.
While these are the only maps that these sources have confirmed so far, Henderson has mentioned that more classic Modern Warfare maps will make a return in Warzone 2's map, but he couldn't confirm them in time for his report. He does mention, however, that the "Mountain Town" point of interest may feature the old Favela map.
Along with the confirmed returning maps, Tom Henderson provided a list of the other 14 points of interest on Warzone 2's new map. These ranged from a new Harbor, Shipwreck, and Dam area to an Oasis, Observatory, and Graveyard. A few points of interest have some more cryptic names, such as Wartorn. If these names are anything to go by, it seems as though Call of Duty: Warzone 2 will have plenty of variety.
What Warzone 2's Strongholds Are
Along with leaking the 18 points of interest of Warzone 2's map, Tom Henderson also revealed some information about a brand new objective heading to the sequel. Called "Strongholds," these objectives will apparently be scattered across Warzone 2's map in a similar fashion to the game's Buy Stations.
Apparently, there'll be around 30 of these Strongholds, each one tasking the player with infiltrating a specific location and retrieving the high-tier loot inside. These Strongholds will be guarded by some pretty aggressive AI, so players will need to think tactically and gauge whether the loot inside is worth the risk, especially if they're in a heavily populated area.
Henderson reports that there will be different difficulty tiers of Strongholds, with the higher tiers offering the best loot but also putting up the biggest challenge, with multiple objectives needed to be completed before the loot can be extracted and the Stronghold can be claimed. Only three of the highest difficulty Strongholds will be present in Warzone 2's map, so players will need to make the decision early on in the match whether they're going to attempt to capture one.
These Strongholds seem like a pretty neat way to change up the standard Warzone formula while also not fundamentally changing the general gameplay loop that fans have come to love. Hopefully, with this gameplay addition and the reintroduction of classic maps, Warzone 2 might be able to bring back some of the fans that have left Warzone in the last few months.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.