With just days remaining until the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone 2, the developers have announced that the Battle Royale game will feature Strongholds, fortified bases on the map filled with AI enemies. Introducing AI to the PvP-focused battle royale formula is an innovative choice, something not seen in most popular battle royale games.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is a free-to-play Battle Royale game meant to accompany the franchise's most recent release, Modern Warfare II. Following up on its 2020 predecessor, Call of Duty: Warzone, this new title is set to include a number of innovative features in its two primary game modes, Battle Royale and DMZ. One new addition set to appear in both game modes is the Strongholds mechanic.
According to the Call of Duty Blog, players in both the Battle Royale and DMZ modes will be able to find several Strongholds throughout Al Mazrah, marked on the map with green castle icons. How to access these areas will vary between Battle Royale and the more objective-focused DMZ mode, but in both cases, the Strongholds will contain a wide variety of useful items and intel guarded by a number of AI combatants. After defeating the AI enemies (along with any hostile players who might come along), the victorious team is free to loot the Stronghold. In Battle Royale mode, the first player or squad to successfully clear a Stronghold will also receive a key that unlocks another, more dangerous area on the map: the Black Site.
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Described as an elite version of a Stronghold, the Black Site is guarded by much tougher AI enemies, including a special Juggernaut boss, but it contains much more valuable loot to match. Players who conquer a Black Site get their pick of a trove of Legendary items, access to useful intel from a permanent UAV feed of the surrounding area, and best of all, a permanent Weapon Blueprint that can be used across all of Warzone 2.
The introduction of Strongholds and Black Sites adds a new dimension to the battle royale gameplay formula that few other titles have attempted. Beyond simply offering additional challenges and a chance to loot valuable gear, Strongholds could open up a wide variety of new strategies for fans to employ. Opportunistic players could decide, for example, to wait outside the base and let their rivals clear out the AI enemies, before swooping in and eliminating the injured players to claim the loot for themselves. These and other strategic options are sure to add variety and excitement to the Warzone 2 experience.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 launches November 16th on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Call of Duty Blog