When Activision launched Name of Responsibility: Warzone 2 (opens in new tab) just a few weeks again, Warzone 1.0 went quickly offline whereas developer Raven Software program centered on assist for the brand new sport. Raven has its palms busy with flying boats, infinite cash glitches, and frequent crashes (opens in new tab) plaguing Warzone 2, but it surely has stored its promise: as of as we speak Warzone 1.0 is again on-line, but it surely has a brand new title.
Warzone 1 is now known as Name of Responsibility: Warzone Caldera (opens in new tab). It is just about the identical Warzone it was just a few weeks in the past, however with main options lacking. There’s just one map now (Caldera) and two playlist choices, battle royale Quads and Solos. All of Warzone’s current weapons, customized courses, and unlocks stay intact, however there is no such thing as a new battle cross or any method to unlock previous battle cross content material. Warzone Caldera is now primarily a Name of Responsibility sport from earlier than the service sport period—an island of content material with no roadmap or main updates within the works. A battle royale locked in time.
Notably, as we speak’s relaunch has (at the least in the intervening time) killed the small map class for each Warzone 1 and its sequel. Fortune’s Hold (opens in new tab), a popular small map that changed Rebirth Island earlier this yr, is gone, and Activision is not planning so as to add it, Rebirth, or Warzone’s first map Verdansk, again anytime quickly.
That is unhappy information for the numerous chunk of the Warzone neighborhood for whom the smaller, fast-paced format of Fortune’s Hold/Rebirth Island had turn out to be their most well-liked method to play. The recognition of small maps and the Resurgence ruleset (a battle royale variant that routinely respawns squadmates if at the least one participant is alive) has confirmed well-liked sufficient to remain in Warzone’s playlist rotation for the final two years, so it is unusual to desert it now. Warzone 2 would not have a small map possibility both, however Activision has teased “thrilling developments” for followers of small maps in Warzone 2’s future seasons.
The relaunch of Warzone Caldera appears to have come and gone with out a lot fanfare. On PC, there’s little proof that the previous sport nonetheless exists. My Battle.web app has reverted Warzone 1’s previous library slot to solely present Fashionable Warfare 2019 (a humorous reversal of Warzone “consuming” MW (opens in new tab) almost two years in the past). Warzone Caldera is now put in as a content material pack for Fashionable Warfare that requires a complete of 89GB.
I respect my SSD an excessive amount of to have two gargantuan variations of Warzone put in on my PC, however the few streamers I’ve discovered taking part in Warzone Caldera have been capable of finding full lobbies, so there is definitely a neighborhood on the market that prefers the previous methods. It is too dangerous Warzone 1 loyalists now should take care of this janky foyer display screen that lists two advertisements for newer Name of Responsibility video games earlier than modes for the sport you are presently taking part in.
Nonetheless, this reduced-fat Warzone is a greater destiny than service video games like the unique Overwatch received when their sequel launched, so maybe Activision deserves credit score for preserving a portion of the sport.