With Warzone 2, a completely new Battle Royale appeared in November 2022, which wants to do many things differently than its predecessor - even if the basic principle remains the same. It is still a Battle Royal under the hood.
Warzone 2 is Free2Play for everyone again, and nothing changed in the basic gameplay.
You end up with 149 other players in an arena that gets smaller and smaller over the course of a round.
The Battle Royale is again closely linked to the latest main game, in this case Modern Warfare 2, with which it also shares the engine.
It also shares operator and weapon progression with the regular CoD:MW2 Multiplayer
Warzone 2.0 offers the basice modes. Solo-, Duo- and Quad-Teams. Playing with you friends from the start makes it definetly more fun while solo queue lets you play in your own pace.
I have not tried the 3rd person mode yet, as I think it is not an appropriate mode for this setting.
Like in the regular Multiplayer there are daily challenges awarding you with additional XP.
Like in the predecessor (somehow all battle royal games start from an airplane, thank you PUBG)
After a short cinematic sequence you (or your team) is ready to go!
A bit unlucky is the fact that there is only you and a few NPCs visible. I would like to see the other players sitting around or something.
It looks like you're on your own in the plane.
The map "Al Mazrah" is large enough to not feel like running all over each other but not too large to be like a single entity in the middle of nowhere. The desert theme is well done, textures are not as good as in the regular multiplayer though. Probably because of the map size.
Weapons and equipment are plenty and to be found everywhere.
I am not sure if the parachute opens at a certain time or if you just smack to the ground like a bag of patatoes... need to try that out :D
However, opening the parachute early lets you travel a really long distance, being able to reach the furtherest spot possible on the map.
Armor vests have different qualities. Up to 3 "plate slots" are available, and make you a bit more durable.
Killtimes are still pretty short, so watch your step!
The holy trinity of battle royal games: Loot - Move - Survive!
When killing an enemy, he drops his eqipment and some money (which also can be collected in the world) which can be spent in shops found in certain areas.
Again, a gas wall is approaching, making the playable area smaller and smaller.
Border areas are great for setting up an ambush for players who might me a bit late, having the deadly gas in their back.
I you die (and can not be revived by team mates or by your own if you bought the perk) it is not game over yet.
Like the the first Warzone, you get thrown with a randomly selected team mate in a 2v2 moshpit. The "Gulag".
If your team manages to kill the opposing team, you two will get a second chance and can participate in the current game. Nice!
I am not really good in BRs as I am usually too unpatient and prefer the "good old" multiplayer.
However, it is a solid battle royal and worth a try, especially because it is free 2 play ;)
Last but not least, next to the BR and the regular multiplayer, there is a third game mode: the Extraction Mode Demilitarized Zone or short DMZ trying to fish for fans of "Escape from Tarkov" or "Hunt Showdown". Therefore it focuses on eliminating AI Combatants.
Looking forward to try that out.