The battle royale market has become increasingly crowded over the last few years, with every big and small publisher alike trying to release their ownFortniteand cash in on the genre’s sudden success. But for every misstep likeFallout 76: Nuclear WinterandRadical Heights, there’s at least one title that manages to forge its own identity, and the originalCall of Duty: Warzonewas definitely one of those. And thoughWarzonehas tripped over itself a little in the last few months, it seems as thoughCall of Duty: Warzone 2.0will be a return to form for the battle royale.
Announced a few months back,Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0is set to release in November, and it’s taking theWarzoneexperience back to basics, while also expanding on a few mechanics that made the original game so beloved. Another area on whichWarzone 2.0is clearly focusing is its brand new Al Mazrah map, filled with Easter eggs and references that long-time fans ofCall of Dutyare sure to adore.
RELATED:The Biggest Changes Coming to Call of Duty: Warzone 2
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0’s Al Mazrah Map Has A Ton of Throwbacks
Unveiled during last week’s Call of Duty Next event,Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0’s new Al Mazrah map is integrating some fan-favorite maps from the originalModern Warfareseries. The firstWarzone’s original Verdansk mapincluded a few nods to classicCoDmaps, such as the integration of Boneyard and Broadcast, butWarzone 2.0’s Al Mazrah map is fan-service on a completely new level.
In the few trailers released so far,Warzone 2.0’s Al Mazrah map already has references to at least fiveclassicCall of Dutymaps. In the Al Mazrah City point of interest on the newWarzonemap, the iconic Highrise map has been integrated, with a helicopter pad being wedged between two skyscrapers, allowing for intense rooftop battles. The Airport point of interest will include an area that closely resembles the originalModern Warfare 2’s Terminal map, with its escalators, travel stores, and runway being prominent features.
Warzone 2.0’s Quarry area is ripped straight out of 2009’sModern Warfare 2, complete with all of its claustrophobic pathways and climbable walls. The latest trailer also showed off some locations that looked nearly identical to the classicDome and Strongholdmaps, albeit with a sand-covered makeover to better resemble the desert setting of Al Mazrah.
Long-timeCall of Dutyfans should be able to spot a few more references to classic maps in theWarzone 2.0trailer, with most of the game’s points of interest being directly inspired by the olderModern Warfareseries. But on top of the references toModern Warfare, Al Mazrah might also hold a few references to otherCall of Dutyentries. For instance, though fans haven’t seen it just yet, the Cemetery location on the map may be inspired byCall of Duty: Black Ops 4’sBlackoutmode, which was the first battle royale mode in series history.
In addition to all the fan service,Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0’s Al Mazrah map will also have plenty of new locations for veterans of the series to wrap their heads around. A good few of these new locations also contain large bodies of water, whereModern Warfare 2’s new swimming mechanicwill come into play, along with the addition of new water vehicles.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2launches on November 16 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s Third Person Camera Makes Operator Skins More Valuable
