New Call of Duty: Warzone Map Caldera and Gameplay Updates Revealed

Earlier today on the official Call of Duty Blog, James Mattone revealed a massive amount of new information about Call of Duty: Warzone’s Caldera map along with some changes coming to the battle royale game. It was also announced that Call of Duty: Vanguard players will get exclusive access to the Caldera map on Dec. 8 for 24 hours before it launches for the public in Warzone.

First, Mattone went into descriptions of all 15 zones on the Caldera map. Below are the names of each zone along with their descriptions:

• Naval Arsenal: Composed of a sprawling shipyard and an advance base, Caldera’s northwest area provides a mix of interior and exterior combat opportunities, as well as unusual tactical positions such as the deep drydock basins. Farther inland is a cluster of large buildings — a command center, admin structure, barracks compound, training course, and firing range — with beaches and a small radar array found east of the main Arsenal.
• Industrial Docks: Once managed by the Ocean Freight Company, this large-scale industrial dock complex features the rusting superstructures of five massive cranes, a huge ship hangar, the company’s long-abandoned headquarters, and an entire shipment yard (emphasis on the word shipment). The area also bridges several nearby points of interest: fuel tanks, phosphate containers, and refineries from the Mines and Peak, a military base with Quonset barracks near the Arsenal, and an entire fishing village of bamboo residences near the Runway’s untouched jungles.
• Runway: While the main airfield and Caldera Terminal airstrip to the southwest see most of the aircrafts’ takeoffs and landings, there’s a secondary runway in the northeastern corner of Caldera for those stationed at the Beachhead or Arsenal–Docks complex. With the area half hidden in the jungle, you’ll navigate past single dwellings and ruined farmsteads, and clamber across rugged buttress rocks to reach this coastal promontory, complete with a runway of dirt. Farther into the jungle is a military command center with its own share of secrets.
• Ruins: Nestled north of the river village and west of the expansive mine works, this untouched archaeological site contains the remains of structures, seemingly created in a megalithic style around or before the 12th century, built with baluster joints that mimic natural volcanic geological columns. Find these close to a rapidly flowing stream, and venture east through a jungle gully to discover larger ruins deeper within the hillside forests. Other surprises include a series of tiered pools and verdant hot springs.
• Phosphate Mines: A massive mining operation in the excavation, refining, and transportation of phosphate gives way to snaking switchbacks, giant grinding machines, mine gondolas stretching from the main gorge to the docks, smaller factories, a rail line, and steep embankments, which all offer a mix of engagement types. Operators can also investigate a large factory compound, look for older mine workings, and stumble across a [[REDACTED]] with its own [[REDACTED]], or explore the outer reaches containing secondary workings, run-off pools, conveyor belt structures, unloading bays, containment pools, and even a remote gas station and grocery store.
• Peak: This is the high ground. Dominating the center of the map is a colossal peak of a dormant volcano, after which the entire island is named. The height advantage you receive for landing atop the caldera throat and Axis military battery installation under construction here is counterbalanced by the exposed nature of the environment. Rock outcrops can offer respite should the area become a “hot drop,” as can the main gondola station that shuttles from the Peak toward the Runway, or the magma chamber and what was built during its slumber…
• Beachhead: Cut into dunes on the island’s northwest coast, a sprawling network of trench defenses sits below the communications center, radar array, barracks, and large-scale military compound — all built in anticipation of a beachfront storming. Farther south are battery emplacements juxtaposed against a village of bamboo homes sitting on either side of a river gorge, with plenty of main roads, dirt tracks, footpaths, goat trails, and jungle overgrowth to traverse in all directions.
• River Village: Despite the remains of a cargo ship and recent gun emplacements tactically positioned on foothills west of the Peak, a small village’s bamboo huts, footbridges, paddy fields, and craggy slopes remain untouched and are ready to be explored. Farther south and east is the main tarmac thoroughfare that circumnavigates the entire Caldera. Either side of it is wilderness, interspersed by light industrial compounds, more modern structures from the 1930s, and suburban dwellings cut into the hillside with anti-aircraft emplacements there to deal with traffic from the adjacent Airfield.
• Clear Water Lagoon: An old lighthouse proudly overlooks a shallow bay that holds generation-spanning bamboo huts alongside a quaint coastal community with more-recently constructed homes. Traverse the lagoon to uncover its secrets, including what remains of Captain Butcher’s plane…
• Caldera Terminal: The island’s primary airfield has no shortage of aircraft or buildings to explore, including smaller support structures for personnel and a control tower with more than one point of entry. Those wanting cover from the exposed tarmac and gaping entrances to each of its hangars may want to head toward a section of buildings near the Village, or to the southern coastal boarder where Allied military forces set up their base of operations.
• Agricultural Center: By far the largest main point of interest on Caldera are the fertile agricultural fields just south of the volcano. As well as the numerous small farms, there’s light industrial depots containing agricultural machinery and storage, an administration center, water tower, stables, and other landmarks to pinpoint when you’re navigating the undulating and lush landscape of these parts. From numerous remote farm buildings, silos, and lakes to logging camps, a military outpost and communications tower, and rocky crags, these are plenty of combat opportunities and routes to all of Caldera’s southern zones.
• Shark’s Lair Submarine Pen: Cut into a natural cove along the eastern coast of Caldera is the island’s largest military installation: the ominous Sub Pen nicknamed the Shark’s Lair. Built by Axis forces to house its naval U-boats, including one still moored here, the lair is a massive interior space to explore and hold. Outside of it, several outbuildings and a bunker compound, complete with a complex underground tunnel system, can be explored to gather necessary supplies or contracts.
• Caldera Power Plant: A medium-sized power plant with a pair of smokestacks dominates the upper flood plain just south of the Airfield, sticking out from the lush greenery, stepped waterfalls, and ancient ruins found elsewhere in the area. Venture farther south from the plant to find a large radio antenna and a civilian radio station.
• Caldera Capital City: Set into a huge natural basin along the southern shores of the island, Caldera’s main city offers a variety of historical structures to take control of, including the Royal Theater, main Capitol Building, and art deco structures like the Fire Station and Police Station set on either side of a working tramway system. Along the western edge of the capital, a hillside suburbia and lighthouse offer space and height compared to the bustling downtown on Main Street, while coastal developments south of the city offer a luxurious beachfront yacht club and bar where a squad could be prematurely celebrating their Battle Royale victory.
• Royal Cabana Resort: Pristine sandy beaches, great surfing, clusters of cabana huts, and a stately main hotel structure were on offer to the well-heeled traveler at the Royal Cabana Resort. Operators dropping into Caldera should expect to see the deserted remains of this resort, with a main thoroughfare offering quick access by vehicle. There is also a small square and clock tower, bus station, and the hotel entrance itself. The grounds of the resort are large and lush, with shallow pools, ferns, and palm trees to thoroughly explore.

Also launching on Dec. 8 is everything that’s coming to Vanguard at launch. Mattone details the following:

40 Weapons: The core 38 weapons from Vanguard’s launch, plus two free functional weapons in the Season One Battle Pass. All of these can be personalized with unlocked camouflage, and every ballistics-based weapon can be further customized with up to 10 attachments through the Gunsmith.

Over a Dozen Operators: Each of the Operators from S.O.T.F. 002–005 are ready to drop in alongside Special Operations Task Force 006 arriving this season…

Calling Cards, Emblems, and More: Show off your progress in Vanguard since launch to everyone in Warzone.

It’s also important to note that cross-progression will be enabled between Warzone and Vanguard from day one. Any seasonal prestige and anything you unlock will be carried over across both Call of Duty titles.

On top of the new weapons, operators, and aesthetics, there’s also a handful of new vehicles coming to Warzone along with dogfighting. Fighter planes, anti-air guns and trucks, and a squad transport car are just a few of the vehicles that will be coming soon to Warzone.

Also, if you’ve gotten used to certain operators and weapons in Warzone, then prepare to change things up. On Caldera, you’ll only find weapons from Call of Duty: Vanguard. On top of that, you’ll only be able to play as Vanguard operators and use Vanguard loadouts.

It was also detailed that the radii and times for the Circle Collapses will be modified to change the pace of play. It’s not entirely clear what the changes will be. But the blog indicated that there will also be special events tied to each Circle Collapse and bombing run.

Before everything switches over to Caldera in Call of Duty: Warzone, players will get to play some special modes on Rebirth Island right before everything switches over to Caldera. Mattone detailed those below:

Expect a special one-day-only Rebirth Island Playlists – both Resurgence and Mini Royale – to drop right at the start of the season before everything shifts to Caldera for the week starting on December 9.

During the season, Featured Playlists will include returns to Rebirth Island for Resurgences and other game modes, and new limited-time modes will focus on Caldera, such as Vanguard Plunder, its own Vanguard Resurgence mode presented by Beenox, and other festive surprises…

Continuing on, it was announced that The Gulag will be making its way into Warzone. This duel mode pits players who were killed against each other in a duel for a chance to jump back into the game with all of the ammo and weapons they pick up during a Gulag.

After that, Mattone detailed a few buffs and nerfs coming to Warzone:

Dead Silence is being nerfed. Stopping Power Rounds are gone.

In addition to detailing those exact changes, Raven Software looked closely at various equipment pieces, such as nerfs to Stun Grenades and Heartbeat Sensors. They also took another look at dual-wielded melee weapons – the Kali Stick and Sai – to give justice to all ghosts who lived a second life too short during The Haunting. The results? Expect the aforementioned equipment and weaponry to be adjusted to be less potent in the Warzone, along with gun-butting no longer being the primary method of attack on the Caldera.

Another change involves Loadout Drop Markers – they can now only be purchased from Buy Stations after the Loadout Drop event occurs in a match, effectively shifting their usefulness from an immediate power spike to a more tactical choice in the mid to end game.

Along with these nerfs, several Lethal and Tactical Equipment pieces will see much-needed buffs. Most Lethal Equipment will deal more damage, while the Snapshot Grenade will see its effective radius increase, the Stim will also apply a slight movement boost, and the Decoy Grenade will pack rubber bullets that deal just enough damage to pester enemies.

Additionally, it was announced that when you enter Caldera, gas masks in Call of Duty: Warzone won’t interrupt as many actions to make it no more inconvenient than reloading a gun. They’ll also come in handy against the brand-new Gas Canister weapon that explodes and releases toxic gas.

In this next update, players will finally be able to wade in shallow water. You still won’t be able to swim or go prone, but you’ll be able to hide your footsteps from players using the Tracker Perk. On top of that, water will also now cause smoke when coming in contact with fire-based equipment.

Next, Mattone went into the changes coming to contracts and public events:

During a match, squads can find new contracts to complete, such as a Supply Drop Contract, which airlifts a valuable crate onto the map for anyone to pick up, but only has its exact location revealed by the contracted squad.

Another is a Big Game Bounty, which targets the Operator with the highest kill count – but only once per game, while another – known as Top Secret Contract – is, as one could expect, [[REDACTED]] until you pick it up, but comes with greater rewards compared to the standard loot from the Contract types it chooses from.

As for Public Events, expect Restocksand Resurgences from Rebirth Island to come to Caldera, in addition to the Cash Drops event you may have seen during Operation: Flashback. There are also rumors of [[REDACTED]] Weapon Crates that can appear around the island, which contain the coveted [[REDACTED]] Weapon Blueprints seen in Verdansk, and armaments extracted from the meta-forward galaxy brains of the studios’ Gunsmith gurus.

For those playing on PC, there will be a brand-new anti-cheat driver from RICOCHET to help identify cheaters in Warzone. This part of the update is exclusive to the PC version of the game and will be required to play the game. The same driver will also be coming to Vanguard at a later date.

That was a massive info dump, but it was indicated that this blog doesn’t even cover all of what’s coming in season one of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone when Caldera goes live. Two more operators, Zombies, an additional core multiplayer map, and much more is planned for launch during the holiday season and carrying on into 2022.

If you would like to see all of the screenshots of the different Caldera zones and check out the official Call of Duty blog post, you can find all of that information right here.