Call of Duty: Warzone beginner’s guide

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s free-to-play battle royale game, Warzone, is now available for anyone on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Since the game was just released, many people are trying to figure out all of the best weapons and landing spots or anything else that can give them a competitive advantage. But there are still some basic strategies and tactics that Call of Duty veterans or battle royale experts can carry over into Warzone.

Here are a few simple tips and tricks to help you get started with Warzone.

The basics

At launch, Warzone features 150-player lobbies competing in a trios format. You can play solo or with a partner, but if you do, you’ll be at a disadvantage against multiple other teams of three.

In comparison, Apex Legends lobbies feature a maximum of 60 players, while Fortnite games can have up to 100. Simply put, there are a lot more people in Warzone games compared to other battle royale titles.

Keeping this in mind, you’ll want to make sure to play smart. Don’t just run out in the middle of the street and stand still. Take a tactical approach to your game. Loot quickly, use houses or buildings for cover, and try to always be aware of your surroundings. Keep an eye on the circle’s location, though, so you don’t get hit by lethal gas.

Map

Since there are so many players in Warzone lobbies, it’s probably easy to imagine how big the battle royale’s map is. There are multiple points of interest that have a ton of loot waiting to be picked up.

If you’re just starting out in Warzone and aren’t a Call of Duty or battle royale expert, we recommend trying to find a safe spot to land that isn’t heavily populated. Try to avoid large points of interest and wait until the end of the flight path so you can jump out after most of the other players in your game have already landed.

Since the game is so fresh, it’s still difficult to tell what the most popular points of interest are. We’ll update this article once we have a better understanding of the map. For now, though, just use your best judgment and try to scout ahead before jumping into one of the biggest areas of the map.

Ping system

Communication is key in battle royale games. And similar to most updated battle royale titles, Warzone features an intricate ping system like the one in Apex.

If you aren’t in a voice chat with your teammates or you’re playing with strangers, make sure to take full advantage of this ping system. You can ping weapons to try to help your teammates or hit the ping button twice to alert your squad that enemies are nearby. If you want to win a game of Warzone, you’ll need to play as a team—and the ping system helps you do that.

Health and armor

Warzone doesn’t feature bandages or medkits. Instead, this battle royale game includes automatic health regeneration. All you have to do is wait a few seconds after being shot and you’ll regenerate your health, similar to regular Call of Duty multiplayer.

There’s a Stim Shot equipment that you can use to heal faster, but it’s not essential to your survival due to the automatic health regeneration. There’s an armor system, however, that you’ll definitely need to take advantage of if you want to survive.

Warzone features Armor Plates, which each grant 50 armor. At the start of each game, players will have 100 health and two Armor Plates. You can equip up to three Armor Plates at a time to bring your total health up to 250. Use Armor Plates as much as possible and carry extra in case you get shot.

The Gulag

Warzone features a unique respawn mechanic. The first time you die in a game, you’ll be sent to the Gulag, where you’ll have the opportunity to one-vs-one someone else who died in your match.

If you win this fight to the death, you’ll respawn. If you lose, you’ll remain dead unless one of your teammates earns enough in-game money ($4,500) to purchase a redeploy for you.

Other battle royale games feature a respawn system, but Warzone’s mechanic is extremely different and fun. Instead of having to wait for a teammate to revive you at a respawn beacon or bus, your fate is in your own hands. Just make sure you win your one-vs-one.

This article will be updated as we learn more about Warzone.