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Warzone's Urzikstan map. Buildings sit in front of a hill, with a track cutting through the middle.
Image via Activision

Warzone players don’t care if Verdansk is good—they just want to leave this ‘ugly, boring’ map behind

Time will tell if rose-tinted glasses make the current map feel like Verdansk after a while, too.

As one Call of Duty: Warzone returns, another must be left behind. But it doesn’t seem like many players are too sad about that, at least right now.

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Urzikstan, first introduced in the fall of 2023 with Modern Warfare III, has been the main battle royale map in Warzone for over a year now, and players are tired of it. They’re so sick of it, in fact, that some players are more excited about it leaving than they are about Verdansk’s comeback.

Urzikstan Warzone Old Town POI
So long, farewell. Image via Activision

After Activision finally, officially confirmed the unguarded secret that Verdansk is back in Warzone as of Black Ops 6’s season three on April 3, players on social media have voiced their opinions about all of it, including Urzikstan’s unceremonious farewell.

“I hope there a lot of improvements and changes but I won’t hold my breath,” one player said in a March 10 Reddit post. “At least we know Urzikstan is going in the dumpster. Would really appreciate being able to play on other resurgence maps besides Rebirth Island as well. Gets real old real fast.”

The sentiment was echoed throughout the thread, with many saying they won’t miss Urzikstan at all, especially after playing two years of it. But according to most, Urzikstan’s just not a great battle royale map to begin with, either.

“Yeah this map sucks,” another player agreed. “I don’t understand how it’s so hard for them to create memorable maps. Just take the ideas that you had in Verdansk and apply them to another map. How hard is it to add an airport, soccer stadium or train station on another fucking map without it being the same color everywhere?”

I can honestly say that Urzikstan is probably my least-played BR map in Warzone, too. I’m just not a fan of it, coupled with the fact that MW3’s version of Warzone is probably my least favorite incarnation, as well. But I also think a lot of the Verdansk love is heavily tied to nostalgia as well.

My memory isn’t what it used to be, but I do remember many players complaining about Verdansk at the end of its life cycle in 2022 and being wholeheartedly excited for Caldera. And then Al Mazrah. And then Urzikstan. It will be very fun to watch the reaction to Verdansk’s return to see if the map is as fun as players remembered it was, or if nostalgia for the time period is outweighing everything else.

Verdansk Warzone map, showing snowy mountains, trees, cities, and a big arena.
It’s time to go back. Image via Activision

We’ll all know more once Verdansk comes back to CoD (and Urzikstan says goodbye) on April 3. But I will laugh pretty hard if Warzone players in 2030 are longing for Urzikstan to come back.


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Author
Image of Scott Duwe
Scott Duwe
Senior Staff Writer
Senior Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to corgis Yogi and Mickey, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.