In announcing the new mode, the publisher provided a deep dive into what exactly the new mode is going to look like, and it seems to be a healthy mix of modern battle royale gameplay, combined with familiar elements from Call of Duty’s first attempt at the genre, in the aforementioned Blackout.
Though it’s set within the Warzone framework, and technically counts as a mode rather than a separate release, there are a lot of changes from the standard approach, and it could revolutionize the genre if the developer manages to get the balance right.
Call Of Duty Black Ops Royale Has Landed
Though there’s a ton of detail to get into, there are some headline changes that everyone should be aware of before jumping into the mode for the first time. There are no loadouts, Gulag or Buy Stations, and you’ll be relying totally on what you find in each individual round to try and secure the win.
That stripped-back approach to gameplay is one that players have been calling for, and it’s a return to the roots of the genre that should be quite exciting for the player base.
So what does a round in the new Black Ops Royale mode look like? 25 teams of four drop into the map, controlling their approach with wingsuits before settling on a location to land. From there, it’s all about what you can scavenge and how quickly you can do it, building up a loadout as you go.
You’ll be able to upgrade the rarity and efficacy of your weapons by hunting down Attachment Kits, eventually pushing your arsenal to Legendary level. The quicker you do this, the more likely you are to win as a squad, purely because you’ll be handing out more damage than a player of equal skill with a weaker loadout.
Though there is no Gulag, it is possible to redeploy into the game, via a new system of Tokens or by capturing Towers. The latter are inevitably going to be places of heavy traffic, as the team that controls them is able to redeploy their entire squad into the game upon death.
This Is A Huge New Mode For Call Of Duty Players
It’s difficult to overstate just how massive this new release is going to be in terms of ambition. The mode takes place across an altered version of the Avalon map, reducing the amount of water present, with new features available on the resultant additional land. There are also more ways than ever to navigate that map, with players able to take advantage of everything from motorbikes to a brand-new helicopter.
It also sees the return of the original Perk system, with a twist designed to make it more flexible, that essentially means no fixed slots, with players able to have five swappable, consumable boosts instead.
It’s all very exciting, and there are a ton of details about weapon types and field upgrades that you should know before heading in, so make sure to check out the full breakdown from the official announcement (it’s extremely detailed). This next stage for the game is set to launch on March 12 at 9PM PT, or March 13 at 12 AM if you’re on the East Coast.
- Released
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March 10, 2020
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Infinity Ward, Raven Software
- Engine
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IW 8.0 & IW 9.0 (Warzone 2.0)
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
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PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
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YES