With Christmas coming up, there are a lot of questions and “needs.” People want to know what they should put on their list in bold and what to expect. One of the things that should be at the top of your list is the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. In this article, we will unpack everything about the game and what else has been released into the game since it came out. 

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was released on October 28, 2022, which means it has only been one month and some change since it came out, and it has been great so far. In previous years the Call of Duty team would release a game each year. After Call of Duty: Vanguard’s not-so-great outcome and lack of attention to detail in games prior, the team decided to switch it and release a game every two years and have a lot more companies help them rather than doing what they used to do, which was switch years between letting Activision and Infinity Ward have almost all creative control. 

For a while after its release, there was a significant lack of customization; there was either none or, if some, a severe lack of weapon blueprints, operator skins, calling cards, emblems, charms, vehicle skins, stickers, and bundles in the store which includes random things previously listed together and themed for COD Points which are the in-game currency you can acquire by either buying them or unlocking them in the new battle pass. All this was fixed and exceeded everyone’s expectations; on November 16, 2022, Call of Duty released their Warzone 2 and DMZ update. This update released two brand new game modes and fixed the significant lack of customization problem. Right after players updated their game, there were bundles in the store, calling card challenges to unlock, and a big new style of battle pass. 

A battle pass is a pass that people usually have to spend money to either unlock and level it up or buy the pass and pay to level up to get items for the game. This pass is $10; for this new approach at this battle pass, they made it to where you can buy tokens to unlock something for 150 COD Points each or get them with XP, which is given in every game mode. This new form of the battle pass is a branch style with 22 big tiles, which, when clicked on, pop up five items you can get. To get the oversized picture item, you have to get all four other things. The last tier is “Olympus King,” an operator skin for Zeus, “Mortal’s Bane,” a weapon blueprint for the M4 assault rifle, and three sets of 100 COD Points. 

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 has many modes you can play, not only the classic multiplayer, but the whole new concept DMZ, and Warzone two, which is a new game mode; Warzone one was on Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019), Cold War, and Vanguard, this is the same thing just redone and touched up. The multiplayer mode offers many game modes, including; Team Deathmatch, Free-For-All, Domination, Search and Destroy, Headquarters, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, Prisoner Rescue (New), and Knock Out (New). 

Prisoner Rescue is a new two-minute, six-round, six-player, two-team game mode. The goal is to locate the hostage, get them out alive, defend them, and eliminate the enemy team; you can also revive teammates when they are downed. Getting the hostage out is easier said than done; you have to sling them over your shoulder, and you can only use your pistol, so you better have good teammates to help for this mode. Knock Out is also a new one-and-a-half minute, six-round, six-players,  two-team game mode. The objective is to eradicate the opposing force or hold the package to win; there are no respawns until the next round, but teammates can revive each other. 

Then there is Warzone two; this is a refurbished and much more enhanced version of Warzone one, which was also a Battle Royale-based mode that went on from Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019), Cold War, and Vanguard. Warzone two is similar to the original Warzone but features brand-new mechanics to amplify the gameplay. You will still be fighting everyone off to be the last man alive, but how you loot, acquire loadout weapons, and fight in the Gulag have all received significant changes. Players can use cash in the game at shops to buy their primary weapon from their customized loadout; loadout drops will also drop into Al Mazrah during the match. These loadout drops allow you to pick and receive any of your whole loadouts, both guns, perks, and equipment, but these drops are not limited or assigned to any single person or squad but can be accessed by all players. Players can also earn their loadout early in the game by clearing a stronghold or black site. 

A new feature in Warzone 2 is the backpack; it was initially thought up for DMZ only but was later integrated into Battle Royale while still being made. Like the original Warzone, supply boxes that randomly spawn around Al Mazrah will spit out random items that can be picked up once opened. When players interact with other loot containers like duffel bags, medical cases, etc., they will use a loot menu that will pop up. When a player dies, they will drop their primary gun on the ground along with their backpack, which contains all the stuff they had on them before they died and is accessed through a loot menu as well. 

The Gulag has additionally been revamped; the Gulag is where you go after you die to fight against two enemies with another teammate; this is in every game mode solos, duos, trios, etc. In Warzone one, it was a one versus one in the Gulag; it also had randomly predetermined loadouts, the same as in Warzone two. The Gulag also has a “Jailer” who will appear in the middle of the match to assist in speeding combat up. Defeating the “Jailer” will return all four players to Al Mazrah. This makes both teams decide to either wait it out and conquer the “Jailer” to get everyone back in or go the aggressive route and boot the opposing team back to the lobby. Unlike the original Warzone, if neither one of the teams is eliminated and the “Jailer” is still alive, after a brief time, all four players lose. 

There are also AI players at the Gulag, strongholds, and black sites.

The strongholds and black sites are all around Al Mazrah. They are designed to be visible on your mini-map to let the player know what they are opting for and make it easier to find them via the mini-map. The first team to complete a stronghold must disarm a bomb and will earn a key to a black site and their custom loadout. Successful teams must eliminate several defenders, either AI or real players; you will achieve your loadout but not a black site key. Black sites are a more dangerous version of strongholds, but they reward a permanent weapon blueprint and even more valuable in-match items for the players that wipe it out. There are only available through a black site key, given to the first team that clears one of the active strongholds. 

In Warzone two, there is also a new circle system; in the original Warzone, one gas circle slowly closed throughout the match. The Call of Duty team changed the storm to up to 3 safe zone circles around the map before reducing it to the original one-circle showdown; watch out, though, because the number of circles and where they are located is different in each match. Another new feature is the proximity chat; when within a close enough distance, you can hear enemies, and they can also hear anything you say. In squad-based modes, you can now interrogate knocked-down enemies to see their teammates for a brief moment.

There are also new vehicles, which have changed from unlimited fuel and a specific health amount for the vehicles from Warzone one; in Warzone two, all vehicles come with a random amount of fuel, which runs down over time. To get more fuel and repair your vehicle, you pull up to a gas station, which automatically refuels and repairs your vehicle. You can also find gas cans all over Al Mazrah, and players can also fix flat tires on vehicles anywhere when they occur by interacting with individual tires. The shops or better known as buy stations from Warzone one have also received a change. In the original Warzone, every buy station offered the same things all the time; in Warzone two, every shop provided a unique set of items and a limited amount of each item. However, you can still repurchase dead teammates. 

Lastly, there is DMZ; DMZ is an open-world, narrative-driven extraction mode, which is only trios. In this mode, squads have full access to complete faction-based missions and side objectives and fight against AI or real players. There are shops in this mode that work a little differently; there is a place to buy gear, a place to buy guns, and a place to sell valuables. In this mode, you have a backpack, and throughout the match can get two better versions of the backpack, which allows you to hold more stuff; you have a backpack because, throughout Al Mazrah, there are a plethora of items you can store and sell at shops. Every match has a 25-minute limit before the gas takes over the whole land, but you can find your way to an exfiltration zone, defend yourself, and leave whenever you want.

 After going over the key things to the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, there is no reason this shouldn’t be bold, circled, or starred on your Christmas list this year. The vast overall improvements, changes, and new things in the recently released Call of Duty, along with the new concept DMZ revamped Warzone two, and the classic and favorited multiplayer with all the original and two new game modes are all the reasons and more to be begging Santa to drop this under your tree this year.