Welcome to Paradise — Warzone Pacific Launches with Vanguard Season One

“It was a simpler time then, but the work is never done.” — Captain Butcher, Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific

Deep underneath Downtown Verdansk, the CIA’s most elite task force uncovers a German World War II bunker on August 24, 1984, after dealing with Stitch.

Following the sounds of a potential intruder within the tunnel system, they find a bunker with intel from a bygone era, along with the familiar voice of Captain Butcher mocking the task force for their lack of stealth.

In charge of the secret British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II, Butcher created multiple Special Operations Task Forces (S.O.T.F.) — including the original group, Vanguard (S.O.T.F. 001) — to ensure the total elimination of Axis forces that escaped following the war. Adler, Woods, Mason, and Hudson stand down to hear this story, one that echoes their mission of eradicating Perseus once and for all…

And they learn that it all started in the Pacific.

On December 8 your legendary journey in Warzone Pacific begins with Season One of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone Pacific.

With a brand-new map built on learnings from the community, Warzone Pacific marks a new era of pulse-pounding tactical combat on a massive scale. Featuring a dedicated Playlist with new vehicles and Vanguard weapons, Warzone Pacific’s first season kicks off another year of free content, all based in your own grand epic of stamping out the last of the Axis resistance.

Welcome to Paradise: the new home for Warzone Pacific known as Caldera.

Where Will You Be Dropping? New Warzone Pacific Map Caldera Detailed

On December 8, Vanguard owners will receive 24 hours of exclusive access to Caldera, the brand-new Warzone Pacific map. During this initial period, all Warzone players will be able to drop into Rebirth Island. After this exclusive period, Caldera becomes accessible to all players, with Rebirth Island returning later in Season One.

Caldera comprises 15 huge, distinct areas to explore and fight across once Operation Vulcan begins. There are also hundreds of lesser points of interest to investigate and use to your tactical advantage.

Get ready to explore Caldera with our topographical overview as we reconnoiter this dormant volcano from north to south:

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.

Warzone Pacific — Day One Playlists, Content, and RICOHET Anti-Cheat Driver Rollout

Outside of Caldera, which Vanguard owners can access on December 8 before all players drop in on December 9 Warzone Pacific will overflow with new content, including all Operators and Weapons from Vanguard as part of the integration:

The Vanguard Integration: All Operators, Weapons, and Personalization Content Coming on December 8

When Season One launches on December 8, all Warzone players can gain access to everything that Vanguard brought to the arsenal and barracks:

- 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.

At the start of the season, cross-progression between Vanguard and Warzone will be enabled, allowing you to rank up through Seasonal Prestige and unlock new content through the Battle Pass and Challenges. Also, expect the Store in both games to contain new Bundles featuring Vanguard content.

Vanguard Royale — Explore All New Content with Dogfighting, Updated Land Vehicles

Prepare for the action to heat up both on land and in the air.

Available to all players on December 9 with Vanguard players gaining exclusive play access on December 8 with Caldera, Vanguard Royale leads Season One’s featured Playlist rotation with a game mode that puts a fresh set of vehicles and a streamlined Loadout and weapon pool on the brand-new map.

Specifically, there are two major differences between a Vanguard Royale and traditional Battle Royale:

- New Vehicles and Dogfighting. Fly fighter planes that rain down fire on foes or head for the AA guns or trucks to shoot them out of the skies. There are also other ground-based vehicles, including a Squad Transport all-terrain car that will help your squad cut through and around the island.

- A Focus on Vanguard Weapons. Loadouts can only contain Vanguard weaponry, streamlining the meta for more accessibility and room for experimentation. Expect all weapons around the island to also be from Vanguard. Operator selection is also limited to Vanguard soldiers.

- Circle Collapse Changes, In-Game Events, and More. The radii and times for Circle Collapses are altered to offer a different pace of play, especially with dogfighting overhead. Also, expect an in-game event at each Circle Collapse, Bombing Runs, and different items both within Caldera’s overworld and contract rewards.

Rebirth Island

Vanguard owners will receive 24 hours of exclusive access to Caldera, the brand-new Warzone Pacific map. During this initial period, all Warzone players will be able to drop into Rebirth Island. After this exclusive period, Caldera becomes accessible to all players, with Rebirth Island returning later in Season One.

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…

The Finer Points – Innovations and Additions to the Warzone Experience

With an entire new map to explore, playlists to claim victory on, and fresh armaments to utilize, expect additional initiatives and gameplay innovation from all studios who work on Warzone – especially Raven Software, Beenox, Toys for Bob, and High Moon Studios – including some taken after listening to community feedback.

Part of the initial wave of content planned for the period around December 8 launch (for Vanguard players) and December 9 (for all players) includes the following:

The Gulag – Drop Back in Ready for Combat

The Gulag now gives you more than a second chance at victory.

When Warzone Pacific drops, any player who wins a Gulag will drop back in with the weapon – or weapons – and lethal equipment given to them during that deadly duel.

Those who survived Iron Trials ’84, the mode where this feature was first tested, may know a pro strategy involving loadout conservation: any ammo and remaining equipment carries over between the Gulag and the redeploy. Deal with the enemy efficiently, and you will have more at your disposal back in Caldera.

Loadout Items and Field Upgrades

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.

Gas Masks and Explosive Canisters

Gas Masks won’t interrupt as many actions as they did previously, making it easier to pull your mask off or on, as well as plating up or reloading a weapon while getting out of the Circle Collapse – but still always favoring the combat advantage to those safely inside the circle.

Gas Masks may off a modicum of protection against Gas Canisters, a brand-new item developed by High Moon Studios. If these canisters explode, they release the same noxious vapors as those comprising the Circle Collapse, albeit within a much smaller radius.

After picking one up in Caldera, try lighting the fuse and throwing a Canister, or clipping it onto an ascender to send a “nice gift” to someone who overstayed their welcome on high ground. Alternatively, since it requires both hands to carry, simply shooting someone carrying it, or dropping one you’re carrying, stepping out of the blast radius and firing at it, could make it effective during a few moments of an active firefight.

Shallow Water

While Operators aren’t getting their sea legs in Caldera, they are now able to wade through shallow water seen in areas like the Lagoon. Walking within water makes it harder to see footsteps, even to those Operators with the Tracker Perk equipped. Crouch in knee-high water and you gain the effects of Cold Blooded, but you cannot go prone.

Speaking of science, fire-based equipment now causes smoke when it hits water, adding a new layer of tactics when traversing through open shallow pools.

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 Restocks and 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.

Be sure to check in closer to Season One with Raven Software for patch notes and other important fine-detailed updates, as well as at Beenox for anything related to PC-related changes.

RICOCHET Anti-Cheat Driver to Roll Out with Warzone Pacific Season One

As part of the Season One update, RICOCHET Anti-Cheat will deploy a new, internally developed kernel-level driver on PC to assist in identifying cheaters in Warzone. This will allow players to focus more on the fun new offerings in Warzone Pacific as #TeamRICOCHET fights unfair play with its new anti-cheat security initiative.

This kernel-level driver is coming first to Warzone and will be required for all PC players as of this update. The kernel-level driver will subsequently be released for Vanguard at a later date.

Learn more about the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat system here.

Uncover Caldera Through Secrets of the Pacific — Limited-Time Event in Warzone and Vanguard

Want a head start in exploring Caldera?

From November 24, Operators can discover the Secrets of the Pacific, a limited-time event across Warzone and Vanguard with Rare, Epic, and Legendary rewards.

During this event, you can drop into Verdansk in its final days to decipher six clues leading to intel on Caldera’s points of interest, which must be held onto for several minutes before it can be safely extracted. Alternatively, you can hop into Vanguard and complete six Multiplayer challenges that range from playing with a fellow Clan Member to performing a Finishing Move.

Each challenge awards a specific item, such as a Calling Card or Weapon Charm, and completing all six in a set (Warzone or Vanguard) grants the “Bomber Menace” Epic Assault Rifle Blueprint, which slots alongside the “Bonerattler” and “Warning Track” in that weapon’s Blueprint family.

Because some of these rewards are tied to Vanguard weaponry — specifically the Weapon Charms, Stickers, and the Weapon Blueprint reward — they will not be available in Warzone until after the integration in Season One but can still be used in Vanguard Multiplayer or Zombies.

More Season One Intel Inbound This Week

Caldera and Warzone Pacific are just the beginning for all the free content to be offered in Season One of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone.

Head back here soon and expect to learn about the two free functional weapons, new Operator, Zombies content, Multiplayer modes, and two maps all coming on December 8. That includes a Pacific-inspired take on a fan-favorite classic Call of Duty map…

Later in the season, expect the two other Operators of S.O.T.F. 006, an additional core Multiplayer map and a returning small-team tactical mode, more information on what’s coming soon in Zombies, another free weapon unlocked via Challenges, and a festive celebration across both games… all of which, and much more, are locked and loaded to carry us through the holiday season and into the new year.

Check back in with the Call of Duty blog to get all the intel.

Until then… rise on every front.