Top 20 drop spots and tips for Warzone Pacific’s Caldera

Today, we rise on a new front.

Warzone Pacific is live with dozens of new weapons, numerous balance updates, the beginning of the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat™ kernel driver rollout on PC, and an island full of new content as part of Season One of Call of Duty: Vanguard, including the new Warzone Pacific map: Caldera.

Those who pick up Call of Duty: Vanguard and play one Multiplayer match before December 8 can drop onto Caldera during Warzone Pacific’s 24-hour exclusive access period.

Whether you decide to drop in today or at any point during Season One of Warzone Pacific and Vanguard, here are some of our favorite landing spots across Caldera:

1. Airfield — The Main Runway

Especially in Vanguard Royale, the Airfield’s Runway in Caldera’s southwest region could become a high-risk, high-reward drop spot in any match.

This area, including right at the main hangar, normally has more planes than anywhere else on Caldera for dogfighting, making it a must-drop spot for those looking to pilot these vehicles. If all of them get taken before those feet hit the ground, quickly pivot to the barracks, hangars, and auxiliary buildings, which can be great places to stock up on items.

Even outside of Vanguard-focused playlists, those structures can be a great starting point for building a Loadout. Just avoid the wide-open tarmac and stick to its perimeter as you sweep the area for enemy teams before moving on to another region.

Also, don’t expect to stay in the air traffic control tower all game, because there is more than one way for someone to come up and bring you back down to earth.

2. Airfield and Power Plant — Military Camp

When enemy squads drop in droves for the Airfield’s planes during a Vanguard Royale, a great counter-play spot is a military camp well east of the Power Plant and south of the Airfield.

Not only are there tents and other structures for building up that Loadout, but there is also an Anti-Air Gun that, with a great Operator behind it, can tear through an enemy formation with ease. Just be prepared to intercept that pilot looking for revenge if their plane gets shot down, and reap their rewards of them surviving the Airfield scramble.

Outside of Vanguard Royale, this camp can be a solid starting drop point given its proximity to presumably busier areas. Start scavenging for Loadout items here; then rotate around for a contract or two before building up enough firepower to tackle threats holing up in the Airfield tower or the bustling Downtown Capital area.

3. Capital — Downtown

When Caldera’s regions were first revealed, some community members pointed to the map’s Capital as the “new Superstore,” and we don’t blame them: it’s an interior dense space with plenty of opportunities to stock up on weapons, ammo, and Cash.

Those looking to drop here will want to use plenty of close-quarters tactics, using micro-movements to duck behind cover and focus on picking up Shotguns and SMGs to safely move between buildings. Its City Hall and Library will immediately stand out, but look south of here to find a ton of service buildings — a Bank, Hospital, Police Station, Post Office, and more — which can contain contracts or other Loadout items to be picked up right off the drop.

While Downtown has several multistory buildings, such as the Hall and Library, that you can use for a lookout position, none have the towering presence that can lead a lone rifle user to dominate the area. Still, they can be great spots for picking off rotating teams or taking a few moments to gain intel on the surrounding area before the next collapse rolls in.

4. Capital — The Marina and Beachside

Scenario: the circle collapse includes the Capital, and as your squad exits the plane, nearly a dozen other ones make a dive toward the Capital’s busy Downtown section.

If this happens, your squad can pivot to the Docks and the Capital’s south street. From the Royal Theater and restaurants to the houses leading to the civilian radio station within the Power Plant region, there is no shortage of initial landing spots for grabbing those first weapons and potentially a contract or two.

During a match’s later stages, the Capital could be a hotbed for high-stakes combat. Those looking to avoid it — or reposition for a better angle — may want to head for the Docks and consider taking a risky trip along the rocks leading to the Resort’s beach. These natural features offer more cover against those on the street level and a way around the Downtown area, but you risk coming up against an aggressive team from lower ground.

5. Resort — The Cabanas

Another landmark on Caldera’s southern tip is the luxurious Royal Cabana Resort, known for its well-stocked rooms and its looming clock tower.

If squads are rushing to check in right after the drop, or if one decides to take up residence on the higher floors and clock tower, heading straight toward the hotel may not be the most effective tactic. Instead, look to the three sets of Cabanas near the Resort — two to the south, one to the north — to potentially find some Loadout items.

Alternatively, these Cabanas could be great cover for initially engaging against those from the Resort, or they can offer safe exits away from it toward the Capital and other eastern points of interest. Most likely, the circle collapse may eventually force those hogging the resort to leave for safer ground, and when that happens, having a position at the roundabout near it or in the Capital could lead to a successful engagement.

6. The Fields — Southern Runway and Capital Overlook

Given its sheer scale and focus on natural high ground over buildings, the Fields will feel like unfamiliar territory to veteran Warzone players at first.

Although dropping in right at its center and working through all the Field homes could have its advantages — namely, a ton of opportunities for scavenging items and collecting contracts — there are two points of interest we found as great starting points.

The first is another counter-play spot against those dropping in on the Capital: the buildings sitting atop the cliffs overlooking its Downtown.

In Vanguard Royale, this area can be an even bigger boon off the drop due to a small Runway that usually has a plane ready to take to the skies, along with an Anti-Air Gun for flanking those flying straight from the Airfield to the Capital.

7. The Fields — North Farmhouse

Another solid drop point — or at least a place to rotate to — is a farmhouse located near the Field’s northern border. It almost acts as a checkpoint on the road up to Caldera’s Peak and sits on mountainous terrain overlooking the Fields.

In addition to searching through the farmhouse for supplies, squads may want to scout down toward the main Fields with a long-range weapon. Even if the circle collapse will not engulf the island’s southern tip, the Fields’ massive size can make it easy for a squad to get lost or broken up, making it even easier to pick them apart from this high ground.

From here, a squad can continue the trek up to the Peak or follow the ridges around the Fields to the Mines or the large lake just outside a small village near the Shark Pen Submarine Base, keeping an eye out for squads out of position in the Fields below.

8. Phosphate Mines

In addition to building density, another factor when considering a drop spot is the ability to move to other areas of the map, or rotate over to where other squads could be dropping.

That makes the Phosphate Mines, one of the most central areas of Caldera, a solid choice for a landing spot.

Those who liked the Karst River Salt Mines (or the Quarry, in its later years) back in Verdansk will feel at home here, especially when scavenging through the main processing building at its center.

Unlike Verdansk’s mine, the Phosphate Mines in Caldera has a high likelihood of falling within the first safe area given its location. And even if it falls outside of it, it grants plenty of maneuverability to other zones — namely the Arsenal, Docks, Village, Ruins, Peak, Airfield, and Fields — where the safe area will land.

9. Peak’s Crater and Other Natural Spaces

Despite the Phosphate Mines’ depth, Caldera’s peak literally overshadows it as an anticipated hot drop spot.

The Peak’s Crater contains three small buildings and plenty of other spots for finding Loadout items or contracts, but the real reward is diving straight into the caldera itself. Its intricate tunnel system can contain Supply Boxes, loose Loadout items, and contracts ready to be picked up, making it a great place for aggressive squads who love CQB to stock up and fight plenty of enemies at the start of a match.

Then there is the potential reward for surviving Peak traffic: the ability to rotate to anywhere on the island from its highest elevation point. For an aggressive squad, parachuting down off the dormant volcano should not be an issue — it’s an extremely fast way to get around the map as you tactically pull and cut the ’chute. So long as you are ready to course correct if a squad starts taking potshots, jumping off the Peak after picking it clean could be the start to a potentially high kill record win.

10. Peak Gondola Station

Whether the squad wants to pivot out of jumping into the Crater or wants to travel up the Peak from Caldera’s northern sections, the Gondola Stations are solid choices for grabbing Loadout items off the jump or for repositioning.

At the beginning of a Battle Royale, the Gondola Station on the Peak can have enough Supply Boxes, Loadout items, and contract spots to start a match strong. It also has great views out to the Runway and Beachhead areas should you pick up an early Sniper Rifle. There are even some routes from here into the caverns, where those who went straight through the Crater can be caught off guard.

If the action is too hot for the squad to handle, they can easily jump out of the station and toward the Runway and Beachhead spots, or head to the other Gondola Station right near a massive Impact Crater.

This Gondola Station down off the Peak’s base is where you may want to rotate toward during a match, as it offers a well-covered, albeit incredibly obvious, way up and down the Peak in addition to potentially holding some leftover Loadout items or a contract.

11. Runway

While not as massive as the Airfield, the Runway does have a fair amount of planes during a Vanguard Royale, and otherwise acts as a less aggressive drop point for squads who want to play at a slower pace.

Outside of grabbing a plane if one is available, the main Runway hangar can contain a Supply Box (or two) along with some Loadout items to get the match started.

From here, take a quick trek up to a Coastal Jungle Village for more items, or sneak up on the command center more inland by either going uphill or taking an exterior ascender up a cliff. Either way, these are viable stepping-stones to rotating around to the Beachhead or Docks areas of Caldera, which may draw more attention off the drop from squads looking to take over the island’s northern section.

Toward the end of a match, should the circle collapse make the Runway a safe area, it may be worth traveling back past the Runway and over to a sea cliff that juts out of the island’s east beaches. From here, a long-ranged optic can make it easy to pick off inland squads or it can be a powerful spot against those rotating over from the Beachhead.

12. Beachhead — The Trenches

If squads are gearing up to take over the Runway, direct your squad right toward the Trenches located on Caldera’s western beach.

In Vanguard Royale, this is where several Anti-Air Guns can be used to decimate an entire squadron in the skies right off the tarmac, or intercept bogies from any aerial logjams from the south.

No matter the game mode, the Trenches can hold plenty of items right off the drop and route out to several points of interest, including the Barracks just before the Runway and Peak or a busy village just north of the Shark Pen Submarine Base. As a match progresses, this area can also be used to force engagements into close-quarters territory, so long as you have the proper gun — a Shotgun or SMG — to back it up.

13. Docks — Forward Operating Base

It is possible for too many forces to storm the Beachhead at the beginning of a Vanguard Royale.

If that is the case, a solid drop spot is the Forward Operating Base on the Docks, which contains an Anti-Air Gun primed to take down bogies from the nearby Runway.

Positioned in between the main Docks area and the Arsenal, this base contains just enough spots to get a starting Loadout before heading for that first contract or to engage another squad. It becomes an even better point of interest if the Peak winds up being a hot drop, as a lookout tower provides a great sightline over to that mountain’s northern face.

During most matches, the base can also be used to rotate over to the Phosphate Mines, specifically its Refinery, which can be explored in full before taking to the hills and scouting out the main mines. Alternatively, head past the ponds to the Gondola Station for a quick way up the Peak or as a place of respite before tackling squads on the Runway or Beachhead.

14. Docks — Ocean Freight Company Shipment Yard

Those who spent plenty of hours — or even days — diving into Vanguard Multiplayer to level up their weapons may want to head for the Docks immediately.

Just off the two main Ocean Freight Company Ships tied down at the Docks is the company’s Shipment Yard, which, as a Vanguard player could infer, borrows the layout from the legendary Multiplayer map Shipment.

Besides knowing this area before you even set foot on Caldera, which obviously provides a tactical advantage, the Shipment Yard can contain a loose contract or some items to start building up that Loadout. In addition, it’s positioned near some potential Buy Station and contract locations, making it a solid place to lure an enemy team into.

15. Arsenal — The East Yard Warehouses

Whether you are rotating from the Docks or having to choose where to drop from a plane route flying over Caldera’s northeast section, the Arsenal can be a solid region due to its variety of points of interests.

With the area containing a set of Anti-Air Guns near the beach, some single-story barracks, and a sizable administration complex more inland, a squad can easily move around and be in the fight no matter their Loadout, so long as the safe area stretches north for the first few collapses.

However, one set of buildings that may go overlooked are the Warehouses alongside the dry docks. Their sheer size make them quality locations for Loadout items and Supply Boxes, and their verticality can give your squad a height advantage in an area just above sea level.

Once the action dies down, it may be worth dropping to sea level via the dry docks to pick up a contract spawn or an untouched Supply Box, as they would otherwise be in a disadvantageous position for any firefights that would break out within the Arsenal.

16. Shark Pen Submarine Base — Military Barracks, Hangars, and More

The Shark Pen Submarine Base is the largest building on the map, and although it is right on the water’s edge, the amount of items it can contain, combined with the amount of interior space, its overall height, and an anti-air gun on its roof, can make it a solid drop spot for squads.

It may remind former Verdansk residents of places such as the Hospital, and those comparisons may be clearer when you look to the Barracks, Hangars, Garages, and Offices right outside the pen.

If there are squads in the Submarine Pen, it may be worth going through these smaller buildings on the perimeter to pick through any unopened Supply Boxes. From there, your squad may have enough firepower to sweep that massive Pen clean, or rotate out to a nearby Buy Station over at the Beachhead or Resort.

17. Lagoon — The Lighthouse

A not-so-hidden gem on Caldera’s western shores, the Lagoon Lighthouse has sightlines that stretch out across the island’s southern regions.

Those who prefer long-range weaponry may want to trek through the Lagoon up to this tall structure, making sure to stay within the water to keep anyone with Tracker off their trail. Then, so long as the circle collapse remains at a reasonable distance, this Lighthouse can either be used to scout ahead for the next rotation or as a place to pick off enemy squads.

Once your position is compromised, the Lagoon has plenty of underground spaces to explore and stock up on additional items. At worst, there may be some ammo and Cash for a Buy Station, but at best, there could be a weapon more suited for close combat to get you out of sniping around the corridors.

18. Village — River Village

It may not boast any multistory buildings or fancy signs, and it may not be on high ground, but the sheer building density of the River Village makes this eastern point of interest a potentially great drop spot.

A squad can easily explore every house in the village within a minute, swapping out their starting pistol and melee tools for something better at range. There could even be a contract or a vehicle that spawns here, but in any case, a squad can easily move south toward the Lagoon to pick through more abodes, or hook north around the hilltop to the Ruins and head to points north.

Depending on the infiltration flight pattern and first safe area, the Village can easily go overlooked and have its supplies relatively untouched. Keep an eye out on other squads, and you may just have an entire region to build a Loadout and gain momentum from while everyone else scrambles at the Peak and Capital.

19. Ruins — The Ridgetop

An area that may be better to visit after exploring some actual Ruins, the shipwreck and the beaches around it, and the Hot Springs to the south, the Ridgetop at the Ruins has prime positioning over the Mines.

Those looking for a slower, yet still strong, start may want to travel here right after building a starting Loadout within the Ruins and Village, taking whatever long-range weaponry from the Supply Boxes to flank those trying to survive the Mines.

The Ridgetop may also have some intrigue for those wanting to explore Caldera rather than just claiming victory…but who knows if the initial intel from Trident gives any real clues on this island’s secrets?

20. The New Gulag…How to Drop Back in After Being Dropped

Finally, we turn our attention to a spot where most players will find themselves dropping into during a Battle Royale: the new Gulag.

Located deep within Caldera’s mines, this makeshift prison has a three-lane arena where combatants must duel with a randomly selected Loadout. This battle can be more important than in previous seasons, as Gulag winners will reenter Battle Royale with the very Loadout they were given to survive their duel.

From your starting position, you can either run around the small shack at the middle or take to the side routes, one of which involves a stalled mine cart on tracks. That central shack, which is where the Overtime flag spawns into, can easily make or break a duel, as multiple entryways via open doors and windows allow for quick-thinking plays in and out of lanes.

That shack also lacks a completely closed off roof, making it possible to bank equipment pieces into one of its entryways or skyhook it in from the top for a last-second kill or as a solid engagement starter.

No matter where you drop, remember that the Warzone Pacific is won by a squad (except in Solos, of course). Communicate often and work together as one squad, and you’ll be extracted out of Caldera in style.

Rise on every front.