“This is an airborne to ground assault of the Konni-occupied Zaya Observatory.”

 — Commander Phillip Graves, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II

Welcome to Shadow Siege.

Shadow Company, in alignment with Urzikstan Liberation Force and its leaders Farah Karim and Alex Keller, has actionable intel on a dangerous arsenal hidden underneath Al Mazrah’s Zaya Observatory.

All Operators should complete this special operation – which is where they can watch the Worldwide Reveal Trailer for Modern Warfare III – as soon as possible on its starting date of August 17, and continue accessing this operation before its planned end time on August 21 at 10:30 A.M. PT.

Here are the principles of the Shadow Siege event, along with the rewards for completing it.

Ensure you have the latest version of Call of Duty: Warzone™ before proceeding:

Recap of Everything Leading to Rogue Arsenal

Those who completed the Atomgrad RAID series as well as DMZ, let alone the Campaign, already know everything leading up to Rogue Arsenal. For those that don’t mind spoilers, this is what you need to know:

Following the Campaign, Task Force 141 track down Hadir, Farah’s brother and Al Qatala commander, underneath Urzikstan in a Soviet bunker. Hadir warns Task Force 141 of Konni in his dying breaths, as nearly everyone returns to HQ while Alex regroups with Farah.

As we see in the Season 05 opening cinematic, Farah and Alex are working with Shadow Company and its CEO, Graves. Yes, he’s alive, and the narrative about his whereabouts were so well covered by his cyber commander Oz, that Operators like Alex questioned whether he “perished” Las Almas or somewhere else in Central or South America.

Meanwhile in DMZ, an unidentified military force funded by local philanthropist Milena Romonova invades Vondel. As Laswell partners with Phalanx and Black Mous PMC Groups to discover this military force’s true identity, the Crown Faction ramped up recruitment efforts and offered lucrative payouts for Operators that secured nuclear fuel rods.

As it turned out, the unidentified military group and the Crown were one in the same: They were both Konni.

All of that, including the false flag operation in Vondel that saw its Train Station and Police Station attacked, allowed Konni to move into Al Mazrah.

In DMZ, Shadow Company agents are fighting side-by-side with Operators (unless there is friendly fire) against Konni.

During the past few weeks, DMZ Operators also uncovered key Notes in the Koschei Complex linking Kochei and other threats together as one ultranationalist threat…

And that is not even mentioning Valeria breaking out of her Las Almas prison, invading Al Mazrah Port, and expanding their smuggling operations.

That all leads up to today: the start of Shadow Siege with Operation: Rogue Arsenal.

Operation: Rogue Arsenal Mission Details

At the beginning of the Shadow Siege event, up to 32 Operators will receive a briefing from Commander Phillip Graves. Listen up; Graves only has time to detail key intel and mission objectives once, and this information is critical to the mission’s success.

It’s your loss if you decide to tune out the Shadow Company CEO.

NOTE: Due to the severity of this mission, we recommended squading up in Quads. Be sure to bring three allies to the fight with you or use Squad Fill to complete your Quad.

For those requiring step-by-step clarity, Shadow Siege is as follows:

First, everyone is on the same team for this Operation; all Operators will battle against Konni Group AI Combatants. Shadow Company provides a Durable Gas Mask and a Self-Revive Kit to go alongside your Custom Loadout.

Furthermore, respawns are enabled. However, if you go down, it’s best to get revived by a squadmate, as that’s a faster way to get back into the fight rather than having to parachute back in.

Phase I: Secure One of Eight Missile Launchers

After dropping out of the infiltration plane, Operators must secure one of eight missile launchers around Al Mazrah with their squad. These launchers can be located on your in-game Tac Map and via missile icons in the overworld.

Once all missile launchers are secured, the Zaya Observatory is bombarded with missiles, changing Al Mazrah forever.

This is also when Phase II of the Operation begins.

Phase II: Collect Gas Canisters

After the target — an underground weapons facility for manufacturing chemical weaponry — is revealed underneath the Zaya Observatory, all Operators must collect 45 gas canisters combined across all squads.

The second you collect a gas canister, your perspective will shift from first to third person until the canister is deposited at a helicopter transport vehicle outside the facility. Once you have a canister, the helicopter transport is clearly marked on your Tac Map, as well as within the overworld, with an icon of said vehicle.

Because the arsenal contains chemical weapons, every Operator has a Durable Gas Mask for safety. The Tac Map shows the area (in yellow) where there is too much chemical radiation for an Operator to handle without a Gas Mask, just like a Circle Collapse in other modes.

Be prepared to frequently replace Gas Masks while inside the facility; open Supply Boxes, grab them off dead enemy agents, or look to the exfil chopper to find more Gas Masks — this is vital to your Operator’s health.

Expect some hard-hitting enemies to be stationed in, around, and above the Observatory complex as you battle your way to the chemical weapons arsenal and attempt to extract those gas canisters.

Along the way, Operators may face Commanders in the air (attack helicopters) as well as on the ground (Wheelsons and Juggernauts). These are highly dangerous enemies compared to the regular Konni Group, but it’s vital to engage them if you’re intent on earning the new M13C Base Weapon reward.

While moving through the underground facility, Konni agents may drop their Burner Phones. Keep your head on a swivel to intercept enemy communications… And maybe figure out why they are here defending this lab underneath Al Mazrah.

Phase III: Exfil

The second that 45th canister is collected, all Operators must find the exfil location (the icon is the same as the Exfil Chopper icon in DMZ) to leave Al Mazrah immediately. At this time, the gas (a green circle on the Tac Map) will explode outwards from the facility.

It is possible to get left behind if you don’t reach the Exfil Chopper before it leaves — keep that in mind when trying to complete all reward objectives for Shadow Siege.

Whether you reach the Exfil Chopper or not, the ultimate threat is revealed… In participating with Shadow Siege, you become the first to learn Konni’s true agenda, as well as see the Worldwide Reveal Trailer for Modern Warfare III.

Note – Operation: Rogue Arsenal is replayable until its planned removal from the Call of Duty: Warzone playlist rotation on August 21 at 10:30 A.M. PT.

Operation: Rogue Arsenal Rewards

All Operators will receive the following rewards for completing specific challenges within the Shadow Siege event:

“Serpent Slayer" Vehicle Skin - Secure a Missile Launcher

"Konni Group" Emblem - Blow up the Observatory

"Crimson Sound" Calling Card - Exfil with a mission success

"Gas Canister" Charm - Deliver multiple Gas Canisters as a Squad in a single deployment

1 Battle Token Tier Skip - Intercept 5 radio transmissions

"M13C" Assault Rifle (New Weapon)*** - Assist in killing 5 Commanders – NOTE: Juggernauts, Boss Choppers, and Wheelsons all count towards this challenge

All these rewards are immediately available in Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare II.

In addition, all these rewards will carry forward to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

Learn more the Operators, weapons, and cosmetic items that carry forward from Modern Warfare II to Modern Warfare III, by reading this blog.

***The M13C Assault Rifle also has a Weapon Blueprint included as part of pre-ordering Modern Warfare III. More details here.

Operation: Rogue Arsenal Final Tips

The Shadow Siege event is something for you to experience for yourself, especially with all the rewards you can earn.

With that in mind, here are some tips for playing this experience and earning all rewards:

1. Move as one. A squad that sticks together — including when eliminating enemies and taking on objectives — wins together. Everyone in a four-person squad will receive rewards if at least one squad member completes objectives and if all squad members complete the match. Move as one unit throughout Shadow Siege to accomplish the mission and earn all its rewards.

2. Remember the reward objectives. If it means putting this blog post on a second screen (e.g., a spare monitor or a phone) or writing down the reward objectives, do so. Along with looking at the in-game objectives that appear under the minimap, remember all six of the objectives tied to rewards. Even if you played this Operation once, keep replaying it to unlock all six rewards; there might not be many opportunities in the future to earn them again (outside of the M13C).

3. The first mile to success. Vehicles are paramount to a quick and successful run of Operation: Rogue Arsenal. It’s quicker to reach the missile silos or Observatory via vehicle – the MRAP and Helicopter, for example — compared to on foot. It’s also possible to drive the Dirt Bikes and ATVs through the bunkers as well.

4. Commanders are no pushovers. If you play DMZ, you know the tactical prowess it takes to neutralize a Commander head-on. Be creative and ensure you have the right tools for the job — weapons, equipment, and other items — to dispatch these deadly foes.

5. Reap the rewards. All rewards carry over into Modern Warfare III (including what you get in the Battle Token Tier Skip, which will be applied to the Season 05 Battle Pass). Start leveling up that M13C — we recommend it for stealth missions and pairing it with stealth-based Perks and other Loadout Items — and get it maxed out (or even Gold, Platinum, Polyatomic or Orion) before bringing it into a new fight starting on November 10.

Now… eliminate that threat, Shadows!

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