Call of Duty: Warzone and Vanguard are merging together. We have all the info on the launch time, download and roadmap of Season 1.
On to the Pacific: CoD Warzone will kick off its third Season 1 on 8 December. This time the Battle Royale merges with Call of Duty: Vanguard and brings big changes with it. In addition to the new map Caldera, you can expect a whole range of new weapons, vehicles, revised graphics and the anti-cheat Richochet.
In the meantime, the official roadmap for the season has been published, which offers an overview of all the important innovations. The developers have a lot planned for the launch of CoD Warzone Pacific:
To make sure you don’t lose the overview, we have summarised all the information about the release, download, content and gameplay adjustments.
Content List
- Start: When will Season 1 be released?
- Download: How big is Season 1?
- Caldera: When is the new map coming?
- Weapons: What’s new in the game?
- Vanguard Royale: New playlist mode
- Loadouts and Perks: What’s changing?
- Gulag: What’s new?
- Anti-Cheat: When is Ricochet coming?
- What other changes are there?
- Multiplayer: What’s new in CoD Vanguard?
- Battle Pass: What you should know
- What to do before the season starts
You can also get an impression of Season 1 and the Pacific map with the launch trailer:
Table of Contents
All info on Season 1 of CoD Warzone: Pacific
Release: When does Season 1 start?
The launch of Season 1 in Vanguard will take place on December 8, 2021 at 6am German time. The update for CoD Warzone should be available no later than 6pm German time on 8 December.
Preload: When exactly you can download the update is not yet known, we will update this article as soon as new information is available.
Serverdowntimes: At the start of Season 1 the servers of CoD Warzone will be taken offline for 12 hours to roll out the new update. You will not be able to join the battlefield during the following time period:
- Server shutdown start: On 8 December at 6 a.m. German time.
- Serverdown end: On 8 December at 6 pm German time.
Download: How big is the Season 1 Update?
There is no information about the size at the moment. However, we expect the update to be somewhat larger due to the numerous new contents – after all, there is a completely new map and numerous contents from Call of Duty: Vanguard will be included.
New Pacific map: When is Caldera coming?
The most important change is probably the new map Caldera, which is a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and completely replaces Verdansk. We have collected all the information on the new map for you here:
Caldera will be released directly on 8 December with the Pacific update for Call of Duty: Warzone – but will not be playable for everyone right from the start. Instead, only Call of Duty: Vanguard owners will be able to try out the new map on the release day.
Players without Call of Duty: Vanguard, on the other hand, will only be able to play the new map on 9 December. Before then, only Rebirth Island will be available to them in two special playlists (Resurgences and Mini Royale). After 24 hours, the small Battle Royale map will disappear and will only be added again in the course of the season.
Weapons: What’s new to the game?
With the merging with Call of Duty: Vanguard comes, of course, once again a huge load of new weapons into the game. More specifically, the breakdown looks like this:
- 38 weapons from Call of Duty: Vanguard
- 5 more weapons, 3 of which are from Season 1’s Battle Pass
Remember that Vanguard and Warzone share a Battle Pass, so you can always unlock the weapons for both games.
Vanguard Royale: New Playlist Mode
With the introduction of Caldera, Call of Duty: Warzone also offers the special Vanguard Royale mode in addition to the classic Battle Royale. The following innovations await you there:
- Focus on Vanguard: Weapons, loadouts and operators are only available from the Vanguard era – all other content is excluded here.
- Exclusive Vehicles: In Vanguard Royale, you’ll find fighter planes, anti-aircraft guns, anti-aircraft trucks, and other vehicles exclusive to this mode.
- Other changes: Adjustments to deadly zone radii and times, and additional in-game events for each zone change. There will also be more exclusive items and contract rewards on the map.
Loadouts and Perks: What’s changing?
The developers are also intervening again in the matter of balance with Season 1. So far, however, there are no details about the individual changes, just this much:
- Dead Silence will be weakened
- Stopping Power Rounds will be completely removed from the game
- Stun Grenades and Heartbeat Sensor will also be toned down
- Melee weapons are to become stronger, especially the ambidextrous weapons Kali Stick and Sai
- Loadout drop markers can only be purchased from buy stations after the loadout drop event has started
- More damage for lethal equipment, including an increased radius of effect for the Snapshot Grenade
- the Stim Shot now gives an additional slight movement boost
- the Decoy Grenade now contains rubber bullets that deal just enough damage to disrupt enemies
Gulag: What’s New
The Gulag famously gives you the ability to return to battle one more time after dying in Call of Duty: Warzone. With the Pacific update, there is now a big change here:
The player who wins the duel in the Gulag will additionally receive the equipment that was granted to him in the Gulag when he returns to the battlefield. This also applies to the remaining ammunition and equipment – so efficiency pays off in the future.
Anti-Cheat: When is Ricochet coming?
For PC gamers, the introduction of Ricochet, the new anti-cheat system of Call of Duty: Warzone, is particularly important. The new kernel driver will become mandatory with the first day of the update. How exactly Ricochet is supposed to prevent cheats, we have summarised for you here:
For Call of Duty: Vanguard, Ricochet will only become active with a later update. Activision has not yet announced exactly when this will happen.
What other changes are there?
In addition to the big changes, the Pacific Update for Call of Duty: Warzone brings a few more that should definitely not go down. We summarise:
- Gas Canister: On Caldera, you will now find pick-upable canisters that emit a gas similar to the deadly zone when they explode. However, you need both hands to carry the canister and enemies can explode the barrel in your hand
- Shallow Water: On Caldera, there are shallow waters that you can easily walk through. Footprints become harder to see, even for enemies with the Tracker perk. In addition, you will temporarily gain the effect of the Cold-Blooded perk if you crawl in the water. However, you cannot lie down. Furthermore, fire effects in the water cause smoke, which can be used as a tactical measure.
- New Contracts: Supply Drop drops a crate of valuable equipment over the map for everyone to see – but only the team with the order gets the exact location. Big Game Bounty, on the other hand, makes the operator with the most kills the target, while the Top Secret Contract only reveals its task after it has been picked up.
- New Public Events: Restocks and Resurgences are carried over from Rebirth Island for Caldera, as well as Cash Drops from the Operation: Flashback event. In addition, certain weapon crates will be dropped, including Blueprints from Verdansk.
Multiplayer: What’s new in CoD Vanguard?
New maps for Vanguard: For the launch of Season 1, two new multiplayer maps are coming directly to Vanguard, one of which you may already know from earlier: Radar is an updated version of the Dome map from Modern Warfare 3. Paradise is new, here you can expect a weapons test facility with poisonous puddles.
Mode returns: Patrol will return to Vanguard shortly after the season launch. In this mode, you protect a zone that wanders across the map – or conversely have to conquer it from the defenders.
Battle Pass: What You Need to Know
Of course, Season 1 of the Pacific Update for Call of Duty: Warzone again offers a free and a premium Battle Pass. Through experience points that you collect in matches, you will rise in rank and unlock new rewards.
Three new weapons from Season 1 are in the free version, while most of the cosmetic content is only available in the paid version. What’s new this time is that you can even unlock two perks and a grenade for Vanguard multiplayer in the Battle Pass:
- Serpentine: When you sprint, you take less damage. Unlocked at level 21.
- Intuition: Your vision pulses when enemies are nearby – even if they are hiding behind walls. Unlocked at level 44.
- Special Incendiary Grenade: Envelops the hit area in white mist and deals fire damage to enemies. Unlocked at level 39.
The pass will again cost 1,000 CoD points (equivalent to about 10 euros). Alternatively, there is a package for 2,400 points (about 20 euros), in which the first 20 ranks are unlocked directly.
What is there to do before the start of the season?
Until the release of Season 1 of Call of Duty: Warzone, you can go on a farewell tour in Verdansk:
CoD Warzone: The end of Verdansk – all info on the farewell events
Now it’s up to you: What do you think about the new Season 1 of Call of Duty: Warzone? Will you be jumping back in or does what’s been shown leave you cold so far? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
