What’s that, you say? You want to know how to play Warzone 2? You want a one-stop shop for everything you could possibly need to know about playing Call of Duty’s stupidly popular battle royale? A Warzone 2 gamer’s HQ.  An ultimate guide, if you will.

We thought that’s what you said!

Well, ask and you shall receive, dear reader…

Beginner’s crash course in COD’s Warzone 2.0

Here’s the topics you’ll find in this section:

• Gameplay
• Landing zones
• Movement
• Equipping yourself and looting
• Supply drops
• Weapons
• Gunsmith
• Equipment
• Perks
• The Gulag
• Police stations
• Strongholds/Black Sites
• Battle Pass
   

Warzone 2 gameplay

Like other battle royales, playing Warzone 2 means being parachuted into an enormous map area with nothing but a pistol, in a last-man-standing contest of champions. Up to 150 players enter, but only one squad can emerge victorious.

The moment you hit the ground, you’ll be on a mission to find weapons and items to help you survive where your opponents fail.

In true battle royale style, it’s not just all about having a steady aim and popping heads. Winning Warzone 2 also means staying in the Safe Zone – an area of the map that periodically shrinks. Get caught outside that Safe Zone at any point and you’re dead.

Warzone 2 gives players a new twist on the Safe Zone for battle royale fans – multiple Zones. Stay sharp out there!
 

Landing zones

If you want to play like a pro, aim to land near any named location on the map. These points of interest are a hotbed for the best loot, which you’ll definitely need until you can kit yourself out with a custom loadout.
 

Careful though, these areas are likely to be instant firefights as players do battle for the best gear. Don’t engage in a skirmish you’re not ready for – unnamed areas with houses and smaller complexes can still get you the kit you need to win.

Jump back to the crash course menu.
 

Move it or lose it

On foot, there are four basic movements you’ll use in Warzone 2. Here’s how they break down…

On foot isn’t the only way to get around when playing Warzone 2 though. You’ll find vehicles dotted across the map that you can refuel with canisters and use to traverse the map.
 

These are the vehicles available for players in Warzone 2…
 

Equip yourself

The moment you land, you’ll want to focus on securing better gear, and that generally means looting.

Keep your eyes peeled for loose items, supply boxes, and loot caches to fill your pockets with everything from guns to ammo, armor, killstreaks, and cash. You’ll store everything you loot in your backpack.

Warzone 2 also features a Buy Station, so if you’ve got the cash to burn and haven’t managed to loot what you need, you won’t have to stay up a certain creek without a certain paddle. Here, you can buy everything from guns to loadouts and killstreaks. Money moves mountains, as they say.

Be wary of Buy Stations though – they’re marked on every player’s map, so you run a risk in using one if you’re not careful.
 

You can also clear out any Stronghold to earn your custom loadout, just don’t underestimate those AI defenders!

Jump back to the crash course menu.

Supply drops

Save enough cash and you can activate a Loadout Drop, which calls in a supply chopper to drop in your chosen loadout. It’s by far the fastest way to kit yourself out with your favorite guns, but it paints a clear target on you for enemies to track the chopper or smoke.

Here’s what a Loadout Drop will cost, depending on your squad size:

If you’d rather maintain a tactical edge, you can wait for the free supply drops after the second Safe Zone circle collapses. A plane will chute in a string of free loadout drops, marked by yellow crates on the map, but these are always hotly contested spots, so be careful!

If neither of those options tickles your pickle, you can always buy your primary weapon loadout for $5,000. This won’t give you your chosen perks, but it will kit you out with your choice of main weapon.

Or, for beginners without access to custom loadouts yet, $2,500 will net you a default loadout with five attachments.

Weapons

A huge part of playing Warzone 2 like a winner comes down to the guns you use. Your loadout refers to both the combo of weapons, equipment, and perks you take into battle, as well as how you customize your guns.

These are the types of weapons available in Warzone 2:

The best guns in Warzone 2 at any given time are called the “gun meta”.  This meta changes regularly, as new patches and Seasons are released and weapons are either buffed or nerfed.

Jump back to the crash course menu.

Gunsmith

When you hit level 4, you unlock the Gunsmith tab, and can customize your weapons with up to five attachments. This is a crucial part of configuring a weapon loadout that suits your play style.

Most attachments can be fine-tuned beyond their basic effects, and will have some effect on any of the following weapon stats…

Play Warzone 2 with a weapon more and you’ll unlock its attachments faster.

Equipment

Warzone 2 gives players two types of equipment: lethal and tactical.

Lethal equipment is generally your explosives and damage-inflicting toys. Meanwhile, tactical equipment is everything designed to give you a tactical edge, from self-healing stims to flashes and smokes.

The lethals are:

• Frag Grenade
• Proximity Mine
• Thermite
• Semtex / Sticky Grenade
• Drill Charge
• C4
• Throwing Knife
• Molotov Cocktail
• Claymore

And the tacticals are:

• Spotter scope
• Flash grenade
• Stun grenade
• Smoke grenade
• Snapshot grenade
• Heartbeat sensor
• Stim
• Decoy grenade
• Gas grenade
• Shock stick

Jump back to the crash course menu.
 

Perks

Perks are a key part of your loadout, and will help you play Warzone 2 better and conquer the battle royale. Here’s a brief overview of the perks you can use to gain victory…

The Gulag

You’re playing Warzone 2, eyes on the prize, and then you die. But that’s not game over.

When you’re eliminated, you have a chance to revive… but only if you can win a 1 vs. 1 gunfight against another recently downed foe. This is the Gulag, where only the most deserving return to the field.

The only other way to play again if you fail in the Gulag is to be redeployed by your surviving squadmates at a Buy Station.

Jump back to the crash course menu.
 

Police stations

Always be on the lookout for police stations when you play Warzone 2. They’re usually in urban areas and cities, and will draw a lot of gunfights since they’re where the coveted Basilisk revolver spawns.

The Basilisk is an absolutely destructive revolver that’s like death incarnate when you’re up close and personal. When customized, it’s easily one of the most powerful handguns in the game.
 

Strongholds and Black Site keys

Complete a Stronghold and you’ll earn a Black Site Key, which gives you access to some seriously tide-turning loot – everything from Killstreaks to Miniguns and UAVs.

Those Strongholds and Black Sites are both packed with bots you’ll need to eliminate though, and you’ll need to be ready for a sudden and brutal boss fight, too. Be prepared.

Your first step in all this is grabbing a Stronghold key – 3 of these spawn in random locations across the map when the game starts. Only when you’ve got a key can you open a Stronghold and get to work on earning your rewards. Careful though, Strongholds appear on the map for all players, so be wary of campers and gunfights.

Pro tip: Hit a Stronghold with a full squad and strong weapons, as it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the assault of AI and other players.

After defusing the Stronghold’s bomb, make sure to grab the Black Site Key fast, so no enemies swoop in to swipe it from you! Then keep an eye on the map for where the Site spawns.
 

Battle Pass

Each season of Warzone 2 comes with a new Battle Pass. You’ll see these in the main menu, and can use them to gain access to new weapon blueprints, operator skins, and exclusive items.

There’s both a free track and a paid-for track available, but you’ll need to buy the Battle Pass to unlock the best content.

Jump back to the crash course menu.
 

Tips to play Warzone 2 better

If you’re tired of getting your a*$ handed to you every time you drop into Al Mazrah, this one’s for you. Here are our top tips for playing Warzone 2’s battle royale mode like an absolute boss…

Optimize your settings

It’s a pre-play step that goes a million miles towards improving your Warzone 2 experience. Everything from the right graphics to optimal audio settings will make a big difference, trust us!

Customize your loadouts

Once you hit level 4, you gain access to the Gunsmith menu and can customize your favorite weapons to better suit your play style.

You’ll then be able to buy these customized weapons from Buy Stations or from supply drops, which will give you your best fighting chance at emerging victorious in COD’s battle royale.

Location, location, location

Where you land is a crucial factor that can set you up for ultimate victory. Whip open your map as soon as the plane cutscene begins, and locate where the Safe Zone circle will start. Use that intel to get a feel for where others will likely land, and where you’ll be headed as that Safe Zone shrinks.

Aim to land somewhere that suits your playing style and will grant you access to some top-quality loot as fast as possible.

Drop it like it’s hot

In other words, don’t just parachute slowly and safely to the ground. The best Warzone 2 players will cut their chute, nosedive for a bit, then pop their chute again much closer to the ground.

This will get you into the action much faster than those who play timidly. Since you can redeploy your parachute as many times as you like, there’s no reason not to do this!

Don’t be a skintflint

There’s no sense in saving your cash when you play Warzone 2. The only reason not to use it at a Buy Station is if using said Buy Station would get you killed.

How you spend your cash is up to you, but just make sure you do spend it!

Pick up contracts

They’re a fantastic way to earn cash and loot, and you’d be mad to ignore them.

Here are the contracts you’ll have a chance to activate:

Look out for them on the map. If you don’t pick up contracts, you’re screwing yourself over and making it less fun to play Warzone 2 in general.

Bounty and Safecracker are absolute no-brainers that you should always do, and Secure Intel is a favorite among Warzone 2’s elite players.

Prioritize your loadout

Do whatever it takes to equip your preferred loadout as fast as you can. We can’t stress enough how crucial that is to absolutely dominating your enemies. And don’t just focus on a loadout of your preferred weapons, but the best perks for your playing style, too.

FYI, the most popular perks tend to be Overkill, Double Time, Fast Hands, and Ghost.

Just beware of those mid-game air drops – they work for all squads, and so come with an incredibly high risk.

Sharing is caring

Yes, you can play Warzone 2 solo, but it’s best experienced as a squad. So unless you are a solo act, play like a team.

Sharing your ammo, armor, and cash with your squad can be the difference between victory and annihilation.

Communication is key

Again, unless you’re flying solo, you’ll need to communicate clearly with your squad. The best ways to do this are using a mic for voice chat, and using Warzone’s ping system to flag critical locations for your team.

Take the high ground

It’s been Warfare 101 for millennia, it’s how Obi-Wan beat Anakin, and it should absolutely be a priority for you when playing Warzone 2. A solid vantage point gives you a better visual of your surroundings and a massive advantage over lower-down enemies.
 

Game modes

Shoot House in Warzone 2

There’s only one way you can play Shoot House, and that’s to buy Modern Warfare 2. Shoot House is part of MW2’s multiplayer, and sadly, that’s not available for anyone playing Warzone 2 exclusively.

Warzone 2’s Plunder mode

The famed Call of Duty Plunder mode is all about filling your pockets with as much loot as possible. How many kills you get is only important in the sense of giving you more bodies to loot.

When playing Plunder, focus on looting enemies and supply boxes above all else (except completing contracts, since they’ll also reward you richly).

Here are a few other tips to play Plunder like a pro…

• Customize a top-notch loadout, since that’s what you’ll be using in Plunder mode from the get-go.
• Respawns are enabled, but don’t gun for aggressive plays, just focus on bagging as much loot as possible.
• Land in hotspots that you can loot fast – places like Al Mazrah City and the Sattiq Cave Complex are always great for a big haul.
• Take on as many Safecracker contracts as you can to maximize your earnings.
• Fill your backpack with high-value plunder – gold bars, game consoles, and GPUs always sell for a premium rate.
• Deposit your cash regularly to avoid losing too much when you’re killed – the best place for this is Cash Deposit Balloons, which can store up to $300,000.

Never ever forget to focus on the cash, not the kills. You’re playing Plunder, remember, not battle royale. This game mode is not about godly killcounts, it’s about chunky bank accounts.

How to play Resurgence

Warzone’s Resurgence mode is a smaller version of the battle royale. In Resurgence, players do battle on Ashika Island, in a faster-paced, less punishing match, that’s much shorter than the main battle royale mode, and allows respawns.

Here’s all you need to know about playing Resurgence:

• Your squad will always respawn if one or more teammates are alive (until the final leg of the match, when respawns are disabled).
• When you die, you’ll enter a timed spectator mode until you revive.
• Aggressive playing suits Resurgence well – use your equipment and plan ahead for multiple respawns.
• Your squad can complete contracts and score events to reduce your respawn timer.
• When your teammates die, you’ll be briefly revealed to other enemies.
• It’s best to grab every gun you find – they’ll have attachments that are well worth your time.

Ashika Island’s Resurgence is Warzone 2’s replacement for Rebirth Island from COD’s first Warzone instalment, so if you’re hoping to play Rebirth Island again, this is as close as it gets!

How to play Warzone 2.0 DMZ

DMZ is a gameplay mode in Warzone 2, where you mostly fight AI bots on a mission to bag loot and clear objectives. DMZ is less about being the last man standing, and more about ticking off those goals and getting out with your loot. It’s a fantastic way to unlock weapons, fast.

Some DMZ objectives are challenges that will unlock big prizes, like the M13B and the Chimera assault rifles.

Unlike the main battle royale, you play DMZ for as long as you want. When you’ve scavenged as much loot and scooped up as many rewards as you want, you can leave… you just need to find an extraction zone.
 

Pro tip: complete hostage rescue missions to unlock extra extraction choppers, so you don’t have to risk being picked off at those extraction zones by nearby campers looking to swipe your gear.

Players need to be ultra wary here – die in DMZ and you don’t just lose all your loot, but everything you went in with, too. Unless, that is, you insure your weapons by customizing them in the Gunsmith menu, then you’ll only temporarily lose access to those weapons.
 

Quick-fire FAQs

How do you play Warzone 2 without Modern Warfare 2?

Downloading Warzone 2 without MW2 used to be tricky, but these days, Infinity Ward has made it pretty straightforward.

To play Warzone 2 without buying MW2, just find the Warzone 2 title on Steam, Battle.net, or your console’s game store.

If you find yourself somehow caught in what feels like a push to buy Modern Warfare 2, remember that you can always say no and still download, install, and play Warzone 2. You do not need MW2 to do that, but you do need to buy MW2 if you want to access everything in Warzone 2.

How do you play Warzone 2 solo?

Ready to go full Rambo when you next play Warzone 2? Between the rapid TTK of this battle royale, the treasure trove of weapons, the 149 other players and the constant presence of AI enemies too, you’ve got your work cut out.

Going it without a squad is the closest to a single-player or 1 vs 1 vibe you’re going to get when playing Warzone 2, and it’s not going to be easy, but here are a few tips…

• Stay hyper-alert to the sounds around you – headset volume turned up is a must!
• Crank up your FOV settings to increase your peripheral vision.
• Kit yourself out with the best gear you can, pronto.
• Never surrender the high ground.
• Pick your moments – sometimes it’s better to patiently wait for a gunfight to end before you pick off the victor.

That should help you in your single-player mission to conquer the battle royale, but if you need more help, check out the tips section of this guide.
 

Does Warzone 2 have couch co-op?

You’re not the only one wondering how to play 2-player split screen on Warzone 2. And while players of COD’s full Modern Warfare 2 title get to enjoy a revival of our dear friend local multiplayer mode, sadly, Infinity Ward didn’t see fit to add a 2-player mode to Warzone 2.

The only way to co-op play Warzone 2 is by inviting your friends to join your lobby (which is easy to do, via the in-game social menu).

Or you could always invite your friends over, set up a string of consoles or computers, and co-op play that way (just make sure you avoid any trip hazards, that’s never fun!).

Can you play Team Deathmatch?

The only way to play modes like Team Deathmatch is to buy the full Modern Warfare 2 game. Warzone 2 doesn’t have a TDM mode and probably never will.

Can you play 3rd person still?

Sadly, no, you can’t play Warzone 2 in third-person any longer. It was available in the early days after the game released, but didn’t prove popular enough among the COD’s fans (despite the popularity of third-person POV in Modern Warfare 2).

Can you play against bots?

Warzone 2 doesn’t feature any kind of dedicated bot lobby, but you will find AI-controller “players” in the battle royale and DMZ game modes. The closest you’ll get to this is playing the DMZ mode.