Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific announced: new map, new anti-cheat tech

Call of Duty: Warzone is about to go through its biggest change yet, with the introduction of Warzone Pacific. Warzone Pacific is the new name of the big update for Warzone (which is now Warzone Pacific) with a brand new map that the developer says is "built on the learnings from the community" and is launching with Season One.

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The new map for Warzone Pacific is Caldera, and will have the new RICOCHET Anti-Cheat included with its kernel-level driver. Now that the business end of the situation is done, Warzone Pacific will have lush forests and rocky crags, with white sand beaches and mysterious ruins for you to explore -- and annihilate other players. There's even a dormant volcano in Caldera, with Activision promising over 200 other points of interest.

One of the biggest things I love to see from the developer is that they've listened to the community and built Caldera around 2 years of research from that feedback. Warzone Pacific will launch formally as part of Vanguard's first season of content, and is built on the same technology and graphics engine that Call of Duty: Vanguard is built on. Warzone Pacific is fully optimized for cross-play, cross-progression, and has cross-gen console support as well.

• The Biggest Arsenal in Call of Duty. At the start of Season One, you can use 150+ weapons in Caldera within standard Battle Royale and Plunder modes as well as...
• Rebirth Island Returns. The Resurgence continues. Expect the alternate, small-scale map to continue supplementing the main Warzone map.
• "Original Warzone Vehicles" Still Cruising. Your pink anime truck isn't going anywhere. All original vehicles and their Vehicle Skins - including ATVs and other Verdansk-era modes of transport - still exist in these playlists.

Don't worry about losing your Warzone progression -- you're not alone, I was worried as well -- because Warzone Pacific will have the 150+ weapons inside of Caldera in standard Battle Royale and Plunder modes. Rebirth Island Returns is coming (this is my favorite mode) where there will be an "alternate, small-scale map to continue supplementing the main Warzone map".

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Rebirth Island is the first to be boosted off into the world of Warzone Pacific, with the developer promising "many more surprises" to come after Resurgence, and Mini Royales modes. Warzone Pacific will have Rebirth Island and the normal Battle Royale and Plunder modes ready to rock and roll inside of Caldera.

The company explains on the Call of Duty blog: "The usual playlists are also home to the "original" vehicles you've driven before - ATVs, SUVs, Helicopters, and the like. While the dedicated Vanguard modes will have all new ways to get around Caldera, such as planes and AA Truck, the original vehicle set, as well as any Vehicle Skins you've unlocked for them, will still exist in these other playlists".

Now, for Vanguard integration into Warzone Pacific:

• Dogfighting, New Vanguard Content, Shine in Dedicated Playlist: Available to all players, take to the skies or maneuver AA guns to breakup epic aerial battles in Vanguard Royale, featuring a streamlined loadout and weapon pool.
• Honoring Your Progression: The integration adds Vanguard content - expect all your Operators, Calling Cards, and more from Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare® to stay in Warzone, as well as cross-progression and Seasonal Prestige.
• 24-Hour Exclusive Access to Caldera for Vanguard Players: Play the new Pacific map a day early by owning Call of Duty: Vanguard. Rebirth Island will remain live during this time for all other players.

This is just the start of the full integration of Vanguard into Warzone, with the company explaining on the official Call of Duty blog: "Caldera is just the beginning of Vanguard's full integration into Warzone, and there's no better place to experience all this fresh content than in the dedicated Vanguard modes for Warzone Pacific".

Vanguard Royale and Vanguard Plunder modes are coming, showcasing all of the new content from the Season One update, onwards -- this will include weaponry, vehicles, and AA trucks. The blog post continues: "The Pacific is home to dogfighting, aerial battles in the azure skies above the majestic isle. Think of a Precision Airstrike where you are in the cockpit, ready to rain down fire on a squad or defend yours from an enemy pilot. That, in its most basic terms, is what you can imagine aerial combat is like in the Pacific".

"Expect a new machinegun fighter aircraft to add another element of strategy and firepower to your squad's winning Warzone Pacific tactics. These are also just part of a brand-new set of vehicles for these Vanguard-focused modes; another is an anti-air (AA) truck that provides a solid solution to grounding planes other than launchers, LMGs, stationary AA turrets or taking to the skies yourself".

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These loadotus are limited to Vanguard weaponry, so you can't be walking in blasting with next-gen scopes, night vision, drones, etc from Warzone. The developer has a reason for this: "This limit streamlines the meta, granting new players an opportunity to jump in without facing fully maxed-out loadouts right at launch. It also grants room for experimentation with these new weapons, giving the most hardcore community meta prophets a place to focus on the future for a winning loadout".

The Operators that you've earned through playing Warzone can use what you've achieved after Vanguard's integration, after December 2 the integration will be in the same way that the developer handled Black Ops Cold War when it dropped into Warzone:

• All Operators - from Vanguard, Black Ops Cold War, and Modern Warfare - can be used across all of Warzone after the integration, even in the Vanguard playlist.
• Your progression - for your Player Level, Battle Pass system, etc. - is synchronized across Vanguard, Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare and Warzone Pacific, and the Seasonal Levelling and Prestige System will return. This also means your level will reset to Military Rank 1 within all games, but this only applies to XP; all content you previously unlocked will still be available.
• Your personal profile - Calling Card, Emblem, etc. - can be comprised of what you already have in Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare, use what you will earn in Vanguard, or be a combination of anything from those games.
• The Store will stock Vanguard Bundles as well as legacy Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare content - all of which can be used in Warzone Pacific.

Season One launches on December 2, while Call of Duty: Vanguard launches in a few days on November 5.