In what feels like the longest Call Of Duty season ever, we finally see the second one arrive for Modern Warfare II on February 15th 2023. It is no secret that there is a huge wave of disappointment and frustration for how this game has come across since its launch and fingers crossed we see many issues being addressed. For me, I see the problem as being a lack of communication and seemingly not listening to the community and acting on it. I mean take Xbox for instance, we have been waiting for years for them to enable us to turn crossplay off for the Warzone side of the game but still, it hasn’t happened. Anyway, after several months, we finally see the first big substantial update since Season One dropped. Join me as I take you through what’s changing and what is new!

Resurgence Mode Returns Along With A New Warzone Map

Everyone seemingly loved the smaller rebirth map on the last instalment of Warzone and the community has been crying out for a fresh smaller map. For many casual players, it is perfect for sharp and short bursts of gameplay rather than a full-on 20-25 minutes Warzone match. The new map is named Ashika Island and is a brand new playground to drop into and explore. It is 30% larger than the smaller maps we have seen in the past with several points of interest, so there is plenty of stuff to discover come the 15th of February 2023. DMZ mode also extends to Ashika Island giving those who prefer the co-op-based mode a chance to experience this without worrying about the Warzone element.

Welcome To Ashika Island!

The new map will feature the usual playlists such as Solos, Duos, Trios and Quads. The beauty of resurgence though is the ability to get back into the mix quickly and respawn if you die early on. If one of your squad is still standing, then unlimited respawns will occur until later in the match when there is a cut-off point. Surviving members must do their best on the ground to survive if you’re out of the game as there will be a countdown timer for you to redeploy. This redeploy timer can be shortened if your squad performs specific tasks such as killing enemies. The timer will also get longer the further into the match you are, so loot wisely and tread carefully.

New Feature – Restore Honour

I always love when they actually try something new in Call Of Duty and this is totally fresh. Every operator will drop a dog tag upon death on Ashika Island once per match. You can collect this after redeploying or a squadmate can do so, this will result in a small cash grant and a short UAV ping to scour nearby enemies. This is something that will keep people on their toes constantly so beware!

New Contract – Search & Seizure

Personally, I preferred the contracts in the OG Warzone, I loved running from pillar to post to get the recon contracts to make the circle smaller. In this new season, we see Search and Seizure added to the existing Bounty, Safecracker and Most Wanted contracts. Apparently, this won’t be available on launch but at some stage in the season. So what is Search and Seizure? With this contract, you’ll be attempting to reclaim a stolen vehicle from Shadow Company forces. Infiltrate the guards surrounding the vehicle, grab the key and get out of there and drive it to the designated markers on the map to reap the rewards.

New Public Event – Data Heist

Data Heist is a new public event on Ashikia Island which occurs on the second circle collapse. Three uplink stations will spawn on the island and it is up to you to download critical intel from them. Be wary though as you will face conflict from human players trying the same action along with Shadow Company enemies too. Successful download and extraction can result in cash, XP, killstreak and loot-based rewards. Whether it is worth your time and risk is up to you!

1v1 Gulag Returns

Thankfully the current 2v2 Gulag will be a thing of the past and the 1v1 option will return. Personally, I didn’t like being reliant on random players potentially pushing me out of the game if they died early on and vice versa. This way I only have myself and my ability to blame if I don’t make it through, and the juggernaut is also gone! Ground loot has evolved to now include more than just pistols and shotguns, so expect a range of weaponry. If you’re successful and spawn back in, you’ll be granted a larger cash reward to get back on your feet a little faster.

Redeploy Drones

Repeploy drones are simply the high-tech successor of the balloons that you may have used when playing Caldera. These are high risk but will allow players to reposition quickly on the battlefield as an alternative to going by foot or vehicle. Be mindful though that RPGs can lock onto these and blow them out of the sky, so it I would use them with caution. It remains to be seen how these will go down across the battleground.

UI Fixes

The UI has been a little iffy for most hardcore fans of Warzone and the teams responsible have made some adjustments. I will copy in below these changes directly from The Path to Season 2 blog.

A number of UI/UX updates are coming to Season 02 to improve overall flow of in-game menus. These updates include:

• Improved navigation and organization of Camo menu
• More polished Social tab, including improved channel swapping and player muting
• New “My Bundles” screen
• Quick equip items from Battlepass, My Bundles, and Store
• Reticle previews in Store and Gunsmith
• Improved clarity of attachment blocking logic in Gunsmith
• And many more bug fixes

We’ve also recently introduced a fix that restored:

• Instance speed of Recent Players in menu
• Status refresh of Friends

Experience

• Improved After Action Report with audio
• Play Again feature in Battle Royale
• Bug fixes for inconsistencies between:
  • Challengers
  • Battle Pass
  • Weapon progression

Cash Economy Changes

By far the most frustrating thing in this Warzone experience was trying to source cash quickly in an effort to buy your mates back or to even get enough together for a weapon. The value of cash you will now find on the ground will no longer be $100 and will now be around $800 upwards. Money in cash registers will also alter and this should make the overall journey of finding some decent wedge a little more bearable and not the main focus of the whole match. Cash will also still be available in all the other places you’d expect such as supply boxes.

No More 2 Plate Vests

Another thing that would be the bugbear would be constantly scouring for a three-plate vest if you weren’t lucky enough to get one in the early game. Everyone will now commence immediately with a three-plate vest from the beginning of the match and there will be no variation in vest sizing. Obviously, it is up to the players to ensure that they manage their armour plating accordingly as usual.

Buy Stations Are Now Static

Buy stations are currently all over the place and vary from game to game. Strangely they always seem to have two very close-knit but vast areas to cover to get to them at times. You’ll be glad to hear that this is being updated in the update with static buy stations more spread out across Al Mazrah. This will make it much easier to get the gear you want quicker or buy a friend back who didn’t make it through the gulag process.

Loadouts & Loot

Loadouts have been a real issue in this first season, it has been primarily been hard work to get one or about being in the right place at the right time. Next week will see more affordable prices for one-off weapon purchases at buy stations. There will be a new price point for loadout drops bought by players but this is yet to be discovered but has been said to have been reduced in cost. Loadout drops can be found as loot in the world and also an additional random drop from the air has been introduced and now comes at the first and fifth circles of each match.

Backpacks have been streamlined to accommodate the same size for all. No more medium and large backpacks and no more stacking of 15 self-revive. The loot system and layout have been redesigned and whilst yet to be seen, should balance things out for more even fights towards the end of matches.

Warzone Stats Finally Arrive

One reason I became turned off from the game once I had maxed out everything season one had to offer, was the fact you couldn’t see any Warzone stats whatsoever. No way to view those precious wins or your kill/death ratio. That is set to change and why it has taken so long is a mystery, especially since it was in the original Warzone game from day one.

Final Thoughts

Whilst I don’t think everything mentioned will please everyone, it certainly makes many steps in the right direction. The redistribution of buy stations, a new gulag system, and a nice spread of wealth in terms of cash will make for a more balanced experience for sure. When it comes to Akisha Island, it remains to be seen how the new map will play out but fans will be happy with another map to jump into for a break from Al Mazrah. With just under a week to go, it has been a long wait for us hardcore fans who maxed out the prestige and battle pass system early with nothing left to gain. Those who wanted their personal stats will be relieved that these will also be available this season, finally! See you out there!