Call of Duty: Warzone is a standalone Battle Royale game from Activision publisher, developed and updated by Raven Software. It is heavily linked to both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, with all three titles featured on the same main menu once launched. Available on PlayStation 4 and playable on PlayStation 5 thanks to backward compatibility, Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play title supported by cosmetic microtransactions. There is no need to spend money to compete and even win games.
In this Call of Duty: Warzone guide , we will explain how to get started with the game as a beginner. Next, we will detail the best guns file to include in a Loadout as well as which ones to watch out for at the start of a game. Then we’ll touch on how to win games and the type of strategies you should employ to have the best chance of taking the top spot.
Call of Duty Warzone Guide: how to get started
Since Call of Duty: Warzone can be overwhelming for beginners, we’ll start this guide by introducing everything there is to know about the game. This includes the basics like navigating the main menu, building a gear, customizing the player card, the Battle Pass, the Store, and what modes and maps are available. Then we’ll dive into a game and explain the mechanics at play, including contracts, purchase stations, and how Circle Collapse works. By the end of this section, you will understand how a Call of Duty: Warzone game plays out, what you should be looking for and be on your way to mastering its mechanics.
Call of Duty Warzone Guide: Main menu navigation
Before jumping into a game of Call of Duty: Warzone, it’s worth learning what each main menu tab has to offer. They are all simple enough, but there may be a lot of information to gather all at once if you’ve never played a Battle Royale game before. As such, we’ll quickly touch on what each option includes in the main menu.
- Playis where you will match up in a Call of Duty: Warzone game. The “Battle Royale” option is the standard 150 player experience on the Verdansk map, which after selection, allows you to further specify how many other players you want on your squad. Solos is essentially a free-for-all mode where every other player you see is an enemy, Duos gives you a single teammate to rely on, and Trios creates teams of three. Quads is a playlist for teams of four and the one we recommend you choose for the best chance of learning how to play. In addition to the standard option, custom playlists rotate in and out on a weekly basis – Rebirth Resurgence Trios and Love and Plunder are two examples in the image above.
- Weapons contains all of your custom gear, which is a very important mechanic in the game. We’ll touch on which weapons you should include in those later in this guide, but rest assured it will take you a long time to use this menu option to make changes to guns, perks, and cosmetics.
- Operators are the characters you play with and have absolutely no impact on gameplay. This is a purely cosmetic choice that acts as the skin. Some will already be unlocked for you, others can be obtained by completing challenges, and some need to be purchased.
- Challenges tasking you with completing in-game tasks in exchange for XP, emblems, and calling cards. While it is possible to complete them during matches, they are more designed around traditional Call of Duty: Modern Warfare multiplayer offerings. Feel free to scroll through the unlockable cosmetic options through Challenges, but the option doesn’t matter in Call of Duty: Warzone.
- Battle Pass is a purchasable unlocking system that rewards you with XP tokens, new skins for your Operators, and many more cosmetic items as you progress through its 100 levels. Some are given away for free, but the vast majority are only accessible after purchasing the Battle Pass for the relevant season for 1,000 COD points.
- Barracks contains options for customizing the emblem and player card, as well as performance statistics. You will be able to see how many players you have killed, how many games you have won and compare your best results with the online leaderboards.
- Shop is where you can spend COD points on cosmetic items. This includes skins for your operators, stickers and skins for your weapons, and decals to place on vehicles. Every now and then, free packages are given away to all players, which the game will warn you about.
