As you read this, it has been little over two weeks since Verdansk, the original Call of Duty: Warzone map, made its return to the game. Most thought this would never happen, but it has, and it has given the game one heck of a shot in the arm.
Warzone has been subject to much discourse, especially since its integration with Black Ops 6. The previous big map, Urzikstan, initially got worse than it had been under Modern Warfare 3, there were numerous bugs, audio issues, and of course, rampant cheating.
But beyond all of this, Urzikstan was a pretty uninspiring map, or at least I thought so. After a while, it was just boring to play on. While my experience of Verdansk in its original form was minimal, and so I don’t have the nostalgia lots do, its return has been a breath of fresh (old) air.
So much so I’m playing almost exclusively Warzone, which is insane, because since Black Ops 6 launched, I’ve been a predominantly multiplayer guy. So I’m interested to know if I’m alone, or if you’ve been enjoying it, too.
Verdansk feels big, engaging, and fun to play on
Verdansk feels big, not necessarily because it is much bigger, but the varied terrain and POIs just make it feel like there’s so much to explore. So many different places you can drop in and loot up. Urzikstan, by contrast, was so bland.
By contrast, Urzikstan, no matter where my squad dropped, always seemed to be the same place as at least three other squads. Not to say that competition is less on Verdansk, but those initial minutes don’t feel quite so stressful most of the time.
Obviously, there are hot drop locations, but you can avoid those and still get tooled up well enough to compete when you do come across other players.
There has been talk of the TTK being too quick, which I get, but equally, when you get used to it, I think it’s fine. Perhaps not when ranked play comes in, but for the regular mode, I hope it gets left alone. Everyone has a fair chance without needing to be using the very best loadout and an ultra sweat.
I also love that you’re able to competitive with ground loot, and that’s also carried over into Resurgence on Rebirth Island. Before, I felt absolutely hopeless before I could get a loadout down. Now, I can happily play, and enjoy playing, with ground loot. Just give me a Kilo and a Kar98, and I’m good.
It is hard to properly put into words, but Warzone feels fun again. It feels more like a battle royale again. Sure, they need to tweak the loot and how many plates there are, because there need to be a few more of those and a few less snipers. But overall, it’s a win, I think.
But I want to know what you think. How has your first couple of weeks been back on Verdansk? Or if you’re a new player, returning player, whatever your opinion. I’ve shared mine, but I want to hear yours, so hit the comments below and share with us all!
