February 1 – Warzone Patch Notes

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1

WARZONE

 

MODES

Battle Royale Preview New Limited-Time Mode

Battle Royale Preview offers an early look at Warzone features that may later migrate to the standard Battle Royale experience. This new Limited-Time Mode will appear in playlists if or when we’re looking for both data and feedback from our players on new systems – so we hope to provoke discussion and hear from you! This mode will be available for players to queue as a team of four (Quads).

The following features are unique to Battle Royale Preview at launch:

  • Covert Exfil New Feature
    • While playing Battle Royale Preview, players can attempt to escape the match early using a Covert Exfil.
    • Only five Covert Exfils are available for purchase in total per match, for the considerable price of $30,000, and are available in Buy Stations before the Gulag closes. 
    • Once purchased, a green flare will instantly mark the landing zone, calling in a chopper that can fly any player, friend or foe, out of the match – ideally with a Weapon Case in their possession.
    • Nearby opponents will be notified of the Covert Exfil attempt, allowing them to intercept to prevent, or even steal, the Covert Exfil.
    • This feature will be complimented by a dedicated Covert Exfil Leaderboard when successful, as Covert Exfil will not be classified as a Battle Royale last-player-standing victory.
    • Squad members who do not successfully exfil via the Covert Exfil chopper will remain in the match – with the option to pursue a standard victory.
    • Players who did successfully exfil will remain connected as spectators until the entirety of the squad has finished playing in order to keep the party together..
    • Last-player-standing remains the final victory condition in this Battle Royale Preview LTM for anyone who chooses not to engage in the Covert Exfil feature.
       
  • Weapon CaseNew Feature
    • At the start of every Battle Royale Preview match, a single Weapon Case spawns at random and is hidden within an indicated search area on the Tac Map.
    • The squad member that picks up the Weapon Case will be globally marked for all opponents to see on the Tac Map.
    • The primary objective is to extract the Weapon Case via Covert Exfil, or achieve a standard Victory with the Weapon Case in possession, in order to earn rewards for the entire squad – listed below:
      • 1st Weapon Case Reward
        • “After Party” Weapon Decal
        • 15-Minute Double Weapon XP Token
      • 2nd Weapon Case Reward
        • “Person of Interest” Weapon Decal
        • 15-Minute Double Weapon XP Token
      • 3rd Weapon Case Reward
        • “The Pursued” Weapon Decal
        • 15-Minute Double Weapon XP Token
      • 4th Weapon Case Reward
        • “Behind the Mask” Weapon Sticker
        • 15-Minute Double Weapon XP Token
      • 5th Weapon Case Reward
        • “Harrow” MTZ-762 Weapon Blueprint
        • 15-Minute Double Weapon XP Token
      • 6th+ Weapon Case Reward  (Repeating)
        • 15-Minute Double Weapon XP Token
      • And as a hidden reward for Players who are able to achieve a Battle Royale Victory and be the last squad standing while holding the Weapon Case will receive this exclusive Operator:
        • “Mortem” Operator Skin

With the new Weapon Case and Covert Exfil features, we want to give players more objectives and rewards to go after in a Battle Royale experience. We also want to give players more ‘honeypots’ to fight over, especially in the early game, that draws players together to create engagements, potentially repeatedly, throughout the lifespan of the match.

From our internal playtesting, the Weapon Case has added a new ‘hot drop’ location in the early game, with Covert Exfil seeing around less than 1 successful exfil per match which retains the all important health of the mid-game pacing. We have even seen teams use the Weapon Case as bait to trigger engagements, so we are excited to see how our players use these new features in interesting ways, or ways we didn’t predict, to create content and new player stories!

Covert Exfil also offers players of all skill levels an extra challenge. For players who may struggle to even achieve a single Battle Royale win in a season, they can go after a Covert Exfil as a way to build up their skill and knowledge of the game and still enjoy a degree of success. For players who might be of a higher skill level, they will enjoy the risk and challenge of extracting with the Weapon Case in order to earn the rewards. Importantly, last-player-standing will continue to be the beating heart of a Battle Royale victory, with Champion’s Quest retaining its status as the pinnacle win condition available in any Battle Royale experience.

We hope you like these new experiences as much as we have enjoyed playtesting them and we look forward to hearing your hands-on feedback that will help guide the future of these features.

  • Pacing Adjusted Feature
    • Circle 1 wait time increased to 150 seconds Battle Royale Preview, up from 90 seconds.

We’ve made some minor pacing changes compared to standard Battle Royale to ensure players have enough time to search for the Weapon Case should it spawn outside the initial safe zone.

  • Champions Quest in Battle Royale Preview
    • Champions Quest will still be available in Battle Royale Preview.
    • Escaping the match with a Covert Exfil does not count as a win towards Champion’s Quest and will break any current win streak.

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue preventing Players from acquiring the Champion’s Quest Geiger Counter when looting duffel bags.
  • Fixed collision issues that caused Champion’s Quest elements to clip through geography.

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