Warzone’s Season 2 Reloaded update will add a new mode inspired by Call of Duty’s original Blackout battle royale. This new mashup is called Black Ops Royale, and it will be played on Black Ops 7’s massive Avalon map. Here we highlight all the details about this new Warzone experience, including major weapon, attachment, and perk changes.
Black Ops Royale Start Times
Black Ops Royale won’t launch at the normal start time for Call of Duty’s seasonal updates. This battle royale experience goes live on Thursday, March 12 at 9 PM PT/Friday, March 13 at 12 AM ET.
What is Black Ops Royale?
This is an original battle royale mode inspired by Black Ops 4’s Blackout. Black Ops Royale strips away several of Warzone’s features, including custom loadouts, the Gulag, the cash system, and Buy Stations. Instead, players will start the match with a pistol and need to scavenge everything for the fight.
Matches will feature 100 players in four-player squads on Avalon, which is the map currently used in the campaign’s Endgame mode. Instead of Warzone’s standard nova gas, this circle collapse will feature Black Ops 7’s red fear gas, which spawns hallucinated zombie hordes and reveals hidden loot.
Even though there’s no Gulag feature, players will still have two ways to return to the match after death. A player can be redeployed by using a scavenged Redeploy Token, or teammates can activate a Redeployment Tower, which sound similar to the towers used for redeployment in Battlefield 6’s Redsec.
The mode will integrate Black Op’s 7 omnimovement and add a grappling hook for extra mobility. Swimming mechanics are also included.
Players can expect events featured on Avalon, allowing them to complete challenges and unlock new cosmetics.
Avalon map and seasonal transformations
Activision says some areas of the Avalon have been modified for battle royale, so this is not an exact replica of the Endgame map. Some areas of land are expanded, additional ziplines are included, and more.
The publisher also teases that seasonal updates will “transform the map” over time. This will start with Season 3, adding more tidal flats, the “possibility” of draining deeper water, additional ziplines, and small flotillas of boats.
Weapons and upgrading
Weapon archetypes
Players start with only a pistol, and there are no custom loadouts to buy or earn. All weapons are scavenged from ground loot and supply boxes, and the guns contain anywhere from one to five attachments, depending on the weapon’s rarity.
Weapons will also be marked as various “archetypes” to help players understand what type of weapon build they’ve acquired. For example, a Stalker archetype is geared toward the playstyle of those who wish to tactically flank and stay off the radar, and the Recon archetype weapons are built for long-range combat.
Attachment upgrades
Guns can be improved by adding attachment kits. Attachment Kits automatically increase the weapon’s rarity and add the next attachment to the weapon. These attachment kits are found as ground loot or within supply boxes, or earned as activity rewards.
Changes to inventory, equipment, and killstreaks
Black Ops Royale features a similar HUD and inventory system to what is currently featured in Warzone, but there are a few notable changes.
The inventory has been modified to allow players to carry up two lethals, two tacticals, two field upgrades, and two Killstreaks. Players can’t carry two of the same item, though, meaning they can’t carry two grenades or two of the same killstreak.
The HUD will also identify the equipped weapon’s rarity and archetype. Additionally, the mode does not feature UAVs or Counter-UAV streaks, so there will be less intel shown for slower and more tactical gameplay.
New perk system
All perks in Black Ops Royale are looted during the match. Perks can be scavenged as ground loot, found in supply boxes, or earned as activity rewards.
Unlike Warzone’s perks that are active until death, Black Ops Royale features Blackout’s temporary consumable perks. Activision says the duration of each consumable perk varies, but they usually last around two-to-four minutes.
Each player can hold up to five perks at once, and these are manually activated. This allows players to utilize the perk when needed or swap them with teammates.
In-game activities
Standard activities
Avalon features several optional activities, and these work similar to Warzone’s Contract system. Some of the activities are brand-new and others will be tasks from Endgame, such as Strongbox Cracks, Surveillance Drone, and Surprise Shipment. Completing activities rewards items like equipment, ammo, and armor.
Cradle Breaches
Much like Blackout’s Zombies zones, the new Cradle Breach activities serve as the mode’s high-tier loot locations. Here, players must defeat hordes of zombies to unlock either a Mystery Box or a Mangler-themed Cradle Breach from Zombies mode. Completing one of these breaches can reward random high-tier loot, including the iconic Ray Gun Wonder Weapon.