Warzone 2 Season 2 patch notes revealed: Resurgence, new map, DMZ updates, and a lot more

Season 2 of Warzone 2 is finally live and has tons of content to offer. Not only has it brought Resurgence to the title's playlist but also a brand new map, Ashika Island, that's exclusive to this fan-favorite mode. Al-Mazrah has also seen some alterations with the arrival of this new patch, with the inclusion of four major POI-related changes. Veteran players will find a very familiar downed cargo plane if they are to land in Sattiq Caves.

The developers have indexed all the changes associated with the fresh Warzone 2 update in a new patch note on the official Call of Duty blog. Let's take a look at the alterations brought by this major patch.

Warzone 2 Season 2 has a ton of content to offer

Global changes

Warzone 2 Season 2 (Image via Activision)

This article will detail all the new content coming with the launch of the season below, but a few highlights include:

Resurgence is back with the arrival of our Ashika Island map.
Complete Path of the Ronin Challenges in Modern Warfare 2 or Warzone 2 to earn rewards, including a fan-favorite weapon.
Vanquish your opponents like a true warrior with the new Ronin Operator and five new weapons during the Season, three of which are available for free in the Battle Pass.
New Personal Watercraft Vehicle. Engage in fast-paced aquatic combat utilizing the new aquatic vehicle.

These Patch Notes also highlight many gameplay adjustments and bug fixes across Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. Keep reading for all the intel on this update… and what might be coming in future updates!

Maps

Ashika Island

Added to the title courtesy of High Moon Studios, Ashika Island, also known as the “Isle of the Sea Lion,” is part of a small archipelago located in an undisclosed location, somewhere in the APAC (Asia Pacific) region. For now, it will host the new Battle Royale Resurgence mode and will also be available in DMZ at the launch of Season 2. Here's what the developers had to say about the new map:

"Our team is so excited to finally release Ashika Island to the world with the launch of Season 02. With its beautiful Japanese-inspired location, diverse areas to explore, and a host of secrets to uncover, we hope you enjoy playing in this space as much as we have enjoyed the art of crafting it."

Speaking about what the map has to offer, they said:

"Ashika also has a lot more to offer than meets the eye, so take time to explore everything. Building on our learnings from Fortune’s Keep, the team was thrilled to continue implementing interesting traversal options while being mindful not to over complicate our designs. We wanted each area of the map to have an authentic visual theme that paired with the gameplay style of each space. And we wanted to have strong visual landmarks that could be seen from a distance but didn't tip the balance in favor of adding dominating sniper perches. "

Further commenting on the gameplay on this map, they added:

"But at its heart, it is an island with everything from rooftop 'run and gun' gameplay, to 'cat and mouse' interior brawls, to underground secret passages and waterways that help you traverse the space that much quicker."

This map consists of seven major points of interest listed below:

Ōganikku Farms

Warzone 2 Organikku farm (Image via Activision)

The majority of Ashika Island's northwestern sector is composed of mixed agricultural, residential, and industrial use, along with old shoreline defenses.

Town Center

The western region, as well as parts of the southwestern island, comprise a bay with impressive sea wall defenses. Northwest of the main submarine canal is a Ferry Terminal and tourist facilities. Gamers will be able to cross the canal bridges to reach a hotel and market district, with an additional Gas Station and the semi-circular City Hall structure.

Beach Club

Warzone 2 Beach house (Image via Activision)

Further southwest of the Town Center, east of the Port, is an aquarium and Beach Club, as well as open-air swimming within the southwestern ocean beach. Parts of the region are easily spotted from a parachute drop as the pathways are a vivid aquamarine-blue color.

Tsuki Castle

The higher-ground center of Ashika Island is dominated by an ancient castle with multiple fortifications and a natural defensive hill along the structure's southwestern side. This area is a large plateau with shallow, stepped battlements, cherry blossoms in bloom, and a scattering of secondary structures throughout the grounds.

Gamers will have to look high for combat opportunities, but also low; there’s an entire underground waterway and submarine base directly under this fortification.

Port Ashika

The southwestern edge is dominated by rocky bluffs, and a port named after the island. There’s steep terrain to the north as you venture to or from the castle, and a variety of industrial warehouses, offices, a comms tower as you venture towards the ocean, as well as a canal entrance to the subterranean submarine base.

Residential

On the lower ground below the castle battlements to the north and east of the Farms and allotments sits some residential housing between a couple of industrial structures (a Power Plant and Water Treatment Facility). Easily accessed (and surrounded by) tarmac roads, there are plenty of places to discover, both over and underground.

Shipwreck

The inclement weather and hazardous shoreline spelled doom for two cargo tankers. Both vessels have run aground here, and the containers they were carrying have been mostly saved and stacked in a pleasing manner. Further northeast are cliffs and the main looping tarmac road, as well as a comms tower and lookout above a gas station.

In DMZ specifically, players will experience foggier conditions than those of Battle Royale. Gamers can utilize the fog for cover, but so can your enemies at range.

Map updates

Al Mazrah

Afghan returns in Warzone 2 (Image via Activision)

Downed aircraft at Sattiq Caves
Underground tunnels in Suburbs 14
New passenger train moving counterdirectional to the existing cargo train
Added a path through the cliffside north of Zarqwa Hydroelectric.
Added vehicle ramp to garage rooftop in Al Malik International.

Gulag

The Gulag map has been updated to better suit 1v1 combat in Season 2.

Battle royale

Playlist

Al Mazrah

Standard

Solos

Max Players: 150
Assimilation: Off

Duos

Max Players: 150
Assimilation: Refill

Trios

Max Players: 150
Assimilation: Refill

Quads

Max Players: 152
Assimilation: Refill

Ashika Island

Resurgence

Quads

Max Players: 52
Assimilation: Off

Modes

Resurgence

Resurgence is back. Grab your squad and drop into this fast-paced, high-action Mode that allows teams to respawn as long as one member of it is alive. The last side standing wins, regardless of how many times they’ve had to redeploy.

How does it work?

When eliminated, players enter a spectating state and must wait for the Resurgence timer to tick down. Squad members can shorten the timer by completing Contracts, looting, and eliminating enemy players.

Resurgence

Respawns are disabled on the fourth circle, so keep an eye on the clock.

New score events

In addition to the traditional score events, we have added new ways to shorten the respawn timer for squad members:

Headshot (Eliminating an enemy player via headshot)
A.I. Elimination (Eliminating an A.I. combatant)
Uplink (Capturing a Data Heist uplink point in)
On The Move (If you move more than 25 meters while your teammate is dead)
Hunt (You eliminated a player while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic)
Hunter Double (You eliminated two players in a row while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic)
Hunter Spree (You eliminated more than three players while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic)
Armor Break (You broke all of a player's active Armor Plates)
Audacious Elimination (You got an elimination while a squad member was down)
Fearless Elimination (You got an elimination while being the last living member of your squad)

Hunt and Track mechanic

At any point during a match, eliminating an enemy player will display their Squad members for a few seconds on the minimap.
Specific to Solos, eliminating an enemy player will display their location upon redeployment for 10 seconds.

Loadouts

Players can acquire their Loadouts via two different methods in Resurgence. Towards the end of the first circle, there is a Public Event that drops a Loadout crate for your Squad. Loadout Dop Markers are also available for purchase via Buy Stations, using the same price scaling as standard Battle Royale.

Additional information

Strongholds are disabled.
Weapons found via ground loot always have attachments.
Blue Resurgence Supply Boxes restock after 90 seconds.
Both Restore Honor tags and eliminations show red dots on the minimap.
Enemy A.I. combatants only spawn during the Data Heist Public Event or during a Search and Seizure Contract.

General changes

Private matches

Private matches are enabled for Battle Royale Standard (Solos, Duos, Trios, Quads) on Al Mazrah.
The spectating feature for private matches will be enabled at a later date.

Gameplay changes

New gameplay features

All maps and all modes

Counter UAV (new Killstreak)

A defensive Killstreak that deploys an autonomous UAV to target an area and jams the enemy's radar, minimap, as well as their HUD.

Al Mazrah and all modes

Redeploy Packs (new equipment)

This new tactical equipment will give players another shot at victory! They can be found in ground loot, on some Buy Stations, and are guaranteed from completing the Strongholds and Black Sites mission.

Ashika Island | event

Warzone 2 Path of Ronin (Image via Activision)

Restore Honor - New recovery mechanic (season launch)

Every player in Resurgence will drop a dog tag upon death once per match, which can either be picked up by a Squad member or themselves after redeploying. Doing so grants a small Cash reward, as well as a single UAV ping that marks both enemy threats and nearby Supply Boxes.
If a player recovers their own Fallen Soldier Tag or one belonging to a teammate, they get a 50-meter loot ping, a normal 300-meter UAV ping, and $1000.
The money reward will only be awarded once but the pings will be given each time honor is restored thereafter.

Search and Seizure new Contract (in-season)

Recover a stolen vehicle protected by local mercenaries and transport it to a safe location for extraction. Avoid the enemy deterrents and ambushes along the way.

Data Heist new public event (in-season)

Warzone 2 Data Heist (Image via Activision)

A public event where laptops with enemy intelligence are spawned around the map, giving players the opportunity to steal the data for intel-themed rewards like UAV and Advanced UAV. Downloading the data, however, takes time, and gamers will need to defend their download against AI defenders and other players.

Redeploy Drones new Field Upgrade (in-season)

Warzone 2 Redeploy drones (Image via Activision)

Interact with a cable suspended from a heavy lift drone to ascend skyward and quickly relocate.

Rusher new A.I. (in-season)

An aggressive A.I. combatant that specializes in close-quarters combat, utilizing evasive forward movement to try and close the distance for an attack. Has a handgun as a backup Weapon in case an enemy can't be reached for melee and mini-smoke bombs to help reposition and retreat.

Gameplay adjustments

Loot that spawns across Al Mazrah has been adjusted
Slight adjustment to the existing loot pool.
Counter UAV has been added.

Cash economy

Players will now drop more Cash upon elimination.
Players will now retain more Cash upon redeployment.
Overall balance change to economy so that players earn more Cash per match.
Slight reduction to Cash rewards for completing Contracts.
Cash found via ground loot has been increased to compensate for the above change.

Minimum Cash value found:

On-ground increased to $500.
In cash registers to $500.
Basic Supply Boxes - $500.
Legendary Supply Boxes - $800.

Note: It was previously mentioned that Cash would no longer be obtainable via Basic and Legendary Supply Boxes — this has since been adjusted.

Armor Plates and Vest

All players will now have a three-Plate Armor Vest at all times.

Players will also spawn with a different number of equipped Armor Plates depending on the following:

1) Infil deployment - Players will deploy with two plates.

2) Gulag redeployment - Players will redeploy with three plates.

3) Resurgence redeployment - Players will redeploy with two plates.

4) Perk Packages - Players will now be able to customize their own Perk Packages.

Disabled
Overclock
Birdseye

Buy Stations

Spawn locations have been adjusted
All spawn locations will be static across each match

Loadout Drop Markers now have unlimited stock at all Buy Stations and prices have been reduced. Prices will scale to Squad sizes.

Solos - $8,000
Duos - $12,000 ($6,000 per player)
Trios - $16,000 ($5,300 per player)
Quads - $20,000 ($5,000 per player)

Strongholds and Black Sites

Strongholds and Black Sites are now the primary ways to earn a Redeploy Pack

A.I. combatant damage decreased:

Assault Rifle Damage decreased to 22, down from 34.
Shotgun Pellet Damage decreased to 15, down from 17.

A.I. combatants in Strongholds, or Black Sites, will evacuate the area during the three final circles.

Champion’s Quest

Players may notice an adjustment made to in-game difficulty.
A new Weapon Blueprint reward is now available for completing Champion’s Quest:
The Season 1 FTac Recon “Brass Tacks” Weapon Blueprint reward has been vaulted
All other Champion’s Quest rewards remain the same

Backpacks and inventory

Loot will now drop out of all containers in the world, similar to loot from Supply Boxes.
Eliminated players will drop loot onto the ground rather than loot-filled Backpacks.
To better define each player’s role within the match, Medium and Large Backpacks will no longer be found in the environment.
Every Player will have the same Small Backpack throughout the entire game.
When Players expend an item in their active Loadout, stored items from the Backpack will no longer fill that slot. The only two items that will still automatically populate the Loadout from the Backpack are Armor Plates and Ammunition.

Note: The changes above should reduce the impact of stacking medical supplies, Equipment, and Killstreaks.

Loadout drops

A second Loadout Drop Public Event has been added, which means the drops will now happen on the first and fifth Circles in each match.

Spawn protection

Protects the player when they are between 64 to 19 meters off the ground.

Gulag

Players will now face one another in a 1v1 Gulag
Flag Control has replaced the Jailer as the overtime mechanic
Player Loadouts will change as Circles progress and can include:
Either assault rifles, submachine guns, or light machine guns as primary weapons.
Handguns will remain available as secondary weapons.
Snapshot Grenade as tactical equipment.
Shotguns have been removed.
Cash will now spawn as ground loot.

Improvements

Pre-match Loadout selection

Now able to select and edit Loadouts in pre-match lobbies

Plating improvements

Global plating animation speed increased by approximately 25%
Movement speed increased while plating
Players can now sprint while plating
Players can now bust through doors while plating

Ping visibility

Each squad member will have a unique color highlighting their name and pings.

Interrogation

The reveal mechanic has been changed from an orange outline to a red marker to remain consistent with similar mechanics.

Loot improvements

Improved the separation of loot on steep inclines and in tight areas.

UI/UX

Combat Records

Warzone 2 Combat Records will come online as part of Season 2. The statistics present in the Warzone 2 Combat Record will only be from the activation date forward, and will not include statistics from Season 1.

Play Again

This menu option enables players to do the following:

As the party leader (Play Again With This Squad, Play Again With Party, and Fill Squad).
As a squad member not in the party (Play Again With This Squad, Play Again With A New Squad).

Bug fixes

Expand Tweet

Fixed collision issues with various elements across Al Mazrah allowing players to exploit/peek/shoot through them.
Fixed an issue causing Loadout icons to disappear on the Tac Map.
Fixed an issue where Custom Loadouts would reset to a Default Loadout after exiting a match.
Fixed an issue where players could continue driving vehicles after running out of fuel.
Fixed an issue where the Revive Pistol could be duplicated.
Fixed an issue where the Revive Pistol would not do melee damage to downed players.
Fixed an issue where Stronghold Bombs could be defused through walls.
Fixed an issue where the Champion’s Quest Bombsite would spawn near water and cause a physics issue.
Fixed an issue where Helicopters could sometimes clip through the Control Tower at Al Malik Airport.
Fixed an issue that caused obstructed or misaligned loot.
Fixed an issue that caused geographic elements to float.
Fixed an issue that caused corrupted lighting inside of one the Mawizeh Marsh buildings.
Fixed an issue with Loadout Drops around Mawizeh Marsh.
Fixed an issue where the Heartbeat Sensor was tracking incorrectly, almost never showing players on the radar.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to duplicate Field Upgrades.
Fixed an issue that allowed players to see the Bonus Battle Royale Challenge prior to completing Daily Challenges.

DMZ

Warzone 2 DMZ Changes (Image via Activision)

GENERAL

New Exclusion Zone

Ashika Island

New Weapons Case.
New boss: The Bombmaker.
New rewards.
New locked and dangerous spaces.

New Faction

Crown

New Faction Mission set
Available to Modern Warfare 2 owners only

Season 2 reset

Faction Mission progress has been reset for Season 2.
Previously unlocked Insured Weapon slots will remain unlocked.
Contraband weapon inventories have been reverted to starting weapons.
Key stashes have been emptied.

Mission refresh

New mission sets have arrived with Season 2 for all players. These are comprised of new missions, updated missions, and some returning missions.
New mission sets will send players to all three Exclusion Zones of DMZ.
The Key Stash can now hold items for missions so players can transport them across Exclusion Zones to complete objectives.

Gameplay

Expand Tweet

Missions

Adjusted the overall scaling of difficulty in Missions as the Faction Mission Tiers progress.

Contracts

Secure Intel Contract no longer calls reinforcements to the radio tower.
The Attack Helicopter in Cargo Contracts will now react more quickly to the vehicle’s movement while firing, and the Attack Helicopter’s missiles will more accurately hit the Operator vehicle when moving slowly.
The HVTs for “Eliminate HVT contracts” will now drop more rare keys and will sometimes drop stronghold keycards

Enemy tuning

Adjusted lethality of AI across Al Mazrah, including number of AI spawning and the accuracy of AI at range.

Locations

Infiltration locations have been updated in Al Mazrah.
Dead Drop locations have been updated in Al Mazrah.
Exfiltration locations have been updated in Al Mazrah.
Boss locations have been updated in Al Mazrah.

Adjustments

Plating improvements

Global plating animation speed increased by approximately 25%.
Movement speed increased while plating.
Players can now sprint while plating.
Players can now bust through doors while plating.

Ping visibility

Each squad member will have a unique color highlighting their name and pings.

Interrogation

The reveal mechanic has been changed from an orange outline to a red marker to remain consistent with similar mechanics.

Bug fixes

Fixed an issue where attempting to pick up an Armor Plate with a full inventory could sometimes cause a crash.
Fixed an issue where players could duplicate weapons in DMZ
Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on the infiltration screen.
Fixed an issue where players couldn't mute their squadmates
Fixed an issue where two exfil helicopters could collide
Reduced instances of players becoming stuck on a “downloading instance inventory” message.
Fixed an issue that would cause two items to be removed from a backpack when trying to remove only one in the pre-game loadout screen
Fixed an issue that allowed players to duplicate Field Upgrades and Killstreaks
Fixed some issues that caused obstructed or misaligned loot

Looking ahead

Season 2 Reloaded

This is what the developers had to say regarding Season 2 Reloaded:

"We can’t wait for you to drop into all the action in Season 2, but Season 2 Reloaded is just around the corner with new content and a limited-time holiday event! Players can look forward to a brand-new RAID episode, new Multiplayer Modes, a new 6v6 Multiplayer map, and more."

Season 3 confirmed

The developers are hard at work on Season 3 and beyond and are excited to share some of the awesome new content ahead, which includes:

Gun Fight returns to Multiplayer with new maps each season.
Plunder returns to Warzone.
Warzone Ranked confirmed.

With so many changes, Season 2 is sure to be a blast.