Why Warzone is the best Battle Royale ever made

Call of Duty Warzone has ushered in a new wave of excitement around the Battle Royales, but can it be considered the best in the genre?

Creating a successful Battle Royale in some sense is like reinventing the wheel. The formula for success already exists, huge lobbies, scavenging mini-games, and the infamous circle that dwindles until the end of the game. Titles such as Fortnite or PUBG have all but perfected the genre, yet new BRs are churned out constantly.

Call of Duty, a franchise that has existed since 2004, entered the BR arena in 2020. The inception of Call of Duty Warzone changed the game and managed to evaluate the experience of an otherwise over saturated genre. By building on the fundamentals of BRs and improving on the genre’s inherent weaknesses, Activision has made something that will last.

Killing the lulls

In Battle Royales generally, it is easy to feel lost and simply moving from team fight to team fight. These lulls between gun battles is often filled by scavenging and pathing to avoid the ever encroaching circle. For both players and observers, this is a rather monotonous task that fills up a majority of your actual play time. Warzone introduced a creative solution to not only fill the gaps in game play but also provide players a greater sense of purpose.

Contracts which act as mini-games add a sense of variety and uniqueness to each match. For players new to Battle Royales, contracts can prevent you from aimlessly wandering from fight to fight. Contracts also encourage a greater amount of skirmishing since it incentivizes gun fights, providing rewards for players able to complete them.

Dropping into action

The concept of ‘dropping’ into the map has been integral to BRs ever since it’s popularization. Controlling the drop however is a relatively new idea as most games have static fall speeds. In Warzone, you get greater agency over your drops by being able to retract and re-deploy your chute, providing a short burst of speed.

Given the diversity in Verdansk ’84, in both sprawling open areas and condensed zones prone to team fights, spotting an opportune landing zone is key to success. Giving players such control over something as fundamental as landing allows teams to better prepare strategies before they even hit the ground.

Loadouts are a lifesaver

In most Battle Royales, players are completely reliant on the random generated weapons scattered around the map. Though some games like Fortnite add some similar features, only Warzone gives you direct access to your specific arsenal. Loadouts allow players to drop in their personally customized loadout from multiplayer. This is once again a feature that gives players control over the course of a game by providing them with the weapons they are the most comfortable with.

The entire credits system is a complete reconstructing of the typical equipment mini game. Moving away from game play completely contingent on scavenging creates a significantly better player experience. Loadouts are not exclusive to the weapons, but can give teams UAVs and other utility. Giving more choice into the hands of players is what sets Warzone apart from its competitors.

The second chance gulag

Out of all of Warzone’s unique features and contributions to the Battle Royale genre, the gulag is perhaps the most iconic. The ability for killed players to face each other in order to get back into the game is an incredible addition to a game’s mechanic. Too often in BRs do teams drop and are quick to get annihilated before they even get their momentum. Having a formerly dead teammate jump back into the game can completely change the course of any given lobby.

The gulag on its own is an immensely fun arena where players get to square off in a 1-on-1 environment. One of the most tense, exciting features of a game in recent memory, the gulag is a large part of what has made Warzone such a successful game.

Can Warzone stay king of the hill?

Unlike many of Warzone’s contemporaries, getting first place is not the only motivating factor in a game. Contracts, the gulag, and even fundamentals such as dropping into the map are all rewarding experience that exist outside of simply contending to be the last squad. Every game can be a unique experience that gives agency into the hands of the players.

As of right now, Call of Duty Warzone sits on the Battle Royale throne. Whether or not Warzone can maintain this success has yet to be seen, especially as Activision’s ambitions grow. One thing is certain however, Warzone is the best BR we’ve seen to date.

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