Warzone 2 Season 2 patch notes: Ashika Island map, 1v1 Gulag, loot changes, more

Warzone 2 Season 2 delivers the first major update of 2023. From the new Ashika Island Resurgence map to additional weapons and more, here’s all there is to know.

Warzone 2’s successful launch coincided with a turbulent period shortly after, as player count numbers allegedly dropped faster “than expected,” with frustrations mounting. Infinity Ward heard the community’s criticism and promised wide-sweeping changes for Season 2.

With everything from a Resurgence-style map to customizable perks, 1v1 Gulag matches, and looting changes, there is plenty to be excited about as a Warzone 2 fan.

Here is everything you need to know about Warzone 2’s second season.

Contents

• Ashika Island
• Gulag and looting changes
• Cash and buy station changes
• Customizable perk packages
• Warzone Season 2 patch notes

Activision

Warzone 2’s second season is just around the corner.

New Ashika Island Resurgence map

Ashika Island is a bite-sized layout built from the ground up for fast-paced, Resurgence gameplay. With only a few POIs across the land, it promotes tight-knit combat for rapid games. Infinity Ward announced Ashika Island is “roughly 30% larger than previous small maps.”

Below is a full look at every POI to get you ahead of the curve:

• Tsuki Castle
• Town Center
• Beach Club
• Port Ashika
• Shipwreck
• Residential
• Oganikku Farms

The game mode will be available in solos, duos, trios, and quads, with playlist updates throughout the season.

Gulag & looting system changes

Activision

Warzone 2 is reverting to a 1v1 gulag system.

1v1 Gulag matches are back in place of the 2v2 format. Activision elaborated that a new 1v1 map will be available in future seasons, but the current map has been edited to better suit 1v1 engagements. Warzone 1’s domination style overtime also replaces the Jailer.

ARs, SMGs, and LMGs join the Gulag’s weapon pool, and shotguns are removed. This will make it easier for players to jump back into a match with weapons from the Gulag. Cash can be found on the Gulag floor, and winning matches reward money as well.

Explosive-style looting returns to Warzone 2 in Season 2. Instead of players needing to search through chests and opponents’ backpacks to find loot, Raven Software decided to bring back Warzone 1’s system. So when an enemy is killed, all of their loot explodes onto the floor.

Medium and large backpacks are removed from Warzone 2, and every player will have the same small backpack throughout an entire match in an effort to cut down on players stacking quick revives and killstreaks.

Cash & buy station price changes

Activision

Buy Stations have already undergone massive changes in Warzone 2.

Warzone 2 players have voiced concerns over steep loadout prices and struggling to find lootable cash.

Raven Software announced, “There’s now more lootable cash available in Battle Royale, and prices are getting balanced to give you more bang for your buck.”

Activision increased the lowest value of cash piles from ground loot to $800 and from cash registers to $500. The cost of primary weapons and loadout drop grenades at buy stations was also reduced.

Customizable Perk Packages

Players will finally be able to edit their own Warzone 2 Perks in Season 2. In the blog post, Activision announced, “this feature will launch with a slightly reduced pool of available Perks.”

The developers plan on slowly reintroducing perks over time with game balance in mind. Overclock and Birdseye are disabled in Season 2.

Warzone Season 2 patch notes

Here are the full Warzone Season 2 patch notes

• Al Mazrah
  • 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 02. 

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

For regular updates about the Playlist and other Scheduled Events, check out the dedicated Warzone Trello Board.

MODES

 New Limited-Time Mode

Resurgence is back! Grab your Squad and drop into this fast paced, high-action Mode that allows Squads to respawn as long as one member remains alive. The last Squad standing wins, regardless of how many times they’ve had to redeploy. Get ready for an intense fight.

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 & 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 & Seizure Contract

GENERAL

• 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

All Maps | 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 | 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 & Black Sites mission.

Ashika Island | Event

• Restore HonorNew 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 & SeizureNew 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)
  • 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 Players will need to defend their download against AI defenders and other Players.

• Redeploy DronesNew Field Upgrade (In-Season)
  • Interact with a cable suspended from a heavy lift drone to ascend skyward and quickly relocate.

• RusherNew 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.

• 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
        • It was previously mentioned that Cash would no longer be obtainable via Basic and Legendary Supply Boxes – this has since been adjusted

• Armor Plates & Vest
  • All Players will now have a 3-Plate Armor Vest at all times
  • Players will also spawn with a different number of equipped Armor Plates depending on the following:
    • Infil deployment
      • Players will deploy with 2 plates
    • Gulag redeployment
      • Players will redeploy with 3 plates
    • Resurgence redeployment
      • Players will redeploy with 2 plates

• 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 & Black Sites
  • Strongholds & Black Sites are now a primary way 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 3 final circles

• Champion’s Quest
  • Players may notice an adjustment to difficulty
  • A new Weapon Blueprint reward is now available for completing Champion’s Quest
    • The Season 01 FTac Recon “Brass Tacks” Weapon Blueprint reward has been vaulted
    • All other Champion’s Quest rewards remain the same

• Backpacks & 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.
    • 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 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 2.0 Combat Records will come online as part of Season 02. The statistics present in the Warzone 2.0 Combat Record will only be from the activation date forward, and will not include statistics from Season 01.

• 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

• 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.