Shubham Sawarkar
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Season Two of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone (both are free through the Xbox Store) are packed with a new chemical weapon, Nebula V, which challenges the Axis and Allied forces’ power balance and more.
These updates will be available to download at 9 AM PT on February 10 for Vanguard and at 9 AM on February 14 for Warzone on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC platforms, after which both updates become live. Once both updates are downloaded, you can enjoy Double XP opportunities across both games to celebrate the launch of this new season.
You’ll need all the aid you can get to deal with a threat this big. Season Two Battle Pass has everything you’ll need, including 100 Tiers of new content. Here are a few of the highlights:
These updates will include various fixes, quality of life updates, and other features that all studios worked on in the lead-up to Season Two. Such improvements will be similar to those leading up to this new season: a recent Vanguard update addressed low visibility issues due to smoke and fire, along with nerfs to shotguns like the Double Barrel (when Akimboed).
- New Features: Nebula V, Redeploy Balloons, and More. Nebula V Ammo and Bombs create new offensive tactics, while Portable Decontamination Stations offer temporary refuge. Alternatively, take to the skies with Redeploy Balloons and Bomber planes.
- Explore the Chemical Factory and underground Chemical Weapon Research Labs, Watch for Armored Transport. Fresh points of interest in Caldera are here to shake up those rotations. Axis soldiers patrol these new areas and are found around the island in vehicles…Defeat them for powerful rewards.
- Caldera Clash at Launch, Rebirth Reinforced Midseason. The massive team fight returns — rank up those weapons and fight for Caldera outside of traditional modes. Meanwhile, there are rumors of a resurgence at Rebirth Island…and we’re not talking about the game mode.
Nebula V — Ammo and Bombs
Nebula V is meant for larger-scale armaments but can be used for small-arms ammunition and bombs, both found in extremely small quantities around Caldera.
Nebula V Ammo
Classified as a Field Upgrade in Warzone, Nebula V Ammo is no stronger than regular bullets but does have one major exception: when an Operator is downed by them, they will emit a poisonous gas cloud.
Anyone attempting to revive this Operator — or standing within a few feet of them — will face similar complications to Circle Collapse exposure: coughing, blurred vision, and a slight amount of damage over time, whether that be to a player’s health or to their Gas Mask duration.
Nebula V Ammo takes up only a single clip of ammunition, but for some weapons, that may be enough to turn the tide of a team fight, especially within interior spaces.
Nebula V Bombs
One of the rarest items in Warzone is the Nebula V Bomb, a locked briefcase full of deadly gas with an explosive charge.
Once activated and set down in front of an Operator, it will detonate after a fixed countdown and cannot be disarmed or destroyed. Its initial explosion deals a high amount of damage in a small radius before the gas spreads outward, where it will hurt any Operator without a Gas Mask. The gas lingers for two minutes before ultimately dispersing or feeding into the oncoming Circle Collapse.
Operators can potentially outrun this explosive aftermath just as they would the Circle Collapse, but in terms of an area denial tool, the Nebula V Bomb is a powerful force…if you can find it.
Portable Decontamination Stations (P.D.S.)
Despite its toxicity, Nebula V can also be temporarily dispersed.
The Portable Decontamination Station, new Field Equipment in Caldera, is a portable device that filtrates air for several seconds, protecting anyone inside from the Circle Collapses or Nebula V gas.
These devices impact all Operator Tac Maps, allowing everyone to see where they are currently activated, and they can be destroyed by explosives or ballistics. With these caveats in mind, the Portable Decontamination Station is still useful in surviving both old and new chemical threats, and could likely lead to some new positioning strategies for Battle Royale modes.
Armored Transport Trucks — Ominous Nebula V Machines of Destruction
Armored Transport Trucks are here in paradise, as the Axis deployed multiple vehicles to carry Nebula V and its derivatives around Caldera.
These unstoppable steel behemoths remotely roll on a set looping path, attacking those within its immediate vicinity with its two machine-gun turrets. Operators also need to avoid the mines it drops behind it, as well as the aerial support it calls in should it drop to low health.
Upon destruction, the Armored Transport Trucks will drop incredibly valuable items, including — in the rarest cases — an intact Nebula V Bomb.
New Points of Interest: The Chemical Factory and Chemical Weapon Research Labs
Aside from the massive stockpile in the Alps, Nebula V is located mostly in the factories and laboratories around Caldera and is heavily guarded by Axis forces.
Chemical Factory
The refinery between the Mines and Docks that once produced phosphate has been repurposed and is now a newly constructed plant spewing out Nebula V.
This newly named Chemical Factory has a similar layout to the location it replaced, but with several notable differences, including enemy soldiers who protect the facility and a trap that can be sprung in the central building. There are several more interior spaces to explore, from the main factory floor to watchtowers with impressive sightlines over the facility and its surroundings. The river runs green with Nebula V’s by-product, but it is completely harmless.
Squads who infiltrate this highly lethal area will walk away with more valuable loot on average, which may help in the ensuing fight against both the Circle Collapse and Nebula V Bombs.
Underground Chemical Weapon Research Labs
According to current intel, the Axis operated seven research laboratories around the island, hiding them underground and guarding them with small squads of soldiers.
Expert trackers may have already found these lab locations around Caldera…but the average Operator may find them thanks to several hand-drawn yellow circles on their Tac Map.
With only one way into these facilities, your squad better have an escape plan before the Circle Collapse — or enemy squads — threatens your chances at walking away with phenomenal Loadout items, which may include Gas Masks and Nebula V Ammo.
Other New Features: Bomber Planes and Redeploy Balloons
Nebula V isn’t the only new feature coming in Season Two, as Operators can take to the skies either in a new Bomber Plane or via Redeploy Balloons.
Bomber Plane
The second aerial vehicle in Vanguard modes in Warzone, the Bomber is a formidable air-to-ground striker capable of leveling infantry and vehicles.
Bombers can also destroy Loadout Drops, which can fundamentally change how Operators approach these powerful sources of weapons.
While this new aircraft can shatter Anti-Air Guns and destroy ground-level threats, it may meet its match when confronting the Fighter Plane, which continues to be available in Vanguard Royale. Alternatively, drop into a stationary or truck-mounted AA Gun and bring down these airborne behemoths with vim and vigor!
Furthermore, players can expect to see health decreases to both planes as part of this update, making them easier to shoot down should they pose a threat to you or your squad.
Redeploy Balloon
Shown on the Tac Map as a blimp icon, the Redeploy Balloon is a ticket back into the skies to reposition thousands of meters away from your set location.
Operators can ascend to the top of the balloon via a zipline tethered to the balloon, then leap off at the top and deploy their parachute to cover great distances. Planes or weaponry can destroy the Redeploy Balloon, and once the Balloon is deflated, Operators can spend a few hundred bucks to reinflate it.
This new movement option can be exceptional for repositioning across the map…so long as you watch out for bogeys entering your airspace.
New Modes: Caldera Clash Kicks off Season Two, Rebirth Iron Trial Duos Set to Begin
Outside of traditional Battle Royale and Plunder modes, Season Two will feature two limited-time experiences built by High Moon Studios and Beenox:
Caldera Clash — Level Up and Conquer Major Areas in This Team Deathmatch Twist
Developed by High Moon Studios, Caldera Clash pits two teams of up to 48 Operators (divided into Quads) in a Deathmatch with wild events and power-ups.
An evolution of Clash on Verdansk ’84 — and Warzone Rumble before it — Caldera Clash allows Operators to drop in with their Custom Loadout, which can have any weapons from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to Vanguard, and a Field Upgrade. Each kill earns their team a point, with the first team to reach a set number of points, or the team that has the most points when the time limit expires, claiming victory for their massive faction.
This mode features three power-ups, Contracts, Buy Stations, the Domination Capture and High-Value Target events, and other features from the original Clash, as well as two new events: Double Point zones and Bonus Point crates. These can help a team come back from a kill deficit or run away with the victory, but with dozens of Operators per side, the name of the game is keeping that kill-to-death ratio above 1.0.
Rebirth Iron Trials — Prove Your Presence Later This Season
Developed by Beenox based on Raven Software’s Iron Trials ’84, Rebirth Iron Trials is a Battle Royale variant custom-made for highly competitive players.
Featuring its own set of weaponry (from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War) and numerous rule changes to increase time-to-kill (TTK), this mode is built for the most hardcore members of our community. However, players of all skill levels who want a change of pace within Warzone should participate!
Those who can’t wait to learn more about this mode needn’t worry: this is a Duos mode — 20 squads of 2, for 40 Operators total — and uses a similar Circle Collapse size and speed. You can read up on the Iron Trials rule set, as well as strategies for surviving match, here.
Claim victory and receive a unique Animated Calling Card, a true sign of mastery over the Iron Trials.
Source: Call of Duty
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