Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific got its big season 4 update (opens in new tab) yesterday, and the game received the usual slew of sandbox tweaks alongside a new map for the Resurgence game mode.
I’m already sold on that new map, Fortune’s Keep, a Mediterranean fortress-island complete with a castle, winery, and smuggler’s cove. It has a vibrant, colorful look, and I’m impressed by its density and gameplay possibilities. You can climb up ivy-covered walls (opens in new tab) to secure vantage points and flank enemies, and even indulge in a spot of light parkour (opens in new tab) if you’re so inclined. The Warzone community on Reddit seems generally taken with it (opens in new tab) as well, with players especially praising its aesthetics (opens in new tab).
The only downside to Fortune Keep’s arrival, it seems, is that it has temporarily replaced the previous fan favorite Warzone map, Rebirth Island. Similar to when Activision chucked Verdansk in the bin to make room for Caldera, there’s apparently only room for one small map in Warzone’s rotation. Activision seems are of Rebirth Island’s popularity, though, and said the map will periodically return and swap places with Fortune’s Keep moving forward.
Balance-wise, the STG44 (or AR Alpha) assault rifle has taken a hit to damage, muzzle velocity, and critical multipliers. The STG is a top pick in Vanguard, and players have complained about its dominance in the past, so Raven has tried to rein in this popular choice a bit.
It may be quickly replaced by a new top dog: the NZ-41 assault rifle. The NZ-41 has gotten reduced recoil and burst fire cooldown, and you can now hold down the fire button to send out successive bursts instead of having to tap the trigger each time. There’s already a pretty active thread (opens in new tab) on the Warzone subreddit calling for nerfs, though plenty of users are pointing out that it’s nowhere near the misery of the game’s DMR meta.
Season 4 is shaping up to be a promising one for Warzone, and you can check out the entirety of Raven’s extensive patch notes here (opens in new tab). I’m still hung up on Fortune’s Keep—it seems more like a Sniper Elite map than a Call of Duty one, and strikes me as a clear knockout from Raven.
