As part of Activision’s ostensible effort to remake Warzone 2 into Warzone 1(opens in new tab), the game’s season 2 update released today brings back Resurgence, a fan favorite mode, on a brand-new little map with a Japanese theme called Ashika Island. Al Mazrah also features a few new weapons, streamlined treasure, and fresh areas of interest.
With the patch, Warzone 2’s current digital footprint will be roughly 30GB on all platforms (or up to 100GB if you have the rest of Modern Warfare 2 installed as well).
The additional room is worthwhile because gamers have been requesting an alternative to Warzone 2’s enormous 150-player Al Mazrah map ever since the game’s release in November.
A rarity for Warzone, where modes normally cycle in and out on a weekly basis, the experimental Rebirth Island map and Resurgence mode from Warzone 1 proved to be so popular that creator Raven Software kept them on as a semi-permanent mode. Small map fans now have a permanent home, as the verbiage around today’s Season 2 release reveals Ashika Island isn’t a time-limited event.
A bonus for Warzone 2’s unexpectedly decent extraction-lite sandbox mode, DMZ, is Ashika Island. The new area, which is playable in DMZ, has a new NPC monster named the Bombmaker, who guards a brand-new weapon case that likely contains an unlockable blueprint.
There is also the Rusher, a brand-new variety of NPC grunts that have invaded all modes and battlefields. The Rusher is a close-range foe with a shortsword and pistol that runs swiftly, repositions with “little smoke bombs,” and has a low health bar.
Related: CoD: Warzone 2 And Modern Warfare 2 May Be Delayed
Of course, there is also a fresh battle pass to overcome. Right now, there is only one way to gain access to the brand-new KV Broadside shotgun and Hemlock assault weapon. Activision has introduced the 6v6 Valderas Museum, which hasn’t been seen since the beta version of Modern Warfare 2 last year and split off a few more sections of Al Mazrah into individual maps.
Some CoD gamers still feel underserved by the traditional Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer, while other CoD players are still turned off by Warzone 2.0. Infinity Ward responded by saying that the Season 2 midseason update would include the introduction of yet another new 6v6 map.
