For the first time in what feels like ages, Call of Duty is innovating again. Even bogged down by a rough launch and saddled with an agonizingly clunky user interface, Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is still
WARZONE 2 LAUNCH WEEK
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)
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The best places to drop in Warzone 2 Al Mazrah (opens in new tab)
For the first time in what feels like ages, Call of Duty is innovating again. Even bogged down by a rough launch and saddled with an agonizingly clunky user interface, Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is still a massive step up over its predecessor.
A battle royale game is only as good as its map(s), and Al Mazrah is up there as one of the best I’ve yet played on. A jewel of the Islamic Golden Age, the fictional Syria-like has been laid low by internal strife and foreign intervention. Gaudy contemporary business districts contrast wonderfully against the mosques and bazaars, creating a map that feels much more lived in than predecessors Verdansk and Caldera.
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Al-Mazrah’s been carved up not only by foreign capital, but climate change as well, leaving a network of man-made waterways that allow for easy traversal via boat. Strongholds populated by surprisingly vicious AI goons dot the map. These encounters are tough but predictable, serving as a great warmup in the early to mid-game, making the Warzone 2 structure feel less like a strict battle royale and more like an MMO PvP area.