Warzone 2.0 won’t be replacing the original, at least for the time being, which is a welcome surprise given the tendency of F2P titles to frequently see old content overwritten in order to make way for whatever’s coming next. This hints that 2.0 is likely to have a quite different feel than its predecessor, thanks to being built on the same new architecture developed to support MW2. There’ll be new content, systems, and progress milestones to get to grips with — along with a brand-new map, Al Mazrah, capital of the fictional Western Asian nation of the Republic of Adal. On this page, we’ll run through everything we know so far about Al Mazrah and keep you updated with more details as we learn them.
What will feature in Warzone 2.0’s Al Mazrah map?
Here’s the first-look map of Al Mazrah that’s been revealed as part of the recent COD Next event: As you can see, as with COD maps in the past, Al Mazrah is divided into a number of regions with distinctive functions and themes. It encompasses both a highly modern metropolitan area and the city’s more rural outskirks, and even takes in some ancient ruins in parts of the map that have been left to go back to nature. Here’s a quick run-down of every area of Al Mazrah that’s been revealed so far:
Al Mazrah City: The capital of the Republic of Adal is on the cutting edge of modern architecture in its downtown district. Some impressive high rises are a stand-out feature, sure to present a new challenge even to veteran COD players. Taraq Village: The abandoned ruins of a bombed-out modern town. Tight streets and short sightlines are specifically designed to allow for tense small-quad combat and 1v1 duels. Oasis: The site of an ancient settlement, long since allowed to return to nature. Home to several freshwater pools where you’ll no doubt be able to practice COD’s new aquatic combat systems. Rohan Oil: A sprawling factory complex based around an oil refinery. Quarry: One of Al Mazrah’s largest map regions, featuring both built-up warehouse districts and the more open areas of the quarry itself. Port: An oceanside industrial space characterised by both wide open spaces and built-up warehouse districts. Expect many of the new water vehicles to be accessible from here. Sa’id City: A largely indoor area centred around a sprawling mall complex, but contrasted with some impressively big outdoor spaces like the city’s football stadium and carnival. Looks like a good spot to head to if you’re in the mood to switch up your playstyles quickly. Caves: In addition to the underground tunnel network the name suggests, this region includes several other points of note, including a crashed plane and a communications tower, alongside some small villages and hamlets. Hydroelectric: A mixed area featuring both industrial and residential buildings, Hydroelectric is nevertheless notable (as you might expect) for the bridges and dams that intersect Al Mazrah’s winding river. Expect some dynamic set-pieces in this region when 2.0 goes live. Observatory: The highest point in Al Mazrah is home to an astronomical research facility spanning several buildings, including multiple telescope towers, though some of the buildings are less intact than others. Marshlands: A former luxury resort in the process of returning to nature, after flooding forced the business owners and local residents to abandon the site. With the river encroaching from all sides, expect this to become yet another playground for testing out MW2’s aquatic combat features. Al Sharim Pass: An area with a tall hill as its centrepoint, with an old monastery at the top and a modern zoo at its base. There are residential areas here too, but the titular pass means that there are still plenty of wide open spaces to allow for more ranged and large-scale combat encounters. Akhdar Village: An ancient village still occupied into the modern day, Ahkdar is built like a fortress with a communal courtyard at its centre, but also features modern apartments. This looks to be another prime location for close-quarters combat and stealthy evasions. Cemetary: A flat area of open land with very little in the way of cover, this derelict graveyard looks to be one of the most challenging areas of the map to engage in large-scale combat. Sawah Village: A coastal village now partially-submerged by rising seawaters. However, the most noteworthy feature is doubtlessly the enormous freighter ship that’s been abandoned here after crashing right into the centre of town. This creates both some interesting water hazards for you to navigate, and a unqiue archictectural space, to say the least. Sarrif Bay: A historic fishing settlement turned modern tourist destination, this region lies on a spit of land that winds through several waterways. There’s a lighthouse at the very tip, as well as another small port where it looks like you’ll be able to pick up a variety of vehicles. Airport: Located at the south-eastern tip of mainland Al Mazrah, the region is what you’d expect of an aiport in a busy modern city. An ATC tower provides a convenient vantage point over the open spaces of the runways, but the airport terminal and surrounding buildings have the potential to provide plenty of cover. Al Barga Fortress: An ancient walled city standing on an island just off the coast, turned into Al Mazrah’s museum to its own history. A winding but wide modern road surrounds a central structure with an open courtyard, but plenty of interior areas where you can easily blend into the shadows.
What missions will be available in Al Mazrah?
According to the dev blog, a wide variety of missions will be available to play on the Al Mazrah map once Warzone 2.0 launches. These include: “four-player special operations, 6v6 squad battles, Ground War operations, up-to-150-player Battle Royales, and more.” Al Mazrah will also have a major role to play in both the Campaign and post-campaign events, according to the same blog post. Activision Blizzard are currently the subject of a number of legal actions, labour disputes and allegations of workplace harassment. Rock Paper Shotgun will continue to write about these issues, as well as covering Activision Blizzard games as part of our commitment to cover subjects of interest to our readers. The latest news can always be found under our Activision Blizzard tag. That’s everything we know about Al Mazrah in Warzone 2.0 for the time being, but we’ll be keeping this page updated with more news as we learn it. Check back for events and mission playlists, further points of interest, loot locations, and more in the coming weeks!
