TheCall of Duty: Warzonenuke event has been built up since the middle of 2020, with murmurs first beginning almost a full year ago. In that time, players have been met with numerous ups and downs regarding its legitimacy. Severalpossible start dateshave passed, with in-game teasers seemingly leading to nothing. However, the most recent leaks have started to prove accurate, with new teasers seemingly confirming that Season 3 will finally see the event to begin.
While the nuke event finally becoming a reality as opposed to a pipe dream is good news, there is a chance thatCall of Duty: Warzonefans are let down by the event. Not only is it extremely challenging to live up to several months of hype, but anything missing from the leaks will surely be brought up by fans. With recent reports suggesting that one of the most exciting aspects of the event could be far less impactful, it is becoming increasingly likely that a portion of the community sees the event as a major disappointment.
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The Downside To Months Of Build-Up
Back in May of last year,Call of Duty: Warzoneplayers have been hyping themselves up about a potential nuke event. A nuclear bomb was found insideone of Verdank’s bunkers, with players expecting the nuke to decimate Verdansk. However, several months passed without anything happening. Eventually, a cutscene was added where the nuke was disarmed by Captain Price, something that saw fans losing hope in the map getting a massive, Fortnite caliber in-game event.
Soon after this cutscene, however, the leaks began. While they were initially vague, the rumors began to become increasingly specific, with many proving to be accurate. Leakers predicted that Zombies would be added to Verdansk, and sure enough, the undead are still continuing to spread to new locations with each passing week. Soon, leaks were replaced with clear teasers, with Raven Software adding in exploding map easter eggs andmissiles flying throughout the skiesof the Russian country. Seemingly confirming that something big is coming, the nuke event seems more real than ever before thanks to these official additions to the game.
Leakers have suggested that a specialPvE Plague game modewill see players clearing out the infected zones of the map, wiping out hordes of Zombies one-by-one as they progress through each of the different. The mode will eventually see the map being nuked if players fail to kill the Zombies properly, with squads then needing to exfiltrate from the area before it is too late. While this does work with the current mechanics of the game, it would be the first time that a full-fledged PvE offering appears insideCall of Duty: Warzone. Post-event, players have been assured that a new map will arrive in Verdansk’s place — though this is only partially true. Still, these rumors have understandably hyped up fans, meaning that any aspect of the event that is unlike the leaks will frustrate many.
On the flip side, the long path to this event has led some players to lose interest in the nuke and everything related to it. SomeCall of Duty: Warzonefans are tired of waitingfor something to happen, with each new Zombie addition feeling less meaningful than the last. Players have seemingly known what the nuke event will entail for a number of months, with all the waiting feeling pointless to those in the know. As such, gamers being bored of the buildup to the nuke could prove just as damaging as having lofty expectations for the event.
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A Lackluster Result
Right now, the biggest danger forCall of Duty: Warzone’s nuke event is that it will notbe a game changerlike leakers had implied. While the nuking of Verdansk will surely be a visual spectacle, it is what comes after that has brought the most excitement. Since discussion of the Verdansk nuke began, players have been assured that a new map will be coming. With several leaks about an Ural Mountains map comprised ofCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Fireteam locations, fans assumed this would be the new play space. Apparently, though, this is not happening.
A massive leak has depicted footage of a new,1980s version of Verdansk, as an unfinished trailer has appeared online. The map will rework several sections that fans are currently familiar with. The Dam, for example, will be turned into a bridge, while the Stadium will be seen under construction instead of being complete. Though this fits withCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s time period and makes sense story-wise, as players can explore an older version of Verdansk that is not completely destroyed, it is far from the full new map that fans have been expecting to release after the nuke event.
Supposedly, theUral Mountains map has been canceled, with the location meant for a scrapped version of Blackout 2 that never came to be. If this is true, and players never get to play on the map, this could be a major blow to theCall of Duty: Warzonecommunity. Fans were sold on having the chance to explore areas like the Ski Slopes and a Zoo, as the map would provide an entirely different vibe to the realistic Verdansk. With the map supposedly cut alongside the Blackout follow-up so that it would not distract fromCall of Duty: Warzone’s success, players will instead get more of the same.
Not only is this disappointing for those that have had their fill of Verdansk, but this leak kills much of the hype forthe 250-player gameplaythat was supposedly set to be added alongside the Ural Mountains. It seems unlikely that a re-skinned Verdansk could incorporate 100 more Operators, meaning that this rumor was likely tied to the Ural Mountains addition as well. The swimming mechanics and water-based vehicles ofCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waralso seem unlikely to appear. In turn, players hoping for even more action in their matches may be disappointed come April 22.
Based on the most recent rumors, the nuke event could be a lot less exciting than it has hyped up to be. While fans making time lapses andspecial nuke posterswill surely be satisfied with the explosion, those expecting it to drastically changeCall of Duty: Warzonecould be let down. While a 1980s version of Verdansk will be different, it may not be enough to draw in new players or win back those that moved on to another battle royale game.
Call of Duty: Warzoneis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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