Call of Duty: Warzone has already attracted 30 million players to drop into the Warzone. So if you want to make it against the ever-increasing competition, you need some intel before jumping to the battlegrounds. Surviving against 140+ other players is no easy feat, but there are many things you can do to make it easier to outlast your opponents. There’s no golden strategy that will guarantee your victory, but if you follow these Warzone tips and tricks, you should notice an improvement in your performance throughout each match.
These are 20 Warzone tips and tricks to help you survive in Battle Royale.
Table of Contents
Know the map to realize the best places for landing
Warzone’s map is big, very big. Each zone has its advantages and disadvantages and the gameplay will not be the same in every place. To start, look where the red starting circle is and then decide how you want to play the game.
For example, Superstore or TV Station are good options to get into the pile and collect kills and equipment right from the start, but the risks are higher.
However, if you want to play cautiously and put the odds on your side, choose a place far away from the plane’s path to land. Open your parachute early to get as far away as possible and choose places where other players don’t land in. Then, stay on the edge of the area as you go along so you never get caught by the enemies behind your back and move forward carefully.
Pop and cut your chute to drop more quickly
Pretty much the minute Warzone went live, players figured out a cheeky way to get a bit of a headstart in a match. As you drop from the cargo plane over the map, you can pop your parachute whenever you like to glide down more slowly. What people realized, though, is that you can actually cut your cord to dive again and re-pop your parachute as many times you like. Now people are using that to their advantage.
Firstly, as you fall, popping your chute then cutting the cords seems to give you a short speed boost, and throws you forward more aggressively, letting you cover ground more quickly to get to your chosen landing zone.
Secondly, after you cut your parachute away you get a few seconds where your starting pistol is drawn, potentially letting you get some shots away at other people falling, to get that first little advantage.
Earn some extra XP
You can grind some XP in the pre-game. Get some XP on your weapons or overall character by getting kills in the pre-game “warmup” mode while everyone loads in before the proper match. Plus it’s fun, and good practice while you kill the time.
Communicate with your team
If you play as a squad, remember that good communication is an important factor in winning. It is best to play with people you know, but playing with strangers can also lead to victory.
In any case, use pings wisely and avoid voice chat spam. Point out interesting loots you don’t want to your teammates, let them know about your moves and warn them about enemies before you engage them so you have a better chance of eliminating them quickly.
Shield yourself at all times
Unlike in other Battle Royale games, shields in Warzone do not consist of helmets or special protection gears. They are rather a sort of armor plates that are applied under the uniform. The player may apply up to 3 plates to increase the health pool from HP100 to HP250. However, each player may store up to 5 armor plates, so they can offer the extra plates to teammates with low HP when need be.
Watch the drops
At regular intervals, box drops will take place on the map. These crates allow you to equip yourself with classes previously created for Warzone. As a result, this event will often attract many close players.
So unless you’re already in the area and not well equipped, don’t rush into the drop, or you’ll be targeted. Take the opportunity to gain height, target the drop, and get rid of the poor souls attracted by the cash register. Once the cleaning is done, you will only have to pick up the loots.
Pool your resources
It’s very hard to win Warzone entirely on your own, although you can of course try (by toggling “auto-fill” off in the pre-game menu). The best we’ve done on our own is third. In a squad, you can literally pool your money together to buy each other items at shopping stations, you can drop gear for each other to share excess ammo, weapons, or shield plates, mark enemies for each other, and strategies. Like so many things, Warzone is better with friends.
Don’t forget the importance of contracts and money
When you first started in Warzone, you may have been surprised by the existence of contracts and told yourself that you didn’t want to waste time filling them out. But on the contrary, they are very important. By chaining them together you can get bonus money and get rich very quickly. Moreover, they also have tactical importance. The five main Contracts are as follows:
- Bounty: Target the general location of a specific player
- Recon: Capture a nearby point to discover the location of the next circle
- Scavenger: Open three nearby chests to acquire gear
- Most Wanted: Mark yourself on the map and survive for three minutes
- Supply Run: Reach a nearby Buy Station within the time limit to earn discounts
With each Contract you complete, your Contract multiplier goes up, meaning you’ll gain more rewards with each one you finish. Keep going for Contracts for huge bonuses to cash, XP, and weapon XP.
Money, on the other hand, allows you to buy equipment. As you get richer, there are certain objects and equipment to be favored. The self-rescue kit allows you to escape certain death and save parts, do not neglect it. Strikes are also valuable assets for defeating localized squads, and drones give you a significant advantage at the end of the game.
Watch for flares
You might not have realised it, but there are two situations in Warzone that send up a signal flare into the sky for nearby players to see. One is starting to capture a Recon contract point, which sends up a white flare, while the other is buying back a squadmate, which sends up a red flare.
Keep an eye out for these signals as you move around the map, and you could get the drop on a team camping a capture point or waiting for an unlooted squadmate to return to the fray.
Use the in-game stores
These are marked by little shopping trollies on your map. Visit one and use the cash earned in that match – from kills and collecting loose cash from looting – to buy things like additional armor plates, the self-resurrection ability, or other bonuses.
Ensure victory in the Gulag
After the first death, you will end up in the Gulag with a chance to return to the game if you win. So to win, play smart.
Tags are a very useful tool. By spraying your future enemy with paint before facing him, you will make him more visible and he will be an easier target afterward.
If one of your teammates has to fight as well, help yourself by indicating where your opponent is. Rocks are also very handy to distract your teammate’s enemy.
After a while, the flag will appear, offering the victory to whoever stands on it for a few seconds. If your enemy is far away, go for it. If not, wait for him nearby to surprise him when he comes to capture it.
Beware the gas mask
As you enter the endgame of a match, a popular and powerful tactic is to hug the gas ring’s outer edge as it closes, picking off fleeing targets and staying just ahead of it yourself. This basically requires you to have a gas mask, so that you’re less at risk yourself, but be aware that the mask’s on-off animations are hugely disruptive.
The first time it happens to you, it’ll ruin your day, but your character pulling the mask on and off can interrupt your firing and reduce you to useless hip fire for a couple of seconds at key moments, so be sure to plan for it. It’s not necessarily something you’ll ever be able to reliably control, but if you learn to expect the disruption you’ll at least stop being quite so annoyed by it.
Be Aggressive
When you see enemies, be aggressive. Warzone is hugely psychological, and a hail of incoming fire can be enough to spook enemies into leaving cover, panicking, or otherwise losing out. It’s easier to rush enemies than to hold a position in most cases, if you’re smart with cover and sightlines don’t be afraid to trade fire!
Engage according to your gear
All that said about aggression, there’s no point fighting in close ranger with a sniper, or long-range with an SMG. The guns are pretty inflexible, barring the Assault Rifles and LMGs which are a bit more rounded, so fight according to your loadout and specialism. Here are the best Warzone weapons for each distance, while we’re at it.
Play to your strengths
We’ll be frank – Warzone is hard. Not everyone can pull off back-to-back headshots with a sniper, and not everyone can wipe an entire squad with just one clip of their weapon. It takes hours of practice to get to that point, so until then, play to your strengths.
Some players are better with SMGs, others tend to play more aggressively, and so on. Learn your play style and own it. It takes time to figure it out, but once you do, you’ll find that the flow of matches will start to lean in your favor.
Do not shoot unless you’re sure you’ll secure the elimination
This is a big one. Even veteran players make the mistake of shooting an enemy as soon as they appear on the screen. It’s easy to see why, but in many situations, all this does is alert the enemy of your position, allowing them to take cover, plate up, and prepare for retaliation.
Instead, wait until there’s less cover for the enemy to hide behind and be certain there are no other teammates nearby who will come in for backup. Unless you’re an experienced player, we highly advise to avoid taking shots unless you’re absolutely certain you can pull off the kill.
Don’t revive a teammate until you’re sure it’s safe
If a teammate goes down, make sure the enemy that took them down is either dead or far away before going for the revive. When reviving, you’re vulnerable and are an easy target for a kill. Also, pay attention, as reviving makes a distinct sound that your enemy can hear!
Vary your gun types
Players have the ability to carry two weapons. Don’t be redundant by carrying two of the same weapon class. This helps in two ways:
- It gives you the ability to fight in more ways if you can pair a long-range weapon (like a sniper or marksman rifle) with a close-range weapon (think submachine gun or midrange AR).
- It allows you to use two different types of ammo, instead of draining all from the same pool.
This can extend to your squad as well. You don’t all need sniper rifles. If one player is better with one, let them put down shots from a distance while others push with ARs/SMGs. Again, this will let you all make the most of your collective ammo pool.
Find police departments (and their ammo pallets)
It won’t give you as much ammo as a munitions box, but if you go into a police station you’ll see a pallet of canvas-covered crates located in the front left corner (if you go in the front door). Press the interact button to snag a few extra magazines.
Tall buildings = sniper fests. Plan accordingly.
If you’re moving in or near the Downtown or Hospital areas of the map, there’s almost certainly at least one sniper on a rooftop looking for a kill. Depending on where the circle goes, you may not have a choice but to head into these areas, so don’t be the sucker who runs in the open. Stay close to the sides of the streets, uptight against the buildings. It’ll be much harder to see (and hit) you there. And if the gas is closing through the downtown area, be mindful that there may be a sniper or team parachuting off the building just ahead of it. In that scenario, they can make for easy targets.