It took months of slowly encroaching zombies and a gigantic nuclear blast to get to this point, but Call of Duty: Warzone’s revamped map, Verdansk ’84, is finally upon us. The map update turns back the clock on the original map almost 40 years to align with the narrative of Black Ops – Cold War following the nuclear destruction of Verdansk in the present.
It’s springtime in Verdansk ’84. The region’s muted midday greys have been traded for an early morning burnt orange with more vibrant vegetation and buildings that finally don’t mind sporting a bit of color. Don’t get it wrong, though—even this colorful reimagining of Verdansk is still an arid wasteland compared to Fortnite’s heavily saturated worlds (this is still Call of Duty). The general layout of the map hasn’t fundamentally changed, but many of its landmarks have been replaced with new or similar structures. Other familiar spots, like the Airport, have been heavily reworked with a new layout that Raven Software hopes will flow better for players.
Here are the biggest changes to look out for in Verdansk ’84:
1. Gora Summit (formerly Dam)
The big Gora Dam in the upper left (northwest) corner of the map is transforming into the Gora Summit, a new location based on the classic Black Ops 1 map (though noticeably lacking snow). According to Raven associate creative director Amos Hodge, Summit will fix one of Dam’s greatest shortcomings by being a much easier area to reach on foot or by vehicle. And unlike the original Summit map, the cable cars actually work. Neat.
2. Verdansk Airport
Verdansk ’84 keeps the general shape of the airport intact, but the inside has been heavily renovated. Parts of the second floor that were previously destroyed are now pristine and open for looting. And yes, the control tower is still there and still has the same 360 degree view of the world around it. Raven says the second floor’s availability as a location to hunker down will affect how dominant the central control tower is for enterprising snipers. Tower campers have a lot of new windows to monitor, basically.
3. Old Mine (New)
Just below Gora Summit sits the Old Mine, a new location that replaces the random smattering of buildings south of Dam on the original Verdansk. Raven is aiming to break up the “dead space” between Dam (now Summit) and the meat of Verdansk. It’s still a pretty small spot, but it looks like it’ll be a good spot to grab a quick jeep and jet off elsewhere.
4. Airplane Factory (New)
Raven didn’t talk much about the Airplane Factory, but it appears to be replacing the white cylindrical tanks tucked near the Airport and Superstore. This a pretty dense substitution, especially considering its tall smokestacks and concrete tower that could add new sightlines into the Airport.
5. Verdansk Stadium
The Stadium has already seen several makeovers since Warzone’s release, and it’s not going untouched in Verdansk ’84 either. The Stadium’s layout has been reimagined with an older aesthetic, some under construction areas, and more cover on the field. The outside also appears to have considerably less cover, so you may want to get inside quickly here.
6. Grid Array (New)
Definitely the most noticeable addition to the Verdansk skyline is Grid Array, a new location brazenly positioned near the northeast Quarry. The array is a massive structure that can apparently be claimed (though I hope it has quick rope access, that’d be a long ladder) with a warehouse-looking building at its base. Hodge mentioned that you can see the array from literally anywhere in Verdansk ’84.
7. Karst Salt Mines (formerly Quarry pit)
The old Quarry area was mostly known for its surrounding multi-story warehouses, but the pit itself has now become the Karst Salt Mines. Raven said flattening out the area and providing new cover will make this area less of a “death pit.” This was also one of the only areas on Verdansk previously with buildings players couldn’t enter, but that has been corrected with the salt mines.
8. Downtown
We didn’t get an extensive look at the new Downtown, but Raven says the area is now less dense with buildings (while still being the most dense in the map). The idea is to make gunfights smoother between buildings. It’s also more colorful this time around, so that’s nice.
9. Standoff (New)
And lastly, there’s an entire block of the map that recreates the classic Black Ops 2 map Standoff. Raven says you’ll find Standoff near where the old Gulag is. Speaking of, the new Gulag is itself a plywood recreation of Standoff, similar to Season 1 and 2’s Nuketown gulag. It’s fascinating to see how maps that looked pretty impressive 9 years ago can be slotted into a huge region like Verdansk and take up a tiny portion of it.