Getting Started in Warzone - Part 1: Loadouts

Drop in, loot up, and get ready for the dubs!

Posted on  by Aaron "Better Actions" Knowles
Tips and Tricks

Getting Started in Warzone - Part 1: Loadouts

Drop in, loot up, and get ready for the dubs!

Posted on  by Aaron "Better Actions" Knowles
Tips and Tricks

Hello and welcome Getting Started in Warzone! I am your instructor. You can call me Mr. B.A. Prepare to get sweaty!

Let’s start this thing off with beginner tips for those wanting to get into Warzone and learn all of the ins and outs. Whether you're new to First Person Shooters, or a seasoned veteran, there are a few things that I have learned that you must know before entering into a Warzone match. And no, that isn’t how to turn off team chat.

In order to be an effective part of your team, you need to put in the time and effort to know what’s "what." Let’s start with some easy early game lessons.
Mr. B.A.

The Loadout

Before you jump into a Warzone match, you need to be prepared. Modifying your loadout can be the difference between life and death for your squad. Acquiring it, however, is a different ballgame altogether as long as you have enough cash. Keep in mind, you must reach rank four before you can customize your first loadout. Until then, you can choose from some pre-made loadout kits in-game to get started!

But what is a loadout? Your loadout is the weapons that you choose to go into battle with. You can make these choices in the loadout menu which is opened from the main menu.

However, don’t be confused; you will not start off with these weapons when you land in-game (that is unless you're playing plunder). Just like every other player in battle royale games, you must scrounge for supplies, weapons, and ammo. Consider loadouts as an advantage that you need to earn through gameplay choices and looting.

In order to request a loadout drop, you need to locate cash around the map, and then you need to make your way to a shopping cart icon on the map. Here you will find the Buy Station

At these Buy Stations, you can pick the custom loadout and you will receive a special smoke grenade. Once you find a safe location, you toss the smoke and down comes a beautiful care package full of your custom tools of death.

Buying a loadout has its disadvantages. It costs a lot of money but, on the other hand, it can be a game changer. Only consider it if you are struggling in a match or if your teammate has a terrible set of gear. Since it costs so much, you need to loot for cash and complete contracts around the map.
Mr. B.A.

Guns out, funs out!

Believe it or not, guns are an important part of this game.

You are going to need to figure out which guns you like the most in this game and learn the ins and outs of recoil patterns, ammo capacity, and accuracy. That is going to rely heavily on practicing and feeling out each weapon in Call of Duty: Warzone.

Don’t just rely on your loadout weapons because if you get gunned down and make your way out of the Gulag (which I am the king), you are going to need to find a weapon quick. A loadout drop is not going to happen anytime soon, unless you have some pretty nice teammates willing to buy it!

So, scrounge, practice, and get used to the mechanics and personality of each weapon so that you know how to adjust your strategy based on what you have at the time.

Armor Plates

In Call of Duty: Warzone, armor plates can mean the difference between victory and defeat. 

You start and spawn the match with 100HP, or health points, which will regenerate (slowly). Your armor, however, does not regenerate, so you will need to find more around Verdansk. Armor comes in the form of plates, and, as you can probably guess, they can save your life.

You can pick up armor plates or purchase them at the buy stations for $1500. 

At 50HP a piece, you can equip three plates maximum, for a total of 150HP extra HP on top of your normal health (for a whopping total of 250HP). Also, you can carry up to 5 plates at a time. If you manage to get your hands on an armor vest, you can carry an addition 3 plates (for a total of 8 armor plates)!

Next, if you ever listen to a game of Call of Duty: Warzone, you’re going to hear people say things like "hit", "cracked", or "broke." That means that their armor has either taken damage or has been broken through and you are now hitting (or being hit) for pure health.

If your armor is cracked or gone, find more as quickly as you can. Alternatively, if you are near a buy station, you can buy more or get some from your sweaty teammates and kick some ass!

Grenades, Gadgets, Battlestar Galactica

Yeah, guns are cool, but a grenade or a gadget can save your butt if used correctly!

Grenades are just another option when it comes to setting up your loadout. But just like me, you probably are questioning which type of grenade...tactical or lethal? What about gadgets? Which gadget do I use that will fit my playstyle? I don’t know is the answer. That’s on you and your playstyle, but what I can do is give you some info on each of them.

Types of incendiaries: Sticky Bombs, Semtex Frags, Molotov Cocktails, and Thermite. There are also triggered explosives which include C4, Claymores and Proximity Mines. Non-lethals or tactical devices are Flash Grenades, Stun Grenades and Gas Grenades. Other non-lethal grenade types are Decoy and Smoke Grenades.

Last but not least are the Throwing Knives. Many will find these useful for when your hands just may not be enough. Throwing knives are actually some of the most powerful weapons in the game, particularly when it comes to executing a downed opponent. Many professional and meta-following players preach the use of throwing knives to quickly eliminate your enemies.

Heartbeat Sensors are one of the most powerful pieces of equipment in Warzone. These sensors can reveal the location of enemies up to 40 meters away and at an angle of 180 degrees. Remember this later when we talk about perks because it won't work on enemy players using the Ghost perk.

Stims give you an instant full health bar and replenish your tactical sprint.

Buy Station Items

Although it's not a grenade type, you can use Self-Revive Kits to revive yourself when you are downed by the enemy. You can find the Self-Revive Kit in a Supply Box, as Ground Loot, or buy them at the Buy Station for a hefty price of $4500.

Gas Masks in Warzone are extremely useful and are used to avoid taking damage from the gas outside the circle (“The Storm” for all you Fortnite players). The mask only protects you from the gas for about 12 seconds (after which it breaks) until you start receiving gas damage.

Field Upgrades such as Armor Box and Munitions Box are additional buy station items that can give you an edge.

Perks

To explain perks simply; they are bonuses that give you an advantage in the game. But which ones should you choose? That will depend on your playstyle. Also, how do you earn them? Let me try and help out with that also.

There are a total of 18 perks in Modern Warfare/Warzone. However, with the additions of Call of Duty: Warzone Season 5, two new Warzone-exclusive perks were added to the second slot. 8 red, 6 yellow and 6 blue for a total of 20. You can equip one of each color, which really opens up a wide variety of combinations.

Much like the overall concept of the loadout, you do not start with perks when you land. The only way to get access to your perks is to acquire a loadout. Unfortunately, if you die, they die with you.

Blue perks (first slot) and what they do:

  • Double Time - Double the duration of Tactical Sprint. Increase crouch movement speed by 30%.
  • E.O.D. - Take reduced damage from non-killstreak explosives and fire. Resets fuse when picking up frag grenades.
  • Scavenger - Resupply ammo from dead players. Scavenger packs provide throwing knives.
  • Cold-Blooded - Undetectable by AI targeting system and thermal optics. Does not trigger a High Alert warning. Still visible to Recon Drones, but cannot be marked.
  • Kill Chain - Increases your chance of finding killstreaks in supply boxes. In multiplayer only, killstreak kills count towards your next killstreaks.
  • Quick Fix - Killing players immediately starts health regeneration.

Red perks (second slot) and what they do:

  • Restock - Recharge equipment over 50 seconds. Throwing knives can recharge 1 extra knife, decoy grenades and stim recharge twice as fast. In multiplier only the recharge takes just 25 seconds.
  • Hardline - 25% off kiosk price for killstreaks, field upgrades, and armour plates. In multiplayer only your killstreaks cost 1 less kill and reduces Specialist perk cost by 1.
  • Overkill - Carry two primary weapons. Cannot equip two of the same weapon, secondaries cannot be equipped.
  • High Alert - Your vision pulses when enemies outside of your view see you. Multiplayer: also triggered by enemies controlling chopper gunners, wheelsons, IAVs and APCs.
  • Ghost - Undetectable by UAVs, Radar Drones and Heartbeat Sensors. Still appears on killstreak radar when firing a weapon, and is detectable by Advanced UAV but removes direction.
  • Pointman - All members of your team earn more money from completed missions. Multiplayer only: turns your killstreaks into scorestreaks.
  • Combat Scout (Warzone Only) - Gives you the ability to highlight enemies and automatically ping them after dealing damage.
  • Tempered (Warone Only) - You only need two armor plates to fully protect yourself instead of the usual three

Yellow perks (third slot) and what they do:

  • Tune Up - Reduce the charge time of field upgrades by 40%. Warzone only: Reduces revive time by 25%.
  • Amped - Faster weapon swap and rocket launcher reload speed. Does not affect swapping to pistols and knives. Most equipment is used faster.
  • Shrapnel - Spawn with an extra piece of lethal equipment. Explosive damage delays enemy health regeneration by 3 seconds.
  • Battle Hardened - Reduce strength of enemy flash, stun, EMP and gas effects. Immune to snapshot grenades.
  • Spotter - See enemy equipment, field upgrades and killstreaks through walls. Mark them for your team by aiming down sights. Hack enemy claymores, proximity mines, C4 and trophy systems. Advanced UAVs can't be marked.
  • Tracker - Enemies leave behind a footprint trail. See markets at enemy death locations and hide the death markers of enemies you kill.

I’m sorry. I know that was a lot of information right from the start, but I am going to make it a little easier.

Although it is fun to test out new perks, see which ones fit your playstyle, and even kind of create your own strategies around them, most people simply want to know which ones are used the most. The answer to that is simple. If you are not aggressive and want to stay under the radar, take ghost. If you want to play aggressively, take high alert.

Ghost is one of the most used perks due to it being invaluable for hiding your position on the map. High alert is another one that is widely used, especially if you like in your face action.
Mr. B.A.

Killstreaks

If you have ever heard anyone talk about a battle royale, even back to the Halo multiplayer days, you have heard the term killstreak! In Warzone, they are a tool for success.

Killstreaks are extremely powerful single-use tools in Call Of Duty: Warzone.

In traditional Call of Duty games, you get Killstreaks by scoring a streak of kills. However, in Warzone, you need to buy the Killstreaks from the Buy Stations. You are also limited to a selection of only four Killstreaks: Shield Turret, UAV, Cluster Strike, and Precision Airstrike.

The Shield Turret can deploy anywhere on the ground. The turret has a very high damage rate and can eliminate enemy players quickly. It is partially shielded so you also get some protection while using it (but only from the front).

Cluster Strike gives you the ability to call a number of cluster mortars on a designated location. You get a laser targeting device that you can use to paint the target of the strike.

The Precision Air Strike allows you  to call in twin jets for a precision airstrike along the best available path. You get binoculars which are used to target a specific location to call in the strike on.

With the UAV Killstreak, you will call in a UAV recon ship that reveals enemy locations on the minimap for a brief period of time. You will notice a pulse being sent out from your location on the minimap, which will illuminate color coded blips.

Now that you have some basics on getting started in Call of Duty: Warzone. Take what you have learned here and play with the around with the loadouts. Remember, try different weapons as much as you can until you find what you like to use! If you get your hands on some grenades, perks, or even a killstreak, try and remember what you like about them so that you can build the perfect loadout.

Stay tuned for more updates on learning Warzone from me, Mr. B.A.

Oh, and next time you are dropping in, don't forget to put on your gameface!