Warzone 2 Season 2: Release Date, Gulag Changes & Everything We Know

Change is coming with Warzone 2 Season 2. In the time since its release, there's no denying that Warzone 2 has gotten a bit stagnant. But from what we're hearing from Raven Software, Season 2 may be just what Warzone 2 needs to reinvigorate it. If that sounds exciting, let's review all the changes coming to Warzone 2 in Season 2.

Warzone 2 Season 2 Changes: Release Date

The release date for Warzone 2 Season 2 is currently set for February 15, 2023. That's a couple of weeks after we expected to see a new season for Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2. However, Infinity Ward previously announced a delay to the new season.

In a post from the developer, a statement reads that "Our studio teams have been making several changes based on what we have heard from our player community". Naturally, the Call of Duty community has had plenty of critical feedback for Warzone 2. It sounds like much of that is to be acted upon in the upcoming season.

Warzone 2 Season 2 Changes: Classic Gulags

To the relief of Warzone 2 players all around, Season 2 will rid Warzone 2 of the 2v2 Gulag. No longer will you need to rely on a random partner to hold their own weight while you struggle to take on two enemies at once.

Now, escaping the Gulag and getting back into the action will rest on a straight-up 1v1 engagement like the previous game.

• Learn more about the return to classic Gulags in Season 2.

Warzone 2 Season 2 Changes: Resurgence, Ashika Island, And New Events

Perhaps the most heavily demanded change to Warzone 2 is for a Warzone 2 Rebirth or Resurgence playlist. Players fell in love with the frantic, fast-paced action that Rebirth and Resurgence offered in the original Warzone, so the move to Al Mazrah left many players yearning.

The Resurgence Mode is available for all squad sizes, with regular playlist updates set for the whole season. With Resurgence Mode, Warzone 2 will also introduce Ashika Island, a compact, Japanese-themed map, which is roughly 30% larger than the previous small maps. It takes place in a centuries-old village which is under siege from a paramilitary group called Shadow Company. 

Ashika Island is a heavily misty map, which makes dropping and hiding a little easier. It also features a range of POIs to explore, such as ancient shipwrecks and ruins, a modern town centre, a beach club, a port, a farm, and a fortified castle. For navigating the map by means other than running around, there are plenty of rooftap pathways and underground waterways. 

One of the new features available on Ashika Island (whether in Resurgence or Battle Royale) is called Restore Honour. When anyone dies in-game, they will drop a dog tag. This can be picked up by a squadmate or by yourself if you redeploy, and picking it up grants you a cash bonus, along with a UAV ping around the nearby area. 

There's a new public event that's exclusive to Ashika Island, called Data Heist. When the second circle collapses, three uplink stations will come online around the map, guarded by Shadow Company operatives.

You can come visit these uplink stations to hack them and download critical intel, rewarding you with cash, XP, and tactical equipment if you are successful. A new AI combatant called the Rusher can also appear during certain conditions during this. They have increased agility and a short sword that can be deadly if you don't down them before they get close.

DMZ is of course also coming to Ashika Island with a new faction to perform contracts for. Lastly, there are also plenty of secrets to discover on Ashika, letting you grab some legendary weapons and Easter eggs.  

Warzone 2 Season 2 Changes: Cash And Price Balancing

The lack of Cash available in Al Mazrah has left the Warzone 2 community strapped for money. And with the ludicrously high prices of goods at Buy Stations, players are struggling to purchase even the most basic necessities.

To alleviate this issue, Raven Software announced some balance adjustments coming in Warzone 2 Season 2. In the coming season, there'll be more Cash in Battle Royale, and the prices at Buy Stations will be more reasonable.

• In Season 2, Warzone 2 Loadout Drop Grenades will be much more affordable!

Warzone 2 Season 2 Changes: Looting Adjustments

Another welcome change coming to Warzone 2 Season 2 is adjustments to how looting works. Infinity Ward tried to shake things up in Warzone 2 by making players navigate through loot containers and backpacks to extract the loot they want. This proved to be unnecessarily complicated and not well-received by many in the community.

In Season 2, Raven Software is reverting this change, announcing that loot from player eliminations and all loot containers will now pop floating loot out onto the floor. No more scrambling through containers and backpacks to find what you're looking for!

Warzone 2 Season 2 Changes: Quality Of Life Updates

Infinity Ward is adding several new features that will make the lives of Warzone 2 players much easier:

• Option to queue for another match instantly after finishing one.
• 2-plate vests are a thing of the past as all players now all start with a 3-plate vest.
• Players can now charge through doors while replenishing their armour plates.
• Buy stations now have static spawns instead of random spawns - they'll always be in the same place.
• A bug with game audio is now fixed so enemy footsteps should be much easier to hear.

From the looks of these changes, Warzone 2 Season 2 is shaping up to be exactly what Warzone 2 needs. Look for these revisions and more to arrive with Warzone 2 Season 2 when it releases on February 15, 2023.

It's about time Warzone 2 received the treatment it deserves! Because apparently, Warzone 2 player counts are plummeting.