New Warzone Map Caldera Launches 2nd December, Adds Planes

The launch of Call of Duty: Vanguard next week (!) sees the series return to World War 2, which obviously has huge implications for the currently modern-day Battle Royale title Call of Duty: Warzone. However, we've known for a while the new release would introduce a new Warzone map set in the Pacific, and now Activision has confirmed it'll launch on 2nd December 2021. Anyone who buys Call of Duty: Vanguard can play from that date, taking advantage of 24 hours of early access before the map opens up to all free-to-play users.

This new map is called Caldera, and features "lush forests and rocky crags. White sand beaches and mysterious ruins. And a dormant volcano that towers over the 200-plus points of interest." Activision says Caldera is roughly the same size as Verdansk, but with "two years of research and listening to the community", it should be better than what players are used to.

The other major addition is a new vehicle type: planes. You'll be able to take to the skies to either move about the battlefield quickly or take down another old-school jet up in the air. However, you'll need to watch out for the AA guns back on the ground which can easily take you out. All of your earned content from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will also carry over into Caldera.

When Season One releases on the same day, a specific Vanguard Royale playlist is designed to highlight and showcase everything the new batch of content has to offer. You'll only be able to build a Vanguard loadout in this mode, but "this limit streamlines the meta, granting new players an opportunity to jump in without facing fully maxed-out loadouts right at launch. It also grants room for experimentation with these new weapons, giving the most hardcore community meta prophets a place to focus on the future for a winning loadout."

Finally, all Operators from Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War will carry over into Caldera. So too will Calling Cards and Emblems, and the in-game store will stock legacy bundles containing items you may have missed in the past. Player levels and Battle Pass ranks will also synchronise across all four experiences. It's an already gigantic package that's only getting bigger, but will you be playing this December? Let us know in the comments below.