Inspired by Escape from Tarkov, Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0’s DMZ mode sees up to 66 players drop somewhere in Al Mazrah. From there, they have to complete missions, scavenge for loot, and successfully exfil with just one life. The mode can get a little mundane after a while, but DMZ is a surprisingly great addition to Warzone 2.0, and with some tweaking, it could be even better. Through its missions, DMZ could pave the way for some new story content in Warzone 2.0.
RELATED: Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera is Salt in the Wound For Zombies Fans
Warzone 2.0’s DMZ Mode Should Add More Story Content
Before players drop into a match of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0’s DMZ mode, they’ll be prompted to choose a loadout, and select which missions they want to take in with them. Separated into three distinct factions, these missions give players up to three challenges. These challenge objectives range from shooting a certain number of AI enemies with a specific weapon, to exfiltrating a certain number of valuables, to activating designated contracts. These faction missions are a neat way to give players an incentive to keep playing, offering cosmetic rewards, XP boosts, and weapon blueprints, but they could also lead the way for some more story content.
Right now, the story in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is pretty lacking. Unlike its predecessor, which had a cinematic intro that gave a rough outline on why players were fighting in Verdansk, Warzone 2.0 just throws its players into Al Mazrah with no context, and its DMZ mode is a similar story, though its factions do get a brief lore breakdown. The Legion faction is a private military company that aims to keep control of Al Mazrah so it can sell off its land to the highest bidder. White Lotus is a faction with similar motives, selling off Al Mazrah’s natural resources for cash. The final faction, Black Mous, uses encrypted Al Mazrah data files to enact cyber warfare.
Though all factions kind of blend together, and all are fairly one-note, it’s certainly a starting point for Warzone 2.0 to craft its own story. Through future missions and challenges, DMZ could weave a subtle narrative about the game’s three factions, and the player’s position of helping all three at the same time. It wouldn’t take much work to implement a story like this, with its narrative being told all through gameplay, and no need for cutscenes. The most Infinity Ward would have to do is record some quick voice lines that set up the story in-game, and the challenge objectives could do the rest. Fortnite does a similar thing with its story, with cutscenes book-ending a Season, and mission challenges and voice lines guiding the player in-game.
Alternatively, if Infinity Ward didn’t want to create a new story based on DMZ’s factions, then it could weave Modern Warfare 2’s narrative into the game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ends quite abruptly, and leaves a lot of loose threads dangling. It’s more than possible that at least one of these story threads could be picked up in Warzone 2.0’s DMZ mode, just like the first Warzone did with the ending of Modern Warfare 2019.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE: Call of Duty: Warzone 2’s DMZ Mode Could Use a Nighttime Version of Al Mazrah
