Developer Infinity Ward has revealed that Call of Duty: Warzone 2 will feature AI combatants and special AI hotspots called Strongholds, which house crucial endgame-tier features, like custom firearms. The developer seems to be focused on reinvigorating this particular variant of COD in a wide variety of ways, and the upcoming changes may well prove far more substantial than most will have expected.

While Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is the first COD to experiment with hybridized PvPvE at such a large scale, the original Warzone did dabble with special events and map functionality too. The fact that the popular battle royale's sequel will have large patches of land that house armies of AI enemies should make the whole thing that much more dynamic and interesting, though it's all supposed to be entirely optional, too.

The reveal of Al Mazrah map for Warzone 2 was also used to introduce the notion of Strongholds, which serve as small AI-infested dungeons that players may or may not choose to interact with. Namely, while conquering a Stronghold does mean earning heaps of loot and opening up the special Gunsmith shop with customized weaponry, players may discover that dealing with a Stronghold is more trouble than it's worth in some cases. While the AI guarding Strongholds won't actively seek out conflict, it has the potential to be remarkably aggressive, to say nothing of other players using the opportunity to jump in as well.


Activision Blizzard and Infinity Ward shared some major COD reveals as part of the Call of Duty: Next event, helping gamers get a sense of what the game will behave like in motion, and Warzone 2 is a crucial element of this equation. Previously a total unknown with an odd leak here and there, Modern Warfare 2's new gameplay showcases revealed a huge variety of mobility and customization options, all of which will be present and accounted for in the battle royale game mode, too.

Now that AI combatants have been confirmed as well, players should be able to piece together a relatively clear picture of what awaits in the game. But the core Warzone gameplay loop is just a part of the equation here, as COD: NEXT also confirmed the fact that Warzone 2 will have a DMZ mode at launch, offering an experience similar to what one might find in Escape From Tarkov. Since AI bots will be a major part of DMZ, too, it's possible that this was what spurred Infinity Ward to include them in other areas of Warzone as well.

In fact, AI bots will be in Warzone 2's Gulag, too, making them a hugely important gameplay element across the board. It will be interesting to see how Infinity Ward tunes the AI's behavior and whether its presence in regular matches won't be too oppressive, so as not to disturb the regular flow of a given round.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2 launches on November 16 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.