Call of Duty Warzone's Caldera map dated, Vanguard owners get 24-hour early access

Call of Duty: Vanguard hits the shelves in a week's time, and when the latest entry in the long-running FPS series finally arrives, we're also going to see the most widespread changes to Call of Duty: Warzone since the free-to-play battle royale companion launched.

Rather than the incremental changes we've seen to Rebirth Island and Verdansk so far, you can look forward to a full new map, this time located in the Pacific; Caldera.

In a massive new update, Activision has detailed the plans for the rollout of the new Warzone update – and the launch of Vanguard proper, too.

First up, the date: Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific launches on December 2, and anyone who picks up Vanguard can get access to the game early and log in on December 1.

Next up, let's look at Caldera: the new map has over 200 points of interest, a huge volcano in the middle of the map, massive crags, white beaches, and far more besides. Activision is keen to point out that Caldera is built on the same tech and engine as Call of Duty: Vanguard – meaning that both games will be able to share updates in tandem, making the whole process of adding new content smoother for both players and developers (hopefully).

To show off what the new map has to offer in the early days of its availability, Vanguard Royale mode will be available to all from when the season kicks off. This will allow you to get used to the AA trucks and bi-planes that will make a core part of the Warzone Pacific experience – as you can no doubt see from the screens embedded on this page.

In Vanguard Royale (and, later, another mode called Vanguard Plunder), only Vanguard weaponry can be used in loadouts. This limit is designed to "streamlines the meta", granting new players an opportunity to jump in without facing fully maxed-out loadouts right at launch. To paraphrase: if you're a new Warzone player, you're not going to get your ass handed to you by pros just becasue of loadout discrepancies on launch day.

To get you in the mood for all this, from November 18, a new limited-time mode called Operation: Flashback will begin in Warzone that acts as something of a celebration of the Warzone story so far. This event will allow players to expereince the events of the last 18 months of the Verdasnk map. An emblem and animated calling card are on offer to anyone that plays (and wins) Warzone during this period.

That leads into another event from November 24 onwards: from this date, the Secrets of the Pacific event will let you start investigating the history and lore of Caldera before it arrives in-game proper. This will take place across both Vanguard and Warzone.

Then on November 30, it sure sounds like Verdansk will be blown up. Activision, Beenox and Raven are planning "a spectacular and fitting end to your time in Verdansk" that may see us "saying goodbye to the Kastovian city… forever?" Hmm.

If you're concerned about any progress, unlockables, cosmetics et al you've unlocked to date being taken away as Warzone migrates into a more Vanguard-orientated setup, don't fret. All Operators from Vanguard, Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare can be used after the launch of Warzone Pacific, and "your progression – for your player level, battle pass system, etc – is synchronized across Vanguard, Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare and Warzone Pacific, and the Seasonal Levelling and Prestige System will return." Your Military Rank will be reset, but you'll keep anything you've unlocked to date.

Call of Duty: Vanguard lands on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5 on November 5.

Things have seemingly been getting from bad to worse for Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard since the State of California sued it over alleged discrimination, bullying and rampant workplace sexism. Even though the company ousted a number of higher-profile executives, including Blizzard president J. Allen Brack and the studio’s HR chief Jesse Meschuk, and brought in new faces such as Disney’s Julie Hodges to be the face of HR, many don’t believe it has done enough to address employee concerns.

Most recently, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has requested a salary cut in the wake of ongoing legal battles.