As of this writing, it’s only days away from Warzone Mobile’s official release.

I’ve had many opportunities to play the game via limited release, and features may also change. And it totally changed the way I play my mobile battle royales.

Let me also make this clear – I do not intend to say that CODM BR is better than Warzone, or vice versa. This op-ed-slash-guide was written from the perspective of someone who has tried both games, and enjoys both games. Also, for this disclaimer, I will focus on the main Battle Royale mode, and will discuss Rebirth Island-slash-Alcatraz in a separate story.

With that being said, this week’s Point of Impact is all about the 5 things that differentiate CODM Battle Royale from the upcoming Warzone Mobile.

 

IN-GAME ECONOMY

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile has been designed with a game-changing feature in mind: an in-game economy system that is rarely present, if not yet present, in a mobile battle royale title. With Warzone Mobile being somewhat similar to the PC versions of Call of Duty: Warzone, fans of the PC version can expect some similarities to the way they play when they jump into the mobile sphere.

In Warzone Mobile, the in-game economy system works by either killing opponents in the lobby, or accomplishing side quests in the game called contracts. Contracts may vary from a simple securing of an intel point, to finding loot boxes with money and other items, as well as killing designated “bounty” or “most wanted” opponents littered throughout the map. Once enough cash is earned, players may buy their custom loadouts, in addition to several field upgrades such as armor and ammo boxes, and usable tactical support options such as killstreaks, recon overflights, and much more.

 

At random times, a Fire Sale is activated across the map, which will essentially give a discount to all things purchasable in the store. Think about the discounts!

The in-game economy system adds a different layer to Battle Royale gameplay on mobile, as teams will have to find a way to make do with the cash they have, as well as to prioritize which resources to buy in tight situations.

The in-game economy system is not present in Call of Duty: Mobile, with the hunt for loot and weapons being featured predominantly in the game. Loot items are available for free, and random custom supply and arsenal airdrops are also dropped in various locations of the map. In terms of setups and clashes, teams can expect loadout drops to be the number one focus for teams to gain a competitive edge in CODM BR.

 

RESPAWN DYNAMICS

In CODM Battle Royale, downed players may be revived by getting their teammate’s dog tags and waiting for them to be revived until the Revive Flights run out. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile brings an interesting dynamic to the respawns by porting an all-time favorite in the PC sphere to mobile: The Gulag.

The Gulag is a place where players who were initially killed fight together in a 1v1 duel to have the chance to get back to the battlefield for free. Once a player wins in the Gulag, they respawn back to the battlefield with a cash deduction penalty (if they had money with them when they were initially killed), alongside weapons they used in the Gulag.

But if you die in the Gulag, there is no problem! Teammates can still revive you as long as a buy station is present, for the cost of $4000 ($2800 during Fire Sale). However, all cash earned in the process when you were killed is lost, and you will need to begin again the process of finding loot and earning cash.

If you also play Solo mode on WZM’s BR, once you die, you are eliminated from the game. This makes solo yolo gameplays exciting to play. 

The respawn system in Warzone Mobile puts an additional pressure on teammates to make sure their tactical decisions are sound. One squad member down in a 120-player lobby can already put one’s team at a disadvantage, and with the in-game economy system, team leaders will have to strategize on when and where to buy fallen teammates back. One wrong solo hero play may cost the team much-needed resources.

 

NO SKILLS, JUST KILLS

One of the iconic features that Call of Duty: Mobile BR has is its unique approach to Battle Royale by putting it at par with other types in the genre.

The addition of unique BR classes such as Ninja, Mechanic, Pumped, Trap Master, and many others have allowed for high-stakes, high-adrenaline gameplay that is unique and entertaining at the same time. Over the course of nearly four years as a CODM shoutcaster, CODM BR casting is one of the most intense and entertaining to watch, as it gives a lot of highlights and clip-worthy moments.

Warzone Mobile, however, brings a different dynamic that is much closer to the original Call of Duty experience. Instead of these special skills, emphasis on loadout viability has been stressed through the addition of perk packages which help boost certain skills.

One example is a big favorite of Limited Release players: the Deadeye Package, which comes equipped with the High Alert perk, which pings to your screen the direction of enemies that are out of sight. 

These perk packages are available with the loadout drops and will only be activated once the player has gathered their custom loadouts.

 

TACTICAL FEEL AND GAMEPLAY

 

One of the more defining highlights that Call of Duty: Mobile BR has been offering over nearly five years of its existence is the pace and style of its gameplay. Sneaky Ninja kills, high ground retakes or escapes using the Pumped and Airborne classes, Rewind presses that save a player from certain death, and the list goes on and on. So many clans and players have been known for these highlight-making, high-energy plays that made Call of Duty Mobile BR a favorite in key mobile gaming markets such as Southeast Asia.

In Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, however – without the use of these special skills and abilities, the playing field is limited to how well squads use their builds, killstreaks, utilities, and map mastery. The latter is actually more important as mastery of the entire terrain in Verdansk is an essential key to victory. Weapon choices, as well as the attachments, do have an effect on how your weapon performs, and weapons properly work as intended for the most part.

One interesting point to also dwell on is the use of vehicles in both games. Call of Duty: Mobile’s expansive vehicle pool allows for different types of vehicle plays, with aggressive moments usually marked out with helicopter “dogfights” (aka players firing at each other from opposite helicopters), the Jackal (which in its inception was a game changer until it was nerfed big time), and the hoverbike – an instant-killing vehicle which is the bane of many BR players.

In Warzone Mobile, vehicles have a realistic damage profile – with lighter ones such as ATVs and Hatchbacks being softer-skinned as opposed to the Truck or the JLTV. This makes vehicles in the game being focused more on the concept of faster tactical mobility and less of a focus on vehicles as weapons (though sometimes, vehicle chases can also be fun to do in the various roadways of Verdansk!)

 

FPP VS TPP

Now, this latter point may be a major point of debate among mobile BR users. I am not here to say which perspective is better because such an opinion is relative to different users. 

However, I would say that both games offer a different flavor that is suited for the kind of perspective that players can expect.

Call of Duty: Mobile’s BR had mostly focused on the TPP side of things, given its style and pace of gameplay. Good optics coupled with a focus on special skills, abilities, and a trend for colorful and mythic weapons, makes for an entertaining, action-packed, and well-rounded BR experience. Highlight-making plays such as snowboard dashes with a JAK-12 or a MAC-10 finish are staples in tournaments, and players are mostly trained to fire from the hip. Also, with the game momentarily shifting to FPP for ADS moments, I would say that CODM BR allows for greater flexibility and tactical POVs.

However, all of this changes when one enters Warzone Mobile. With a predominantly FPP mode, the focus is less on the optics and highlights and more on the skills and strategies of the players. A predominantly FPP mode will allow for players to train better in terms of weapon handling and aim, decision-making, and better communication, as well as emphasizing the need for teamwork in trios or quads. 

While some tournaments in CODM BR before, such as Garena Survivors, attempted to incorporate FPP in their modes, the game is still predominantly TPP due to the ease of use by a majority of the game’s players, as well as complaints of the FPP mode being limiting in terms of field of view.

The same FOV complaints are also one of the main complaints for people playing in Warzone Mobile during the limited release, with social media reports of people modifying their game files to achieve 120 FOV (the latter action warrants an anti-cheat ban). 

However, Warzone Mobile tries to even out the playing field through the FPP mechanic by allowing the player to focus on strategies to add to the already fun experience.

 

THE OUTRO

Both games – CODM BR and WZM, have their own unique experiences that will allow Call of Duty fanbases to enjoy their own preferences in terms of gameplay.

Both games also have their own pros and cons – with WZM being available on higher-end devices, and CODM being optimized to run on a majority of other mobile phones and tablets.

In the end, with WZM promising a return to boots-on-the-ground gameplay and CODM BR focusing more on the color and entertainment aspect of things, the divided mobile Call of Duty community can finally come home to the modes and the gameplay styles they love the most.

The choice is now for the players and competitive teams to make – will they stay in Isolated or explore Verdansk?