Any fan of Call of Duty: Warzone will have heard about the shutdown of Warzone Caldera by now, as the community has been quick to share its disappointment with Activision’s decision. Fans have wondered why the original app was left up in the first place if Warzone Caldera was not even going to survive for another year, with players also disappointed about what happens to original Call of Duty: Warzone cosmetics. And, though it was divisive when it released, some will simply miss playing on Caldera.
Call of Duty: Warzone’s Caldera map was hardly the most popular release for the battle royale game, as fans were quick to criticize the camper-friendly foliage and strange layout thanks to the volcano’s position near the center of the map. However, though many prefer Verdansk and the small-scale Rebirth Island, opinion did shift on Caldera over time, especially with additions like the redeploy balloons. With Caldera also being home to some truly strange events, it was at the very least memorable, and it deserves a flashy end like what Verdansk received a few years ago.
The Destruction of Caldera Can Lure Fans Back to The Original Warzone One Last Time
To be clear, it is highly unlikely that Call of Duty: Warzone will hold an event that celebrates Caldera and the original game, as many believe the reason the old app is going away is that it diverts attention away from the newer Warzone. Still, such an event would have a lot of potential, and it would give Activision a chance to get some much-needed love from the fan base while also providing an opportunity to advertise the recently renamed Warzone 2.0.
Doing something special like the Destruction of Verdansk seems like the ideal approach to take, though obviously a Destruction of Caldera event should do things a bit differently. The Destruction of Verdansk saw Zombies slowly populating the map, stretching from a crashed ship to the gulag to the main city. When the map became fully overrun, it was destroyed with an in-game nuke, with players gathering to watch the explosion take place. While not everyone loved the actual event and the downtime that followed, the buildup was certainly exciting, and Activision can do something similar with Warzone Caldera.
A few weeks before Caldera is destroyed, and the servers are shut down for good, Call of Duty content creators could be sent packages teasing an in-game event, while regular players could find Easter eggs throughout the battle royale map. Once September 21 rolls around, players could log in to see Caldera meet its end just like they did with Verdansk a few years ago. And instead of a nuke, Raven Software could do something a bit more clever, utilizing the more over-the-top elements from Caldera’s history.
While Zombies were used as an antagonist to justify the bombing of a fictional country, this time around, it could be Kaiju. Though it remains weird to this day, the original Call of Duty: Warzone featured a giant monster fight alongside some themed cosmetics, with King Kong and Godzilla battling each other on Caldera. For the Destruction event, these monsters could return, getting even more violent and dangerous in their battle. This could force players to stop them, but instead of a nuclear device, they could trigger a huge explosion from Caldera’s volcano.
Just like the Destruction of Verdansk ended with an animation of a nuke going off, the Destruction of Caldera could conclude with a shot of a volcanic eruption. Once it ends, gamers could be shown a screen that highlights Call of Duty’s current season and a push to download the new Warzone app. If done correctly, this event could remind Warzone fans why they love the franchise and push them to move on to the modern game, and it would certainly be more fun than a random server shutdown come September 21.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.