Call of Duty: Warzone makes a strong case for being the best battle royale game out there, encouraging players to constantly fight each other and keep on the move, while providing a few key opportunities to come back into the fray after death. While there is now the option for solo play in Warzone, the best way to experience any battle royale is with a well-built team of friends in close communication.
Call of Duty: Warzone, like other battle royales, suffers when playing in a team of random players who are not coordinated and don’t communicate. With a well-coordinated and balanced squad though, victory is a lot easier to come by. It doesn’t help to have three players all running off and taking individual fights, but it also doesn’t help if everyone in the squad brings a loadout that benefits the individual more than the team. In the interest of bagging more victories, building a cohesive squad is a must.
Assign Roles in Warzone Squads
No matter what squad composition ends up working best for the team, it is paramount to determine who has what role before the game even starts. When everyone knows their job, it is a lot easier to count on teammates to pick up the slack. Choosing roles also makes it easy to dole out loot and make a focused loadout. Rather than everyone taking the overkill perk and bringing a main weapon and a backup utility gun, each player can choose the most effective Warzone loadout for their job.
Warzone encourages players to be very aggressive, so having at least two teammates with solid all-around primaries is a necessity. One effective method is to have one player focus on close range, one on mid-range, and one on long range. One player with a sniper or DMR, one with an AR or LMG, and one with an SMG or shotgun will cover the main bases of any combat situation. That means that in any fight, at least one teammate will be perfectly suited to cover for the other two. Having two gunners with LMGs or ARs supported by a utility player is another great option, but if the two offensive players go down, the utility player will be in a very tight spot.
Of course, in Plunder it is possible to bring a fully custom loadout from the start, but in normal battle royale the early stages of the game are determined by loot to some extent. That means it’s also important to be a bit flexible and determine the strengths of the squad early on. Is the team better off being stealthy at long range, or at jumping in guns blazing? There are a few must-have weapons in Warzone to reach the final circle, but for the most part the team with the most cohesion that plays to their strengths will come out on top.
Bring a Sniper and a Launcher
The first step to building a good squad composition is to figure out which of the three friends in the squad is the best shot at long range, and give them a sniper rifle. Having a sniper is nearly essential to achieving victory in any battle royale, but it is especially helpful in Warzone. A high-damage sniper rifle or DMR in the right hands can cripple an enemy squad before they ever see their attackers. Even a mediocre sniper can take out some body armor before the two squads approach for a close-range fight, giving their team a clear advantage.
The other situation that snipers excel in is multi-squad battles. One of the key strategies for winning in Warzone is to mop up other squads right after they’ve scraped through a tough fight. Having a sniper rifle on hand to distract both sides, tip the fight one way or the other, or just pick of weakened players from a safe distance once they let their guard down is an easy way to thin the ranks and move closer to victory.
Once the person in the sniper role is determined, they should get priority on any long-range weapons that come up while looting, and drop in a custom sniping loadout ASAP. A sniper without a backup weapon is usually very vulnerable, so it will typically be the other players’ jobs to protect them and pick up their slack in closer-range combat. While it might seem wise to bring an AR or SMG for backup, usually letting the sniper double down and bring a launcher as a secondary is the best way to go.
The second must-have utility in a squad is a launcher. An RPG is one of the most devastating weapons in Warzone because one well-placed shot can tear enemies to shreds and even cause a full squad wipe if they are all camping in a small corner. Luckily, launchers can slot easily into the secondary weapon slot without the need for the Overkill perk, meaning any squad member can bring one along. Often the person with the sniper rifle is the best long-range shot, so giving them a launcher is also a really good idea, at the cost of making them more vulnerable in close range.
The More ARs and LMGs, the Better
One of the best things about Warzone is that it encourages constant combat. Taking contracts, hunting down other players, and staying mobile rather than camping are the keys to victory. Being aggressive and getting the jump on the enemy is usually the key to victory, so having at least two strong all-around offensive weapons is key. LMGs are very strong because of their ammo capacity, but an M4A1 upgraded to have 60-round magazines is the best weapon possible.
While stealth is a viable option, the way that the game encourages combat means that having three damage-dealers is very effective, while having at least two is a necessity. Some utility is necessary, but beyond that there is little need for a meticulously balanced team. The most important part of team composition is determining who does what. Who is flanking, who is sniping, and who is in the fray should all be a part of the plan before the fight even starts.
Call of Duty: Warzone is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
