Warzone players call for changes to center of ‘boring’ Caldera map

Theo Salaun
call of duty warzone pacific peak map caldera

Call of Duty: Warzone players were excited for their trip to the Pacific, but have some concerns after setting up shop in Caldera. Now, fans are hoping for the map’s design to change – particularly in the middle.

Toward the end of its days, Verdansk wasn’t the most beloved territory. Players grew tired of its tall, campy buildings and controversial color schemes. It’s no surprise, then, that people were looking forward to the vibrant Caldera.

Now that we’ve settled into the Pacific for nearly a month, it seems that players might be interested in return flights. First, FaZe Swagg said Verdansk’s fights took more skill. Most recently, players are questioning the map’s overall design.

In essence, Caldera’s center is the map’s highest ground with the Peak POI. Surrounding it are empty hills, with many of the denser POIs located on the outskirts. Players think this should be inverted, as it’s making matches feel “boring.”

Warzone players flame Caldera’s “boring” design

warzone pacific mountain
There’s a lot of hiking to do in Warzone Pacific.

As brought up by Reddit‘s ‘stacker_4414,’ Caldera feels repetitive because the “mid-to-late game is the same nearly every game.” As they explain, the middle of the map is “mostly hilly, barren nothingness” so heading there as the circle closes forces people to fight over different parts of the same bushes and mountainsides.

This is presented in contrast to Verdansk, where a rotation toward the center of the circle included paths through diverse POIs. Going from easternmost Beachhead to central Peak is a trip through mountainous jungle. Going from easternmost Lumber to central Factory would have been a trip including POIs like Stadium and Downtown. 

Stacker’s complaint is that, even if Caldera’s POIs are fun, they’re all littered across the edges of the map so the circles rarely pull to them. Instead, Stacker is left “getting real bored of the new map” and they’re not alone.

warzone pacific caldera docks
Caldera’s Docks include a Shipment replica, but players rarely get to see it.

In the replies to Stacker’s post, people generally agreed with the concern. One simply said “the middle of the map sucks” and another noted the lack of gravity for each POI means that “the map flows really poorly.”

When you consider how low and distant POIs like Docks and Lagoon feel, it’s easy to see why players wonder why the busiest parts of the map are relegated to the borders. By contrast, Peak and its surrounding hills in the middle can feel quite desolate.

For now, players seem hopeful that things can change – just as Verdansk changed over time. The biggest shakeup anyone can imagine would be a volcanic explosion, which would most certainly break apart the “boring” center.

About The Author

Théo is a former writer at Dexerto based in New York and built on competition. Formerly an editor for Bleacher Report and philosophy student at McGill, he fell in love with Overwatch and Call of Duty — leading him to focus on esports for Dex.