Season 1 of Call of Duty: Warzone 2 has officially launched, leaving players wondering whether they should pay for the game's first battle pass. Like its predecessor, Warzone 2's battle pass consists of 100 different tiers of collectible items, most of which are cosmetic. Players can either pay to progressively collect all available items in the battle pass or instead receive only 20 items that can be gained freely through the same progression system. Buying the battle pass requires 1,100 Call of Duty Points, which equates to about $10.
While the true value of the battle pass is dependent on what it consists of and what players want from it, Warzone 2's battle pass system provides enough unique qualities to give it some inherent worth. Gaining levels in Warzone 2's re-imagined, map-like battle pass lets players complete tasks in a non-linear fashion. This means that players will now get to collect specific items from the battle pass partially at their own pace and according to their own interest. So even if a Call of Duty fan desires to be frugal, checking out Warzone 2's battle pass could still be worthwhile.
How Warzone 2's Battle Pass Works (& Why It's Worthwhile)
Warzone 2's battle pass map is called the Battle Pass Area of Operations, or AO. This map is split up into 20 sectors that are labeled A1 through A20, plus an additional sector A0 for players who purchase the battle pass. Each of these sectors comes with five obtainable items, one of which is considered a High Value Target (HVT). To complete a sector on the new Warzone 2 battle pass map, players have to obtain all items and the specific tasks associated with them, ending with the HVT. From there, players have the option to move to any sector that is adjacent to the one they are in. This means that players have a lot more freedom to choose which items they want to unlock from the battle pass at any given time.
Warzone 2's complete reworking of the battle pass makes it a lot more appealing than its ever been. Even if it contains a similar amount of items to Warzone's battle passes, the new AO map gamifies and customizes the experience of acquiring these items. Players who purchase the battle pass for Season 1 will get both more items from the battle pass and more from the game itself. In other words, they will be rewarded for the challenges they complete in AO on top of regular Warzone 2 gameplay on the Al Mazrah map.
But on top of the changes Warzone 2 has brought to the battle pass, there are other reasons why players should consider purchasing at least the Season 1 Battle Pass. First, players can earn 1400 CoD Points from the battle pass, meaning that it can serve as a one-time purchase for future Warzone 2 battle passes and CoD Points, provided players complete enough sectors. Second, the earliest cosmetic items are often seen as the most valuable by fans in battle royales like Warzone 2; it's the reason why people illegally trade Fortnite accounts that have the skins from that game's first three battle passes. So even if players are trying to save money, buying the Warzone 2 battle pass now can serve as a way to save money for additional skins and battle passes in the future.