The recent re-introduction of the Verdansk map toCall of Duty: Warzonehas been a huge point of discussion for the game’s community, ultimately acting as a massive opportunity for the title to steer its reputation in the right direction. A lot of pressure was always going to be placed on Verdansk’s return to match the nostalgic image of what fans remember of the original, but the immense changes thatCall of Dutyhas faced since 2020 has made this a difficult task.
While Verdansk’s long-anticipated return toCall of Duty: Warzonemight not be entirely reflective of the original, the teams behindWarzonehave implemented some hidden details to really give the map’s comeback a lot of character. Fans have been getting used to every corner of Verdansk since its re-introduction on April 3, and the map is full of excellent Easter eggs that aim to immortalize Verdansk’s legacy as well as its post-launch seasons.
Verdansk’s Return to Warzone is Full of Easter Eggs and Callbacks
Modern aspects ofCall of Dutysuch asBlack Ops 6’s Omnimovement systemhave worked their way intoWarzoneover the years, which has had a huge impact on howCoD’s battle royale title plays compared to its original state. Many fans were apprehensive in terms of how enjoyable Verdansk’s return would be given these changes, especially considering how the nostalgia of the map’s original portrayal has only boosted its reputation over the years.
Verdansk’s return has been quite successful regardless of this, and to bridge the two versions of the map, Raven Software has filled the map with smart nods that celebrate the map’s history. One of the most consistently appearing Easter eggs in Verdansk’s return can be found in a lot of the map’s iconic twisting stairways, with graffiti saying “Roze Was Here” being scrawled on some of them. Of course, Roze was one of the most iconic operators of Verdansk’s original era; this graffiti is a great callback to the massive popularity of this operator in particular.
Roze was one of the earliest examples of how certain operator skins inWarzonehave an advantage in terms of how they blend in with some environments, which is still a hot-button issue for the title to this day.
The Destruction of Verdansk was one of the most important in-game events inWarzonehistory, with nuclear destruction giving way tothe divisive Verdansk ‘84 variant of the map in April 2021. The remnants of the nuke that destroyed Verdansk can be found in the new version of the map, located near the Stadium POI in the same location where it detonated in the destruction event’s major cinematic.
Other Defining In-Game Events Are Referenced Throughout Verdansk’s Latest Portrayal
Anothermajor event for the original map was the Haunting of Verdansk, which began in October 2020, directly bringing about the storyline of Verdansk’s aforementioned nuclear destruction. The Haunting event saw a mysterious ship full of zombies crash into the island, and some corpses from these undead hordes can now be found on the beaches where the ship was originally docked during the Haunting of Verdansk.
Finally, Verdansk’s latest iteration also includes some of the iconic red doors that featured heavily inthe campaign ofBlack Ops Cold War. Verdansk originally featured these doors around the map to promote the release of the 2020 title. Some of these red doors can be found around the recently released Verdansk as if they are in storage – yet another example of how the new version of Verdansk pays great respect to the rich history of the map.
