Call of Duty Warzone: What Is The Gulag?

Call of Duty Warzone’s is out right now, with 150 players joining together in teams of 3 to drop into the city of Verdansk and eliminate each other. It’s fast, frantic, and there’s a lot going on (seriously, it feels like they’ve thrown every idea at this thing), but one of the most curious additions to Warzone is The Gulag.

Instead of dying instantly and being forced to watch your teammates try and survive, your first death in Warzone will see you captured and hauled off to The Gulag, a 1v1 survival game where you compete for a second chance at glory. Here’s everything you need to know about Warzone’s Gulag.

 

Call of Duty Warzone: The Gulag Basics & Tips

The Gulag is a prison where players are forced to compete in 1v1 matches, with the winner redeploying into Verdansk while the loser has to rely on teammates to purchase a resurrection from a Buy Station using cash found throughout the map, or by completing contracts. Like we said, there’s a lot going on in Warzone.

As for the 1v1 matches themselves, they play out like small-scale Gunfight games, as both players spawn on opposite ends of the map with matching loadouts. There’s 15 seconds on the clock and an objective that spawns in the middle after those 15 seconds, so your match will go by quickly.

Winners will be sent to the skies above Verdansk near your teammates inside the safe zone, while losers will be forced to rely on teammates to purchase a respawn, if your teammates are still alive that is. It is possible that, should your squad be wiped, one Gulag winner could bring back your entire squad, making it quite the game changer. It’s also worth noting that, once the circle has closed a few times, the Gulag shuts down for the game, meaning no more 1v1 second chances.

If (though, let’s be honest, when) you’re sent to the Gulag, you’ll be placed into a queue, and you’ll even be able to spectate on matches that are happening ahead of you. That, or you can just fistfight with each other in the rafters while you wait, or throw stones at the competitors. You’ve got to keep yourselves entertained somehow, right?

Surviving in the Gulag requires playing to the loadout you’ve been given. Running around like a headless chicken will get you nowhere. Take things slow, check your corners, use your equipment. When the objective spawns, try to capture, or at least prevent them from capturing it. If you’re up against a drop shotting, 360 no-scoper, you’re on your own.

Call of Duty Warzone is available to play right now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One for free, with cross-play enabled across all platforms. Players who own Modern Warfare will be able to transfer their progression across the main game and Warzone.