Warzone Area 99 map and Black Ops 6 integration: Everything we know

The new and upcoming Area 99 map for Warzone and the latter's integration with Black Ops 6 was just revealed at the Call of Duty Next event. Area 99 is the next Resurgence map to join the game and is coming later this year with Season 1 of Black Ops 6. Call of Duty went in-depth, discussing all the POIs (Points of Interest), and every unique aspect of the map. Inspired by Nuketown, Area 99 is the birthplace of the classic Black Ops map and every single POI has a story behind it, adding more depth to the map than ever.

In this brief article, we'll take a closer look at the upcoming Warzone Area 99 map including all its POIs, Warzone's integration with Black Ops 6, and more.

When does Warzone Area 99 map release?

According to the official Call of Duty blog post, the Area 99 Resurgence map will go live in Warzone during the Season 1 patch of Black Ops 6. Although we don't have an officially announced date, we can speculate the map will come online in early December 2024.

With Black Ops 6 going live on October 25, 2024, we can expect the Season 1 patch to drop during the end of November or early December, after the end of the pre-season.

All Warzone Area 99 map POIs (Points of Interest)

As mentioned earlier, the Warzone Area 99 map POIs are inspired by Nuketown, bringing the intense action-packed Nuketown experience to the battle royale title.

Exploring all the POIs of the Warzone Area 99 map (Image via Activision)

Here are all the POIs of Warzone's Area 99 map:

Reactor: At the center of the map lies the Reactor, giving players access to the highest ground on the map. This location is special as it has tunnels running underneath that connect it to all other POIs on the map. However, they aren't safe as radioactive material from the Reactor has leaked into these tunnels and will damage players if they are seeking shelter in these dark trenches.
Cooling Towers: Next to the Reactor are the Cooling Towers, which once ensured that the Reactor was cooled properly. However, as the Reactor was cracked open, the Cooling Towers are no longer in use and now provide sufficient cover as well as facilitate close-quarter combat.
Manufacturing: This is where all the houses you see in Nuketown are manufactured. Unfortunately, it is now out of order and what remains is a broken manufacturing unit.
Warehouse: All items from the Manufacturing unit eventually make their way to the Warehouse. Expect to see Nuketown houses being stored here that have been abandoned and are now decaying in solace.
Loading Bay: The Loading Bay is a shipping yard featuring a large crane. This crane was used to pick up the raw material shipments and move them to the factory for building the Nuketown houses. Players visiting this location will see one of the houses still hanging from the crane and yes, it is accessible provided you can land there.
Nuketown Shipping: This is where the finished houses would be picked up and sent to their respective places. However, these houses now remain abandoned as they awaited "transportation paperwork" for way too long. Unfortunately, these houses are no longer hospitable and the sand has claimed the houses for themselves.
Mannequin Assembly: Remember the Mannequins in Nuketown? This is where their life began. However, after the Reactor failure, the city is abandoned and so is the Mannequin Assembly. It is now filled with Mannequins that are waiting to be assembled.
Test Site: This is where the workers from the Advanced Technologies and Applications Division conducted a variety of tests which often leaned, more often than not, towards danger. According to the lore, this is where the Military was testing the "Guardian Weapon Platform" before things crumbled in Area 99. This location can be easily identified thanks to the helipad.
Bunker: The Bunker resembles the typical 60s military room. It is located right next to the Test Site and to access it, you must find a hidden entrance that will take you underground to this POI.
Pods: The Pods are futuristic and colorful houses that can be easily seen from a mile away. They aren't necessarily on the ground and this is where the residents of Area 99 lived before the nuclear breakdown incident.

As for the size of the map, it is quite similar to Rebirth Island and hence, you can expect a similar gameplay pace throughout. Now that we have discussed all the 10 POIs of the Area 99 map, let us take a closer look at how Warzone will evolve post its integration with Black Ops 6.

Note that these new integrations will be making their way to the shooter later this year when the Season 1 update for Black Ops 6 is expected to go live.

All new features in Warzone after Black Ops 6 integration

After the Black Ops 6 integration with Warzone, the battle royale title is going to see a host of changes. Here's a brief overview of the all changes coming to WZ:

Omnimovement

The highly anticipated movement mechanism will be making its way to Warzone in Season 1 of Black Ops 6. This Omnimovement system is a game changer, allowing you to dive, slide, and sprint in all directions, giving you 360-degree motion. With it comes Supine Prone, which will enable your Operator to achieve a 360-degree view even while prone.

Three weapon system

Currently, players have only two weapon slots. With BO6 integration, there will be a total of three slots - Primary, Secondary, and Melee. You will no longer have to sacrifice a weapon to carry a Melee Weapon, as it will get its own slot.

No more Backpacks

Inventory system in Warzone after Black Ops 6 integration (Image via Activision)

Backpacks will no longer be a thing after BO6. The battle royale title is going back to its roots, ridding of the backpack system entirely. This means no more stashing items, and you must always be on the move if you need something. However, you do have an inventory with slots for a Gas Mask, Cash, Armor Plates, a Killstreak, a Field Upgrade, Primary, Secondary, and Melee Weapons, and ammo.

But that's not all. Two more types of Satchels are being introduced that will allow you to carry more of some specific items. The Armor Satchel will increase the number of armor plates you can carry and the Munitions Satchel will increase the count of ammo you can carry for all weapon types.

Overhaul of the Perk system

Pick-3 Perk system in Warzone after the Black Ops 6 integration (Image via Activision)

With the BO6 integration, a Pick-3 Perk system will be implemented in Warzone. In the Call of Duty Next event, it was discussed that before dropping into a match, all players will be able to pick any three Perks from their loadout. If players die, these Perks will drop a package, that can be looted by others. On top of that, players will also be able to equip more Perks from the ground loot as usual. Needless to say, the Specialist Perk remains, instantly giving access to all the Perks in the shooter.

For the first time ever, players will be able to equip Wildcards, which will provide them with the ability to either equip eight attachments to their weapon (Gunfighter) or equip two Primary Weapons (Overkill).

Classic Prestige and Relocks

The classic Prestige system is making its way to Warzone after the Black Ops 6 integration. You'll now be able to go up to Level 55, following which you enter Prestige 1, starting from zero again. But you get to unlock one specific item for yourself this time around, which can be a gun or a Perk - the choice is yours. As you reach Level 55 again, you enter Prestige 2 and everything will reset again except for the item you've decided to keep in Prestige 1. At this point, you have the option to get another permanent unlock.

Revamped Gunsmith

Exploring the new Warzone Gunsmith system after Black Ops 6 integration (Image via Activision)

The Gunsmith system is undergoing massive changes with the integration of Black Ops 6. The most notable ones are as follows:

Global Weapon Builds: The Global Weapon Builds is pretty self-explanatory. It essentially integrates your builds across all three modes - Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone. So for instance, if you build a loadout in Warzone, you need not make the same build in the other modes as they will automatically sync across the board, making the entire experience more seamless.
Mastery Camos: For the first time, weapons in Warzone will feature their series of Camos. Currently, WZ weapons share their progression with the main entry. However, with the BO6 integration, Warzone will get its own set of camos. The four main Mastery Camos are named - Gold Tiger, King's Ransom, Catalyst, and Abyss.
Attachments overhaul: Another major change to the Gunsmith system pertains to the gun's Attachments. Attachments will rarely have cons and exist to only make the weapons better. Each weapon in the game gets its own set of attachments, which have been shared in the title since MW2. Finally, Attachments in specific slots will only affect certain qualities of the weapon. For instance, a Rear Grip will only affect the Handling stats of the weapon and will not affect other stats such as Mobility.

Emotes and Sprays

You'll now be able to use Emotes during a match, taunting other players or just giving a signal. As long as you are in control of your Operator, you will be able to use a varied set of emotes. Moreover, Sprays return, giving you the ability to spray walls or other surfaces with the image you have equipped. This is a fun addition that can be used both tactically or to just flex your collection. How you use these features in Warzone after the Black Ops 6 integration is completely up to you.

Future updates for Warzone after Black Ops 6

As of now, only two major updates for Warzone have been announced for after the release of Black Ops 6. The first is the return of the classic and fan-favorite map Verdansk. The first Battle Royale map will be returning to the game in the Spring of 2025, as Call of Duty celebrates its fifth anniversary of Warzone.

Secondly, Ranked Play, which is currently only available for Resurgence, will be returning to Battle Royale modes starting Season 1 of Black Ops 6.

That covers everything that you need to know about the new Area 99 map and Warzone's integration with Black Ops 6.

For more Call of Duty articles, check out the links below:

Edited by Niladri Roy