After 9 months, Warzone 2's chillest mode returns to the game today

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But will it get players back on board?

Rejoice all you pirates, because Call of Duty: Warzone's chillest and most ear-splitting mode makes its triumphant return today. Plunder was a staple of Warzone 1 until it was unceremoniously stripped from the game in July last year, creating an absence that endured into Warzone 2 to the disappointment of more than a few players.

But dry those tears, because Plunder is back. In a tweet posted by the official Call of Duty account yesterday, fans were advised to "Get ready to take the money and run" in a mode that would see them "Complete contracts, grab bags of money, take advantage of brand new public events, and hunt down cash-leaders in a race to earn the largest stash". I can't wait to hunt down the cash-leaders. I've been saying we should do that for years.

If you're a Plunder latecomer, here's how the mode works: Squads compete to be the first to gather up a million bucks in matches that last 30 minutes. You find cash by opening supply boxes, completing contracts, or just merking other players and taking a portion of their loot. It's much less hardcore than standard Warzone, since you can respawn infinitely and deploy with your own loadouts rather than having to scavenge your materials from the map. 

It's a more sandboxy, low-stakes take on the traditional Warzone experience, and fans have lamented its absence ever since it was yanked out of playlists nine months ago. Still, it might not be enough to get disgruntled players back on board with Warzone 2.

Even though we rather liked Warzone's latest iteration, with Morgan scoring it 80% in his Warzone 2 review and calling it a "massive step up over its predecessor" despite "technical issues and an agonizingly clunky user interface," the game currently sits at a 34% Mostly Negative user review score on Steam. Most of the complaints are about server issues, weapon balance, and cheaters. Very few of them are upset about Plunder in particular. 

But one more mode can't hurt, especially one that players do have some affection for. We'll find out what they think when Plunder makes it return later today.

Joshua Wolens
Joshua Wolens
News Writer

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.