Warzone Pacific Map Update: Is Caldera better than Verdansk?

It's fair to say that Warzone players have been waiting for a new map for a long time - there's nothing wrong with Verdansk, but after playing around on the same map for almost two years, it was time for a change of scenery. Raven Software's newest map promises a brighter experience with more foliage and a few new gameplay mechanics - however, is Caldera actually better than Verdansk?

Caldera is bolder and brighter than Verdansk

If you look at Verdansk and Caldera together, the first thing you notice is how much more colour there is on Caldera's map. We know that an island in the Pacific ocean is probably going to be a bit greener than a town at the base of a mountain range in eastern Europe, but everything about the new map is more vibrant than Verdansk.

This change might seem minor in the grand scheme of things, but it does make a difference and does make you wonder how much better Caldera is than Verdansk - however, there's more to consider before we offer a definitive answer.

For the most part, Caldera's POI locations are on par with the locations we saw in Verdansk - and then altered in Verdansk '84. The urban areas - like Caldera's Capital and Verdansk's Downtown - are dense with buildings and complex interiors. It's hard to say Caldera is better based purely on these named locations - they're different, which is good, but Verdansk never had an issue with these areas.

Caldera thrives in the white space, though - the areas between POI locations and the jungles that really set Caldera apart from Verdansk. These areas are where you're going to spend a good deal of your time - whether you're avoiding an enemy squad or pushing the final circle, these 'in-between' areas offer much more than the same spaces in Verdansk.

Caldera has more foliage and dynamic open spaces - with streams and rock formations scattered across the island - so every fight in these 'open areas' feels more exciting than it did in Verdansk. This also lends itself well to the increased verticality across Caldera - the trees aren't bulletproof but they can offer important cover when under fire from above.

Is Caldera too much of a good thing though?

All the factors that help Caldera distance itself from Verdansk also feel like they hold it back from being definitively the better Warzone map.

Caldera's verticality is fantastic and offers a more dynamic Warzone experience - however, you can't help but feel like you're almost always fighting on an incline. Fighting in the POI locations is a little different, but when you're out in the wilderness of Caldera's jungles, you're always fighting someone above you or below you.

The team with the high ground almost always wins - which might not be a surprise - and it's a factor that lends itself very well to third-party ambushes. Verdansk wasn't flat, but it wasn't exactly a cliff-ridden map like Caldera.

In addition to this, the increase in foliage is as much a boon to your attacking moves as it is a disadvantage. Other players can hide in the bushes just as well as you can and this means you're almost always exposed in Caldera.

Playing Warzone on Caldera is a different experience from playing Warzone on Verdansk - but it's hard to commit to this being a better experience on the whole.

Caldera might be better, but it's hard to say

Ultimately, it isn't easy to definitively say that Caldera is better than Verdansk when Warzone is still plagued with so many issues. There are visual bugs throughout the experience and sporadic latency issues still keep Warzone from being the smooth experience it could be.

In addition to this, Caldera's brightness has done little to improve the visibility issues Verdansk was saddled with. It's almost as if Raven Software has taken the saturation of the map too far in the opposite direction. Verdansk was devoid of colour and Caldera is too colourful. In both cases, spotting players at a distance against the busy backdrop can be difficult and Caldera's verticality can make this all the more lethal.

Vanguard Royale doesn't do Caldera justice, but it does have the potential to be a better map than Verdansk with a little tweaking. For now, though, it remains a debated tie without a winner.