Relive the Warzone Nuke Event & Verdansk '84 map reveal from start to finish

March 24, 2023

Call of Duty: Warzone Season Three has officially launched, with two days of events leading up to the Verdansk ’84 reveal! From experiencing Operation Sunder nuking Verdansk in Part I to detonating it yourself on Rebirth Island for Part II, here’s how all of the action went down.

Warzone fans have been dying for a new map for what feels like ages now. And, on April 22, they got their wish. But first, they had to literally die for it — as April 21’s Warzone update, the Nuke Event, forced players to fight through a zombie-infested Verdansk for the last time.

Now, after two days of events, modern-day, pre-nuke Verdansk is gone (and permanently, according to Raven Software). Instead, it’s been replaced with a 1984 version of the map (pre-pre-nuke Verdansk, anyone?). Oh, and Season 3 officially launched sometime in between the events.

To get there, players had to fight through modern-day Verdansk and modern-day Rebirth Island, all leading to a wild time-traveling cutscene. If you missed the chaos live, here’s how it all went down.

Day 1 Timeline: Warzone Nuke event

On the first day of the event, NICKMERCS was streaming on Twitch for around an absurd 400,000 people.

While his video recaps the biggest moments, here’s how the full day played out:

3:00 PM ET

Right on cue, a new playlist update was added to Warzone, titled “Destruction of Verdansk Part 1.”

3:04 PM ET

Just like Shipwreck was when it was added to Season 2, players quickly discovered that every POI was crossed-out (indicating the presence of zombies).

Every POI's name is now crossed out like Shipwreck was when it first got added!#WarzoneNukeEvent pic.twitter.com/JoagQrRvnH

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 21, 2021

3:10 PM ET

“Call of Duty: Server Warfare” became a running meme across social media as thousands of players struggled to play the new playlist due to server crashes.

Eventually, the devs dropped a hotfix to limit players per match — at which point the game could actually be played to completion.

3:20 PM ET

The “Destruction of Verdansk” playlist was no fluke, after finishing the playlist, a wild cutscene showed fans that Verdansk got nuked! Tons of streamers were playing live and had some nutty reactions to the map’s demolition.

🚨 BREAKING: VERDANSK HAS BEEN NUKED! #WarzoneNukeEvent ☢️

(via @drdisrespect) pic.twitter.com/bQYly8yFXb

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 21, 2021

3:40 PM ET

After completing the “Destruction of Verdansk Part 1” playlist, players got a free calling card.

5:07 PM ET

Just after the Part I playlist officially ended, a new playlist update appeared: “Aftermath – Rebirth Island.”

5:20 PM ET

Dropping into the new “Aftermath” playlist, players discovered that Rebirth was now in night mode — featuring a new POI (Control Center), where Construction Site used to be…and a glimpse of the nuclear mushroom cloud above Verdansk off in the distance.

First look at the new night version of Rebirth Island in Warzone 🌙

There's a new POI too, called Control Center – here's what's inside: pic.twitter.com/1oJpyg50Nv

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 21, 2021

☢️ The NUCLEAR EXPLOSION can be seen from Rebirth Island! 🤯 #Warzone pic.twitter.com/tuxyRuHrkC

— Black Ops Cold War Newz ☢️ (@WarzoneNewz) April 21, 2021

10:40 PM ET

After all of the “Aftermath” activities got experimented with, fans discovered a brand-new ‘Rebirth From the Ashes’ Warzone website (with a countdown to when Season 3’s kickoff).

11:10 PM ET

Around 11 p.m., the patch notes for Season 3’s launch officially came out — and they featured some wild buffs and nerfs to the game’s guns.

🚨 MAJOR weapon changes in Warzone Season 3 – tons of buffs and nerfs:

• FFAR, M16, AUG all nerfed
• LC10, Krig 6, QBZ buffed
• Devs "keeping a close eye" on AMAX

Full patch notes: https://t.co/EwS1HVI1LH pic.twitter.com/beg6GlARCu

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

12:15 AM ET

After Season 3 finally launched, no changes were made to the playlist, but CoD started throwing out some map teasers for Day 2.

Day 2 Timeline: Verdansk ’84 reveal

11:00 AM ET

After hours of people figuring out teasers and leaks throughout the night, the developers got Day 2’s action kicked off in flashy fashion — with a star-studded, celebrity trailer that shows off glimpses of the new Verdansk map.

🚨 BREAKING: New #Warzone Season 3 trailer! It's the celebrity trailer that was leaked a few weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/LoYoiovvxe

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

1:25 PM ET

Within a couple hours of the event’s start time, a new cinematic trailer also dropped for Warzone and Black Ops Cold War Season 3. This one showed a look at the 1984 Verdansk map at the end, building up more hype.

🚨 New cinematic trailer for #BlackOpsColdWar & #Warzone Season 3!

The ending appears to show the new map! pic.twitter.com/Gl4uKLvsye

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

3:00 PM ET

At 3 on the dot, the devs put out tweets telling players to return to Rebirth Island. Once they signed in, Verdansk’s finest discovered a new playlist called “Destruction of Verdansk: Part 2.” That playlist let players nuke Verdansk before time-traveling to…’84 Verdansk.

3:20 PM ET

One of the first thing players found out when dropping into ’84 Verdansk? A brand-new Gulag with OG roots — as, to the delight of Black Ops II fans, it’s a remake of Standoff (which can also be found as a POI somewhere in Farmland).

🚨 THE NEW #WARZONE SEASON 3 GULAG IS STANDOFF!

Details & walkthrough: https://t.co/38EKfWCj4k pic.twitter.com/7XG9I4UU9V

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

3:25 PM ET

Players also discovered a whole set of new POIs, including Summit (which replaces Dam) and Airport Factory.

SUMMIT IS NOW A POI IN #WARZONE!

The iconic Black Ops map has replaced Dam in Verdansk '84! pic.twitter.com/KNtkRh9ElF

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

3:30 PM ET

While some locations were torn down (like Stadium), others simply returned to clean 1984 glory — including the No. 1 hot spot Superstore.

Superstore looks a lot different in Verdansk '84!

All of the destruction has been cleaned up and everything is a lot neater and more organized. pic.twitter.com/8k3GEjlqA6

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

3:35 PM ET

To the delight of some and sadness of others, Raven Software announced that the OG, pre-nuke version of Verdansk will never be playable again.

3:38 PM ET

Players found their way to a completely new POI. Named Grid Array, the location is huge and could be a ridiculous spot for snipers.

Introducing Grid Array, another new #Warzone POI that features a MASSIVE structure visible from all around the map! pic.twitter.com/1A5YChuyMr

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

3:50 PM ET

Another interesting feature, players were excited to find out just how vibrant Verdansk ’84 is. As it turns out, that’s because it’s springtime — and Verdansk will be going through seasonal changes from now on.

If you're noticing a lot more green around the map, that's not by accident 🌺

Verdansk '84 is currently in Springtime & there will be regular environmental changes from season to season in #Warzone. pic.twitter.com/pvGdjcx4J9

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

4:40 PM ET

Wrapping up two days of events, Warzone’s final Season 3 playlist, the “Hunt for Adler” LTM, went live. This requires players to find various pieces of intel for a new skin as the Black Ops Cold War-blended story continues.

New Hunt for Adler event is now live in #Warzone & #BlackOpsColdWar Season 3!

Players will need to find pieces of intel in either game to unlock new exclusive rewards 🔎pic.twitter.com/UHdbKOI8iA

— DEXERTO Call of Duty & Esports News (@DexertoIntel) April 22, 2021

And there you have it, that’s how Warzone fans played through modern-day Verdansk getting nuked, then nuked it themselves on modern-day Rebirth Island, until they eventually teleported back in time to a 1984 version of the now-classic map.

What comes next, only the developers know. But, with the Hunt for Adler LTM and other pieces of intel piling up, the battle royale’s storylines are only continuing to deepen.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter @Dexertointel for all the latest Warzone Season 3 updates, news, leaks, and more, especially as we move deeper into Season 3.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbHXnqmtp16YvK57wpqjpWWfm3qlwdOyZqudnJ7DpnnWmqmzp56aerSxwKymp2VjYru2t8RmnK%2Bdnql6t7HRnZinq5tihXV5zJqnZqqVq7KiuIysq5qqpGLBsHnFoqWiq5hifnZ%2BlnFrcmc%3D