Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is just days away. As you might have gathered from early impressions here at CraveOnline or other outlets, this is a Call of Duty game looking to shake things up. A lot has been learned from previous releases, and now the franchise is taking its biggest step in the past decade in content, gameplay, and story.
There are both familiar and unfamiliar qualities to Advanced Warfare, which will make the transition for some Call of Duty fans a bit of a learning experience. To help make things easier, we’ve created a list of 15 things you should know about the game before hopping in.
Also See: The Best and Worst of Call of Duty
Check out the gallery below to learn all about Advanced Warfare and why it’s earned the attention of gamers.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare - Everything You Need to Know
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A Story of a Corporation Named Atlas
Advanced Warfare is set in 2054 where a private military corporation known as Atlas is tasked with combating a terrorist group known as KVA. You will play the entire campaign as Jack Mitchell, a former U.S. Marine who has just joined Atlas.
The future setting means that there are new threats to deal with that the series has never seen before. This isn't a game about nuclear threats, there's much more to it than that.
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Kevin Spacey Reporting In
Celebrities have been used in marketing material for Call of Duty in the past, but this year things go even deeper. Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey plays the role of Jonathan Irons, the founder of the Atlas corporation that the single-player campaign is based around. This, along with Sledgehammer Games' expressed interest in delivering a great narrative, is promising for the game's single-player mode.
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Future Weapons (Not the TV Show)
Since Advanced Warfare is set in 2054, Sledgehammer Games has been able to add weapons that no game has ever seen before. Weapons have unique properties more akin to sci-fi shooters. For example, the BAL-27 is an assault rifle that fires faster the longer you hold down the trigger, while the EM1 shoots a constant beam of directed energy. Long gone are the days of everyone running around with standard assault rifles. There are a ton of different options that range in ammunition type and firing style.
You can see a list of weapons in the game here.
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More Than One Grenade Type Can Be Carried
For the first time in Call of Duty history, you can carry more than one grenade type at any given type. You can then switch between which you'd like to use, including a flash bang, sticky grenade, and EMP bomb.
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The Exoskeleton Speeds Up Gameplay and Adds New Mechanics
In Advanced Warfare you'll be equipped with an Exoskeleton that enhances your capabilities beyond that of an average human. The game is faster paced than any Call of Duty before it thanks to higher jumping, quicker running, stronger melee attacks, and more.
This isn't some far-fetched sci-fi technology, though. The impressive technology used in Advanced Warfare is based on current research and development in the United States military. It's rooted in reality.
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Next-gen HUD
In Advanced Warfare you won't have HUD elements taking up valuable real estate on your screen. Instead, ammo and grenade count are shown on your weapon's holographic projection. It's a neat idea that condenses important information into a smaller, less obtrusive area on the screen.
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The Co-Op Mode is Called Exo-Survival
This year's Call of Duty has co-op in the form of a 1-4 player, with 2-player split-screen, mode called Exo-Survival. It's similar to Ghosts' Extinction mode in that you'll combat battle waves of enemies and tackle objectives. The objectives are optional but are associated with helpful rewards, and they're intense, too.
You and your teammates will be able to choose between three exo tiers: Light, Heavy, or Specialist. Utilizing these tiers is critical to success as a team.
You'll also be able to upgrade and earn abilities between waves, adding some flexibility to the experience.
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The Perks
Advanced Warfare features a total of 15 perks that divide into three categories. As with Modern Warfare 3, you get to choose one from each category. For the most part, perks are similar to what we've seen before, but there are some new ones. Take for example the Overcharged perk, which extends the battery life of the Exoskeleton.
You can see a full list of perks here.
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The Scorestreaks
Killstreaks are now known as Scorestreaks, and the system for equipping them is similar to how it was in Ghosts; your Create-A-Class will allow you to expend 13 total points on equipment, weapons, and Scorestreaks. So, you can choose to go into battle with three scorestreaks if you'd like, but you don't have to.
As with Perks, the Scorestreaks are similar to what we've seen before, though there are some cool new ones such as the Warbird, which is a remotely controlled aerial vehicle armed with high rate of fire weapons.
You can see all the Scorestreaks here.
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Randomized Rewards Through Supply Drops
When playing Advanced Warfare's multiplayer you'll earn Supply Drops for play time, achievements, and more. These Supply Drops will contain several random items, including gear and weapons. They add a random element to the progression, something Call of Duty hasn't seen before.
Just to be clear, these aren't drops that you deploy when in a game. Instead, they work like loot crates.
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Create-A-Class A.K.A Pick 13
Advanced Warfare has a Create-A-Class system that's similar to what was in Ghosts. It's called Pick 13, and it gives you 13 points to spend on your entire loadout. Each weapon, attachment, and Skillstreak has a different cost. So, there's a lot of decision to be made, and chances are your loadout won't be quite the same as anyone else's.
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Create An Operator Continues the Customization of Ghosts
Create-A-Soldier is back, this time called Create An Operator. It allows you to define how you look in the game world. You'll earn new models, clothing, armor, and even Exoskeletons as you progress through the multiplayer portion of the game. Other players can easily see your operator outside of combat through the game's Virtual Lobby system.
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Virtual Lobbies Improve Player Interaction Between Games
Instead of staring at a menu when waiting for a multiplayer match to start, you'll be placed in a Virtual Lobby. These allow you to see the Create An Operator of each player in your game, as well as their progression. Those who have invested a lot of time into the game will stand out.
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4 DLC Packages Are Planned
Advanced Warfare has four DLC packs planned to release: Havoc, Ascendance, Supremacy, and Reckoning. You can get access to all of them with the Season Pass for $50, although they will be released several months apart.
Microsoft has once again secured a deal for DLC on Xbox, so it'll receive each of these DLC packages around two months ahead of the PC and PlayStation platform
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Advanced Warfare + Xbox One
On November 3rd an Xbox One Limited Edition Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Bundle will become available. It includes a custom Xbox One console, controller, a copy of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and has a 1TB hard drive.
This bundle will be available for $449.99 as one of the first bundles that incorporates at $50 Xbox One price drop.
