Haunting of Verdansk: release time and trailer for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone Halloween event

The event will let you play as characters from Saw and Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(Image: Activision)(Image: Activision)
(Image: Activision)

Call of Duty is celebrating the spooky season with the Haunting of Verdansk, a Halloween themed in-game event.

The event – which makes changes to 2019’s Modern Warfare multiplayer and CoD’s popular Warzone battle royale variant – lets fans play as two iconic horror movie villains, as well giving them new weapons, new modes and a “Trick or Treat” reward system.

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Here is everything you need to know.

What is the Haunting of Verdansk?

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Activision set the scene for the new Halloween themed update in a lengthy blog post detailing the many changes coming with the Haunting of Verdansk.

"As Halloween draws near, a squad of operators drops in for what seems to be a normal infiltration into Verdansk,” they say, “though there’s been back-channel chatter about some unexplained and odd occurrences across the remote areas of the map.

(Image: Activision)(Image: Activision)
(Image: Activision)

"Operators have been briefed about reports concerning a serial killer who wears his victim’s faces on his own.

“There’s scattered intel about strange sounds emanating from various locations within the warzone; and not least the piercing, creepy laugher of a ventriloquist doll...”

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How can I play as characters from Saw and Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

Perhaps most excitingly, the Haunting of Verdansk will let you play as two iconic horror movie villains: Billy the Puppet from the Saw franchise and Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

(Image: Activision)(Image: Activision)
(Image: Activision)

To unlock these skins, you’ll need to purchase either the Saw or Texas Chainsaw Massacre bundles.

The Saw bundle also comes with the Phlebotomozier Lethal Equipment piece, a special throwing knife that will “drill into your enemies upon impact”, as well as two Saw-themed blueprint weapons, a Cargo Truck skin, tricycle Charm, and four other pieces of personalisation content.

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Leatherface's bundle includes the Family Heirloom LMG blueprint, complete with a unique Stock attachment that allows an operator to wield the weapon like a chainsaw.

The package also features the Anybody Home? melee blueprint that turns this Secondary into a one-handed hammer, as well as an SMG blueprint weapon, a vehicle horn, and five additional Texas Chainsaw Massacre-themed items.

What has changed on the map?

In Warzone, the battle royale map is undergoing a major change for the Haunting of Verdansk – players can now play a nighttime version of the location.

Available in select modes, Activision say operators “might want to pack some Thermal optics in their Loadout Drops” to help spot enemies, and that visiting Verdansk at night will leave players “open to a few frights.”

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“Some say that a ventriloquist doll frequently appears on television sets tuned to defunct channels, and the poltergeist of a chainsaw-wielding killer can be seen and heard across the Krovnik Farmland.

"Others claim that the defunct tracks near the Train Station are still in use by a ghost train, a vessel filled with souls of those who lost their lives fighting in the Gulag…”

How does the Trick or Treat rewards system work?

All players can participate in the Trick or Treat Halloween event, an in-game scavenger hunt, whether you’re playing the day or night version of the map.

You’ll be able to find specially marked Trick or Treat Supply Boxes in specific areas; open these boxes up for a chance to receive universal rewards including the Epic Return to Dust Assault Rifle blueprint, The Cleaver Legendary Melee blueprint, a holographic watch, charms, stickers, sprays, calling cards, and emblems.

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But true to the event’s name, opening a box won’t always contain a treat. “They might also contain a brief scare, so open them at your own peril!” say Activision.

Collecting all 16 individual rewards will unlock the Pumpkin Punisher Legendary Assault Rifle blueprint, which comes pre-configured with attachments that make the weapon “downright terrifying” in Warzone.

What is Zombie Royale?

Zombie Royal is a new limited-time game mode where death is “far from permanent”, in which operators fight against and alongside powerful zombified creatures.

Instead of being sent to the Gulag, dead Operators will come back to life as a zombie with supernatural abilities: increased speed, improved jumps, deadlier melee attacks, and thermal vision.

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When a player is killed, they drop a syringe that shows up on the map. Collect two of these Syringes as a Zombie and you'll parachute back in with your loadout on your Squad for a second chance.

The last squad standing with a surviving Operator wins, even if the rest of the squad has turned undead.

When can I play it?

The Haunting of Verdansk event goes live on Tuesday 20 October. It’s expected that the update will go live around 6pm in the UK.

It will run for two weeks, coming to a close on Tuesday 3 November.

For more information on Call of Duty’s Haunting of Verdansk event, head to Activision’s blog post