Warzone 2 Strongholds: The Definitive Guide

Strongholds are one of the latest additions in Warzone 2. They are specific buildings defended by strong AI enemies. Especially, I will recommend players if they are looking for neat rewards. If you are lucky enough, you can also get a rare weapon blueprint.

Stronghold Locations

Strongholds appear randomly in Al-Mazarah, marked by shield symbols. In the battle royale, three appear after the first circle, while more than ten are available from the start in the DMZ. These structures are often found in Point of Interest (POI) zones, key areas in the map with urban settings and substantial loot. Approximately 70 hot zones serve as potential stronghold locations.

Enemies In The Stronghold

The only thing that stops you from getting all the exclusive loot at Stronghold is the AI bots. They are a little tougher than those in other places on the map. Several of them will have riot shields, armor, and heavy weapons.

Juggernaut

One significant addition to Stronghold is the AI juggernaut present in the Black Site. This AI boss is equipped with a minigun and the standard Juggernaut armor gear to provide the strongest resistance to players seizing the stronghold. So, your loadout should consist of high-powered weapons like assault rifles or LMGs and many armor plates to face them before entering a stronghold.

I advise going for clean shots on the head to put it down quickly. Plus, playing as a team and covering each other will give you a notable advantage over him.

Riot Shield Guards

These AI bots usually stand at the front door or entrance of the house to welcome you. They are equipped with heavy-duty riot shields, so it is not going to be easy to kill them using bullets alone.

The best method to kill them is to use Frag Grenades or Semtex. These tactical equipment are necessary when assaulting a stronghold along with stuns.

Differences Between BR & DMZ Strongholds

Despite sharing the Al-Mazarah map, the battle royale and DMZ modes differ in gameplay and player impact. In DMZ, strongholds are easier to defeat than in the battle royale mode.

Objectives

The objectives in Warzone 2 differ based on the gameplay mode. In Battle Royale, the primary goal is to defuse a stronghold bomb after clearing the building of enemies. The team that defuses it first earns a black site key for exclusive access to more powerful enemies and superior loot.

In the DMZ mode, accessing strongholds requires special keys. Once obtained, players can raid these areas for loot, which, while beneficial, is not as potent as in the battle royale mode. The DMZ strongholds are easier to control due to their lower-tier loot.

Loot

Strongholds offer extensive loot. The first to clear one gets a black site key, loadout crate, and temporary UAV. Clearing the black site earns a permanent weapon case and UAV, exclusive to battle royale mode.

In DMZ mode, weapon boxes hold rare contraband weapons. These Valuable sellable items and White Lotus intel, dropped by AI guards, complete the “Storm the Stronghold” faction mission.

Stronghold Keys

Strongholds in DMZ also require their own specific keys to get entrance. These keys are obtainable from some sources found around the map.

• Buy Stations: Buy Stations in DMZ offer to sell stronghold keys for $5000. These are present in almost every buy station but commonly at the buy stations around or near strongholds.
• Loot: Another remarkable source to get a stronghold key is to find it in loot crates or lying around in random places on the map.
• AI Enemy: AI enemies sometimes drop a stronghold key when killed as a loot item.
• Other Players: If some other player has a key, you can get it by killing him and looting his backpack. There is not always a chance, but still, it is vital to check players that were killed near buy stations or strongholds.

Black Sites

The black site, a more intricate version of regular strongholds in the battle royale mode, exists as a single site among three strongholds. Accessible only with black site keys, the first to complete the primary goal of defusing the bomb gains entry. Inside, robust AI and an intense AI juggernaut boss await.

Defeating the juggernaut drops a weapon blueprint and a permanent UAV over the area for the current circle’s duration. Failing to enter the black site still allows access to other loot and perks in the strongholds.

Storm The Stronghold

Storm the stronghold is one of the first-tier missions of the faction Legion. This mission requires you to complete the following three tasks regarding strongholds:

• You must acquire a stronghold keycard in one of the ways discussed above in the article.
• Once you have the keycard, you have to enter any of the strongholds and kill all the AI enemies found there. One of them will give you a “white lotus intel” item.
• You must extract the attained white lotus intel item to complete the mission successfully.

Completing this mission gives 5000 XP and a weapon blueprint of an LMG “Pendulum.”

Are Strongholds Worth It?

Even though strongholds are worth looting, you should remember the dangers there. Without proper equipment, your chances of surviving are extremely low. The information discussed above grants you every key point to take down a stronghold.

Want a good loadout for DMZ? Check out our loadout guides:

• Warzone 2 Best Loadouts
• Warzone 2: MCPR-300 Best Build