
New Warzone LTM guide is live: Season 05's Lockdown Casual and Heavy Metal Heroes explained, plus every mode's rules and best use cases.
A warzone ltm is Raven Software's way of making you forget the base game is getting stale. Right now, Season 05 of Call of Duty Warzone runs two headline modes: Lockdown Casual and Heavy Metal Heroes, both built around the new Drone Labs point of interest on Verdansk. If you only read one paragraph of this guide, read this one, because everything else is just details on how these modes will get you killed faster than usual.
A call of duty warzone limited time mode takes the standard battle royale skeleton and bolts on a gimmick, then rips it away in two to four weeks before you get too attached. Some are permanent-feeling reskins of Resurgence, some are 50v50 vehicle brawls, and some are seasonal novelty acts tied to events. None of them are curated with your win rate in mind, they exist to sell battle passes and keep churn numbers happy.
Season 05 launched July 23, 2026 and brought a fresh warzone ltm schedule alongside the new Drone Labs POI, sitting between Quarry, Farms, and the east side of TV Station. The two new modes below are the entire reason this update matters to anyone who isn't a weapon balance nerd.
| Mode | Format | Location | Hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockdown Casual | 24 players, 3 squads plus 3 bot squads | Drone Labs, Verdansk | Hold rotating zones, respawn with a random killstreak, occasionally a Juggernaut falls in your lap |
| Heavy Metal Heroes | 50v50, runs 8/6 to 8/20 | Verdansk | Heavy vehicles with mounted guns, kills grant movement and ammo buffs, grappling hooks included |
Lockdown Casual is the current warzone season 05 centerpiece, and it is basically Hardpoint wearing a battle royale costume with bots padding out the lobby so it never feels empty. Heavy Metal Heroes is louder, dumber, and more fun if your idea of strategy is driving a truck at another truck.
Deadline is a warzone resurgence ltm that took the unlimited respawn formula and added a punishment mechanic, the lowest scoring squad gets eliminated after every circle collapse. Camping is not a strategy here, it is a death sentence with extra steps.
Circles two through four got extended by thirty seconds each, respawn timers were cut by five seconds, and the round end warning now fires a full minute out instead of thirty seconds. Translation: the mode got slightly more forgiving after the community complained it was a stress test disguised as a game mode.
If you want the closest thing to a permanent fixture among the rotating cast, Deadline is it. It keeps reappearing because it works, unlike half the LTMs that get quietly buried after two weeks.
Here is a warzone ltm list of modes that already lived and died, so you can stop asking why your favorite one disappeared.
Mode | Gimmick | Status |
|---|---|---|
Power Armor Royale | Fallout crossover, players fight in irradiated Verdansk wearing Power Armor | Retired after Season 01 event window |
High Action | More money, more legendary crates, more killstreak drops | Folded into general loot balancing |
Holiday Rush | Festive Area 99 quads mode tied to CODMAS | Seasonal, returns yearly |
Overdrive Domination | Capture objectives with style for stars and Operator buffs | Black Ops 7 exclusive, still active |
Gauntlet Rush | Rotates through Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Hardpoint, Roulette | Black Ops 7 exclusive, still active |
Ranking the best warzone ltm modes depends entirely on what kind of punishment you are in the mood for today.
Season 05 didn't just add a warzone new limited time mode pair, it changed how loot arrives entirely. Supply Drones now carry roughly 40 percent of Legendary Supply Box loot and 100 percent of Personal Supply Box loot, and Buy Stations deploy in waves via drone instead of sitting still waiting to be looted. Shoot the drones down early or wait for delivery, either way the game wants you looking at the sky more than the ground now.
Vehicle damage also got rebalanced by squad size on warzone verdansk ltm playlists, with Solos taking 30 percent more vehicle damage and Quads left untouched, because apparently four players in a truck together needed no help at all.
A short set of warzone ltm tips for anyone tired of dying to the same mistakes every mode rotation.
None of this guarantees a win. It just means you will lose for more interesting reasons than usual.
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New Warzone LTM guide is live: Season 05's Lockdown Casual and Heavy Metal Heroes explained, plus every mode's rules and best use cases.

New Warzone LTM guide is live: Season 05's Lockdown Casual and Heavy Metal Heroes explained, plus every mode's rules and best use cases.

New Warzone LTM guide is live: Season 05's Lockdown Casual and Heavy Metal Heroes explained, plus every mode's rules and best use cases.

A temporary mode with modified rules, added mechanics, or vehicle focus, replacing standard playlists for a set window of time.
Lockdown Casual and Heavy Metal Heroes, both centered on the new Drone Labs point of interest in Verdansk.
Yes, Deadline remains one of the recurring Resurgence-based LTMs, known for eliminating the lowest-scoring squad each circle.
It runs from August 6 to August 20, 2026, as a 50v50 vehicle combat mode on Verdansk.
Yes, Season 05 changed Supply Drone loot delivery and adjusted killstreak drop rates specifically within Resurgence LTMs.


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