ShooterofIO: Wargrounds

ShooterofIO: Wargrounds
Developer(s)	SOI Studios
Publisher(s)	Monsteristic
Series	ShooterofIO
Engine	Unreal Engine 5
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X/S
Release	December 6, 2023
Genre(s)	Battle royale, first-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

ShooterofIO: Wargrounds was a free-to-play battle royale video game developed by SOI Studios for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game is a part of 2023's ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops, 2024's ShooterofIO: Dark Warfare, but does not require purchase of any parent title. It was introduced during Season 1 1: Modern Ops content. The game features cross-platform play.

Wargrounds was officially revealed by Monsteristic on June 10, 2023 to be releasing on December 6, 2023 alongside the first season of ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops, as part of a single cross-game launcher known as ShooterofIO HQ. A successor, Wargrounds 2.0, was confirmed to be released in 2025.

Overview

Wargrounds is the first main battle royale installment in the ShooterofIO franchise. The game supports up to 150 players in a single match, which exceeds the typical "100 players" size that is seen in other battle royale titles.

Gameplay

Gameplay that Wargrounds has features a mixture of ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops (2023) and battle royale mechanics in gameplay. Players will begin each match with a basic pistol and one perk that is lifetime (though players can pick up additional perks from looting) and must loot crates and buildings and use that loot to fight other players and be the last one standing. What makes Wargrounds different to any battle royale game, is the fact that it features multiple features that forces players to play faster. Unlike other games, Wargrounds features a 10 minute timer per match, which is lower than any other battle royale video game.

Contracts

Contracts are optional objectives that teams can complete to earn XP and Weapon XP as well as rare loot or Cash, which can be spent at Buy Stations.

• A Bounty contract tasks the team with killing a specific player, who is marked by a green circle revealing their approximate position on the map. When a player is marked as a bounty target, they and their team can see a bar on their heads-up display that measures the proximity of their hunters to the target.
• A Most Wanted contract marks its user for all enemies to see, offering a reward to any player who can eliminate them in a limited time. Letting the time run out completes the contract, rewarding the player and their team with Cash as well as redeploying any eliminated teammates.
• A Upload Intel contract tasks pick up an intel and take it to a data station marked on the map.
• A Safecracker contract will mark 3 vaults located near the player's location, and task the team destroy each in a limited time.
• A Scavenger contract will mark 3 Supply Boxes located near the player's location, one at a time, and task the team with looting each in a limited time.
• A Search & Seizure contract tasks recover a stolen vehicle protected by local mercenaries and transport it to a safe location for extraction. Available only in Ashika Island.
• A Signal Intelligence contract will mark 3 contract phones for hacking in a limited time.
• A Big Game Bounty contract will mark the player with the most eliminations on the Tac Map. If the team can kill the Big Game Bounty, they will be rewarded an Advanced UAV.

Buy Station

Buy Stations are boxes that can be found throughout a map where players can purchase equipment, killstreaks using Cash earned during the game. Squadmates can also be redeployed from the Buy Stations for $3,000.

• Primary Loadout Weapons: $2,500
• Perk Packs: $3,500

The Essentials

• Armor Plate: $500
• Gas Mask: $2,000
• Armor Box: $2,000
• Munitions Box: $2,000
• UAV: $6,000
• Mortar Strike: $4,000
• Precision Airstrike: $6,000
• Loadout Drop Marker: $7,500 (Solos), $10,000 (Duos), $12,500 (Trios), $15,000 (Quads)

Limited Stock

• Counter-UAV: $3,000
• Cluster Mine: $4,000
• Reinforcement Flare: $5,000
• Portable Redeploy Drone: $2,000
• Self Revive: $4,000
• Durable Gas Mask: $3,500

Circles Collapse

In some games, the circle collapse will behave as normal: one circle that closes in several stages. In other games, the circle collapse can split into multiple circles, up to three in some cases. This can happen at any time in between the first and final two collapses.

Strongholds and Black Sites

At the beginning of the match in Battle Royale matches, five Strongholds for Al Mazrah and three Strongholds for Vondel are activated around the map and do not require a key for access.

Once inside, Operators are free to take any items after clearing threats, which can include enemy Operator squads who can enter at any time. Completing a Stronghold in Battle Royale also offers a Loadout Crate and a temporary UAV effect of the surrounding area.

Black Sites, available only in Battle Royale, are a more dangerous form of Strongholds. This requires a key (Black Site Key) to access, which is given to the first Operator or squad that clears a Stronghold.

The Black Site is marked with a skull icon and contains considerably tougher enemies, including a unique Juggernaut boss. If the operators kill the Juggernaut boss, they get tons of Legendary items, as well as a permanent UAV of the area surrounding the Black Site until it is in the circle collapse.

Interrogation

After successfully downing an enemy player in a squad-based mode, the player can interrogate them.

By interacting with a downed enemy player, you will learn the locations of all their allies, via red dot pings on the minimap, as well as outlines in the environment (like a Snapshot Grenade), for a short period of time. The player will also see the locations of any placed equipment they may have. This effect also dissipates once the interrogate dies or is revived.

The person being interrogated can also call for help, which marks the interrogator on the map.

Events

Events can also randomly happen during a match, usually during the second playzone. In most modes, only one event can occur during a single match.

• The Jailbreak event allows every down player in Gulag to be redeployed into the map. Other players are notified 1 minute before the jailbreak happens.
• The Fire Sale event reduces the prices of all items in the Buy Stations up to 100% during 1 minute.
• The Restock event resupplies every Supply Box which can be opened again.

Vehicles

Warzone 2.0 features 15 different vehicles including all modes.

• ATV (1 driver, 2 passengers)
• Cargo Truck (1 driver, 1 Indoor Passenger + Flat Bed)
• Hatchback (1 driver, 3 passengers)
• SUV (1 driver, 3 passengers)
• LTV (1 driver, 3-4 passengers)
• UTV (1 driver, 3 passengers)
• Chop Top (1 driver, 3 passengers)
• GMC Hummer EV (1 driver, 3 passengers)
• Armored Truck (1 driver, 3 passengers)
• TAV (1 driver, 1 Indoor Passenger + Cargo Area)
• Light Helo (1 pilot, 4 passengers)
• Support Helo (1 Pilot, Cargo Bay)
• RHIB (1 driver, 3 passengers)
• Armored Patrol Boat (1 driver, 2 Passengers/Exposed .50 Cal Gunner + Flat Body)
• PWC (1 driver, 1 passenger)

Game modes

At launch, Wargrounds featured two primary game modes: Battle Royale and Plunder. These game modes were initially playable in a squad capacity of three players ("Trios"); post-launch updates made the modes playable in other squad sizes, such as Solos, Duos and Quads. In addition to Battle Royale and Plunder, several new game modes, including various limited-time modes and the "Resurgence" game mode, have been introduced throughout the course of the game's life cycle. Wargrounds has also been used to reveal upcoming ShooterofIO titles through similar limited-time gamemodes.

Battle Royale

The Battle Royale mode is similar to other titles in the genre, where players compete in a continuously shrinking map to be the last player remaining. Players parachute onto a large game map with a basic un-customized pistol and two armor plates, where they encounter other players. Players can pick up most components found in a standard loadout (primary and secondary weapons, lethal and tactical equipment, field upgrades, and "killstreaks") as they search the map for items scattered across the ground and from supply boxes found in designated locations. Players can also pick up additional armor plates for increased protection.

After several minutes have passed within the match, "Loadout Drops" will begin to spawn at various points of the map, allowing players to equip custom loadouts; Loadout Drops can also be purchased by players at a "Buy Station" using Cash. As the game progresses and players are eliminated, the playable area shrinks, forcing the remaining players into tighter spaces; the non-playable areas become contaminated with a yellow gas that depletes health and eventually kills the player if they do not return to the safe playable area.

Character death in Battle Royale does not necessarily translate to player defeat like in other titles. Instead, the mode offers a respawn mechanic which players can take advantage of in various ways. Players who are killed are transported to the "Gulag", where they engage in one-on-one combat with another defeated player, with both players being given the same weaponry. Players may only enter the gulag after their first death in a match. The winner of this combat is respawned into the game. Other methods of respawn are available using the in-game currency system.

Plunder

In the Plunder mode, teams have to search for stacks of Cash scattered around the map to accumulate $1 million. Once found or if time is almost up, the game goes into overtime, multiplying all Cash sums by 1.5. The team who has gathered the most money when the clock runs out is declared the winner. Players respawn automatically in this gamemode. Players spawn with custom loadouts, similar to regular multiplayer modes.

Resurgence

Resurgence plays similarly to Battle Royale; however, upon death, players are respawned into the match as long as there is at least one squadmate alive in their team. If the entire squad is wiped, they are eliminated from the match. In solo modes, each player is given a respawn timer to wait out before they can respawn again. The Gulag is not employed in Resurgence modes.

Maps

Almariah

Almariah is a large desert-themed map with nearly 20 points of interest, and is used as the primary Battle Royale map for the 1: Modern Ops seasons. The map is larger compared to Battle Royale maps found in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.

Progression and Crossplay

Wargrounds supports Crossplay across all platforms.

The release of Season One introduced a new progression system, unified across ShooterofIO 1: Modern Ops, Wargrounds. Upon completing all 55 Military ranks, the player will automatically enter Prestige 1. Increasing the Season Rank and reaching multiples of 50 will increase the Prestige level further, the maximum rank being 250 during Season One. At the beginning of each Season, the Season Rank and Prestige and will stay where it was, but 5 new prestiges will be available for claim. Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 also shares the same Store and Battle Pass system as Modern Warfare II.