Call Of Duty: WW2 – 11 Tips We Wish We Knew Before Starting

TL;DR

  • Health no longer regenerates automatically – strategic medkit management is essential
  • Squad members provide unique battlefield abilities that recharge faster with Heroic Actions
  • War and Zombie modes require specialized approaches beyond standard multiplayer
  • Medkits restore approximately 50% health but are limited to four carried maximum
  • Heroic Actions provide achievement progress and accelerate squad ability cooldowns


GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Call of Duty: WWII introduces a dramatic departure from recent series health mechanics, abandoning the automatic regeneration system that has become standard in modern shooters. This fundamental change forces players to adopt more tactical approaches to survival, reminiscent of classic military simulations where resource management becomes as crucial as marksmanship.

The health bar positioned in your screen’s bottom-left corner provides clear visual feedback on your condition, but unlike previous installments, taking cover no longer guarantees recovery. This design choice significantly increases the stakes of every firefight and demands careful positioning.

Strategic medkit deployment represents one of the most critical skills to master. These medical supplies, identifiable by distinctive red cross symbols, appear sparingly throughout combat zones. A common mistake involves using medkits prematurely when only lightly wounded – instead, wait until your health drops below 40% to maximize each kit’s healing potential.

Your AI-controlled squad members in Call of Duty: WWII serve far beyond simple combat support – they function as mobile resource stations and tactical advantage providers. Each companion specializes in distinct battlefield functions that can dramatically shift engagement outcomes when utilized strategically.

Zussman operates as your medical specialist, providing additional medkits when supplies run low. Pierson offers invaluable reconnaissance by temporarily highlighting enemy positions through walls and cover. Turner ensures you never face ammunition shortages with timely resupplies. Understanding these roles transforms your approach to campaign challenges.

Advanced players should note that ability cooldowns create natural rhythm to combat pacing. Time your aggressive pushes to coincide with available squad support, and retreat to defensive positions when abilities recharge. This push-pull dynamic prevents the stalemates that often plague scripted campaign sequences.

A frequent error involves overlooking squad abilities during intense firefights. Develop the habit of frequently checking companion status indicators – the small icons above their heads reveal current readiness. When abilities become available, use them immediately rather than saving for “perfect” moments that may never arrive.

Beyond standard collectibles, Call of Duty: WWII introduces Heroic Actions – contextual battlefield decisions that impact both narrative and gameplay. These optional moments, including rescuing wounded comrades or accepting enemy surrenders, provide more than just achievement progress.

Each completed Heroic Action significantly reduces the recharge timer for your squad’s special abilities. This mechanic rewards players who embrace the game’s emphasis on camaraderie and moral choices with tangible combat advantages.

For completionists, the memento collection system follows series tradition but with enhanced environmental storytelling. However, the real gameplay value lies in mastering Heroic Actions, which create a virtuous cycle: more heroic behavior leads to faster ability access, which enables further heroic opportunities.

Common mistake: Players often rush through combat scenarios without scanning for Heroic Action prompts. These opportunities typically appear during lulls in fighting or in transitional areas between major engagements. Always check your surroundings before advancing to new zones.

Call of Duty: WWII’s diverse game modes demand specialized approaches beyond core campaign mechanics. War mode introduces objective-based teamwork where individual survival becomes secondary to mission completion. Zombies mode requires completely different strategies where resource conservation takes precedence over all other considerations.

In War mode, the emphasis shifts from personal preservation to strategic sacrifice. Sometimes, taking calculated risks that would be foolish in campaign becomes necessary for victory. Understanding when to risk your virtual life separates competent players from true assets to their teams.

Zombies mode presents the ultimate test of resource management. Here, medkits become exponentially more valuable, and squad coordination (with human players) determines success more than individual skill. For comprehensive strategies, consult our Class Guide to understand how different roles complement each other in team-based scenarios.

Platform-specific controls remain consistent across modes, but tactical applications differ dramatically. On Xbox One, the D-pad right command activates medkits, while other directions might manage different equipment depending on your loadout configuration.

As defenders in War mode, establishing fortifications isn’t just an option—it’s an absolute necessity for survival. The initial advantage defenders enjoy is minimal, with all defensive assets like mounted heavy machine guns and barricades requiring activation at match start. Your immediate priority should be dispersing your squad across the battlefield to construct these critical defenses simultaneously. Teams that neglect this crucial setup phase typically find themselves overwhelmed within minutes as attackers exploit undefended routes.

Strategic positioning of defenses requires understanding map flow patterns and predicting enemy approach vectors. Place machine gun nests covering primary assault lanes while using barriers to funnel opponents into kill zones. Experienced players recommend assigning specific defense types to each teammate based on their loadout strengths and positioning preferences.

While previous Call of Duty titles featured concealment tools, the smoke grenade’s strategic value reaches unprecedented levels in War mode’s objective-focused combat. Dense player concentrations around capture points and mounted weapon positions create ideal conditions for vision denial tactics. Properly deployed smoke screens can transform impossible assaults into successful pushes by neutralizing enemy sightlines.

Ensure every member of your squad dedicates one loadout slot to smoke grenades—this coordination separates competent teams from exceptional ones. Novice players often underestimate smoke’s utility, resulting in entire squads becoming pinned down at notorious bottlenecks like Operation Breakout’s bridge crossing or Normandy’s landing zones in Operation Neptune. Mastering smoke deployment timing and placement will dramatically improve your offensive capabilities.

Advanced smoke tactics include layered screening for multi-phase advances and counter-smoke deployment to neutralize enemy vision advantages. The 3-5 second activation delay requires anticipatory throwing rather than reactionary use.

Call of Duty’s Zombies mode presents as a survival challenge but fundamentally operates as a complex objective-based puzzle. The true mastery lies in navigating obscure mission requirements that progressively unlock map areas and ultimately lead to completion. Objectives gain critical importance in WW2’s Nazi Zombies, emphasized by the inclusion of a dedicated objective tracking journal.

Unlike earlier iterations where players relied on external guides, the in-game journal provides directional guidance and highlights interactable objects. Inexperienced participants often become trapped in endless combat cycles, whereas skilled players prioritize mission advancement during early waves when zombie numbers remain manageable.

Strategic objective completion should precede extensive zombie elimination—delaying crucial tasks until facing overwhelming undead hordes dramatically increases failure probability. The journal’s map markers and task descriptions enable coordinated team progress rather than random exploration.

Common mistakes include over-investing in early weapon upgrades instead of map progression, resulting in resource shortages during critical moments. Allocate approximately 60% of early-game Jolts toward objective advancement rather than firepower improvements.

WW2’s Zombies mode integrates multiplayer-style progression mechanics into the cooperative experience. As you accumulate combat experience with various weapons discovered throughout the map, you’ll progressively unlock attachments identical to those available in standard multiplayer. This system allows personalized weapon configuration tailored to your engagement preferences and playstyle requirements.

Nazi Zombies weapon customization occurs within the Soldier menu during intermission periods, mirroring multiplayer attachment procedures. While you must still expend Jolts to acquire weapons during matches, they’ll automatically feature your preferred attachments once obtained.

Optimization strategy involves focusing attachment unlocks on weapons with the highest survival utility rather than personal preference. Extended magazines and rapid reload attachments typically provide greater value than optical enhancements in zombie combat scenarios.

Pro players recommend maintaining at least one fully customized weapon loadout specifically for objective-focused gameplay, with attachments prioritizing mobility and ammunition capacity over pure damage output.

Beyond character selection, Nazi Zombies introduces class specializations granting unique active abilities. The four core roles—Offense, Control, Medic, and Support—each provide distinctive powers that recharge over time, enabling battlefield domination or emergency extraction capabilities.

Class selection dramatically expands tactical possibilities within Nazi Zombies. Firstly, it introduces sophisticated team coordination layers that significantly enhance cooperative survival potential. Balanced squad composition proves essential—fielding four Medics creates ability redundancy while lacking offensive or control capabilities.

Coordinating class choices with teammates establishes complementary ability rotations that maximize survival duration. As you gain experience through gameplay, you can further refine specialized loadouts aligning with your preferred combat role. Identifying your optimal specialization and consistently developing it yields maximum undead elimination efficiency.

Advanced team coordination involves timing ability activations to create continuous effect chains rather than simultaneous usage. For example, Control specialists should deploy area denial abilities followed by Offense players utilizing damage amplification during the control period.

Jolts function as the primary economic system within Nazi Zombies, primarily obtained through monster eliminations. This currency facilitates everything from weapon acquisitions and door access to objective activation. Most critically, Jolts enable player and weapon enhancement, essential for surviving progressively difficult undead waves.

The challenge emerges from resource scarcity during crucial moments, potentially leaving players under-equipped against formidable opponents. Strategic Jolts allocation requires balancing immediate survival needs against long-term progression requirements.

Optimal resource management involves reserving 25-30% of your total Jolts for emergency situations rather than spending immediately upon accumulation.

Economic priorities should follow this sequence: essential map access → baseline weaponry → defensive positioning → upgrade investments. This approach prevents the common pitfall of weapon over-investment before securing safe positioning and objective progression.

Action Checklist

  • Scan environments systematically for medkit spawn points before engaging enemies
  • Use medkits only when health drops below 40% for maximum efficiency
  • Activate squad abilities immediately when available rather than saving them
  • Complete all Heroic Actions to reduce squad ability cooldowns by approximately 30%
  • Adapt tactics between game modes – aggressive in War, conservative in Zombies
  • Assign defensive construction roles to teammates during War mode setup phase
  • Coordinate smoke grenade loadouts across entire squad before match start
  • Complete primary Nazi Zombies objectives before wave 10
  • Customize weapon attachments between matches focusing on ammo capacity and reload speed
  • Maintain 25-30% Jolts reserve for emergencies throughout Nazi Zombies matches

No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Call Of Duty: WW2 – 11 Tips We Wish We Knew Before Starting