Call of Duty: Warzone is a battle royale game, and like any battle royale game, there’s a circle slowly closing in around the edges of the map, making it smaller and smaller. The circle ensures players eventually meet other enemies, ensuring matches do not last forever, and there’s a clear victor with a final person standing at the end of the game. However, in Warzone, the circle is not instant death if you have a particular item on you.
You can find gas masks while roaming around the game and opening up caches found all over the map. The gas mask serves no other purpose outside of giving you a few seconds to survive outside of the circle, which can be useful during the end of the game. You don’t have to equip in your backpack because all players do not have a massive inventory to keep track of during the game. Instead, when you equip it, you can see it on the lower-left portion of your screen. The bar next to the gas mask indicates how long you can survive in the circle before you start taking damage. It doesn’t last for too long, but it can give you a few seconds to change position.
The best way to acquire gas masks is by looting them from caches. However, a great way to ensure you receive some is by completing scavenger contract missions. You can find these on your overhead map indicated by the magnifying glass icon. Pick this mission up, loot the required caches shown by the mission, and the final cache should give you and your squad members a gas mask. If you’re worried about being stuck out of the circle in the gas, you want to complete these missions to grab a gas mask before it’s too late.
The gas mask is a reliable item to have in your back pocket, especially if an enemy squad thinks they have you cornered up against the edge of the circle. It buys you a few seconds to rethink your strategy, and it’s a great way to ensure you don’t lose any armor plates before you fight an enemy.