Hey, everyone,
Spearhead, the third major update for Gray Zone Warfare, is now live.
Update 0.4 introduces sweeping changes across nearly every part of the game, including major reworks, core system rebalancing, improved clarity, and expanded sandbox features.
This update is designed to give players more agency and deliver a stronger overall experience. We focused on improving the core gameplay loop, making combat easier to read, and finding a better balance between realism and satisfying game feel.
Step into Lamang, now richer, more dynamic, and more interactive than ever before, with more opportunities to explore, loot, and experiment with an expanded arsenal of weapons and gear.
Watch the launch trailer and explore the full list of changes below.
What’s New in Spearhead
The update introduces the following key features:
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Redesigned the task system to create a replayable progression loop
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100+ new Tasks and Contracts, plus 50+ updated tasks, bringing the total to more than 250
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25+ new locations
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Rebuilt and polished existing locations
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Expanded lore
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8 new weapons, 380+ weapon parts, and 150+ gear pieces
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AI improvements
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Revamped loot system
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Redesigned Tactical Map
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Reworked vendor stocks and economy
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Rebalanced ballistics
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Reworked core movement animations
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Refactored sound design
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Rebalanced health system
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New onboarding area and tutorial
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New Field Manual
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New Player Statistics
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HUD and controls improvements
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Visual polish
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Lighting improvements
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Technical improvements
Learn more in the devlogs:
Read the complete CHANGELOG below for all the details.
Edition Upgrades
If you'd like to further support the development of Gray Zone Warfare, you can upgrade to one of the game’s higher editions.
Each edition includes gear, weapons, and resources, giving PMCs a stronger starting point and offering extra value to those backing the game’s continued development. We’ve also introduced exclusive morale patches for Supporter Edition owners.
Check out the full breakdown in our latest article.
A Fresh Start for Everyone
This update includes a full progress wipe, giving all players a fresh start. It creates a level playing field and lets everyone experience the redesigned systems, tasks, and economy from the beginning.
Wipes are an important part of Early Access. They allow us to introduce major changes, rebalance the experience, gather player feedback, and iterate as we continue building the game together with the community. Thank you for your patience and support.
Stay Tuned
This update marks a major step forward in Gray Zone Warfare’s development, but we are far from done. Expect regular patches, hotfixes, and ongoing improvements.
We also have additional features, content, and gameplay improvements planned for future major updates. We will prepare an updated roadmap to give you a clearer idea of what lies ahead.
We look forward to your feedback on Update 0.4 and will continue improving Gray Zone Warfare together with you. Join the conversation on Discord, share your feedback, and help shape the path forward.
Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team
**UPDATE 0.4 CHANGELOG **
Core Gameplay Overhaul
Progression and Task System
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The task system has been fully redesigned to create a more replayable progression loop that gives players more agency and freedom.
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Tasks now feature more engaging gameplay, including puzzles and new types of world interaction. They are no longer tied to a specific time of day, based on community feedback.
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The majority of tasks are now replayable (apart from Starter Town tasks)
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New tasks will take players deeper into the jungle and encourage exploration across the island.
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With more than 100 new Tasks and Contracts and over 50 updated ones, the total number of tasks now exceeds 250
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Contracts replace Squad Strike Missions. They offer simpler objectives and can be played in a squad as before, as well as solo
Improved rewards and clarity
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Task rewards have been rebalanced to place a greater emphasis on money over items, giving players more flexibility in how they progress
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Rewards are now delivered directly to your locker instead of through the messenger.
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All available tasks are now shown on the map, including the approximate locations of the objectives, and can be accepted directly from the map instead of through the task list
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Vendors can now also send attachments in messages, including images, to make it easier for players to identify the objectives
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The map is now divided into regions. These regions are open to exploration, but tasks within each one are unlocked through your progress.
Vendor reputation system revamp
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Vendor inventories have been completely reworked to provide more meaningful choices and reduce reliance on the M4 meta
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Access to vendors is now tied to player rank milestones
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As you earn reputation with vendors by completing tasks and trading items, you level up and unlock new regions, more dangerous and profitable tasks, and access to better weapons, gear, and items.
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Vendors now sell secure containers
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Vendors no longer sell limited quantities of items
AI Improvements
AI behavior has been reworked to create a more balanced and believable combat experience. Enemies are less likely to detect players with unrealistic accuracy or land long-distance one-shot kills. At the same time, AI NPCs now operate more effectively in groups and make better use of cover
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One-shot kills have been significantly reduced
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AI NPCs' shot precision is now properly adjusted with regard to the distance to the player
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AI NPCs no longer know whether they have hit their target during suppression fire, which reduces their ability to track player positions
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Reactions to sound are now less precise, making stealth gameplay more viable
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AI NPC groups now patrol designated areas, especially around important strongholds
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Bosses now spawn together with their guards
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Some of the AI NPCs now have new roles, such as bodyguards and sergeants, each distinguished by their appearance and gear
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Silent kills are now more effective. Eliminating enemies quickly and quietly can prevent nearby groups from being alerted, supporting stealth-oriented playstyles
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AI NPCs now activate their flashlights in sync with environmental lighting, such as street lamps.
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… and many more under-the-hood improvements and tweaks to make the combat challenging but fair
Enhanced Combat Immersion
This update also focuses on improving combat readability and refining character movement
Clearer combat feedback
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We are making it easier to see when and how AI NPCs have been injured.
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We have added two types of hit reactions: shorter animations for light hits, and longer, more severe reactions for organ or bone hits
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AI NPCs now use limping animations when suffering from a broken leg
Upgraded character movement
Character movement has been upgraded across jumping, sprinting, and falling
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Sprint now has two forms: Tactical sprint for covering longer distances, and Emergency sprint, which is faster at the expense of stamina drain and noise
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Jumping has been reworked to feel more immersive and realistic, while also preventing unintended or unrealistic behavior
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Falling has also seen updates. Smaller falls will slow the player down, while larger falls stop movement entirely. Falling from a great height now triggers a free-fall animation and results in immediate death
Health System polishing and balancing
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New medical items
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We've expanded the range of available medical products to include, among other things, painkiller bottles with multiple charges, or hemostatic syringes for quickly stopping bleeding
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Rebalanced symptoms and enhanced audiovisuals
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Symptoms have been rebalanced, and their audiovisual presentation has been improved.
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Fatigue is now more pronounced, including heavier breathing even during normal running.
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Improved UI indicator when healing other players
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The time to death indicator now shows how urgently you need to act to save a teammate
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If other players are treating a wounded friend, you can now see both the progress of their action and which wounds are being treated
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The improved health status indicator in the top left corner now shows how severe the injury is
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Updated stims now have weaker negative side effects and are more viable
Expanded World Atmosphere & Logic
Deeper lore and storytelling
The world's lore has been significantly expanded. You will delve deeper into Lamang's history, uncover some of its darkest secrets, and move closer to understanding the mystery of The Event.
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Lamang has undergone major changes, and its locations are now filled with new details and varied assets that hint at the island's dark history
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We've added more than 25 new locations across the island, ranging from small points of interest to larger exploration areas
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We've added 351 intel items to explore, including magazines, letters, and posters that will help you uncover Lamang's dreadful reality
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New small-scale biomes have been added across the map, including burned forests, bamboo forests, and swamps.
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Existing locations have been rebuilt and polished, with a stronger focus on environmental storytelling and visual consistency.
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Vegetation around Combat Outposts and key points of interest has been reduced to improve visibility and combat clarity.
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The base camp has been redesigned to support the new tutorial area, including a shooting range, obstacle course, and infirmary
New factions & bosses updates
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The enemies across Lamang are now divided into seven clearly differentiated factions, with various levels of enemy difficulty
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Each faction now has its own identity, visible through unique faces, clothing, weapons, gear, and carried loot.
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Each faction also comes with its own boss, featuring distinctive voice lines and equipment
World systems and immersion
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New interaction types
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Some interactive objects now require power to function, adding another layer of world logic
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Most locked doors are now breachable from the inside
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New valuables
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Valuable loot has been expanded and better aligned with the locations where it spawns, making exploration feel more consistent and rewarding.
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Lamang now features moon phases, adding another layer of atmosphere and, more importantly, darkness to night operations.
Visual improvements
A wide range of visual upgrades has been made to improve overall quality and realism.
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New models for player characters and vendors
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Reworked and visually upgraded all PMC heads (16 heads in total)
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Lighting improvements across multiple environments
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Visual polish of grenade explosions, fences, cars, buildings, and much more
Audio improvements and reworks
(https://youtu.be/JgD3nuHudx0?si=D18AxWyQfuHBwhgY&t=165) has been significantly expanded and refined across multiple areas of the game.
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Improved various aspects of the game audio
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Movement sounds are now more detailed, and additional actions such as standing up from a crouch or dropping from obstacles are now supported with dedicated sound effects.
Character reactions to health states such as exhaustion, pain, and injury have been improved.
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Medical equipment now has more distinct and immersive audio.
Spatial and equipment audio
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Spatial audio and echo behavior have been improved in selected buildings.
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All active headsets have updated sound profiles, making each type feel more distinct and more valuable in gameplay.
Voice-overs and combat audio
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New voice-overs have been added for AI NPCs and bosses, with reactions that reflect their current health state.
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Close-range gunfire now has a stronger, more impactful sound profile.
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Weapon audio has been expanded with new sounds for handling, distant gunfire, bullet impacts, ricochets, and sonic cracks to better communicate weapon types.
Ambient sounds
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Wildlife now reacts to gunfire, providing additional environmental audio cues.
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Radios emit localized audio that can hint at nearby enemy presence
Weapons, gear, and loot
Weapons
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8 new weapons have been added: Alien, L403A1, M16A1, M1A, M14, Sa vz. 58, Remington Model 788 .222, and M-201C
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More than 380 new weapon parts are included, featuring both brand new components and additional color variants for existing ones
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We are introducing magnifiers
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Magnifiers, a long-requested feature, are now available. They allow you to significantly extend your effective range. Flip them up or down with a single click and enjoy the flexibility in combat they offer.
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Weapon customization and visuals
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9 unique camo variants for firearms
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12 unique engraved weapons for the bosses
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New reticle color variants for selected scopes
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Weapon handling and balance overhaul
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Weapon stats have been revamped to better reflect handling characteristics, including aiming down sights speed, sway, inertia, reload speed, and weight.
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Weapon weight now affects ergonomics, sway, acceleration, and ADS in the first-person view
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Ballistics calculations have been improved to better balance realism and gameplay, making both weapons and ammunition more viable across different scenarios
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Durability now decreases faster, encouraging players to reserve their best equipment for high-risk situations. Ammunition type also affects durability, with certain rounds causing increased wear.
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Ammunition details now display the lowest armor class the projectile cannot penetrate, along with durability burn.
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Manual bolting
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Manual bolting has been added for bolt-action rifles. The bolt cycle can be postponed until the trigger is released, allowing players to stay in ADS and observe the impact of the shot before cycling the next round
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Added new weapon check animations for the most commonly used weapons and newly added weapons
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Improved weapon sounds with clearer directional positioning and seamless tonal shifts
Gear
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More than 150 new gear pieces have been added, including new colour variants of previously existing equipment
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33 unique boss variants of existing and new gear
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Rebalanced helmets to offer more meaningful protection, with caliber and velocity directly affecting penetration potential
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Binoculars & Range Finders
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Scout the area in advance and discover enemies hiding in the distance. With range finders, measure the distance to the target easily and adjust your zeroing for maximum lethality
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A new Attachment Interface section has been added to the Inspect window, clearly showing which socket items can be attached to
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Tracking tag durations has been increased
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Basic Tracking Tag 1 -> 3
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Tracking Tag 2 -> 6
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Advanced Tracking Tag 4 -> 12
Loot
The loot system has undergone extensive changes in this update. We significantly expanded the loot pool to increase variety and make exploration more exciting.
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Doubled the number of distinct loot, adding over 123 items, including cases, food, meds, medical supplies, and valuables
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The spawn rate and variety of high-value loot have been increased to encourage exploration across the map.
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Introduced junk items
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Added new container types
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Magazine
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Safe
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Injector
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Certain foods and drinks now provide buffs when consumed. For example, coffee boosts stamina recovery speed
New player-first features
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A new Onboarding stage, a.k.a tutorial
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To help new players get familiar with the game, we created a dedicated starting area featuring an obstacle course, an infirmary tent, and a shooting range, along with a tutorial that introduces the game's basic mechanics.
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The tutorial can be completed in just a few minutes and may be skipped if preferred, for example, after a character wipe
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It covers the basics of navigation, wound treatment, combat, travel, and accepting tasks
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GZW Field manual
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Everything you need to know about Gray Zone Warfare is now in one place, right in the game.
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A detailed in-game F