Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is a third-person shooter, similar to Garden Warfare. Gameplay largely remained the same as its predecessor, with the addition of 10 (6 are immediately accessible, 2 which must be unlocked through a series of tough trials and 2 which can only be played within the game's endless mode) new plant and zombie classes, a zombie version of Garden Ops, titled Graveyard Ops, and a new mode called Herbal Assault, a swapped version of Gardens and Graveyards where the Zombies must defend the bases and prevent the Plants from capturing them, which supports a maximum 24 players per game.[1] Different classes have different abilities. Most characters and modes (Team Vanquish, Garden Ops, etc.) from the original Garden Warfare returned, as well as a new "remix" music from the original Garden Warfare for the Zombies. New abilities for returning characters were also introduced in Garden Warfare 2. The new plant characters are Citron, Rose, Kernel Corn and Torchwood. The new zombie characters are Imp, Super Brainz, Captain Deadbeard, and Hover Goat-3000.[2]
Unlike the original Garden Warfare where players can play solo only on Garden Ops, via private mode, in Garden Warfare 2 every mode in the game that is not a mystery portal exclusive (Capture the Taco, Soil Survivors, etc.) can be played solo.[3] Split-screen multiplayer, private servers, twelve maps and forty different characters are included.[4][5] Free additional content was also released regularly upon the game's release.[6]
A hub world called Backyard Battleground is also introduced. It serves as a hub that is free for players to explore.[7] In Backyard Battleground, players can access portals that are connected to missions, view unlocked characters' bobbleheads, collect collectibles scattered in the world, and join King of the Hill-style matches known as Flag of power matches against artificial intelligence at will. When playing Backyard Battleground, the game will send waves of enemy heroes, although the game will also send crates, containing either an AI ally or coins. There are also plant pots or places where the player can build either plant turrets or Zombie bots.[8] A shooting gallery[9] and moon-based missions are also featured.[10]
At the bases of both the Plants and the Zombies, there are several common features, including a Customization Room allowing the player to change and accessorize characters, a Quest Board with different objectives for Plants, Multiplayer, and Zombies, sticker Shops, a Multiplayer Portal, a Mailbox, and a special Garage, with quest missions for both sides.[11] Players can gain coins to buy cosmetics from the sticker shops. This includes completing campaign missions, playing multiplayer games, and completing garden and graveyard ops.[12]
Most of the game modes from Garden Warfare returned to Garden Warfare 2 (the only mode not returning is Taco Bandits, although it was slightly altered into the Capture the Taco game mode), while several new modes have been added, including a zombie version of Garden Ops, Graveyard Ops, and an alternative of Gardens and Graveyards, Herbal Assault, in which the plants attack and the zombies defend.[13]
The player can access the Garden Ops and Graveyard Ops modes in each side's base and can access every other mode through the Multiplayer Portal[13] The player can pick up daily quests from a Quest Board to complete, can buy sticker packs from a Sticker Shop, customize their characters in the Customization Booth, promote leveled up characters in the Stats Room, complete quests around the Backyard, and can also take part in solo story quests for either Crazy Dave or Dr. Zomboss from any NPC characters.[14][15] There is also a sewer system where the player can find hidden areas and a timed shooting range.[16]
Plant and zombie variants earned in the original Garden Warfare could've been transferred by interacting with the mailbox in the Backyard Battleground. This included rewards based on your level in the first game, and for players who reached max ranks, a unique character variant. This feature was available from release until February 28, 2017.[17] The UI has been improved, with Crazy Dave and Dr. Zomboss shown talking in 3D models of themselves (rather than appearing as 2D designs from the original Plants vs. Zombies).[7]
The game also includes many exclusive rewards for players who have played the original Garden Warfare. The player can use their Mailbox in either side's base to import all of the unlocked characters and abilities that they have unlocked in Garden Warfare, depending on if they actually played the first game. They can also use their rank from Garden Warfare 1 to get loyalty rewards, which rank from sticker packs to an exclusive character for those who reached the max rank of 313, the Unicorn Chomper.[18] The Unicorn Chomper, however, was only available for the first year after Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 was released. Players who either pre-ordered or purchased the deluxe edition of Garden Warfare 2 will get many exclusive items, from emoji customizations to an exclusive Mass Effect-themed character, the Z7 Imp.[19]
