So, it’s been about a week since the release of Call of Duty: Warzone Season 3 – and it’s landed with all the excitement of a wet fart. Not only has it departed even further from the “realistic” World War 2 game many had hoped for with Vanguard, but Raven are continuing to make some baffling decisions when it comes to weapon balancing and gameplay changes. Having read the patch notes, it’s not all bad. Yet, a few key decisions play as if Activision and Raven are drafting “A Capitalists Guide to Alienating a Fan Base” in real time. They’re making changes nobody asked for all while ignoring persistent and pervasive issues with the game. Alas, ’tis gaming in 2022.
Dino VS Monkey
Look, I love giant kaiju duking it out as much as anybody. Yet I can say – without a shadow of a doubt – they do not belong in Call of Duty: Warzone. Fans don’t want Fortnite. We just want a fun, fast paced, well-balanced game that channels realistic(ish) combat into a battle royale setting. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK!?
Godzilla vs. Kong was a dumb movie – but it wasn’t supposed to satisfy the intelligentsia. Just like Tej and Roman going to space in Fast and Furious 9, Godzilla vs. Kong satisfies a primal need to see frankly ridiculous stuff pan out on the big screen. With a gigantic suspension of disbelief, you can enjoy these things for what they are.
BUT, Call of Duty: Vanguard is a World War 2 game. And its initial integration with Warzone promised a World War 2-themed battle royale experience. Unfortunately, a game where players can kit out as MechaGodzilla ain’t it. And this stuff – combined with the overcomplicated integration of three different CoD games and the never ending glitches – is killing Warzone.
Under the cover of the arrival of Season 3 and the high profile announcement of the upcoming Modern Warfare 2, a scary statistic snuck out into the public domain last week. Call of Duty has lost 50 million players since 2021. And the reasons behind that seem to be a mystery to Activison – and literally nobody else.
Now, the franchise isn’t about to die. It still has 100 million players across its various offerings. However, when 50 million people have decided to desert your games, you must be doing something wrong. Activision is reportedly attributing the downturn to poor sales for Call of Duty: Vanguard and “lower engagement” in Warzone, but they aren’t the root causes for the fall in players. They are just symptomatic of two wider issues. 1) Vanguard didn’t appeal, and 2) baffling, tone-deaf decisions for Warzone – like introducing Godzilla – are putting off players.
Sniping is DEAD
If there’s one constant in FPS games, it’s that shooting someone in the head with a sniper rifle is a one shot kill. It’s been present in CoD since day dot and, despite the inclusion of armour plates to buff player health, it carried through into Warzone. Yet in Warzone Season 3, Raven felt the need to nerf some of the game’s best sniper rifles by making it possible for players to endure headshots from such weapons.
They offered the following explanation in the Warzone Season 3 patch notes:
The adoption of 150 health in Battle Royale resulted in a huge boon to the Sniper category – While all other weapons require an additional shot or two, Snipers remained as they did previously. The long-standing “one shot rule” unfortunately diluted the Sniper class into one important metric, speed to click heads.
As mentioned above Snipers may now use damage ranges as a defining characteristic of their one-shot potential. This not only brings more identity to each weapon but means Attachments that provide the lighter and quicker sniper rifles the Damage Range stat will increase their ability to one shot at increased distances.
Our ultimate goal is to enable a wider range of viable playstyles and really push the potential of each weapon. Keep an eye out as we expect further adjustments to Sniper Rifles as we hone in on the best all-round experience.
The problem here isn’t in the attempt to balance weapons and promote alternate play styles. After all, Warzone has always suffered from overpowered metas that dilute player choice. The problem is in the implementation. My once beloved Kar98K – to whom I’ve been faithful for two full years – has been reduced to a pea shooter. And it’s heartbreaking.
I guess Raven’s strategy worked, though. People are trying other play styles – because they are abandoning snipers altogether.
The New Gulag SUCKS
Nobody enjoys the Gulag. That’s kind of the point. However, it serves a purpose. Beat your enemy in a tense 1v1, and you’re back in the game. There’s been numerous different Gulag maps throughout Warzone‘s tenure, some good and some bad – but the latest (dubbed “Hold”) is the worst one yet.
Is it too much to ask for to have a Gulag that encourages aggressive play? Instead, Hold, with its small rooms and tight corners, strongly favours camping. Sit there, sh*t yourself, pull a sneaky, repeat. Not only does it promote the worst kind of gameplay, it’s frankly boring.
Nothing about it makes sense. Why is a Gulag that’s built around CQC using LMGs in its weapon rotation? How can an MG42 be effective in anyway other than to sit there and wait for your opponent to wander past? Give us pistols and SMGs – at least they’re built for close-quarters, offensive play styles.
To be honest, the over-complicating of the Gulag should’ve been a sign for the many unnecessary changes to come in Warzone. Originally, you got a pistol and a map that was perfect for its intended purpose. Nothing has since come close to rivalling that tense 1v1 experience. And if things continue as they are, nothing will again.
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Bring back the
original Gulag
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Time for a reset
So, Modern Warfare 2… 2 has been announced. And it can’t arrive quick enough. Despite me losing a considerable amount of faith in Activision over the last couple of years, I still think there’s hope that MW2 could reinvigorate the series just as 2019’s Modern Warfare did. Who knows, maybe I’m kidding myself. But the idea of being able to say “Who’s on Modern Warfare 2 tonight?” for the first time since 2010 is enough to tempt me back. Best of all, though, it presents a fantastic opportunity to revitalise Warzone.
Hopefully, Activision take the opportunity of MW2′s release to launch ‘Warzone 2’ and usher in a complete reset for their battle royale. Let’s face it, the integration of Black Ops Cold War and then Vanguard only served to make Warzone an unwieldy, buggy mess with a ridiculous hodgepodge of weapons from different eras. Stylistically, it’s pretty awful. And any semblance of realism has been all but lost. And let’s not forget the crazy install sizes…
The game can still be fun. But by and large, it’s kind of a disaster right now. While Warzone Season 3 brought in some positive changes – such as the introduction of lootable perks – it fails to tackle many of the core issues with the game. It’s time Warzone went back to basics.
Hey, at least there’s big dino coming, right?
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How do you feel about the current state of Warzone? Do you think Warzone Season 3 has been good or bad? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
