Call of Duty Warzone Season 3 is well underway following the highly anticipated nuke event. It brought Verdansk as we knew it to an end, and the game took its biggest step yet towards full blown Black Ops Cold War integration. The latest Warzone update could’ve been a game changer for the year-old battle royale. But it failed to mix things up in a meaningful or impactful way. And some fans feel let down as disappointments mount and old problems persist.
100 million people play Warzone. Of course, it’s difficult to keep them all happy – and Raven Software must be doing something right to keep them coming back. However, it’s clear many players weren’t impressed with the new Warzone update when it arrived last week. And there’s even a chance some might leave if the game’s course isn’t corrected. Let’s take a look at the complaints and recurring problems that are holding Warzone back…
Call of Duty Warzone update map – Same old, same old.
After 12 months of build-up, a new map finally arrived in the form of Verdansk ’84. But it left many players wondering what exactly was ‘new’ about it. Sure – Verdansk has been reskinned to fit the 1984 setting of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Some cool landmarks have been added, too (the Grid Radar Array is my new go-to drop point), and it’s nice to see the Black Ops Cold War weapons become the focal point. After all, the integration with Modern Warfare had made the game a jumbled mess of duplicate and out of place weapons. But there’s no denying that Verdansk ’84 failed to make a strong impression on fans ready for something different.
It’s not that Rebirth Island wasn’t a welcome addition – but the area was small. It’s super fast-paced gameplay wasn’t for everyone either. What players really wanted was a completely fresh experience while still similar in scope and scale to Verdansk. And for a game that demands so much of its users’ time (and money), I don’t think that was asking too much. Verdansk ’84 is great as a simple alternative to the original. But to pretend it’s something totally new just isn’t accurate, and fan complaints bear that out.
Call of Duty Warzone update – A cheater’s paradise. Still.
Players looking to exploit every glitch and bug have been rife in Verdansk since launch, but the problem doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Despite countless patches, fixes, and mass bans, Warzone is still full of cheaters over a year later. It’s a disappointing state of affairs. And it’s a big reason why PlayStation gamers (such as myself) turn crossplay off. Being matched with PC gamers – the platform where cheating is most common – is usually a problematic and frustrating experience.
However, the battle royale’s issues with cheaters certainly isn’t limited to PC. A recent example impacting every platform is the bizarre ability for player’s to get under the map. Once down below, players can see through the ground above and pick opponents off easily. The obvious problem with this is that legitimate players can’t see cheaters beneath ground and have no opportunity to fight back. I don’t doubt that considerable effort is going into limiting exploits and removing players who break the rules. But it just seems odd that these issues remain so prevalent even now, and they spoil the fun for everyone.
Call of Duty Warzone – GIVE US ALL YOUR TIME.
Activision want your time. All of it. It’s been this way since Warzone debuted. And this is a massive hurdle for some players. It makes the game less accessible for the casual audience, many of whom live busy lives which take priority. Think of it this way – if you only have a limited amount of hours each week to play, you probably aren’t able to grind for the best guns and attachments. Equally, it’s unlikely you’ll get enough practice to keep up with Warzone‘s more dedicated player base.
Forget dropping in for a casual game to wind down after a hard day at work. The lobby you’re in will be full of players who spend every waking moment in Verdansk, and you won’t stand much chance against them. Your loadouts probably still consist of last season’s meta weapons, too. And to make matters worse, they’ve likely been nerfed to near uselessness. This obvious skill (read: time commitment) gap is something skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) is supposed to help avoid. But it doesn’t. Everything I could say about SBMM has already been said a million times before, but players’ main frustrations from 12 months ago are still relevant now. It just doesn’t work, and the Warzone experience is far worse as a result. Unless you’ve got the time to get really, really good.
Call of Duty Warzone – Microtransactions might help.
There aren’t many problems in this world that money can’t solve. And it’s no different when it comes to Call of Duty. If you’ve not got the time available to grind and improve your ability, you can always throw money at the game. A common argument is that Warzone isn’t pay-to-win and the game’s microtransactions are purely cosmetic. But I think we all know that isn’t totally accurate.
If you aren’t able to put the shifts in to unlock the ‘meta’ guns and their attachments, that puts you at a significant disadvantage in Warzone. So the quickest and easiest solution to this problem is to buy yourself a fancy gun blueprint. Problem is, the packs containing meta guns are always that bit more expensive than the rest. For a decent MAC-10 blueprint you’re looking at around £15-20. Of course, some people are willing to spend that to get the guns they want. But it almost feels essential if you’re a casual player as each season’s meta weapons provide such a significant advantage – whether that’s intended or not. It’s time to ensure every gun is well-balanced at the beginning of every season so players don’t feel forced into making in-game purchases.
Are you enjoying Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War/Warzone Season 3? How do you feel about some of the issues we mentioned above? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
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Featured Image Credit: Activision
