Author: Nik Ranger

ZooMaa’s last dance: Why a Call of Duty great was stopped in his prime Starting out as a promising young soccer player, two ACL injuries saw ZooMaa making a switch from sports to esports. Turning to Call of Duty to fill his time, he started to dominate tournaments against top pros. He competed under FaZe Clan for most of his career, before joining the New York Subliners in the Call of Duty League. But like soccer, ZooMaa was forced to stop too soon due to yet another recurring injury. Earning nearly $400,000 in tournament winnings, alongside 6 major tournaments wins — the retired competitive veteran more than made his mark before having to stand down. Even though he’s been forced to retire at the tender age of 25, he’s still managed to achieve plenty of incredible feats for the history books over the years. At his first event, ZooMaa came top 12 at UMG Philadelphia 2014. His raw talent and skill was noticed by James ‘Crowder’ Crowder — then known as ‘Replays’ — giving the player his big break with Denial Esports. Eventually switching to FaZe, he fully dominated the CoD scene, also bagging himself an event MVP award after a 10-map thriller against OpTic’s dynasty squad at the Stage 1 finals in World War II. For a full rundown on this superstar’s shining performance in the sphere, check out the full video above. For all CoD news and events, stay tuned over at our dedicated hub.

ZooMaa slams CDL teams over biggest issues in heated rant Call of Duty LeagueThomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has long been one of the most outspoken members of the Call of Duty community, and in an impassioned monologue on The Flank, he has called out several CDL teams over issues with culture and egos. The Flank is ZooMaa’s regular podcast show that he hosts, regularly talking on the biggest topics in the community and having top pros on to discuss what is happening within the CDL. During the May 19 episode, though, ZooMaa took a tangent and decided to speak on what he believes to be one of the biggest issues facing CDL teams today. It’s not the common ‘friendship league’ trope that much of the community speaks about or even in-game issues, but it boils down to one thing: culture. Egos on failing CDL teams ZooMaa explains that the culture on teams and the egos of players are failing to work together properly, causing an adverse effect on the teams and the players themselves. Read More: Call of Duty League 2021 Power Rankings – “You’ve got people like f**king Dallas where egos are getting in the way, I think,” he said, referring to Dallas Empire’s continued downfall this season. “I think people are bickering, they don’t want to admit to their mistakes, people are pointing fingers… I had my fair share of that sh*t!” He continues, saying that teams like OpTic have a good culture, and it shows in their top 4 finish at the Stage 3 Major. “They picked their sh*t up,” he said. “At least you see OpTic going back to the drawing board and working together, making sure that they give everything that they got.” Building a good culture ZooMaa even references his days as an academy football player with Chelsea FC, explaining why the CDL teams need to look at clubs like those for inspiration. “I was playing with some of the best of the best, against some of the best, and I was coached by some of the best coaches in the world. The only way we’re going out on that pitch and winning matches and championships is doing that s**t together. “We used to get in our huddle as a family, and we would do anything for each other, and those were the best teams I was on. That’s why I liked teaming with Chris [Crowder], that’s why I liked teaming with Dillon [Attach], Preston [Priestahh], and Cellium.” His final note is that this is what makes the top teams so good: the culture. The teams that work together, respect each other, and figure things out are the ones that will see the most success, and it’s hard to disagree with ZooMaa on that front.

ZooMaa reveals who FaZe Clan nearly picked up during the CoD off-season MLGFaZe Clan Call of Duty captain Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has revealed which players the team almost picked up for Black Ops 4. With Call of Duty moving to five-versus-five for competitive play in Black Ops 4, even teams that were happy with their existing rosters were forced to add to their roster in the post-WWII off-season. FaZe Clan decided to stick with the squad that they fielded for the entirety of the WWII season, the highlight of which was a victory in Stage 1 of the CWL Pro League, and add former OpTic Gaming player Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni. Though the team is confident in their new fifth, according to ZooMaa he wasn’t the only option they pursued. Though it may come as a surprise to many, he admitted during the CoD Blast podcast that FaZe was initially looking to pick up another SMG player, despite already having three very capable players in the role. “To us, the more fast-paced subs you can get on a team the better,” ZooMaa explained, “because we have so many people that can run an AR on our team.” As a result, the team pursued Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland and Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris during the off-season, ultimately unsuccessfully – though their interest in signing these players was accurately reported by notorious anonymous leaker the CoDBurner. Huke stayed with the Envy organization and was joined there by the former Evil Geniuses squad that won the 2018 Call of Duty Championship. Meanwhile, aBeZy went to eUnited alongside Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan. In the end, ZooMaa states, FaZe decided that they didn’t want to risk losing Methodz by taking too long exploring their options, and the team is very happy with their decision. To hear ZooMaa talk all things FaZe Clan, rostermania and Black Ops 4, check out the full CoD Blast podcast here.

ZooMaa reveals more about injury that caused retirement from pro Call of Duty IG: ZoomaaFormer New York Subliners pro player Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has delved into the thumb injury that forced him to retire from professional Call of Duty, just days after shocking fans across the world with his announcement. Fans of competitive Call of Duty will have grown accustomed to the ever-presence of ZooMaa. Representing FaZe Clan from 2015 to 2019, he was one of the pros who successfully made the leap into the Call of Duty League, joining New York Subliners at its inception in late 2019. ZooMaa was always competing at the very top level, helping his Subliners team win their Week 11 home series. However, back on January 19, he shocked the CoD community with an announcement of early retirement, citing an ongoing thumb issue as the primary reason. He said: “Playing through the weakness and pain in my hand just isn’t possible anymore.” On January 22, he followed up his initial announcement by delving a little deeper into the injury. He explained that playing on mouse and keyboard is significantly easier than controller. “So the way it works is that right now I’m having trouble with the range of motion in my thumb,” he said. “That comes from the wrist, you can see the scar… and it just f**ks with the range of motion of my thumb, so like when I’m on the analogue stick my thumb is very weak, and I have a hard time just moving the analogue stick.” “But with a mouse and keyboard I don’t use that range of motion,” he finished. “The only thing I use my thumb for is clicking one of my side buttons of my mouse and I have no problem doing that. It feels good playing on mouse and keyboard.” ZooMaa has stated that the issues and pain will prevent him from competing at the top level of professional Call of Duty, but has explained that he will still be streaming and creating content. Related: Nadeshot vs H3CZ: OpTic’s Rivalry with 100 Thieves begins NYSL announced the acquisition of Asim to fill Zoomaa’s vacant spot. Their roster, heading into the second CDL season, is as follows: Mackenzie ‘Mack’ Kelley – James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks – Conor ‘Diamondcon’ Johst – Obaid ‘Asim’ Asim – Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez (sub) –

ZooMaa returns to pro Call of Duty for World Series of Warzone with Clayster & Asim Activision / Twitter: ZooMaaFive months after having to walk away from competitive Call of Duty, New York Subliners veteran Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has announced his return to the spotlight with the upcoming World Series of Warzone event. After competing at the highest level for the better part of a decade, ZooMaa announced he would be taking a “step back” in January; the veteran star was forced into retirement ahead of the 2021 Call of Duty League season due to a nagging issue with his thumbs. Despite leaving the pro grind, ZooMaa has been more active than ever before as a content creator. His Twitch stream has been on the rise and ‘The Flank’ talk show has become a fan-favorite in the community. After months of sitting back and watching the CDL play out, he’s ready to pick up the sticks once again. It won’t be as a starting member of the Subliners roster, however. Instead, ZooMaa is getting ready to drop into Verdansk. Competing in the World Series of Warzone w/ @Clayster & @GstaAsim!#NYSL — NYSL ZooMaa (@ZooMaa) June 6, 2021 Activision unveiled the World Series of Warzonze tournament on May 19. This elite competition boasts a $1.2 million prize pool and features a range of top streamers and CDL pros. While we’re still a few weeks out, some of these formidable squads have already begun forming. OpTic just announced their trio of Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper, and Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow. Now, Subliners have put a returning ZooMaa alongside his NYSL brethren James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks and Obaid ‘Asim’ Asim. $300,000 will be on the line as the first leg of the competition kicks off on June 23. No exact format is locked in just yet, though it’s clear that Verdansk will be filled to the brim with top competitors on that day. Whether it’s a private lobby or a public kill-race, it may be the most intense Warzone competition we’ve seen yet. After five long months on the CDL sidelines, we’ll finally get to see ZooMaa sliding around the map again. It’s unclear at this stage just how ZooMaa might be competing. Given his thumb injury, using a controller might be problematic. Keyboard and mouse could be the play, though that’s not to say a few hours of controller finesse is out of the question. ZooMaa has been grinding out League Play here and there with a controller, so it may still be possible as a one-off. Before we see him styling across Verdansk, brush up on everything there is to know about the World Series of Warzone event.

ZooMaa pulls Stallions from Call of Duty Challengers after cheating accusations MLG/ActivisionThomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto is stepping away from Call of Duty Challengers by pulling support for his Stallions team in light of recent cheating accusations. As someone who holds the scene in high regard, ZooMaa was taken aback when evidence started to circulate of people among his own ranks floating tournament rules during competition. Once news broke of the alleged cheating, the former CoD pro outright condemned the actions his team was accused of and said he would pull the Stallions from the amateur circuit for the time being. “I would love to have a Challengers team but as of right now I think I’m going to reevaluate things and pull it back,” he said on an April 27 stream. “I’m not going to be funding these guys moving forward as of right now, including my cousin [Vincent ‘VinnY’ Gage].” “This is a lesson they need to understand. They broke a rule, they have to know the rules. It’s a lesson they need to learn.” ZooMaa has stated that he will be stepping away from Challengers with the Stallions brand and will no longer be funding the team. #CDL2022 pic.twitter.com/MSjPm79sVO — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) April 27, 2022 ZooMaa himself has been leading the charge against cheating amateurs, including pulling the #2 ranked player onto his Twitch show, The Flank, after they exposed their hacks during a Vanguard stream. It wasn’t long after his own brand, players, and family were found skirting CDL Challenger rules after a clip showed coach VinnY communicating with his team during a match. “Stallions coaches have been actively cheating in Challengers calling out for the team on rotating and taking routes via ‘live feed of discord,’” Abas said. “Listen at like 19 seconds, Vinny tells Pat to rotate. This got them into Elite S2 and 30k [pro points].” For several years now, communication between players and their coaches has been banned during any kind of competitive match, only allowed between maps or before and after matches. Stallions coaches have been actively cheating in Challengers calling out for team on rotating and taking routes via “”live feed of discord”” listen at like 19s Vinny tells Pat to rotate. This got them into Elite S2 and 30k pps pic.twitter.com/pQoKRMxKoG — Abas (@AbasTBE) April 27, 2022 As this occurred in a very important match for Stallions and their opponents, other competitors questioned what would be done if the team was found to be cheating. Read More: CDL 2022 standings and schedule – ZooMaa quickly responded to the clip after it started to circulate, and responded to the original poster, saying: “Obviously I don’t condone rule breaks like this and it’s disappointing. Coaches shouldn’t be talking to players during matches.”

ZooMaa names his top 3 CDL teams for 2021 Cold War season YouTube / HECZWhile discussing the upcoming 2021 Call of Duty League campaign with Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez on his Eavesdrop Podcast, New York Subliners veteran Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto revealed his top three teams to watch out for during the Black Ops Cold War season. The CDL offseason was full of big moves, like the LA Thieves replacing OpTic Los Angeles and the transition of the Chicago Hunstmen to OpTic Chicago. With many players switching to new teams, fans and competitors were left wondering how the league’s rankings will look as the season kicks off. While the official CDL schedule hasn’t been announced, league play is anticipated to start in early 2021. Prior to the start of the season, pro player ZooMaa sat down with OpTic owner H3CZ and revealed the three teams he thinks fans and players should watch out for coming into 2021. After discussing topics like Gentlemen’s Agreements and the map design in Black Ops Cold War, H3CZ shifted the conversation towards the CDL season: “Who’s your main competition, you think, right now? Give me your top three teams.” The pro pondered the question for a second, then responded with Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire, and Chicago OpTic. ZooMaa’s rankings are similar to many others leading up to the 2021 season, and for good reason: Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago finished first, second, and third in the 2020 CDL playoffs, respectively. While Empire didn’t make any major offseason moves aside from dropping Clayster to fit the new 4v4 format, both FaZe and OpTic made some roster shuffles. FaZe replaced MajorManiak and Priestahh with former Huntsmen player Arcitys, whose departure from Chicago left a void that was filled with Dashy to bolster their roster. (For mobile users, segment starts at 1:03:50) H3Cz took a deeper dive into the reasons behind ZooMaa’s rankings, asking the longtime vet whether or not the offseason moves had anything to do with the teams’ projected success in 2021. “There’s a lot of good players, but you gotta find the right group” ZooMaa answered. “So I think you guys [OpTic] found the right group. And I think FaZe and Dallas have the right group.” Offseason moves or otherwise, the former FaZe star thinks those teams have the right players to win them a championship in 2021.

ZooMaa loses his mind after getting team-killed in League Play match ZooMaa – Twitch / TreyarchDifferent players react in different ways when getting team-killed in a Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 League Play match, but few would lose their mind the way FaZe Clan’s Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto did. Being team-killed in a Call of Duty match is never fun, especially when it comes during a high-leverage situation of a League Play match that actually counts for something. Such was the situation ZooMaa was faced with when streaming some of his League Play gameplay on April 18. Playing with a group of randomly matched-up players, ZooMaa’s team was sitting pretty in their Control match on Seaside, holding a two rounds to one lead and a 13 to nine player advantage with just a few seconds left in the match. However, that was when one of their teammates decided to inexplicably sabotage the match but using his Grav Slam to eliminate himself, ZooMaa, and another teammate. ZooMaa, who is known as the “Italian Stallion” around the CoD community, lived up to his nickname by completely going ballistic at the guilty teammate. “What the fuck BeautShow you fucking idiot! What are you doing?” he yelled out. “You fucking dumb fuck man!” Perhaps the funniest thing about the outburst was that it came right as he was thanking former FaZe teammate Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner for resubsribing to his channel, so there was definitely a lot of different emotions expressed in a span of just a few second. Similar situation to Crimsix’s, but in reverse This was the second hilarious League Play snafu that a prominent pro CoD player was involved in as many days, as OpTic Gaming’s Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter had found himself in a similar situation the day before. However, in that instance, Crimsix was the one responsible for the costly team-killing, and was thus subjected to a similar barrage of insults from a teammate. ZooMaa’s future in the CWL This year has not been easy for ZooMaa, who was part of the FaZe squad that failed to qualify for the CWL Pro League. However, things are looking to change very soon for him and his org as multiple reports indicate that FaZe are close to buying Red Reserve’s spot in the league. Read More: Top 20 highest earning Call of Duty pros – In fact, the same reports also claim that the org has already established a five-man roster for the upcoming CWL London major tournament, one that features ZooMaa along with several former RR players. If all this talk is true, then fans should be excited to see the Italian Stallion return to the main stage, and perhaps even play with a chip on his shoulder like he’s never had before.

ZooMaa hits out at ‘snaking’ allegations at CDL Seattle New York Subliners/Infinity WardNew York Subliners’ SMG star Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has hit back at ‘snaking’ allegations, following his side’s victory of Seattle Surge at the ongoing CDL Seattle. Day 1 of CDL Seattle saw the New York Subliners overcome the Seattle Surge, as the west coast roster’s struggles continue. Despite Seattle taking a map off the Subliners, the series was fairly straightforward for ZooMaa’s squad. ZooMaa himself starred in the win, particularly in the series-ending Map 4, a hardpoint on St Petrograd. The ex-FaZe Clan star put together a dominant streak while defending restaurant, but some viewers were quick to accuse the 24-year-old of ‘snaking’. ‘Snaking’ is when a player goes prone and then stands up rapidly, usually behind cover of some kind. This makes them a difficult target to hit, all while being able to return fire at their opponents. While not as influential in Modern Warfare as it has been in past CoD titles, some viewers argued it is still being exploited after watching ZooMaa. ZooMaa, however, hit back at these allegations: “People talking about snaking… What do people want me to do when I’m one shot and have to reload, stand on the f**king desk? Also, the whole damn league snakes, get over it. Snake or be snaked I’ve accepted that, not my problem.” To defend ZooMaa even more, Seattle’s Apathy, one of the players on the receiving end of the ‘snaking’, commented: “you are good bro, everyone abuses this sh*t now”. Ppl talking about snaking… What do people want me to do when I’m one shot and have to reload, stand on the fkn desk? Also, the whole damn league snakes, get over it. Snake or be snaked I’ve accepted that, not my problem. https://t.co/7yAA2gKaEl — Tommy Paparatto (@ZooMaa) May 23, 2020 Snaking has been a significant topic in previous CoD titles, no more so than in Infinite Warfare or WWII, where both developers actually released patches in an attempt to nerf it. Whether similar changes are on their way in Modern Warfare remains unclear, but some viewers seem unhappy with its viability in a competitive setting.

ZooMaa explains why fans shouldn’t judge CDL in its first year New York star Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparratto knows there’s already heavy expectations resting on the shoulders of the first-ever Call of Duty League, but believes fans should give it “time to grow” before delivering a final verdict. With the 2020 CDL season set to be played on Infinity Ward’s near-universally hated Modern Warfare release, many fans are already worried the title’s issues, from spawn problems, to broken guns, and poor maps, could all plague the league. No matter what happens as the CDL ramps up into its first city-vs-city franchise comp, ZooMaa said, fans should expect it to be a “development” year as organizers, teams, and players all find their feet. “I feel like the first year is like… we don’t know what’s going to happen,” ZooMaa explained during his appearance on The Codcast #20. “There could be a lot of slip-ups, and we don’t know what’s going to happen, so I don’t think we can judge the whole competition off the first year.” The former FaZe superstar did add he was still “very excited” for the Call of Duty League to kick-off, especially considering it’s basically becoming a “roadshow” of esports for fans across North American and Europe. “I’m excited for franchising, I can’t wait for everything going on,” he said, but re-stated how fans should keep their expectations tempered. “Remember, though, it’s brand new. We are literally the first people to be doing this sh*t.” He admitted part of the worry from players and league organizers alike has come from the fact the Call of Duty fandom has become “a little spoiled” over the years, and is always demanding. There’s nothing wrong with that though, he added. “They obviously just want it to be the best it can possibly be, and everyone is going to want to have input, and share their opinions,” he said in defence of those concerned about the CDL. “That’s what it’s like for anything, in any sport.” Fans are probably right to be at least a little nervous, too, as the CDL looks to break barriers in its very first season as a franchised, global league. The aforementioned ‘roadshow’ is set to land at locations around the United States and Europe across the six-month world tour, including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, as well as Toronto, London, and Paris. With the league’s launch weekend — to be held at The Armory in Minneapolis on January 24-26 — fast approaching, and major issues still plaguing CDL’s 2020 title Modern Warfare, fans are reasonably worried that might shadow proceedings. One key issue that has arisen since the game first dropped was poor spawn locations, which often drop unsuspecting players right back into the battle without warning, or even spawn them right behind enemies that have just killed them. ZooMaa, who was part of the CDL cohort that attended Activision’s ‘Player Summit’ for stars of the new competition to air their grievances and ideas with the league, and with the game itself, revealed Infinity Ward is hard at work on spawn changes. Apart from that, the initial outcry over spawns seems to have died down as well — not because they have been solved completely, though IW did send out a patch to address them recently — but because pros are getting used to them. “There are definitely some weird spawns still going on, but we’re trying to learn them… it’s getting to the point now where I know all the spawns, a lot of people say that spawns are shit, and they are, but you can still predict spawns now,” ZooMaa said, before adding the latest patch from IW hasn’t fixed the issues properly yet. “I’m still spawning in front of people [after the new patch], I literally didn’t say anything to my team when it happened, I just said ‘yeah… right side.’ It isn’t that bad though, you can learn all the spawns. Random shit happens a lot though.” For mobile readers, the related segment in the video below begins at 39:47. The Subliners, who ZooMaa said rank “definitely top four” heading into the 2020 season, begin their campaign against the divisive OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, and the Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson-led Florida Mutineers in round one. New York could also have the honor of being the first-ever Call of Duty roster, alongside OpTic, to play in the CDL league, with their match currently scheduled to open the launch weekend match-ups in Minnesota.

ZooMaa explains how Seattle Surge signing Censor could actually make sense Twitter, @ZooMaa, @CensorDuring a recent episode his show, The Flank, former CoD pro Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto had one name in mind for who Seattle Surge should sign to fill their 2021 CDL vacancy: the one and only Doug ‘Censor’ Martin. The Surge have a 4-15 record in the CDL regular season and sit dead-last in the standings. They also just parted ways with Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato just a couple of weeks after signing him, leaving one wide-open roster spot for an SMG ahead of Stage 4. With Reece ‘Vivid’ Drost picked up by the Dallas Empire, Seattle’s options are running thinner, but ZooMaa has a solution: Censor. Echoing CoD Twitter’s “No Doug, No Dub” spam, ZooMaa — a former teammate of Censor’s with the New York Subliners in 2020 — believes there’s real potential for the pickup. Fending off co-host Ben Nissim’s doubts, the Italian Stallion explained why Seattle should actually consider signing the former FaZe YouTuber to their starting lineup. (For mobile users, segment begins at 22:00.) When the topic of Seattle comes up, Nissim seemed to immediately know the ZooMaa hot take is coming, but it was too late and Tommy let his feelings be known: “The year is already f**king chalked for Seattle … If I was Seattle, I’d pick up Doug.” While Nissim pushed back against the bold idea, ZooMaa simply doubled down on the selfless value Censor can bring. “He’s going to come in, Ben, and he’s going to do everything,” the ‘Stallion’ remarked. “He’s going to throw trophies, he’s gonna say ‘I’ve got the hill, don’t worry. Go push out. I got this.’ He’s gonna hit every rotation, he’s going to be stacking every hill.” Over the past few years, Censor has remained a confident, optimistic personality in the CoD scene despite minimal professional success. He’s failed to impress in CDL Challengers either, which factors into Nissim’s doubts and probably plays a part in ZooMaa admitting that he was “somewhat trolling.” But still, even if Doug isn’t the solution from a competitive standpoint, ZooMaa and Nissim agree that no available player is likely to solve Seattle’s woes. If that’s the case, and Tommy’s sources indicate it is, then he believes Surge should make the move “for the culture.” As ZooMaa elaborates, “I have sources that are telling me that it’s pretty much chalked up in that Seattle camp … if I’m hearing that it’s pretty much chalked up and everybody’s losing f**king full over there and nobody gives a f**k, that’s why I was like ‘f**k it, bring in Doug!’” Seattle starts their Stage 4 against the Los Angeles Thieves on May 29. If ZooMaa and the internet have their way, the Surge will have a muscular new fourth starter by then — for the culture.

ZooMaa, Enable & more mindblown as LA Guerrillas drop Cheen Call of Duty LeagueOn June 21, Call of Duty League franchise Los Angeles Guerrillas announced that they would be dropping Martin ‘Cheen’ Chino from the starting roster, much to the dismay of fans, fellow pros and the wider community. The Guerrillas are, barring a miracle, well out of contention to earn a spot at the Call of Duty Championships, the biggest event of the season. As such, they appear to be trying something new, bringing Gears of War legend Billy ‘MentaL’ Putnam to the starting roster from the Academy team. Stage V roster update: pic.twitter.com/bvEZ09RX3V — Los Angeles Guerrillas (@LAGuerrillas) June 21, 2021 To much of the community, it makes sense that the Guerrillas, with little more to fight for in the season, would try out their less proven players and see if they strike gold. What a lot are baffled by, though, is dropping Cheen, who has arguably been their best player since arriving on the starting roster in place of a departing Reece ‘Vivid’ Drost. His AR presence has definitely helped the struggling Guerrillas where possible, but the problem seems to run much deeper than just one or two roster changes. Many top names let their feelings known, though, including New York Subliners content creator and former pro Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto, who vented his frustrations during a Twitch stream. As well as asking “who’s running this sh*t,” ZooMaa went on to say that “that team sucks f**king balls,” clearly not impressed with the decision. Reverse Sweep host and 100 Thieves content creator Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt shared a similar sentiment, saying that whoever makes these decisions for LAG is “trolling.” Another former LA Guerrillas man, Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price, shared his thoughts. After Cheen tweeted that the team “refuses to see the real issue,” ACHES responded saying that they “never will,” clearly implying deep-lying issues in the franchise. Regardless of whether or not this turns out to be the right decision, the community is flabbergasted and have made their minds up. Cheen has long been a fan favorite, and many feel like this is a step in the wrong direction for an already struggling team.

ZooMaa Discusses Staying on FaZe, Why he Didn’t Move to OpTic, Black Ops 4 and More FaZe Clan’s ZooMaa took to Reddit to answer questions from the competitive CoD community, touching on everything from Rostermania, his future with Faze and the upcoming season with Black Ops 4. With ‘Rostermania’ in full swing, ZooMaa’s FaZe squad is one of the few not expected to make any changes (although nothing is confirmed), and so was open to discussing with the community during some down time in the off season. Many questions revolved around the rumors that he had been offered a spot on OpTic Gaming during the mid season roster changes in WWII, but the deal fell through. ZooMaa simply states, “there was a lot to it.” Luminosity’s FormaL Reveals More About His Departure from OpTic Gaming However, he does say that he think he would have been a better addition to the OpTic lineup than Anthony “Zinni” Methodz, who it was confirmed was not OpTic’s first choice. When asked “Do you think you could have Improved Optic if you had joined instead of Methodz?”, ZooMaa says yes, because they “needed a playmaker.” His number one choice was 100 Thieves’ Kenny “Kenny” Williams, who in many fans’ eyes was the best player from the WWII season. He also said that 100 Thieves would be his desired destination – again only if he wasn’t staying with FaZe. He even thinks he could retire with the organization, but the future is always uncertain, especially in esports. Call of Duty Off-Season Rostermania Transfer Hub *UPDATING* He says he has no regrets over the move to OpTic not happening, for whatever reason, and is looking forward to a good year of Call of Duty esports in the 2019 season. You can check out the full question and answers thread with ZooMaa on Reddit, with lots more answers about his come up in Call of Duty, and other fun topics.

ZooMaa criticizes “excuses” from amateur CoD players not in the CDL Call of Duty League[jwplayer DFRku8jB] New York Subliners’ Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has criticized amateur Call of Duty players making “excuses” about why they haven’t been picked up by a Call of Duty League team. ZooMaa is fast becoming considered a veteran of the Call of Duty esports scene, having been around for a few years and picked up some championships for the trophy cabinet, so he knows about the grind and he knows the traits that help amateur players become top-tier, pro-level talent. So, while the CDL teams are once again trying to establish the best rosters they can and preparing for the forthcoming season, the Italian Stallion had a few words for the amateurs on their way up. There has been a lot of discussion about which players should occupy which spots during this rostermania period, especially with the reduction of roster sizes from five to four and a number of top amateur players looking like they’re ready for the big leagues. It looks, though, as though some may be getting a bit ahead of themselves, at least according to ZooMaa. In a series of tweets posted on September 23, he called out CoD amateurs “making bulls**t excuses,” telling them they need to stop. He advised them: “Get yourself in Challengers this year & prove to people why you should be on a CDL team. If you’re a good teammate, talented, right attitude, etc… you’ll get picked up.” If you’re an AM player, stop making bullshit excuses. Get yourself in challengers this year & prove to people why you should be on a CDL team. If you’re a good teammate, talented, right attitude, etc… you’ll get picked up. Coming from someone who’s picked up multiple AMs. Work! — FaZe ZooMaa (@ZooMaa) September 23, 2020 OpTic Gaming’s Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat even backed ZooMaa by saying that it’s “easier now than it ever has been” to get a chance. When one person responded with what ZooMaa would probably consider to be an ‘excuse,’ he bit back, making it clear that nobody had it easy coming up through the scene, saying that he played academy soccer, held down a job, and went to college while trying to go pro, so he knows how much it takes. I played academy soccer, worked at shoprite bagging fkn groceries, & went to college every single day driving back & forth from home / school just so I can squeeze in online tournaments. Would go days without sleeping, drove in a blizzard to my first event just to make a name. https://t.co/8CU495F4H9 — FaZe ZooMaa (@ZooMaa) September 23, 2020 Tommy is the type of player that doesn’t hold his cards too close to his chest and isn’t afraid to share his opinion and, since he’s been there and done it all already, is probably a player worth listening to when he offers advice. It’s possible we see more amateurs coming up in the next CDL season, but it remains to be seen who makes the list of new contenders.

ZooMaa column: Why Gentlemen’s Agreements keep CoD esports competitive New York SublinersThe first thing I’ll say about GA’s (Gentlemen’s Agreements) is that pros just want the game to be as competitive as possible. Bans are aimed at widening the skill gap, delivering a game that is more enjoyable to watch and play. Every team has a captain (or leader, or whatever you want to call it), so there’s a captain’s chat where everything is talked about—what’s overpowered, what’s cheap, and what’s whack. Players voice their opinions and come to an agreement with a vote, or, if we can’t come to an agreement, things stay the same. It looks like the #CDL2020 is finally acknowledging Gentlemen’s Agreements after years of being against them 👀 pic.twitter.com/ulGCEfehl7 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 12, 2020 So far, the three big bans have been Merc Foregrip, Auto Tactical Sprint, and Snaking—each posing unique problems. Already, with Merc Foregrip out of the picture, there’s more variety with the MP5—everyone using different attachments based on different playstyles. That’s the kind of impact we hope for with GA’s, making the game even more exciting, entertaining and competitive. Merc Foregrip We didn’t want to use Merc because you don’t have to aim. It makes hipfire really overpowered – people were hitting first shots without even aiming in across the map. It was reducing the skill gap and making the game a lot easier, when obviously we want the professional competitions to always need the highest level of skill. And it just wasn’t fun to watch, it doesn’t show you who the most talented players are and was getting to a point where people abusing it made the game feel very random and sporadic. Especially with smoke grenades being so prominent, you could slide into smokes, shoot erratically, and just hope for the best. Like, my little cousin can do that, you know? People don’t always agree, but pros are into positioning and outplaying opponents so Merc was a definite “gotta go.” Anything that allows you to not aim your gun should be gone. Automatic Tactical Sprint Auto Tac is a setting that performs a mechanic for you. The problem is, when you’re in a competitive game and there’s a broken mechanic like slide canceling, automation just exacerbated the problem, until everyone in the game was just spamming said broken mechanic. Our boy @ZooMaa switching lanes. 🚘 #NYSL pic.twitter.com/NTFFlCRhNm — Subliners (@Subliners) May 21, 2020 People don’t like slide cancel, it probably shouldn’t be in the game. But it is what it is, that’s how the game was made and everybody is going to use it because it’s there and available. They could have nerfed the slide canceling or gotten rid of it completely, but they didn’t—so the Auto Tac ban was mostly just to get rid of the fugaze. The less fugaze, the better. Snaking Snaking has been in Call of Duty for years and it’s never gone away. It’s worse in some games than others, but it’s prominent this year, in particular, because it makes you very hard to kill. If you lay down and stand up over and over again behind cover, it’s going to break the ‘cameras’ a little bit and make it harder to hit you. So GA’ing something like that is tricky, because we’ve been playing CoD for years and are habituated to dropping behind cover when weak and standing back up when full health. That’s not “snaking,” pros just don’t want it abused. 🏇 @ZooMaa is NASTY!#NYSL | #CDL2020 pic.twitter.com/6uXT3nmUam — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 23, 2020 Fans accused me of snaking against the Seattle Surge during their home series. But even Surge players like Apathy said I didn’t. I wasn’t sitting on the head glitch and saddling up and down, abusing the mechanic—I got a kill, was one shot, so went down and then stood up with health, snaked the head glitch, got another kill, and laid back down because I was weak again. That’s just playing the game, I’m not going to stand on the desk and ask to die. At this point, it’s muscle memory that we’ve been honing for years. Players can try everything to change that, but actually removing snaking from the game will require action from the developers (slowing the movement or taking longer to ADS after standing). The meta moving forward Merc was so overpowered that it made no sense to not use the MP5, but now it’s gone and players’ eyes are opening up to different things. Some have even started running the Uzi sometimes, like Envoy during the Minnesota Rokkr Home Series. Dylan on the Uzi… that’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/X6iWe5QTZz — OpTic Texas (@OpTicTexas) June 13, 2020 You’ll still mostly see MP5 and M4A1s, but players are experimenting and trying different guns out. And nobody knows what’s good or bad yet, so everyone is running different attachments too. The new Vector (Fennec) could come into play a little, as it’s really good up-close, or even the Grau, especially to get picks in SND or on maps with long sightlines like Azhir Cave or Petrograd. As far as bans or meta changes, I don’t think you’re going to see any more throughout the year. The league is almost over, we’re on the final stretch. Most of what would change are things people have been complaining about all year. So there’s no point in complaining, I’m just going to play the game, slide cancel, and do what I gotta do. At this point, we’re just focused on grinding everyday to make sure we’re the best that we can possibly be.

ZooMaa Column: What went wrong and how we’ll bounce back at CoD Champs New York SublinersBefore the New York home series, we wanted to come in and make a bang. Going in with a new meta, we changed roles around. The subs got worse, while the ARs got better, so Mack, one of our main subs, ended up being one of our main ARs. Donny, Mack, and Lamar were running ARs while Dylan and I ran the subs. Getting someone like Mack, who can just run around and get kills, on an AR was good because he can play a do-whatever-you-want role, where he just goes wherever he needs to pick up kills. For me, as a sub, I realized there were certain things I couldn’t challenge and certain routes I couldn’t take anymore because the MP5 wasn’t as good. I just had to focus on playing smart and making sure I was taking the right routes so that I could get spawns for my team and do a little bit of the dirty work to help them out. With the MP5 not being as good, you wanna be sneaky, you wanna be moving around trying to finesse around the map, using your movement to your best advantage. THE ITALIAN STALLION CAN’T BE STOPPED 🐎 @ZooMaa | #NYSL https://t.co/O0p51x88in — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 11, 2020 We had a nine-map winning streak going into the London Home Series, so we were very confident. But when you come off an event win, all eyes are on you so teams are watching your VODs and trying to steal or copy whatever you’re doing. And I think that’s exactly what happened, teams just watched us play and they saw what we do, or how we play, and they blind-countered us, especially in SND. What happened in London? A little too much confidence We were probably a little overconfident. We were doing things we shouldn’t have been doing, making mistakes we don’t normally make, and we got punished for it. Paris is a good team while Dallas has good chemistry and some of the best pacing in the league right now. There’s a lot of good teams in this league and they’re going to punish you for mistakes that you make. In the respawns, I just felt like we weren’t on point as a unit. Our communication was off and we were too slow to our spots, we weren’t the oiled machine that we usually are. In SND, we got blind-countered for sure here and there. But that’s on us, we know that they’re watching our film, we should be picking up on that. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1284633118855565314 The meta shift Another thing with the London Series was the meta change. From New York to London, 10mm was brought back, which made the MP5 a little bit better. So, instead of three ARs, it started to become more of a two-AR meta. We were going through a little meta crisis and thought maybe our pacing was a bit off. So, in the middle of the London Series, we ended up making a switch where we put Donny back on the AR. One thing with our team is keeping up the pace and making sure we’re constantly applying that pressure on other teams. So we felt, because of Mack’s fast playstyle, that Donny should be on the M4 because it might fit better. We had some people switching guns, some people feeling uncomfortable on certain guns, so we just tried to make everybody feel as comfortable as possible. It didn’t work out that weekend, we had a bad weekend of CoD. And that happens. As a professional who’s been doing this for years, you go through ups and downs. CoD is CoD. It’s day by day. With anything you do you’re going to have good days and bad days, so you have to just learn from the bad days and try to move forward. Looking forward to CDL Champs Trying to figure out what fits best for our team is going to be important in this new meta. It didn’t look too good for us in London, but we have so much talent on the team and we already won an event so we know we can do it again. We just need to figure out the formula. The MP5 is harder to use now and the M4 can pretty much do it all, so the MP5 to me in this game, going into Champs, is more of a dirty work type gun. You’re the dirty work player, trying to get the spawns, hit the pinches, and hit the long routes. Of course, you can still go off and get a bunch of kills, but the M4s are going to be the ones dropping big stats. https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1282428514013196293 We’re going back into scrimmages now and trying different things out, including Mack back on the AR. If we get smacked because we weren’t taking practice seriously and acting cocky as hell because we won a tournament, well…that would be annoying. But that’s not going to happen. We’re disciplined and passionate. We take this stuff very seriously. We get on every single day, practicing, watching film with the team, we’re ready to go. We’re preparing for this and we really want to show out. Hopefully we do.

ZooMaa appears to confirm future away from FaZe CoD heading into franchising MLGTommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has revealed some surprising information about his future with FaZe Clan’s CoD team as everyone prepares for the franchised Call of Duty League. With the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 competitive season firmly in the rearview mirror, players and teams are looking to build the best rosters possible for the new franchised Call of Duty League. We’ve already seen hints at the break-up of OpTic’s big three, the possible reunion of Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper, as well as Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson announcing his departure from eUnited. Yet, one of the biggest changes to date could very well come from FaZe and ZooMaa, who appear to be going their separate ways. During his September 12 stream, the FaZe Clan pro had been trying out the Modern Warfare beta alongside teammate Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris and former Evil Geniuses player Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi, when a fan asked him if FaZe were getting a spot in franchising. ZooMaa quickly fired back: “I don’t know, I’ve been wondering the same thing for five months.” Zer0 himself had to inject with a quick “six,” correcting the longtime member on his timekeeping, prompting ZooMaa to open up even further. He added: “And if they got a spot, I most likely won’t be on it.” While the 24-year-old didn’t expand any further, him not being on a FaZe Clan roster would certainly be a huge shift in the scene. Paparatto has been with FaZe since 2015, and even though they didn’t qualify for Black Ops 4’s Pro League off the bat, he remained out of competition – bar a substitute appearance for OpTic Gaming – until they were able to claim a spot in late April. Just exactly what the future holds for ZooMaa and FaZe Clan moving forward remains to be seen, but it appears that both parties are headed for a fresh start. You can keep up-to-date with all the pre-franchising roster moves with our dedicated rostermania hub, as players get to grips with their landing spots ahead of the Modern Warfare season.

ZooMaa announces new Call of Duty team following FaZe Clan departure Infinity WardStar professional player Thomas ‘ZooMaa‘ Paparatto has revealed the Call of Duty team he will be representing in the upcoming franchised league in 2020. With Call of Duty esports transitioning to a franchised model starting from the 2020 season, the 12 organizations involved are in the business of recruiting players and building their rosters. The franchise that will be based in New York has made its first official player announcement, confirming that ZooMaa will be representing NYC in the upcoming campaign. “Just want to officially announce that I’ve joined the Andbox family and will be representing New York in the upcoming Call of Duty season,” the former FaZe star stated. “As those of you who may know, I grew up in the city, so being close to family and friends is truly a blessing, alongside some of the most passionate fans.” Read More: OpTic announce new GM – “I’m super excited to play alongside an amazing roster, and represent New York on the world stage. To all the supporters, I promise to work hard for you guys and make you guys all proud. It’s good to be home.” Join us in welcoming Thomas @ZooMaa Paparatto to the @andbox_official family. It’s good to have you home. pic.twitter.com/Z6W27qbIL7 — Call of Duty NYC (@CWL_NYC) September 25, 2019 As things stand, ZooMaa is currently the only player to have been confirmed as part of the NYC roster, although, judging by his comments, it appears that the rest of his teammates are already on their way to becoming official. As far as rumors go, there is speculation that he will be joined by two former FaZe teammates in what could be a very formidable potential roster. Rumored NYC Call of Duty roster: Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto – Dillon ‘Attach’ Price (ex-FaZe/EG) – Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris (ex-FaZe) – Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda (ex-Splyce) – Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi (ex-EG) – The organization has already announced John ‘Revan’ Bobble, formerly of Evil Geniuses, as their head coach, with JohnPaul ‘JP Krez’ Krez as analyst. ZooMaa joining NYC CoD officially puts an end to his long tenure with FaZe Clan, whom he represented for over five years and five different Call of Duty titles. FaZe, of course, have chosen not to purchase a spot in the new league, at least for its inaugural season, so the “Italian Stallion” had no choice but to explore other options. Read More: When will Scump return to Twitch? – His final major achievement with the team, and perhaps the most memorable, was their victory at the CWL Pro League 2018 Stage 1 Playoffs, where they defeated OpTic Gaming in the Grand Final after winning the Losers Bracket. While he may be remembered for a lot of things during his time wearing the red and black, his consistency is one that most will recall, as he ended up being their longest tenured player by far. Make sure to keep track of all offseason roster moves, team changes, and player announcements by visiting our CoD franchising RosterMania hub.

ZooMaa and SlasheR go back and forth over ‘gentleman’s agreements’ in Black Ops 4 Gentleman’s agreements in Call of Duty have been at issue for years and it seems like things are only starting to heat up as we get closer to the first Black Ops 4 open event in Las Vegas. As the debate over gentleman’s agreements continue within the competitive CoD community, FaZe Clan’s Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto has made it clear he isn’t a fan of them. After going on an extended rant on his Twitch stream, in which he called GAs a “joke” and saying that he was “tired of it,” ZooMaa has continued the conversation on Twitter. While responding to a fan who was wondering why people have seemingly zeroed in on the grapple as the item of contention, ZooMaa had this to say: “Let’s talk about the double grip ICR no flinch, the all purpose Maddox, and the back pocket Mozu aka shotgun. Don’t see me trying to GA those things.” This prompted 100 Thieves’ Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat to respond, alluding to the fact that many feel he’s behind some of the proposed GA’s saying : “Well since I make all the rules why would I ban those things!? Cmon I need to cater to myself to stay relevant.” The two then seemed to disagree over whether the Saug SMG needed to be included in the list of GA’d weapons, with SlasheR saying it needed to go while ZooMaa hinted that it should be left alone since it’s “the worst / most inconsistent gun.” SlasheR responds by saying that “it’s not a matter of [him] liking something or not, it’s what I think is better for comp.” mentioned on his stream that teams were refusing to play them if they used Ruin’s ‘grapple hook.’ZooMaa then thrust the issue back into the forefront with his rant on Twitch just a couple days before the above exchange with SlasheR. While gentleman’s agreements are technically against the rules set forth by the CWL, that hasn’t stopped players from making them anyways for the last few years. With only a couple weeks left until CWL Vegas on December 7, this likely won’t be the last we hear on the matter.

ZooMaa and Crimsix get into hilarious argument over Black Ops 4 strats FaZe Clan’s Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto and OpTic Gaming’s Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter might be rivals on stage, but this clip shows that they still know how to get into some hilarious friendly banter on occasion. The two players were facing off in a 4v4 Search & Destroy tournament when Crimsix decides to engage in some friendly trash talk after losing to ZooMaa’s team. ZooMaa says that Hacienda was his worst map but then Crimsix fires back by saying that it’s actually ZooMaa’s best map and once ZooMaa asks how he knows that, things escalate for the better. “I’ve actually been watching your stream,” Crimsix tells ZooMaa in response. ZooMaa then brings the fire with a reply of his own. “Yeah, you watch my stream every year, you copy my routes. Bro, [former OpTic Gaming member Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper] told me the tricks, that you’ve been copying my routes since [Advanced Warfare].” Crimsix quickly denies the claims of ZooMaa before saying that ZooMaa’s teammate Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner is the one that carried him in the tournament, causing ZooMaa to try and get the last word in. “Even if you do know my routes, you ain’t gunning me anyways. You suck. You can’t even L-trigger,” ZooMaa tells Crimsix. Crimsix wasn’t ready to let that be the end, replying “What?! I fucking fried you!” as the two continue going back and forth for the next few minutes. While there’s still over a month left before the Black Ops 4 season gets underway at CWL Vegas in December, it’s clear that the competitive juices have already begun to hilariously flow.

ZooMaa’s opinion on Black Ops 4’s Rampart instantly changes during CWL Pro League stream The Rampart assault rifle is the focus of much controversy among professional Call of Duty players, and FaZe Clan’s Tommy ‘ZooMaa‘ Paparatto has made very clear which side of the debate he lands on. The Rampart was key to Luminosity’s success at CWL Fort Worth, with Nicholas ‘Classic’ DiCostanzo stating simply “bless the Rampart” in his post-grand finals interview. Since the event, the weapon has, somewhat predictably, become subject to a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ – but Classic and his LG teammates are holding out against the majority of other pro players. Call of Duty fan creates amazing Black Ops 4 weapon camos based on CWL pro playersZooMaa, who is currently not competing in the CWL Pro League after failing to qualify with FaZe, was asked for his thoughts on the weapon during a recent stream, and the timing could not have been better. Just as he was explaining that he wasn’t too concerned one way or the other, he witnessed James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks pull off an insane double kill with the weapon – instantly changing his mind. “What the fuck was that?! GA the gun! GA it – get it outta here!” ZooMaa exclaimed, clearly convinced there that could be at least a slight issue of imbalance. Unfortunately, a resolution to the debate doesn’t seem to be forthcoming, with Luminosity still understandably keen to keep using the Rampart. For now though, they have apparently been ‘blacklisted’ from practice by some teams, which is another issue in and of itself.

FaZe Clan’s ZooMaa suffers bizarre Black Ops 4 spawn glitch during scrim Call of Duty pro player and FaZe Clan member Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparratto was left stunned after suffering a crazy spawn glitch while practising the new Control mode on Black Ops 4. ZooMaa was playing alongside his FaZe teammates in a scrim game against eUnited, when the teams headed to Frequency to practise the mode. With time dwindling down, and both teams running low on available respawns, Paparatto was desperate to get back on the map and battle to secure a late victory. Unfortunately for ZooMaa, instead of spawning on the ground where most people would expect, his character somehow managed to spawn high above the map, immediately falling out of the sky and dying. Paparatto couldn’t understand what had just happened to him, throwing his arms up in disbelief as he found himself spectating his teammates once again. “I spawned off the map,” groaned ZooMaa, although thankfully the game didn’t take a life off his squad as they headed into the crucial final stages of the map. Professional players are practising the new Control game mode as it will be one of the three competitive game modes played during the 2018/19 Call of Duty esports season. While rumors that the mode would be included in esports had been circulating for weeks, the official release of the CWL ruleset on Friday, October 26 confirmed that pro teams would be going head-to-head on in Control. In the mode, one team attempt to capture two zones placed on the map, while the other team tries to defend them. Teams are only granted 25 lives, making for calculated plays and intense finales to matches.

Zombies YouTubers invited to Treyarch for a BO4 preview YouTubers who specialize in Call of Duty Zombies have been invited to Treyarch to get a sneak peek of the mode in Black Ops 4, according to Life of Tom AKA Syndicate. “I will spoil it, I was indeed going out to see Treyarch,” he said. “I was supposed to be hanging out with all the Call of Duty Zombies guys. We were going to be playing the game early, all this sort of stuff.” So even though a passport issue has prevented Syndicate from going, other YouTubers will be at the event and Zombies fans can expect an influx of content soon. Going to get a sneak preview of a game sounds like a blast but Syndicate says there are downsides to it as well. “When you [view a game] early, you don’t have the live reaction of doing it on Twitch,” he said. He makes a good point, there is something to be said for experiencing a game for the first time along with the audience. But he may also just be looking for a silver lining in his passport issue. He could have recorded the gameplay at the Treyarch studios but said he wouldn’t feel like himself and that it would be a tougher environment to record a video in. More: Massive details leaked about ‘Classified’ Zombies map in Black Ops 4 – new perks, map layout, and more – Black Ops 4 comes out on October 12th and this is just one of the ways Treyarch will be building up hype for the game as the release approaches.

Zombies players want Treyarch to update Cold War over “trash” Vanguard ActivisionAs Vanguard Zombies appears to be left to the wolves, players wish that Treyarch would just update Black Ops Cold War’s mode instead. Zombies is a staple to the Call of Duty franchise and became extremely popular thanks to the work of the Treyarch team. Originally, Fans were excited when it was announced that the gaming studio would be in charge of developing Zombies for Sledgehammer Games’ Vanguard. However, with lackluster updates and seemingly no new content since its release, players just want the devs to go back and update a previous game. Zombies players want Cold War updates instead of Vanguard Black Ops Cold War Zombies was one of Treyarch’s biggest hits, as players everywhere grinded the mode for camos, high rounds, or Easter eggs – but the devs seem to have abandoned this formula in Vanguard. In a Reddit post by ‘Wooden_Gas1064,’ they mentioned enjoying their time on Cold War’s Outbreak mode so much more than on Vanguard’s Der Anfang. Cold War’s Outbreak mode was based on objective gameplay and even though it wasn’t focused on being round-based, players still felt that the mode had replayability as there were new objectives every match. One Redditor said, “Trust me outbreak is a lot better plus it gives you a lot more room to mess around in whether alone or with friends or get some practice in.” Players are sick of Vanguard Zombies as the “biggest update” the mode received was extremely disappointing. “The fact that a pause button is a feature you have to add is so sad.” Some people are so gutted that they are trying to forget Vanguard even exists. Fans of the mode just want to see classic round-based maps return along with a main quest Easter egg to bring back the nostalgia they are used to. The community claims they are being neglected and, if that is truly the case, they want to see the team put effort into Cold War updates and leave Vanguard alone.

Zombies icon Jason Blundell has left Treyarch ahead of CoD 2020 release TreyarchJason Blundell, Co-Studio Head and Senior Executive Producer at Treyarch, is leaving the studio famous for the Call of Duty Black Ops series before the developer’s 2020 release. Blundell was most well known for directing Zombies mode and maps. After thirteen years with Treyarch, Jason Blundell is moving on from the game developer, just months before they are expected to release the 2020 installment of Call of Duty that they took over from Sledgehammer. In a letter posted to Treyarch’s Twitter account, Blundell thanked the company and the Call of Duty fans for the support over the years, especially thanking the Zombies community he was a pivotal part of. We wish to thank Jason for his many contributions to Treyarch. We’ve enjoyed our journey together and wish him the very best going forward! pic.twitter.com/Tb8o36VWb2 — Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) February 28, 2020 Blundell spoke exceptionally highly of the team at Treyarch that works on Zombies: “It’s a team comprised of some of the most creative and talented developers in the industry, many of who you never see because they’re behind the scenes shaping the direction of experience.” Jason began working on Zombies in 2007, by helping create the map Der Riese for World at War, the first game in the Call of Duty series to feature the now-iconic horde mode. In a 2016 interview with Gamespot, he said that the original Zombies had “no planning, no funding, and no support for its fledgling horde mode”, and the final product was “relatively bare bones as a result, with only a single room and a rudimentary weapon upgrade system to keep players interested.” He also said Activision was reluctant to include it in the game. Despite that, Zombies flourished when it entered the Black Ops series, with Blundell taking on more and more responsibility. He introduced the Pack-a-Punch upgrader and the teleporter to the mode, and Zombies blossomed to include more maps in future games with him as director. Infinity Ward added Zombies to their games as well because it was so popular. He served as Game Director for the Zombies mode for all four games in the Black Ops series, and was promoted to Co-Studio Head in 2016. He departs the company after 13 years. A departure of this size has worried some fans of Treyarch and the Black Ops series, as the developer is scheduled to put out the next Call of Duty game this calendar year. Players expressed concern back in 2019 when it was announced that Activision had dropped the 2020 game from Sledgehammer, and moved Treyarch ahead in the dev rotation cycle early. Reports indicate that Sledgehammer is serving as support, with the Black Ops developer leading the way Very little has been revealed about Call of Duty 2020, except that it will likely not include jetpacks, and is taking place across the entirety of the Cold War. Hopefully, with the strength of two developers, both Treyarch and Sledgehammer can deliver a good game under a tight deadline, but this departure does raise questions about Zombies’ future.

Zombies characters leaked for Black Ops 4 DLC pack one, and they all resemble celebrity actors It appears that the Zombies characters for the first DLC pack in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 have been leaked, according to information posted by several users on Reddit. After the latest Black Ops 4 update went live on December 3, four new characters reportedly appeared in the Zombies mode of the game. Images of these characters were immediately posted on Reddit, and many began assuming that these characters were going to be part of the game’s first DLC pack. Upon first glance, one thing that stands out about them is that they have a striking resemblance to celebrity actors, with the first three looking like Lucy Lawless, Charles Dance, and Kiefer Sutherland respectively. It’s unclear but very likely that these celebrities will also be doing the voice acting for the characters in-game, although the identity of the fourth person remains unconfirmed as of now. It’s not exactly clear how these Reddit users were able to get access to images of these characters. It’s very likely to have just been a glitch, since new game files after updates are not accessible on PlayStation 4 like they are on PC. If these leaked images are legitimate, then this would be the first hint of any new DLC content for Black Ops 4, since neither Activision or Treyarch have announced anything about DLCs. Traditionally, the first DLC for a CoD title releases about two months after launch, which would technically be this month for Black Ops 4 since it launched in mid-October. Read More: Players highlight major issue with off-center aim for snipers and reticles in Black Ops 4 – Furthermore, Activision had announced prior to the game’s release that DLC content would be released more often for this title than in previous years, which has always seen four DLC packs per CoD game. However, until any official announcement or confirmation is made about the upcoming DLC, these images of new Zombies characters should be treated as nothing more than speculation. SOURCE: r/CODZombies

Zombies camos finally land in Warzone with Season 5 Reloaded update Activision / Twitter: KARNAGE ClanAfter months of anticipation following Black Ops Cold War’s merger with Warzone, players are finally able to get their hands on Zombies camos in the battle royale. Here’s everything you need to know. The integration between Black Ops Cold War and Warzone was a huge selling point for many fans when it came to the 2020 title. In a franchise-first, players are able to combine weapons created by both Infinity Ward and Treyarch while jumping into CoD’s landmark battle royale. Despite the hype surrounding the integration, it hasn’t gone perfectly. Since release, players have complained about weapon balancing, rampant bugs, and general issues with the joint experience. Regardless of those problems, Warzone has still been hugely successful in its Cold War era. Although the connection between games has been present since Season 1, many fans remained desperate for an update on Zombies integration in the months that followed. While it took almost a year to get there, Zombies camos are finally available in Warzone thanks to the Season 5 Reloaded patch. Zombies mastery camos arrive in Warzone The number one thing on most Zombies players’ wishlists for Warzone were weapon camos, particularly the three mastery options: Golden Viper, Plague Diamond, and Dark Aether. These camos take a ridiculous amount of time and effort to unlock — and that’s without any nasty bugs messing up their progress. These camos, along with many others, were finally made accessible in Warzone on September 9. Whispers across Verdansk speak of a secret war between Requiem and Omega Group. Operators have recently reported otherworldly Weapon characteristics… Time to investigate.#Warzone pic.twitter.com/vj1sEYkj15 — Raven Software (@RavenSoftware) September 9, 2021 With the Season 5 Reloaded patch in full swing, Raven Software dropped the surprise announcement across social media. Zombies calling cards and reticles coming to Warzone Weapon camos are what many Zombies players wanted to see in Warzone more than anything, but there are plenty of other customization options now in the game as well. All calling cards and reticles that players unlock by playing Zombies have been added to the BR as well. Read More: How to redeem free items for Warzone – In the Season 1 overview, Treyarch confirmed their plans to incorporate “Zombies Calling Cards, reticles, and Onslaught Blueprints,” into Warzone. Zombies camos in Warzone leaked Although there was no official updates from Treyarch or Activision on when players can expect Zombies camos to be added, until they finally launched in September, several Call of Duty leakers already confirmed the presence of those camos in Warzone, well ahead of launch. On March 5, well-known CoD leaker ‘Zesty’ tweeted out a message about the Zombies camos coming to Verdansk. https://twitter.com/ZestyCODLeaks/status/1367945115658985473 “Yes, all of the BOCW Zombies camos are in Warzone, including Mastery Camos like Plague Diamond and Dark Aether,” he shared with his followers. Even though he confirmed their existence, Zesty crushed any hope that fans might’ve had about him knowing their release schedule. “No, I don’t know when they are coming,” he ended the tweet, “but likely soon due to fan requests.”

ZLaner’s Cold War AK-47 Warzone loadout brings back broken AMAX vibes ActivisionWarzone star Zack ‘ZLaner’ Lane has got a new AK47 loadout that sparks memories of the AMAX when that was completely broken, but the secondary weapon isn’t to be scoffed at either. With Warzone constantly going through balancing changes and other tweaks, players are open to trying different weapons in the hopes of cracking a new meta. For the longest time, the meta has revolved around the Krig, Kar98, and MAC-10, with weapons like the Swiss, Grau, Bullfrog, and FARA getting some love too. The Black Ops Cold War AK-47 has quietly cracked the WZRanked top 10 usage chart in recent weeks, shooting up in pick rate and K/D ratio. Its climb might not be over yet either, as ZLaner has a pretty nifty loadout for it. Following the September 15 patch, which saw the AK receive a slight tweak to its Gun Kick, the YouTube star noted that the classic Russian rifle could become the new meta as it has similar vibes to the AMAX when that was at its peak. Read More: – He is rocking a pretty standard set-up – using the Axial Arms 3x scope, GRU Suppressor, and 20″ Spetsnaz RPK Barrel – as well as that 45-round magazine to really complete the AMAX comparison. On top of that, when the AK isn’t enough, ZLaner is able to switch to the Bullfrog – which is one of Warzone’s best weapons in its own right. The two primary weapon loadout mean you’re covered at pretty much every range and your TTK is through the roof. ZLaner AK-47 & Bullfrog loadout class AK-47 Muzzle: GRU Suppressor – Barrel: 20″ Spetsnaz RPK Barrel – Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip – Optic: Axial Arms 3x – Magazine: 45-round – Bullfrog Muzzle: GRU Suppressor – Barrel: 7.4 Task Force – Underbarrel: Bruiser Grip – Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight – Stock: KGB Skeletal Stock – As the Warzone star shows, the loadout isn’t one to ignore – you can easily drop high kill games with it, especially if you use the weapons in tandem to clean up downed foes. If it becomes too powerful, the devs might have to address it, but for now, it’s a fun change of pace to the meta.

ZLaner trolls TimTheTatman and Dr Disrespect with bizarre under-map Warzone glitch ActivisionWarzone is home to many bugs and glitches, with players finding ways to get under the map. ZLaner found a way to do himself, bringing TimTheTatman and Dr Disrespect along for a wild ride. Since it deployed alongside Season 1 of MW3 and Warzone, Urzikstan’s been home to a wide range of bugs. A few weeks ago, the newly added train produced a nasty glitch, making players unkillable. While those nasty glitches have been patched, there are still many issues, most notably, players figuring out ways to get out of the map and wreak havoc. Numerous guides and videos showcase how to get out of the map, with fixes seemingly nowhere in sight. Warzone streamer and OpTic content creator ZLaner has kept up with the out-of-map videos and took to trolling his high-profile teammates while raising awareness. ZLaner trolls TimTheTatman and Dr Disrespect in Warzone During his January 10 YouTube stream, ZLaner, TimTheTatman, and Dr Disrespect plotted a plan to execute one of the under-map glitches. After a few unsuccessful attempts, the trio landed and put their plan into action, with the results as you can imagine. Landing on the infamous bridge, the trio takes the zipline down and breaks through the map’s floor, taking them underneath Urzikstan. Both TimTheTatman and Dr Disrespect mess up the glitch and are immediately sent to the Gulag. ZLaner shared the madness to his Twitter/X account, capturing the trio’s POV during this wild moment. Viewers across YouTube and Twitter/X loved the interaction, as the trio provides comedic relief. Many of the Twitter/X replies noted this likely won’t get fixed anytime soon: “Unless it gives XP, this is gonna be put on the back burner LOL.” While this was certainly a lighthearted moment, hopefully, the developers turn to fix this before it turns malicious.

ZLaner slams “delusional” Warzone fans still making hackusations against streamers Twitter: ZlanerPopular Warzone streamer and OpTic Gaming content creator Zack ‘ZLaner’ Lane has hit out at the “delusional” fans for constantly throwing out cheating accusations against him and others. Many Warzone players will be familiar with the name ZLaner as he’s risen up the ranks over the last year or so, playing alongside Dr Disrespect and others. Making his mark as one of the highest earners in Warzone, some were so convinced that he was cheating that they even offered his mom thousands of dollars to scan his PC for hacking programs. The 24-year-old has made constant attempts to clear his name but has now had enough – slamming the “delusional” fans who repeatedly throw out accusations against him and others. ZLaner slams “delusional” Warzone fans for cheating accusations Despite offering to fly out accusers to watch him play in person to prove his innocence, many are still confident that ZLaner is cheating. The Warzone star has even pleaded to the Raven Software devs to clear his name but has been unsuccessful in his efforts. Furthermore, during his appearance on The Eavesdrop Podcast with OpTic Gaming owner H3CZ, he hit out at those still calling him out. “I’ve tweeted at Call of Duty, and I’ve asked for them to sweep my account asking if they can do anything to let these people know,” ZLaner explained. “I’m telling you, these people are delusional. It’s like ‘oh yeah you’re whitelisted, you’re making too much money for a multi-billion dollar company’ but I’m making literal crumbs is what I’m giving Call of Duty. I could disappear tomorrow and they wouldn’t even notice!” Timestamp of 57:25 Recently, the Warzone devs have claimed that the Ricochet anti-cheat is only going to “keep growing and get better and better,” as it continues to crack down on hackers. Given that he’s proven his innocence before, it’s unlikely that ZLaner will ever get caught up in those crackdowns though.

ZLaner silences Warzone cheating claims by dropping 38 kills with outrageous stream setup YouTube, ZLaner / ActivisionLike many of Call of Duty: Warzone’s biggest stars, ZLaner has been subject to a lot of hacking accusations. To shut them down, the streamer put up an extra camera, used an eye tracker, and dropped absolute bombs on Verdansk. The CoD community is very concerned with cheating right now. That’s reasonable, as the title’s battle royale has become littered with obvious hackers in recent weeks. What’s perhaps less reasonable is how many big names are getting blasted with allegations. It’s good to be critical and popularity shouldn’t mean players aren’t held accountable. So streamers are listening o those concerns and doing what they can to prove them wrong. A day after MuTeX streamed with five different cameras set up to cover all his bases, ZLaner took things in a different direction. Setting up an extra camera and an eye tracker, Z proceeded to drop 38 kills in hopes that people would realize he doesn’t need hacks. For those wondering if @ZLanerOFFICIAL could still get 30 with eye tracker & extra cam… How’s a 38-piece? 🍗 pic.twitter.com/Pvl2RZB9gw — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 11, 2021 As you can see in the clip, Z has his traditional streamer camera set up — showing his face as he plays the game. Secondly, he has a camera showing his monitors in order to prove that there are no hacks on screen. And thirdly, he has an eye tracker to show that he is not looking at anything hidden to his viewers. When Warzone streamer and former CoD pro Tommey exposed a hacker mid-tournament, he asked the player to show his monitor. That’s typically the best way to detect cheats that aren’t visible on stream, so it’s clear why Z and MuTeX gladly put up monitor cams to prove their integrity. Many fans and critics were happy to see that Z was so comfortable playing under extra surveillance as a sign of good faith. But the latter wondered if he could still drop big games while doing so, suggesting that he couldn’t drop 30 kills without the hacks they believe he used. So how did Z respond? As you can see in the embedded stream above, he put himself through hours of gameplay using the eye tracker. The technology requires him to sit much further away from his monitor than usual, but he still went ahead and dropped a fat, 38-kill game. It’s unclear if this will satisfy all of the critics, but it seems to have comforted some who had begun doubting the popular streamer. With MuTeX and ZLaner both upping their stream setup to satisfy the doubters, we have to wonder which streamers will be asked to do so next.

ZLaner reveals which game he’ll switch to if Warzone 2 is bad Facebook: ZLanerOpTic Gaming streamer Zack ‘ZLaner’ Lane has revealed which game he’ll switch to if Warzone 2 fails to live up to expectations, and it could be a huge change for the content creator. ZLaner has established himself as one of the top streamers in Warzone since it first launched in 2020, getting high kill games and competing at the top level in tournaments worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Such is his Warzone prowess that he’s also frequently faced hacking accusations, denying them vehemently and offering all levels of proof to clear his name. After over two years of predominantly being a Warzone streamer, though, ZLaner might be willing to pass on Call of Duty if Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 fail to live up to his expectations. In a tweet posted on July 14, ZLaner was clear about his intentions, saying: “If WZ 2 is dog water I’m going full-time Valorant.” Valorant has become one of the most popular games in the world since Riot Games first released it in June 2020, their first foray into the FPS genre after many years of success with their MOBA hit League of Legends. ZLaner wasn’t the only one to suggest he could be making a move if they don’t enjoy the new Warzone experience, either. One of the first to reply to him was fellow battle royale phenom Jordan ‘HusKerrs’ Thomas, who said that he would be headed back to Apex Legends if he isn’t impressed with Warzone 2. I’m going back to Apex if it is— HusKerrs (@HusKerrs) July 15, 2022 Warzone 2 is still very much a mystery to most. While POIs for the new map have been leaked, set to include some classic Modern Warfare locations, and we also know it’ll be on previous-gen consoles, the actual gameplay itself is still unknown. Many streamers and casual players alike have already moved on from Warzone in recent months, but if Warzone 2 fails to replicate a similar kind of magic, the BR could be in a pretty tough spot.

ZLaner reveals perfect Warzone loadout to bring back fan-favorite Modern Warfare meta YouTube: ZLanerZLaner’s “new favorite” Assault Rifle loadout transforms a Vanguard gun into a weapon that’s similar to a Modern Warfare classic. Choosing the best Assault Rifle loadout in Warzone can give you a huge advantage, but sometimes a non-meta pick can provide a pleasant surprise. This is especially true with ZLaner’s latest AR, which has a similar playstyle to Modern Warfare’s M13. This classic weapon is known for its incredibly fast fire rate, low recoil, and laser-accurate precision. After all, having a gun that can beam down foes without the need for any recoil management is always a huge positive. So, if you’re looking to try out a new AR and miss the game’s M13, then ZLaner has the perfect loadout that closely emulates this Modern Warfare rifle. ZLaner’s best Nikita loadout Muzzle: MX Silencer – Barrel: Empress 613mm BFA – Optic: SVT-40 PU Scope 3-6x – Stock: ZAC MS – Underbarrel: M1930 Strife Angled – Magazine: 6.5 Sakura Round Drums – Ammunition: Lengthened – Rear Grip: Hatched Grip – Perk: Brace – Perk 2: Fully Loaded – Unlike other Nikita builds, ZLaner’s loadout purely focuses on bolstering the gun’s bullet velocity and reducing the recoil. In fact, when the Nikita is equipped with the MX Silencer, SVT-40 PU Scope 3-6x, ZAC MS, M1930 Strife Angled, and Hatched Grip – the gun barely moves. If that wasn’t enough, the Brace perk also reduces the recoil during the initial shots. Combine this with the added bullet velocity from the Muzzle, Lengthened ammunition, and Empress 613mm BFA for an incredibly speedy AR. Timestamp of 2:27 Meanwhile, the 6.5 Sakura Round Drums and Fully Loaded perk ensure you have plenty of ammunition to get those all-important squad wipes. If you spot a target, simply scope in and beam them with highly precise head and bodyshots. So, there you have it, one Nikita loadout that you should definitely try when next dropping into Fortunue’s Keep. Be sure to check out our Warzone page for all the latest news and guides.

ZLaner reveals new STEN Warzone loadout that could replace the Owen Gun ActivisionWarzone pro and OpTic member ZLaner has highlighted a STEN loadout that he believes could find a home in the meta in Season 3. It’s a new era in Warzone and thanks to the weapon balancing changes in Season 3 some of the game’s most beloved loadouts are being phased out. The game’s best players are already on the hunt for the guns that might replace old favorites and ZLaner thinks he has found a viable solution in the STEN. ZLaner’s STEN loadout This version of the STEN is a twist on the most popular loadout for the close-range monster. The base will likely be familiar to anyone who ran the STEN during Season 2 Reloaded but there are a few adjustments that make this version stand out. Muzzle: Recoil Booster – Barrel: SA 65mm Rapid – Optic: SA 32s – Underbarrel: Carver Foregrip – Stock: Gawain Para – Magazine: Incendiary – Ammunition: 9mm 50 Round Drum – Rear Grip: Grooved Grip – Perk 1: Acrobatic – Perk 2: Quick – Some notable changes here are the switch to the 50 Round Drum and the inclusion of the Incendiary magazine over the Lengthened option. Both of these are made to highlight the gun’s up-close TTK which is where it truly shines against the competition anyway. Unlike the Milano, this isn’t the type of SMG that you use as an AR replacement on Rebirth or as a viable long-range secondary on Caldera. The STEN is meant for scrappy, close-quarters action and it delivers there in spades. After giving this setup a run on Rebirth Island, Z gave the weapon some serious praise and even compared it to the Owen Gun saying “I think I like this one better.” There are bound to be a ton of weapons that come in and out of the meta over the first weeks of the season but at first glance, it certainly looks like this build has staying power.

ZLaner reveals “insane” two-burst M16 Warzone loadout perfect for Rebirth Island Activision/ZLanerThe Warzone Season 3 Reloaded update is in full swing and ZLaner has the perfect M16 loadout that can net you plenty of kills on Rebirth Island. While many players will be getting to grips with the new content added in the Warzone Season 3 Reloaded update, ZLaner has decided to revisit a Cold War Classic. During his recent video, the Call of Duty content creator showcased just how deadly the M16 is when kitted out with the best attachments. In fact, this particular M16 loadout is capable of downing a fully armored target in just two bursts, making it extremely lethal on Rebirth Island. Whether you’re looking for a new AR to use in the Season 3 Reloaded update or just wish to take down your foes in the blink of an eye, then ZLaner’s M16 is a solid choice. ZLaner’s M16 Warzone loadout Muzzle: Agency Silencer – Barrel: 16.3″ Titanium – Optic: Axial Arms 3x – Underbarrel: Field Agent Foregrip – Ammunition: 45 Rnd – As the M16 is a burst weapon, the recoil can be fairly significant. As a result, ZLaner has utilized the Field Agent Foregrip, which helps reduce both vertical and horizontal. While the M16 will still kick upwards, the Tactical Rifle is very easy to control. Because of this reduction, the Axial Arms 3x has been utilized. Not only does this Optic make hitting ranged shots easier, but the 3x magnification also makes it perfect for landing those all-important headshot multipliers. Timestamp of 16:08 In order to help the M16 compete against fully-auto ARs and SMGs, ZLander has used the 16.3″ Titanium Barrel and Agency Silencer. These attachments raise the Rifle’s fire rate and bullet velocity, giving the M16 a much higher TTK. Lastly, the 45 Rnd Mags give you enough ammo without any penalties to the gun’s ADS time – something that is very important when playing on Rebirth Island. Only two bursts are needed to knock a fully armored foe, so you’ll have plenty of rounds to take down multiple targets. The M16 may no longer be in the Warzone meta spotlight, but ZLaners loadout demonstrates that this classic Rifle still has what it takes to shine in Season 3.

ZLaner reveals “absolutely busted” Warzone 2 perk that’s perfect for high-kill games YouTube: ZLanerZLaner is one of the premier names in Warzone 2 and he has highlighted a “broken” perk that is a must-have for high-kill games. Zack ‘ZLaner’ Lane has discovered the strongest perk in all of Warzone 2 after the update that got Ultimate Perks functioning as intended. According to the talented streamer, Birdseye is the only choice in that slot for those who are focusing on nabbing as many kills as possible, but it’s so strong that even reserved players should consider slapping it onto their perk packages. ZLaner explains Warzone 2’s Birdseye Ultimate Perk and why it’s “completely broken” For those out of the loop, Birdseye amplifies any UAVs called in by making them more like the Advanced UAV or Blackbird killstreaks of other CoD games. While it doesn’t continuously reveal their location, it does show off which direction their facing, and if their dot moves in between sweeps then it’s easy enough to know that they’re on the go. That would be potent on its own, but that upgrade isn’t just for friendly UAVs. This also happens for “a few sweeps” when enemy squads call theirs in as well. “Usually the hardest part of going for a high-kill game is finding people,” he said. “But with Birdseye, you always know where to go.” Lane and his usual duo Dr Disrespect have already aired their grievances about how easy it is to take advantage of this extra information, but a January 13 upload on his YouTube channel really adds some emphasis to his point. His squad (composed of other Warzone 2 creators like StoneMountain64) put together a 58-kill win with ZLaner contributing 29 of those eliminations on his own. It’s still not clear if the extra UAV pings from enemy squads are an intentional mechanic so anyone looking to take advantage of them should move quickly before any potential changes arrive.

ZLaner offers to fly out Warzone YouTuber accusing him of cheating ZLaner / ActivisionWarzone star ZLaner has offered to fly out YouTuber BadBoyBeaman in an attempt to silence the hacking accusations that have been leveled at him once and for all. Call of Duty: Warzone has always had issues with cheaters and hackers, but that problem has been escalating over recent months, with 100 Thieves’ CouRage and pros like Blazt claiming that the issue is “worse than ever”. Even popular streamers like ZLaner have faced accusations of cheating. In an attempt to prove that he doesn’t need hacks, Z set up an extra camera facing his monitor and even used an eye tracker before proceeding to drop 38 kills. But despite this rigorous setup, some critics still aren’t satisfied. YouTuber BadBoyBeaman has been on Z’s case for a while now, so in a follow-up video shared on July 12, ZLaner made one final attempt to silence the hacking accusations. The ultimate proposition 😳 @ZLanerOFFICIAL has offered to fly @BadBoyBeaman out to clear his name of cheating accusations once and for all. If he drops a bomb in front of him, Beaman has to delete his channel. pic.twitter.com/vUuXGIWQa8 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 12, 2021 “I will pay for a flight for you to come to my hometown, we can set up an area, a controlled environment, where you can sit down at the PC, bring your film crew, and I’ll have my film crew so the evidence lines up,” he said. “If you really, truly believe that I am a hacker, then I totally expect you to oblige and say yes to this, but I don’t think that you think that.” ZLaner’s proposition ended with a pretty major catch: If he proves the hacking accusations wrong and drops a bomb in front of him, BadBoyBeaman has to delete his YouTube channel for good. “You can use my setup, play a game yourself if you need to, and then right after that, I’ll hop on to the same exact setup and drop a bomb right in front of your face,” he continued. “And when I do that, you have to delete your YouTube channel.” BadBoyBeaman hasn’t formally responded to the offer yet, but he did send out a cryptic tweet where he appeared to accuse ZLaner’s proposition of being “smoke and mirrors” and said the “truth always comes out”. https://twitter.com/BadBoyBeaman/status/1414481402968555521 If BadBoyBeamn does take Z up on his offer, expect to see plenty of content coming from their IRL meetup. ZLaner isn’t the only Warzone streamer to go to extreme measures to tackle hacking accusations this year: pro MuTeX recently streamed surrounded by a five-camera setup to prove that he wasn’t cheating.

ZLaner reveals “insane” Tommy Gun Warzone loadout to help dominate Rebirth Island Activision/YouTube: ZLanerWarzone pro ZLaner has always been on top of the game’s meta weapons and his new M1912 “Tommy Gun” loadout is as punishing as it gets on the tightly-packed halls of Rebirth Island. ZLaner has been a household name in Warzone for quite some time now. From dominating pubs with zany weapon choices to keeping up with the pros and the latest meta loadouts, there’s not much the 24-year-old streamer can’t do. In the newest addition to his catalog, he spent some time going hands-on with a new M192 ‘Tommy Gun’ class and he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that it shreds on Rebirth Island. ZLaner’s Rebirth Island Tommy Gun loadout is undeniable The Tommy Gun is all about mobility and watching OpTic’s resident hypeman put it to use highlights that fact more than ever. In the video embedded above, he puts on an absolute clinic on the way to 29 kill win in Rebirth Quads. Attachments Muzzle: Recoil Booster – Barrel: Chariot 5.5″ – Optic: Slate Reflector – Stock: CGC S Adjustable – Underbarrel: M1941 Handstop – Magazine: 9mm 50 Round Drums – Ammo Type: Lengthened – Rear Grip: Fabric Grip – Perk: Fleet – Perk 2: Quick – All of his attachments are par for the course on this one, but they work in harmony to keep up a high TTK without sacrificing the lightning-quick movement. When good movement is combined with the gun’s naturally high fire rate, there’s not much the enemy squads can do except watch the kill cam as they wait to drop back in. This one might not serve you as well over on Caldera, but for all the Rebirth demons out there, few guns can match up with this sleeper pick.

Zlaner hilariously mocks Warzone fan after he & Dr Disrespect get killed Instagram, @Zlaner / Infinity WardFrom tears of joy to tears of pain, a Call of Duty: Warzone player was thrilled to outduel Zlaner and Dr Disrespect until he realized that his Verdansk role model reacted by mocking him live on Twitch. They say to never meet your heroes, but that can be hard to control when dropping into Verdansk’s randomized lobbies. As a perfect example, TikTok Warzone content creator and streamer, ‘maritimemucker,’ happened to encounter one of his longtime role models, Zlaner, on the roof of Superstore. Mr. Mucker was running an SKS on the hot drop’s rooftop when a jump-shotting opponent rounded the corner, PP19 Bizon in hand. Mucker was able to turn, hit some jump shots himself, and outduel the foe. Excitedly, he quickly recognized that he had downed an upsurging Warzone star in Zlaner. Afterward, maritimemucker was eager to check out his role model’s stream. But that ended up in heartbreaking fashion, as it turns out the popular streamer had mocked him right as he and the Doc were mowed down. As mucker shared on TIkTok and Reddit, he was shocked and grinning after killing Zlaner: “I got Zlaner, holy s**t … That is unreal … Huge fan of Z, I’ve been watching his s**t after he finally dropped that stupid Fortnite. Unreal.” But when he tuned into Z’s stream, he found out that the Warzone star wasn’t impressed with the 1v1 and had, instead, simply mocked Mucker’s death comms. Z’s duo, Dr Disrespect, was able to gun down the low-health maritimemucker, but was also quickly killed by the TikToker’s teammate. That gave Zlaner a chance to hear the death comms (as he dealt enough damage to be rewarded with the kill) and the tilted motivation to go high-pitched in mocking the smaller streamer’s excitement. In response, maritimemucker had to recognize that courtliness had been replaced by classic gamer banter: “Alright, I see how it is, Z.” So, of course, he proceeded not to insult Zlaner by words, but instead by alluding that the spectacled streamer looks like Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys. Ultimately, though, it’s all in good fun and maritimemucker still respects Z tremendously. When a Reddit commenter suggested that streamers shouldn’t be looked up to, the mocked duelist replied that some Warzone stars deserve the hype: “There are some genuine great streamers out there, Z is one of them.”

ZLaner hilariously cosplays as banned Dr Disrespect in World Series of Warzone Twitch: Zlaner/MLGFor the $1.2 million World Series of Warzone event, every competitor went live on Twitch — and Zack ‘ZLaner’ Lane decided to show solidarity with his duo Dr Disrespect by cosplaying as the Two-Time and bringing his spirit back to the platform. Dr Disrespect was banned from Twitch in June 2020 under mysterious circumstances. To this day nobody, including Doc himself apparently, has any idea why he was banned. While the ban remains a mystery, it has been pushed back on by many of his fans and other streamers, especially as the ASMR and hot tub ‘metas’ of Twitch appear to regularly push the boundaries of the platform. ZLaner — who usually streams on Facebook but headed to Twitch once again for this Twitch Rivals event — decided to show solidarity with his brother on the battlefield by showing up as the Doc. While ZLaner and his trio partners ClutchBelk and Destroy put in an incredible performance to come in eighth place, it was his appearance that got people talking when tuning into his stream. Even attempting to impersonate Dr Disrespect’s voice, ZLaner shared a message with his thousands of viewers at the time, explaining why he was doing it. “We had to put a little bit of respect on somebody’s name,” he said. “Someone that we all may know, that can’t really do this himself over here. But we’re going to be doing it here today for him.” Of course, as the tournament was run by Twitch Rivals, Dr Disrespect was unable to play in it due to his ban, and since ZLaner doesn’t usually stream on the platform he wouldn’t be too worried about any potential repercussion. The tournament itself was eventually won by Aydan, Rated, and HusKerrs, who clutched up in the final match with a huge 24 kills to glide to the top of the standings. So not only did ZLaner and co. go toe-to-toe with the very best, he also brought the spirit of the Doc back to Twitch in the process. Maybe soon we’ll know what really went down.

ZLaner finds Warzone secondary weapon that’s better than SMGs Activision | ZLanerWarzone streamer ZLaner has revealed that he’s discovered an incredible secondary weapon that might be better than some of the game’s SMGs. The Diamatti has been one of the most overpowered pistols in Call of Duty history along with Vanguard Ratt and the Python. The Diamatti akimbo meta was one of the most broken metas in Warzone as many streamers resulted in using the meta. After that period, many players turned to use shotguns and regular submachine guns like the MP40, MP5, and now the Owen Gun. The burst pistol is back on players’ radars as ZLaner has discovers it’s returned to its overpowered state as a single-use secondary (instead of akimbo) in the battle royale. ZLaner reveals new Diamatti Warzone loadout In his YouTube video, ZLaner plays high octane games of Warzone’s Rebirth game mode, showing what the Diamatti is still capable of. Read More: When does Iron Trials return in Warzone? – He even displays the long-range capabilities, shooting a player far into the distance while boasting about how the Diamatti shoots like a sniper. “The Diamatti is a f******g sniper rifle buddy!”, ZLaner states after killing a player from a long range. Of course, the weapon isn’t always the best pick for gunfights, as ZLaner was picked off a number of times by an enemy using a submachine gun. (Segment starts at 5:23 in the video below) Zlaner’s Diamatti Warzone loadout If you’re wondering about the best way to equip a Diamatti in Warzone, here’s a loadout you can use: Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Barrell: 7.2” Task Force – Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight – Magazine: Salvo 30 Round Fast Mag – Rear Grip: Serpent Wrap – Since a storied Warzone streamer like ZLaner has now reintroduced the weapon back to Warzone, who knows how many other streamers and casual players it might influence.

ZLaner explains why he abandoned Fortnite for Warzone YouTube: Zlaner/Treyarch/ActivisionAfter being asked on stream why he decided to quit Fortnite, ZLaner took the time to explain why he left Epic’s battle royale behind and started playing Warzone. If you’re a fan of Call of Duty: Warzone, it’s likely you’ve heard of ZLaner and seen clips of him coming out on top in seemingly impossible-to-win situations. With nearly 350,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 750,000 followers on the Facebook gaming platform, he’s become a household name in the Warzone community, but that wasn’t always the case. Before he started dominating his opponents on Verdansk, his game of choice was Fortnite, so a lot of fans began to wonder why he made the move to Raven Software’s BR. Well, after being asked the question on stream, ZLaner took the time to answer and even gave some helpful advice to any creators worried about switching to another title. Why did ZLaner quit Fortnite for Warzone? Switching from one game to another can be a difficult decision for content creators, as they risk losing their core audience in the transition. However, for ZLaner, there were a number of factors that made him decide it was finally time to try a new title. For one, he revealed that he was completely burnt out of Fortnite for nearly six to eight months before he quit, only continuing to play and grind because he knew his audience enjoyed the content. So, when Warzone was announced, he decided he was going to wait for it to be released and take the leap. His reasoning for picking Raven Software’s BR was that it was a fresh challenge and it looked like it was going to have a huge audience. “I continued playing Fortnite, even though I was super burnt, and I waited till Call of Duty came around,” he said. “It wasn’t until Warzone came around that where I was like this is the game I’m gonna bank in on, I’m gonna switch to”. After explaining why he made the switch, ZLaner even gave some advice to other content creators who are thinking about changing games. He reassured them that even though you make take a dip in viewers at the beginning, it’s worth it as long as you’re enjoying what you’re playing. Although ZLaner is still playing Warzone for the time being, with so many content creators making the switch to Apex Legends, it’ll be interesting to see if he ever makes the jump and decides to give Respawn’s BR a try.

ZLaner dominates in Warzone with underrated Cold War MP5 loadout YouTube: ZLANER / NICKMERCSWarzone competitor and Facebook Gaming streamer Zack ‘ZLaner’ Lane surprised his opponents with a sleeper Season 5 loadout, dominating Verdansk ’84 with Cold War’s MP5. The Warzone meta is constantly evolving, with developer Raven Software pushing out frequent balance patches to help keep the game feeling fresh and varied. With so many weapons in the game, it can be hard to keep track of what the top players are using, and there are always sleeper picks each season that can help you outgun other operators in Verdansk and Rebirth Island without being ‘popular.’ In another instance of an underrated weapon being able to keep up with the Warzone meta, popular content creator Zack ‘ZLaner’ Lane revived the Cold War MP5 and put the weapon to the test in the Season 5 meta — with some impressive results. With the Season 5 meta being dominated by other SMGs like the OTs 9, MAC-10, and Bullfrog, many Warzone veterans might be wondering just what ZLaner sees in the CW MP5. Luckily, he broke it down with a detailed look at his surprise loadout. His setup falls largely in line with how players kitted out the Cold War SMG when its usage was higher. Lane’s loadout includes fan-favorite attachments like the Agency Suppressor, Bruiser Grip, and Raider Stock, among others. While his MP5 melts opponents at close range, it does need some long-range backup, and for that he breaks out the trusty Stoner 63, often the top pick amongst Cold War LMGs that players take into Verdansk and Rebirth. ZLaner Cold War MP5 Warzone Loadout Here, we have a complete breakdown of ZLaner’s Cold War MP5 setup, so you can replicate it in Warzone’s gunsmith before dropping into battle: MP5 Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight – Grip: Bruiser Grip – Stock: Raider Stock – Ammunition: STANAG 50 Round Drum – This setup is absolutely lethal in close-quarters gunfights, offering impressive mobility and ADS speeds. And, when paired with the STANAG 60 Round Drum, you’ll have just the right amount of ammo to take down multiple enemies with one mag. ZLaner didn’t hold back from hyping up his MP5 loadout, saying that it held up “really f**king good” compared to the meta SMGs in Warzone. He also backed up his claims with some impressive gameplay — dropping a 30-bomb alongside his frequent Warzone duo, Dr Disrespect. While other weapons continue to dominate the close-range meta, there will likely be more shakeups coming from Raven alongside the launch of Warzone Season 6 and the highly anticipated integration with Call of Duty: Vanguard when the title releases in late 2021.

ZLaner breaks the sound barrier with absurd warzone Season 4 movement speed loadout ActivisionWarzone star ZLaner might just be the fastest man on Fortune’s Keep as his newly crafted Marco 5 loadout pushes movement speed to the extreme in Season 4. Here’s a full breakdown of the class setup. With Warzone’s enormous Season 4 patch now live, players aren’t wasting any time getting familiar with the new content. From a fresh playground with the BR’s fourth map, to a range of features and equipment, there’s plenty mixing up the tempo in this new cycle. Among the new additions is the Marco 5 SMG unlocked directly through the Season 4 Battle Pass. At its core, it’s a well-rounded gun with some exceptional hip-fire accuracy. But with the right build, movement speed is what truly shines with this weapon in hand. ZLaner has taken advantage of exactly that and with his new Marco 5 loadout, focusing all attachments on movement speed buffs, he’s all but made the fastest class in Warzone history. Legitimately some of the most fun I’ve had playing WZ in a minute. This movement speed build is gonna be nerfed for sure but try it out while you still can pic.twitter.com/xM7RTrIMjM — OpTic ZLaner (@ZLaner) June 23, 2022 Calling it “some of the most fun” he’s had playing Warzone, ZLaner was running circles around his opposition on Fortune’s Keep with the Marco 5. In large part thanks to the Perfetto Lesto 355mm Barrel, the Imerito FR Stock, along with the Taped Grip Rear Grip, his movement speed was off the charts. While all three significantly buff his pace, it’s the Perk selection that takes this build to the next level. Read More: Where to find Golden Keycards in Warzone – Through the use of both Gung-ho and Quick, ZLaner’s build allows you to fire while sprinting at maximum speed. So not only are you a difficult target to hit, but you can now deal some serious damage while your target tries to catch up. Complemented with 8mm Nambu 64 Round Drums and you’re able to fire for quite some time before needing to reload. The full loadout can be found below. ZLaner’s speedy Marco 5 Warzone loadout Attachments Muzzle: Recoil Booster – Barrel: Perfetto Lesto 355mm – Optic: Slate Reflector – Stock: Imerito FR – Perk 1: Gung-ho – Perk 2: Quick – Rear Grip: Taped Grip – Ammunition: Hollow Point – Magazine: 8mm Nambu 64 Round Drums – Underbarrel: Carver Foregrip – It’s a devastating combination and even one ZLaner believes will “be nerfed for sure.” So make sure you rush to test it for yourself before the Marco 5 more than likely receives its first tune-up in the next update.

Zer0 shuts down speculation of Red Reserve roster change after social media rumors CoD Pro Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris has had to shut down rumors of a potential roster change at Red Reserve, after Twitter users began speculating that a change was imminent. Red Reserve disappointed at the first event of the Black Ops 4 season, failing to place high enough to automatically qualify for the CWL Pro League. However, their top 12 placing was enough to secure them a spot at the Pro League Qualifier, taking place on January 16 – 20, where they will have their last chance to get a Pro League spot. Teams are permitted to change up to two players ahead of the LAN qualifier, and some top teams including FaZe Clan and G2 Esports have already taken advantage of this option, after similarly disappointing Vegas performances. Some fans began speculating that Red Reserve would be the next top team to make a change, after three of the players removed all Red Reserve branding from their Twitter profiles. Zer0, Ben ‘Bance’ Bance and Rhys ‘Rated’ Price all changed their Twitter headers and profile image to completely blank, and no longer include ‘Red Reserve’ in their bios – but Zer0 has shut down any speculation of a roster change. WE ARE NOT MAKING A ROSTER CHANGE https://t.co/1vP9gxloAQ — Trei S0ngz (@TreiZer0) December 30, 2018 we are literally in a team house scrimming together lmao https://t.co/YRu78HcMav — Trei S0ngz (@TreiZer0) December 30, 2018 Another user then suggested that it could be a ‘rebrand’ of Red Reserve, but again, Zer0 dismissed this, stating plainly “it’s not.” So, it seems as though for now, the three players have simply decided that having all black headers and profile images is just the way they like it, and has no deeper meaning in regards to their profession. The two other players on the roster, Joseph ‘Joee’ Pinnington and Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall both retain their header and profile images, and include ‘Red Reserve’ in their bio. The team were indeed practicing together on December 29, with only a matter of weeks left to prepare before the most important qualifier of the season.

Two Red Reserve Call of Duty pro players announce free-agency Two professional Call of Duty players on Red Reserve’s CWL Pro League roster have announced that they’re now restricted free agents, news that has caught many fans by surprise. Zer0 and Skrapz announce free agency On April 1, Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris and Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall announced that they are now restricted free agents, and invited any teams or players that were interested in picking them up to reach out. “I am now a restricted free agent,” Zer0 tweeted. “If anyone want to sort something out let me know. I know the timing of this tweet looks like an April Fools tweet, but it isn’t. I’m a restricted free agent looking for a new team, so if anyone is trying to run it up, bell my line.” I know the timing of this tweet looks like and april fools tweet but its isnt, im a restricted F/A looking for a new team, so if anyone is tryna run it up, bell my line — treiboi carti (@TreiZer0) April 1, 2019 “Restricted free agent, my buyout is $10,000,” Skrapz posted. “If you’re interested and want to make something happen, message me on here or email me. This is not a troll. Thanks.” Why this announcement was a surprise Zer0 and Skrapz’s announcement of free agency was largely unexpected because many were under the impression that Ben ‘Bance’ Bance would be the one leaving Red Reserve following their week of cross-divisional play in the CWL Pro League. Following their 5-6th placing at CWL Fort Worth, Bance had announced that he was going to be a free agent. Of course, contrary to his claims, he ended up competing for Red Reserve in the fifth week of the Pro League, so his departure may not be so set in stone after all. Of course, Bance could end up leaving the team as he had originally claimed, but the fact that Zer0 and Skrapz will also be out the door has come as a surprise to many. What this means for their future Set to part ways with Red Reserve, Zer0 and Skrapz will have to now try his best to land at a team that’s in the CWL Pro League, or else they’ll have to miss out on playing in the league and the pro tournaments at upcoming major events. The pair will have to wait until April 5 before making any kind of move, however, as that is when the roster lock will get lifted for the second time. Considering that their recent years of competing have been relatively successful, it would be hard to imagine either player not finding himself on a pro team following the roster change period. Why Red Reserve is making changes It appears that this next period of Rostermania will be a very important one for Red Reserve, who could see more than half of their roster replaced by the time things are said and done. While the team is still fourth in Division A of the CWL Pro League, they haven’t really shown any signs of being true contenders in any major competitions so far. Their 1-3 record during this recent cross-divisional week saw their overall record dip below .500 at 5-6, and their last two major events saw them finish 9-12th at CWL Vegas and 5-6th at CWL Fort Worth. As for who they plan on bringing in for Skrapz and Zer0 to finish off the season, fans will just have to wait until after April 5 to see.

Zer0 explains why he’s been benched by Subliners ahead of CDL Los Angeles Subliners / UnsplashThe New York Subliners Call of Duty League franchise have made a roster change ahead of CDL Los Angeles, benching veteran player Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris. With CDL Los Angeles set to take place March 7-8, the eight participating teams are gearing up to make a run in the fourth event of the season and collect some valuable CDL points. One of those teams, Subliners, will be featuring a new-look roster in LA, as Zer0 himself revealed on February 28 that he’d been benched by the squad. This is just my reaction to being benched, truly unfortunate that it happened but just gotta wait and hope to play again, most likely wont be playing at L.A just gotta see how things unfold. — cartier (@Trei) February 28, 2020 “I know for a fact that I won’t be playing in LA, I just have to see what I can do to play again,” he said. “My team wasn’t doing great, I don’t feel like I was the issue but someone has to go and that someone’s obviously going to be me.” As for what lays in store for him after the Los Angeles tournament, Zer0 is hoping for another opportunity to start again in the Call of Duty League. “Hopefully after LA I can do something. Sucks not to play but f**k it. They do what’s best for them and if they think getting rid of is it then I don’t really care.” As for who will replace Zer0 in the starting lineup, Subliners have not yet made an official announcement. However, fans were quick to notice that substitute Nick ‘Happy’ Suda was scrimming with the team in place of the Englishman on Friday. New York currently have two subs on their roster, Happy and Doug ‘Censor’ Martin, but by the look of things, it’s going to the former who gets the first crack at a starting spot. If Happy does get the nod, it’ll more than likely be on an interim basis for the upcoming event, after which the team will properly assess whether they’re content with him starting or if they need to make further changes. POTENTIAL SUBLINERS LINEUP AT CDL LOS ANGELES: Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto – Dillon ‘Attach’ Price – Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda – Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi – Nick ‘Happy’ Suda – This news shouldn’t come as a major shock to those who have been keeping up with the CDL. Subliners have not had the best of starts to the season, looking thoroughly overwhelmed in their defeats to London Royal Ravens and Atlanta FaZe at Launch Weekend. Despite getting their first win, things didn’t improve much at CDL London, where they went 1-2 and failed to get out of Group B. After missing CDL Atlanta, they’ll be back in action in Los Angeles, but their work will be cut out for them as they’ve been put in Group B with Dallas Empire, Atlanta FaZe and Florida Mutineers, all of whom already have a Grand Finals appearance under their belts. Heading into the LA event, New York are tied with Guerrillas, Surge and Ultra for eighth in the 2020 season standings with 10 points each. We’ve reach out to Subliners for comment, but they have yet to officially confirm the roster change.

You’ve probably never used Modern Warfare 3’s fastest-killing gun DexertoWith all the constant talk about meta and which guns are best, it’s staggering that one of the most overpowered weapons in MW3 has gone largely unnoticed. The JAK Headhunter Carbine Conversion for the Rival-9 is an extremely powerful Aftermarket Part. When equipped, the conversion kit transforms the SMG into a three-round burst weapon, greatly improving its damage at the cost of mobility. What makes this so sensational is that it allows the Rival-9 to kill enemies in just two bursts out to 25 meters. With a rate of fire of 882 RPM, that results in a comical TTK of 208 ms, as tested and verified by TrueGameData. To put into perspective how absurd that is, the average time to kill in Black Ops 3 was 233 ms, despite that game giving players 50 less health. A TTK this fast in a game with 150 Health shouldn’t be possible, yet that’s exactly what the JAK Headhunter Carbine Conversion is capable of. Here’s the best loadout to use to make this incredible weapon as consistent as possible: Conversion Kit: JAK Headhunter Carbine Conversion – Muzzle: Zehmn35 Compensated Flash Hider – Optic: JAK Glassless Optic – Underbarrel: Paracord Grip – Rear Grip: Rival Vice Assault Grip – Those who used the JAK Headhunter variant of the Rival-9 when it was first released may be surprised to hear that it’s so strong. That’s because back in Season 1, it wasn’t that good at all. However, multiple buffs that followed increased both its damage and fire rate by almost 30%. This boosted the converison kit’s lethality, turning it one of the best guns in the game, with it retaining that status ever since. At the time, the community was so focused on the likes of the BP50 and FJX Horus that this went largely unnoticed. As a result, one of the game’s most dominant weapons hasn’t seen much use at all, despite having very few real flaws. As long as you are enjoy using burst guns and can accept the reduced mobility stats of this conversion kit, you can make a serious argument that the JAK Headhunter is the best gun in Modern Warfare 3. As such, it’s only a matter of time before people catch on, so you may as well get ahead of the curve and try it out.

YouTubers and streamers react to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare trailer The official teaser trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is now live, and some of the biggest streamers and YouTube personalities in the world have shared their thoughts on the game. Activision and Infinity Ward officially revealed Modern Warfare on May 31 with an action-packed teaser which set social media abuzz with anticipation. Also announced was the news that for the first time ever, Call of Duty will be moving to a cross-platform system, while information about the campaign, multiplayer and release date were also unveiled. Unsurprisingly, major gaming personalities had a lot to say about the teaser, with many sharing their excitement at the prospect of a new entry in the Modern Warfare franchise. Call of Duty fans are already excited about the next installment in the Modern Warfare franchise. 100 Thieves member Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop shared his hope that Modern Warfare will reach the high expectations that fans have for the game, and reminisced about the fond memories he has of one of the franchise’s other titles. “Some of my best memories in gaming took place on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” wrote CouRage on Twitter. “Really hoping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare lives up to the hype! It looks dope.” Some of my best memories in gaming took place on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2… Really hoping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare lives up to the hype! It looks dope. — Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) May 30, 2019 OpTic Gaming star Seth ‘Scump’ Abner was less excited, glumly stating that all he hoped was that it “doesn’t turn out like the past 3 titles,” referencing Infinite War, World War II and Black Ops 4 games which he clearly isn’t a huge fan of. YouTube’s Global Head of Gaming Ryan ‘Fwiz” Wyatt’s enthusiasm wasn’t going to be hampered by Scump though, telling the pro Call of Duty player that they were heading “BACK TO THE GLORY DAYS!” Brad ‘Drift0r’ Overbey, who played the game at Infinity Ward’s studios, stated that the game “is very high quality,” and wrote that it’s the “best looking and playing Infinity Ward game since Modern Warfare 2.” Tom ‘Syndicate’ Cassell echoed his sentiments, writing that he had played it, and it felt “awesome.” I’ll be talking a lot today Modern Warfare’s insane content level. It is the most memorable part of what we saw but I do want to drive home the point that the game itself is very high quality. Probably the best looking & playing Infinity Ward game since MW2. Its just also violent — Drift0r (@Drift0r) May 30, 2019 Here it is ladies & gentlemen! #CallofDutyModernWarfare :love_you_gesture: I’ve played it, it feels awesome! Why you think I’ve been playing MWR all week! The preparation has begun! :fire: PS: cross platform :eyes: the console wars are over! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: https://t.co/BND0Rn1QOS— Tom (@ProSyndicate) May 30, 2019 A number of streamers who aren’t strongly associated with Call of Duty also gave their takes on the trailer. Fortnite Battle Royale player Ali ‘Myth’ Kabbani voiced his opinion that Modern Warfare could be a major game for the franchise. “Am I the only one getting a feeling that Modern Warfare might be CoD’s first attempt at making a long lasting shooter similar to Overwatch?” wrote the TSM member. “Running away from main storyline, cross platform compatibility, I mean shit just seems to be lining up for something bigger than a regular CoD release.” I mean running away from the main story line, cross platform compatibility, I mean shit just seems to be lining up for something bigger than just a regular COD release. — Myth (@TSM_Myth) May 30, 2019 Ben ‘DrLupo’ Lupo and Tim ‘Timthetatman’ Betar both shared their first thoughts on the trailer, with DrLupo saying that Call of Duty were making “big moves,” while Timthetatman simply stated: “This looks lit.” Finally, FaZe Clan member and former professional CoD player Doug ‘Censor’ Martin made it clear he would be purchasing the game, writing: “Use me as a ‘shut up and take my money’ button.” While excitement is already high for the game, Call of Duty fans will have to wait until October 25 to get their hands on the next installment of the legendary Modern Warfare franchise.

YouTuber teaches dog to ‘play’ Warzone and even gets kills (sort of) Activision / Instagram: willarcherr[jwplayer RadxeDp1] A British YouTuber set himself the challenge of teaching his dog to play Call of Duty battle royale title Warzone, and it worked… kind of. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that just about every gamer out there has at least given Warzone a go, giving the battle royale genre its own Call of Duty spin. But, how many dogs have you seen playing Warzone? We’d wager it’s none — until now, when this wonderful dog, Rosie, took to Verdansk to give it a go. UK YouTuber Will Archer has obviously been a big fan of Warzone since it was released in March, and decided to spice up his games a bit by teaching Rosie how to play the game, even building a dog-friendly keyboard for her to use. Obviously a dog wouldn’t be able to use a controller, as that would be absurd, so his homemade keyboard featured just two buttons: walk and shoot. There seemed to be a lot of time (and a lot of treats) gone into teaching Rosie to use each button on command, and there were a couple of slip-ups where she would let her paw rest on the shoot button and deplete their ammo reserves, but it wasn’t all bad. Archer adopted the strategy of letting the plane fly its course before dropping in and landing with the AFK players, when her shooting skills came into effect and, upon his command, would blast their opponents in the head, earning herself three kills in two games. We’re not going to pretend it’s the best gameplay in the world, there’s definitely room for improvement. But that said, Rosie might also be the first dog to ever get a kill in Warzone, firmly placing her in the gaming history books for good. Having seen players get wins with just their mouths, or kills using a drum kit, we’re struggling to see what the limit is for people doing something new in Warzone, but we’d love to see Rosie get a victory next time out.

YouTuber StraightUpKnives Hits Insane Throwing Knife Kill on Modern Warfare 3 He Thought Wasn’t Possible Twitch streamer and YouTuber StraightUpKnives hit an insane throwing knife kill after years of trying and believing it was not possible. The 2012 Call of Duty title Modern Warfare 3 was the last in the Modern Warfare trilogy, and a fan favorite in the CoD franchise, meaning when it was made backwards compatible on Xbox One recently, fans were instantly back on the classic game. StraightUpKnives was previously best known for his Call of Duty content on YouTube, but more recently moved on to games like Pokémon Go and Fortnite. But with MW3 launching backwards compatibility, he was back on his old game of choice, and playing the party game mode ‘All or Nothing’. The mode equips players with only a USP .45, a tactical knife and a throwing knife. All players are also stuck with the same perks – Hardline, Extreme Conditioning and Stalker. The first to hit 20 kills wins the game, and just as StraightUpKnives was tied with 19 kills almost every player in the lobby going for extravagant throwing knife final kills, he pulled off one he had been trying “forever”. “So, if we hit it, we’ll see, I don’t know that it’s entirely possible – I’ve been going for it forever, and I don’t remember ever hitting it.” So, it turns out that it was in fact possible. The game winning kill quickly went viral after being posted to Reddit, which seemed to surprise StraightUpKnives himself. With the buzz that MW3 has generated since becoming backwards compatible, the rumors that the next Call of Duty entry in the series (after Black Ops 4) will be MW4 in 2019 seems even more likely. While there is no confirmation of any kind yet, a number of members of the original Infinity Ward development team have returned to the studio to work on the 2019 CoD entry.

YouTuber sneaked into CDL Atlanta to meet Offset Instagram: offsetyrn / YouTube: airrackWhile FaZe Clan’s Call of Duty League (CDL) roster was on stage dominating the grand final at their Home Series event in Atlanta, this YouTuber was sneaking around backstage after getting in without a pass. Atlanta FaZe cruised through their first-ever CDL Home Series event as they toppled the Florida Mutineers 3-0 to hoist the Grand Finals trophy in front of a roaring local crowd. However, while the CoD pros were battling it out on the sticks, YouTuber ‘airrack’ was sneaking through the venue after making his way past security. The initial idea for the video stemmed from an episode of First We Feasts popular Youtube series, Hot Ones. With Offset in the hot seat, the rapper revealed he has a soft spot for breakfast cereal, even conceptualizing his own brand in the moment which he referred to as ‘Offset’s Drippo’s.’ Recruiting the help of friends and housemates alike, the YouTuber designed the cereal box with the intention of sneaking into the Atlanta FaZe event and handing it directly to Offset himself. Immediately upon getting to Gateway Center Arena however, his plan was put in jeopardy as the first instance of security turned him away. After finding a way around to the loading dock and even cutting in between a number of Huntsmen players relaxing outside, the Youtuber finally made his way inside. “Hey guys, coming back in,” he said to a handful of security guards at the back entrance. “Either security is getting worse, or I’m getting really good at sneaking into places because that was way too easy,” he added to his fans. Unfortunately, it turned out that Offset was a no-show for the second day of the CoD event, but that didn’t stop the YouTuber from sneaking into the backstage VIP section anyways. Mixing in with a number of high-profile FaZe Clan members, he offered the cereal to the likes of FaZe Banks and FaZe Adapt before making his way back outside. While we don’t recommend trying to imitate his antics, ‘airrack’ has grown a reputation for sneaking into landmark events and fooling some of the biggest names on YouTube. From KSI vs Logan Paul 2 to BLAST Pro Series Moscow, YouTubers have been getting by security at countless events lately. Perhaps Offset will see the video and link up with the creator at the next Home Series event so that he can try Drippo’s for himself.

YouTuber S0ur discovers CoD Vanguard’s Double XP has “huge discrepancies” ActivisionA Preseason Double XP event dropped into CoD Vanguard on November 18, but all isn’t well according to YouTuber ‘S0ur’, who uncovered some “huge discrepancies” between the values being awarded and intended XP gains. Less than two weeks after launch, Sledgehammer Games dropped a Double XP event in Call of Duty: Vanguard, offering players a chance to level up their operators, battle pass, and weapons even faster ahead of Season 1’s delayed launch on December 9. Double XP is always a welcome addition to any CoD title, helping players get their arsenal up-to-speed if they’ve been slacking off the grind a bit. Unfortunately, it appears Vanguard’s latest XP offering hasn’t gone off without a hitch. After testing out different XP values and setups, YouTuber S0ur made an unexpected (and unwelcome) discovery: Vanguard’s Double XP event has actually been rewarding players with less experience than intended. S0ur discovers CoD Vanguard Double XP discrepancies S0ur shared his findings in a video on his YouTube channel. After testing a variety of factors over the course of two days, the content creator zeroed on his “terrible” discovery. “Despite the supposed Double XP, I was getting anywhere from 1.5 times to .75 times XP — less than the base values should be,” he revealed. After tying his discovery to time spent playing Vanguard’s Shipment map, S0ur did some further testing and uncovered what he believes is the root of the issue: “My best theory is that gaining weapon XP too rapidly will cause it to not be tracked properly.” “Double XP can work correctly under the right circumstances,” S0ur clarified, before continuing “And yet, Double XP combined with getting lots of kills quickly seems to be causing this huge discrepancy, sometimes [granting] less than half of the expected XP.” “That could explain your feeling of being cheated out of weapon XP,” the YouTuber revealed. He also confirmed that “The double weapon XP [event] seems to make the discrepancy much worse.” Other Call of Duty personalities, like Warzone mastermind JGOD, chimed in with their own concerns, and asked developer Sledgehammer to clarify whether Double XP was working as intended or if there is some kind of bug affecting it. This particular problem doesn’t appear on Sledgehammer’s list of known issues at the time of writing, but if S0ur’s theory proves true, it’s likely the Vanguard developer will push out a quick fix to get the bugged XP back on track.

YouTuber Publishes “The King of CoD” Video Paying Tribute to OpTic’s Scump YouTuber ‘Semtexable’ has released a video called “The King of CoD,” paying tribute to Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, the captain of OpTic Gaming’s Call of Duty team. This is the third video in the YouTuber’s series of tributes, with the previous two being dedicated to former OpTic pro players Matt ‘FormaL’ Piper and Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow. Scump has spent almost the entirety of his professional Call of Duty career with OpTic Gaming, the exception being two brief stints with apeX eSports NA and Team EnVy respectively. Widely considered to be one of the best CoD players of all time, the 28 time LAN champion finally won the World Championship at the 2017 CWL Championships, an honor that had eluded him for so long. Read More: Clayster Makes Some Bold Claims About the New OpTic and Luminosity Gaming Call of Duty Rosters – This CWL season, Scump and OpTic have been in the headlines for the wrong reasons, as their underwhelming results ultimately led to the most publicized roster changes in the esport’s history. With two brand new teammates as part of his squad, the former World Champion will look to help bring the organization back to the Call of Duty heights that the Green Wall fans have been used to seeing them over the past few years. Semtexable’s video shows some of the memorable moments of Scump’s career, including highlights from various events during the Black Ops 2, Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, Black Ops 3, and Infinite Warfare titles. The entirety of the video can be viewed below, or on Semtexable’s YouTube channel.

YouTuber Releases “I’m Not Done Yet” Video to Pay Tribute to OpTic’s Crimsix Chris BetYouTuber ‘Semtexable’ has released a video called “I’m Not Done Yet” to celebrate the storied career of Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, who plays Call of Duty professionally for OpTic Gaming. The video is the fourth in the YouTuber’s series of tribute videos, the previous three of which have all been dedicated to current or former OpTic pro CoD players. Widely considered to be one of the best to ever play the game, Crimsix has a total of 32 LAN tournament wins under his belt, the most of any player in the history of the esport. A bulk of those wins, including his two World Championships, came during his time spent as part of two true Call of Duty dynasties, the first being the compLexity Gaming/Evil Geniuses dynasty of 2012-2014, and the more recent OpTic Gaming dynasty from 2014-early 2018. Read More: Karma Responds to Speculation About Him Joining 100 Thieves After Nadeshot Confirmed a Team is Coming This Year – Throughout his career, Crimsix has constantly proven himself as a player who can get the crucial kills and make the correct plays at the right time, which has directly contributed to his personal and his teams’ successes. His often machine-like in-game efficiency has led his peers and fans to give him the nickname ‘Crimbot,’ which he has fully embraced as part of his personality and playstyle. Semtexable’s tribute video shows some of the memorable moments of Crimsix’s career, including highlights from the various events he participated in during the Black Ops 2, Ghosts, Advanced Warfare, Black Ops 3, and Infinite Warfare titles. The entirety of the video can be viewed below, or on Semtexable’s official YouTube channel.

YouTuber Publishes Emotional Video Paying Tribute to the Career of CoD Player Karma The past few days have seen a whirlwind of emotional changes for North American esports organization OpTic Gaming and their professional Call of Duty team. In a highly publicized set of roster moves, the org’s vaunted roster was split apart after three years of championship-filled dominance. One of the players that was on that roster was Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, who originally joined OpTic in April of 2015. Often considered to be the greatest of all time, Karma is the only player in CoD esport’s history to have won three World Championships. While he has not always had the best of in-game statistics, his uncanny ability to make the right play at the right time is the main reason why his teams have nearly always been ranked at or around the top. After what had been a disappointing WWII season for OpTic, Karma decided to step away from competitive CoD for the remainder of the season and focus on his streaming and content creation. While there is no indication that this move will be permanent, fans have still reacted emotionally at the prospect of not seeing the iconic player compete in Call of Duty. As part of these reactions, editor and content creator for Most Wanted eSports ‘Semtexable,’ has published an emotional video paying tribute to Karma and his illustrious career to this point. The tribute is full of flashes of in-game brilliance, emotion, and humor as it replays some of Karma’s most iconic moments during his championship runs in 2013, 2014, and 2017.

YouTuber plays Modern Warfare using actual bongos with hilarious results Taking inspiration from YouTube sensation Basically Homeless, Super Louis 64 has created the ultimate Donkey Kong Jungle Beat controller mod for Modern Warfare, using the Nintendo game’s iconic bongos. While the ongoing debate between controller versus mouse and keyboard remains rife, there are some players who just love to think outside of the box. Super Louis 64 has taken inspiration from fellow YouTuber, Basically Homeless, by taking a modded version of Donkey Kong’s iconic bongos and using them in a competitive online first-person shooter — Call of Duty. Yes, you read that right. Almost three months into Modern Warfare’s lifecycle and most of us are still attempting to fine-tune are in-game settings. On the other side of the fence, however, are players like Super Louis 64. Read more: How to watch Hitch’s $10K Modern Warfare Bot tournament ft. Dr Disrespect, Scump, more – streams, teams, bracket, format – A quick glance at their YouTube channel would tell you that this isn’t uncharted territory. From beating Halo 3 with a Guitar Hero controller, to playing Halo Reach with a literal bunch of bananas… You get the gist. While on the surface their latest venture is seemingly impossible, Super Louis 64’s attempt at playing Modern Warfare with bongos was more fruitful than you’d initially anticipate. The mod did come with its restrictions, though. With no ability to reload, sprint, aim down sights or switch weapons, the odds were most definitely stacked against him. Nonetheless, the player hopped right into a Team Deathmatch and landed a kill right off the bat. Pretty impressive, considering the constraints. Super Louis also posted a clip from their video to the Modern Warfare subreddit, where the clip was lapped up (earning almost 2k upvotes in less than 24 hours) in a post titled: “I played MW with DK Bongos, 9/10 would bong again.” One user even prompted a collaboration with Basically Homeless (often referred to as Mr. Hummus) by jesting: “Mr. Hummus wants to know your location.” While the pair have both used the bongos to great effect, Mr. Hummus’ attempt even incorporated some ‘authentic’ Donkey Kong audio cues to prompt his weapon to fire. So next time you’re taken down in a first-person shooter, just know that there’s a sliver of a chance that it could have been done with bongos.

YouTuber Noel Miller dominates CoD: Warzone – using a steering wheel ActivisionPopular YouTuber Noel Miller has recently branched out into playing some Call of Duty: Warzone, but with a twist – he’s ditched a normal controller in favor of a steering wheel. Noel Miller is perhaps best known for his popular YouTube channel which, at the time of writing, sits at nearly 1.9 million subscribers. He regularly makes a variety of content for his fans to enjoy, including collaborating with his long-time friend and fellow YouTuber Cody Ko. However, over on his Twitch stream, the popular ex-Viner has been entertaining his followers with some Warzone, Call of Duty’s sophomore battle royale effort. On April 10, he took this entertainment to another level, plugging a steering wheel into his setup in order to control his player. The biggest problem with this setup, aside from the obvious lack of precision, is that basic controllers have two joysticks – one for movement and one for aiming. Ditching these for a steering wheel meant Miller was completely reliant on movement, and couldn’t alter his FOV in any direction. This didn’t stop him from racking up some hilarious plays, however. After dying in a match, Miller was transported to the infamous Gulag, where he proceeded to win his 1v1 while using a steering wheel. “Oh f**k, I can literally only strafe,” he laughed, in an utterly hilarious clip. Despite being stunned and pinned into a corner, the 30-year-old managed to eliminate his enemy as he was pushed. “I won! I f**king won,” he creased, much to the surprise of his teammates, who then joined him in fits of laughter. Even though he was severely limited in terms of movement, the steering wheel came into its own when driving vehicles, allowing Miller to put on quite a good Uber impression as he picked up his teammates. It’s fair to say that, while we’re not sure anyone asked for Warzone gameplay while using a steering wheel, it made for a number of hilarious moments for Miller’s watching audience. It’s unlikely he’ll be pulling off any high-kill wins with this strategy though, but if you want that kind of action, check out this insane 100 kill world record from a squad of pro players.

YouTuber JGOD shows how “broken” cameras give Warzone players massive advantage YouTube: JGODJGOD knows just about everything there is to know about Call of Duty and Warzone, and now he’s gone in depth on how movement can exploit cameras and trick enemies in the game. For as long as Call of Duty, or FPS’ in general, have been around, there have been issues with cameras and the difference between what two players in a gunfight are actually seeing. You might have heard of “peeker’s advantage” before through other FPS games as well as Call of Duty, where players who peak their opponent first have a better chance of securing the gunfight. As it turns out, Warzone has its own issue with camera synchronization and overpowered movement. If you ever thought you died round a corner or the enemy simply “wasn’t there,” JGOD has shown that you’re not losing your mind. In his March 21 YouTube upload, JGOD looks at issues with ping, advanced movement mechanics and ‘camera desync,’ all of which added together can result in some seriously frustrating gunfights. Using footage from the TD $50k Warzone custom lobby that featured many of the top streamers and players, JGOD provided several examples of how cameras can hold you back. “On the player’s screen, it doesn’t match up with what the enemy player sees, so it creates a huge desync,” JGOD says, while watching footage of Aydan vs Speros in the Gulag. “Advanced movement, and movement in general, can be your best friend, and it generally favors the aggressor.” Timestamp 1:29 He also shows an example with Jukeyz, who is on much higher ping, but still gets the advantage as he jumps out at an enemy from around a corner. This issue isn’t limited to Warzone, either. As JGOD shows, this is evident in Black Ops Cold War multiplayer too, proving it’s an issue across Call of Duty in general rather than just one game. So, when you’re trying to get the one-up on an enemy in a 1v1, you should consider this video. Being aggressive, slide canceling, and jumping around corners is the best way to give you a split-second advantage over your enemy — you just have to make sure you hit your shots.

YouTuber JGOD picks his top 9 Warzone meta loadout classes @JGODYTCall of Duty content creator, JGOD, has revealed his top 10 best Warzone loadouts to use in Season 3. The May 7 Warzone balance patch has greatly shaken up the game’s current meta, allowing more loadouts to creep into contention. This patch reigned in the ever-popular AMAX, FARA, and Bullfrog builds, while also adjusting the Cold War AR mobility. Not only has this led to one of the most balanced Seasons in Warzone history, but there have also been a number of Modern Warfare weapons that have seen an increase in popularity. Call of Duty content creator, JGOD has been busy outlining the current long-range and close-quarters meta in Warzone Season 3. However, the YouTuber recently outlined the top 10 best guns players should be using after the AMAX nerf. While the meta will likely adjust throughout the coming weeks, these loadouts will definitely increase your lethality across Verdansk. JGOD’s 9 best Warzone Season 3 loadouts 9. SA87 Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Laser: Tac Laser – Optic: VLK 3.0x – Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip – Ammunition: 60 Rnd Mags – JGOD has been experimenting with the SA87 in Warzone Season 3. While LMGs have often failed to make a huge impact in recent updates, this loadout actually packs a pretty potent punch. The build purely focuses on bolstering the SA87’s accuracy and range, allowing you to beam players from afar. 8. Kar98k Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: Singuard Custom 27.6” – Laser: Tac Laser – Optic: Sniper Scope – Stock: STVOL Precision Comb – The Kar98k has been a top pick amongst both casual and competitive Warzone players since Warzone released. After all, being able to break armor and maintain constant pressure is incredibly important, especially if you wish to kill your targets before they duck behind cover. Read More: Best Warzone Assault Rifle class loadouts – JGOD’s loadout maximizes the Marksman Rifle’s range and accuracy, which will help you get those cross-map kills. 7. HDR Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: 26.9″ HDR Pro – Laser: Tac Laser – Optic: Variable Zoom Scope – Stock: FTAC Stalker-Scout – The HDR is another Modern Warfare gun that has long been a staple pick for players. Unlike the Kar98k, this Sniper Rifle is purely focused on delivering those long-range kills. While it may be a lot slower than Warzone’s Tac Rifle class, it is capable of delivering headshot kills at vast distances. JGOD utilizes the Cover Shot reticle as it gives great precision without any added clutter. 6. Grau Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: Tempus 26.4” Archangel – Laser: Tac Laser – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Ammunition: 60 Round Mags – A lot of Modern Warfare guns have begun to creep back into the meta, especially since the devs have reigned in many of Cold War’s meta ARs. Due to the Grau’s clean iron sight, JGOD has been able to focus on the gun’s accuracy, range, and control. This makes it particularly potent in close to mid-range firefights, but you’ll want to pair it with an HDR or KAR98k for those cross-map kills. 5. Stoner 63 Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Barrel: 21.8” Task Force – Optic: Axial Arms 3x – Underbarrel: Field Agent Ggrip – Ammunition: Fast Mag – While JGOD mentions that the recoil can be a little wonky, the TTK on the Stoner is impressive, particularly in close to mid-range firefights. The Fast Mag may not make this gun as fast as Warzone’s ARs or SMGs, but it does make getting through those lengthy reload animations more bearable. Just be prepared to control the vertical recoil when firing for long periods of time. 4. FARA 83 Muzzle: Gru Suppressor – Barrel: 19.5” Liberator – Optic: SUSAT Multizoom – Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip – Ammunition: Spetsnaz 50 Rnd – Despite getting a nerf to both its headshot multiplier and ADS stats, the FARA still continues to wreak havoc across Verdansk. While a number of FARA loadouts have cropped up across Season 3, JGOD’s loadout is tailored around maximizing the gun’s bullet velocity. Both the 19.5” Liberator barrel and SUSAT Multizoom optic have been utilized to ensure you remain competitive at range. 3. RAM-7 Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: FSS Ranger – Laser: Tac Laser – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Ammunition: 50 Round Mags – The RAM-7 is JGOD’s Sniper support setup. This loadout has great coverage across all ranges. Because of the RAM 7’s overall versatility, JGOD notes that the Kar98k can be switched out for the likes of the FARA, FFAR, and AK-47. Due to the close to mid-range coverage, an optic isn’t needed here. Simply aggressively flank your foes and whip out your sniper whenever you see a target in the distance. 2. Krig 6 Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Barrel: 19.7” Ranger – Optic: SUSAT Multizoom – Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip – Magazine: STANAG 60 Rnd – The Krig is currently our best ranked AR in Warzone Season 3 and it seems JGOD also rates this Cold War gun highly. This gun’s popularity has spiked in Season 3 after its damage profile was buffed. Not only does it have great damage range, but the gun’s methodical fire rate also makes landing headshots much easier. JGOD rounds off the build with a Bullfrog loadout, which utilizes the GRU Suppressor, 7.4” Task Force, KGB Skeletal Stock, 65 Rnd, and Serpent Wrap. 1. AMAX Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: XRK Zodiac S440 – Optic: VLK 3.0x Optic – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Ammunition: 45 Round Mags – Lastly, JGOD’s top pick is none other than the AMAX itself. Despite receiving a minor nerf to its damage, the AMAX continues to be one of the most dominant guns in Warzone Season 3. The build for the AMAX still remains the same as it did before the May 7 update, giving players great accuracy and range.

YouTuber JackFrags may have leaked Modern Warfare beta dates for PS4, PC & Xbox One Infinity WardPopular YouTuber Jack ‘jackfrags’ Mason has potentially leaked beta dates for Infinity Ward’s upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, expected in August. Recent Call of Duty titles, such as Black Ops 4, have all had betas – an opportunity for fans of the series to play the upcoming titles prior to their official release. These betas have tended to be private, reserved for people who have pre-ordered the game in advance. Developers then use the data and feedback acquired from players in order to fine tune the final product, minimizing bugs and making adjustments, so the game is as polished as possible when it is released – it’s also a handy marketing tool too. However, as with much of Modern Warfare’s reveal, Infinity Ward have been fairly slow to release information, including whether an actual beta will take place. One YouTuber though – JackFrags – may have just confirmed a beta, as well as providing release dates. In a video uploaded to his channel on July 19, Mason breaks down what has been revealed so far about Modern Warfare Multiplayer, primarily the Gunfight mode which was shown by Twitch creators such as Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop. “The beta for the game will be available first for PS4 players on August 20,” he said. “PC and Xbox, unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait until a week later, on August 27, to get our hands on it.” (Timestamp – 9:58) Update: July 20, 10:00AM: JackFrags has confirmed that the source of his dates actually comes from fellow YouTuber and notorious leaker TheGamingRevolution, who has been known to correctly leak Modern Warfare information in the past, including features like the 2v2 Gunfight mode. Given Activision’s recent history with betas, it is likely that the beta will, at least at the start, only be available to those who have pre-ordered. Similarly, the suggestion that the beta will be available for PS4 players before Xbox and PC is consistent with how betas have been structured for the last few years. It is important to remember that the dates are unconfirmed, as is the actual existence of a beta. It’s likely we’ll hear more when Modern Warfare’s full multiplayer reveal takes place, on August 1. There, Infinity Ward will be showing off the entire scope of the multiplayer portion of the game, which is slated to be vast – and could even reveal a battle royale mode, if leaks are to be believed.

YouTuber goes viral exposing the worst Warzone cheater ever ActivisionA Call of Duty Warzone player has gone viral after exposing what might be the worst cheater in the history of the battle royale. Just like its battle royale rivals, Warzone has had issues with a whole list of different things. Players have complained about weapon balancing, skill-based matchmaking, and a whole load of other issues. However, the biggest, and seemingly most difficult to fix, is the cheating that goes on. Some cheaters use hacks that let them see through walls, use aimbots that don’t miss shots, and there have even been invisible players running around. Usually, when you run into a cheater, you’ve got no chance of pulling out a win. They’re probably going to secure the victory. However, one Warzone player managed to spectate what might be the worst cheater ever. It comes from Reddit user zimrh, who showed that, after being eliminated by a cheater in a game, he decided to stick around and spectate just how absurd the cheats. However, he got something different. After picking up a good few headshots at range, the cheater – PlzDontCry – almost killed themselves by overcooking a grenade. And then, they made a fool of themselves by jumping in and out of a window for nearly 30 seconds. However, the cherry on top came right at the end when zimrh noted that, with a 1v1 ahead of them, the cheater made a “fatal mistake.” They switched gun to their sniper and allowed the opposing player to get shots off first. Despite having an aimbot in their back pocket, PlzDontCry got sprayed down and lost the game. The Redditors post highlighting the cheaters lowlight quickly picked up steam, with players roasting the cheater for losing. “18 Kills with an aimbot on solos is awful. Genuine players can get that many kills ffs,” commented one player. “I still can’t wrap my head around how playing the game if you cheat can even be fun,” added another. “I mean even WITH an aimbot he sucks, at this point just uninstall the game and keep what’s left of your video-game dignity, commented another. Obviously, highlighting cheaters makes it easier for the developers to swing the banhammer, plus it’s a nice touch of karma when they do slip up.

YouTuber gets world’s fastest V2 rocket in CoD Vanguard with shotgun loadout ActivisionA YouTuber pulled off an insane 39-second V2 Rocket in Vanguard with this shotgun loadout that is guaranteed to run Das Haus for a long time. The V2 Rocket is the top killstreak in CoD: Vanguard. It requires 25 straight gun kills, so while you need to be a decent player to earn one, you’ll also need a little bit of luck and a powerful loadout that can help you on the way. While guns like the MP40 and STG dominate the Vanguard meta, some other weapons are starting to break the mold. That’s where the Combat Shotgun steps in — and it’s an absolutely dominant force, as shown off by this insanely fast V2 Rocket on Das Haus. Here’s my 39 Second V2 Rocket (Worlds Fastest?) that I uploaded yesterday! I wanna say I realize this takes no skill in this lobby but holy shit did it bring me back to my old pub stomping days! This shotgun is so busted but damn was this fun 😈 pic.twitter.com/y4H6dDrVsk — Crakrz | Mitch 🇨🇦 (@Crakrz) November 9, 2021 Combat Shotgun V2 Rocket loadout CoD YouTuber Crakrz earns his V2 Rocket in just 39 seconds, sat comfortably in the enemy spawn on Das Haus, mowing them down in one shot each with the Combat Shotty. Here’s the Combat Shotgun loadout he used to earn the V2 Rocket: Muzzle: M97 Full Choke – Barrel: Sawed Off – Stock: CGC 3M Adjustable – Underbarrel: SMLE Pistol Grip – Magazine: 16 Gauge 10 Rnd Mags – Ammo Type: Buck and Slug – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip – Proficiency: Vital – Kit: Quick – This loadout relies on the weapon’s good mobility and control, with powerful magazines that can take out opponents in just one shot each. Pair that with a pretty quick reload time and the Vital proficiency for some extra damage, and you’ll be mowing down opponents as quickly as you like. What’s scary is that Crakrz could’ve had an even faster V2 Rocket if he hadn’t placed a tactical insertion at the start of the game. It goes without saying, though, that 39 seconds is going to be an incredibly hard record to beat.

YouTuber finds CoD server with the strictest rules ever Call of DutyPopular YouTuber Im Suda discovered the strictest Call of Duty server ever after trying classic titles like World at War, and proceeded to troll the server’s loyal, rule-abiding players. Im Suda had noticed his fans incessantly asking him to play more Call of Duty, and so went through every CoD game in a single video, returning to the very first entry in the series from over 15 years ago. Of course, the public servers for many of these games are either no longer supported or are completely empty, but by joining player-ran servers, the YouTuber was able to find populated lobbies in no time. It wasn’t all good news though, as some of these lobbies enforce strict rules, such as only using snipers or only playing on one map or game mode. When playing World at War, the fifth main entry in the series, Suda joined undoubtedly the strictest and most bizarre server in any CoD, entitled ‘crouch server’. It took its name very literally, forcing players to remain crouched throughout the entire match, but beyond that, players were only allowed to use unscoped sniper rifles, no pistols, ‘no random fire’ and ‘no blind nades’ – instantly kicking anyone breaking the rules. This very quickly brought an end to Suda’s World at War playtime, after he was told off for simply firing his pistol at a wall, and then kicked for sprinting. He also tried his hand at the original Modern Warfare, gearing up for the new 2019 release, but this experience was quickly ruined by players shouting racist profanities over game chat. For Call of Duty 2, there were no servers at all, leaving Suda to return to the iconic campaign instead. The entire 40-minute video truly is a trip down memory lane for longtime fans of the franchise, perhaps a reminder of the progression (or in some cases, regression) that each successive game made. Modern Warfare, which will be the 16th CoD title, launches on October 25, and heralds a return to perhaps the franchise’s most popular setting. There is a relief that ‘advanced movement’ games ended with Infinite Warfare (the sales and reception of that game say a lot about the reason why), but the newer games in the series are still yet to recapture the magic of the previous generation.

YouTuber Drift0r explains why Modern Warfare might still have a season pass Drift0r – YouTube / Infinity WardCall of Duty YouTuber Brad ‘Drift0r’ Overbey believes that the upcoming Modern Warfare title will still include a season pass, contrary to what most players have been lead to believe. Modern Warfare was finally confirmed to be CoD’s 2019 installment on May 30, and during the reveal event, Activision and Infinity Ward made mention about what they had planned in regards to a season pass. “We’re eliminating the tradition season pass,” they said. “So that we can deliver more free maps and content, as well as post-launch events to all players.” This announcement got many excited, as it led them to believe that Activision were finally ditching the season pass model that has existed in so many previous CoD games. The season pass, of course, gives players who purchase it access to all of the exclusive DLC content that is released for a specific game throughout the year, costing less than if the content was purchased individually each time. However, Drift0r has been quick to suggest that players should not get too ahead of themselves, as there is a good chance that Modern Warfare could still feature some sort of season pass. In a video he published on June 1, the YouTube explained that the quote was slightly misleading, since the developers still left the door open for Modern Warfare to still feature some sort of “non-traditional” pass. “The wording here is a little bit complicated,” he explained. “What most people saw is ‘no season pass.’ But that’s not what they said. It kind of makes you think that. I take a closer look and I’m like ‘well, why did the say no traditional season pass?’ You could just say no season pass.” “I think it means they have some kind of other pass planned that we don’t know what it is yet. It’s unfortunate.” Why having a season pass is not a good idea Drift0r went on to list the various reasons why having a season pass in Modern Warfare would simply not be a good idea. For one, he mentions how season passes are an old business model, since so many of today’s games release content for free to all players, and it would just set CoD behind those games in terms of content availability. He also explains that the passes really divide the player-base based on what content they may or may not have, such as map packs. This divide can be very detrimental to matchmaking, as opposed to if all players were given access to all DLC content. His final argument was that it’s impractical to have both a season pass and microtransactions, and that Activision and Infinity Ward should choose between one or another rather than stuffing every bit of new content behind a pay wall. Segment begins at 2:26 mark for mobile users. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is set to be released on October 25, 2019. The highly anticipated Multiplayer reveal is expected to take place at the E3 gaming convention, which kicks off on June 11.

YouTuber claims Warzone tried to “ruin” snipers in Season 3 Reloaded ActivisionThe Warzone Season 3 Reloaded update increased maximum health, impacting the effectiveness of Snipers and their ability to compete in the current meta – which one YouTuber says has completely “ruined” them. Player health was increased from 100 to 150 in all modes making the total health 300 when fully equipped with armor, as part of the Season 3 Reloaded update. Feedback on the update has split the Warzone community and the increased time to kill makes it difficult for Snipers to compete with some of the Assault Rifles that currently dominate Caldera and Rebirth Island. CoD and Battlefield YouTuber Stodeh has well over 1,000 hours sniping in Warzone and he believes that the most recent update “is trying to ruin Snipers.” Season 3 Reloaded update nerfed snipers Stodeh said that after the most recent update, “most Snipers can now be a four-shot kill if you don’t hit the chest or head.” Stodeh continued to say, “the two best all-around Sniper Rifles, the Kar 98k and the Swiss are no longer are a one-shot headshot from over 40 meters. They went from being top-5 weapons to completely obsolete.” The three Snipers the Youtuber still recommend are the AX-50, ZRG 20mm, the LW3 Tundra, and the HDR. These guns are still viable in the current meta because they are “beefy” and excel at long-range combat. At the 9:57 mark of the YouTuber’s video, he recommends an HDR class loadout that can still compete after the Season 3 Reloaded update. Warzone HDR loadout Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: 26.8 ” HDR Pro – Lazer: Tac Lazer – Stock: FTAC Stalker Scout – Perk: FMJ – Stodeh posed the question “do you think that Sniping has been nerfed too hard, or was getting sniped frustrating enough for these changes?” Time will tell if Snipers are viable in Warzone 2, or if this is the beginning of the end for the once-dominant class.

Warzone 2 blueprints will finally be customizable in MW2 ActivisionThe FJX Vault Weapon reveal confirmed blueprints will finally be customizable in Modern Warfare 2. Warzone weapon blueprints provide unique and one-of-a-kind skins but have a massive drawback. Because they come equipped with all attachments, their aesthetics only remain if players stick with the pre-built loadout. Any attachment changes will change the gun’s aesthetics. Another common complaint among Warzone players is the “ridiculous” weapon grind to unlock attachments for Vanguard weapons. It takes an average of six hours to max out one weapon and unlock all its attachments. Repeating that grind for 38 primary weapons is a lot to ask from casual players. Modern Warfare 2 addresses both issues by introducing the Weapon Vault. Modern Warfare 2 Weapon Vault confirms customizable blueprints The Weapon Vault automatically unlocks all 50 plus attachments for the weapon and allows players to mix and match attachments without losing the blueprint’s aesthetic. Activision’s innovation eliminates all the hassles of leveling up weapons and gives players more freedom than ever to customize their loadouts in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. Call of Duty’s official Twitter account shared a video highlighting the first-ever Weapon Vault. There are two editions available for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The Standard Editon for $70, and the Vault Edition costs $109.99. Among other perks, pre-ordering the Vault Edition awards players the FJX Cinder Weapon Vault. Pre-purchasing either edition of the game will grant you early access to the Open Beta. Activision will reveal everything you need to know about the Beta and other Modern Warfare 2 details during Call of Duty Next on September 15 at 9:30 a.m. PST.

YouTuber calculates cost to buy everything in Black Ops 4 and it’s ridiculous A YouTuber has calculated just how much it would cost to buy every item in Call of Duty Black Ops 4, and the final figure will almost definitely surprise you. Like most games nowadays, microtransactions are prevalent in the latest Call of Duty release, Black Ops 4, with players able to purchase CoD points in order to buy cosmetic items to make their character look unique. While this business model is present in most other games, one YouTuber sought to find out exactly how much it would cost to buy every single item in BO4, given it cost around $60 to buy in the first place, or $100 if you bought the Black Ops pass too. Popular YouTuber eColiEspresso did the maths, collecting the price of every single item and bundle in Black Ops 4, to reveal how much a player would have to pay in order to add all of them to their collection. They found that it would cost a staggering $1,324.28 in order to purchase every item that Treyarch have added to the game – and that’s not including any reserve case purchases, but only items available for direct purchase in the Black Market. The figure is 22x the amount of the base game, leaving CoD fans on Reddit to vent their frustrations. One fan suggested that action should be taken against the developer, stating their current business model was “very anti-consumer” while another labelled the grand total as “disgusting”. Other players highlighted that games such as Fortnite had a microtransaction system that didn’t affect the game’s core mechanics, while Black Ops 4 has weapons locked behind supply drops meaning they are hard to obtain without spending money. With Black Ops 4 already offering players an exclusive Captain Price blackout item for pre-ordering the next game in the franchise, Modern Warfare, it seems that microtransactions are here to stay in Call of Duty. We can only hope that cosmetic items are cheaper to purchase when the game officially releases on October 25.

YouTuber builds insane Warzone TEC-9 loadout to get fastest TTK ActivisionSeason 5 of Warzone is here and brought tons of new content to the game. This includes the new TEC 9 SMG which has an insane build with a fast time to kill (TTK). The semi-auto TEC-9 is arguably one of Warzone’s most customizable weapons. With muzzles to change its fire type, this gun has lots of possibilities. Players have been debating which of the three builds on the TEC-9 make it the most “OP” to dominate Verdansk. Warzone content creator ‘P4wnyhof’ also known as P4wny, breaks down this new SMG, from its strengths and weaknesses, to every possible time to kill. Best Warzone TEC-9 build and TTK In P4wny’s latest YouTube video he takes a look at the new TEC-9, the TTK for all three variants, and it may surprise you but the semi-auto version produced the fastest TTK. Below we have the attachments that will give you the lowest TTK possible while using the base version of the TEC-9 SMG. TEC-9 Single Fire Loadout Muzzle: Flash Guard 9 – Barrel: 4.9” Task Force – Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight – Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip – Ammunition: 36 Rnd – While this weapon can have three different fire modes the single fire takes the cake, but not by much. The single fire only requires four bullets to kill and with the down time in between shots it will take two headshots and two bodyshots to kill an enemy. This gives the TEC-9 a 425 TTK, which is the best possible time for this weapon. However, it is important to note that this gun is a SMG so anything well over 14 meters will require more bullets. Let’s take a look at how it compares to the automatic version. The full-auto muzzle for the gun makes it good as well but not better. If players only shoot the head then this version is extremely overpowered. However, the only way to match the 425 TTK is to hit eight consecutive headshots. If you only hit around three in the head then you’ll be looking at a 486 TTK instead. If you plan to take longer range fights then you’ll want to use the fully automatic attachment.

YouTube restores JGOD’s Warzone channel after community backlash over removal JGOD / YouTubeYouTube have quickly restored JGOD’s Warzone channel after absolutely stunning the Call of Duty community by removing it for violating “community guidelines.” As far as Warzone content creators go, JGOD has become one of the most popular in the community for his educational videos and spreadsheets. Now one of the biggest CoD YouTubers around, it was a shock to the scene when he announced that his channel had been removed. In Season 4 alone, JGOD’s videos about the long-range meta and guns like the MG 82 LMG have earned hundreds of thousands of views. He has easily become the go-to source on YouTube and Twitter for Warzone analysis. Even further, his recognition within the scene has led to him getting to work with Activision on hosting his own $100,000 Warzone tournament series. Revealing that his channel was removed from YouTube over “repeated violations of our Community Guidelines,” JGOD has asked the platform for an explanation or help. Within an instant, the biggest names in CoD have rallied in support — and YouTube responded by quickly bringing his channel back. That was Fast, Appreciate all the support. Channel is back and the videos are slowly populating again. pic.twitter.com/mJ4AcB4LJi — James – JGOD (@JGODYT) June 18, 2021 With tons of high-profile streamers and little-known fans alike in JGOD’s initial replies, YouTube’s representatives got tagged and questioned. From CDL teams to tournament players to casuals, everyone wanted this situation fixed. One such person was 100 Thieves’ Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop, who comforted JGOD’s fans by letting everyone know that he has helped put the content creator in contact with YouTube. We’ve got him in contact with YT peeps, JGOD fans. — Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) June 18, 2021 Shortly after CouRage’s tweet, JGOD announced that his channel had been restored. And, with that announcement, the Warzone community breathed a collective sigh of relief. While people’s hopes to nerf the battle royale guru have been thwarted, this quickly resolved situation is proof that it’s good to have friends in high places. And the way to get friends in high places is to grind out beloved content.

YouTuber Drift0r slams Black Ops 4 for making Blackout “pay-to-win” Drift0r / TreyarchPopular Call of Duty YouTuber Brad ‘Drift0r‘ Overbey slammed the v1.19 patch for Black Ops 4 which introduced a “pay-to-win” structure for Blackout and is vehemently protesting the “crummy system” Activision is putting forth in their games. For many Call of Duty fans, Black Ops 4 had tons of promise when it was initially released but the payoff since launch never took hold on the community as consistent bugs, unrewarding progression, and the various microtransactions derailed any of the hype players had. Even though Drift0r admits to not having played Black Ops 4 since January, he thinks that Activision’s introduction of a “pay-for-advantage” model should signal to the community to drop the game in its entirety in order to force change. In his June 26 video, Drift0r was incensed at the latest changes for a game he doesn’t even play to warn the community of a troubling trend that the publisher seems to have kicked off. “Hey guys, Drift0r here,” Drift0r said. “Today I’ve got more Modern Warfare gameplay for you because I refuse to play Black Ops 4 due to its monetization practices… with yesterday’s patch it does appear that at least ‘pay-for-advantage’ is here and this is closer to pay-to-win than any CoD game has ever been.” The YouTuber is referring to the new Blackjack Stashes that “may not sound too bad and definitely not pay-to-win,” but it as far as he could tell if the player doesn’t have paid Contraband weapons they’re playing at a disadvantage in the battle royale. How can players change “pay-to-win” models in Call of Duty? While players might want to take up their issues with the company through Reddit posts and negative comments on the developer’s social media sites, Drift0r highlighted the only way to meaningfully get a message across to the people who matter. “I know a lot of you want to change CoD for the better,” Drift0r said. “And if you do, I have one simple solution: Just quit and play a different game. Right now, I’m telling you to quit playing CoD today, because there’s no point. You’re just going to get pumped for more money.” According to him, by reducing the Black Ops 4’s player count it effectively cuts off any way for Activision to generate revenue from the title, forcing them “to adopt a different strategy.” Drift0r is a long admirer of theCall of Duty franchise and has built his life around the series. Although he’ll give the upcoming Modern Warfare a try, he’s willing to instantly drop the game “the very moment the first baby-step of anti-consumer crap” appears.

YouTuber dunkey shows everything wrong with Modern Warfare Popular YouTuber Jason ‘videogamedunkey’ Gastrow has finally revealed his Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review and those who were expecting it to be hilarious certainly won’t be disappointed. The latest installment to the Call of Duty franchise has been met with a mixed reaction from the game’s online community. There are people out there who can’t get enough of the new, slower gameplay, while others just can’t wait to see a nerf released for the 725 shotgun in Multiplayer. Dunkey is well known for taking a different, and usually comedic, approach to issues that players are facing in-game, and it was no different with his latest upload to his YouTube channel, which landed on November 4. The content creator, who has over five million subscribers on the platform, has been reviewing the biggest games for many years. In 2019 alone, he’s released funny videos for WWE 2K20 after its horror show of a release with bugs plaguing the game, as well as Red Dead Redemption 2 and others. However, his Modern Warfare video might just be the best yet after he found a way of making everything that fans are concerned about look funnier than ever. Constant claymore deaths? Infuriating but still hysterical. Shotguns being overpowered? Everyone hates it, but why not join the dark side? There’s a whole lot of that – and more – in this incredible review. The video, which only lasts just over five minutes, starts off with dunkey trying to do a voiceover but being blown to smithereens by a number of explosives. One of the funnier moments comes next as he tries to bypass several claymores that have been placed at such a tight angle that it’s more or less impossible to stop them from harming you. Eventually, he finds a solution by allowing another teammate to die at the hands of the deadly equipment, before continuing his run. For those who haven’t seen Dunkey’s videos before, it might seem like he’s trashing a lot of the gameplay features and not a fan of the title, but regular viewers will know that it’s just his style and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

YouTuber claims Blackout runs worse than PUBG and Fortnite A YouTuber who specializes in networking claims that Blackout’s netcode is worse that both Fortnite Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The video, uploaded by Battle(non)sense, breaks down exactly how Blackout’s netcode works, and compares it to Fortnite, PUBG and the normal Black Ops 4 multiplayer. Chris, who runs the Battle(non)sense YouTube account, uses a program called Wireshark to learn and analyze the networking capabilities of various games such as Fortnite, Battlefield and Ironsight. When testing out the Black Ops 4 multiplayer beta, Chris was able to find that the beta ran at a tick rate of 62Hz. However, when he tested the Blackout beta, he found that the game ran at a tick rate of only 10Hz when players landed, and saw just a slight improvement as the game went on, as it reached a peak of 20Hz. Chris then goes on to reveal that these are similar problems to ones that both Fortnite and PUBG faced when they launched, but that they have since been able to improve their tick rate to a more consistent level, sitting around 30Hz. Tick rate is an important factor in online multiplayer games. The tick rate determines how often the server can ‘see’ things changing in the game. A lower tick rate, like the 10Hz in Blackout, means that the server only updates and makes changes 10 times per second, while games like Fortnite are updating 30 times per second. Low tick rate can affect players’ abilities to perform at a high level as it means there may be frame rate delays, and even the possibility of your accuracy decreasing as the server fails to update after every bullet. While the Blackout beta may have had a low tick rate, there’s a chance that Treyarch could work to improve it before the mode officially releases on October 12 alongside Black Ops 4.

You can shoot through some of the rocks on the Blackout map It appears that some of the rocks on the map of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout battle royale mode are soft enough to shoot through. While nearing the end of a Blackout match, Twitch streamer ‘AFTER_H0URS’ was eliminated by an enemy player, despite having been behind the safety of one of the boulders in the desert terrain. Confused, the streamer went to look at the kill-cam to see the elimination from the enemy player’s perspective, and surely enough, he had been shot straight through the rock. “I need to watch my kill-cam, dude I swear to God I got shot through a rock,” he said. “Wait, no, guys. Somebody clip that. He deadass just shot me through that entire rock.” The most amazing thing about the whole sequence was the fact that the streamer had armor equipped, and yet the opponent was able to cleanly eliminated him without hardly missing a shot. In fact, judging by the amount of bullets it took to eliminate him, it was almost as if the rock had barely been there at all, and it was just a straight up gunfight. It’s not clear whether this is just a glitch and a mechanics flaw, or if the developers intentionally made some rocks soft enough to shoot through, although the former seems to be the more plausible explanation. Regardless, this is definitely something worth noting, and until Treyarch directly acknowledge and address this issue, players should always try to spam bullets through rocks if they see enemy players hiding behind them.

You can now play snipers only in Call of Duty: Mobile Activision have now introduced a ‘Sniper Only’ playlist to the newly-launched Call of Duty: Mobile which will only be available for a limited time. Sniper rifles have always been a staple of the Call of Duty multiplayer experience, with iconic weapons such as the Intervention and M40A3, making snipers only game modes extremely popular across multiple titles in the franchise. Mobile players will now get to experience the fan-favorite playlist after Activison added a limited time ‘Sniper Only’ mode to the new CoD release on October 17. Activision initially introduced Gun Game and Free-For-All game modes to CoD: Mobile’s featured playlist for limited time periods, however, the former free-for-all LTM has now been replaced by the new sniper mode. Sniper Only LTM consists of the standard 5v5 gameplay many players have come to expect, with each match ending once a team has reached 40 kills or a time limit of 10 minutes has elapsed. The limited-time mode offers players the option of using either the DL Q33 or the Artics .50 rifle when loading into a new match. Players will not need to have either of the weapons unlocked to try them out in the limited-time mode, and each weapon will include their own set of attachments in the default loadouts that have been made. The limited-time mode is also available to be played across each of the seven maps that are currently listed in Call of Duty: Mobile. Unfortunately, as with all limited-time modes, Sniper Only LTM is expected to be removed from the game on October 24, and although nothing is confirmed as of yet, it’s possible that the mode could return at a later date. Aside from playlist updates, Activision have also recently announced that they are looking at bringing in controller support for the popular mobile first-person shooter.

You can now play Raid from Black Ops 2 in CS:GO and it’s incredible Treyarch/ValveOne devoted FPS fan has combined Counter Strike: Global Offensive with legendary Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 map Raid, and the results are seriously impressive. Raid is widely regarded as one of the best maps in Call of Duty history. Designed by Treyarch for Black Ops 2, the map showcased the best of the ‘three lane map’ formula, as well as utilizing a smaller size for some fast-paced action. While the mechanics of CS:GO and CoD are very different – most notably CS:GO being ‘hip fire’ only – one fan clearly thought Raid, one of CoD’s best competitive maps, could successfully be reimagined as a map in Valve’s shooter. The fan made their creation using CS:GO Hammer, “a set of software utilities that allow you to create your own levels, and other gameplay elements”. Now available in the Steam Workshop, the creator then uploaded their creation to Reddit, where it has received significant attention and praise. Reddit user u/LavaDrinker explained that the map took roughly 120 hours to make, and that it was “tedious and difficult”. However, they said they are glad to have done it, given how much they learned in the process of making it. If you want to play the Raid remake in CS:GO for yourself, you can download the map on the Steam Workshop here. “I spent the time to make it solely because it was a map I wanted to play in CSGO, and no one had made it yet,” the map creator said. “It’s still a work in progress as I optimize and fix bugs that pop up, but at the moment it’s in its most finished state. If you guys have any tips feel free to post them and I’ll try them out.” The attention to detail is seriously impressive, with many features reimagined almost completely accurately, such as the swimming pool and hot tub down one side of the map. While some of Black Ops 4’s maps have been criticized for being overly large and complex, it seems some fans are still trying to recreate their favorites – even if it’s in a different game altogether. Read More: Revamped CS:GO Cache map is finally finished – It remains to be seen how well Raid will play with CS:GO’s contrasting mechanics and play styles, but the creation is seriously impressive nonetheless.

You can now pay $2 for a smiley face dot in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 It looks like the backlash over selling a red dot for $1 has not deterred Activision and Treyarch’s push to sell reticles at a premium to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 players. The newest addition to the premium reticle black market is a pink smiley face – and its yours for $2. Back in December 2018, Black Ops 4 was making the headlines and causing some backlash on social media, after a dot was on sale in the in-game microtransaction store, for 100 CoD points ($1). Although, they did offer it at 50% off for a limited time – incredibly generous. Despite the backlash, another, even pricier, dot has now appeared on the Black Ops 4 ‘Black Market’, and will set players back 200 CoD points ($2) if they want to rock a smiley face on their reflex sight. More: Treyarch announce major nerfs coming to Blackout’s Level 3 Armor, Concussions, and Cluster Grenades – There is an upside though – you can choose to have the smiley face in any color of your choosing, but this hasn’t been enough to stop fans bemoaning the greedy tactics on display. Here’s a look at what your $2 spent on microtransactions will get you in 2019. What is really rubbing fans the wrong way, is that this reticle, while of course not a work of art by any means, is pretty much a copy and paste job from the reticle that was available (for free) in the original Black Ops – and also in Black Ops III. Reddit user u/thunde-r pointed out that the “legendary” $2 reticle was familiar to them, showing where long time fans of the Black Ops series might have seen it before. It should be pointed out that this reticle is purely cosmetic, and won’t give anyone an advantage (in fact, considering its wide shape, it may put you at a disadvantage), but players are not happy that even the most basic items are being monetized. If you care about actually being good at the game though, you won’t have to drop a dime, instead, just check out this in-depth class setup guide for public matches, which will have you topping the leaderboard every game.

SpaceLy and co. win Nov 18-19 NA CWL 2K tournament – recap and final placements The November 18-19 Call of Duty World League Black Ops 4 2000 Series tournament has now concluded for the North American region. A roster featuring SpaceLy, MajorManiak, Havok, Nagafen, and Maux claimed victory in the third 2K of the season, securing the maximum 2,000 Pro Points and $1,500 first place cash prize. They defeated the team known as ‘Regginald The 3rd,’ which features Evasion, GorgoKnight, LlamaGod, Sender, and Swarley, who were all playing in their first ever 2K finals. Despite the heavy talent on both sides, the matchup proved to be a lot more one-sided than many would expect, as SpaceLy and co. swept their opponents 3-0. This is the third straight impressive performance that this squad has put in to start the Black Ops 4 season; they lost to OpTic Gaming in the finals of the first 2K on November 5 and lost to Splyce in the quarterfinals of last week’s tournament. With all five players firing on all cylinders, and team chemistry clearly at its peak, SpaceLy’s team has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the NA region, and they’ll be hungry to make waves at the upcoming CWL Vegas event. The first seven rounds of this 2K tournament were played on November 18, with the competition resuming the next day for the semifinals and grand final. Here are the scorelines for all of the day two matches: SF1: Orgless 11-18 (3-0) Midnight Esports – SF2: SweetChicken (0-3) Regginald The 3rd – Final: Orgless 11-18 (3-0) Reginald The 3rd – For those who may not have noticed, a large number of the most prominent NA teams did not participate in this week’s 2K. This is because eight of the top pro teams, including OpTic Gaming, Splyce, FaZe Clan, eUnited, Luminosity Gaming, Envy, 100 Thieves, and G2 Esports, all opted to compete in another tournament being played at the same time as the 2K. LETS GO 2K #CHAMPS with the squa squa squaddd @MajorManiak @ColtHavok @Nagafen @Maux419 Won Finals 3-0, GG’s to everyone we played #Orgless — SpaceLy – Mike (@SpaceLy) November 20, 2018 The final placements for the top-32 teams can be seen in the table below, and the full bracket for this tournament is available on the MLG 2K web-page HERE. Recaps of the 2Ks played in the other two regions can be viewed via the following links:

QwiKeR and co. win first EU CWL 2K tournament of Black Ops 4 season – recap and final placements The first MLG GameBattles 2000 Series tournament for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 season has now wrapped up for the European region. A roster featuring ‘Nevo,’ ‘Weeman,’ ‘QwiKeR,’ ‘Dylan,’ and ‘Nolson’ claimed victory in the 2K tournament, securing the maximum 2,000 Pro Points and the $1,500 first place prize. They entered the tournament with the team name of ‘DQWNN,’ since they do not yet have an organization to represent, which could change after this top performance. DQWNN defeated the roster of ‘Niall,’ ‘Zerg,’ ‘Keza,’ ‘Creza,’ and ‘Braaain’ in the finals, another team which has not yet been recruited by an org. Both finalists played two matches on November 5, as they were also victorious in their semi-final matchups against XXX and XXX respectively. Won the first EU 2K of the BO4 season! Ggs to all the teams we played. Shoutout the squad @DylanCOD_ @RobbeNevo @NolsonCoD @Weeman_CC #TeamSween #Needanorg — Shea (@QwiKeR) November 6, 2018 Prior to the second day of competition, many of the region’s well-known teams were knocked out in the earlier rounds. EU powerhouses Red Reserve, Gone Gaming, Team Reciprocity, and the org-less squad featuring veterans MadCat, Dqvee, and others were all eliminated in day one, all finishing 5th-8th and claiming 600 Pro Points each. The EU 2K tournament was the second of its kind to be played over the past few days; the APAC region’s competition ended on November 4 with Tainted Minds defeated Mindfreak in the finals.

xQc’s keyboard took a beating during his Blackout beta stream Professional Overwatch player and streamer Félix ‘xQc’ Lengyel was taking part in the Blackout PC pre-order beta when he experienced a few rage-inducing moments on stream. In one instance, it appeared as though his keyboard wasn’t bound to the correct controls. He hid out in a nearby building to quickly rebind them, but didn’t get a proper chance to do so before an enemy ran up to meet him. He was quickly dispatched, causing the streamer to throw a couple of punches at his keyboard in frustration. “I fucked up the fucking bindings, dude!” he said in despair, throwing his hands over his head. That wasn’t the end of the salt, either. After another death, xQc had beef with one of the game’s announcers, who state, “Outgunned, outplayed, and out of luck,” upon a player’s defeat. xQc threw his headphones down and questioned the comms after spectating began. “I’m sorry – what did the game say to me?” he asked. “Out-combated, outgunned – fuck you man, that’s just a free game, man, I don’t want to watch that,” as he exited the spectating screen. During a subsequent game, xQc exchanged gunfire with another player on an open road and appeared to get a few hits in. However, his opponent took the victory, taking him out after just two shots. The streamer was incredulous at his defeat and punched his keyboard again, opening his palms in exasperation. “What the fuck just happened?” This isn’t the first time xQc has had explosive moments on stream – in fact, he is noted for his larger-than-life reactions, some of which have been compiled on his YouTube channel. xQc is likewise known for his skill in Overwatch, and has played for the Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League’s inaugural season, as well as for Team Canada during the Overwatch World Cup.

xQc stunned by toxic Call of Duty players in Black Ops Cold War xQc/ActivisionTwitch Star Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel is no stranger to trash talk, but what he heard while playing Call of Duty: Cold War was enough to throw even him for a loop. [jwplayer Q7ySHZq9] Call of Duty: Cold War is one of the hottest games on Twitch right now, and xQc certainly seems to have gotten a taste of the series’ legendary chatroom toxicity. We’re not saying that this is a symptom of the CoD community overall, but the series has built up a reputation for being host to some hilariously venomous lobbies. xQc found this out firsthand while sitting in a lobby, and after getting knocked out. Ask anyone who’s played Call of Duty for long enough, and there’s a good chance is they’ll have a hilarious story about a toxic lobby or three that they’ve been a part of over the years. Now, xQc can officially add that to his list of accomplishments as well. During a late-night/early morning stream on November 17, Felix ran into a rowdy lobby he tried to calm down in vain, before being called out himself. “Guys, guys, guys, it’s 3 AM on a f***ing Monday, you guys are playing Call of Duty talking shit,” the former Overwatch pro begged, to no avail, and got told to shut his mouth, just not quite with that exact term. After this, you’d probably figure things couldn’t get more radioactive, right? Well, you would be wrong, because Felix also ran into some incredibly toxic personalities while he was playing. After getting knocked out, xQc asked, “It was you right?” before being told in graphic detail what his assailant wanted to do to him. We won’t type the quote out here, but the clip below should give you the gist. The Canadian does come from the wild west that can be Overwatch games, but nothing really compares to being cursed out by an absolute random in CoD. Whether Felix will return to Black Ops remains to be seen, especially since he seems to have had the full experience during this stream alone.

xQc slams CoD Vanguard’s ‘busted’ TTK: “People are so tanky” Twitch: xQc / ActivisionFelix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has been giving the Call of Duty Vanguard Beta a go, but it wasn’t long before he slammed the “busted” TTK and claimed people are tankier compared to previous titles. Call of Duty Vanguard’s beta is already drawing mixed opinions from casual players, content creators, and pros. They’ve been quick to pinpoint issues with field upgrades, visual effects, and skins. To make matters worse, hackers have been running rampant too. It didn’t stop xQc from giving it a go himself though. However, it only took the Twitch star a handful of deaths for him to reach a conclusion of his own: He believes the TTK is “busted”. xQc was in the middle of a skirmish when an enemy rushed through the door he was covering. He tagged him several times, prompting the enemy to jump as a last-ditch effort to survive. He eventually went down, but another enemy killed xQc seconds later. “Why is it that I shoot eight bullets and the guy doesn’t die? Like, what is this,” he said. “Compared to other Call of Duty games, people are so f**king tanky. It’s so busted. The TTK is dogsh*t. “What it’s going to do is people are going to run with f**king Drum Mags all the time, right? “They’re going to be just [holding] left-click the whole time. Just hold down the f**king trigger, man. It’s f**king bullshit. It fosters inaccurate and stupid gameplay.” xQc expressed concerns about CoD Vanguard when it was first announced, and playing it hasn’t seemed to alleviate all of them. Keep in mind, though, that it’s not uncommon for developers to improve on their games after the beta runs its course. So, things could change when the game officially launches on November 5.

xQc slams CoD for selling Nicki Minaj skin after removing NICKMERCS’ Activision BlizzardPopular streamer xQc slammed Activision for keeping rapper Nicki Minaj’s skin in Call of Duty despite removing NICKMERCS’ operator due to his controversial remarks in 2023. While playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, xQc spoke to his stream chat about Operator skins, specifically NICKMERCS’ removed skin and Nicki Minaj’s cosmetics. “How come they take off NICKMERCS’ f****** Operator for one thing he says, and they don’t remove Nicki Minaj, and she’s been going off her f****** rocker on some crack-head sh**?” the streamer said on Kick. NICKMERCS came under fire in June 2023 for his response to a video showing a brawl that ensued between pro and anti-LGBT demonstrators outside of a California school board meeting over recognizing Pride Month. His post on social media about the situation sparked controversy because he defended the anti-LGBT protestors. In response, the FaZe Clan content creator took a long break from streaming the title and claimed that his comments were not meant to hurt anyone. The “crack-head sh**” xQc mentioned was Minaj’s recent social media tirade and beef with Megan Thee Stallion. The feud between the two rappers started when Megan released the song ‘Hiss,’ where fans thought she threw some shade toward Minaj. During this time, Minaj had been posting a slew of eye-popping comments across social media and lashed out at Megan in a viral Instagram livestream. xQc statement implies that there is a double standard from Activision toward controversial figures and their inclusion in CoD. The comparison, in this writer’s opinion, might not be as simple as the streamer makes it out to be as NICKMERCS is considered one of the faces of Call of Duty, while Minaj doesn’t interact with the game or its community nearly as much. Activision might feel different if Minaj comes out and does something controversial while representing CoD, but the two’s situations are completely different.

xQc shows why camping is ‘ruining’ Warzone with IRL demonstration Twitch: xQc/ActivisionTwitch star Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel showed how camping is ‘ruining’ Call of Duty: Warzone with a demonstration that had some pretty hilarious moments. Since it released on March 10, Warzone has been a big hit for Call of Duty. 30 million players have dropped in for at least one match on the Verdansk map – with tournaments for big-name content creators being held by a number of different organizers. As a variety streamer, xQc has dabbled in the battle royale with varying success – though he has picked up plenty of wins and kills along the way. He’s had his issues with Warzone, though, showing how mantling is “broken” by hilariously jumping around his bedroom. In a similar fashion to that, he explained why he believes camping is ruining the game. During his March 26 stream, the former Overwatch League professional had been waiting for a game of Warzone to load up when he gave a pretty funny analysis of his previous game. “Some people are so slow-paced, they literally ruin the game dude,” the Canadian said before jumping up out of his chair and running around in circles in his room – claiming that was how his team played. However, he took a dive to the floor and hilariously started rolling around – mocking how other teams had been playing at a snail’s pace and just camping in one spot. “Yo Jeremy, you got lunch dude? You got snackies? Guys, guys there are people fighting outside guys,” he added, imitating his fellow players. Of course, camping is an issue with other battle royales because it is a playstyle that is easy to adopt – but there’s no doubt that xQc left his chat in laughter as he rolled around on the floor. One Call of Duty leaker has claimed that a limited-time mode is coming in season three that could force players to play at a faster pace because the gas would close in much quicker than normal – and xQc’s woes may finally be over.

xQc roasts TimTheTatman’s ‘spectator’ Warzone streams Twitch: xQc / TimTheTatmanFelix ‘xQc’ Lengyel couldn’t believe what he was watching after tuning into one of TimTheTatman’s Warzone streams – where he spends the majority of time just spectating other players. xQc has been vocal about a lot of things lately, including why he’s planning to increase donation costs on his channel, why people claiming Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins has fallen off are wrong, and how annoying it is to deal with “unreasonable” haters on social media. However, he doesn’t like being serious all the time, and he poked a bit of fun at fellow star TimTheTatman after watching him die repeatedly only to spectate enemies. xQc explained that he was watching TimTheTatman stream Warzone the other day and couldn’t believe how often he was dying. “He actually played it for a total amount of maybe like twenty minutes over the course of six hours,” laughed xQc. “He would drop in, die, and spectate the whole f**king game from start to finish. Then he would just sit there and comment. He would just sit there and watch the whole game. The whole game!” xQc isn’t the only one to roast him. Many others, including Nicholas ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff, Guy ‘Dr Disrespect’ Beahm, and even the official Fall Guys Twitter account have all ripped into him from time to time. However, Tim never seems phased about being the butt of the joke. He even embraces it, which is something his fans love about him, including multi-award-winning rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer, T-Pain. He’s been using the spectating content to great effect too, providing his viewers with as many hilarious moments as him playing himself.

xQc immediately regrets mocking CoD controller players Activision/Twitch: xQcThe mouse and keyboard versus controller debate is one that will likely last forever, but Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel had a rude awakening when discussing how “easy” playing Call of Duty on controller is. [jwplayer QIWQDyD7] The entire argument falls back on the ‘PC Master Race’ idea, with players believing that mouse & keyboard on PC is the optimal way to play any game, especially when it comes to first-person shooters. Obviously, it all comes down to personal preference. In CoD alone, we see players like Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff stick to his controller roots, while his oft-teammate Tim ‘TimTheTatman’ Betar prefers to play on mouse and keyboard. xQc falls into the same category as Tim, having made his name as a professional Overwatch player and one of Twitch’s top streamers on mouse and keyboard — and clearly doesn’t have the highest opinion of controller players. While playing through the new Black Ops Cold War campaign on a controller, xQc explains why quickscoping on a controller isn’t that impressive, but it quickly comes back to bite him. “There’s bullet magnetism, there’s auto-aim, there’s crosshair magnetism…” the Canadian star said, before telling his viewers to look at how easy it is. He then proceeded to miss several more shots than he hit, instantly proving himself wrong and regretting mocking controller players before actually testing what he was talking about. “In this case,” he continued after missing a flurry of shots, “it’s a glitch. It’s a glitch.” xQc went sheepishly silent after the clip, while his chat burst out in laughter given the incredible timing of what he had been saying about quickscoping on a controller. Obviously xQc won’t be that upset about it, but he might think twice before he makes comments like that about controller players again.

xQc gets stream sniped in the weirdest way possible while playing Blackout It doesn’t matter what game popular Twitch streamer Félix “xQc” Lengyel is playing since it looks like his stream snipers will follow him wherever he goes. While xQc is known for his off-the-wall Overwatch streams, he’s been heavily dabbling into Black Ops 4 ever since the game released on October 12, even being one of the first to showcase the infamous glider glitch in Blackout. Since then, however, it looks like he’s spending much of his time getting stream sniped by some of his dedicated viewers. What sets this particular stream sniper apart, though, is the manner in which they decided to go about trying to take out xQc. Instead of simply trying to seek out xQc while he was hiding inside of a barn fighting off another attacker, this stream sniper took it one step further and introduced some theatrics into the occasion in the form of a helicopter. xQc takes out one opponent before quickly deciding to leave the barn and only then does he notice that someone is (unsuccessfully) trying to fly a helicopter into the barn. “Dude are you… Fucking snipers dude!” xQc yells as he quickly dispatches of the sly stream sniper. “Are you kidding me?!” Despite dealing with the pesky sniper, xQc still managed to tally eight kills before ultimately coming in 9th place during that game. Read More: Final three rounds of first NA CWL 2K tournament in Black Ops 4 – streams, bracket, and updating placements – While we may not see xQc play in the Overwatch League again anytime soon, he might have a career in Blackout if he can shake off these ridiculous stream snipers.

xQc explains why Warzone mantling is broken with hilarious IRL demo Activision / Twitch: xQcPopular Twitch streamer Félix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has given a visual explanation of how and why the mantling system in new Call of Duty battle royale Warzone is so broken – with hilarious results. Warzone released on Tuesday, March 10 as a free-to-play battle royale title, with Modern Warfare owners getting exclusive early access. It has become an immediate hit with players, bringing new layers to the BR genre and making sure it feels fresh. However, there are obviously some pains and awkward issues with the game, and one xQc has decided to speak out on is mantling, be it through windows, building, walls or various other terrains. “Sometimes,” he says, “you hop over an obstacle and boom, easy,” acting out the leap his player model takes to jump over certain objects or obstacles in his way. Then, though, he moves on to issues he has mantling over small rocks. Standing at the foot of his bed, he reenacts his character trying to mantle over a rock on the ground, crawling and flailing but not actually moving anywhere. Finally getting up and returning to his desk, xQc simply asked: “What the f**k is happening with the game?” while waiting for his teammates to redeploy him. Obviously, with the game still so new, there are bound to be issues that Infinity Ward will need to address and iron out, but it has been relatively bug-free and there haven’t been any major causes for concern, which is a particularly impressive feat. That said, there have been some issues in the game including a glitch that allows players to stay in the gas permanently, something Infinity Ward rolled out a hotfix for as quickly as possible on March 12. Of course, the mantling could still do with some improvement, but it’s not particularly game-breaking at this moment in time – though it might have broken xQc.

xQc explains the problem with World War 2 games amid CoD Vanguard reveal Sledgehammer Games/Twitch: xQcAfter watching the Call of Duty: Vanguard reveal trailer, Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel explained the problem with World War 2 games in general, along with his main concern about the game itself. Call of Duty: Vanguard isn’t too far away now that the reveal event is done and dusted. But while most fans and streamers were thrilled with what they saw, like new gunsmith features and anti-cheat measures, xQc wasn’t one of them. He kicked off the conversation by sharing his thoughts about how World War 2 games have been run into the ground. “The problem with war in this scenario is that we’ve run out of them. There hasn’t been enough,” he said. xQc praised the Call of Duty developers for always finding a way to “make the game good enough for people to buy it” even though some aspects “look crazy or look bad.” Still, he has some doubts about whether this one will be successful. “The problem I have is that I think what makes people excited for these games is, in my opinion, the technology, and what I mean by that is their guns and sh*t,” he said. “But I feel like now we’ve hit the cap where it’s all been discovered. It’s all out there. Now, I feel like going back to this era; it’s going to be, I don’t know, it’s going to be pretty…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but you can tell what he implied if you read between the lines. And in the end, he wrapped things up by saying he hopes the game will be a pleasant surprise, although he isn’t convinced it will be. xQc has more or less made up his mind about Call of Duty: Vanguard. However, the jury is still out for many others, and it will be until the game releases on November 5, 2021. Read More: Call of Duty: Vanguard Campaign mode – Fortunately, dedicated players will have a chance to test it themselves during the alpha phase, which is expected to take place between August 27 – 29. Perhaps we’ll get a better idea of it then.

xQc discovers ridiculous movement speed exploit in Call of Duty Blackout Popular Twitch streamer Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel discovered a glitch with the wingsuit in Blackout, that will allow your character to move much faster than simply sprinting. The wingsuit is always on your character in Blackout, allowing you to jump from heights like the Hydro Dam or Construction site. It is intended to only be usable from a certain height, however, xQc found a way to simply spam the wingsuit even when just jumping on the ground. The character then appears to glide for a short distance, before sprinting again, which can then be repeated constantly. The movement speed is much faster than simply sprinting, or sprinting and jumping. It is unclear what the exact combination or timing of xQc’s key presses are, but given how easily he replicates it, it appears straightforward. To bring out the wingsuit, you just need to hold the jump key/button, while sprinting (off a ledge typically, but not in this case). xQc is of course playing on PC with a keyboard and mouse, and it is unknown if the same movement glitch can be replicated with a controller on console. Developers Treyarch have said they will be rolling out a big game update sometime in the next week, so it’s possible that they are already aware of the issue and have a fix planned. But, this is one of the first instances of the glitch captured by a top streamer or YouTuber, meaning if Treyarch wasn’t aware, they soon will be.

xQc died an unfortunate (and hilarious) death in Blackout Twitch streamer and Overwatch player Félix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has been hopping on the Blackout train – with some pretty hilarious hijinks along the way. More than a few of these debacles are caught during his broadcasts. He suffered a pretty grueling defeat at the hand of a cluster grenade during one of his recent streams of the game, after his teammate stuck one to the body of a fallen player. Although his teammate made sure to warn him in advance, it looks as if xQc didn’t see the body until he was already on top of it. The weapon exploded, killing both xQc and his teammate instantly. xQc wasn’t too happy about this development, and took out his frustrations on his keyboard – as is tradition. “You can’t be [serious],” he shouted. “You stuck him. Pogchamp.” “What?” his teammate responded. “I did. I killed him.” The streamer is known for his hilarious and over-the-top reactions during his broadcasts, which can stem from both rage-inducing moments and elation alike. It looks as if this instance marked one of the former scenarios, which his audience found especially entertaining. Blackout is Call of Duty’s first-ever take on the battle royale genre. It released worldwide on October 12th alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and is available for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Although xQc is primarily an Overwatch player, he and other players from different scenes are having fun in Blackout mode – even if they suffer a few mishaps along the way.

xQc demonstrates the fastest way to drop into Black Ops 4’s Blackout map Along with what seems like almost everyone else on Twitch, streamer Félix ‘xQc’ Lengyel has been playing Blackout, the recently-released Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode, and took the time to quickly walk viewers through his highly-optimized drop-in strategy. As soon as he’s clear of the helicopter, xQc called out the exact coordinates and angles needed to drop on top of the large building at the construction site. He was fired at almost instantly upon landing and tried to make another evasive dive off the building, attempting to hit a shipping container hanging from a crane. He didn’t stay there for long before trying to drop down to the ground below, but this time his wingsuit wouldn’t deploy and he wasn’t able to survive the fall. “Listen, you might have to come get me, you might have to pick me up,” xQc informs his teammate as he laughs and crawls on the ground. All the streamer would admit was that “Something happened,” before putting his head in his hand in embarrassment. xQc is one of many streamers trying out the recently-released Black Ops 4 for viewers, and most of them, including Félix, seem to be having a pretty good time in the new battle royale mode. Blackout has had a lot of people excited for Call of Duty’s latest installment, and now that it’s out, it seems to be living up to most of that pre-release hype.

xQc confronts and exposes Warzone hacker in bizarre stream sniper interview Activision/xQcTwitch icon Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel confronted and exposed a Warzone hacker on stream after the notorious rule-breaker proceeded to stream-snipe and hunt the French Canadian. Warzone has been plagued by hackers for a long time with nothing seemingly being done to combat the numerous waves of cheaters haunting players. xQc wasn’t immune to these antics either and found himself being targeted by a player amusingly named ReportMeIHack with xQcOW as his clan tag — a clear indicator that he was stream sniping the Twitch star — something that has enraged him in the past. During a recent broadcast, instead of just leaving the game and queuing again, xQc decided instead to engage with the hacker who continued to watch his stream, resulting in a bizarre interview of sorts. Lengyel even encouraged the hacker to show him the ridiculous things they could do with their cheating software and witnessed the abuser secure frags through walls without even looking where they were shooting. Read More: Dr Disrespect finally uninstalls Warzone – “Is he using Magic Bullet like in Overwatch?” the former OWL pro asked. “It’s a thing that makes you look like you’re hitting your shot even though you’re not hacking?” With that, the hacker proceeded to nod up and down, indicating that Lengyel was right about what was going on. “So, this is a hack like one that was in Overwatch called Magic Bullet. The way it worked was you would hit your shots even if you’re not looking at your target. So, if you’re close, your shots are going to hit and it’s going to look like you’re not hacking,” xQc explained, showcasing his own knowledge. The madness was far from over. The hacker would answer a lot of xQc’s questions by spraying bullets into walls to form words for Lengyel to read, resulting in a weird Q&A session of sorts. According to the hacker, while they would occasionally be banned, it was never permanent. Plus, Felix even got the player to admit their hack only cost them $20. A wildly small price to pay to ruin games for hundreds of others. “Twenty bucks and you get to f**k everybody up,” xQc groaned. As for how he was able to avoid IP and machine bans, the hacker had an answer for that too. “VPN Spoofer,” they wrote by spraying bullets in a wall. When it was all said and done, the hacker ended up winning the game with ease, but not before Felix could get a final word in. “The anti-cheats and the systems are not good enough to counteract it,” he said in response to viewers not wanting to give the hacker a platform. “It’s going to be complete degeneracy!” It seems highly unlikely that Activision will be able to get its hacker problem under control any time soon, given the state the game has been in for so long. Chalk this up as just another streamer having his game ruined by cheaters, but at least xQc was able to get some pretty unique content out of it. As for the hacker, when asked about if they had any plans to do anything with their life, they just put down a spray of an anime girl and a heart, so one can assume they’re definitely going places.

xQc and Call of Duty lobbies are a match made in trash-talk heaven Twitch, xQcOWFamous Twitch streamer Felix ‘xQc” Lengyel is never one to shy from a screaming battle. So it should be no surprise that, during an impromptu Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War stream, he kept CoD’s trash-talking traditions alive. Call of Duty is well known for its in-game trash talking, from multiplayer, to Warzone, to the CDL, trash talk has always been… prominent. xQc has had notable interactions with other people while playing games himself, but this is his latest encounter to come from Call of Duty. The streamer did not hold back while playing Cold War and let everyone in the lobby know he was not one to mess with. xQc with top-tier CoD trash talk The Twitch star got into a heated trash-talk session with players in his multiplayer match. During halftime of his Domination game, xQc was explaining to his chat that it was unrealistic to survive a point-blank explosion. The opponents did not like xQc “complaining” and it led to a full on screaming battle taking digs at everyone. Read More: CDL 2021 Minnesota Home Series – Later on in the game xQc talked about why he thinks Call of Duty’s players are bad. He mentions how devs take time creating a game mode that revolves around objective play but people just ignore that and lose on purpose to get more kills. It’s clear xQc cares about one thing and one thing only: winning. For those who wonder if he went on to win the game, yes. xQc and his team were able to rally for the victory and the post-game reaction is pure comedy. Later on in his stream xQc tried out League Play and the competitive side of the game. Let’s just say, no matter what game mode he’s playing there is no avoiding the trash talk. After getting rolled 3-0 in a game of control the enemy team thanked him for the win, xQc claimed the other team got lucky because he didn’t have proper classes. xQc is signed to Luminosity Gaming, the parent org for CDL team Seattle Surge, which lends to some interesting potential. It’s obvious that he’s built for the lobby trash talk, so maybe we can see him debut in Challengers if the gunny can catch up. After all, he was pretty good as a pro in the Overwatch League.

Xotic’s response to Parasite putting him on blast during EG CoD roster drama might surprise you Dexerto | MLGChristopher ‘Parasite’ Duarte was incensed when he discovered that his teammate, John ‘Xotic’ Bruno, was leaving the team at the last minute, and he wasn’t afraid to let the world know. After hearing that Xotic was joining Evil Geniuses, and that his team would be losing a pool play spot as a result, Parasite stated: “Xotic sketched for EG and gave away our pool play spot to a team we are better than lmfao. He didn’t even tell us until just now and he knew for days. Scum.” When Xotic tried to explain his side of the story, Parasite responded with a line that became an instant Call of Duty trash talk classic, saying: “Pipe down. You’re worthless. You’re not a friend of mine and I honestly hope the rest of your career is plagued with failure. You will never be a champion. You are a coward.” Evil Geniuses have now confirmed the move and their rivalry with Parasite’s team is already expected to be one of the best heading into CWL Las Vegas in December, but Xotic’s response to all of the drama might come as a surprise. 100 Thieves’ owner, Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, already turning Parasite’s roast into a ‘copypasta’, used it in a lighthearted response to one of his players, Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat, and Xotic was the first to admit that it’s one of the best roasts CoD has ever seen. “This gotta be the best thing that’s ever been said in cod history,” the Canadian player said in response to Nadeshot on Twitter: This gotta be the best thing thats ever been said in cod history — John (@Xotic16) November 16, 2018 Xotic doubled down on those statements when his response made its way to Reddit, saying that he finds it funny and conceding that he understands Parasite’s frustrations. “It is funny. I know why he’s mad and he has all the right too. I didn’t want it to happen this way,” he said, continuing to make it clear that he regrets the timing of the move and the way it occured. Read More: Major changes made to CWL ruleset ahead of CWL Vegas tournament – map pool, item restrictions, and more – Parasite, Adam ‘GodRx’ Brown, Casey ‘Pandur’ Romano and Dylan ‘Theory’ McGee played scrims with Andres ‘Lacefield’ Lacefield on November 16. Given the fact that Lacefield was the player that Xotic replaced on Evil Geniuses, the direct swap would make a lot of sense for Parasite and company.

XM4 ‘SMG’ Warzone loadout could be new close-range meta weapon ActivisionWith Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Season 4 dropping back on June 17, the XM4 assault rifle has been tearing Verdansk up. Many players have realised how strong it can be up close so, with that in mind, here’s a loadout for an insanely strong ‘SMG’ XM4. New Warzone seasons and patches mean new weapon metas. While the XM4, as the first AR players unlock, has remained consistently popular in Black Ops Cold War, it has had a negligible impact in Verdansk so far. That looks to be changing though, with the AR breaking its way into the game’s most popular weapons for the first time. Many have realised that its high fire rate and top tier damage make it an incredibly strong close-quarters weapon and, with the right attachments, can be made into an SMG-AR hybrid of epic proportions. While the XM4 undoubtedly has weaknesses – its recoil and mag size to name a couple – these can be minimised in Warzone with the right play-style and attachments. The following XM4 prioritizes handling speed and firepower, meaning accuracy is pushed to the back-burner even more than normal. Using this build at long ranges is not advisable, unless you have professional-level aim. ‘SMG’ Close Range XM4 Warzone Loadout Muzzle: Suppressor – Barrel: 13.5″ Task Force – Stock: Raider Pad – Ammunition: 45 Rnd – Optic: Microflex LED – As previously mentioned, this weapon prioritizes handling speed and firepower. The Suppressor speeds up ADS time and sprint-to-fire time, as does the Raider Pad stock. These attachments allow you to get your sights up rapidly and are perfect to deal with pesky enemies nearby. The 13.5″ Task Force barrel improves bullet velocity and strafe speed, meaning your bullets will hit their target faster while you remain a more elusive target. The 45 Rnd mags give you 15 extra shots, but don’t slow ADS or sprint-to-fire time unlike some of the 60 Rnd attachments. Finally, the Microflex LED gives you a nice clear optic to ensure bullets are maximally accurate, in spite of the gun’s obvious recoil. This is one attachment that you can swap out – if you’re confident of controlling the weapon’s recoil while using its mediocre iron sights. The Tiger Team Spotlight will be perfect for those who want to get rid of the optic. We’ve seen the incredible slaying power of SMGs like the MAC-10 and MP5 recently, but this XM4, if played with sensibly, will give them all a run for their money.

XDefiant players worry releasing at the same time as MW3’s beta is “not smart” Activision & UbisoftUbisoft Executive Producer Mark Rubin finally announced a release window for XDefiant, but community members fear an overlap with the Modern Warfare 3 beta. XDefiant is a free-to-play, first-person arena shooter made by Ubisoft. Fans got their hands on the upcoming game during an open beta in June, and the test period made a strong first impression within the FPS community. XDefiant dominated Twitch viewership, surpassing Call of Duty, and FaZe Jev claimed the game’s worst map is better than any COD map in years. Despite obvious comparisons, Rubin downplayed any competition by claiming: “This game will not “kill” Call of Duty. Only Call of Duty can kill Call of Duty. This will be a game for those who want someone else to play that is similar to Call of Duty.” If you were still to compare, XDefiant held one key advantage. Modern Warfare 3 releases worldwide on November 10, giving XDefiant a headstart as it was scheduled to release “late summer.” However, setbacks pushed the launch back, possibly infringing on the MW3 beta dates. XDefiant players worry about looming MW3 beta On September 11, Rubin provided fans with a long-awaited update on XDefiant’s development process. After detailing how the game submission process works, Rubin confirmed the game did not pass after being submitted in late July. The team has spent the past month working toward a resubmission, hopefully in the next two weeks. The results of the resubmission will decide if the arena-shooter releases mid-to-late September or early to mid-October. Modern Warfare 3 private beta dates start on October 6, concluding with an open beta from October 14-16. XDefiant players warned the developers about going toe-to-toe with the industry giant. Call of Duty reporter Keshav Bhat questioned how it will work out for XDefiant potentially releasing at the same time as the MW3 beta. Warzone content creator FaZe Swagg responded: “Not smart on their part.” Call of Duty community member RaidAway added: “I know they said they aren’t a competitor to Call of Duty, but naturally they are. May kill the vibes off the start, I don’t know.” Only time will tell if Ubisoft’s latest FPS project stands the test of time or becomes an afterthought in the shadow of Modern Warfare 3.

XDefiant players split over possibility of competing with COD Ubisoft / ActivisonXDefiant made a dazzling first impression on FPS community members, but players are still unsure whether it will have what it takes to compete with the next COD title. Players often tout upcoming FPS games as the next “COD killer,” but taking down the industry giant has proven to be a tall task. Turbulent launch windows and controversial content strategies held Battlefield 2042 and Halo Infinite back, while smaller projects such as Splitgate failed to take off. XDefiant is the latest competitor to enter the ring. Ubisoft recruited former COD devs and players to create a fast-paced FPS multiplayer experience. The devs hosted a close beta, and community members labeled it as a “promising competitor.” Now with open beta and full release coming soon, players wonder if this could finally be a worthy challenger to the seemingly invincible titan. Can XDefiant take on Call of Duty? On June 12, at Ubisoft Forward, Executive Producer Mark Rubin announced an XDefiant open beta release window and unveiled a roadmap for the game’s first year. The FPS title is set to launch with 14 maps, 24 weapons, five factions, and multiple familiar game modes. And then, over a one-year window, Ubisoft plans on adding 12 new maps and weapons to the game. Over one million players participated in the game’s closed beta, and it surpassed Call of Duty in Twitch viewership, XDefiant’s early success led to Jake Lucky asking FPS fans if it has what it takes to take on COD. Rumors point to a November release date for Modern Warfare 3. Some community members believe a late summer release could be perfect for XDefiant if the leak holds true. One player responded: “If XDefiant released in the next few months pre-MWIII it could seriously take over.” A second user added: “With the current state of COD, I personally think Xdefiant has an opportunity to get on top of the competitive field here.” Not everyone agreed with that sentiment. A third player claimed: “COD is never going to be dethroned… they are just too big to fail… right?” As for what Rubin thinks, he suggested: “This game will not “kill” Call of Duty. Only Call of Duty can kill Call of Duty. This will be a game for those who want someone else to play that is similar to Call of Duty.” Players can give XDefiant a try for themselves when the open beta begins on June 21.

XDefiant players claim it brings back “OG COD” spirit MW3 doesn’t have UbisoftUbisoft’s FPS title is hitting COD players in the feels, as XDefiant players share it reminds them of the “OG” Call of Duty days. For nearly two decades, Call of Duty has dominated the FPS scene. Not many titles have successfully replicated the COD formula, though many have tried. Despite its headaches like netcode and hit registration, XDefiant has seemingly done that. Providing a 6v6 hero shooter with COD action and customization, Ubisoft’s FPS has created a niche in the FPS scene with millions of players hooked. Since XDefiant arrived, the game’s player base has spent night and day comparing it to COD. One such comparison was how XDefiant has felt like a throwback to COD’s early days. MW3 is popular, sure, but it’s also one of the lowest-reviewing COD games in a long time. Many players aren’t happy with it, although its seasonal content has been well-received. In XDefiant’s subreddit, one player shared how the legendary “one more game” turned into a 6-hour experience. “I kept saying ‘last game’ and then would play another hour before saying it again now it’s 9 pm… I have a k/d of 0.5 but I feel like I’m in early OG cod MW days with how locked in I am.” Another similar post came from a player who straight-up declared XDefiant is “still better than COD.” Their argument came as a fan who’s tired of skill-based matchmaking, the thorn in COD’s multiplayer side for years now according to many. “I actually think I won’t buy another FPS game unless I know it doesn’t have SBMM. For me, that is the poison in games right now,” they stated before sending massive praise to the development team. XDefiant was dubbed the “COD-killer” during its development cycle as it intended to drop what’s made Call of Duty so convoluted to some. No SBMM, a simplified attachment system, and the lack of a price of entry are just a few of the changes the title has embraced. As mentioned, there are still plenty of issues to address. Yet, given the infancy of the title, there’s plenty of time to sort them out, and players are excited to have another FPS title that challenges the long-standing series.

XclusiveAce’s revamped MW2 perk system gets players’ instant approval ActivisionCoD YouTuber TheXclusiveAce has unveiled what he would change about Modern Warfare 2’s perk system, and players of the game think it’s the perfect solution. Modern Warfare 2 stuck to the established CoD formula in some ways and sought to innovate it in others. One aspect of traditional multiplayer it revamped was the perk system. Where past iterations have let players pick three, MW2 lets players pick four. However, they start matches with two (Base perks) and earn the next two across the course of the match (Bonus & Ultimate perks). This has come in for some criticism from the player base and, ahead of the delayed Season Two, CoD expert TheXclusiveAce has weighed in on the debate. In a January 20 video, the content creator outlined his issues with the current system and how he would change it. He explained: “I think the initial intent of this system was to have your gameplay evolve throughout a match… [but] it feels much more like you’re just being actively held back for an arbitrary reason until you earn the perks and now you’ve unlocked the playstyle you wanted to play with from the beginning.” Instead, Ace proposed three tiers of perks, with the first being “playstyle defining” perks. The second tier would be bonuses for players to choose on top of their playstyle. The third tier would relate more to equipment or movement perks, like Scavenger and Ninja. MW2 players laud XclusiveAce’s suggested perk system It seems to have gone down especially well with the player base. A Reddit post from one player was titled “We really need this reworked perk system” and players flooded in to agree. The general consensus was, like Ace argued in his video, that the altered system would allow players to play how they want from the off, without random restrictions on perks. One fan, for example, wrote: “The most important part is removing the idiotic charge up system… I think his video here is spot on. One can dream.” While Infinity Ward have been tight lipped about perk changes so far, they have promised Season Two will bring a host of community-driven changes. In the words of one Redditor, we can dream.