Author: Nik Ranger

XclusiveAce reveals Vaznev-9K nerf in MW2 was “meaningless” as it still dominates ActivisionCall of Duty MW2 and Warzone 2 expert XclusiveAce claims the Vaznev-9k received a “meaningless” nerf in the Season 2 update. XclusiveAce is one of the most prolific sources of information when it comes to the Call of Duty franchise. His expert analysis videos take an in-depth look at the changes made in both Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 to convert the words from the patch notes into quantifiable results. In his video reviewing the weapon balancing changes made for MW2 Season 2, the YouTuber found the nerf to the Vaznev-9K to be inconsequential to the gun’s effectiveness overall. XclusiveAce breaks down “meaningless” Vaznev-9K nerf in MW2 As explained in his video, the MW2 patch notes revealed that the Vaznev received a nerf at “mid-to-long range damage.” The change, as Ace has it figured, came out to be a slight damage reduction over distance to both the base damage and upper torso damage of the weapon. “This was a completely meaningless change,” he explained. “This changes absolutely nothing for this gun, and therefore for all intents and purposes, the Vaznev went untouched in this update.” This is a major discovery with the launch of Ranked Play, as many casual and Call of Duty League pro players alike believe the gun is overpowered in its current state. OpTic Texas newcomer Ghosty even admitted as much in his first appearance on now-retired CoD legend Scump’s stream. While the Kastov 74U (which is technically an Assault Rifle in MW2) is slightly stronger, it is banned under the CDL ruleset that governs the competitive playlist’s meta. The Fennec 45, which is Warzone 2’s dominant SMG is also banned. This leaves the Lachmann Sub (MP5) as the only strong alternative for both pros and casual players taking on the Ranked ladder.

XclusiveAce reveals insanely broken camera angles in Modern Warfare Popular Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce has shed some light on another issue in Modern Warfare, this time regarding player perspectives and camera angles in-game. Following Modern Warfare’s October 25 release date, there have been numerous patches released to address small bugs and inconsistencies players have been discovering. November 8 saw the release of the 1.07 patch notes which nerfed claymores and the infamous 725 shotgun. However, in a November 8 YouTube video, TheXclusiveAce drew attention to a more serious issue in Modern Warfare – relating to “broken angles” and inaccurate player perspectives. Ace describes the issues as “another big problem with Modern Warfare”, explaining that it was discovered by his girlfriend Enya. While playing Gun Runner, Enya is hiding behind one of the metal crates located towards ‘C’ flag. She is clearly obscured from sight by the metal crate, and cannot see any approaching enemies. Read More: Every Modern Warfare Hardpoint rotation – However, an enemy quickly takes her out with the killcam revealing that she was clearly visible, despite being ostensibly hidden by the metal crate. Ace says he initially considered it as “some of the most extreme peeker’s advantage I’ve ever seen in Call of Duty”. He then clarifies this, explaining it to be a serious camera angle issue in Modern Warfare. The problem is then magnified by Ace, who goes into a private lobby to demonstrate the incredible extent to which the issues can benefit players. While one player is almost entirely visible, with over half of their character model showing, the alternate player’s perspective fails to see the enemy at all. This obviously presents a massive advantage to the player who can see their enemy, particularly in a game with fast TTK (time to kill). The problem is also evident on numerous maps, including Gun Runner and Hackney Yard. Ace explains the issues stems from the fact that character models don’t have two eyes, but one perspective stemming from a single origin. A temporary way of dealing with it is to not stand too close to cover, particularly if an enemy is anticipated to be around the corner. Regardless of the reasons behind it, players will want to see a quick patch in order to minimise its impact in-game.

XclusiveAce explains why he won’t buy MW2 Season Two Battle Pass for “first time ever” ActivisionCall of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce has explained why he won’t be purchasing Modern Warfare 2’s Season Two battle pass, saying he’s simply “not happy” with the content being offered. Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 are rapidly approaching their second season of post-launch content, with all the details now revealed. While there’s plenty for Warzone players to look forward to – most notably the new Ashika Island Resurgence environment – a lot of MW2 players have expressed feeling short-changed. They claim WZ2 is getting more love from the developers than the $70 annual installment. Now, XclusiveAce has shared why he won’t be getting the Season 2 Battle Pass for Modern Warfare 2. XclusiveAce criticizes MW2’s “level of service” ahead of Season Two In a February 8 tweet – following on from the reveal of the official Season 2 roadmap – the immensely popular statistician and creator explained that the poor “level of service” will stop him from buying the new season’s Battle Pass. “As someone that’s only interested in the paid portion of MWII, I’ve decided for the first time ever, I won’t be buying the Battle Pass,” he explained. “This may hurt my ability to get Gun Guides out fast but BPs are designed to support games as a service & I’m not happy with this level of service.” When asked whether it was about plowing more COD Points into the game, Ace responded that it wasn’t, but was about the “principle”. He also said he doesn’t believe there’s a reason to grind traditional 6v6 multiplayer matches outside of weapon camo challenges. Whether he changes his tune is another matter but, for now, the hugely popular creator won’t be purchasing the Battle Pass, even if it hurts his ability to produce YouTube content. Barring any more delays, Season Two of Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 will drop on February 15.

Xbox reportedly offers Sony 10 year deal to keep CoD on PlayStation ActivisionTensions have been high between Sony and Xbox over CoD’s future, if Microsoft completes its landmark purchase of Activision Blizzard, but Xbox reportedly offered Sony 10 more years od CoD on PlayStation. Mircrosoft shocked the video game industry by announcing its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard earlier in 2022. Activision is the publisher behind major franchise like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, so a Microsoft deal would put CoD’s future on PlayStation in jeopardy. However, In a statement to the Verge, Spencer signed an agreement with Sony in January to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for “several more years.” PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan fired back and claimed Spencer only guaranteed Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years after the current CoD and Sony deal ends. Microsoft reportedly offered 10-year CoD deal for PlayStation A new report from the New York Times suggests Microsoft has not offered three, but instead ten years of CoD on PlayStation. Sony declined to comment on the new report. Ryan previously stated about the reported three year offer, “after almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.” In August, Spencer revealed Call of Duty wasn’t the main reason behind the Activision deal, claiming the focus was instead on mobile and PC gaming. Several roadblocks still stand in the way of Microsoft completing a purchase of Activision Blizzard. EU antitrust regulators started an investigation into the deal in early November, and announced it would decide by March 23, 2023 whether to clear or block the deal. We will provide an update if Sony responds to the reported 10 year offer from Xbox.

Xbox Game Pass users blame Call of Duty for price hike and major changes ActivisionMicrosoft’s major Game Pass changes have users furious, and many are pointing fingers at Call of Duty ahead of Black Ops 6’s announced release on the service. In addition to raising prices on all tiers, it was announced that Standard tier subscribers will no longer be able to access first-party Xbox releases on day one, removing what has long been one of the major selling points of Game Pass. This has led many to blame Call of Duty and Activision for the decision, which comes just months before Black Ops 6 is set to release on the service. Xbox users and Game Pass subscribers were quick to slam the changes, with Twitter/X user SynthPotato dubbing it “the ‘Call of Duty Day 1 tax’” and questioning the value of the continued value of a service that many previously called the best deal in gaming. Others quickly pointed out that the change to day one releases directly contradicts promises Microsoft made as recently as May 2024, when Black Ops 6 was announced for Game Pass. One user shared the news along with a video of Xbox President Sarah Bond calling the previous Game Pass strategy “special for Xbox players [and] essential for us” and headline promising that Black Ops 6 wouldn’t be paywalled behind a new tier, which Microsoft told Eurogamer in May. All this has subscribers furious, especially those who aren’t CoD players. As a Reddit user sarcastically said, “Love that everyone has to pay more to fund COD being on there instead of just continuing to release them like normal and let the people that want to buy purchase it.” Another comment on the thread reads, “Day one cod doesn’t sound so good now.” Xbox Game Pass is the latest subscription service to raise prices and make unpopular changes to existing offerings, joining the likes of Twitch and Netflix, the latter of which was widely panned for eliminating its cheapest ad-free tier.

Xbox confirms Modern Warfare 3 Game Pass release date ActivisionAfter months of speculation, Xbox announced a release date for Modern Warfare 3 on Game Pass, making it the first Call of Duty title to join the service. MW3 will officially be added to the Xbox Game Pass on July 24. The title will only be available to Game Pass Ultimate members. Previously, Game Pass Ultimate cost $16.99. However, on July 10, Xbox announced a price increase to $19.99 In response, Game Pass users blamed Call of Duty for the price hike because this decision comes months before Black Ops 6 is set to launch on the service and coincidentally comes right before MW3 gets added. Players pointed out that Xbox President Sarah Bond told Eurogamer on May 30 that the BO6 wouldn’t be paywalled behind a new tier. And while a pay increase isn’t a new tier, some players argued that the price changed because of CoD. Now the floodgates have opened, players also want other series entries on the service. “When are the older Call of Duty games releasing,” CharlieIntel asked. However, FaZe Scope responded to CharlieIntel, argueing that Xbox would have difficulty achieving that feat without having Activision make significant changes. “Unfortunately, it won’t matter until servers are fixed. Old COD games are insanely unstable,” Scope claimed. Modern Warzone suggested that Xbox add World at War, CoD 4, MW2, MW3 (2011), BO1, BO2, and BO3 to Game Pass. But for now, players must settle for MW3 and Black Ops 6 when the title launches on October 25.

Xbox CEO reveals bad news for fans that want COD on Game Pass ActivisionXbox CEO Phil Spencer shared unfortunate news for Call of Duty fans, who want the series on Xbox Game Pass immediately after the Activision Blizard acquisition. Microsoft’s nearly $70 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard took a surprising turn on August 22. Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard teamed up for a 15-year deal that will see Call of Duty and many other Activision games, such as Overwatch and Diablo, become available for streaming on the Ubisoft+ streaming subscription service. Ubisoft acknowledged that the agreement does depend on the successful completion of the Activision Blizzard merger. Microsoft won its court case with the Federal Trade Commission, meaning the final obstacle standing in the way is the UK’s competition and market authority. Spencer told Eurogamer that he remains confident in the restructured deal being approved. However, even if the purchase goes through, that doesn’t necessarily mean COD will immediately join Xbox’s Game Pass lineup. Will Call of Duty be on Xbox Game Pass In an interview with IGN, Spencer revealed that when the Activision Blizzard deal closes, Call of Duty won’t immediately be on Xbox Game Pass. CharlieIntel shared a snippet from the IGN interview. “There is actually work to do to move games to Game Pass. People think the deal closes, and it’s all on Game Pass. That’s not true. It will take us time to get the games on Game Pass.” Adding insult to injury, It wasn’t possible for Modern Warfare 3 to be on Game Pass anyway, as CharlieIntel confirmed. PlayStation has had exclusive marketing rights with Call of Duty since 2014, and Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed PlayStation’s deal runs through at least Modern Warfare 3 in 2023. Microsoft’s landmark acquisition still hangs in the balance, so for complete coverage, make sure to check out our up-to-date guide.

Xbox boss reveals Call of Duty wasn’t main reason behind Activision deal Activision BlizzardHead of Xbox Phil Spencer claims Call of Duty did not count as the main motivating factor behind Microsoft’s Activision deal. Microsoft announced its intention of buying out Activision Blizzard earlier this year in January, a deal that totals nearly $70 billion. Despite regulators such as America’s Federal Trade Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority investigating the agreement, Microsoft believes the acquisition will be finalized by the end of the 2023 fiscal year. Such a historic purchase raises myriad questions, of course. Chief among them is why Microsoft would take the leap, especially amid ongoing troubles related to abuse allegations leveled against Activision Blizzard. What’s the main reason for Xbox’s Activision purchasing deal? In an interview with Bloomberg, Xbox head Phil Spencer revealed some of the thinking behind the Activision takeover. Notably, the publisher’s flagship Call of Duty franchise did not receive mention. Spencer instead said mobile and PC gaming sat at the forefront of Microsoft’s decision to pursue Activision Blizzard. The Microsoft Gaming CEO noted the following, in part: “The biggest gaming platform on the planet is mobile phones. One and a half billion people play on mobile phones. And I guess, regretfully as Microsoft, it’s not a place where we have a native platform. As gaming, coming from console and PC, we don’t have a lot of creative capability that has built hit mobile games. “…we really started the discussions – internally at least – on Activision Blizzard around the capability they had on mobile, and then PC with Blizzard. Those are the two things that were really driving our interest.” Talk of the Xbox and Activision deal begins around the 6:50 mark in the video below: It’s possible Spencer and Co. want to minimize the significance of Call of Duty to the acquisition, given concerns about how the brand’s first-party ownership could impact competition. In response to questions from Brazil’s regulatory body, as relayed by ResetEra’s Idas, Sony called Xbox’s attempt to acquire Activision anti-competitive. Sony, reportedly, supported its argument by noting that COD’s popularity influences the console-buying habits of consumers. Still, Microsoft’s interest in mobile gaming, in particular, is nothing to scoff at. A report from the start of the year claimed users spent more than $116 billion on mobile games alone in 2021.

xQc trips himself in every possible way during Modern Warfare campaign Félix ‘Call of Duty franchise and while he’s been enjoying some aspects of the new title, his fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing during a broadcast on November 4. During one of the missions included in the single player mode, his AI teammates were remaining particularly cautious as he approached a closed door. That didn’t stop him from running full steam ahead, though, and what happened next was comical to say the least. The former Overwatch professional player sprinted right up towards the entrance and decided to smash it open, only to find that there was a tripwire on the other side – blowing his brains out. “OK, I guess that’s why they didn’t want to go fast,” he said. Seemingly not taking the hint, xQc walked right up the same door again and tried to open. In fairness, this time more delicately. Boom, dead again. On a third time of asking, he was met with the same reply again as a third huge explosion broke out in front of his laughing fans – asking his fans what he should do as an alternative. “I’m done. What do you do then?” he added, firing his weapon towards the door in an attempt to set it off. Just seconds later, he resorted to using a grenade but even that never went to plan either. The explosive he tossed at the door came rolling right back towards him and eliminated the teammates, who just stood there waiting to die. He puffed out his cheeks and looked completely finished, but it wasn’t long until he found a solution to his problem. The Canadian approached the door much slower than before, learning from past mistakes, and the time for fails was soon over as it crept open slightly, allowing him to defuse the explosive. Whether or not more of these hilarious moments will come from xQc’s campaign streams in the future remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, the chat loved every second of it.

WZ2 & MW2 Ricochet anti-cheat update finally cracks down on controller users ActivisionActivision announced an update for its Ricochet anti-cheat, introducing new systems to protect players from cheaters. Leading up to the release of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, Activision promised “more protection” and “new mitigation techniques” for its Ricochet anti-cheat system. The developers placed more power into users’ hands by introducing a new in-game reporting system for cheating or offensive actions. Unfortunatley, some community members abused the new system and falsely accused cheaters. Making matters worse, players reported a massive cheating outbreak after the Season 2 update. Activision listened to community feedback and stepped in to reassure fans. Ricochet anti-cheat improves cheat detection in MW2 and WZ2 On April 4, Activision shared a long thread on Twitter detailing multiple changes made to its Ricochet anti-cheat system. Replay Investigation is a new tool the developers use to automatically capture and store all match data from Warzone 2 and multiplayer. The developers can then go back and watch match replays as part of investigations. A Cronus Zen is a small device that players connect to their controllers or PCs. The device gives cheaters in-game benefits such as increased aim assist, rapid-fire mods, and aids for recoil control. The latest Ricochet update finally enables the system to detect users using controllers with a Cronus device attached. Activision stated: “Using controller passthrough devices on PC or console inappropriately will lead to account warnings and more.” Cheating in Ranked Play is a well-documented issue. Activision announced an adjustment of the Skill Rating for people who “have frequently played with and benefited from cheating accounts.” Players that get caught cheating in Ranked Play will also have their records removed from the Ranked Play Top 250. Lastly, Activision gave community members a refresher on the three active mitigation techniques; cloaking, disarm, and damage shield. Cloaking hides players from cheaters by making them invisible on the suspected cheaters’ screen. Disarm removes weapons and equipment from cheaters. Lastly, damage shield gives players a protective barrier against cheaters, making it impossible for them to do damage. Activision confirmed that the new third-party detection system is live on all platforms, and the developers have already permanently banned accounts using the new replay system.

WZ2 community question Activision withholding Modern Warfare 3 news for over a year ActivisionActivision announced that Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 weapon blueprints and operators will carry over to Modern Warfare 3, but community members slammed Activision for waiting so long to confirm it. It’s an exciting time to be a Call of Duty fan. Modern Warfare 3 leaks, including a classic mini-map, Ninja perk, and new gear system, have begun to trickle out. Activision responded to the rumors by confirming that all purchased microtransaction items will carry over from Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. Some community members celebrated the announcement, while others went a different route. On Reddit, a few COD players launched a boycott because, as one fan summed up: “This just confirms they’re charging full price for a patch.” Tensions escalated when CharlieIntel reported that Activision planned to carry over microtransactions long before the official announcement. MW2 fans and WZ2 fans question Modern Warfare 3 marketing strategy Infinity Ward controversially blocked microtransactions from carrying over from WZ1 to Warzone 2. CharlieIntel didn’t hold back from sharing their opinion on the decision. “It is crazy that Activision waited till now to confirm that MWII bundles & operators would transfer to MWIII. I’m sure many people didn’t buy bundles because they didn’t want to lose the content like what happened when Warzone 2 launched, and probably caused MTX sales to be lower.” Activision’s plan becomes more confusing, as CharlieIntel also reported: “And content transferring was not recently decided. It’s been planned for a while (12 months).” One player responded, “But they couldn’t transfer them from mw19 and wz1 SMH. What a joke of a company.” A second user added: “Surely they would have made more money from micro transactions if they let us know?” Whatever the reason behind Activision’s strategy, at least players can purchase cosmetic items now without fearing losing them. Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 are set to host a Modern Warfare 3 reveal event in Season 5. For more, check out the rest of our MW3 coverage.

WWE star Booker T suing Activision over Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 character Treyarch/WikiCommons: shstrngLegendary WWE wrestling star Booker T is suing Activision for allegedly using one of his characters in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. The wrestler, whose real name is Booker T. Huffman is suing the video game publisher for allegedly putting his comic book character ‘G.I. Bro’ and its likeness in Black Ops 4. It is alleged that the look of the comic book character was used to create the Prophet specialist, in-game name David ‘Prophet’ Wilkes, as the looks of the two characters are pretty similar – despite the specialist being a cybernetically enhanced soldier with a number of mechanical body parts. In the legal documents, which have been published online via Scribd, Booker T’s complaint states that: “They (Activision) could have drawn him (Prophet) anyway they wanted but they chose to steal Booker T.’s ‘G. I. Bro.’” Read More: Leaker claims to reveal details of Modern Warfare 4 – MW2 Remastered, battle royale and more – The complaint also states that “There is no doubt that Defendants copied G. I. Bro,” displaying a side-by-side comparison of the two as evidence. For an outcome, The former WWE star is seeking a trial by jury but those details were not a part of his initial case filing and would come at a later date – likely if the two parties cannot settle prior to that point. Activision isn’t the first gaming company to be sued by a celebrity. Fortnite developer Epic Games has been under fire from a number of different personalities regarding a number of their in-game emotes. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribiero, who played Carlton Banks, recently had his copyright claim for the ‘Carlton Dance’ denied by a U. S. Copyright Office registration specialist. The dance is in Fortnite as the ‘Fresh’ emote and Riberio has filed a case against Epic Games claiming that his “likeness and intellectual property have been misappropriated.” While the cases against Epic are still ongoing, any successful case against a gaming company over character likeliness would set a huge precedent moving forward.

Wuskin & Rated fuel Paris Legion drama as both miss CDL 2021 season Call of Duty LeagueDrama surrounding Paris Legion’s roster for the upcoming Call of Duty League season has boiled over as Rhys ‘Rated’ Price and Bradley ‘wuskin’ Marshall both appear to be “missing out” heading into the 2021 season. [jwplayer NOdtwdVj] Two of the most accomplished Call of Duty players out of Europe, Rated and wuskin have both been competing at the highest levels for the past few years. While they were teammates on the original London Royal Ravens roster, their CDL careers appear to have hit a bump in the road ahead of the 2021 season. Seven players were let go from the Ravens on September 9. Among them was none other than Rated and wuskin. The London-based organization has since locked in its four starting players for the Black Ops Cold War season with Zer0, Dylan, Alexx, and Seany all joining the team. As various players push for positions on the three remaining orgs with open spots, Paris Legion has become the only franchise left without a single player under contract. Despite Rated and wuskin clearly vying for a position, it appears they’ve been left out of the mix. We want to thank our players who represented London with pride. We appreciate the contribution that @skrapzg, @DylanCOD_, @wuskinz, @Trei, @RatedCOD, @MadCat & @Nastiee made in our inaugural Call of Duty League season. We wish them all the best in their next ventures. pic.twitter.com/U5UVmu5p8O — Carolina Royal Ravens (@RoyalRavens) September 8, 2020 “You lot are gonna be gobsmacked when news drops soon,” wuskin tweeted on November 23. Evidently, it’s safe to assume the Legion roster has been finalized and it’s only a matter of days before it’s public. However, wuskin has confirmed he won’t be part of the team. “Can’t believe I’m missing out on the year,” he followed up. You lot are gonna be gob smacked when news drops soon😓 can’t believe I’m missing out on the year — wuskin (@wuskinz) November 23, 2020 Rated echoed this reaction, slamming developments behind closed doors and calling out nepotism among various teams. “CDL Friend league got taken to a whole new level. Mind-blowing. Fraudulent people in jobs as per.” CDL Friend league got taken to a whole new level mind blowing lmao fraudulent people in jobs as per. — Rhys Price (@Rated_COD) November 23, 2020 Together under the Ravens banners, Rated and wuskin had one top-four finish in the season, while wuskin achieved a second-place finish in week 8 with Rated on the bench. Despite middling results throughout the majority of the season, the London franchise finished fourth in the Championship event, claiming $450,000 for their efforts. Unless things change at the final hour, both veteran players will seemingly miss their chance at improving on these placements in the 2021 season. There’s currently no indication of who Paris Legion signed, though we can expect this to be revealed over the coming days. In some positive news, wuskin’s twin brother Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall seems to have landed himself a spot in the League. “My bro good and that’s all that matters,” wuskinz tweeted on November 18. Even without being part of the League for the upcoming season, both wuskin and Rated still have their sights set on actively competing in other ways. Whether it’s Warzone tournaments or popular streaming events, they’ll still be grinding Call of Duty from the looks of things.

Wuskin hits back at CoD pros for spreading “dirt” about him & Skrapz Joe Brady – ActivisionAfter a fellow Call of Duty League pro commented on Reddit, former London Royal Ravens pro and current free agent, Bradley ‘wuskin’ Marshall, has slammed the Twitter timeline in response. Wuskin and his twin brother, Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall, are both free agents following a CDL Champs performance in which they, as starters, helped the Royal Ravens finish among the season’s top four. With Reddit fans discussing the futures of both impressive twins, another free agent, Adam ‘Assault’ Garcia, chimed in to explain that his experience with the Minnesota ROKKR led him to believe that the two were not currently being picked up because of attitude issues. In Assault’s Reddit comment about the twins, he explained that “there’s a reason they are off London and don’t have offers. They don’t take their jobs serious and chalked scrims to play Warzone all the time.” This prompted a response from wuskin, who was none too happy with the public shaming. Dirt on my name just for putting in more time than anyone else. Shits crazy and that rumour has probably cost me a starting spot for S2 in the CDL really can’t believe it — wuskin (@wuskinz) September 9, 2020 In response, wuskin hit Twitter to expose his frustrations, tagging Assault and asking him to DM privately before posting things publicly. Further, he elaborated on Assault’s comments directly: “Don’t say I didn’t care when I was the only one who cared, fool.” .@Assault bro before u make assumptions like that DM me an ask me. We never had a choice in the wz tournaments bar 1 an it was with Tfue. Dnt say I didn’t care when I was the only 1 who cared you fool — wuskin (@wuskinz) September 9, 2020 In the replies, wuskin’s twin, Skrapz, joined in: “Damn, where do people get these things from? Crazy.” But these two weren’t the only ones to chime in, as a variety of other players and professionals in the competitive Call of Duty scene came to the twins’ defense and reprimanded this behavior generally. Another free agent, Ulysses ‘AquA’ Silva, who played for the Los Angeles Guerrillas this past season, simply laughed about Assault’s comment and mentioned that he was “mindblown,” prompting a variety of other pros to chime in. https://twitter.com/UAquaa/status/1303810188953051137 In those responses, Assault explained the twins were cited as reasons for multiple scrims being canceled and OpTic Gaming’s Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat elaborated in agreement with the general principle that focusing on content is problematic when it’s to the detriment of your team’s practice. This led to wuskin and Skrapz’s former teammate, Rhys ‘Rated’ Price, explaining the twins “didn’t choose to do this” and that it “was out of their hands.” Ultimately, it’s hard to know exactly what happened behind the scenes or prompted Assault to speak out on the matter publicly. While it’s hard to assign blame, the Florida Mutineers’ Maurice ‘Fero’ Henriquez is likely right: “Let’s regroup ourselves and spread some motherf**king love … peace and love only.” bros we’ve been going rogue recently as a collective…… lets regroup ourselves and spread some motherfucking love I’m the hippie pro of the group?? peace and love only boys✌️✖️❤️ — jay?? (@f3rocitys) September 9, 2020 At the moment, CDL Rostermania is in full swing and tensions are likely high for some players whose careers are uncertain. To stay up to date on all changes, follow along with our hub and find out how teams are developing.

Top 10 worst Warzone metas: From Verdansk to Urzikstan Throughout its four-year history, Warzone has seen all kinds of meta but not all of them have been well received. This is our breakdown of the worst Warzone metas of all time from Verdansk to Urzikstan. When it was first launched in March 2020, Warzone took over the FPS scene by storm becoming a massive success amongst both CoD fans and newcomers to the franchise. However, despite its popularity many meta Warzone loadouts have left the community enraged. Some of these are universally hated while others have proven more divisive. Either way, this is our list of the worst Warzone metas ever that just about everyone remembers for all the wrong reasons. 10. FAL Generally speaking, semi-auto guns in Warzone are either underwhelming or utterly broken. For the one week this meta lasted the FAL most definitely fell into the latter category. Whilst technically an assault rifle, an oversight with the FAL’s close-range damage potential made it the best SMG on Verdansk. The FAL was capable of getting downs in just three shots which with its fast fire rate meant the iconic rifle had a TTK of just 350 ms. For context, that’s closer to what you’d expect in multiplayer than Warzone. Not only did SMGs not stand a chance up close, but even shotguns were losing to this beast. 9. R9-0 Shotgun (“Doof-doof”) The so-called “Doof-doof” meta was one of Warzone’s worst, or at least most toxic. The R9-0 Shotgun became top-tier with the addition of the Dragon’s Breath Rounds which created a close-range monster capable of downing enemies in two quick shots before pumping, hence “Doof-doof”. Something that made the R9-0 especially powerful was its extraordinary ease of use. You never had to ADS with it and it had great mobility. It was the true run-and-gun GOAT perfectly suited to that era’s fast-paced gameplay. However, the lack of counterplay infuriated players and it was eventually nerfed. 8. MAC-10 Of all the guns featured on this list, the MAC-10 is probably the least egregious as it wasn’t spectacularly broken per se but rather this SMG just had no real flaws. It was the perfect submachine gun offering a fast TTK, great handling, solid range, and top-tier mobility. Truthfully, while the MAC-10 was overturned the real reason the community came to detest its existence so much was because of its partner in crime. Those who know will already be cursing the name. Those who don’t will find the culprit further up on this list. 7. SP-R 208 (Norma/Lapua) If a sniper was going to feature on this list you may have expected to see the Kar98k, but as dominant as the Karabiner was it had nothing on the launch SP-R 208. This monster was hitscan up to 400 meters meaning it could down players in one shot with zero lead or prediction required. With how open Warzone’s maps are that is a terrifying prospect effectively making it impossible to move anywhere against a half-decent team. That is unless you won the sniper battle. This logic saw the SP-R 208 become a must-use weapon on Verdansk until its problematic ammo types were nerfed. 6. Akimbo Snake Shot revolvers Be it the Magnum, Basilisk, or the more recent TYR loadout, Snake Shot revolvers have plagued Warzone for years and have consistently been amongst its worst metas. These pocket shotguns seemingly always come back and never fail to deliver the ultimate one-two punch that nothing else can compete with. They can be fun for a short while but whenever the Snake Shot revolvers stick around for too long it becomes a painful experience. Especially in Solos and Duos where their limited magazine size isn’t even a con. They are out of the meta for now but how long until these cursed hand cannons rise again? 5. AUG/M16 (Black Ops Cold War) Burst guns have always presented a potential slippery slope in Call of Duty ever since the early days. The M16’s first appearance in CoD 4 and later Modern Warfare Remastered resulted in easily the best primary weapon in that game’s multiplayer. Warzone has mostly avoided this issue but one of the earliest metas following Black Ops Cold War’s integration saw both the AUG and M16 become top-tier. With their accuracy and unbelievable TTK, most other guns dropped into obscurity and these utterly dominated Warzone for far too long. 4. FR 5.56 (underbarrel shotgun) In terms of sheer brokenness and absurdity, nothing matches the prime FR 5.56. More specifically, the FR 5.56 with the Masterkey underbarrel shotgun equipped which resulted in a freak of a weapon that invalidated every other option. It didn’t last long and was clearly a bug, but for a short stint, this weapon could one-shot down enemies at any range where at least one pellet landed. It was the best close-range weapon in Warzone history and thus was also responsible for one of the worst metas we’ve seen. Thankfully, this was fixed fairly quickly. 3. RPG-7 Going back to the beginning of Warzone there were a few weapons that were just not balanced properly. The biggest offender of these was the RPG-7 which could down an entire squad in just one shot. Keep in mind back then you could also shoot rockets mid-air while parachuting, raining down a makeshift airstrike in the process. This RPG was particularly devastating in the late game where teams often grouped in buildings waiting for the zone. A single rocket through a window was enough to end your squad’s game and there wasn’t much counterplay other than running EOD, but even that would fail when more rockets inevitably followed. 2. Lockwood 300 (Dual Trigger) You don’t have to go too far back in time to stumble across a truly cursed Warzone meta. Right at the end of Al Mazrah shortly before the MW3 integration, the devs added the Maelstrom Dual Trigger attachment for the Lockwood 300. It let players shoot both barrels at once which while fun turned out to be a real problem in Warzone. This attachment gave the Lockwood 300 the potential to down enemies in one shot up to around 9 meters. It wasn’t versatile but who cares with that kind of lethality? Needless to say, players were not impressed. 1. DMR 14 We’ve already mentioned the MAC-10 and now it’s time for its nightmare-inducing partner in crime. Make no mistake, the DMR 14 was by far the most broken weapon in Warzone history and single-handedly responsible for the battle royale’s worst-ever meta. This marksman rifle had zero recoil, could down enemies in just two shots, had a fast fire rate, and was extremely easy to use. Its introduction killed off every other option and worst of all this meta lasted well over a month during a period when lots of new players were getting involved causing irreversible damage. That’s all for the worst metas in Warzone history. For tips to dominate the current iteration of Warzone check out these guides: Best Warzone Assault Rifle loadouts | All maps | All Prestige levels & rewards | Season 1 drops | How to get a nuke | Best Warzone settings | Best controller settings | Best Pulemyot 762 loadout | Best WSP Swarm loadout | Best MTZ Interceptor loadout | Best RAM-7 loadout | KATT-AMR Warzone loadout

WorldGaming Black Ops 4 tournament ft. ZooMaa, Attach, Gunless and more – schedule, teams, format, prizing The WorldGaming Black Ops 4 tournament has now concluded! Click here for the final placements, full tournament recap, video highlights, and more! The WorldGaming Network Championship Series is hosting a major tournament for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and we’re here to make sure you don’t miss a second of the competitive action. Despite the fact that it’s not officially part of the CWL, WorldGaming Network’s annual Call of Duty tournaments are popular draw for fans as they normally feature some of the biggest names in CoD esports, both on the professional and amateur levels. After several weeks of qualifiers and anticipation, eight teams will get together in Toronto, Canada for what should be an epic event, and you can catch up on everything there is to know about it down below. Full tournament schedule of WGN Black Ops 4 tournament After two qualifying stages, the third and final stage of the WGN Black Ops 4 tournament will take place April 6-7 at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, Canada. Here is the full schedule for the event, including the start times for each round of matches within the two groups. APRIL 6 Group A Round 1: 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET – Group B Round 1: 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET – Group A Elimination Match: 1:30 PM PT / 4:30 PM ET – Group A Upper Final: 2:45 PM PT / 5:45 PM ET – Group B Elimination Match: 4:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM ET – Group A Upper Final: 5:15 PM PT / 8:15 PM ET – APRIL 7 Group A Lower Final: 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET – Group B Lower Final: 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET – Playoff Semifinals: 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET – Playoff Grand Final: 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET – How to watch the WGN Black Ops 4 tournament The entirety of the competition will be livestreamed on the official WorldGaming Twitch channel, which we have included below for your convenience. Watch live video from WorldGaming on www.twitch.tvLive brackets and scores for the WGN Black Ops 4 tournament WorldGaming Network will be providing a bracket for this tournament that will be updated live on the event’s website, so you can keep an eye on all of the match results by clicking the link below: WORLDGAMING NETWORK CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FT. BLACK OPS 4 – LIVE BRACKET GROUP A BRACKET CoDBurner reveals damning news about the future of Red ReserveThe tournament will feature several prominent pro players players, including FaZe Clan’s Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto, Evil Geniuses’ Dillon ‘Attach’ Price, Luminosity’s Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman, Team Envy’s Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo, and more. You can check out all of the teams that will be competing in this competition below, along with the five-man roster for each team. GROUP A TEAMS AND ROSTERS In addition to the $25,000 prize, the winning team will also earn a fully-paid trip and team pass to attend and compete at the CWL Anaheim Open Bracket tournament in June 2019. You can check out the full prize breakdown down below, which indicates that all eight teams will be awarded a portion of the overall prize pool 1 Place: $25,000 plus a trip and a team pass to attend CWL Anaheim Open in June 2019 – 2 Place: $10,000 – 3 & 4 Place: $4,500 – 5 & 6 Place: $2,000 – 7 & 8 Place: $1,000 –

World Series of Warzone winner Shifty hints at possible CDL switch ActivisionWorld Series of Warzone 2023 winner Shifty has hinted at an interest in switching to play in the Call of Duty League, just hours after he and teammates Sage and Biffle pocketed $100,000 with a dominant trios performance in London. After six maps, Shifty and his trio finished a huge 75 points ahead of second place, finishing the tournament with a huge Game 6, 24-kill win, extending their lead way further than anybody could have anticipated. Shifty made his name in the days of Caldera, as his incredible performances online made him face a litany of hacking accusations, even flying out to a facility to attempt to prove his innocence in a LAN environment on a neutral setup. On September 16, however, he proved any doubters and accusers wrong when he earned himself 44 kills across the six maps, the highest in the entire tournament, just beating teammate Biffle who had 43. He might not be done proving people wrong, however. Shifty eyeing up CDL switch? Following the day’s events, Shifty spoke with GGRecon about his possible aspirations to move beyond Warzone and find success elsewhere. “Warzone — it’s a challenge and I like that – but something about the CDL entices me,” he explained. “I like the hard work. Being able to start from the bottom again, and then work my way up, and especially LANs, I feed off this energy. I think everyone saw this. I was hyped the whole day, and when you hear the crowd cheer and you can feel like the ground rumbling, that’s what gets me, it’s a different feeling you cannot get from home. “So, if it’s right, if the paper says something that makes my eyes pop up, then maybe.” This certainly caused a stir on social media, as many questioned his motives for wanting to get into the league, including Boston Breach star Ben ‘Beans’ McMellon. Beans said: “Wrong reasons, you wanna be the best in the world you gotta truly love it, not for money.” Others suggested that he would need to grind through Challengers to stand any chance of getting into the CDL. Meanwhile, three-time world champion James ‘Clayster Eubanks suggested that it’s not outside the realms of possibility for him to compete. “Talent would translate over as it’s translated for a lot of CDL pros to Warzone,” he said in a reply to Shifty himself. “Just would have to actually learn the ins and outs of respawn and it’d be cake.” Whether Shifty does actually decide to chase down the dream of becoming a pro Call of Duty player in the CDL remains to be seen, but he clearly has the talent to be a top FPS star — as Clayster said, if he just learns the fundamentals and intricacies of respawn COD, there’s no telling what could happen.

World Series of Warzone revealed: $1.2 million Warzone esports circuit ActivisionActivision have announced the World Series of Warzone, a new esport circuit for the popular battle royale with a $1.2 million prize program spread out across four major events. The World Series of Wazone (WSOW) will invite everyone from seasoned CoD veterans, stream stars, and community members to compete over massive cash prizes. Anyone can compete but expect to see plenty of CDL orgs drop in with their Warzone teams. The team-selection process is going to happen fast, with the first qualifier taking place on Monday, May 24. North American players age 18 and over can sign up for the first WSOW event, but be ready to stream your gameplay! This will be Activision’s biggest Warzone circuit to date, but make sure you’re up-to-date on all of the rules and formats by reading below. World Series of Warzone format There’s going to be four total online Warzone competitions each with a $300,000 prize pool. The semi-invitational program will be split into two trios- and duo-based events for each NA and EU regions. The first event will be based in North America for the World Series of Warzone: Trios NA, with 50 squads competing in a custom lobby of six matches. Points will be based on a squad’s kills and overall placement. The performance of the squad will determine their share of $200,000, with the other $100,000 up for grabs in the Captain’s Cup. WSOW team Captains and Captain’s Cup There are going to be five captains in every WSOW event. The captains “will be selected based on their existing ties to the Call of Duty franchise to compete in the Captain’s Cup.” These captains will hand-select their two teammates to join their own trio. The five captains will also draft their team of trio squads in a 9-round live draft via snake draft with each team having a total of 10 trios (or 30 total players per team). Read more: $100K Nadeshot Warzone 2v2 Invitational – The five teams final score will be based on the aggregate point total of the 10 trio squads under each captain. The performance of each team will determine their split of the final Captain’s Cup $100,000 prize – $20,000 to the winning captain and $1,000 for each member of the winning captain’s team. World Series of Warzone sign-up and qualifiers WSOW players will include people invited by Activision, representatives from Call of Duty League teams, and winners from the official program qualifiers. To try your hand in qualifying, you can participate in GameBattles’ World Series of Warzone Open Qualifier for trios. The winning 3-player squad will be invited to play in the WSOW: Trios NA, barring a background check by Activision. The qualifiers will feature 64 trio teams playing in a single elimination format, with every round being best of two games. PlayStation, Xbox, and Battle.net players are eligible. Registration for the World Series of Warzone Open Qualifier opens Thursday, May 20, at 12 PM PST / 3 PM EST. There will be four qualifiers taking place every day from May 24 to May 27. The Qualifier Finals will be spread through two days on May 29 and 30, each with 32 teams competing to get into the WSOW draft. Head over to GameBattles for a complete breakdown of everything you’ll need to participate. Call of Duty World Series of Warzone: Trios NA The first of the four WSOW events will be the NA Trios event to kick off the $1.2 million circuit. The five WSOW captains will draft player squads on the event site on June 22. The live competition will kick off on June 23, with teams competing for the $300,000 prize pool. Details for WSOW Trios EU, Duos EU, and Duos NA will be announced at a later date.

World Series of Warzone returning for 2022: Format, prize pool, qualification ActivisionThe World Series of Warzone is back for 2022 and Activision has big plans for the battle royale’s signature event. Activision and Raven Software have announced the return of the World Series of Warzone, a multipronged international event with a prize pool of over $600,000. This time around it will consist of a North American (NA) event and a European (EU) event with separate $300,000 prize pools for the teams that make it into the money. Here’s how things break down for the biggest event of 2022. World Series of Warzone returns in 2022 This year’s take on the celebration of all things competitive Warzone will offer up one big Trios event that players will be able to qualify for in the In-Game Open on August 12-15. The 20 highest-performing squads will meet up with 20 other pre-invited teams to face off in the showdown to end all showdowns. On top of that, the nail-biting Solo Yolo event will also be making a return with its own $100,000 prize for the individual who makes it to the end. The final dates for the big competitions are yet to be announced, but the post-Open qualifying rounds will take place on August 20-21 for EU and NA respectively. There will surely be more details to come in the following days and we’ll be sure to bring the latest updates as they arrive ahead of kickoff.

World Series of Warzone qualifiers derailed by cheating allegations ActivisionThe $300k World Series of Warzone event hosted public qualifiers during the weekend of August 12 and a closer inspection of the early results has caused some players to throw around allegations of cheating at their competitors. Activision’s decision to host open-to-the-public qualifying matches for the World Series of Warzone is coming under heavy scrutiny after watchful players started examining the results and believe they’ve caught more than one instance of blatant cheating. From players supposedly having their friends join and feed them free kills to stream sniping other teams trying to qualify, there’s a whole host of problems that are breaking the system. World Series of Warzone cheating allegations explained Warzone pro Fifakill has one of the most detailed breakdowns on the situation, and as one of the best players to ever hit touch the battle royale, it also comes with a veteran perspective. “Some of the stuff I’m seeing from this [World Series of Warzone] qualifying is so sad. We got people VPNing, people stream sniping other qualifier teams, and worst of all, people getting into their friend’s games and dying to their friend repeatedly,” he explained. This is all a problem because kills are incredibly important when it comes to securing qualification. Per the official rules on the tournament’s Gamebattles page, each kill garners a team one point, and then those points multiply in value based on placement. 1st = 2x Points – 2nd – 15th = 1.5x Points – 16th – 40th = 1x Points – Each team will have its 10 best games aggregated by this system and the Top 40 performing squads will move on to the next round. So if a friend spots another player 10 kills, it could result in 20 total points for a first-place finish. One group, including Jaavix of notable esports organization MAD Lions, has been at the center of the boosting portion of the drama. After being called out by another player, he didn’t deny the accusations, instead responding with, “Everyone wants a spot, [this] format is the worst.” While the tournament’s rules aren’t super specific about what is considered cheating, the Conduct and Penalties section does mention “collusion” and “any other actions or conduct that threatens to undermine the integrity of WSOW and its Squads” will not be tolerated. It will likely take some time for the officials to sort out the tangled web that has built up over the weekends, but if Fifakill and the other players are to be believed, this will be quite the ugly ending for some of the teams that are currently leading the pack.

World Series of Warzone player explodes at “dogsh*t” teammates after humiliating loss Activision/RepullzeA Warzone competitor who played in the qualifying stage for the World Series of Warzone absolutely ripped into his teammates after a rough game, calling them “the worst in the world” and “actual dogsh*t.” The World Series of Warzone was formally announced in May, with a series of qualifying stages before the as-yet-unannounced Global Finals, which is expected to take place at some point in September. Hundreds of trios across multiple continents have been working to get in, and while the likes of Biffle, Shifty, and Hisoka look poised to qualify with ease, there are a number of other challengers trying to etch their names in the history books. One of those was the trio of xBallerr, Milkojones, and MOP, who got out of the opening group stage and into the upper bracket of qualifiers for the NA Finals — but didn’t have the best time while playing it. With MOP and Milko both dead early in the game, Baller attempted to make a play through gas to buy one of them back at a Buy Station. However, an enemy team had planted a Proximity Mine on it, which promptly killed Baller and sent him and his teammates back to the pre-game lobby. It didn’t take long for one of them to lose it, not just at Baller, but at both teammates after being absolutely furious with the performance. “You guys are the worst f**king teammates in the f**king world,” they said. “You guys are actual dogsh*t. F**k all of you, bro. F**king idiots don’t f**king listen and you don’t know how to f**king buy, dude. You are so f**king dogsh*t… You don’t know how to use a f**king buy station Baller?” They repeatedly called their teammates “dogsh*t” before moving on to the upcoming games. The trio ended up finishing in 38th place out of 40 teams in the upper bracket, accruing a total of 19.4 points from the six matches played. They will go into Round 2 of the Lower Bracket in an attempt to recover and reach the NA Finals — or at least the Last Chance Qualifiers — on their run to reaching the World Series of Warzone Global Final.

World Series of Warzone player admits to hacking after failing to qualify ActivisionA Warzone player who made it to the Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ) of the World Series of Warzone has admitted that he and others were hacking during the event – and still didn’t qualify. Warzone has had a hacking problem for as long as the game has existed. Despite Activision building their Ricochet anti-cheat system, they’ve never been able to get a full hold on it, be it from casual players rage hacking or aspiring pros trying to get away with it in tournaments. The latter is exactly what happened in the World Series of Warzone LCQs, when the team of Vexoh, Ave, and Robbeezzyy were accused of cheating — and Vexoh himself admitted to it not long after the qualifiers finished. Before deleting his Twitter/X account, Vexoh posted: “Yeah I did that sh*t no way of fighting against it. Just got greedy. Not that it’s an excuse but if you really believe me chef and onoy are the only people that did it you’re just blatantly wrong. I’ll put it to you like this: I’m decent at hiding it. Not everyone is a dumb f**k like chef.” This tweet came after Vexoh bragged about being able to “stack up against the best,” as he was second in total eliminations on the day. Soon after, the third man in the trio, Robbeezzyy, put out a video explaining the situation from his side, claiming that he had no idea his teammates were cheating. He apologized to everybody else playing in the tournament, and explained that he asked both teammates whether they were cheating when accusations first arose, and was happy to defend them as they unequivocally denied any wrongdoing. This trio frequently landed near the Fnatic team of Skullface, Almxnd, and Newbz, who placed second at the Esports World Cup and were heavy favorites to qualify for the WSOW finals. In matches 3 and 5, they wiped the Fnatic trio completely after dropping in, and while they’re not completely to blame, Fnatic failed to find any momentum and ended up not qualifying, despite being regarded as one of the best trios in the world. The hacking team finished fifth in the LCQ standings, just missing out on top four and World Series qualification by just 3.2 points.

World Series of Warzone new details: Twitch exclusivity, captain announcements Twitch, @thegameawardsNew details for the World Series of Warzone have been announced, with the Call of Duty League revealing five new non-CDL captains and Twitch exclusive streaming rights thanks to a Twitch Rivals partnership. The first World Series of Warzone tournament is set for June 23 and the CDL have officially revealed more details about the highly anticipated event. We already knew it would have the biggest prize pool in Warzone history, at $1.2 million — but streaming and team details have been scarce. During Summer Game Fest, CDL commissioner (and CoD’s general manager) Johanna Faries announced that the WSOW will be a partnership with Twitch Rivals. This means that Twitch will have exclusive streaming rights, unlike the CDL (which is broadcasted solely on YouTube). Further, Faries revealed five new captains for the first $300,000 WSOW tournament, which is set to take place on June 23, 2021. World Series of Warzone new team captains Captains for #WorldSeriesofWarzone revealed! – @Swagg – @thedandangler – @Nadeshot – @timthetatman – @aydan pic.twitter.com/LPpthTcESa— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 10, 2021 Alongside the announcement of a Twitch Rivals partnership, the broadcast revealed five captains for the upcoming event: Swagg – DanDangler – Nadeshot – TimTheTatMan – Aydan – These five captains now join a number of other teams that have been casually announced over the past few weeks. So far, the main teams that have been revealed are the ones representing the CDL’s OpTic Chicago (Scump, Karma, FormaL) and New York Subliners (ZooMaa, Clayster, Asim). We will continue to keep fans in the loop as further details emerge for the World Series of Warzone. You can stay tapped in by checking our Warzone coverage or DexertoIntel Twitter account.

World Series of Warzone NA qualifiers delayed due to technical difficulties ActivisionThe 2nd annual World Series of Warzone’s North American qualifying matches were scheduled to take place on August 21 but after numerous lobby crashes the event has reportedly been delayed to a later date. The North American Qualifying round of the World Series of Warzone has officially been delayed following a series of technical difficulties that made it impossible to carry on as initially planned. This comes only days after European competitors lobbied to have their event delayed for similar reasons, and it has sparked quite the uproar from competitors on both sides of the pond. Warzone players react to World Series of Warzone delays Shortly after the news broke, the community erupted over both the need for delays and the lack of response to the EU side’s request for a similar pause as well for their version of the online event. Jukeyz, a Warzone streamer and content creator for the Call of Duty League’s London Royal Ravens went right to the source to deliver his complaints. “Postpone the NA WSOW qualifiers but not the EU one? Bit unfair,” his tweet to GameBattles and Call of Duty read. As both an Activision Blizzard site and the main host for the tournament, all competitive rulings are handed down through GameBattles. Many others, like Complexity’s LuckyChamu, see the delay as a good decision but are worried about how these problems are still affecting the state of the game. “Big W for postponing the WSOW but man… they should have been on this months ago,” the creator said in a now-deleted tweet. There has yet to be a new date set for the qualifying round, but it shouldn’t take long for the organizers to send out the word on exactly the competition will be back on.

World Series of Warzone announces scoring rules & $1.2 million prizing format ActivisionThere has been a lot of confusion about scoring and prizing for the $1.2 million World Series of Warzone. That ends here, as we’ve got the full scoring and points rules, as well as the prizing distribution format. It’s the biggest event series in Warzone history and Activision are pulling no punches. Not only will each World Series of Warzone tournament feature 150 invited streamers, CDL pros, and content creators, but they’ll all be in private matches with unique rules. So, to get everyone up to speed, the organizers revealed new information about the tournament series on June 10 and we’ve pored through the ruleset and information to get it all ready. Whether you’re a confused player or viewer, this is everything you’ll need to know about the World Series of Warzone’s structure. The only thing that’s missing is restricted items, but Activision are continuing to work on those — so they are not available just yet. World Series of Warzone scoring & points format The WSOW will divide $1.2 million across four separate events — each with a similar format. The first one is scheduled for June 23. The WSOW tournament will be a private lobby, with 150 invited, qualifying, and drafted players. Each tourney will feature six matches, with final standings determined by total points. Points are determined by kills, with multipliers for placement. World Series of Warzone points system: 1 point per kill – 1st place: 2x multiplier – 2nd-15th place: 1.5x multiplier – 15th-50th place: No multiplier – As for tie-breakers, those are determined by: 1) Total kills without multipliers, 2) average placement, 3) most kills in one match, 4) highest placement in one match. World Series of Warzone prizing structure The prizing for each event is interesting, with $300,000 split up with $200,000 for final points, $30,000 for each match’s placement, and $70,000 for a Captain’s Cup event (which we won’t be diving into here). World Series of Warzone points prizing World Series of Warzone placement prizing As you can see, the WSOW is generous to its 50-team lobby — giving prize money to any team that finishes in the top 25 at the day’s end. Additionally, the event gives out $3,000 to every team that places top-10 in any of the day’s six matches. Now, with points and prizing set, all that’s left is to determine restricted items and the full player list for the massive event. Past that, the organizers have indicated that Solos and Duos events may come in the future, each with their own unique structures.

World Series of Warzone 2024: Teams, schedule, prize pool, more ActivisionThe 2024 World Series of Warzone is getting ever closer, and the first set of teams have started to etch their names in attendance at the Global Final. Here’s everything we know about the World Series of Warzone this year including who has qualified, the schedule, and more. The World Series of Warzone has been a landmark tournament for COD battle royale competitors each year since 2021, with 2023 marking the first time it was hosted on LAN, with spectators in attendance and a trophy for the players to take home. In 2023, players gathered in London for the event. The trios competition was won by Biffle, Sage, and Shifty, while Skullface won the Solo YOLO $100k tournament. In the past, we’ve even seen top names like former OpTic Gaming CDL pro Seth ‘Scump’ Abner winning it all, with his widely celebrated Verdansk solo win, taking down Aydan in the final 1v1. 2024 looks set to be much different, though. Here’s what we know. Dates & WSOW schedule The 2024 World Series of Warzone Global Finals will be held in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena on September 14th and 15th. All matches can be watched on the official Call of Duty YouTube or Twitch channels. Format & map for World Series of Warzone While the ranked play modes in Warzone have been on Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep, World Series of Warzone will be taking place on Urzikstan. The qualification format was explained as follows: After a qualification period, 40 trios worldwide earned a spot in the Global Finals. There will be six matches on the first day of the Global Finals, and the overall standings from day one determine the WSOW point advantage each trio receives for the second day of action. The match point format on day two awards one point per elimination and a separate set of points based on placement. For example, squads earn 15 points for placing first or 10 for placing second. Once a team reaches 100 points, they must win an additional match to secure the victory officially. So, even if a squad reaches 100 points, other squads still have a chance to catch up until they win another game. As a result, multiple teams reach the 100-point threshold, and winning one final game becomes an intense race. Teams competing Here are all of the trios heading to the Global Final: WSOW 2024 prize pool There will be a $1 million prize pool for World Series of Warzone 2024, and this year, all of it is being placed on the LAN Global Finals, rather than some in online qualifiers. Besides the $50,000 for the Solo YOLO tournament, here is how the remaining $950k will be spread across successful trios: World Series rules & settings As with any Call of Duty game, WSOW won’t be played with the game exactly as it is out of the box, and certain changes have to be made to make it more competitively viable. Here are some of the rules as well as the points breakdown. WSOW Trios competitive settings World Series of Warzone will feature a twist on the Battle Royale trios format with competitive settings that closely mirror those found in Ranked Resurgence. The following additional changes have been made: Loot Items Removed: Redeploy Pack – Reinforcement Flare – Gulag Entry Kits – Public Event Adjustments: Circle 3: Fire Sale – No other public events will occur – WSOW Scoring 1 Elimination = 1 Point – 1st place: 2x Points – 2nd – 5th: 1.8x Points – 6th – 10th: 1.6x Points – 11th – 15th: 1.4x Points – 16th – 25th: 1.2x Points – 26th – 34th: 1x Points – We’ll keep this hub updated as new developments come for the World Series of Warzone, including where the Global Finals take place, the teams and players that will be participating, and more.

World Series of Warzone 2023 Global Finals: Stream, schedule, teams, more ActivisionThe 2023 World Series of Warzone Global Finals are fast approaching, with the 50 best trios across the globe locked in and ready to win their share of the $600k Finals prize pool. The World Series of Warzone has been an annual event since it first launched in 2021, with hundreds of players across North America and Europe battling through qualifiers to take on the best in the main event. In the past, we’ve seen duos and trios matches as well as the highly-anticipated SoloYolo $100k tournament, most notably won by retired CDL pro Seth ‘Scump’ Abner in 2021. Now, the series is back, culminating in an international LAN final in London, England on September 16. Here’s all the information you need to follow the crowning tournament before Modern Warfare 3 changes Warzone completely. Contents World Series of Warzone 2023 stream The Global Finals of the World Series of Warzone are set to be streamed live on the official Call of Duty Twitch channel, just as the regional qualifiers were. The stream started at 2.30PM BST (9.30AM ET/6.30 AM PT) on Saturday, September 6, with the first map scheduled for 3 PM BST. With six maps and the Solo YOLO, you can expect the tournament to last a good few hours. World Series of Warzone 2023 results Trios standings Solo results The winner of the winner-takes-all SoloYOLO match was Skullface, who took out Spazs, Authorized, and Bbreadman in the final minute, holding the high ground to rain down fire on them before jumping at Bbreadman, who was using a Riot Shield for protection. He secured himself a nice $100,000 on top of his share of the $80,000 for placing second in the trios tournament, making it a very successful day for him. World Series of Warzone 2023 Global Finals The Global Finals is set to bring the best 50 trios from across the globe to London, England, on September 16, to compete for $600,000 — including the $100,000 Solo YOLO tournament. The finals will consist of 20 teams from Europe and 20 teams from North America qualifying, as well as a further 10 trios from other regions. Here’s the full list of teams: The tournament will take place in the Copper Box Arena, with tickets now sold out. World Series of Warzone 2023 format & scoring Global Finals format 20 NA Trios, 20 EU Trios, and teams from other nations will eventually compete in the Global Final in September for a $600,000 total prize, with $100,000 of that being for the winner-takes-all Solo YOLO tournament. At the Global Finals, all 50 trios will drop in for six matches and be ranked according to this scoring system: 1 kill = 1 point – 1st: 2x points – 2nd-5th: 1.8x points – 6-10th: 1.6x points – 11-20th: 1.4x points – 21st-35th: 1.2x points – 36-50th: 1x points – Qualifiers format Stage 1 was originally planned to start on April 28, bringing together the best Trios on Al Mazrah, each looking to take home the lion’s share of the $1.2 million prize pool. However, in-game issues led to delays across the board as custom lobbies struggles to function properly. After a few weeks of extra development, WSOW got back on track. Teams first went through an in-game open. The top 50 trios in each region advanced to the WSOW Stage 1 Qualifiers and 25 moved on from there to the Regional Finals, along with 25 other teams invited by Activision. The top 25 teams from the Stage 1 Regional Finals automatically qualified for the Regional Finals, while the bottom 25 went through the Stage 2 Qualifiers. World Series of Warzone 2023 schedule Here are the official dates for the World Series of Warzone. Stage 1 NA Stage 1 Qualifiers: May 31, 10 AM PT – NA Stage 1 Regional Finals: June 7, 10 AM PT – EU Stage 1 Qualifiers: June 1, 10 AM PT – EU Stage 1 Regional Finals: June 8, 10 AM PT – Stage 2 NA Stage 1 Qualifiers: July 19, 10 AM PT – NA Stage 1 Regional Finals: July 21, 10 AM PT – EU Stage 1 Qualifiers: July 18, 10 AM PT – EU Stage 1 Regional Finals: July 20, 10 AM PT – Global Finals WSOW 2023 Global Finals & Solo YOLO: September 16, London, UK –

World Series of Warzone 2023 event sets new viewership records while eclipsing CDL Champs ActivisionThe World Series of Warzone 2023 just set new viewership records while eclipsing even this year’s Call of Duty League Champs event. 2023’s WSOW has just wrapped up as fans saw Shifty, Sage, and Biffle crowned as Warzone’s best trio, finishing the tournament with a massive 75-point lead. Despite starting the tournament slow, two fifth-place finishes and two first-places with an incredibly dominant game six secured them the trophy. And with the massive win for the trio also saw a massive wave of interest in the Warzone scene as the tournament broke viewership records across the board, garnering more viewers than even this year’s CDL Champs. According to Activision, the Global Final saw 378,316 live viewers at its peak, with an extra 3,000 viewers watching live in the Cooper Box Arena. If we go by Activision’s stats, this beats CDL’s peak recorded viewership of 335,170 in this year’s Major 3 which saw Atlanta FaZe and OpTic Texas face off in the Grand Final. In fact, no other CoD tournament this calendar year is able to claim a better record than this Warzone tournament. However, if we were to go by Esport Charts’ stats, they recorded a conservative 308,289 viewers at its peak, which still beats out 2023’s CDL Champs which saw New York Subliners and Toronto Ultra in the Grand Final. Despite WSOW not completely overtaking CDL’s viewership, it is by far one of the most viewed Warzone tournaments. However, it was beaten by the 2021 Twitch Rivals x WSOW event, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as it was a massive Twitch Rivals event at the height of the game’s popularity. The aftermath of the International LAN final saw a few shakeups, with Shifty teasing in an interview with GGRecon a potential CDL switch following his massive win at WSOW.

World Champion ACHES Explains Why Changing to 5v5 This Season Could Ruin CoD Esports MLGEvil Geniuses pro Call of Duty player Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price believes that switching to 5v5 for competitive CoD would be disastrous for the esport. The longtime veteran, who is fresh off winning the 2018 CWL Championship, has been adamantly petitioning for the format to remain 4v4 after rumors and speculation have recently surfaced suggesting that the CWL was considering switching things to 5v5. ACHES explained his position via a series of tweets on August 30, after OpTic Gaming content creator ‘Hitch’ also tweeted about the topic. Will be absolutely baffled if it does. Such a disrespectful move tbh. Puts everyone in a shitty situation + have to create a team on based on an entirely new dynamic, stretches budgets and players make less. Orgs with $$ will be able to afford 5 superstars, AM scene can’t compete. ACHES did reveal that he was not entirely opposed to the notion, but rather felt that if a change that massive was going to be implemented, it should be done after players and organizations were notified well in advance. I’m ok with 5v5, IF ITS WITH A YEAR NOTICE, and there’s a guaranteed structure planned out and guaranteed for years to come. As a long-time competitor in the pro scene, ACHES has been through virtually every scenario and is likely just trying to look out for his fellow players, who are trying to either sustain or build a career in CoD esports, whether they be established stars or up-and-coming and fringe players trying to break into the top ranks.

World Champion pro MiRx announces new team for Black Ops 4 season Former Call of Duty star pro player Marcus ‘MiRx’ Carter has revealed the squad he will be competing with for the upcoming Black Ops 4 competitive season. MiRx will be teaming up with competitive players Cole ‘ColeChan’ Chancey, Nick ‘Happy’ Suda, Tanner ‘Super’ Bowen, and Joseph ‘TurnUp2eZ’ Sicre. The roster is actively looking for an organization to represent for the 2019 CoD World League season, which officially kicks off at the CWL Vegas event in early December. This new squad is a healthy mix of veteran talent and new, young talent. MiRx himself has been competing since 2012 and is best known for his days as a member of the legendary Fariko Impact team that won the Call of Duty Championship in 2013. He was last seen competing at the CWL Atlanta Open event as a member of Ascendant Gaming during this past WWII season, where he placed 49-64. Similarly, ColeChan and Happy have both also been around the competitive scene for a long time, although neither have really enjoyed the success and notoriety that MiRx did in his prime. When it comes to youth, Super and TurnUp2eZ are both relative youngsters when it comes to competing. As a member of Lethal Gaming, Super qualified for the recent 2018 CWL Championship, where their squad managed to advance past the group stage and finished 13-16. TurnUp, who recently turned 18 and will be eligible to compete for the first time, was formerly a member of eUnited’s Cadet program, but ultimately decided to part ways with the org in hope of finding a new home. With CWL Vegas a month away, this roster will have to hurry if they are to secure an agreement with an organization that can fund their trip. Once they’re there, however, the potential for them to go deep and raise some eyebrows is certainly there.

World Champion ACHES calls out former EnVy pro Temp about year-old Champs prediction Kyle J.M.Team EnVy captain Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price has a long memory when it comes to competitive Call of Duty, and he demonstrated it by calling out Echo Fox player Donny ‘Temp’ Laroda about a prediction he made almost a year ago. In October of 2017, ACHES made a sarcastic remark about Temp and Rise Nation’s Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat winning a throwback ‘boots-on-the-ground’ tournament while he was out of town. “Hold up man, I leave the country for a week and Donny and Slasher win a boots throwback?” he tweeted. “Man, I can’t really take anymore vacations.” Temp and SlasheR, who were both on EnVy at the time, bit the bait and took exception to the comments, starting a war of words that went back and forth on Twitter. At one point, ACHES hit SlasheR with the classic “let me know when you’re a boots world champion” line, to which Temp replied with a prediction that SlasheR, and thus himself as well, would become champions that very season. SlasheR, who eventually left EnVy for Rise Nation, had a strong end to the season, but his team also underachieved at Champs, finishing 13-16. Of course ACHES, whose Evil Geniuses went on a Cinderella story run to win the 2018 CWL Championship, was not going to let the opportunity slip by to remind Temp of his failed prediction. Regardless, if the two-time World Champion has a chance to prove somebody wrong on social media, he almost never fails to disappoint.

World Champ Arcitys announces eUnited exit and plan for CoD franchise league eUnited TwitterCall of Duty World Champion Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson stunned pros and fans alike with his free agency announcement on August 31, marking the end of a three-year tenure with eUnited. Rostermania has been heating up as the new Call of Duty franchise league will see popular orgs and brands excluded from next year’s mainline competitive season due to financial complications, change in leaderships, and the like. While teams are gearing up to fill their required 7-10 spots on the roster, major decisions by orgs and players are quickly taking shape. There have been swirling rumors about eUnited possibly making their way into the franchised league with a Houston location, but that only made Arcitys’ announcement all the more surprising for fans. Arcitys has been a long time fixture in the eUnited brand, and while he was brief in telling his fans of the news, it still hit hard for longtime followers. “For the first time in my professional Call of Duty career my contract has officially ended with eUnited,” Arcitys said. “And im looking forward to the future if any players or franchises want to contact me dm or email Arcitys@gmail.com.” For the first time in my professional call of duty career my contract has officially ended with eUnited and im looking forward to the future if any players or franchises want to contact me dm or email Arcitys@gmail.com — Alec (@Arcitys) August 31, 2019 Arcitys was one of eUnited’s brightest players during the 2019 season and a pivotal factor in the incredible Champs run that ended with his team hoisting the trophy when the dust settled. The 21-year-old joined eUnited way back in December 2016, and has stuck with eUnited throughout the multiple iterations of CoD competitions. what? he’s told us his contract with eU is up on the 31st. no point to re-sign when he can field offers, great decision by my dude alec — eU Clayster (@Clayster) August 31, 2019 While surprising, it seems like his contract simply ran out at an opportune time, seeing as he fulfilled his duties with eUnited and is now looking ahead to what may come in the franchised era. “(Arcitys) told us his contract with eU is up on the 31st,” eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks said in reply to Arcitys decision. “No point to re-sign when he can field offers, great decision by my dude Alec.” Arcitys’ intentions to look at his options means there could be an era in which he and his eUnited teammate / twin brother Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson face off against each other down the line. At the time of this writing, there are nine cities confirmed for CDL that will field a Call of Duty team, and it’ll be interesting to see where a major name like Arcitys will eventually land. eUnited’s Call of Duty roster: Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr – Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris – James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks – Preston ‘Prestinni’ Sanderson –

Woman claims she was banned from Tinder over Call of Duty 1v1 challenges ActivisionA woman claimed she had received a ban from dating app Tinder due to her challenging her matches to 1v1s in Call of Duty. On June 16, CoD content creator Terran posted on Twitter, claiming: “I’m banned from Tinder for asking guys to 1v1 me.” Attached was a screenshot of a ban notification from Tinder, which stated: “Your account has been banned for promoting sex work or seeking compensated relationships.” Just a few hours later, Terran followed up with an update to the story, saying that she had actually been unbanned and could get back to challenging her matches. Terran’s reign of terror didn’t end there, however. Just a day later, she posted two screenshots: one, a series of messages in which someone — presumably somebody met on Tinder — agreed to a quick scope 1v1 match on Modern Warfare 3. The other, a picture of the final game ended screen, in which Terran had beaten them 30-0. “I just nuked, 30-0’ed a man from Tinder I feel so bad right now,” she said. Terran hasn’t provided an update yet on whether there will be a second 1v1, but needless to say, her opponent might want to reconsider his strategy if he agrees to another one. There are no rules specifically in the Tinder terms and conditions stating that users can’t challenge matches to 1v1s, which might explain why Terran’s ban was overturned so quickly. This isn’t the first time Terran has challenged her matches to 1v1s, with one opponent even accusing her of being a hacker back in May. Unfortunately for this player, this loss may be even more shameful than 100 Thieves CEO and nine-time Call of Duty champion Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s 1v1 loss to FaZe Clan CEO Ricky ‘Banks’ Bergstrom.

Winless Tainted Minds Get Shock Upset Victory Over OpTic Gaming at the CWL Pro League, Including an Insane Comeback in CTF CWLIn a stunning turn of events, Tainted Minds has pulled off a shocking upset victory over OpTic Gaming in Division B of the CWL Pro League Stage 2. The Australian based CoD team came into their match against the North American giants on July 11th as heavy underdogs, having lost every single one of their nine Pro League matches up to that point. There were warning signs right from the start of the match, as Tainted Minds took the first Hardpoint on Gibraltar to put themselves up 1-0. After OpTic’s victory in the subsequent S&D tied up the series, the Australians produced a miracle in the Game 3 CTF, capturing five flags in three minutes in the second half of play to come back from a 1-5 deficit and win 6-5. WHATTT!!! Down 5-1 in CTF, @TaintedOrg put in FIVE flag caps in three minutes to stun @OpTicGaming!https://t.co/NKHQSgV6Gh #CWLPS4 pic.twitter.com/dm1pbeResb — Call of Duty esports (@CODWorldLeague) July 11, 2018 The Game 4 Hardpoint on London Docks was not close, as an angry OpTic squad asserted themselves to win 250-49. However, Tainted Minds were able to hang around much closer in the Game 5 S&D on Sainte Marie Du Mont, and managed to get things to a Round 11, which they clutched up to win and secure the 3-2 series victory. .@OpTicGaming UPSET!!!@TaintedOrg take the game 5 round 11 to get their first win in the #CWLPS4 Pro League! pic.twitter.com/u85vf6QnKw — Call of Duty esports (@CODWorldLeague) July 11, 2018 Wow what a way to win our first series ggs Optic the improvements keep coming — ging (@Nimble_COD) July 11, 2018 While the now 1-9 Tainted Minds are nowhere close to competing for a Playoff spot in Division B, this victory will be huge for their morale and confidence, especially for a team that had to go through qualifiers to even play in the Pro League. On the flip side, although they are heavy favorites to qualify for the Playoffs, OpTic will rue losing to a winless team. At 6-3, they now sit a full game behind Rise Nation for the top seed, and this loss could ultimately prove to be the difference. – For all Division B scores, schedules, rosters, standings, and live-stream, make sure to visit our dedicated CWL Pro League Stage 2 hub.

Winless Royal Ravens sign PaulEhx to CDL roster, part ways with Parasite London Royal RavensThe London Royal Ravens have parted ways with veteran Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte, opting to sign Challengers star Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila to their starting lineup for Stage 2 of the 2021 Call of Duty League season. The Royal Ravens are the only winless team remaining in the Call of Duty League, prompting the need for a change to their already-makeshift starting lineup. PaulEhx, who will be competing in the professional circuit for the first time in his career, previously featured for WestR, arguably the most dominant team in the NA Challengers division this season. “From WestR to LRR, we are delighted to announce the addition of PaulEhx to the starting roster,” the team tweeted on March 16. “Be sure to show him some love ahead of Stage 2 this weekend.” From WestR to #LRR We are delighted to announce the addition of @PaulEhx_ to the starting roster. Be sure to show him some love ahead of Stage 2 this weekend! #6thRaven pic.twitter.com/5V21b25XsE — Carolina Royal Ravens (@RoyalRavens) March 16, 2021 London Royal Ravens Stage 2 starting lineup Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila – Sean ‘Seany’ O’Connor – Alex ‘Alexx’ Carpenter – Thomas ‘Dylan’ Henderson – In order to make room for Avila in the lineup, London have parted ways with Parasite, who had initially been signed just before the season started to fill the spot of the absent Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris. Zer0 has yet to feature for the Royal Ravens in 2021 after visa issues have forced him to remain in the UK, whereas the team is currently based in the United States. So this new signing could definitely be short-term until Zer0 is able to rejoin the squad. “We are very thankful for [Parasite] coming into the team on such short notice and representing the Royal Ravens so well,” they wrote. “We wish him the best of luck for the future.” Today we’re announcing the departure of @Parasite from our roster. We are very thankful for him coming into the team on such short notice and representing the #6thRaven so well. We wish him the best of luck for the future. pic.twitter.com/2dVwGhj8hQ — Carolina Royal Ravens (@RoyalRavens) March 16, 2021 PaulEhx has been competing in Call of Duty for a few years now, but this will be the first time he’s achieved official professional status. During his time with WestR, the team has mostly dominated the North American amateur scene, winning the first four Challengers Cups and Elite Stage 1 while placing second at the Elite Stage 1 Playoffs. Watch now: Should Subliners gamble to make room for CoD’s next star? Royal Ravens will look for him to make an instant impact when Stage 2 kicks off on March 18. While it may not be full-panic mode yet, the team is falling behind in the overall standings, and the playoff hunt will only become more competitive as the season goes on. They’ll only be playing once in the Toronto Ultra Home Series – against LA Guerrillas on March 21 – followed by matches against LA Thieves, New York Subliners, Toronto Ultra, and Atlanta FaZe ahead of the Stage 2 Major. London Royal Ravens Stage 2 schedule Week 1 (Toronto Home Series): vs Guerrillas on March 21 – Week 2: vs Thieves on March 26, vs Subliners on March 27 – Week 3: vs Ultra on April 2, vs FaZe on April 4 –

[Team] win CWL Fort Worth Open tournament – Final Placements have won the amateur portion of CWL Fort Worth, after an impressive performance throughtout was capped off with a victory over [—–] in the Grand Final. CWL Fort Worth was the first time we have seen the new format of splitting Pro League teams from the ‘amateur’ teams, but the caliber of some teams in open tournament could have given pro teams a run for their money. FaZe Clan Black and Mindfreak were two such teams, who both missed out on the Pro League narrowly, and have made roster changes since the qualifier, which helped them reach the final of the open tournament.

Will Warzone use new engine in Black Ops Cold War? Dev addresses rumors TreyarchAccording to the art lead at Activision, there will not be an engine shift when Warzone integrates with Black Ops Cold War during the game’s first season in December, squashing rumors that the game’s fundamentels would be changing dramatically. [jwplayer sEnFsekG] Those hoping for a drastic change in Warzone when it integrates with Black Ops Cold War in December might be in for a disappointing surprise if a new announcement from an Activision employee holds true. During a recent ResetEra thread, a verified Art Lead at Activision, named ‘ShutterMunster,’ confirmed that Warzone will not see an engine shift when the partner game of focus transitions from from Modern Warfare to Black Ops Cold War. Previous rumors and speculation thought that there would be an engine shift, considering the gameplay and movement in Black Ops Cold War is fundamentally different than in Modern Warfare, which Warzone was modeled after. This news, however, lines up with previous rumors from September, where a notable CoD leaker revealed that the Black Ops Cold War iteration of Warzone would feature the same style of gameplay (including wall-mounts and gun mechanics) as it’s Modern Warfare counterpart. How the game will be actually integrated remains to be seen, however. Thanks to a recent Activision investors call, we know that Warzone is set to be tied in with Black Ops Cold War during the new title’s first content season in December and that players will be able to use loadouts and cosmetic items from both games in this new iteration. No other details have been announced about this yet, although both Activision and Treyarch have pledged that a full announcement is on its way before BOCW releases worldwide. This should finally announce the questions about whether there will be a new map or how Warzone will change once the integration takes place. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set to launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC on November 13, 2020.

When will Warzone solos return? ActivisionThe normal BR Solos are not available in Warzone, with Buy Back Solos and Mini Royale Solos taking its place. When will the normal solo mode come back? Well, here’s what we know. Ever since Warzone released back in March, a number of different modes have been added alongside the normal quads, trios, and duos modes. You’ve had things like Juggernaut Royale, Buy Back Quads, and even Zombies Royale to celebrate the spooky Halloween period. However, some players just want the normal battle royale mode that they know and love to be available. Currently, if you just want to play the normal BR mode – where you hop in, loot, use the gulag if you die, and try to be the last player standing – you can only do so in quads, trios, and duos. It’s not available for solos, and players are asking when it’ll be coming back. When will BR Solos return to Warzone? Well, the answer to that question is… it’s up to Raven Software and Activision. They make the call on when the playlists get updated and when things are rotated in and out. Read More: Best Warzone loadout after DMR nerf – Currently, solo players can only play Buy Back solos – which takes place in Verdansk – and Mini Royale Solos – which takes place on Rebirth Island. The latter of which was rumored to only be lasting until early January, but we’ve blown past that now. The next big update that looks to be coming to Black Ops Cold War will drop on February 4 – bringing a new Zombies map with it. That could also see major changes come to Warzone, too. However, if enough players kick up a stink about BR solos still being missing, that could push the devs to change whatever plans they’ve got and bring it back sooner rather than later. Are Warzone solos gone for good? Whenever something exits the playlist, some fans immediately ask if it’s been scrapped altogether. And no, that’s rarely ever the case. While modes like Buy Back and Mini Royale add a nice change of pace, sometimes, you just have to stick with the classic battle royale formula. So, don’t worry too much about it possibly being removed forever. That’s really unlikely to be the case. So, everything points to us seeing normal solos mode return in the near future, it’s just a matter of when Raven and Activision decide to flip the switch and bring it back. If anything changes, we’ll keep this post updated so you’ll know when you’ll be getting your fix of normal Warzone solos next.

Will Warzone skins and Operators transfer to Warzone 2? ActivisionWarzone 2 is almost upon us, and many players are questioning whether their already-bought cosmetics, Operators, skins, and more will transfer over from the original Warzone. Here’s the run-down on what to expect. Warzone enables players to use Modern Warfare, Cold War, and Vanguard Operators, as well as all of the unique skins or outfits that can be used on them. Loadouts can also contain weapons from across all three titles, which has added a tremendous amount of diversity to the game. However, with the arrival of Warzone 2, there have been concerns about whether Operators and skins will be transferable, especially for those who have poured plenty of money into the battle royale title. Unlike the current iteration of Warzone, the sequel is a “completely new game,” on a brand new engine to more closely align it with Modern Warfare II. While it’s still early days and details remain scarce, here’s a full rundown of everything we currently know about Warzone 2 Operators and skin transfers. Will Warzone skins and Operators transfer to Warzone 2? Activision has announced that previous content such as Operators, weapon skins, and blueprints will not transfer over from the original Warzone. Instead, Warzone 2.0 will feature new Modern Warfare II content, systems, and brand-new progression. The developers stated that “today’s Warzone will continue as a separate experience” and “will include a continuation of player progression.” So, fear not: you won’t lose the Warzone cosmetics you already bought, and will be able to use them in your journeys across Caldera if you return to the original battle royale title. The only difference is that you won’t be able to use them in Warzone 2 and instead can utilize the new Battle Pass as well as the CoD Store to get your new skins, outfits, Calling Cards, and more.

Will Warzone have a console FOV slider in Modern Warfare 2? ActivisionA Field of View (FOV) slider is at the top of Warzone console players’ wishlist for Modern Warfare 2 — but will fans finally get what they’ve been hoping for? FOV is crucial for any First Person Shooter, and with a slider it can be adjusted to change how much of your surroundings are visible at once. With a smaller FOV things will appear extremely zoomed in, while a larger FOV gives a more zoomed-out view. Warzone is a fast-paced game mode and players need to make split decisions. Seeing an enemy first could be the difference between winning or losing, and console players are tired of being held back from seeing everything around them, especially on next-gen platforms. Will Warzone have a FOV slider on Modern Warfare 2? Call of Duty: Vanguard currently has a fully customizable FOV on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Warzone players though, do not have that same luxury. The default FOV on console is set to 80, and there’s no way to change it. PC players are able to adjust the FOV while playing Warzone, however, which does give them an undeniable advantage in cross-platform matches. Unfortunately for console players, Activision hasn’t confirmed whether or not an FOV slider will be included for console players on Modern Warfare 2. There have been some rumors circulating online that one will be coming to Modern Warfare 2, but those reports can’t be verified or disproven just yet. Infinity Ward didn’t talk about FOV sliders for consoles for Modern Warfare 2 or Warzone 2. Information on whether or not that will be a thing will most likely be shared closer to launch. — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) June 9, 2022 Warzone devs’ previous stance on FOV slider Warzone players previously blasted developers over a confirmation in February that there would be no slider on the console. CoD developers explained in a blog post that adding a way to adjust FOV “creates major performance impacts for old-gen console players.” In regards to FOV slider, they further said that “”we want everyone to have fun”” and “”adding FOV to PC sorta opened this Pandora Box”” of console players wanting it. Internal testing just showed if they added it, they might as well call it a ‘how to drop framerate slider.’ — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) February 11, 2022 The developers also added, “FOV slider benefits high skilled players mainly.” Whether or not Activision has changed its previous stance remains to be seen. We will provide an official update when Activision makes an official statement regarding FOV.

Will Warzone 2’s Massive Resurgence mode get a solos & duos playlist? ActivisionSeason 3 of Warzone 2 brought with it the new Massive Resurgence mode to Al Mazrah, but will it end up having a solos and duos playlist? Here’s a breakdown of everything fans know so far. Warzone 2 Season 3 launched on April 12, 2023, and this new season brought with it a ton of new content for players to sink their teeth into. From substantial weapon buffs and nerfs to shake up the meta to new game modes like Massive Resurgence, there’s plenty to be excited about. Some fans may have noticed that the Massive Resurgence mode only has a trios and quads playlist at the moment, so many are wondering if the mode will ever get a solos or duos playlist as well. Here’s everything we know right now. Will Warzone 2’s Massive Resurgence have a solos & duos playlist? Unfortunately, at the time of writing, there has been no official confirmation on whether or not Massive Resurgence will end up getting a solos and duos playlist. That doesn’t mean that all hope is lost, however, as there’s always a chance that a solos or duos playlist will come in the future. Those who play Warzone 2 consistently will remember that playlists are updated nearly every Wednesday. As such, those looking forward to a Massive Resurgence solos or duos playlist should check Warzone 2 on April 19, 2023, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST. What is Massive Resurgence in Warzone 2? Massive Resurgence is essentially the same Resurgence mode that fans are familiar with but on a bigger scale. According to the Season 3 patch notes, players will “take on dozens of other squads in a much larger version of fan-favorite mode.” In Massive Resurgence, when players are eliminated, they spectate the much and wait for the Resurgence timer to count down. Teammates can shorten that time by completing various objectives, such as Contracts, looting, and eliminating enemies. However, once the fourth circle arrives, players will no longer be able to respawn. And that’s everything Warzone 2 fans need to know about Massive Resurgence getting a solos and duos playlist! We’ll update this article in the future if any official confirmation is made.

Will Verdansk map be destroyed in Warzone? Leakers hint at major in-game event ActivisionA number of Call of Duty: Warzone leakers have hinted at a major event coming on March 11 that will apparently see Verdansk destroyed. Here’s what we know so far about the much-anticipated nuke event. Ever since Warzone launched back in March of 2020, the developers have brought plenty of changes to the battle royale. The integration of Black Ops Cold War added new weapons, modes, and a new map in the form of Rebirth Island, but most players can still be found on Verdansk. Players have called for changes to game’s original map, pointing out that Fortnite grew in popularity because of its frequent map changes. With Season 2 for Black Ops Cold War on the horizon, it looks like Warzone is in for another major change. Warzone nuke event coming? A number of leakers have claimed that a major event is coming after the start of season 2, and it looks to focus on an explosion on Verdansk. Read More: Was the FFAR secretly nerfed in Warzone? – Both WarzoneNewz and ModernWarzone, who have both had leaks on Warzone in the past, have teased an event, both tweeting out “kaboom” and teasers of an explosion. This lines up with nuclear weapons that have been found under the map. They’ve both pinpointed March 11 as the date for something to happen. That’s two weeks after the start of Season 2, which gets underway on February 25. https://twitter.com/WarzoneNewz/status/1363279416659488770 The belief from fans is that the ship which has started approaching Verdansk, and likely contains Nova 6 gas, will explode while docked near the map – causing irreparable damage to battle royale’s original map. That could make the map inhospitable, meaning players are leaving Verdansk for the rumored Ural Mountains map, or that Verdansk is undergoing major changes. All signs seem to point to a new map anyway, given the amount of leaks there have been surrounding a new location. Thankfully, there’s not that long to wait to find out if the leakers are right. If something is happening on March 11, teasers should start rolling out before then, and they’ll be the indicators.

Will there be next-gen for Modern Warfare? PS5 version found Activision, Infinity WardCall of Duty: Modern Warfare is practically a household name for FPS fans and non-gamers alike. It’s no shock then that CoD fans were beyond excited at the possibility of a PS5 version of the game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has become a staple title for the CoD franchise. After a recent clarification from an Infinity Ward dev that more content is coming soon fans have jumped back aboard the Modern Warfare hype train. This announcement had fans scratching their heads over what new content would be released, especially when Black Ops: Cold War and its Warzone season are likely to be the focus of development for some time. A reddit user, however, has sparked some life into the community by leaking a possible PS5 release for Modern Warfare in the near future. Modern Warfare on PS5 Leak A post and possible leak on r/GamingLeaksAndRumours by reddit user asjonesy99 has seized the interest of CoD fans from across the globe. The post sees the possibility of there being a PS5 version of the title available in the near future. When purchasing the game, the dropdown menu shows the original PS4 version followed by a PS5 version. The original post states that when he selects this option it becomes locked. After checking a plethora of other games, there are no other options for PS5 versions, so either this is a simple error or CoD are planning a future PS5 update for the game. While excited, a lot of fans weren’t particularly shocked at this leak simply due to the popularity of Warzone, which launched alongside Modern Warfare in October 2019 and is fully integrated into the game. The future is of course uncertain, and in turn this means that this could be nothing. However, it’s really exciting to think that Modern Warfare will be back with a bang to continue to inspire future generations of FPS players in the same way it has inspired the current one.

Will there be a beta for Modern Warfare? Website update hints at details ActivisionIt appears that the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare title will indeed feature a beta-testing period, hinted at by the recently made changes on an official website. With there being less than three months until the October 25 release of Modern Warfare, there has still been no word on if and when there will be a beta. However, a subtle change made on Call of Duty’s official website suggests that the game will feature a beta, and that there’s already a process for it in the works. Earlier on July 30, it was discovered that if you attempted to visit the web address callofduty.com/beta, the page would actually redirect to another URL: profile.callofduty.com/modernwarfare/beta. Previously, the website would redirect to another URL – profile.callofduty.com/blackops4/beta – which was the page where players went to manage their access to last year’s beta for Black Ops 4. The new web page actually doesn’t even exist yet, despite the redirection, as a message pops up alerting that an unexpected error had occurred. Betas have been a fundamental aspect of every Call of Duty titles pre-release schedule over the past several years, usually made private and exclusive to those who had pre-ordered the game in advance. Ever since Sony’s exclusivity deal with Activision was brokered, those on PlayStation 4 have received their own private beta weekend, with a private beta on all platforms launched the following weekend. Since all indications point to this exclusivity deal still being in effect, players can expect to see a similar schedule followed for Modern Warfare, assuming, of course, that there will be a beta. If a beta period is to be held, then it’s likely to be formally announced by Activision and Infinity Ward on August 1, during the global reveal event for the game’s Multiplayer. It will be during this announcement that the dates for the beta will also be revealed, along with the expected confirmation that access will, once again, be limited to those who pre-order the game. For reference, the dates for last year’s Black Ops 4 beta were as follows: Weekend 1: PS4 closed beta Starts: August 3 at 10 am PT – Ends: August 6 at 10 am PT – – Weekend 2: PS4/Xbox One closed beta + PC open beta Starts: August 10 at 10 am PT – Ends: August 13 at 10 am PT – – However, there isn’t much need for worry if you do not plan on pre-ordering the game, since beta access codes are usually a dime a dozen once they are sent out, so there shouldn’t be much difficult finding one.

Will there be a Warzone Pacific Season 6? Warzone 2, Modern Warfare 2 & more ActivisionWarzone Season 5 Reloaded has dropped and, as such, the battle royale’s player-base are wondering what is next. Activision have officially confirmed there will not be a Warzone Pacific Season 6, meaning fans can officially look towards Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. Warzone Season 5 Reloaded has now dropped, bringing a host of changes to the CoD battle royale and, elsewhere, to Sledgehammer’s Call of Duty: Vanguard. Will there be a Warzone Pacific and Vanguard Season 6? First things first. Activision has confirmed there will not be a Warzone Season 6 during the Vanguard life-cycle. Similarly, Vanguard itself will not have a Season 6. Season 5 Reloaded was the final major update of Last Stand, meaning the only updates from here will be small patches to improve quality of life and other minor adjustments. That might disappoint some people, but it does mean that players can properly look ahead to Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 seasons and release MWII will launch on October 28. That means this final season of Warzone Pacific will be roughly two months in length – as has become standard. We also now know that Warzone 2 will launch a few weeks later, in the middle of November. As such, Modern Warfare 2 will launch in ‘Season 0’, with Season 1 starting when the BR sequel drops, or shortly after. Like the first Warzone, we do expect some level of synchronization between the two titles, but it’s not clear whether all content will transfer to the battle royale as happened with the first Warzone. Activision and Raven have admitted this approach caused major problems, describing the game as ‘bloated’. As more information becomes available, we’ll be the first to let you know.

Will there be a Warzone and Black Ops Cold War Season 7? Season 6 end date, Vanguard launch, more ActivisionBlack Ops Cold War and Warzone Season 6 kicked off on October 6, bringing a plethora of new content to both titles. It’s got players turning their attention to next season though, with the release of Vanguard confusing things somewhat. Here, we’re delving into what fans can expect going forward. Warzone’s crossovers with Call of Duty’s annual titles signalled a major first for the franchise – the conflation of different developers’ work in the same place. We saw Black Ops Cold War’s content merge with Warzone in December 2020, with Vanguard’s following suit in October 2021. Across Cold War’s life-cycle its seasons have matched up with Warzone’s, with both games seeing Season 6 drop on October 6. However, with Vanguard’s release coming on November 5 and fast approaching, fans want to know what it means for BOCW and WZ. Warzone Season 7? Vanguard launch, crossover and new map We’ll start with Warzone. It seems unlikely there’ll be a Warzone Season 7. What seems more likely is that Warzone will restart with a Season 1 that matches up with Vanguard’s first season. It’s worth bearing in mind that Vanguard’s launch (and crossover with Warzone) will bring a new anti-cheat system called RICOCHET and a new Pacific map to replace Verdansk. Read More: 10 most popular weapons in Warzone – We saw Warzone get a number of seasons alongside Modern Warfare, before returning to Season 1 to match Black Ops Cold War. When Vanguard drops, then, players can expect a major update to bring all the WWII content, map and anti-cheat to Warzone, and then look forward to seasonal content in the fashion we’ve seen for the past year and a half. Black Ops Cold War Season 7 Similar to Warzone, a BOCW Season 7 seems very unlikely. However, while Warzone will certainly receive new content alongside Vanguard, the natural cycle of CoD games suggests we won’t get another season of multiplayer content for BOCW. The Season 6 Battle Pass is set to expire at the beginning of December, by which point Vanguard will have been out roughly one month. It seems seriously unlikely that a new season will come at that point. It’s not all bad for Cold War fans though, as there could yet be content added after Season 6. Modern Warfare has received some updates and new content from Infinity Ward during Black Ops Cold War’s life-cycle, it has just been fairly sporadic and limited. This will probably follow for Black Ops Cold War, with the majority of Treyarch’s attention turning to their next CoD instalment, probably for 2023. Zombies will also be a mode in Vanguard, so we can expect Cold War’s Zombies content to slow down too. We will update this article as more becomes clear, but there’s still plenty to be excited about for all Call of Duty fans.

Will there be a Season 7 of Warzone & Modern Warfare? Infinity WardWith Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s life-cycle winding down, fans are turning their attention to what’s next for Warzone and a possible Season 7. Here’s everything we know. Call of Duty: Warzone represents new territory for Activision’s famous FPS series. Infinity Ward and Treyarch have been long time collaborators (and alternators), but Warzone will be the first time an Infinity Ward creation moves forward as a key part of a Treyarch game. Questions, then, dominate the minds of fans as Black Ops Cold War draws nearer. How will Warzone incorporate Black Ops Cold War’s weapons, equipment and scorestreaks, while still maintaining Infinity Ward’s gunplay and core mechanics? There’s a lot up in the air, like the possibility of a Warzone Season 7. Is Season 6 the last season for Modern Warfare? We know more seasons of Warzone will come, but how they will work alongside Black Ops Cold War remains a bit of a mystery. Currently, Modern Warfare is in Season 6. Season 7, though, seems to be off the cards, as Season 6’s end date (November 24th or there abouts) is heavily indicative that it will last up until after the launch of Black Ops Cold War. There could, in theory, be a continuation of Modern Warfare’s seasons but, given the inevitable player count drop that will accompany the launch of BOCW, it seems unlikely that Infinity Ward will pursue this model. Warzone Season 7? As uncovered by leaker BKTOOR, some marketing material from Call of Duty does mention Season 7. It explains that you can purchase the Season 7 battle pass with the CP earned in S6. However, a new season for Warzone might not be associated with Modern Warfare. Although these images reference a Season 7, they are likely just placeholders within Modern Warfare. 100% Season 7 🔥 https://t.co/M0PGycb6WW pic.twitter.com/pGBEO0oFSS — ᴮᴷᵀᴼᴼᴿ (@BKTOOR_) October 2, 2020 When the next season of Warzone drops, it will more than likely be alongside the opening season of Black Ops Cold War. You can expect the usual additions to Warzone though, in the form of buffs, nerfs, new weapons and POIs. With a lot still unclear about Warzone’s incorporation into Cold War, stay tuned to Dexerto for the latest.

Will there be a new Call of Duty in 2023? Modern Warfare 2, Warzone 2.0 & more ActivisionWith Modern Warfare 2, Warzone 2.0, and more on the horizon, some players are unsure of what to expect from Activision’s FPS series in 2023. Here, we run through what we know and what Call of Duty fans should expect. Call of Duty has long followed a concrete release cycle, with a new installment dropping in every year’s final quarter for as long as fans can remember. That will be the same in 2022, with Modern Warfare 2 chalked to drop on October 28. However, matters are already confused by the upcoming release of Warzone 2.0, which is slated for release in mid-November. As a result, players are asking whether there’ll be a new Call of Duty in 2023. Is there a new CoD in 2023? Right now, we do not expect a new Call of Duty title to be released in fall 2023. Activision are yet to officially confirm this, but all leaks and rumors surrounding Modern Warfare 2 state that it will have a series-first two-year life cycle. Similarly, Warzone 2 is expected to have a life cycle much longer than a year. The first BR released in March 2020 and is only being phased out in favor of its sequel two and a half years later. These rumors appear to have been confirmed by industry insider Jason Schreier who, on October 10, reported again that there’ll be no new CoD until 2024. “Next year they’ll be selling new stuff for MW2,” he said. “[It’ll be] an expansion or something like that (not sure exactly what it’ll look like but it’ll have campaign stuff too). No actual new COD until 2024 as I reported earlier this year.” Expected Call of Duty developers and release timeline Because of the longer life cycle, we expect a massive amount of post-launch content for both Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare 2. Leaks have even claimed that, during MW2’s life cycle, it will receive a ‘greatest hits map pack’ as DLC. CoD 2024 is expected to be developed by Treyarch, perhaps set in the 1990s, and, according to leaks, be released alongside a new Warzone 2.0 battle royale map. CoD 2025 is then expected to be developed by Sledgehammer Games and is rumored to be a sequel to 2014’s Advanced Warfare. There is also the potential for a remaster of an old CoD title. We’ve seen the original Modern Warfare remastered, as well as a reskinned campaign for Modern Warfare 2. Rumors continue to swirl over the potential of a Modern Warfare 3 Remastered, with some leaks claiming it is “waiting” to drop. In short, whilst a CoD 2023 looks unlikely, there’s an awful lot for fans of the franchise to get excited for.

What happened to Rebirth Island in Warzone Pacific and is it coming back? ActivisionRebirth Island was added to Warzone with the Black Ops Cold War integration at the end of 2020 and has quickly become very popular among players. But there have been plenty of questions over Rebirth Island in the Warzone Pacific update The Call of Duty: Vanguard integration brought Caldera with it, a new map that players have been clamoring for for some time. While players’ opinions of Caldera have been very much split, with top pros like Aydan even threatening to quit the game, some players’ sights have been set on Rebirth Island and its popular Resurgence mode, which many prefer over the classic BR experience in Verdansk or Caldera. So what’s the plan for Rebirth Island? Will Rebirth be in Warzone Pacific? The good news for Rebirth players is that it will still be in the game after the Vanguard integration, with it already arriving back in Warzone just a week after launch. It’s not yet clear exactly how developers Raven will utilize Rebirth Island in Warzone Pacific or if they make adjustments to it over time, but it is featured on the original Vanguard x Warzone Season 1 roadmap. When will Rebirth Island be back in Warzone? As confirmed in the Warzone Pacific Season 1 patch notes, Rebirth Island was not in the game when Caldera first launched (except for on December 8 for Vanguard owners with early access) — but it didn’t take long to make its return. In an update on December 16, Rebirth Island was added back to Warzone before Raven promptly removed it, explaining that they had to investigate an issue within the mode. At the time of writing on December 17, the mode has not yet been reinstated. ❗️ Rebirth Resurgence Trios is being removed from the #Warzone Playlist while we investigate an issue. Vanguard Resurgence Quads will now be available to Players while we assess the situation. — Raven Software (@RavenSoftware) December 17, 2021 Whether Rebirth Trios comes back before the next playlist update remains to be seen, but current schedule suggests that Rebirth Island will still be in on December 23, when Duos is set to replace Trios on the map. The following week, Quads will then take its place. So, providing any issues with the map/mode get fixed, don’t expect to run out of game time on Rebirth Island any time soon.

Will OpTic dominate Cold War? Best Call of Duty League Players for Season 2 The Call of Duty League’s second season moves over to Black Ops Cold War, and the league is going to heat up as we transition to a 4v4 format. As such, here are the best players we’re keeping an eye on going into the 2021 campaign. CDL 2020 Champion and league MVP Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro dominated last season and there’s no reason to believe he won’t contend for his titles again in 2021. The former Halo World Champion came over to CoD with high expectations and completely delivered for his Dallas Empire, parent org Envy and fans across the CDL. But he’s going to have stiff competition. The Atlanta FaZe’s Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr and teammate Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris, along with Chicago Optic’s Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon and Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell should also feast in 2021. These are players who’ve proven their worth in the CDL’s first season (or the season prior, in Dashy’s case) so with the new 4v4 landscape and return to a Treyarch title, are expected to be some of the scariest individual talents throughout the league. Meanwhile, Sam ‘Octane’ Larew was the single ray of hope for Seattle Surge in 2020, and now with a new squad around him, we’re excited to see what he can muster heading into BOCW. Similarly, longtime veteran Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat has proven he still has everything it takes to be a top contender in this league, and we expect him to have a great year with the newly formed LA Thieves. Take a look at the full video to see why we expect these players to have a stellar season in CDL 2021.

Will MW3 & Warzone Double XP tokens carry over to Black Ops 6? ActivisionAs part of the Carry Forward program, every weapon and operator skin from Modern Warfare 2 was available in MW3. Activision received pushback over the integration, as players complained that there was an overabundance of “trash” guns that nobody used. Treyarch opted to go a different direction for Black Ops 6, as no weapons or operator skins from previous titles will be available in Multiplayer. However, every MW2 and MW3 weapon and previously purchased operator skin will be included in Warzone when the battle royale eventually launches in BO6. This left Double XP tokens as the final domino yet to fall. Some players have been collecting Double Battle Pass, level, and Weapon level XP tokens across multiple titles and have a treasure trove saved up. Some users expected that they would be able to save them for BO6, but Activision shared bad news on that front. Do MW3 & Warzone Double XP tokens carry forward to Black Ops 6? Activision confirmed that all unused MW2 and MW3 XP tokens will only transfer to Warzone after the Black Ops 6 integration happens. XP tokens will not carry forward to multiplayer or Zombies. We still recommend holding on to Double XP tokens because BO6 features cross-progression between multiplayer and Warzone. Activision has not confirmed when the battle royale integration will be, other than a release window of coming later this year. XP Tokens will be even more valuable in the upcoming title as the classic prestige system returns. Unlike previous series entries, there isn’t a seasonal level cap, meaning players can progress toward level 1000 at the desired speed. Reaching the maximum rank for a Prestige unlocks rewards inspired by other Black Ops games, so players will be motivated to climb the ranks as fast as possible. For more on BO6, check out our guide on the best controller settings.

Will MW3 and Warzone operator skins carry over to Black Ops 6? ActivisionFor fans who want to carry over their favorite operator skins from Modern Warfare 3 to Black Ops 6, Activision has bad news to share. Modern Warfare 3 introduced ‘Carry Forward,’ which transferred every weapon and operator skin from Modern Warfare 2. On paper, having a large selection of different weapons and attachments to choose from should have provided more variety. However, players argued that multiplayer and Warzone got bogged down by an overabundance of “trash” guns that nobody used. Balancing over 115 options is a difficult task, but JGOD argued that the balancing updates didn’t do a good enough job. Multiplayer fans don’t have to worry about this problem in Black Ops 6, as weapons no longer carry over. In saying that, guns from all three titles will be available in Warzone. As for operator skins, players want to know if their cosmetic purchases from the last two years will carry over. Do MW3 and MW3 operator skins carry forward to Black Ops 6? Activision confirmed that MW2 and MW3 operator skins won’t carry forward to Black Ops 6 multiplayer. However, all operator skins will be available in Warzone at the start of Season 1. The lone exception to this is the Black Ops 6 Vault Edition Woods Operator Pack preorder benefit. It is currently available in Modern Warfare III and will carry forward to BO6. In defense of the decision, Activision argued, “We want to make sure that everybody starts fresh, together, as we move into an all-new experience with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.” Players questioned why they would purchase any new skins from the upcoming season if they don’t carry over to multiplayer. MW3 Season 6 starts on Sept. 14, and BO6 launches on Oct. 25. For example, there are Walking Dead, Smile, and Michael Myers operator skins that multiplayer fans will only get to wear for a month.

Will Modern Warfare have a FOV slider? Call of Duty dev responds GameInformer/Infinity WardInfinity Ward’s Senior Communications Manager, Ashton Williams, has responded to fan requests for a field of view slider in Modern Warfare, following the release of the 2v2 Gunfight Alpha on August 22. The Gunfight Alpha dropped slightly earlier than its scheduled August 23 release date. It gives the majority of players their first chance to get their hands on one part of Infinity Ward’s latest installment in the Call of Duty series. As is customary with an early build of the game, a Fortnite players desperate for one added. While PC players have the option in CoD, console players have long been craving its addition. Reddit user ‘xxihostile’ made the enquiry on August 22, stating: “I’m begging you guys, can you add aim down sight sensitivity and FOV slider on console”. They also say that both features help their ability to game given their disability. Ashton Williams, community manager at Infinity Ward, replied on August 22. “We can look into an ADS slider but no promises,” she replied. “I know FOV slider on console is a huge point of conversation, but we won’t be having one this game.” ADS sensitivity option would allow players to determine how responsive their game is to movement while they are aiming down sights with a weapon, something Williams states is a possibility. However, the news about no FOV slider is definite, and advocates of one on console will be left disappointed for another year. One Reddit user sarcastically responded: “Great. So PC players get even more advantage now. Cool. Why can’t we just have the option?” Given Modern Warfare will feature crossplay, it appears to be another advantage for PC players. Others pointed out that it’s likely due to console being worse at handling higher frame rates, as well as stuttering issues. While the news definitely disappointed some CoD fans, we can expect to see a number of issues ironed out over the course of the Alpha. Modern Warfare releases for PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 25, 2019.

Will Modern Warfare ever have a battle royale? Arguably the most anticipated PUBG and Fortnite in 2017. Following its unprecedented success, Call of Duty, and more specifically Treyarch, tried their hand in the form of Blackout in Black Ops 4. This was a big change to the traditional CoD multiplayer game mode and naturally invoked contrasting opinions. Many praised the mode for its fast pace action style of gameplay, while others weren’t pleased the franchise would dare focus on something beyond multiplayer. The latter of those fans will be pleased to know that it looks Modern Warfare is paying most attention to multiplayer — at least for now. The game will release in classic CoD style with a campaign, multiplayer and specs ops mode. However, there have been strong rumors that a battle royale mode is waiting in the shadows. During the MW Beta, leakers inevitably took the opportunity to examine the code. By doing so several containing “BR” were found which of course alludes to battle royale. Again, this doesn’t confirm its coming but it certainly adds credence to the rumors. Even popular streamers such as shroud have said Modern Warfare needs a battle royale mode. With that said let’s take a look at what we know so far. When will Modern Warfare get a battle royale mode? So, if battle royale is looking increasingly likely for Modern Warfare, then this leaves the question when will the last man standing mode be available? With the release upon us, we know at the very least it won’t be anytime soon. An early 2020 launch for Modern Warfare battle royale has been rumored, with the game’s Battle Pass revolving exclusively around it. This will likely depend on development though, and therefore could be subject to a later release date. Infinity Ward could opt to release later as part of its content strategy, too, if they feel the multiplayer mode is remaining popular. There’s another rumor that the Modern Warfare battle royale could release as a free to play standalone game. How this would work with in-game purchases would remain to be seen, however. What will the battle royale map look like? There seems to be enough evidence to warrant getting excited about the last man standing mode. This had led to fans speculating as to what the map may include. Our only taste of Call of Duty battle royale so far came in Blackout, where several classic Black Ops locations were re-imagined to create the now-iconic map. This included the likes of Array, Asylum and Nuketown. It would make a lot of sense for Infinity Ward to follow in Treyarch’s footsteps and do the same with classic Modern Warfare locations. To add to the rumors further, a list of leaked locations the map will be based on arose all the way back in July. More recently on the release day itself, October 25, it was claimed that the Spec Ops “open world sandbox” is probably a sneak of the battle royale map. Not a lot could be gleaned from the image but it does share similarities with MW2’s Scrapyard map. Infinity Ward have remained tight-lipped on battle royale, at least in any official capacity, but it looks more likely than not a Blackout type map will be coming to Call of Duty’s newest title.

Will Modern Warfare 3 have classic red dot minimap? ActivisionCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is finally here and players might be wondering if they will get to experience the classic red dot minimap. Here’s everything we know about the maps in the latest Call of Duty title. Fans are eager to dive into a brand new Modern Warfare installment. With a new campaign, a number of multiplayer modes, and plenty of beloved characters, Modern Warfare 3 has a lot to offer. If you’re a COD veteran, you may want to know if the iconic red dot minimap is finally returning to the series in the game. After all, fans were left disappointed when the map was removed back in 2019 and it’s been highly requested to return in its red dot form ever since. So, here’s everything we know about the red dot minimap in Modern Warfare 3. Will Modern Warfare 3 have classic red dot minimap? Yes, Modern Warfare 3 will feature the classic red dot minimap. This was officially confirmed by Activision back in August 2023 via a unique piece of marketing. In the game’s reveal trailer, a phone number was displayed, and it was discovered by community members that messaging the number would result in unique replies. On August 14, 2023, CharlieIntel tweeted a brief text exchange to the Modern Warfare 3 phone number that confirmed the return of the red dot map. This is great news for fans as the feature has been highly requested for the last few years, and Activision has slowly been phasing the classic minimaps back in, with Modern Warfare 2 including the maps but red dots could only be seen if players were using a UAV. That’s everything you need to know about the red dot minimap in Modern Warfare 3! For more content on the game, check out our guides below: Best Modern Warfare 3 AR class loadouts | Every confirmed map in Modern Warfare 3 | Does Modern Warfare 3 beta have split-screen? | How to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 3 | Best controller settings in Modern Warfare 3 | Can you get a Nuke in the Modern Warfare 3 Beta? | All maps & modes | How to play Modern Warfare 3 at 120 FPS on PS5 | Modern Warfare 3 TTK

Will Modern Warfare 2 weapons & Operators carry over into Modern Warfare 3? ActivisionModern Warfare 3 brings forth a wide range of new equipment to use. However, a question that players have been asking is what will happen to the weapons and Operators from Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare 3 has introduced players to a wide range of new cosmetics and weapons to pick from in the game. However, these players invested heavily last year as well when they played Modern Warfare 2. This includes operators, bundles, and weapon blueprints that are all usable in Modern Warfare 2. Therefore, it is natural fans are willing to learn whether you can use these in the next game as well since all of those purchases were worth quite a lot of money. Here is what we know about transferring weapons and Operators from Modern Warfare 2 into the latest title. Will my weapons, Operators, & bundles carry over from Modern Warfare 2 into Modern Warfare 3? Yes, Activision has confirmed your weapons, Operators, and bundles currently in Modern Warfare 2 will all be available in Modern Warfare 3. Following initial leaks on July 17, leaks claiming certain content will indeed carry over, Activision chimed in to all but confirm the news amid a wave of excitement. “Let’s get this out of the way…” the official Call of Duty Twitter account shared the very same day. Posing a question, the account asked “Should MW2 Operators, Weapons, and Bundles carry forward into Call of Duty 2023?” The only two options in the poll were “Yes,” and “Yes, when is reveal?”, thus locking in the fate of this content. A few weeks later, devs released a full ‘Carry Forward‘ blog detailing the ins and outs of this year’s transition. As a result, we now know for certain that players will retain access to their unlocked or purchased weapon Blueprints, cosmetic Bundles, and of course, all Operators as well. We also know weapon levels are set to sync across both games as well. Meaning if you use a gun across MW2, MW3, and Warzone, you’ll be progressing at the very same level across the board. It’s worth noting, however, that there are a few exceptions to the rule. For instance, MW2 Operators unlocked via challenges can only be accessed in MW2. Similarly, if MW3 doesn’t feature a particular vehicle present in MW2, vehicle skins won’t carry over, naturally. Double XP tokens will carry over as well, meaning you can start stockpiling now for MW3’s launch. We’re sure to learn plenty more in the coming weeks so rest assured, we’ll keep you posted here with all the latest Modern Warfare 3 details as they emerge. Before dropping into the action though, be sure to brush up on our other MW3 guides here: Best Modern Warfare 3 AR class loadouts | How to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 3 | Best controller settings in Modern Warfare 3 | All maps & modes | How to play Modern Warfare 3 at 120 FPS on PS5 | Modern Warfare 3 TTK | How long is the Modern Warfare 3 campaign? | Campaign mission list | How to fix packet burst | How to play MW3 Zombies in first person

Will Modern Warfare 2 get Shoot House? Infinity WardModern Warfare 2019’s Shoot House quickly became a fan favorite multiplayer map and fans now have confirmation that it will drop with Modern Warfare 2 Season One. Solid multiplayer maps are integral to a successful and popular Call of Duty title. Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer maps are a hot topic of discussion, with the devs previously promising classic CoD maps but none being present at launch. One multiplayer environment introduced back in Modern Warfare 2019 was Shoot House, which quickly became a fan favorite map because of its fast-pace, organized chaos and crisp design. As a result, plenty of Modern Warfare fans are wondering whether Shoot House will come to Modern Warfare 2, especially given its expected two-year life-cycle. Will Shoot House be in Modern Warfare 2? Yes – Shoot House has been confirmed as coming with Modern Warfare 2 Season One. It had been rumored to be one of the two fan favorite maps returning, a rumor that has proved true with Activision’s confirmation of Season One content. When will Shoot House be in Modern Warfare 2? As previously mentioned, Shoot House will drop with Season One, which begins on November 16. Unlike Shipment, which has been confirmed as the in-season map, Shoot House will be coming with Season One’s inception. Eagle eyed fans spotted certain similarities in launch maps that appeared to hint at Shoot House. For example, on Farm 18, there is a near identical helicopter near the main building at its center. Whether they were Infinity Ward easter eggs pointing at its future inclusion we do not know, but they certainly seemed too reminiscent of Shoot House to be a coincidence. Now its implementation has been confirmed, fans can look forward to Shoot House 24/7, as became a fairly common playlist in MW2019. We’ll also likely get a Shoot the Ship playlist when Shipment drops in the middle of Season One.

Will Modern Warfare 2 get Shipment? ActivisionCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has promised players a number of classic CoD maps throughout the year and it’s now been confirmed that Shipment will come with MW2 Season One. Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer maps have provoked a lot of discussion in the CoD community. Well-designed and replayable in-game environments typically make or break a good Call of Duty and MW2 is no exception. Infinity Ward have already promised fans the return of a number of the series’ classic maps but, at launch, none were present. One fan favorite that was developed by Infinity Ward is Shipment, which first debuted in 2007’s original Modern Warfare. It has returned in a number of CoD titles, including Modern Warfare 2019. As a result, plenty of fans are wondering whether Shipment will come to MW2. Will Shipment be in Modern Warfare 2? Yes – Shipment will come with Modern Warfare 2’s first season. However, it is set to drop halfway through the season, rather than with its inception on November 16. The official confirmation proves 2021 leaks true, when a leaker claimed that Shipment would be among the CoD classics remastered for the 2022 title. When will Shipment be in Modern Warfare 2? As previously mentioned, Shipment will drop with Modern Warfare 2 Season 1. We’re not certain when it will be exactly, but previous seasons dropped in-season maps and content with the Reloaded updates. Assuming MW2 follows the same pattern and seasons last a couple of months, we will see Shipment drop around mid-December, roughly a week or two before Christmas. Presumably, Shipment will join the regular rotation of maps. However, fans will be hoping for a Shipment 24/7 playlist to garner ludicrous amounts of XP and rank up their weapons. We could also see a Shoot the Ship playlist, with MW2019’s Shoot House confirmed as the second “fan favorite” map dropping with Season 1.

Modern Warfare 2 signals Call of Duty’s return to Steam after five years Activision/TreyarchFor the first time since 2017 Call of Duty may be making its triumphant return to Steam with the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022). CoD fans have been able to play on PC over the past few years, but recent titles can only be launched from the Battle.Net launcher. The last CoD titles to appear on Steam were Call of Duty: WWII and Modern Warfare: Remastered in 2017. News of a potential CoD release to Steam was first hinted at on May 29, as some fans discovered the iconic skull mask of ‘Ghost’ on Steam under the Call of Duty Black Ops 3 page. Fans have been begging for CoD to be put back on Steam and their prayers may have finally been answered after a recent tweet from Steam. CoD may be returning to Steam The reveal date for Modern Warfare 2 has been revealed to be June 8. Call of Duty tweeted a teaser trailer for its upcoming game and Steam had a revealing response to the tweet. The eyes emoji can only mean one thing and it looks like Call of Duty returning to Steam is all but confirmed at this point. Modern Warfare 2 is set to be one of the biggest game releases of 2022 so it makes sense for a release on as many launchers and platforms as possible. We will provide any updates if a Steam release is officially confirmed and when pre-orders go live but the signs are very promising.

Will CoD Vanguard Zombies have a London map? New teaser sparks rumors ActivisionLondon has long been a location that CoD Zombies fans have wanted to fight the undead masses in, so, with the release of Vanguard, could it actually happen? The Zombies saga has been getting stronger and stronger since 2008’s World At War unveiled the secret game-mode to the world. Revamping the notion of survival horror, players are still swept in the enigmatic storyline Treyarch has conjured up. Vanguard will see Cold War’s Dark Aether story continued, in a blood-soaked new entry known as Der Anfang. However, it seems like Treyarch could be heading to the UK’s capital for Zombies mayhem. Panic on the streets of London There isn’t long left at all until Call of Duty: Vanguard’s November release. In a series first, Treyarch is continuing development on the Zombies game-mode in another installment where they aren’t the key developer. With all their focus on bringing the Dark Aether to life once more, there is an infinite amount of possibilities on where to go next. We might not have to wait too long to get a glimpse of Treyarch’s plans, as chilling marketing has begun to appear in London. Depicting the undead in a gloriously gory fashion, the phrase “Happy Hunting” greets passers-by as an encouragement to dive into this exciting chapter. Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies advertisement in London Via u/RobMcDUK pic.twitter.com/7C74cQlaOd — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) October 18, 2021 The chance of a London-based map isn’t out of the realm of possibility either, after rumors of Call of Duty: World War 2’s Docks map being slated to return in Vanguard with some updated polish. Could Treyarch be backing this with their terrifying marketing? They could well be, after all, it isn’t the first time we have seen Zombies maps be created from existing locations. The map Forsaken was retrofitted from Cold War’s campaign, using the assets of a military compound as the backdrop for the Cold War Zombies story finale. Only time will tell whether London requires a few noble heroes to clear the undead.

Will Call of Duty Warzone kill Blackout? Infinity WardWith Call of Duty Warzone supposedly just around the corner, it begs the question whether CoD’s latest battle royale game will kill off its current one, Black Ops 4’s Blackout. While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, Warzone is expected to release on Tuesday, March 10. It has been a strange build up to the battle royale mode which has been rumored ever since Modern Warfare came out. As it stands however, Blackout, the battle royale mode for Black Ops 4, is Call of Duty’s only offering of the popular genre. The introduction of Warzone will undoubtedly take some of the remaining players. The question isn’t so much will Warzone have a negative effect on the Blackout player count, but will it do so to the extent that it will essentially kill the mode off. That is hard to tell right now. The end of Blackout on PC? On PC things are a little clearer as the player count is already dwindling to levels where lobbies can’t fill up. PC players will have grown accustomed to 10 to 15-minute waits only to have the game start with 30 or so players. That isn’t sustainable and these numbers will almost certainly see the mode quintessentially die when Warzone does arrive. Perhaps the only resolution is for Treyarch to limit the available modes to just standard duos and quads. PS4 and Xbox looking healthier In comparison to the PC, the console versions of Blackout are looking a lot stronger. Waiting times have increased but generally lobbies do fill up. Blackout’s other mode, Alcatraz, is also looking good. It may only have a maximum of 40 players but lobbies are frequent and rarely fall short of the maximum player count. Warzone to become CoD’s battle royale mainstay There are rumors that Call of Duty Warzone is here to stay. It will apparently release as a standalone game which will be expanded upon even through the next Call of Duty games. When and if this does happen, then Blackout may be on borrowed time. Blackout dying on the PC only seems a matter of time but console could be saved with a free-to-play version or cross-platform being added between PS4 and Xbox One.

Will Call of Duty: Warzone ever get Duos and Squads modes? Infinity WardCall of Duty’s newest battle royale, Warzone, currently only features Trios, and players are wondering if and when they’ll see more options added. After months of hype and anticipation, Warzone finally launched on March 10, as Activision unveiled their second run at the battle royale genre following Blackout, which released in 2018. A week later, Infinity Ward also introduced Solos, the first post-launch addition to the BR, but fans are wondering if they’ll ever get Duos and Squads on top of the two playlists already available. Speaking with USA TODAY, Infinity Ward Studio Head, Patrick Kelly, explained that they launched with Trios because that’s what consistently worked for them during the testing phases, so they were most comfortable and confident with that. However, he more than left the door open for other playlists to be added in the future, revealing that the developers have been internally testing four-, and even up to five-player team sizes. “I can tell you we have four- and five-player squads we are already playing with,” he said. “But we want to launch with something we know works really well and we have tested to the nines and then play around with these different team sizes.” That could come when Infinity Ward up the play-count of Warzone to 200 players, which Kelly also revealed in his interview with USA TODAY. The current max number of users in each match is set to 150. “We brought a number of twists to battle royale,” he said. “I do think the world you play in is going to be undeniably unique. For one thing, we are initially going to roll out with 150 players, when you are typically seeing 60 to 100. Actually, I can tell you we are already playing with 200 players. We are going to release that a little bit later.” Read More: Shroud reveals the best Warzone perks to use – While the details for these upcoming releases remain murky, we could see IW implement a system in which the four- or five-player squads playlist would be played with 200-player lobbies, while the 150 could be reserved for the current trios format, or even smaller teams if the devs decide to release those as well. What about Duos? While IW have already added Solos and revealed that other team sizes are coming soon, whether or not there will ever be a Duos playlist remains a mystery. IW have said that “there’s a ton of content plans and live events to come,” but, so far, there’s been virtually no mention of a two-player mode. Read More: Warzone easter eggs & secret locations – Of course, there’s technically a way to queue into lobbies with one other teammate – all you have to do is turn off squad fills in the pre-game screen and you won’t be automatically paired with additional players. However, that’s not exactly Duos, since you’re still going up against teams that are mostly three players each. Of course, Warzone is not the first battle royale to release with only a Trios playlist; Apex Legends, to this day, still only features three-player team sizes and Respawn Entertainment have yet to add Solos or Duos on a permanent basis. Call of Duty fans will hope that Infinity Ward act much faster in that regard than Respawn, but so far, no timetables have been provided for the changes that have been teased and hinted at. As always, we will continue to bring you the latest on this as more information becomes available.

Will Call of Duty still be on PlayStation? Activision / SonyFollowing the shocking news that Microsoft has secured a buyout of Activision Blizzard, PlayStation players are understandably worried about what this means for the future of Call of Duty on Sony platforms. Seemingly out of nowhere, Microsoft has announced a huge takeover of Activision Blizzard, sending the gaming world into a frenzy. The deal, worth an eye-watering $70 billion, makes Microsoft the third-largest gaming company in the world. While the Xbox community will no doubt be delighted with the acquisition, fans of Activision Blizzard games on PlayStation will have concerns. As was the case when Microsoft purchased Fallout publisher Bethesda, players on Sony platforms are worried about the future of their favorite IPs. Arguably the series that players will be most eager to hear about is Call of Duty. With 2022’s game already deep in development, PlayStation stans will be concerned that they’ll have to buy an Xbox or PC to enjoy the latest CoD installment. Contents Will Call of Duty 2022 be removed from PlayStation? The good news is that as things stand, it appears that Call of Duty will continue to release on PlayStation platforms as it always has. In a now viral tweet, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, confirmed Microsoft’s “desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation”. Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship. — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022 Additionally, in a blog post confirming the Activision Blizzard deal, Microsoft outlined that the buyout aimed to “bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone, across every device.” This message was hammered home further later in the same post. It said, “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has also hinted that CoD will be safe. “I’ll just say to players out there who are playing Activision Blizzard games on Sony’s platform: It’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform and we remained committed to that,” Spencer said in an interview. In the days following the announcement of the deal, Sony looked to reassure its player base that they will be looked after in the coming years. “We expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform,” a Sony spokesperson said to the Wall Street Journal. Activision address the state of Call of Duty’s future on PlayStation The takeover isn’t set to complete until 2023, so any ramifications of the deal won’t be felt until then. But in an open Q&A, one Activision Blizzard employee said that the publisher have no intention of disrupting the status quo with its existing games. “We will honor all existing commitments post-close. As with Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft, we have no intent to remove any content from platforms where it exists today,” they said. The Call of Duty series has been at home on PlayStation for the better part of 20 years, so players will be relieved to hear that this probably won’t be changing anytime soon. Given how many users there are across Sony platforms, it seems wise that Microsoft has chosen not to make CoD an Xbox and PC exclusive. However, we will have to wait and see if there are any exclusive benefits to playing Call of Duty on Microsoft-owned platforms going forward. Betas and preorder bonuses have often gone live on certain consoles early, so it’s safe to assume that Xbox will have first access from now on. Of course, this is still a developing story, so be sure to head over to our official Call of Duty page to stay on top of the latest news.

Will Call of Duty Points transfer to Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2? ActivisionModern Warfare II has officially launched, and Warzone 2.0 is almost upon us, so one thing many players have asked is whether the Call of Duty Points they bought in previous titles will transfer to the new games. We know already that cosmetics that have already been purchased in Warzone 1 and other mainline multiplayer CoD titles will not be carrying over, as Call of Duty moves to a unified 2.0 engine, aligning all future games together. That said, while cosmetics already bought may not carry over into the new generation, many players still have money tied up in CoD Points in the game, in fear that they may become useless after the switch. So, before you start preparing to load up Warzone 2.0 and spend more money, it’s worth checking whether your CoD Points are going to carry over. Do CoD Points transfer to MW2 and Warzone 2? While initially things weren’t clear, it is now confirmed that Call of Duty Points will transfer between Warzone and Modern Warfare 2/Warzone 2.0, with players not having to do anything besides logging into their Activision account. However, CoD Points are locked to the platform they are purchased on, so you shouldn’t expect them to transfer if you have switched from console to PC, or between consoles. You’ll be able to make use of the CoD Points you’ve accrued over time on Wednesday, November 16, when the Season 1 Battle Pass drops, and the Store really gets going for the new games. It’s worth remembering that the Points aren’t necessarily transferring from one game to another, and they will still be available on Modern Warfare 2019, Cold War, Vanguard, and Warzone 1 as well as MWII and Warzone 2.0, so you can continue to use them across any title of your choice.

Will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare remove prestiging? Infinity WardPrestiging has long been a staple of the CoD franchise, but new leaks suggest that we may be waving goodbye to the legendary system with the release of Modern Warfare. Prestiging first appeared in the original Modern Warfare game back in 2007, and since then has played an integral part in the franchise’s multiplayer mode, giving players the chance to trade in their current levels to earn a new rank logo and additional items or systems to show as a reward for their efforts. It seems Modern Warfare is set to remove this feature for the first time in 12 years, with popular leaker TheGamingRevolution revealing the possibility in a series of tweets on September 10. Prestiging has been in Call of Duty for over a decade. On Twitter, TheGamingRevolution sent out a message to fellow YouTuber PrestigeIsKey, telling him that he thinks he will need to change his name to “just ‘IsKey’, finishing off with the Modern Warfare hashtag. In response, PrestigeIsKey asked TGR to “elaborate,” with the YouTuber replying with a GIF showing a man disappearing into the ether, captioned simply with “Prestiging.” How Modern Warfare’s ranking system will work without a Prestige function is unknown, but in a previous tweet, the TheGamingRevolution claimed that the game would have levels 1-55, while Infinity Ward have revealed that your rank will increase across all three of the game’s modes – Story mode, multiplayer, and Spec Ops. It’s possible that the levels may be much bigger and require more time and XP to move up, thus making the process of ranking up much longer, or they may introduce an entirely new system to replace prestiging. TheGamingRevolution has already revealed the level cap for the Modern Warfare beta, and was the first to correctly leak the game’s 2v2 Gunfight mode. The YouTuber has also claimed that a number of fan favorite game modes will be making a return, and that the game “100%” has a battle royale mode. Of course, every leak should be taken with a grain of salt as it’s impossible to verify their legitimacy. With confirmed information only available from Activision or Infinity Ward, we may have to wait until the game’s launch on October 25 to find out for sure.

Will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare have a mini-map? Everything we know so far ActivisionActivision’s all-new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is looking like it could be one of the best in the series. However, one thing is starting to worry fans, and that’s rumors of the game not having a mini-map. Speculation of the new Modern Warfare not having a mini-map in multiplayer modes started spreading in late May, around the time gaming YouTuber LongSensation leaked the name of the title. Since then, LongSensation has been very active on Twitter, sharing even more information about the game. On June 11 he commented on these rumors, stating: “Looks like we might not have the minimap in Modern Warfare multiplayer after all.” Looks like we might not have the minimap in #ModernWarfare MP after all. Apparently it’s going to be more of a “”tactical”” game this year (competitive orientated). We’ll see once we get more concrete intel, but it was described to me as a “”R6S X Classic CoD””. — LongSensation (@LongSensationYT) June 11, 2019 While this tweet worried many Call of Duty fans that are in favor of the feature, nothing was confirmed and there was still a good chance that LongSensation may be wrong. Although, on July 11, Activision gave fans a look at Modern Warfare with a preview of the new Gunfight mode. In this game mode there was no mini-map, meaning that it’s entirely possible that suggestions that there will not be a mini-map in some modes may prove to be accurate after all. Even professional players appear to be worried about the possibility. In a recent interview with Dexerto, FaZe Clan player Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall commented on these rumors, saying: “I’ve seen rumors that there’s no mini-map. If I don’t see a mini-map I will be fuming!” Skrapz’s teammate, Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto was also worried. “I just wanna see a mini-map. I’m hearing there’s no mini-map in the game, which is, you know, that’s some bullsh*t” said ZooMaa. A large amount of the community are in favor of the inclusion of the monitoring feature that, let’s face it, has been a staple of the series. Nothing has been confirmed by Activision or Infinity Ward just yet, therefore there’s nothing concrete in regards to its exclusion. We are certain to find an answer to this important question on August 1, when the full details of Modern Warfare multiplayer are set to be revealed.

Will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 be revealed at E3 2019? E3Unlike other members of the gaming industry, Activision is not set to have a show or booth of their own at Call of Duty’s 2019 title? With E3 2019 right around the corner on June 11-14, gamers across the world are hoping that there will be announcements about their favorite titles and series at the annual spectacle. In particular, Call of Duty fans who are eager for any sort of news about what to expect from the franchises next title, have been targeting the trade fair as a possible announcement point. All signs have pointed to a return to the Modern Warfare series, which has hadn’t an iteration since 2011 – which has had announcements at E3 in the past. While fans may be grasping any sliver of news about CoD 2019, it now appears unlikely that E3 will offer them salvation and an end to their arduous wait. In a leaked floor plan for the upcoming event discovered by users of the ResetEra Forum, Activision is not set to hold a booth at the event despite doing so in recent years. While having a booth spot isn’t the be all and end all, the game publishers are currently not set to hold a press conference either – which severely damages hopes of some announcement. Will Call of Duty be at E3? Couple all that with the fact that Sony, the company which holds Call of Duty’s marketing deal, has chosen to skip the event and it appears as if the hope for big Call of Duty 2019 news at E3 is pretty bleak. However, that doesn’t mean that an announcement for the next game is dead in the water. Activision confirmed to GamesIndustry that they will have a presence at E3, but that will come in the form of behind-closed-doors meetings. They have, also, already confirmed that they will, before June 30, announce what game they are releasing as the next Call of Duty – so there isn’t too much time left for fans to wait regardless. However, it remains to be seen just how, and when, Activision will announce the next game but it certainly looks like it won’t be at a big E3 show.

Will Call of Duty: Blackout ever get a night mode? TreyarchSince the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, players have been endlessly searching for ways to alter the PUBG and Fortnite Battle Royale have games at different times of the day, but a complete switch between daytime and night-time has yet to be seen – even though it’s been teased by Apex Legends. It’s something that has also been teased for Blackout since it’s inception, yet, it’s never really been brought to life – leaving players wondering if they will ever get to see a true time shift in their surroundings. Back in October of 2018, David Vonderhaar revealed to Eurogamer that having a day and night cycle in Blackout was completely possible. The game design director stated that Treyarch “have that capability” and it’s “when and how do we deploy that capability,” as long as it doesn’t affect the performance of matches. However, considering that it is still yet to have been seen properly in Blackout – if you forget about the nightly backdrop of the Alcatraz side mode – players who are still desperate to see the complete shift have had to come up with their own ideas for how it might look. In a post to the Black Ops 4 dedicated subreddit, user throwawaybutnotrlly, showed off their concept idea for how the map might look in the dark – complete with the moon and stars for added background lighting, and fully working street lights to pave the way for intense battles in meekly lighted backgrounds. Will a night map ever happen? Considering Vonderhaar has teased the move, and the Blackout map has changed the time of day since it’s launch, the possibility of starting a game in the day and finishing in the moonlight might not be out of the question. It remains to be seen if Treyarch ever hits that switch and becomes the first battle royale to utilize a true day and night cycle during its matches.

Will Call of Duty be Xbox exclusive after Microsoft acquisition? ActivisionWith Microsoft’s reported acquisition of Activision Blizzard, many players have had a multitude of questions about what happens to the publisher’s games in the future. One of the main questions is, will COD be exclusive on Xbox after the purchase goes through? After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard moved closer to completion on Tuesday, July 11, with a US judge shooting down the FTC’s attempt to block it, players of games from both companies have been discussing what exactly it could mean down the line. The major topic of discussion has been around Call of Duty, as one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world, and how that may change when under Microsoft’s control. The biggest concern, though, is coming from non-Xbox players, who are worried that they might have to switch platforms if they want to play Call of Duty in the future. Will COD become Xbox exclusive? In short, no, Call of Duty will not be exclusive to Xbox — at least in the immediate future, even when the Microsoft takeover goes through. The company has frequently reiterated that they have no intention of making the franchise an Xbox exclusive, and that it will also be on PlayStation no matter what. That doesn’t mean things can’t change down the line, but for now, it definitely seems unlikely that PS4/5 players will have to make the switch to keep playing COD. Be sure to check out all of our Call of Duty content as we quickly approach the rumored reveal of Modern Warfare III.

Will Call of Duty be banned in the UK? Microsoft’s Activision deal sparks fears ActivisionThe blocking of Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard takeover by the UK Government could have some serious consequences, but will it result in CoD being “banned” in the United Kingdom, as some fear? Speculation has grown after reports that an extreme measure could be pulling Activision products from the UK – which would of course include Call of Duty. In January 2022, Microsoft announced their intention to acquire Activision Blizzard, the developer and publisher of Call of Duty, Overwatch, and more, in a deal worth $70 billion. However, the merger is subject to approval from regulatory authorities across various jurisdictions, including the UK. In April, the UK Government announced its decision to block the buyout, “over concerns the deal would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come.” Microsoft has since appealed the decision and is due to speak with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on the issue. But, if it can’t be resolved, will CoD be banned from the UK? Is COD going to be banned in the UK? While it is very unlikely, it is not impossible that Call of Duty being removed the UK is an outcome – if Microsoft decided that the value of the takeover outweighed the value of the UK market. However, it’s also likely that this is somewhat of a bargaining chip for the tech giant, and would certainly not be an action they would take without serious reluctance. The United Kingdom is a very strong and lucrative market for not just Call of Duty, but many other Activision Blizzard games. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft is considering all their options – one of which would be pulling their games from the UK and pressing on with the deal, although this was described as an “extreme” option. Microsoft President Brad Smith and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are due to meet soon to discuss the topic, so we will update you as soon as there is news from this meeting. For now, Call of Duty games are still available to buy and play in the UK, as are all of Activision’s titles.

Will Call of Duty 2020 be revealed at PS5 event? TreyarchThere is speculation that the 2020 Call of Duty title might be announced soon after hints suggest that Treyarch’s next release will be unveiled at Sony’s PlayStation 5 event on June 4. Sony has announced that they will be hosting a showcase event on June 4, highlighting some of their planned products for their next-gen console, the Playstation 5. Despite many rumors surrounding the future of the Call of Duty franchise, Activision has yet to confirm any details and many believe that all could be revealed at the upcoming Sony event. Call of Duty titles are often revealed to fans in early May, but this year’s game has missed that mark, and so will be a bit later than usual in 2020. One CoD YouTuber, DkDynamite, pointed out that the date, May 30, marked that an announcement was well overdue, suggesting that the upcoming reveal could probably be expected soon. Despite being quiet on details about the future release, Treyarch Game Director David Vonderhaar also retweeted the tweet, leaving many fans confused as to what it could mean. Today OFFICIALLY marks the fact that we’ll be getting the LATEST reveal for a Call Of Duty ever.. I’m STOKED to see what @Treyarch has in store ? #CallOfDuty2020 #Treyarch #BlackOpsColdWar #Bangers pic.twitter.com/P9DOgwB69w — ?dkdynamite1? (@dkdynamite1) May 30, 2020 CoD 2020 at the PS5 event? A prominent Call of Duty leaker, formerly known as LongSensation, also hinted at the possibility, quote tweeting the announcement of Playstation’s event with a few ‘Zipper-mouth’ emojis suggesting the rumors might be true. The PlayStation event is scheduled to take place at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST on Thursday, June 4. Activision and Sony do have an ongoing marketing agreement for Call of Duty and PlayStation. However, Activision typically reveals the new Call of Duty’s on their own accord, rather than being tied specifically to an event. So, this is certainly not a guarantee, and while there is a possibility of some big game teases and releases, Call of Duty 2020 would certainly be a surprise inclusion. Many rumors around the next Call of Duty have suggested that it will be returning with another installment of the fan-favorite Black Ops series with a game set in the Cold War. However, as mentioned before, neither Treyarch or Activision have confirmed any of these rumors, but fans don’t have to wait too much longer to find out for sure.

Wild Warzone redeploy balloon glitch lets players fly away from death Activision / PurepngWhen Raven Software added redeploy ballons to Warzone with the Pacific Season 2 update, players would have been expecting Apex Legends-style skydives at most – but there’s a glitch that allows players to take on the role of Superman. Redeploy balloons have been a useful addition to the Call of Duty battle royale, allowing players to get from A to B with a quick thrust into the air. Once you’ve taken flight, in just a few seconds you can travel a considerable distance to enter the next circle or escape enemies. Not everybody will be so lucky, though, as the person using the redeploy ballon is vulnerable to enemy attacks as they surge upwards. Warzone redeploy ballon glitch lets players fly However, in a new glitch – which surfaced on Reddit on March 17 – it doesn’t even matter if you get shot trying to attach your character to the ballon. As seen in the clip below, posted by user arconline, there is some absolutely terrible aim on display. Jokes aside, the player eventually catches their opponent with a few shots at the bottom of the tower, where something really strange happens. Their downed body flips into an upright position, hovering just like Superman, and flies away from the danger zone. Not many people in the comments could believe what they had seen, but one did mention they were familiar with the issue. They said: “This just happened to me and a friend. My friend downed someone on a balloon zip line at the bottom, and then the downed enemy shot off to the side. We thought it was hilarious.” Others wanted to focus on the aim, first and foremost, responding: “Dat aim.” Another said: “If there weren’t 60 round mags some of y’all would be screwed.” At the time of writing, this glitch has not been flagged by Raven Software as an ongoing issue – based on their Trello board. Instead, it notes another issue regarding pings not working accurately around the balloon locations. Whether or not either of these problems will be resolved soon remains to be seen.

Wild Warzone Rebirth Island “wind” glitch is blowing players off the map ActivisionWarzone players have been encountering tons of Rebirth Island glitches since the launch of the new map, the latest one involves a bug that pushes them off the map before they can even land. Raven Software’s newest patch for Rebirth Island in Warzone has been riddled with bugs since it launch on March 23. One glitch has left players weaponless and floating through walls, leaving the FPS nearly unplayable. Now, another bug has been discovered by players which doesn’t allow them to start the match at all. Rebirth Island bug has “wind” lift players off map On March 29, user braggster92 posted to the CODWarzone subreddit showing off a bug they encountered. “The wind they added to rebirth is wild” they titled the post, along with the clip showing off the glitch. In the video, braggster is trying to land on the map but is continually pushed towards the water via unintended “wind.” Just when they think they can make it back and land safely, it’s not enough and they land in the water. Tons of Warzone players in the comments echoed braggster’s frustrations and said they too encountered this new bug. Read More: Best Cold War AUG Warzone class loadout – One user commented, “I love how every reset places you just close enough that you think you have a chance to make it. This is torture.” Another Warzone fan said, “I like how the lag stopped only when you’re guaranteed dead.” This new “wind” glitch joins the tons of other bugs players have been finding in the game since the latest update dropped.

Wild Vanguard glitch gives players infinite flamethrower attachment on ARs ActivisionIn a world where Incendiary Grenades and other fire-like weapons were terrorizing Vanguard, a new flame-ridden problem has appeared after a Call of Duty player’s Assault Rifle flamethrower attachment began spewing infinite flames. It’s not the first time Vanguard has experienced issues with flames as ever since the release of Incendiary Grenades at the beginning of Season 1, players were experiencing some of the worst spawn camps. Fortunately, after enough weeks of dying fiery deaths, Sledgehammer made some changes specifically to Fortified and Dauntless in the mid-season update that helped combat the issue. But instead of just fixing the problem, it ended up causing a glitch to emerge making fans invincible to fire altogether. Although this was a welcomed glitch in the eyes of players, that seemed to be the end of the problem… until a new glitch appeared. Flamethrower attachment glitch gives Vanguard players permanent fire Following the February 3 update, an odd new glitch has turned a player’s BAR into a flamethrower. In a clip posted by Reddit user OracleEnlightenment on the COD Vanguard subreddit, it can be seen that the player’s BAR is spewing flames from the barrel going on a fiery rampage. The Redditor was looking to go on an absolute tear but, unfortunately, the round ended prior to that being seen. Although the flamethrower attachment glitch is seen through Search and Destroy’s spectator cam, meaning that there’s a very strong chance that it’s a visual bug. It’s known that the BAR is an insane close-quarters monster in Warzone but this new glitch takes the weapon to new heights. One thing’s for certain though – something like this running around in Vanguard might make players scared of fire once again.

Wild Symfuhny Warzone clip shows why new Combat Scout perk is “absolutely broken” Twitter, @Symfuhny / ActivisionCall of Duty: Warzone Season 5 brought two new perks to Verdansk. In a new clip, Twitch streamer Symfuhny effectively demonstrated why one of them, Combat Scout, can make you feel like a cheater with wall hacks. They say, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Well, that might be the state of Warzone following Season 5’s new update. The teased anti-cheat has yet to arrive and hackers are still around (despite stricter ban waves). But a new Warzone perk is making legitimate players feel like the cheaters they so despise, as Combat Scout basically grants ESP (extrasensory perception) hacks. The new perk essentially live-pings and highlights players when you damage them (even the slightest bit). Already known for hacker accusations, Mason ‘Symfuhny’ Lanier makes this thing look like it needs a nerf instantly. Symfuhny makes new Warzone Combat Perk look OP sym.exe got an upgrade 😳 (via @Symfuhny)pic.twitter.com/ypABGOgbW7 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 13, 2021 As you can see in the clip, Sym knows a team is pushing him up the stairs and tries to wall-bang them to see who’s there. The bullets break through the thin wooden cupboard and immediately show some enemies. So… Sym just keeps shooting through it, successfully downing these highlighted figures despite all of them behind a normally opaque surface. By the end, the streamer had withstood a Stun Grenade and casually killed off three enemies. And even Sym was shocked by what he was able to do thanks to the new perk, commenting, “This is absolutely broken. Chat, it is absolutely OP, dude.” 🤯 sym.exe@Symfuhny with an insane turn-and-burn in the #HusKerrsHowl tourney! pic.twitter.com/kj0M2bOVeq — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 31, 2021 For a guy routinely accused of having hacks to call something “broken,” it’s clear Combat Scout has deadly potential. As for how it fits into the meta, the perk occupies the slot normally used by players for “Amped.” So, if you’re willing to sacrifice faster weapon swaps and lethal/tactical equipment usage, now you know how you can secure quasi-wall-hacks. This new perk basically takes the effect of a Snapshot Grenade (highlighting enemy through cover) and a live ping, but all you need to do is touch an enemy with a bullet. At the moment, it’s unclear how impactful it will be for casual players — but it certainly looks dangerously OP in Symfuhny’s hands.

Why you shouldn’t put Stopping Power on every Warzone weapon ActivisionStopping Power rounds can be an absolute game-changer in Warzone thanks to the increased damage they provide — but you might want to think twice next time you use the Modern Warfare Field Upgrade. In Warzone, Field Upgrades you pick up can make or break your game. A trophy system could save your car from being blown up as you make way to zone, while a well-timed use of Dead Silence can help you wipe that squad of roof campers that have been bugging you. Stopping Power rounds, though, might just take the cake. Offering bolstered damage on each bullet you fire, Stopping Power lets you absolutely annihilate people much quicker than you usually would. But the upgrade might not always be as helpful as you think, and next time you pick it up you may want to think twice about applying it straight away. As YouTuber JGOD explains in his July 30 upload, there are times when Stopping Power might actually be detrimental to your gameplay. In the video, he explains that Stopping Power actually makes guns recoil considerably more, showing side-by-side comparisons with the likes of the Bruen MK9 and the P90, and it is almost absurd to see how much it can make your weapon kick. That’s why, he explains, you probably don’t want to use it in ranged gunfights, so it would be worth avoiding using on your favored Bruen or Grau, simply because you won’t be getting all the benefits of Stopping Power unless you’re fighting close-quarters — where these weapons don’t typically excel, anyway. Topic starts at 1:34 So, by the looks of it, there are clear advantages and disadvantages to using Stopping Power on certain weapons. Shotguns, such as this “overpowered” Origin 12 loadout, will benefit from Stopping Power much more than your standard Bruen or Kilo thanks to the range differences. For that reason, you might be better off putting Stopping Power on your close-range weapons, especially if you like to carry an SMG like the MP7 or Striker 45, which already has good recoil control. Obviously, Stopping Power will be beneficial more often than not, that’s no secret. But if you’re really looking to maximise your use of it, you might want to watch JGOD’s video and figure out how you can better incorporate Stopping Power into your Warzone gameplay.

Underused Vanguard AR dominates close-range combat ActivisionWarzone’s ever-evolving meta changed drastically after the Season 4 Reloaded update, greatly benefitting the Volkssturmgewehr (Volk). The Season 4 Reloaded update addressed Warzone’s ‘laser beam’ assault rifle problem. Raven admitted, “the current health of the long-range assault rifle category is not where we’d like it as it stands; the best performing builds are the ones that result in the least amount of recoil.” Assault rifles vastly outperformed other weapons in long-ranged engagements, but the update nerfed several key overpowered weapons. The Bar, NZ41, STG-44, KG M40, and Cooper Carbine received significant nerfs. Raven buffed fan-favorite weapons, such as the Kilo, M13, and Amax. Warzone players raved about the Amax and Kilo buffs, but flying under the radar is a massive Volk buff. Is the Volk an underrated Warzone weapon? CoD pro Spart infamously broke the Vanguard meta by using the Volk at a $500,000 event and helped lead the Los Angeles Guerillas to a title with it. The weapon was later banned in competitive CoD, further highlighting its dominance. The Volk offers a different change of pace from most Vanguard assault rifles. The fast-firing weapon eviscerates enemies at close range, sacrificing damage range and high recoil. Raven supported its’ run and gun play style in the Season 4 Reloaded update by buffing its short range capabilities with an increased fire rate and ammo capacity. The Vanguard weapon received a slight penalty in damage range, but the Volk can now carry more ammo and no longer has a damage penalty. Depending on your chosen magazine, the assault rifle can also have an increased muzzle velocity of 15%. Most notably, the Volk’s mid damage, headshot damage multiplier, and neck damage multiplier all increased. Based on data from wzranked, the Volk has a 1.32KD, 0.8 pick rate, a 4.37 win rate, is fourth for KD, and third for win rate. The KD and win rate is phenomenal, but a 0.8 pick rate places it outside the top 30 Warzone weapons selected. Give this underrated gem a try for yourself in Warzone, and see what everyone else is missing out on.

Why Warzone streamers want NICKMERCS to delete his OP CR-56 AMAX video NICKMERCS / Infinity WardCall of Duty: Warzone Season 6 doesn’t have a definitive meta and streamers apparently want to keep it that way, as they’ve asked NICKMERCS to hide his overpowered CR-56 AMAX loadout video. [jwplayer br5AuoVJ] NICKMERCS tries a lot of different guns and shares the best ones with his massive community. That’s especially useful now, following nerfs to the SP-R, because everyone is looking for a new medium-to-long-range weapon and streamers seem to want their preferred AR to remain a secret. As the Kilo 141 and, to a lesser extent, even the classic M4-A1 have returned to prominence across Verdansk, the high-damage CR-56 AMAX is making the rounds among the game’s best. Unfortunately for those players, the secret might be out, as NICKMERCS made a video describing the gun as a Kilo replacement and shared the optimal class for the heavy-recoil weapon with his 3.05 million YouTube followers. Although the streamers likely don’t care and are just joking, it’s a funny testament to what a deadly dynamo the AMAX can be in Season 6 when wielded by the right hands. NICKMERC’s CR-56 AMAX loadout for Warzone It’s not exactly clear why this class is getting so much more attention than his original Season 5 setup, but it’s possible that swapping out a Merc Foregrip for the Ranger gives the gun enough recoil stability to make it a force on Verdansk. Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor. – Barrel: XRK Zodiac S440. – Optic: VLK 3.0x Optic. – Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip. – Ammunition: 45 Round Mags. – In response to the MFAM’s leader popularizing the niche AR, popular professional Warzone player, JoeWo, lovingly asked NICKMERCS to delete his video. In replies, NICKMERCS and Swagg’s teammate during their championship run at the $100,000 Toronto Ultra Warzone tournament, DiazBiffle, seconded the motion. HEY @NICKMERCS please delete your Amax video I will do anything literally anything. with love, JoeWo — JoeWo (@AverageJoeWo) October 10, 2020 As of yet, there has been no response to JoeWo’s promise that he “will do anything, literally anything” for NICKMERCS to delete the video. But the Warzone star hasn’t posted the video on Twitter, so maybe he did take JoeWo up on the offer. Still, for those thinking they discovered a cheat code with this loadout, a word of caution: while the CR-56 AMAX does deal a tremendous amount of damage, its recoil is very difficult to control. That gives the AR a steep learning curve, but one that, when mastered, could provide massive dividends.

Why Warzone should buff the FN SCAR before Pacific launches ActivisionAfter over a year in Verdansk, Call of Duty: Warzone is about to embark on its next chapter. And, before it does, I have but one desperate, carefully thought-out wish: a small buff for the FN SCAR 17. At the time of writing, November 12, it has been 612 days since Warzone released. In that time, Verdansk has been home to a number of different metas, with guns from both Modern Warfare 2019 and Black Ops Cold War. Now, we look toward the next chapter in Warzone: the Pacific, Caldera map — expected to release in early December. And, while everyone is feverishly excited for the new environment, I have one last request for Verdansk. The FN SCAR 17 is one of Warzone’s OGs (original guns). But, in the past 612 days, it has enjoyed the least amount of playtime among all launch-day ARs. Vanguard is coming, Pacific is coming, and I can think of no better way to send Verdansk off than with a last, first hoorah for the FN SCAR. The FN SCAR deserves its time in the Warzone sun When Black Ops Cold War came out, we expected MW19 guns to start getting phased out. And they did, as the DMR, C58, and now EM2 metas raged into the limelight. So when Vanguard comes out, the pattern will likely continue pushing MW19’s weaponry into the shadows. If that’s the case, then this is the perfect time to send off those guns with honor. And no gun is more perfectly suited for a buff than the forgotten FN SCAR. While the SCAR has never gotten any play in the meta, it’s actually a pretty good gun. While fun to use, its high damage and controllable recoil are limited by a measly max mag size of… 30 rounds. Buffing the SCAR for Warzone is easy (and honorable) Literally all you have to do to make the SCAR viable, if not outright meta, is buff its max mag size to 50 rounds. That’s all I’m asking for. No damage, range, or mobility tweaks necessary — it’s already pretty darn good, as you can see from Aydan’s big game above. We’re all excited for Pacific Caldera and the integration of Vanguard’s outrageous 10-attachment guns. But, in the few weeks we have left with Verdansk (and who knows how long with MW19 guns), why not have some fun? They say that “every dog has its day.” But, after 600-plus, the SCAR’S has yet to come. Still, it’s been available to us throughout the darkest times, no matter how much it was neglected. Letting the SCAR be the last meta of Verdansk isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s the right thing to do. With one simple buff, we can take this old dog out for its first real run in the Verdansk park.

Why Warzone is making TimTheTatman, Cloakzy & more consider controller switch Youtube, @TimTheTatMan / Instagram, @Cloakzy[jwplayer br5AuoVJ]The console vs. PC debate is eternal, but it appears that Call of Duty: Warzone streamers like TimTheTatMan, Cloakzy and KingRichard are temporarily swapping over to controller in lieu of mouse and keyboard. Like Fortnite, Warzone’s inclusion of PC vs. console crossplay has brought about controversy and debate. We’ve seen console-dominant streamers like Tyler ‘TeeP’ Polchow make the swap to PC, but a variety of keyboard and mouse players are now swapping to controller and, while each cites different reasons, they all seem to agree that Infinity Ward’s battle royale plays better on the joysticks. Tim’s swap to controller seems to have been relatively unprompted, despite the coincidental timing that the Scuf he unboxed just happened to be Dr Disrespect-branded on the day that the Doc was making his highly anticipated return to streaming. Later, Tim did seem pleased with the transition though, as he claimed to have “never lost a Gulag on controller.” Meanwhile, Cloakzy and KingRichard are much more competitive players and therefore have more intentional rationales behind their decisions to try out controllers. On his stream, Cloakzy asked for his chat’s help with choosing a new Scuf to order before exploring why he wanted to make the transition. Although he earlier just summarized that “controller is really easy for Warzone” and that controller lobbies “are muy bueno,” he went on to clarify that PC can enable “a lot more flashy plays,” but with “a controller, you’re a lot more consistent.” While it’s hard to verify whether controller lobbies are actually easier, the rest of his analysis is reasonable. Players are able to pull off nasty flicks with a mouse, so the flashiness is there, but the strength of aim assist on controller makes it easier to have a higher floor in your performance. KingRichard’s reasoning for a swap to controller seems more determined by the overall trend in gaming, which he believes to be moving in the direction of controllers dominating the majority of competitive play. While this argument doesn’t hold weight for games like Counter-Strike, Overwatch, or Valorant, it’s not farfetched for titles like Call of Duty and Halo. As KingRichard responds to a chat asking if his controller switch will last through Halo’s release, “I’m playing games on controller. They’re not making games that are competitive on keyboard and mouse, that s**t is dead.” This recent surge in switches to controller may, in part, be influenced by the fact a team of controller users, NICKMERCS, Swagg, and DiazBiffle, just won the $100,000 Toronto Ultra Warzone tournament (over the likes of Cloakzy and TimTheTatMan). Regardless of exact reasoning behind each player’s decision to swap their preferred input, this should at least provide for some good barometer adjustments as they can now more accurately compare systems. If Tim starts dropping 20-bombs and surviving parachute drops, we’ll know which input is better once and for all.

Why Warzone desperately needs a ranked playlist now more than ever ActivisionWarzone is winding down on its first full year on the market but the idea of a ranked playlist still seems like a distant dream. Here’s why the community needs to push for a proper competitive pathway sooner rather than later. There’s no denying the enormity of Warzone. It arrived at the perfect time and quickly amassed millions of players on its ascension to the top of the battle royale genre. Though while the title makes billions in profit every few months, it often feels like key components are still missing. Namely, any form of support for competitive play. Battle royale titles at their very core are some of the most competitive games out there. Each and every player is vying to outlast their opposition through wit or aggression. Call of Duty’s frenetic gameplay only ratchets things up to a new level of intensity in the genre, yet Warzone seems years behind its counterparts in this area. Beyond leaderboards that are often riddled with hackers, there’s really no way of distinguishing skill in-game. No Arena mode similar to Fortnite, no Ranked Leagues comparable to Apex Legends, and the list goes on. This has led to the community using third-party tools to gauge their opponents more often than not. It’s somewhat of a call for help as players implore Activision to offer up any kind of in-game guidance. We’ve reached a breaking point where some of the world’s best players are even stepping away from the title. A ranked playlist could alleviate many of Warzone’s critical issues and help the game thrive like never before. Here’s how. First up is the controversial yet unavoidable talking point of Skill-Based-Matchmaking (SBMM). This has once again been at the forefront of the competitive scene lately, as new tricks have emerged and some wild accusations have been thrown around. As much as the community might complain, SBMM isn’t going anywhere. It’s all too embedded in the Call of Duty franchise at this point. But when players are reverse boosting to get easier lobbies, it throws competitive integrity out the window. I prefer the transparency tbh. Especially when tournaments are back in full swing. Stupid people are gonna say stupid things regardless of info being available or not. — TeeP (@TylerTeeP) January 11, 2021 How can a $300,000 online tournament truly know that its winners didn’t reverse boost prior to their official games? Or that an elite Duo didn’t sneakily alter their IP address to negate the impact of SBMM and find easier lobbies from other regions? Even without intentionally trying to manipulate the systems in place, players can sometimes still be thrown into baffling lobbies without reason. This alone creates a sense of imbalance with too many variables up for exploitation. Implementing a proper ranked playlist would be a start in trying to mitigate these issues. Talk of ‘bot lobbies’ and ‘Bronze-tier’ games could be done away with if authentic ranks were introduced in Warzone. We could have clear-cut indicators of just how challenging a lobby really is. Have a top 100 player in your game? Warzone should be able to feed us that information through a simple icon next to the player’s name. Trying to rank up from Bronze? You should expect to see more Silver-ranked players than usual in your next match. From Bronze through to Diamond, having an official rank would help distinguish the caliber of any given lobby. Players can hop over into unranked games when they need a warmup or a breather. Though for the elite competitions, top tier lobbies could be the norm with a ranked system in place. Utilizing the full potential of SBMM to force the best players together would only help Warzone flourish in a ranked setting. Not only would it help improve the day to day Warzone grind, but it would be a major boost to the integrity of large-scale events. Rather than inviting players based on their standing in the community, tournament organizers could instead check the rankings and actually see the best players in the world. There would be no more guesswork as to whether a player rose to fame by stomping ‘bots’ or if they’re genuinely one of the better players in the world. It would also pave the way for new talent to rise to the top. Say the 30 highest-ranked players automatically earn a spot in the next Activision-backed event, for instance. It would give everyone a reason to play from the biggest streamers, to hungry up-and-comers. Moreover, tournaments would feel more legitimate than ever before thanks to how effective a competitive ladder would be in Warzone. Winners would never have their efforts questioned again if they had proven track records among the top of the global standings in-game. It goes without saying that a lot more still needs to be done to get Warzone into a fair and balanced state. Without any form of anti-cheat, the idea of a ranked playlist is still just a pipe dream. With new game-breaking glitches popping up every day, and hackers trying to ruin things, the devs always have their plate full. The onus is on Activision to get a ranked experience off the ground and remind everyone why Warzone was one of the fastest-growing battle royales of all time.

Why the Grau nerf in Warzone isn’t as big as most players think Infinity Ward[jwplayer br5AuoVJ] The powerful Grau 5.56 assault rifle was finally nerfed in Modern Warfare, but whether or not the changes actually made a lasting impact in Warzone is still under scrutiny. Since the launch of Warzone, the Grau has been one of, if not the most powerful guns in the battle royale, to the point where a large majority of the player-base was calling for it to be nerfed. The highly-anticipated Season 4 Reloaded update did just that, which was large a reason why many fans were desperately waiting for that patch – but it seems to have not changed much in the large scheme of things in that, basically, most people are still using it in Verdansk. What was actually changed? Prominent Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce decided to run some tests in Warzone and find the exact statistics of the Grau pre- and post-patch, as he’s usually wont to do following a large update such as this one. He started off with the “slight increase to high-frequency recoil,” as was listed in the official patch notes, and he discovered there was slightly more recoil in terms of side-to-side sway, but not a significant difference. The next change he analyzed was the “damage range reduction,” and, it turns out that the difference was only a matter of few meters when it comes to the base version of the weapon. However, Infinity Ward apparently also nerfed the range for the FSS 20.8” Nexus (from 40% boost to 33%) and Tempus 26.4” Archangel (from 45% to 40%), which means the damage dropoff kicks in at closer distances now. On top of that, they also apparently reduced the mid-range (five-shot kill) damage of the gun from 23 to 22, which means it could take extra shots to eliminate enemies in Warzone who are fully plated-up. Interestingly enough, TheXclusiveAce was able to discover this despite the fact that it wasn’t in the patch notes. Last but not least, there’s the “reduced recoil compensation” on the Archangel and Nexus barrels, and this is where things get a bit questionable. When comparing the pre-patch and post-patch recoil patterns that both of these barrels produce, neither shows any major difference, – at most, a little side-to-side kick, but nothing significant. In fact, when it comes to the Archangel, the YouTuber suggests that the recoil may be even tighter than before, although admitting that it’s more likely they’re the same. You can check out TheXclusiveAce’s full video below, as he goes into all of the weapon balancing changes from the recent update and shares what he found out from his in-game tests. What does this all mean? It’s easy to drown yourself in stats and damage ranges and recoil patterns, but the big question here is: What do all of these changes amount to? Well, the long and short of it is that, yes, the Grau has been nerfed, and the adjustments are noticeable. However, that’s not to say the gun is no longer viable in Warzone. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – it’s still plenty good enough and probably will remain as the go-to long-range weapon for most players. Read More: Warzone June 29 patch notes and changes – The truth of it is that while the stats may be worse relative to their pre-patch form, it’s is still extremely powerful and just as good, if not better, than any of the other options. It’s simply gone from being really broken and overpowered gun to only sort-of broken and overpowered. And that is why, despite all these changes and the anticipation from the community, the Grau will remain a firm part of the meta, and you’re likely to see plenty of it during your adventures in Verdansk.

Why the DMR is the most broken gun in Warzone right now TreyarchFollowing Black Ops Cold War’s integration with Warzone at the start of Season 1, there’s been a lot of discussions as to what’s the best weapon to use right now in the battle royale. There’s one that has certainly stood out from the rest: the DMR 14 tactical rifle. When it comes to hit-or-miss weapons in Warzone, semi-automatics have been largely the latter since the game’s release, but that’s changed drastically now with the emergence of the DMR 14 as most players’ go-to option. Added as part of the brand new ‘Tactical Rifles’ category, it provides the highly valuable combination of low recoil, reliable accuracy, substantial damage, and decent range – all of which are qualities that most Warzone players look for when building their loadouts. It’s ironic that in a class that features the AUG and M16 – two guns that have been categorized as “overpowered” by the player-base – it’s the DMR that’s emerged as the most lethal option, which is why everyone seems to be using it along with an SMG like the MAC-10 or MP5 in Verdansk. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples that show the rifle dominating gunfights without offering any chance of rebuttal – in some cases, doing so with just a single clip. Popular competitive Warzone player ‘AverageJoeWo’ demonstrated the DMR’s potential with a relentless squad wipe right outside Airport, prompting a disbelieving yet apropos reaction from the streamer. The DMR needs a nerf RIGHT NOW 😵 (via @AverageJoeWo)pic.twitter.com/7dXCxBYlmr — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) December 22, 2020 Like a hot knife through butter, the Tactical Rifle mowed down the opponents with a single 30-round clip, leading to a wave of outcry from players asking Treyarch and Raven Software to nerf the gun as soon as possible. Then there’s Tyler ‘TeeP’ Polchow; yes, he’s a former Call of Duty World Champion and a top-tier Warzone player, but no one should be able to do this with any weapon, no matter how good at the game you may be. As you can see, the Warzone content creation community hasn’t missed the opportunity to milk the DMR for what it’s worth, which has contributed to its ever-growing usage rate in the battle royale. YouTubers and streamers continue to post videos and clips of the weapon tearing apart the opposition on Verdansk, and while the art of click-baiting is at its highest peak yet, with this gun, many of these seemingly outlandish claims like “one-shot loadout” and “unfair” are actually appropriate. Best DMR 14 loadout in Warzone The saying “if you can’t beat em’, join em’” certainly applies where this weapon is concerned; while it remains in the conditions that it’s in, it’s better to use the DMR rather than fall victim to it over and over again by sweaty players who love squeezing the juice out of every meta. After careful analysis, we’ve put together what we feel is the most dominant combination of attachments for it – these should let you wreak havoc whether on Verdansk or Rebirth Island: Optic: Axial Arms 3x – Muzzle: Agency Silencer – Underbarrell: Field Agent Foregrip – Barrel: 20.8 Task Force – Ammunition: Salvo 40 Rnd Fast Mag – There’s almost no doubt that the DMR will eventually get nerfed in Warzone, likely sooner rather than later, but then again, the R9-0 “Fire Shotgun” didn’t get tweaked for months, so you never know with the developers. Until then, put together this loadout and see how much greener the grass is on the other side.

Why Spotter might be the most underrated perk in Warzone ActivisionOver the past few weeks, some players have showcased how powerful the Spotter perk can actually be in Call of Duty’s newest battle royale, Warzone. Loadouts are absolute game-changers in Warzone and perks are a major reason why. Aside from getting your favorite guns, you also get three abilities – perks 1, 2, and 3 – that grant unique advantages in the battle royale. While Cold-Blooded and Ghost may be obvious choices for your first and second categories, Spotter is proving to be an intriguing option for the third. As shown by Redditor Aboodx, Spotter can be deployed with potent, destructive consequences. It makes enemy equipment visible through walls, allowing you to mark them and, more importantly, hack them so that they begin bearing murderous intent toward their original owners. While the perk isn’t so useful against active lethal equipment, like manually detonated C4 or frag grenades, it is effective against claymores and proximity mines—which are becoming increasingly abundant along stairs and doors since players love to camp elevated positions. Just yesterday, another Redditor by the name of dcur3 demonstrated how useful hacking can be—even if the equipment doesn’t get triggered. By taking over a stairway’s proximity mines, he is able to turn his enemies’ safety blanket into a false sense of security and head upstairs for a full team wipe. And he had a simple, albeit foul-mouthed reaction to it: “f***ing satisfying. There are other options under the perk 3 category, the most intriguing being Amped and Tracker. For fast-paced playstyles, Amped is key since it lets you swap weapons, reload rocket launchers, and use equipment faster. Tracker, meanwhile, displays enemy footprints, making engagements much less confusing (and familiar for Apex Legends’ Bloodhound mains). Don’t get us wrong, both of those are more than viable options within the battle royale, but all we’re saying is that Spotter should definitely be getting a lot more attention than it has been. Players certainly need to determine which tools best complement their tendencies, but the ability to control opposing traps is particularly appealing in a game so littered with them. While you absolutely do not have to choose it as your perk, be sure not to underrate it either.

Scump wants to see CoD Vanguard scrap SBMM permanently, for one big reason Sledgehammer Games / YouTube: ScumpOpTic Gaming icon Seth ‘Scump’ Abner has re-ignited the skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) debate ahead of Call of Duty Vanguard’s early November release, and there’s one big reason for it — the CDL pro wants to bring back his famous pub-stomp videos. SBMM has been a hot topic in Call of Duty for years. For many, the inclusion of a “skill-based” lobby system turns the game into a grind every single match. While some enjoy the challenge, others expect Call of Duty titles to lean more towards the casual side of gaming, and believe rank-to-rank matchmaking should be held back for ranked queues and playlists. In the past, Call of Duty has swung in the other direction, allowing the best of the best — in this case, Call of Duty League pros of eras gone — to match up with first-timers, Christmas rookies, and more casual players. This gave rise to famous “pub stomp” videos. Scump especially leaned into these old playlist dominations, often uploading videos of him rampaging through casual queues. In one famous video, ‘SWEATBANNIN 88-0 Flawless,’ the OpTic pro was near-unstoppable with 88 kills. The birth of skill-based matchmaking in the last few modern Call of Duty releases has skewered any chance for those videos, however, and Abner isn’t happy. In his most recent YouTube upload, the CDL pro turned back the clock to watch his 88-0 gameplay. While he was watching, he took aim at Activision’s decision to add SBMM to the franchise. “A lot of people ask, why don’t you do [pub-stomps] videos anymore? You know, the simple, short answer is, skill-based matchmaking,” he said. “It’s just not possible. You’re just not going 88-0 against players that are around or at the same level. It’s just not happening. People do get around it, they get around it, but I don’t do that. It’s the sad reality [of Call of Duty], because I know how much people loved all the pub stomps, but it’s just not really a thing now.” Scump wants to see Vanguard remove the feature, but admits “we’ll just have to see” what Activision does. “Trust me, I wish I could do videos like this.” Related segment begins at 0:37 in the video below. Scump’s latest SBMM demands come as no surprise; Abner has been an advocate for scrapping the skill-based matchmaking mechanic from the Call of Duty franchise since the feature was first added way back in Black Ops 2. His stance is that “SBMM does not belong in Call of Duty.” Instead, the OpTic pro believes all new titles should always have a ranked playlist at launch, which would “allow people to sweat”. He added: “I’m not trying to play Scuf wielding game fuel chugging demons with szn in their psn on Miami TDM. Also, to the noobies that are gonna cry about this, hold this choppy gunny.” Unfortunately for Scump, it looks like the feature is here to stay: Dexerto revealed in late August that SBMM will indeed be boiled into Vanguard’s multiplayer.

Why Royal Ravens are Parasite’s last chance at pro CoD redemption Royal Ravens / CDLThe London Royal Ravens have rolled the dice with their new CDL signing, Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte, but the pressure is on the World Champion veteran to make an instant impact if his professional Call of Duty career is to be revived. [jwplayer HTC4QIpT] Considered to be one of the more outspoken and controversial figures in the competitive Call of Duty scene, Haggy, as he’s affectionately called, has had a long and turbulent career that’s seen him represent over 40 teams and organizations. And while your opinion of him can be what it may, there’s no denying that he has achieved plenty of great things over the past decade, most prestigious of all being the 2013 World Championship with Fariko Impact. But fast-forward to today and the 26-year-old is far from the prominent force he was back in the early-to-mid-2010s. Once a star, Parasite found himself out of the pro scene for much of the past several years, until signing with the London Royal Ravens on February 9. London’s Royal gamble on Parasite Even with it being out of necessity, the Royal Ravens’ decision to bring Parasite on board is an interesting one. They had other options to choose from but ultimately decided to go with someone who, frankly, is a bit of a wild card both in and out of the game. Yes, Duarte is a World Champion with lots of experience, but since leaving Complexity back in March of 2016, he’s had just five months of officially being a “pro” over the past four years. But it’s not his skill that’s been under question as much as his personality and public image – which has been a controversial one over the years. While some in the CoD community have enjoyed his way of doing things, the pro scene has been a lot less forgiving. Inflammatory tweets about other pros, relentless trash-talk at events, and heated confrontations with teammates on stream have all played their part in Haggy having to bounce around from team to team for most of his career. After he couldn’t land on a CDL team, Parasite led a belligerent campaign complaining about it on Twitter, criticizing how the pro rosters were being constructed and accusing players of preferring their own friends over more talented options. This didn’t do much to alter the negative perception that fans and his own peers held; what also didn’t help was him getting dropped from one of his Challengers teams last year after it shockingly became public that he had messaged a teammate’s girlfriend in the middle of a tournament. The Royal Ravens knew all of this before they signed him and were aware of the kind of attention he might bring to their team, so now only time will tell whether or not their gamble will pay off. Watch now: The Parasite Documentary Is this Parasite’s last chance in the CDL? Parasite won’t have too much time to make an impact with the Royal Ravens, who signed him to a two-week contract as a fill-in for Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris, who’s facing issues getting to the United States due to the current traveling restrictions. Not many of the highest-tier amateur players would be willing to take such a deal, considering that it would separate them from their own Challengers teams without any guarantee that they’ll have a spot after the two weeks. Duarte will have only the first two events of the season to showcase his talents to the rest of the league, to prove that he still has what it takes to contribute to a winning effort while also not being the nuisance that some have claimed him to be in the past. If he is able to play well and help the Royal Ravens succeed without being involved in any controversies, then perhaps there is a future for him in the pro ranks after all. There are still three teams (ROKKR, Legion, Surge) that haven’t signed a substitute yet, so he could be an option if those franchises are impressed with what they see. Furthermore, if Zer0 isn’t able to travel to the States anytime soon, London could opt to keep Haggy on board for a longer spell – and who knows what might happen then. Not to mention, not every starter’s job is secure, so if there are any roster shuffles in the near future, his name could pop up as a potential replacement. However, all that changes if he fails to produce the goods and isn’t successful, or perhaps controversy rears its ugly head at him again, as that very well could be the final nail in the coffin of his professional career. CDL franchises had all avoided Parasite prior to just now, for one reason or another, so not only does he have to meet expectations over the next two weeks, but also surpass them. If he gives others even one more reason not to look his way when recruiting players, then it’s hard to imagine how or why any CDL team would want him at that point, judging by how they’ve regarded him in the past. It’s hard enough having to outshine established competitors and ambitious up-and-comers, but when you have to battle your own reputation, that’s when achieving success becomes an even more uphill battle. After years of struggling to make it back to the pinnacle of CoD esports, this is a golden opportunity to make a name for himself again, not as an exciting new prospect but as a wily veteran who has rediscovered his groove while also shedding the dead weight of past issues. The chance is there, now Parasite has to just make the most of it.

Why Paris Legion getting Las Vegas CDL spot disrespects the rest of the league Call of Duty LeagueFor three seasons now, Paris Legion have rarely ventured beyond being the most maligned team in the Call of Duty League. Their apparent disinterest has been clear for all to see — so why are they being rewarded with a move to a premier franchise location? On June 2, 2022, after the rumor mill started to run, it was announced that parent company DM Esports would be relocating and renaming their two franchises. In the Call of Duty League, the Paris Legion, and in the Overwatch League, the Paris Eternal. They will be moving to Las Vegas, a premier spot in any franchised league across sports or esports, and one of the most famous cities in the world. It’s a spot that comes with a lot of pressure to perform and represent in the best way possible — an attribute that can hardly be used to describe either Paris franchise. So… regarding those rumors ♥️♠️♦️♣️… pic.twitter.com/8hRJzLaBlr — Vegas Legion (@LasVegasLegion) June 1, 2022 At the time of writing, with most of the season out of the way, Paris Legion sit dead last in the CDL standings, having won just two series’ all year. They entered the season with a ragtag roster of rejected talent, much like they did in both 2020 and 2021, and, to nobody’s surprise, the results have been the exact same. The franchise itself disappears on social media while the others do what they can to engage their fanbase and grow their audience. It seems to only be during the current 2022 season that they remembered their Twitter password, having posted to their fans just a handful of times between the culmination of Champs in August and mid-October 2021. All the while, other teams made sure they were engaging their fans, posting memes, clips, or questions to keep conversations going. It may seem a trivial complaint, but the franchise’s reluctance to do more than the bare minimum for their fans, the wider CDL community, and in particular their players, is something that has been discussed (and mocked) widely within the scene. To make matters worse, we know for a fact that DM Esports wasn’t the first organization to enquire or ask about the Las Vegas spot, with at least one team owner publicly admitting that they asked for it and were point-blank denied. It could almost be forgiven if that team owner wasn’t OpTic Gaming’s Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez, who built one of the largest brands not just in CoD but in esports as a whole. In 2021, H3CZ confirmed that he had initially asked for the Las Vegas CDL spot, but that they were not opening that slot for anybody, hinting that the league had big plans for Vegas in particular. This comes just a few months after H3CZ confirmed he wasn’t allowed to take the Las Vegas CDL spot pic.twitter.com/EwqHwF9Ll7 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) June 1, 2022 Was this their top-secret plan? To hand the keys to Vegas over to the Legion three years into their disappointing tenure as a franchise? The ‘Sin City’ alias has rarely been more apt. To make matters more bizarre, there appears to have been a real possibility that DM Esports would be pulling Legion out of the CDL entirely. According to CoD esports leaker CDL Intel, and confirmed by Dexerto sources, popular French streamer Corentin ‘Gotaga’ Houssein had planned to buy Paris Legion alongside a group led by a French television broadcasting channel. This had been in the works since 2021, when the Paris Legion trademark was abandoned. From what I understand there was a group attempting to purchase @ParisLegion since last year which involved French streamer and retired Call of Duty player @Gotaga, and this is what Atura is talking about. https://t.co/5yqMAculFu — CDL Intel (@intelCDL) June 14, 2022 Their motives for wanting to sell up aren’t clear — many fans have long believed that the organization simply no longer had any interest in being a part of the league, and this may well have played a part in their decision to enter negotiations in the first place. Read More: CDL 2022 standings & schedule – Alternatively, the CDL might have wanted to keep DM Esports in the league and offered the Vegas spot as leverage which, if this were to be the case, really would be a spit in the face of the other franchises that have consistently gone above and beyond to help the league grow. There are a lot of secrets around what’s happened with Paris Legion to get them the Vegas CDL spot. Nobody really saw it coming, and for many fans, it feels like an odd move, especially when we know the caliber of the other team owners who will have asked for it.

Why OpTic Chicago vs LA Thieves is Call of Duty’s next eClasico Twitter: H3CZ / Twitter: NadeshotOpTic Gaming and Envy have always been rivals in competitive Call of Duty, though the Green Wall might have a new contender to look out for, with the LA Thieves primed to steal the spotlight in 2021’s hottest matchup. There has always been one constant in the Call of Duty scene. When OpTic and Envy square off, everyone tunes in. The ‘eClasico’ has long been one of the biggest showdowns in all esports. But with the dawn of a new competitive season, could it now be time for another historic rivalry to emerge? With Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez and the power of the Green Wall helping build Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag into the cultural icon he is today, there’s no denying the rich history between the two CDL franchise owners. After a year on the sidelines, Nadeshot’s LA Thieves finally have a chance to steal the show and perhaps steal some of OpTic’s momentum in the process. Could OpTic have new rivals for the year ahead? Will this hotly anticipated clash become Call of Duty’s next unmissable matchup? Only time will tell how this budding feud will evolve, though no two teams have more potential to capture the entire esports community in 2021 quite like OpTic Chicago and the LA Thieves. H3CZ and Nadeshot: The friendliest of rivals It’s near impossible to think of the powerhouse CDL brands without thinking of the faces behind them. While current owners of their respective organizations, the esports journeys of H3CZ and Nadeshot have been intertwined for more than a decade now. OpTic Gaming was the first Call of Duty team Nadeshot ever represented at the professional level. It’s the pillar in esports history he helped build as captain over a six-year competitive career. It was the foundation from which he became one of the biggest stars in the gaming industry. Since his departure in 2015, Nadeshot has been replicating that success at 100 Thieves and now, the LA Thieves CDL franchise. While the pair were inseparable in the past, they’ll both be gunning for the top spot on different teams in 2021. Both are uber-competitive at their core, but we’ve still rarely seen that competitive edge come out against one another. Their teams made their League of Legends debut side by side in 2018, facing off a handful of times throughout the year. Meanwhile, we only had one year to enjoy the matchup in Call of Duty. Each time they met, however, it started to feel increasingly significant. In fact, the last time they were against one another, happened to be when the stakes were highest: in the 2019 Champs lower bracket finals. A 3-0 sweep for the Thieves is how their final showdown in Call of Duty came to an end. Knowing the importance of Champs to everyone involved, especially H3CZ, there’s no chance that loss doesn’t sting to this day. Now, both owners have revitalized their presence in the scene and both are ready to come out swinging with who they believe are the best players in the world today. No matter how many times they meet in 2021, nor who emerges as the victor each time around, all eyes will be on H3CZ and Nadeshot. Dashy’s golden opportunity against the Thieves 2020 wasn’t the follow-up Dashy had hoped for after a breakout year in Black Ops 4. His initial run with OpTic was full of extraordinary highlights and standout performances but it all came crashing down with the release of Modern Warfare. As franchising took hold of the scene, Dashy was left behind while OpTic transitioned into a completely different entity. With H3CZ now building out the Huntsmen brand under NRG, Dashy did all he could to be traded over. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t in the cards. Despite allegedly threatening to bench himself, he was re-signed to a spot at OGLA. What followed was a turbulent year throughout the inaugural CDL season with Dashy reluctantly playing alongside new teammates in SlasheR, Kenny, and JKap. Poor placements at early events saw Dashy relegated to the bench, with little hope of turning things around. Cut to 2021, a year which H3CZ predicts will be “transformative” for Dashy. Now, the stage is set for the ultimate comeback in every sense of the word. Not only does he have a chance to live up to his 2019 hype, but he’ll be able to do so against the roster that seemingly held him back in 2020. When OpTic Chicago squares off against the Los Angeles Thieves in 2021, it’ll be Dashy taking on his former teammates. He has a chance to wipe the slate clean against the Thieves. We may be in a different cycle with Black Ops Cold War, though emphatic victories over SlasheR, Kenny, and TJHaLy throughout the season, could reignite his star power. Not to mention, Dashy also has a history with Temp as well, having teamed together much earlier in their careers. On the other side of the coin, LA trumping their rivals at Chicago would only add fuel to the fire. While friends outside the lobby, there’s no denying the trash talk between maps would be on another level given the history between players. TJHaLy’s shot at revenge on OpTic While every player on both sides has their reasons to win, TJHaLy might have a bigger fire under him than anyone else. As the CDL came into effect, he too was left behind alongside Dashy. Things didn’t quite pan for his first year in the league, and now, the iceman is completely separated from his former teammates. There’s no more Scump next to him on stage, no more Dashy hyping him up online. For once, he’ll be on the opposite side in the lobby. Again, he’s close friends with everyone outside of the game. But when it comes time to load in against OpTic, rest assured there will be an extra sense of motivation for TJHaLy. He’ll be looking to prove he’s a top-tier player without them. That he can reach the top of the CDL rankings in spite of them. Ultimately, show his team is stronger than theirs. Making a statement and trying to topple the current OpTic lineup will be a storyline to watch throughout the year. Questions will be answered as the spotlight shines on TJHaLy to outperform his former allies turned rivals. As some added spice to the matchup, no one can forget how 2020 came to an end for TJHaLy. Losing a game five, round 11 1v1 against Envoy is sure to have stung. Now TJ has every opportunity to move past that low point and prove himself a cut above Envoy and OpTic. While H3CZ is inclined to promote Empire or FaZe as their biggest rivals for the year, there’s no denying that OpTic Chicago vs the LA Thieves has an unrivaled flair to it. With their legions of fans, it’s sure to captivate the community each time around unlike any other matchup this year. It just so happens that fans won’t have to wait long to see their highly anticipated first showdown. The CDL’s Kick-Off Classic is bringing us six opening matchups from January 23 to January 24. Our first taste of the new eClasico closes the show, as the Thieves are all set to try and scale the Green Wall.

Why OpTic Chicago struggle to beat top CDL teams – Enable & Pacman Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of DutyWith OpTic Chicago slowly falling down the Call of Duty League pecking order, Reverse Sweep’s Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker discuss what’s stopping them from beating the top teams — and becoming one. With the talent on the OpTic roster, they should (and likely will) always be aiming to win championships. It’s a stacked squad full of proven winners and, at the start of the season, many expected them to be a top two or three team without much struggle. Halfway through Stage 3, though, and the Chicago side seem to be losing steam. They’re fourth in the overall standings at the time of writing, tied with New York Subliners, and only slightly ahead of a resurgent LA Thieves side. Meanwhile, their results aren’t improving and they’re letting their grasp on the top three slip. But why exactly is this happening? On the Reverse Sweep CDL review show, Enable and Pacman discussed exactly this, pinpointing what is going wrong for OpTic. “They’re starting to look like a team that doesn’t have the next gear,” Pacman says. “I feel like we’ve seen it, but it’s never consistent. It’s always in these little spurts.” He adds that he “feels like they’re a top 6 team,” but that “it doesn’t feel like they’re ever going to hit that point where they’re the best team in the game.” Consistency is actually something that Enable believes they struggle with too, but in more of a long-term sense. “I think their number one problem has been an issue historically for OpTic,” the 100 Thieves man said. “They are so good in the beginning of these games, just because they have some of the most talented players on their team. Then once you hit that midway point, teams start figuring out the game… OpTic doesn’t. They’re not as disciplined as these other teams.” OpTic will be hoping to turn around their fortunes in Stage 3 and throughout the rest of the season, especially with Champs seeding on the line throughout the final half of the year. Whether they manage to get back on top, though, remains to be seen.

Why Nadeshot was CoD’s most underrated champion DexertoMatthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag is arguably one of the biggest faces in Call of Duty history, being the former captain of OpTic Gaming in both the 2014 CoD: Ghosts and the 2014–2015 Advanced Warfare seasons. When people debate who their favorite CoD player is, there is one name that crops up a lot – but not for the reasons you might expect. Nadeshot’s rise to fame saw him embroiled in criticism from fans who didn’t believe his performance matched up to his gameplay ability. In 2012 to 2013, he was established as one of the biggest names in the scene during the Black Ops 2 season, and hit a level of popularity that no other pro player had ever reached. This allowed him to make his way back onto the main OpTic roster after he was replaced. Replacing Raymond ‘Rambo’ Lussier put pressure on the CoD star to perform well, as stepping into someone else’s shoes – especially someone with a track record of success – is no easy feat for anyone. His move brought more sponsorship opportunities, as well as more scrutiny from people who argued that he didn’t “deserve” to be fast-tracked into the top team in the esport at the time. Playing the objective support role, for which he made his name, certainly didn’t help that. Read More: When is CDL Florida? Schedule, teams, more – In Hardpoint, playing the objective well could rack up crucial extra points, and delay the opposing team’s progress in such a way that wouldn’t be obvious on the scoreboard, but could be key to winning the match. Search and Destroy was where Nade was at his best, and was known to outplay foes touted as being more talented than he was. Tired of criticism based around his role on the roster, Nadeshot made the decision to step down in 2015, stating that he no longer wanted to be the punching bag for negativity whenever his team lost. Read More: 6 classic weapons Warzone should bring back – He went on to form esports organization 100 Thieves, using his popularity from his pro days to grow the org into one of the most popular to date, starting off at the Call of Duty World League during Black Ops 3 season, and expanding into games such as CS:GO and League of Legends.

Nadeshot defends “tough” LA Thieves roster shuffle after Huke replaces TJHaLy Instagram: Nadeshot / YouTube: LA ThievesWith Dallas Empire moving Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland to the bench, the door was open for a new franchise to secure a superstar-level talent. Here’s why Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag made it a top priority to lock the 2020 Call of Duty champion down for the Los Angeles Thieves. When Empire announced its surprise roster shuffle on April 23, it quickly became one of the most widely-discussed shakeups of the year. Empire was still a top-tier contender and Huke wasn’t in any kind of individual slump. As a result, possibilities were wide open for the 21-year-old slayer and just two weeks later, he’s found a new home in sunny Los Angeles. Replacing Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly, Huke stepped right into the starting lineup for the recently revamped Thieves. While fans were overjoyed by the news, it wasn’t an easy call by any stretch. Hours after the dust settled, Nadeshot reflected on the positives and negatives that came with such a monumental shift for his CDL franchise. Benching TJHaLy “sucks” for Nadeshot Welcome the Multi-FPS Champion Cuyler “”@Huke The Nuke”” Garland to the Los Angeles Thieves. #LAThieves pic.twitter.com/lf40VJzCmM — LA Thieves (@LAThieves) May 4, 2021 “Been trying to think of the right words after today’s announcement. I just can’t seem to get it straight in my head,” he said, evidently torn by the decision. “Roster changes are tough.” Coming over from the 2020 OpTic Gaming Los Angeles team, TJ was a founding member of the fresh Thieves lineup. Six months into his tenure on the starting squad, however, and the ‘Iceman’ suddenly had to make room for a newly available Huke. Forcing TJ to the bench “sucks,” Nadeshot admitted. Calling him a “friend” and someone talented enough to “compete on a starting roster,” he clearly has nothing but praise for the now benched player. enough talent to compete on a starting roster today. It just sucks, plain and simple. At the end of the day, you just try & make the right decisions based off the the information that’s in front of you and hope it works out. A great day but sad as well. Hate this shit sometimes. — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) May 5, 2021 “End of the day, you just try and make the right decisions based on the information that’s in front of you and hope it works out.” Read More: CDL Paris Home Series Top Plays – While it’s a “great day” for Huke and the future of the Thieves, Nadeshot labeled it a “sad day as well. Hate this sh** sometimes,” he added. Huke couldn’t be passed up by the LA Thieves Super excited to be apart of @latheives and the oppurtunity to work with @Vxnxm @Kuavo @Drazah_ Time to get to work! 🙌 — Surge Huke (@Huke) May 4, 2021 Despite the emotional baggage that comes from benching a well-rounded talent like TJ, the LA Thieves CEO was quick to highlight how Huke makes it worthwhile. “Huke is a generational FPS talent,” Nade said. With years of top-level experience across both Call of Duty and Halo, Huke has long been one of the hottest prospects in the console esports scene. “He will go down as a Top 10 player all-time when everything is said and done. I truly believe that.” With such a degree of confidence in Empire’s former champion, Nadeshot ensured that his team did “whatever it [took] to sign him.” Huke is a generational FPS talent. He will go down as a top 10 player all time when everything is said and done. I truly believe that. When a player like that becomes available, you do whatever it takes to sign him. So excited to have him here at @LAThieves. — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) May 5, 2021 After an impressive showing at the Paris Home Series, the LA squad now sits comfortably atop Group B. They won’t have long to integrate Huke into the mix though, as their next match against the Subliners comes in just four days.

Why more Warzone players are using Thermites after Season 4 Reloaded C4 nerfs Warzone content creator WhosImmortal made his case for why players should use Thermites moving forward as a replacement for C4. C4 dominated Warzone for most of Season 4 as a must-use lethal equipment item. In response, Raven Software dished out two nerfs that knocked the lethal down a few pegs, taking it completely out of the meta. A June 19 hotfix nerfed the lethal’s throw velocity and damage radius. And then, to hammer the point home, one week later on June 26 the devs doubled down by decreasing C4 damage values across the board. Warzone YouTuber WhosImmortal explained that C4 desperately needed a nerf because one direct shot only left an enemy with 25 health points. After both updates, that damage decreased significantly, opening the door for other options. Although two C4s can still kill an enemy, the likelihood is much smaller. So, as for what’s next, WhosImmortal argued, “Thermites can be incredibly useful because you throw them very far, and if you stick a player, you’ll be able to have that burning effect that can knock players easily.” In addition, Thermite can also directly counter riot shield users if you throw one at their feet and reveal an enemy’s location, even if you don’t stick it directly. Despite Thermites potentially taking over standard battle royale matches, WhosImmortal believes that Throwing Knives are the better option for Resurgence. Since Resurgence features a smaller map and respawn mechanics, the fast-paced gameplay is more suited to Throwing Knives, as it’s more beneficial to finish a downed enemy with one Throwing Knife and get back into the action. Sticky Grenades are an alternative option in standard battle royale matches if you aren’t a fan of Thermites. You can throw this lethal equipment item far; if you stick an enemy, it’s possible to down them in one hit. However, we still believe that Thermites offer more versatility because Sticky Grenades don’t have splash damage if you miss an enemy. With Season 5 just a few weeks away, this is subject to change, as the update could shake up the meta again. But for now, we recommend finally retiring C4 once and for all and giving Thermites a chance.

Why Modern Warfare’s 725 shotgun is more overpowered after Patch 1.08 Modern Warfare has been subject to criticism for all angles post-launch, but perhaps none more so than from the 725 shotgun. However, the shotgun may have received an unintentional buff in the November 12 update. Patch 1.08 brought a multitude of changes to Modern Warfare which included adjustments to footsteps, AR hipfire spread and weapon balancing. Most notably, the M4A1 received a counterbalancing change by increasing hipfire spread while decreasing the headshot damage multiplier. However, although the 725 shotgun received an apparent range reduction in the update, a simple play test reveals this to not be the case. Popular Call of Duty YouTuber, XclusiveAce, released a video that details all of the changes from the v1.08 update with in-game examples. Ace managed to capture pre-patch footage of the 725’s range limit for a one-shot kill, and aptly compared that following the shotgun’s ‘nerf’. The clip underscores a new one-shot kill range potential, due to a tighter pellet spread when aiming down sight. Although unintentional, the net outcome is that the shotgun now has been effectively buffed with no attachments equipped. Another topical area in Modern Warfare has been footstep audio. While Infinity Ward have rolled out multiple patches, player frustrations still loom. Albeit a minor tweak, the video also highlights the difference to footsteps while aiming down sight and crouching, independent of speed. Indeed it appears that the developer’s efforts with balancing the 725 meta are in vain, given the in-game evidence. Nonetheless, Infinity Ward’s efforts to pluck away that the numerous issues throw their way post-launch have not gone unnoticed. Of course, they will be looking to have the game tightened up and polished before the Call of Duty League kicks off in January.

Why the LA Thieves Huke gamble failed | CDL Reverse Sweep Review Show Dexerto Stage 4 of the Call of Duty League is now underway as the OpTic Chicago Home Series kicked things off with a bang for week one. Our Reverse Sweep crew of Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, and Katie Bedford are here to break down all the biggest moments. From Atlanta FaZe demolishing OpTic to LA Thieves nail-biting win over Seattle Surge, there was no lack of excitement through the CDL’s return in Stage 4. Just a few weeks remain before the return of LAN events and it’s safe to say things are only heating up. With the Chicago Home Series all wrapped up and week two fast approaching, join the Reverse Sweep team as they run through the biggest storylines. Did Vivid’s debut go according to plan for Dallas Empire? After a brief stretch with FeLo in Huke’s place, Empire finally settled on Vivid to round out the starting lineup. Their first week together didn’t quite blow the roof off, however. A narrow 3-2 win over London and a 0-3 showing against Ultra has Enable and Pacman hesitant they’ll be a top team towards the end of the season. “It’s so hard because we’re at a point where you don’t have time,” Enable stressed. “[Vivid] could be a bit rusty but it goes to show the issues at Dallas in general. I think the team just isn’t there.” Pacman agreed, arguing while Vivid is a “solid pickup,” Empire itself “just doesn’t look fantastic. This doesn’t look like a team that’s going to be competing for championships.” Atlanta FaZe dominates OpTic Chicago Huge plays from @SimpXO & @Cellium during today’s sweep 🔥 Can anyone beat FaZe when they’re in this kind of form? pic.twitter.com/x3znn2VBfR — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 31, 2021 With a 3-0 blowout over OpTic, FaZe proved once again that they’re simply ahead of the curve. All three maps were fairly lopsided and FaZe even closed things out with a sweep in the Control map to boot. Ultimately, this same result might continue through the rest of the year, according to Pacman. “[FaZe is] probably the only team that has better individual gun skill than OpTic. So when their teamwork is also getting shown up, and they’re losing individual [fights], you can see the difference. It’s like running into a brick wall.” Read More: What OpTic need to become CDL’s top team – “Role for role, FaZe just beats them,” Enable added. After their first loss to FaZe earlier in the year, he argues that OpTic “got in their own heads.” With this mental barrier in place, they’re still a “top team” but “they’re not anywhere near FaZe.” Will LA Thieves stick with TJHaLy for the rest of the year? “Just watching the game, it looked way more difficult on all the players.”” LA Thieves management say Huke “wasn’t a good fit” for the team. pic.twitter.com/ygD2o9T2Qa — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 31, 2021 Another roster that has mixed players in and out of the starting four a great deal, could LA Thieves finally be set in stone? After a week with Huke, TJHaLy returned to the starting lineup for the Chicago Home Series, helping to secure a 3-2 win over Seattle. “They definitely look better with TJHaLy in the lineup,” fellow 100 Thieves member Enable said. “He didn’t play the best but giving them a couple more games will help determine if they didn’t lose a step.” With one more week of practice, Pacman believes they could get right “back where they were” prior to testing out Huke. If they struggle to do so, “there might be another change before Champs,” according to Enable. Best moments of the OpTic Chicago Home Series As for the standout moments in week one, Pacman went with Florida’s game five clutch against Toronto. In their first match of the week, they took the former champs all the way to Miami for a final S&D showcase. Ultimately, Florida was able to “clutch up when they needed to.” Similarly, Enable looked to another clutch for his moment of the week. Instead of Florida, he went with his boys in the LA Thieves who came away with the map five win over Seattle. “Starting with a win and getting that confidence with TJHaLy” will be vital moving forward. Read More: CDL OpTic Chicago Home Series top 10 plays – “I just want to give praise to Bance,” Katie added. Despite toying with the idea of retirement earlier in the year, the Ultra star has turned things around in a big way. “I was worried he wouldn’t be able to keep up the momentum but he’s done just that.” MVPs of the OpTic Chicago Home Series “”Those guys are DISGUSTING”” 🔥 @Subliners duo @GstaAsim & @HyDrAnml have impressed @aBeZy. #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/5tzVhcSBta— Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) May 30, 2021 While there were plenty of sweeps this week, some players stood out in the closer matchups. For Enable, his MVP of the week went to Havok who helped “push Florida into that contender-tier. He got a lot of flak when he first came back to the team but he’s looked good.” “I’m gonna go with Asim,” Pacman said. While NYSL only had one series this week, it was yet another win to solidify their spot towards the top of the standings. “Every time I see NYSL play, I’m left with the impression that Asim is their most consistent player,” he explained. “It sounds like he’s the perfect teammate.” Least Valuable Players of the Chicago Home Series To round things out, the Reverse Sweep crew rattled off the least impactful players of the week. After a historically poor performance against FaZe, Enable gave his LVP pick to FormaL: “[OpTic] got absolutely bodied by FaZe.” “One of the reasons was how much better Arciy’s played than FormaL. I believe he set the CDL record for lowest K/D in a series. Maybe he’s past his prime.” For Pacman, he went with the entire Paris lineup once again. While he highlighted Skrapz in particular, it was more of a team effort that led to this LVP award. “Maps are just over before they start,” he said. “That team is almost getting to the point where it’s depressing to watch.” Read More: $2m CoD Mobile World Championship announced – Last but not least, Katie settled on iLLeY instead. Despite lifting Empire to a championship in 2020, “we haven’t really seen a hint” of that earlier form in 2021. Another fairly lackluster week has him at the bottom of Katie’s list. For all Reverse Sweep CDL news, head over to our dedicated page.

Why is everyone muted on Modern Warfare 2? How to fix MW2 voice chat issues ActivisionModern Warfare 2 players have frequently had issues with audio in the game, most commonly with enemy or friendly players being muted. Let’s get to the bottom of this and see why it is happening and how you can fix it. Game chat is one of the most important features in Call of Duty especially if you choose to engage in online gameplay. It’s a place where friends go to hang out and discuss the game, but also where some of the most brutal roasts and lethal arguments have ever been held. In Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, you have the option to mute certain players, and entire lobbies, or turn off communications altogether, giving players complete autonomy over who they do and don’t communicate with in-game. The issue is that this doesn’t always work as intended. Some players find themselves unable to unmute friends in their party, or not able to hear death comms from opponents that might give important information. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to rectify it. Check lobby audio settings It may seem obvious, but the first thing you should check is your audio settings. Open your settings, scroll down to Audio, then scroll down to Voice Chat settings. From here, you should check that the following settings are in order: Voice Chat: On – Game Voice Channel: All Lobby – Voice Chat volume: 100 (or any number where you should be able to hear voice chat) – Depending on what you want to hear, you should check that Last Words Voice Chat and Proximity Chat are also turned on. After you’ve done this, if everyone is still muted, you have to look elsewhere. Check Voice Chat channel After doing the above, open the social menu and scroll over to voice chat to ensure that you are in the correct Voice Chat channel. Simply make sure you’re connected to voice chat and there isn’t an option to ‘Join voice chat.’ You can also mute or unmute all players mid-game, so you could try doing this. Simply open the scoreboard during a match and press the button to ‘Mute/Unmute All’ at the bottom of the screen. If none of the above works, it’s worth quitting the game and booting it up again, as it may just be a temporary hitch. If this doesn’t fix it, you might have to reinstall the game again, which while a pain, will end up better than not being able to talk to your friends. This concludes all you need to know about why everyone is muted on Modern Warfare 2. If you found it informative, do not forget to check out some of our other COD guides at Dexerto. How to get every Spawn skin | How to get Lilith & Inarius Diablo 4 Operator bundles | Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone 2 Season 6 Battle pass | All Warzone & MW2 Season 6 weapon buffs and nerfs | How to unlock ISO 9mm SMG | How to unlock TR-76 Geist | Best MW2 weapons: Ultimate tier list

Why have Treyarch locked all major Call of Duty Zombies easter eggs? Treyarch have locked all of the major Easter Eggs found in Black Ops 4’s Zombies mode to stop spoilers leaking out. In a post made on the Call of Duty Zombies subreddit, Treyarch confirmed that the Easter Eggs in Zombies would remain locked until Friday, October 12 at 10AM PDT (1PM EDT, 6PM BST, 4AM AEDT), The lockdown covers all four Zombies maps – Voyage of Despair, IX, Blood of the Dead and Classified. Treyarch have made this decision in an attempt to stop spoilers leaking out and ruining the surprises for other players. The developers stated: “We also know how important it is for fans to discover the secrets hidden within each launch day experience together as a community. Therefore, we’re trying something new for the first time.” The team at Treyarch hope that this launch will help “create a spoiler-free, 100% level playing field for Easter Egg hunters around the world,” with nobody having early access to the Easter eggs, no matter when they pick up the game. The statement on Reddit also included Treyarch’s promise to continue providing new content for the popular game mode. “In addition to launching with more Zombies experiences on Day One than any previous game in our history, the team is dedicated to releasing a steady stream of post-launch Zombies content via new features, special events, regular game updates, and more.” Call of Duty’s Zombies mode is available in the full release of the franchise’s highly anticipated new title Black Ops 4, which will be available worldwide on Friday, October 12.

Why H3CZ doesn’t see LA Thieves as OpTic’s biggest CDL rival YouTube: H3CZ / LA ThievesWhile the OpTic Chicago and Los Angeles Thieves matchup has the Call of Duty scene salivating, it won’t be the Green Wall’s biggest rivalry in the 2021 season, according to CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez. With the history between H3CZ and Thieves owner Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, it’s easy for fans to hype up their first CDL showdown. They may be close friends outside the game, but both are gunning for that top spot in the league. Given the Thieves are a brand new force for the 2021 season, viewers are excited to see them in action. Fans even voted OpTic to be their very first opponents in the upcoming CDL Kickoff Classic. Despite the anticipation, however, H3CZ doesn’t buy into the rivalry. “Do you think that’s going to be your team’s biggest rival this year?” Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler asked during a January 19 interview. “No,” H3CZ bluntly replied. “I get it. I get we’re trying to hype this thing up,” he admitted. Though H3CZ would rather see the league’s biggest feuds grow “organically.” Rather than immediately lining the Thieves up as their top challenger due to history outside of the game, he’d rather see narratives emerge from within. “I just don’t think Call of Duty needs the added extra. Storylines are going to develop from the beginning.” Instead, H3CZ doubled down on a stance he made clear back in December. “Everyone that doesn’t say FaZe or Empire is their number one rivalry is just playing for the crowd,” he explained. To be the best, OpTic has to beat the best and that’s just what H3CZ intends for the Chicago lineup to achieve in 2021. “Everybody here is going after Empire, period. If you’re not gunning after the champions… I don’t know.” The relevant topic begins at the 14:00 mark below. Trying to force a major beef between the Green Wall and the Thieves is simply “too WWE,” according to H3CZ. “For people to be like ‘oh, it’s Nadeshot vs H3CZ,’ we’re not those dudes.” So while the matchup might be intense when these two juggernauts first collide on January 24, don’t expect to see any wild trash talk from either owner. Empire and FaZe are the true rivals for OpTic in 2021, according to H3CZ.

How H3CZ plans to make NRG the biggest brand in esports [jwplayer yTanB50O-dXeUz4Ko] Presented by Sennheiser. Buy the GSP 370 Wireless gaming headset here. There are only a handful of people in esports who you can call both a successful entrepreneur and content powerhouse at once, and Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez is likely the first person you think of at that particular cross-section. The 30-something-year-old phenom took what was once a humble group of friends who enjoyed playing Call of Duty and turned it into a global powerhouse that ultimately sold for millions of dollars. Though the end destination for his beloved OpTic Gaming was sour for most, the journey was undoubtedly a spectacle to watch. This article will take a look at H3CZ, his uncanny talent of producing stars, and what exactly he’ll bring to NRG Esports – the organization he now calls home Eye for talent There’s nobody in esports who has rivaled H3CZ when it comes to spotting talent in the past, and there’s nothing to suggest that he can’t replicate such success. Some of the most notable and popular figures in the entirety of the industry have grown with OpTic Gaming over the years and got their big breakthrough working with H3CZ Moving Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, William ‘BigTymer’ Johnson, and Joe “MerK” DeLuca into a single house midway through 2013. Forming the competitive Call of Duty roster for OpTic Gaming, it quickly became apparent that they – alongside H3CZ – had plans that went way beyond simply competing Video content and live streams soon came from the house and it elevated each of their own individual statuses in both esports and gaming entertainment. Whether it be a league play match, a public match, a vlog, or a prank video, members of the affectionately-dubbed ‘GreenWall’ lapped it all up. Whether they were practicing, or just relaxing among themselves, getting to see the home setting of players who regularly travelled to events to compete proved to be appealing. Fans and viewers liked more than just the gameplay from this set of young adults. Transitioning content to Minecraft was perhaps one of the smartest moves H3CZ ever initiated; it was the game of the moment and it helped to solidify the fact the OpTic Gaming had transcended Call of Duty. The viewers were there for them, not a game. Nadeshot was receiving hundreds of thousands of views and became a Red Bull athlete, Scump would command incredible audiences by just wrecking kids in a public match, H3CZ would provide fans with an inside look into what made the team tick and how the dynamic between his players really was. Stars were being forged here. Things leveled up a notch with the OpTic Scuf House, a luxurious mansion that could house plenty of other content creators and competitors. The likes of Austin “Pamaj” Pamajewon, Nick “MaNiaC” Kershner, Michael “Flamesword” Chaves, and videographer Davis “Hitch” Edwards all moved into the house alongside the Call of Duty roster. The hiring of Hitch is undoubtedly one of H3CZ’s most genius moments. Having already created videos under the guise of OpTic Intel out of pure passion for the brand, Hitch would enable a higher level of production and a dedicated output of collaborative content to be published on OpTic Gaming’s YouTube channel. The players grew with the brand; it surprisingly didn’t ever become greater than the sum of its parts. Recurring videos such as docuseries ‘Vision’ and sponsored deliverables like ‘Smooth Competitor’ and ‘OpTic Trivia’ became mainstays on the OpTic Nation YouTube channel and provided fans with a more polished, professional look at their favorite players and content creators. Their own vlogs and videos would provide a more personal feel that gave a peek behind the curtain of the operation Hitch launched the Vision brand for OpTic and the rest is history. H3CZ had built a network of internet superstars that could each stand on their own, but who were willing to come together to help elevate the name they had all taken on: OpTic. There was always an air of exclusivity surrounding those who represented the brand though as he would cherry-pick players and content creators that would fit and help elevate the brand, so if somebody joined the team then fans knew it was for good reason. This demand allowed the fans to aspire to join the team one day, a mentality that not only pushed OpTic Gaming members to be better but their supporters too. This could well have inspired a lot of the upcoming talent and helped to change the esports landscape for the better. Building the GreenWall, brick by brick Thanks to the success seen in titles such as Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, OpTic Gaming managed to cultivate the GreenWall into one of the most fiercely-protective and impressively-supportive fan bases in gaming. GreenWall was perhaps the most loyal fan base in esports and that’s because of how H3CZ conducted himself, his teammates, his team, and made fans feel as if they were part of an ever-growing community comprised of people with things in common. Most of what was being done – unbeknownst to seemingly everyone bar H3CZ – was unprecedented and wouldn’t be easily replicable by others. There were plenty of reasons for fans to keep engaging and remaining vocal, though. There was regular individual content and ongoing collaborative series to look forward to, a small but well-selected amount of merchandise available for purchase that gave a feel of exclusivity, and a handful of teams that could hang with the best in their respective titles Take any given Call of Duty event as an example of just how large the fan base of OpTic Gaming was. No matter where people had traveled from, or to, the GreenWall was the most dominant collection of fans in the crowd – and there was nobody else close. Even if the team was playing the UK against national players, chants of “Let’s go OpTic!” and jubilations surrounding impressive plays drowned out the entirety of the venue. This is a testament to the sheer fanaticism that H3CZ was able to produce. Will he be able to create such an atmosphere and fan base at NRG, too? We have no doubt those who comprise the organization will be hoping for as much. Having such a large amount of support at events is sheer motivation and excitement for players and have millions of people awaiting your next piece of content is never a bad place to be in. Topping the competition Not only did OpTic Gaming create entertaining and engaging content under the leadership of H3CZ, they won championships – and lots of them. What H3CZ did with his Call of Duty team is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Alongside building the players into superstars in their own right, he also instilled a culture of discipline and hard work. This translated into a high amount of victories and top placements, cementing OpTic Gaming’s legacy as one of the best teams to ever compete in Call of Duty. It’s fair to say that Call of Duty esports as a whole was mainly propped up by OpTic Gaming’s amassed following, with decent viewership of event streams being heavily dependant on the fact that H3CZ’s team was competing. FaZe Clan and EnVyUs had their own healthy followings, but it was undeniable that the GreenWall had its team’s back like no other fan base. If he was able to prop up the entirety of Call of Duty – one of the most popular franchises in gaming history – then just imagine the audience he could command in even more favorable titles given the resources and trust needed OpTic Gaming’s time in Halo wasn’t too much different to its campaign in Call of Duty, creating content on the franchise and putting up a good fight at tournaments, too. Stream viewership was still rather dependent on OpTic Gaming’s presence, though not as drastic, and the team wasn’t quite as dominant from the get-go. It was solid evidence that H3CZ hadn’t created a one-trick pony and that his formula for success transcended Call of Duty. In his typical style, he kept working away at the roster (with guidance from those around him – he was never too egotistical to think he knew best about professional players) and he finally hit the jackpot with the acquisition of Counter Logic Gaming’s roster. This was a team that could reach H3CZ’ impossibly-high standards of performance and was loved by the fans from the minute that it was revealed in a Vision episode. He dedicated time and resources into Halo until an opportunity arose to undeniably become the best and he took said opportunity at the first available moment. Read More: H3CZ announces OpTic Gaming exit – Entering Counter-Strike: Global Offensive at the beginning of 2016, this marked OpTic Gaming and H3CZ’s first venture into what was perceived as a tier-one esports title. The landscape was incredibly competitive and you’d be hard-pressed to find a North American roster that’d be able to challenge for the top spot. Picking up the former roster of Conquest, things wasn’t plain sailing for the organization to begin with. Roster changes happened months later but showed that H3CZ had the ability to cut friends off of his teams if he feels the appropriate results aren’t being produced. With Tarik “tarik” Celik and Óscar “mixwell” Cañellas as recent signings, OpTic Gaming managed to win a prominent tournament against top competition after a slew of underwhelming performances. ELEAGUE Season 2 was the event in question and indicated to the rest of the CS:GO scene that H3CZ was serious about building a strong, capable roster with North American talent – ensuring they were present in content while getting adequate practice and preparation. The roster never really lived up the subsequent hype around it but H3CZ remained determined to climb back to a good spot, spending significant amounts of cash to acquire promising talent and always looking to move forward. He never gave up, and this drive and passion are invaluable to an organization. Acquiring the Gears of War roster that previously competed under Enemy later in 2016, H3CZ couldn’t have picked a better team to start OpTic Gaming’s tenure in the Epic Games franchise. The team instantly kicked things off with a victory at the Gears of War 4 Kick-Off Live Showcase, and the first-place finishes effectively didn’t stop from there until they left in recent months. Though not naturally content creators, the team still interacted with the other members in content at the OpTic Scuf House and their sheer dominance in-game quickly made them a fan-favorite. With LAN wins in Columbus, London, Atlantic City, Paris, Las Vegas, New York, and Dallas in 2017 alone, they gave the GreenWall plenty of reasons to show their support and expect brilliance from them. As explained by Co-CEO Andy Miller, NRG has always been perceived as the underdog – it’s a brand that’s always been up-and-coming instead of one of the few at the forefront of the industry. That is slowly changing after several high profile results, including their Overwatch League team, the San Francisco Shock, winning Season 2 of Activision Blizzard’s first franchise competition. The Shock hit the ground running as one of the strongest teams in the league and maintained that position throughout, appearing in all three stage finals and completing two stages undefeated. In the playoffs, they suffered an upset in the very first round but made a dominant run through the lower bracket to claim the title without dropping another map after their initial loss. Despite Shock’s impressive win, many would argue they are still awaiting their monumental breakthrough moment in esports and entertainment, especially from a fan perspective. With the Chicago Call of Duty franchise that will compete in the new CoD League 2020, that moment could very well come soon. After all, there’s no one more experienced in taking a CoD team to the next level than the ex-OpTic man. Content is being made and uploaded to YouTube by NRG, but it’s irregular, perhaps not receiving the views it should get, and it’s sporadic – H3CZ would be able to fix this in an instant if it’s within his wheelhouse of responsibilities. With both a new Co-CEO and Team Summertime now on board with the organization, it’d be silly not to expect content to receive a boost – not just in quality and consistency but in viewership and popularity. Then you come to other aspects of business and entertainment that H3CZ has proven successful at in the past: bringing in major sponsors, selling merchandise, and building championship-caliber rosters. With a wealth of resources behind him, and with a little trust and ownership from his fellow executives, the sky’s the limit for H3CZ and NRG.

Why Florida Mutineers must do the unthinkable and drop one of their stars Florida MutineersFlorida Mutineers’ 2022 CDL season came to an abrupt and disappointing end at Major 4, where a New York Subliners miracle run saw Crimsix and co. knock Florida out of the Champs qualification spots. Now, with several months of preparation for Modern Warfare 2, the elephant in the room has to be addressed: the Mutineers must wave goodbye to Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno or Joseph ‘Owakening’ Conley. Skyz and ‘Big Wake’ have formed an integral part of the Florida Mutineers core for two years now, playing through almost three full seasons together, after Owakening made his way into the Call of Duty League midway through the 2020 Modern Warfare season. Florida, at the time, were one of the best teams in the game, and Wake made them even stronger — so much so that some community members and even his fellow pros suggested that they believe he could be cheating. He was a dominant flex player — with a natural acclimatization to the assault rifle — alongside Skyz, a stellar AR, in a Modern Warfare game that rewarded teams having two strong AR players. It was also 5v5 as opposed to 4v4, which allowed for more role depth. We saw similar setups with other successful teams. Notably, 2020 world champions Dallas Empire had Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter and James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, AR players who could excel in their roles, allowing Shotzzy and Huke to be the fast SMGs up front, and iLLeY essentially filling any gap needed of him. After Florida’s initial run of success with Wake, winning consecutive Home Series events online, there was a drop-off, one that hasn’t quite subsided two years later. The failed Florida project In that time, it’s hard not to be disappointed with Florida’s struggles. For many, it’s easy to miss just how good Wake and Skyz still are, such is the team’s inability to make things work. They’ve had some good finishes during the Vanguard season, including 4th at Major 2 and top 6 at Major 3, but they never truly looked like pushing for much more. And that is the story of the Florida Mutineers in recent months: they’re good, and they can beat top teams, but did anyone really believe they could win an event? Did the players even believe it? It seems unlikely, just like it seemed unlikely throughout the Cold War season. Some would argue that this season’s struggles have been in large part due to the organization’s failure to sign SMG players to support these two superstars. For much of the season, they were playing with a group of natural AR players, with Vivid their only real SMG support. This meant that Owakening eventually had to pick up the sub and, as great a player as he is, it clearly didn’t help the team find any success. Statistically, Owakening and Skyz have been two of Florida’s top performers, while their only real SMG teammates — Vivid and 2Real — finished their time with the teams with a 0.89 and 0.74 KD respectively. This may boil down more to the team’s setup than the players themselves, though. Vivid is looking great on Boston Breach, 2ReaL was seeing huge success in Challengers before making the step up, and Havok in Cold War struggled to reach the heights he is known to be capable of. It might just be that the system, in which Owakening and Skyz have very similar playing styles, has prevented their SMGs from flourishing. Mutineers must capitalize While their fortunes may have been better with a proper sub duo helping push the line, ultimately, they made the mistake that many teams this season managed to avoid, by holding onto two strong ARs but surrounding them with even more AR players. For comparison, Subliners dropped Clayster to keep Crimsix as their main and added some flexibility to the squad. Other sides, such as Atlanta FaZe, have players like Arcitys and Cellium — but MVP candidate Cell is far better in the flex role than Skyz or Wake, who was forced to play out of position and out of his comfort zone by moving to a sub. Of course, the Mutineers could go into Modern Warfare 2 wanting to hold on to their two superstars, and it’s hard to blame them. That said, the core of this roster has spent three seasons together, often incredibly unfulfilling as they’re very clearly championship-caliber players. Now might just be the time for Florida to cash in on one of their star players, or risk making the same mistakes over again. Allow everyone involved to start fresh and reap the rewards. Both Owakening and Skyz are legitimate franchise players and, assuming their contracts run for another year, it’s still possible for the Mutineers to secure good buyouts for them, or risk their stock dropping even lower. Ultimately, though, the two represent a failed ongoing project for the Florida Mutineers. If they want to chase championships, splitting up this core duo and bringing in fresh talent and perspectives could be exactly what the franchise needs. What roster moves need to happen? If Florida do opt to bring in some new faces to their old guard, it’s imperative that they get things right and don’t make the same mistakes as they did in Vanguard. The main AR role is the easiest to recruit for, which could mean Skyz on the chopping block if Owakening wanted to play as a proper flex again and get a new AR duo, but he’ll need someone that could match his pace or help advance it. Players like Clayster, SlasheR, or even Attach could bring some much-needed leadership and experience to the role. The main issue here would be that Skyz really is the poster boy for Florida Mutineers — would they be willing to give that up? Alternatively, Owakening will likely generate more interest from competing organizations as a very respectable flex, and this could be the key to helping Florida bring in a team that can more fluidly fit around Skyz. Another flex like Cammy, Scrappy, or Temp could be the solution, though prying them away from their teams might be a hard task. If Florida decides to stick with both players, it’s absolutely necessary that they spend the offseason scouting out-and-out SMG talent, be it from Challengers or other CDL sides looking to make changes. Names such as CleanX, Capsidal, Asim, and bench player Yeez are realistic options, though they might also prefer to go big and tempt players such as HyDra, Afro, or former Mutineer Havok into the squad. There is clear talent there, and no doubt good chemistry has been formed between both players, but the Mutineers now need to look at their team and consider whether getting rid of one of their two franchise stars is the best option to get the results they want after such a long period of stagnation.

Why did Warzone 2 decrease Al Mazrah’s player count? Season 5 change explained ActivisionSeason 5 controversially decreases the player count on Al Mazrah from 150 to 100. Amid a wave of backlash, the Warzone 2 devs explained the reasoning behind its decision. In 2020, Patrick Kelly, Studio Head at Infinity Ward, told USA TODAY in an interview that they have 200 player lobbies working in the studio and are currently playtesting the higher player count. The vision never came to fruition, with Warzone 2 only supporting 150 player lobbies. Before the battle royale sequel launched FaZe Swagg followed up with the Warzone devs in April 2022. Swagg asked Raven Software if there were any plans for 200-player lobbies. Senior Warzone Creative Lead Josh Bridge revealed: “We love the idea [but] technical challenges” held the change back. And now, flash forward to Season 5, Warzone 2 controversially decreased Al Mazrah’s player count. After years of leaning in the other direction, Raven Software explained why it decided to reduce lobby sizes instead. Warzone 2 Al Mazrah player count reduced from 150 to 100 Raven Software announced: “All Squad Sizes on Al Mazrah Battle Royale have had their Player counts reduced to 100, down from 150.” Ranked Play will remain at 150 players, as the devs confirmed: “These modifications will not be made to Warzone Ranked Play at this time due to second-life mechanics being restricted in the mode.” To explain why the change was made, the Warzone 2 devs argued: “We’re reducing the number of players across our core Battle Royale modes, which will prevent the match feeling too chaotic but provide improved matchmaking times, faster pre-game lobbies, and a better quality of match overall.” To counterbalance fewer players in a Warzone 2 lobby, Season 5 increases second-chance mechanics and the speed of circles closing in. For example, the buyback price has been reduced to $3,000 from $4,000. And the “Delay Time” before the first movement of the gas is now 90 seconds, down from 220 seconds. Circles also close faster, and the match’s initial circle is more centered and smaller than before. It’s important to note that the circle changes do not apply to Ranked Play. Additionally, Gulag Tokens, Redeploy Packs, and Reinforcement Flares spawn at a higher rate. It will be interesting to see if these changes accomplish their intended effect and how the community responds to such a drastic change. For more, check out the full Season 5 Warzone 2 patch notes.