Author: Nik Ranger

TikTok’s unique XM4 Warzone loadout turns Cold War AR into deadly SMG ActivisionCall of Duty: Warzone players have been experimenting with XM4 loadouts with one, in particular, turning the powerful assault into a deadly SMG, and TikTok is loving it. When the integration between Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War happened within Warzone, Cold War weapons quickly started taking over the game’s ever-evolving meta. Many different weapon types have had their moment in the spotlight, but players have kept coming back to the powerful assault rifles. For many, the Krig-6 has always been the go-to option from Cold War’s selection of ARs, but that has recently fallen away from the meta. The XM4, which was the best weapon in Cold War at launch, has worked its way back into the meta, sitting inside the top 10 most-used weapons once again. However, it could even get a new lease of life thanks to a TikTok loadout that makes it more like an SMG. Tweaking assault rifles to make them more like an SMG is nothing new in Warzone, it’s been happening since Modern Warfare – with the ‘hipfire’ Kilo setup being a popular choice for players. In terms of the XM4, TikToker TTVZyro’s loadout is the one that has caught the eye because the attachments are pretty different from what players are used to. For example, the TikToker’s class makes use of the Serpent Wrap, Bruiser Grip, and Tiger Team Spotlight. As per WZRanked stats, none of the top 20 classes for the XM4 actually use the Serpent Wrap, while only two use the Bruiser Grip or Tiger Team Spotlight. While these may be solid attachments for other guns, they’re simply not being used on the XM4 outside of the ‘SMG’ loadout. TikTok’s XM4 SMG Warzone class Muzzle: Suppressor – Underbarrel: Bruiser Grip – Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight – Magazine: Salvo 60 round fast mag – Rear Grip: Serpent Wrap – In terms of the loadout becoming meta, it’s not completely out of the question. The XM4 is solidly inside the top 10 weapons for Warzone currently, but it has plateaued at 6th and 7th overall. A switch to make it even deadlier at close-range could get some players to switch up their classes for now, but with Vanguard on the horizon, it may fall away altogether. We’ll have to wait and see.

TikTok’s SP-R Warzone loadout makes it a better sniper than Swiss K31 ActivisionCall of Duty: Warzone TikTokers have started giving some love to the SP-R marksman rifle, claiming that their new loadout could make it better than the Swiss K31. Since the very first day of Warzone, sniper and marksman rifles have had a big part to play in fans picking up victories and high kill games. The long-range weapons have always been represented in the top 10 most-used weapons by at least one choice. In the current Warzone meta, just ahead of the Vanguard integration, the Swiss K31 and KAR 98 have been the go-to choices for players – with the two powerful rifles constantly trading places in the top 10 as they’ve dominated the top two spots for quite some time. Of course, not everyone wants to just use the most popular weapons in the game – they want to branch out and experiment. As a result, the SP-R marksman rifle – which was introduced back in Modern Warfare – has become a popular experimental choice, and could actually earn a spot in the meta. TikTok’s SP-R Warzone loadout There have been a handful of viral loadouts doing the rounds on TikTok for the SP-R, with the majority of them using either the .300 Norma or .300 Lapua magazines and the SP-R 26” barrel. Well, more recently, players like TikToker TTVZyro have decided to shun the popular attachments and go for a few different attachments – mainly putting on the XRK SP-Lite 208 Blitz stock and ZLR ASP barrel. This, they believe, brings the rifle more in line with the meta weapons of choice, and may even be better than some of them in the right hands – including the Swiss. While the build does reduce the weapon’s range and bullet velocity just a touch, it becomes much faster overall. Both the ADS and Sprint to Fire times receive helpful decreases while sprint speed, movement speed, and ADS movement speed all jump up quite noticeably. Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: ZLR ASP – Laser: Tac Laser – Optic: Solozero SP-R 28mm – Stock: XRK SP-Lite 208 Blitz – Some TikTokers have claimed that the SP-R is still “slept on” and deserves to be used a bit more in-game as it stands, but it still ranks outside of the meta by a fair distance. As per stats from WZRanked, the SP-R has seen a small uptick in usage recently, but it still clocks in at 27th in the overall usage charts and its pick ratio is way down. It remains to be seen if this loadout can help it crack the meta, but plenty of players believe it will, especially if players get crazy with their picks before Caldera launches.

TikTok’s no recoil PPSH Warzone loadout is perfect for Rebirth Island ActivisionA no-recoil PPSh-41 Warzone loadout has been doing the rounds on TikTok, stunning players with its ability to temper the kick on one of Call of Duty’s most infamous weapons. Warzone’s enduring popularity has seen it come to dominate plenty of online platforms, including Twitch and YouTube. However, rather surprisingly, it has experienced great success on TikTok – the video-sharing platform known for its short-form content. We’ve seen great highlight videos on TikTok, but it’s also become a base for creators sharing their ideal loadouts. One such video comes from ‘ttvzyro‘, who shows off their no recoil PPSh-41 class to dominate Verdansk and Rebirth Island. TikTok’s no recoil PPSh-41 loadout Muzzle: Sound Suppressor – Barrel: 14.9″ Ranger – Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight – Ammunition: Spetsnaz 71 Rnd Drum – Stock: Spetsnaz PKM Stock – Despite being well known in the CoD community for its high fire rate, incredible damage output, and moderate recoil, zyro’s loadout minimizes the weapon’s kick so players can laser enemies at medium ranges as well as up close. The attachments selected also silence the weapon, meaning players can run and gun without worrying about leaving a trace. You will slow your ADS speed and some movement speeds, but players should be able to lay down accurate fire with no problem. The loadout garnered plenty of positive feedback on TikTok, with zyro’s highlights video garnering a whopping 140,000 likes at the time of writing. We’d recommend dropping in on Rebirth Island first to try it out and get acclimated to it, before getting into Verdansk and encountering enemies at those longer ranges. If zyro’s loadout isn’t for you though, you can try out our recommended class setup for the Black Ops Cold War SMG.

TikTok’s “hitscan” MP5 loadout could be Warzone’s new meta ActivisionCall of Duty: Warzone TikTokers have started giving love to a ‘hitscan’ MP5 loadout that requires “no aim” and blows away enemy players. The meta in Call of Duty Warzone has constantly been in flux and plenty of weapons have had their moment in the spotlight, including the MP5. Both versions – Modern Warfare and Cold War – of the trusty SMG have risen to the top of popularity charts at one point or another, but they have fallen away in recent months, both sitting just outside the top 10 currently. However, that could change, at least for the Modern Warfare version, as there is a ‘hitscan’ loadout doing the rounds on TikTok that appears to be incredibly deadly when paired with a KAR98. The hitscan phrase has been tossed about a fair bit by Warzone players as some weapons are in a spot where players don’t have to adjust their aim for enemy movement or because of the range. Though, no weapon is truly hitscan like other FPS titles. In the case of TikTok’s MP5 class, it is being labeled as ‘hitscan’ because of highlight clips from the likes of TTZYro where they simply pull the trigger and don’t adjust their aim at all. The MP5 build is a pretty standard one, using the Monolithic Suppressor, 5MW Laser, Merc Foregrip, 45 round mags, and the FTAC Collapsible stock. Though, the KAR setup is a little different than normal as the Singuard Custom stock isn’t used. Warzone MP5 & KAR98 hitscan loadout MP5 Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Laser: 5MW Laser – Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip – Magazine: 45 Round mag – Stock: FTAC Collapsible Stock – KAR98 Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Laser: Tac Laser – Optic: Sniper Scope – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip Tape – Stock: Sport Comb – In terms of the loadout becoming part of the meta, it isn’t completely out of the question. As per WZRanked stats, the KAR98 remains one of the battle royale’s top three overall weapons while the MP5 remains high in terms of K/D ratio. There are plenty of players who will pair them together, but whether or not they’ll differ from the usual builds of each weapon remains to be seen.

TikToker reveals her POV while boyfriend completes insane Warzone clutch ActivisionA TikToker has revealed her POV while her boyfriend downs multiple teams in an epic clutch Warzone play… And both the video and the comments are hilarious. A hilarious TikTok clip has gone viral which shows off bayydgaming‘s gameplay as she peacefully strolls through the map and different buildings while her boyfriend downs team after team in an impressive show of skill. Such Warzone clutch plays have been popular across social media in general, but this one had a funny spin that many partners of gamers felt hit a bit too close to home. Warzone TikToker reveals insane clutch from boyfriend The video itself shows her looting items, getting lost in the highrise buildings, and waiting for her boyfriend to revive her after being downed. It quickly cuts to her boyfriend completing some seriously clutch Warzone plays, bringing down entire squads using a variety of weapons and expert tactics to follow. After quickly amassing over 3.5 million views, the comments began flooding in of players understanding the struggle of feeling useless while a teammate or partner carries the squad to victory. It also explored the hilarity of how calm her boyfriend was while fighting entire squads solo, with Lord_Fostios commenting on how quiet he stayed to not “ruin her mood” with frustration or fighting talk. Another commenter, mysticadhd_was_taken, joked that the creator was “playing it like she’s playing Animal Crossing while he is playing Darksouls”. This is something many gamers will understand when their partners join in on a game out of their comfort zone. Meanwhile, bayydgaming was more than happy being the emotional support for her skilled boyfriend. Who knows, next time she might be the one carrying.

TikToker goes viral for explaining boyfriend’s Warzone lingo Activision/Tiktok/makwatersA woman’s TikTok explaining her boyfriend’s Warzone lingo and terminology to other women who don’t game themselves has gone viral after being spread across the platform. Like many other games, Call of Duty Warzone features some terms players use that can sound foreign to those who don’t play the game themselves. As such, Makenzie Reece set out to create a bit of an explainer video. In the TikTok, Makenzie Reece sits by her boyfriend as he plays Warzone and waits for him to make calls which she then “translates” for non-gamers to understand. It begins with Reece sitting on the floor while her boyfriend communicates with his squad, telling them to “mark a buy.” The video then shifts to Reece in another room going into detail about what the lingo actually means. “Mark a buy means he wants his teammates to pinpoint where one of the buy stations are,” she explained. Next, she proceeded to decipher “buy me back” and did a pretty good job at doing so. “Buy me back means that he’s dead, but his teammates has enough money to bring him back to life.” “‘Money’s at the buy’ means that he dropped money off at a buy station for his teammate to come pick up to purchase something,” she further noted in the next term of lingo. Following this, the TikTokker’s boyfriend started frantically calling for someone to pick him up as he was on the roof, and once again Makenzie showcased her Warzone knowledge. “Pick me up means he’s about to die and he needs his teammate to come revive him,” she said. Finally, in the most amusing part of the video, her boyfriend seemed to have lost the match and judging by his reaction, she gave the best translation yet: “just don’t ask.” The TikTok has spread like wildfire, with over 350K watches and nearly 40,000 likes. It was also posted on the Warzone Reddit where users were impressed with how “wholesome” the comms were and how supportive the player’s girlfriend was. Read More: When is CoD Warzone Mobile coming out? – Seeing as this is only “part one” of the Warzone video, we can’t wait to see what else Reece and her boyfriend have in store for us in the future.

TikTok’s hipfire Milano Warzone loadout is perfect for dominating Rebirth Island ActivisionA devastating hipfire Milano class is taking over TikTok as Warzone players continue to wreak havoc with the loadout on Rebirth Island. SMGs have always had a place in the Warzone meta as they’re perfect for getting around the map at speed, but also destroy enemies in close-quarters fights. With additional SMGs being added throughout the Black Ops Cold War cycle, players have often switched up their SMG builds. Many have opted for the deadly MAC-10, while others have gone for the AK74-U and OTS 9 following recent changes. As a result, the Milano – which was the go-to SMG at the start of the year – has become the outside choice, slipping down the popularity charts. However, there are some players who are racking up high kill games with a setup that boosts the Milano’s hipfire effectiveness. The hipfire Milano builds have been getting plenty of love on TikTok from players who focus on Rebirth Island games, simply because it gives them the chance to outplay enemies in incredible fashion. With the added speed, they can bounce around buildings, leaving enemies confused as to where exactly the sound of footsteps is coming from. The loadouts focus on four attachments: the Agency Suppressor, Swat 5MW Laser, 55 round drum mag, and Bruiser Grip. The fifth attachment can be whatever you like, but players usually go for either the Wire Stock or Task Force Barrel. Hipfire Milano Warzone class Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Laser: Swat 5MW Laser – Ammunition: 55 round drum mag – Grip: Bruiser Grip – Stock: Wire Stock – Some of the posts, which show players getting disgusting team wipes on their foes, have racked up close to a million views, with plenty of viewers commenting that they need to try it for themselves. As noted, the setup is extremely deadly on Rebirth Island, but can easily work on Verdansk too, though you may want to partner it with something that is a bit more long-range if you make the jump to the original map.

Tier 4 of the CoD: WWII ‘Liberty Strike’ Community Challenge Completed – How to Claim Your Reward The fourth tier of the Call of Duty: WWII Community Challenge has been completed with a new reward available for players. Beginning on July 3, the ‘Liberty Strike’ Community Event aims to bring a sense of ‘National Pride’ to the title with a collection of new content such as weapons, outfits, and more over the course of its duration. While the Community Event includes a variety of different challenges, players have the opportunity to partake in the main ‘Community Challenge,’ which provides new rewards after players hit certain milestones. On July 20, the fourth tier of the Community Challenge was hit, and rewards players with the ‘Fez’ Special Helmet and one Zombie Consumable Supply Drop. Watch JKap’s Incredible 1 vs 3 Clutch Against OpTic Gaming in Round 11More information on the Community Challenge can be viewed below, with Tier Five able to be completed once players win 260 multiplayer matches. Call of Duty: WWII – Liberty Strike Community Challenge Tier 1: ‘Canadian’ Calling Card and 1 Zombie Consumables Supply Drop Tier 2: ‘British Flag’ Weapon Charm and 1 Zombie Consumables Supply Drop Tier 3: ‘American II’ 1911 Weapon Variant and 1 Zombie Consumables Supply Drop Tier 4: ‘Fez’ Special Helmet and 1 Zombie Consumables Supply Drop Tier 5: ‘Independent II’ M1 Garand Weapon Variant and ‘Kitschig’ Zombies Weapon Camo

Throwing Knives receive insane buff in Season 3 Reloaded update Bringing a knife to a gunfight has never been a good idea, but a buff to the Throwing Knives in the Season 3 Reloaded update patch notes has CoD Warzone players rejoicing. Until the recent Season 3 Reloaded update, the Throwing Knife was not a one-shot down and always played second fiddle to the more popular Semtex Grenade. The Throwing Knife has always been a popular Lethal throughout Warzone’s history, but it was difficult to use as anything more than just something to finish off already downed players before the most recent patch. Fans react positively to the Throwing Knife Warzone buff The patch notes state that Throwing Knife damage increased by 20%, and hits to the upper torso and head will be a one-shot down. The developers added in the patch notes that “with health increasing, we have taken the opportunity to adjust the damage on most lethals to keep them in a space where they cannot be ignored.” Player health was increased from 100 to 150 across all modes in the new patch and can reach 300 if equipped with full armor. Read More: Full Warzone 2 map leaked with all POIs – Reddit user PRORES422HQ posted an image celebrating the Throwing Knife buff, and the response has been very positive. One user responded by saying, “This is great. I missed the old days when they were really overpowered.” Another person added that the throwing knife is “my favorite weapon in all CoDs. I was bummed when they were nerfed so hard in Warzone.” The Semtex Grenade also received a damage increase by 5% to stay in line with the new health update, so it will be interesting to see which of the two most popular Lethals gets equipped more moving forward.

Three ways CDL teams can finally beat Atlanta FaZe Activision Atlanta FaZe are the unanimous number one team in the Call of Duty League this season — but how can their opposition beat them? Here’s what they need to do. Atlanta have been borderline unstoppable all season. Their Stage 2 Major loss to Toronto Ultra was a serious shock, but since then they seem to have only become an even better squad, with losses very few and far between. That said, they have lost. As well as their shock loss to LA Guerrillas earlier in the season, they’ve been beaten by both Toronto Ultra and New York Subliners (twice). So, what’s the secret? What do teams need to do to make beating FaZe a real possibility on more than a one-off basis? On Reverse Sweep Round 11, Andrew ‘Enigma’ Campion pointed out the three key areas in which teams can capitalize and take advantage of Atlanta, helping secure the win. Here’s what he came up with. Slow down their ARs: One key area in which teams have successfully managed to beat Atlanta is by slowing down their assault rifle players. Leaving SMGs aBeZy and Simp more isolated as they attempt to push objectives has been a surefire way for teams to capture wins. – Play the veto game: FaZe have an incredible map pool and are very strong even on their weaker maps. The maps teams should attempt to play against them are Apocalypse Hardpoint, Express and Miami on Search & Destroy and, in Control, Checkmate is their least favorite. – Play for first blood in S&D: ABeZy gets 22% of first bloods in Atlanta’s Search & Destroy matches. They play a slow, methodical game, and aBeZy is almost always the first into the action and giving his team the man advantage. Teams should try to fly at a bombsite and get the bomb down, says Enigma, with FaZe not the strongest at retaking sites and getting the defuse. – Obviously, when coming up against a team like Atlanta FaZe, even their weaknesses would be recognized as strengths with other teams. Sure, you can target their ‘weaker’ maps, but they’re still going to be a formidable opponent. That said, with these three key things in mind, it will be interesting to see whether teams take heed against them at the Stage 4 Major and consider these points. It could be the difference between an early exit or Major victory.

Three-shot DMR loadout makes it one of Warzone best weapons again ActivisionCall of Duty: Warzone TikTokers have been using a deadly DMR loadout that downs enemies in three shots, and it could be on its way to cracking the meta again. In the back end of 2020, the Warzone meta was taken over by the DMR and MAC-10, with the tactical rifle being completely broken to the point where you couldn’t compete if you were not using one. After significant nerfs, the DMR slipped right down the popularity charts, no longer being the weapon that sent shivers down the spines of players. Over time, Warzone fans have tried, and failed, to bring the tactical rifle back into the fold with a few unique builds. Yet, the new ‘three-shot’ loadout might just see the DMR get some love once again. The deadly loadout has been doing the rounds on TikTok, with players looking to use different weapons on Rebirth Island as they await some playlist changes and the removal of Vanguard Royale. As TikTokers like TTVZyro have shown, the three-shot loadout moves away from the typical attachments you’d find on a DMR like the Axial Arms sight, Task Force barrel, and Muzzle breaks. Instead, the newer loadout opts for the lesser-used Visiontech 2x optic, a Titanium barrel, and 40 round mags, as well as the popular Field Agent Grip and Agency Suppressor. 3 shot DMR Warzone loadout Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Barrel: Titanium barrel – Underbarrel: Field Agent Foregrip – Optic: Visiontech 2x – Ammunition: Salvo 40 round fast mags – While some early adopters of the build believe it is absolutely a meta loadout, it still has quite a ways to go to match up with some of Warzone’s most-loved weapons. As per stats from WZRanked, the DMR sits 84th overall when it comes to usage, however, the rifle still has some fairly decent K/D ratios. It remains to be seen if the DMR will, once again, run riot in Warzone but it seems like a useful setup.

Three reasons why Dallas Empire’s Vivid move won’t work Dexerto 2020 Call of Duty League champions Dallas Empire made yet another roster shuffle in CDL Stage IV, but will the addition of Reece ‘Vivid’ Drost actually solve their problems? After a turbulent period with Huke sent to the bench and FeLo stepping up, Dallas has now settled on Vivid as their fourth starting member. Though after a narrow win over the London Royal Ravens and a 0-3 loss to Toronto Ultra, many have already begun to question the latest roster move. Dexerto’s own Andrew Campion runs us through the three biggest reasons as to why Crimsix and co. might have made the wrong decision. Discover more: aBeZy: FaZe’s Tiny Terrors nearly didn’t happen!

Three new Open tournaments announced for the 2019 Call of Duty World League season Activision have officially announced three more Open tournaments for the 2019 Call of Duty World League season for Black Ops 4. During the opening show of the $250,000 CWL Vegas event on December 7, the broadcast crew revealed the locations of each of the three new major CWL tournaments that will be held in the coming months. The first event to be announced was CWL Fort Worth, which will be taking place March 15-17 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, This event will be the second CWL Open tournament of this season, and the third event overall to ever be held in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The dates for this event have not yet been announced, as more details should be revealed as the season gets closer to that point. The third tournament to be announced, and the fourth event of the season, will take place in Southern California as the CWL returns there once again to host the iconic CWL Anaheim event. CWL Anaheim will take place June 14-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA, and will be the final Open event of the season before the finals.

Three New Basic Trainings Are Headed to Call of Duty: WWII The third DLC pack for Call of Duty: WWII goes live on June 26th and with that comes an update to the game that is adding three new Basic Trainings for players to equip to their classes. YouTuber TheseKnivesOnly was invited out to Sledgehammer’s studio and has been granted the right to share this new information. Basic Trainings are a considerable factor in the game and can be the difference between getting a game-winning kill or losing. More: Red Reserve’s Zer0 on How He Discovered Competitive Call of Duty and His Plans After Competing – The World War II developers have become known for their frequent updates and game-altering patches, and this update is shaping out to be much of the same. The three new Basic Trainings are ‘Specialist,’ ‘Wanderlust,’ and ‘Escalation’ each of which offers a unique advantage to players that has been unseen in WWII. For the first time since Modern Warfare 3, Specialist has returned to the game, this time it is not a perk, but a Basic Training. “Earn Basic Trainings instead of Scorestreaks. Unlock at 200, 400, and 600 score. All Basic Trainings are granted at 800 score. Progress resets on death.” Wanderlust will have fans reminiscent of Gungame while Escalation will allow players to go on deadly killing sprees. Wanderlust: “Spawn with a random gun (has up to 6 attachments). Pressing Triangle will always provide a new weapon.” Escalation: “Shortly after kills, aim down sights significantly faster. Bonus: Multi-kills instantly refill magazine.” These coming changes could shift the meta in both public games and competitive play depending on how the rule set adapts the changes. For now, we’ll have to wait and see how things shape up.

This Warzone player hired a Mariachi band to play every time he wins ActivisionWinning a game of Call of Duty’s battle royale, Warzone, is always a good moment but this player celebrates unlike any other. At the beginning of a match, Warzone lobbies can be filled with up to 150 players. Arguably, this makes it a little tougher to pick up a W than other BR titles such as Fortnite or Apex Legends. One member of the community possibly thought they would never be upstaged in 2022, as a 15-year-old went viral in early April for setting off pyrotechnics and starting light shows each time he won. However, at the beginning of May, another hilarious way to honor a successful game has been discovered, with live Mexican music. Warzone streamer celebrates wins with Mariachi band Facebook Gaming streamer Rexzilla posted a video of himself in the final circle of Warzone, with the gas closing in. After the win was secured, he shouted: “Let’s go! Another one! Easy!” Moments later, a Mariachi band was seen playing right after. I hired a Mariachi band to play every time we won. Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone. 🍻 pic.twitter.com/oOwMsyJ2NM — Rex (@Rexzilla) May 5, 2022 The tweet was meant to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, a national holiday to commemorate Mexico’s 1862 victory over the French Empire, and has racked up over 37,000 views. In the replies, one user said: “This was absolutely amazing to wake up to and see first thing.” Another posted: “This was so epic. Stream of the year for sure!” As streamers get more and more creative with the shows they put on for their viewers, who knows what will go viral next. From Mariachi to pyro shows, it’s not going to be easy to top this performance.

This viral Black Ops 4 rant may have provided the perfect solution to Ajax’s shield in Black Ops 4 [Video] A Twitter video from SoaR Gilli about 9-Bangs and the Ajax Specialist in Black Ops 4 has gone viral, and he may have thought of the perfect way to balance them while in the middle of his rant. Ajax is widely regarded as the most overpowered Specialist in the game at the moment thanks to the combination of his seemingly impenetrable Ballistic Shield and his incredibly powerful 9-Bang grenades that leave people blind and unable to move. “Whoever invented the fucking specialist with the 9-Bang and a riot shield you can’t fucking shoot through,” Gilli said at the start of his hilarious video rant. “I don’t know who pissed you off in the last couple of years since Black Ops 3 where you decided that you now need to make this specialist, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE GONE!” “I’ve had enough of dying like this!” the streamer continued, putting his hand in front of his face to mimic the effects of being stunned. “You can’t tell me I can’t move my hand if I can’t see! My eyes are closed, I CAN STILL DEFEND MYSELF! Allow me to!” However, in the midst of the shouting, the SoaR man also made a suggestion that just might make Ajax’s shield slightly less overpowered: “Allow me to shoot through the little fucking window. That’s all I’m asking!” Allllright @Treyarch let’s have a chat about Ajax pic.twitter.com/pfyekhC1lT — Logan | Gilli :dragon: (@Mcgillligan) October 23, 2018 Being able to shoot through the small gap in Ajax’s Ballistic Shield wouldn’t make him easy to counter, but would reward players that are skillful enough to hit the shot. Gilli did make it clear that he’s a fan of the game on the whole, stating: “There’s a lot of good about Black Ops 4, not going to deny that.” Read More: Black Ops 4 cheaters are abusing an infuriating Skulker glitch, as pro player KiLLa found out – However, his annoyance with Ajax and the 9-Bang seems to be mirrored by the community at large. With so many players suggesting fixes or changes to the Specialist, don’t be surprised to see some of them implemented in the next major Black Ops 4 patch. YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP pic.twitter.com/AymFwAMTxN — Logan | Gilli :dragon: (@Mcgillligan) October 25, 2018

This MW3 aftermarket part makes underrated SMG a speed demon ActivisionThe addition of a new aftermarket part in MW3 Season 3 has turned one of the game’s most underrated SMGs into a speed demon with unbelievable strafe speeds that rival the fastest Call of Duy has ever seen. Modern Warfare 3’s week three challenges saw a new aftermarket part introduced to multiplayer and Warzone, the JAK Cutthroat Stock. This stock can only be equipped on certain weapons: The MCW, MTZ-556, MTZ Interceptor, Riveter, and AMR 9. plus six MW2 guns. While it’s useful on several of these, it’s with the AMR 9 where the JAK Cutthroat stock truly excels. With an AMR 9 loadout optimized for ADS Movement Speed, it’s now possible to strafe at 3.5 meters per second. This is already fast for an MW3 weapon but with the Stalker Boots, this can be further boosted to over 4 m/s. To put those numbers into context, this SMG can now have strafe speeds comparable to the fastest possible in some older Call of Duty games like the original Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 2. Here is the best loadout to maximize the AMR 9’s strafe speed: Muzzle: Zehmn35 Compensated Flash Hider – Barrel: Tectonic Herald Light Barrel – Optic: JAK Glassless Optic – Stock: JAK Cutthroat – Underbarrel: XRK Edge BW-4 Handstop – Something to keep in mind is that the Stalker Boots only affect left-to-right movement, unlike the equivalents in the older COD games that worked in all four directions. As a result, it’s only possible to reach these peak strafe speeds while moving left to right. Even so, this AMR 9 loadout is still extremely mobile and provides an opportunity to experience MW3 in a new way,

“This is OpTic’s Major to lose!” | CDL Reverse Sweep Preview Show Dexerto With the Call of Duty League Stage 5 Major just hours away, our Reverse Sweep crew of Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker & Katie Bedford are back to preview all the biggest matchups and make their bold predictions for the final event before Champs. The 2021 regular season is finally over. After months of grinding week in and week out, just two events remain in the Black Ops Cold War cycle. Before we get to Champs, the Stage 5 Major is upon us and so is the return of fans at a big LAN event. It’s sure to be a spectacle with teams feeding off the crowd’s energy for the first time in well over a year. With some squads on the rise and others on a downward spiral, who is the most likely to come away with that trophy? To break down all the storylines going into the event and to preview the hottest games, here’s what our Reverse Sweep crew had to say. Can Subliners turn things around in the Stage 5 Major? Next week in CDL 2021: the Stage 5 Major. LAN, $500K, and a last chance for the bottom-4 teams to secure some bread 💰 pic.twitter.com/GOqUpRdeYb — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 26, 2021 It’s been a challenging Stage 5 for the New York squad. With Clayster taking a break, NYSL is heading into the Major with just a single win to its name in the past five matchups. Though despite their recent difficulties, Pacman and Enable agreed on one thing: NYSL will still beat the Los Angeles Guerrillas. “I don’t see them losing to LAG,” Enable said. Though he can certainly see them “losing in the next round.” “It’s just a really tough spot,” Pacman added. “I don’t have much hope for a Subliners run.” Will the LA Thieves go on a Major run? With LA Thieves starting to find their rhythm in Stage 5, could we see them go on a run through the Major? “They definitely have potential,” Enable argued. Their first match pits them against Toronto. While it may be a tough series, he’s confident they can “upset Toronto” and move ahead to a rematch with OpTic. Given their recent reverse sweep over the Green Wall, a hot start could have them cruising to the Winner’s Finals. “I don’t think they have a chance of beating Toronto,” Enable countered. “I just feel like the run’s going to come from the lower bracket. That’s where the potential comes in.” Is OpTic vs FaZe the most likely Grand Final series? “”I don’t want to overreact!””@PacmanJT isn’t concerned after @OpTicCHI’s loss to LA Thieves!#CDL2021 Review | Presented by @USAA. pic.twitter.com/Mzi4g3zU3J — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 28, 2021 Making their predictions for the final showdown of the Major, Enable believes this is “[OpTic’s] event to lose. They are finally getting it together. Now they have not only the confidence, but they have the first seed. They need a great event if they want to have a chance at winning Champs.” Meanwhile, Pacman doesn’t envision an OpTic win. Instead, he argued they might not even make it to the finals. “It’s a possibility but do I think it’s gonna happen? No. I think it’s gonna be Atlanta vs Toronto or Dallas vs Toronto.” Players to keep an eye on in the Stage 5 Major Time for @ROKKR to reach the NEXT LEVEL?!@Enable thinks it’s time.#CDL2021 Biggest Mover | Presented by @KontrolFreek pic.twitter.com/9R5SCkHFmy — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 28, 2021 Keeping his focus on OpTic, Enable highlighted none other than the King as his player to watch. “I’ve got to double down,” he said. “I’m going with Scump. He’s really hitting his stride, we have LAN, we have the crowd. This is when he’s at his best.” For Pacman, he looked towards an underdog team in the winner’s bracket. “If the ROKKR are to beat FaZe,” he wants to see a “standout performance” from both Priestahh and Standy. “I’m looking at those two guys to get them over that hump if they are to beat FaZe in the first round.” Last but not least, Katie still has her sights on Toronto to replicate their earlier success. “I’m gonna go with Cammy,” she said. “Toronto’s been so good all year, but I really would like to see them get that extra bit. Let me see that takeover. I have very high hopes.” Bold predictions for the Stage 5 Major To wind down, the team made their bold predictions for the final event before Champs. Enable kicked off the conversation with perhaps the “hottest take all year. I’ve got ROKKR winning their first match against FaZe,” he said. If they’re able to get past that first hurdle, he can see them moving into “Winner’s Round 2 and beating the breaks off of [Dallas].” Taking his prediction in the complete opposite direction, Pacman’s prediction focused on Dallas dominance. “Dallas is gonna win this Major,” he said confidently. “They’re gonna lose three total maps. I feel like it’s time.”

This Halo Champion is officially switching to Call of Duty Another team has entered the roster mix in preparation for Black Ops 4 and will feature renowned Halo pro Robby ‘Kimbo’ El-Zein/Faulk. Kimbo, a three-time European Halo Champion and a two-time EU Pro League Champion, has officially announced he will be transitioning to Call of Duty for Black Ops 4. At only 19 years old, Kimbo has already cemented himself as one of the top Halo players in Europe, but it will be interesting to see how that skill translates to BO4. There’s already a precedent for Halo pros moving to Call of Duty, the most notable recent switch was Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland who competed in Halo while underage before joining Team Envy last year. The move was announced through a tweet by Kivi, a player who most recently competed for Fab Games, who appears to be spearheading the search for an organization who needs a full new roster. Myself @TypicaINerd @fabE_Addiction @RyanxGray & @Kimboelzein are currently in search of an organisation, if you’re interested feel free to DM me or just drop a email! kivihd@gmail.com. RT pls — fabE Kivi :fire::flag-at: (@KiviCoD) October 5, 2018 In addition to Kimbo, the roster features Martin ‘TypicalNerd’ Black, who retired last March; Shane ‘Addiction’ Tatum, Kivi’s previous teammate at Fab; and Ryan Gray, who competed for Black Forest Games in the 2016 CWL Championships. Trying to get an organization to pick up a full five-man roster could be a tough proposition, but the players all have a reasonable amount of CoD experience, besides Kimbo, who is well regarded for his Halo play. The team will have to fight through the open bracket at CWL Las Vegas once the season begins.

This Dr DisRespect skin concept in Blackout looks incredible! Twitch streamer Dr DisRespect was a big fan of the recent beta for Call of Duty’s battle royale mode Blackout, and when a fan sent a Blackout skin concept just for the Doc, he encouraged Treyarch to get in touch on the ‘flip phone’. Before Blackout’s week long beta, Dr DisRespect was best known for streaming rival battle royale game PUBG – in which he already has official skins in game which players can purchase. He, along with fellow streamer shroud, are credited with introducing, and keeping the interest of, a significant chunk of PUBG’s player base, promoting the game through their streams which attract viewers in the tens of thousands. And when the Blackout beta released, it was these two once again who were pulling in the big viewer figures. The Doc peaked at around 65,000 concurrent viewers, and shroud at over 70,000 – music to the ears of Treyarch. Thanks to the added attention that streamers can bring to a game, potentially boosting pre-orders and more, adding skins in their likeness is often a way of repaying them, plus fans get more content to purchase. Dr DisRespect was unsurprisingly keen on the concept a fan sent – telling Treyarch “we’re ready, we’ll negotiate.” The concept actually gave Dr DisRespect another idea, inspired by the face scanning feature that was possible even in games like Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and is still used in sports games like NBA 2K. “Why the hell can we not adopt that technology? Why aren’t we using it for every single video game? 2007 was Vegas 2.” The full Blackout game will release with Black Ops 4 on October 12, and Treyarch have confirmed that more skins and content will be added post-launch, but haven’t gone into any specifics yet. More: Full player statistics released for Call of Duty’s Blackout beta – most solo eliminations, longest combat axe kill, and more – With the range of skins available in the beta however, it is clear that the studio are using a fairly loose artistic direction for the mode, and so some wackier skins are likely down the line. If Dr DisRespect, shroud and others become the face of the game in the livestreaming world, it would be no surprise to eventually see outfits in their likeness at some point too. The Blackout skin of the Doc created by Twitter user @PaddyMazz.

This concept would be a great way to nerf 9-Bangs in Black Ops 4 Treyarch has been hard at work trying to perfect 9-Bangs in Black Ops 4 ever since release, but this idea could be the perfect way to tweak the powerful utility item. The controversial item was completely removed from Blackout with the November 6 update, but it’s still alive and well Black Ops 4’s multiplayer mode and players are getting frustrated with the strength of it. While most posts are simply more instances of players voicing that frustration, Reddit user ‘Ghost914’ has come up with a detailed description on how to nerf it while allowing to still be a viable item. Ghost914’s suggestion mainly centers around the 9-Bang’s ability to disarm and stun the victim, essentially making the player a sitting duck. To make this less OP, it should not stun or disarm an opponent. It should be like flashbangs from previous games. Allowing good players to move around while blinded and shoot their gun with ADS. Making this more like a traditional flashbang would bring 9-Bangs in line with items seen in previous Call of Duty titles that will hinder opponents, but still allowed them to crouch or shoot and not be dead in the water. The goal of this change would seek to widen the skill gap of the game since Ghost914 points out that a good player who knows map layouts would be able to maneuver and hipfire their weapon while blinded and possibly still secure kills. “If you’re [9-bang’d] vs a decent team, you’re dead 99% of the time,” Ghost914 concludes, which is not something that he feels specialist equipment should be capable. Given that the suggestion was almost universally well-received with on the r/CoDCompetitivce subreddit, it looks like Ghost914 could be on to something here. Read More: November 9 update for Black Ops 4 includes stability improvements in Zombies and more Blackout balancing – Full patch notes – Treyarch has been quick to update Black Ops 4 on a regular basis since release, so it’s possible that we could see some changes in the near future.

This COD LEGEND Will Improve Dallas Empire | CDL Preview Show Activision Stage 4 of the Call of Duty League 2021 season is almost upon us, and Reverse Sweep hosts Katie Bedford, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker look ahead at what’s to come. Stage 4 is bound to be an exciting one for CDL fans and players alike. We’re nearing the real end-of-year action, with all teams looking to get in the best position for Champs, and LAN is back for the Stage 4 Major. The Reverse Sweep crew look ahead to what is bound to be an exciting stage, making their predictions and discussing the biggest storylines ahead of Stage 4 starting. The return of LAN For just about everyone, competitive play going back to LAN rather than all online is a huge step forward, generating some real buzz among the community. While there won’t be any fans in attendance at the Major, as Pacman and Enable explain, it provides a completely different atmosphere and there’s no “technical BS” to cause controversy, like the recent server drama between OpTic Chicago and Atlanta FaZe. OpTic finding their feet? “I think they could potentially win Stage 4 if they keep improving,” Enable says of the OpTic boys. “We just need to see if what happened at this last Major was the real deal.” While Enable’s enthusiasm isn’t backed by Pacman, who believes they still have some way to go, it’s definitely worth entertaining the idea that OpTic could be returning to their best. And this should seriously concern the rest of the league, especially the top teams. The LA Guerrillas conundrum As Enable says, LAG are one of the richest franchises in the Call of Duty League. That’s why their lack of success baffles him so much. He says: “They could go drop a bag for SlasheR, for whoever, and they just aren’t making moves. I don’t get it.” They’re not expected to turn their season around at this point, and Stage 4 really could be crunch time for this team. Teams and players to watch Looking ahead to Stage 4, there’s certain teams or players we’re all going to be keeping our eyes peeled for and seeing how they perform, for better or worse. Pacman’s choice is the Florida Mutineers, calling them “the worst team that could become a top team.” Read More: CDL 2021 Power Rankings after Stage 3 Major – Alternatively, Enable picks Shotzzy, who has been “constantly improving” despite Dallas’ slow downturn, while Katie pinpoints Clayster as a player she’ll be watching as New York aim to bounce back from their Major loss. Catch all of that and more on Reverse Sweep, discussing all of the top Call of Duty League action. Disclaimer: Dexerto has partnered with Misfits Gaming Group to create and package branded content across its platforms.

This Blackout concept could reward players for being more aggressive Players are constantly coming up with ways to improve on Blackout, with one of the newest ideas being something that could forever change the way players gain loot. While battle royales have become incredibly popular over the last couple of years, many players have complained that the pace of the games often feels a bit slow. Blackout is no exception to this trend, which has led a clever Reddit user to come up with a concept that would drastically change how loot is obtained in the game. system would reward players with “kill tokens” for every kill they manage to achieve during the duration of a game. Players could then use these tokens to purchase items or perks from a series of vending machines placed around the map – a nod to the “colas” perk from the Zombies game mode. Read More: 2018 Black Friday deals for Call of Duty – However, jonathorston feels that there should be a cap on how many purchases a player can make per vending machine per game, in order to balance out his idea. Instead of allowing a player to make unlimited purchases, he suggested just one purchase per vending machine, should a player acquire “like a million Dead Silences and be a ninja all the time.” Jonathorston feels that his idea could urge players to get more kills, thus inciting a more aggressive playstyle overall, in light of receiving rewards based on how many kills they get. “I feel like this would make people want to go out and kill people more,” Jonathorston wrote in their post about the concept. “As for kills, you would now get something, and you wouldn’t feel punished for going out and seeking gunfights, as the more tokens you have, the better stuff you can get.” https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/call-duty-black-ops-4-29-95-smashing-early-black-friday-deal-3624024 This would mark a drastic change from Blackout’s current item system, where players simply farm bodies or find weapons and armor randomly throughout the map. The concept is also markedly similar to the vending machines found in Fortnite, which allow players to spend their resources on one of three randomly selected items.

This awesome Black Ops 4 camo concept would let players see inside their gun Gun camos are always a massive part of any Call of Duty game, and it’s no different in Black Ops 4, the latest edition to the legendary first-person shooter franchise. Black Ops 4 was released on Friday, October 12, and since then avid Call of Duty fans have been grinding away at the game as they attempt to unlock Call of Duty’s most elusive skin, Dark Matter. Dark Matter takes a lot of effort and time to unlock, and not every player can commit the hours it takes to get their hands on it. However, Reddit user named ‘Juansa7X’ believes he has an idea for a skin that could be just as amazing as the famous Dark Matter camo. Juansa7X suggests creating a camo that would show the inside of the weapon, including bullet rounds, the trigger and even the firing mechanism, all visible through what would appear to be a clear screen on the side of the weapon, instead of it’s normal casing. Of course, this skin would be a labour of love for Treyarch, as every weapon would need it’s own custom version of the camo because the shape and insides of each gun would be completely different. They would also have to animate every weapon’s inner workings to show it firing, adding another layer of work for what would be an awesome Call of Duty camo. Black Ops 4 fans can already get their hands on some cool weapon camos thanks to the in-game Black Market, where players can unlock or purchase a number of different skins for their weapons by ranking up their Black Market by playing games, or by spending CoD Points. Unfortunately, the see-through gun camo idea is just an idea dreamed up by a creative Call of Duty fan, and there are currently no official plans for it to be added to Black Ops 4 by Treyarch.

There’s a tiger in a secret area under the Hacienda map in Black Ops 4, and it’s causing problems Certain maps in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 have hidden tricks up their sleeve, as Hacienda has an underground area that is the home to a tiger. While the enclosure is seemingly inaccessible, players can still look into it via a grate that can be found on the floor near one of the entrances to the main building. A close inspection reveals a live tiger with orange and black stripes moving around in the space, and through a tunnel that leads to other underground areas. Although interacting with the tiger doesn’t seem possible, and the presence of the animal and underground area offers visual appeal, it appears that the movement of the tiger is causing problems for some players. Numerous players, especially those who play competitive matches, have complained that when the tiger moves, its footsteps create noise, which can be easily confused for the sound of enemy movement. Been wondering what fake ass foot steps I’ve been hearing on Hacienda and there’s a fucking tiger underground! No way did they think this was a good idea! If this a part of dynamic elements then they need to fix the rules already because this is bullshit! #Myteammateheardatiger pic.twitter.com/TDPXqznR0s — cHocoLaTe (@GodsAlumni) October 28, 2018 Sound is a huge aspect of the strategy and gameplay of competitive matches, especially in Search and Destroy, and footsteps often play a key role in players determining the location and direction of movement of their opposition. However, if the tiger’s movement is indeed adding additional sounds to the mix, it can cause a clear and serious issue, especially since Hacienda was recently added to the Call of Duty World League official map rotation for the upcoming season. The sudden awareness that has been brought to the presence of the tiger and the noise of its movement will likely either compel the CWL to remove the map out of the rotation or Treyarch to implement a patch that silences any and all noise the animal makes underground.

There Are Cans of Monster in the UK with Black Ops 4 Double XP Codes Activision and Treyarch have teamed up with Monster Energy, to release special edition cans of the energy drink with Double XP codes for multiplayer in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. First spotted by a user on Reddit, the cans include a code that grants 15 minutes of Double XP gameplay. Four codes can be redeemed in a day per person, up to a maximum of forty hours of Double XP gameplay throughout the period the promotion runs. The cans have only been spotted in the UK at the moment. On the cans, it states that the promotion is open to residents of the UK, Isle of Man, Mauritius and the Republic of Ireland. There is no word whether the promotion will open up to other countries yet. This isn’t the first time that Monster have team up with Activision to offer this promotion. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, along with predecessor Advanced Warfare were involved in a promotion like this, while cans available during Black Ops 3’s release offered Double XP for the Zombies gamemode. While fans of the Call of Duty franchise won’t get their hands on the multiplayer experience the game offers until it releases on October 12, players will get the opportunity to try out the new Blackout battle royale mode that’s coming to Black Ops 4 when the beta releases next. With Black Ops 4 just over a month away, it’s time to head to the shops and stock up on Monster Energy, and get ready to start rising up the ranks when the game releases!

Theory takes shots at former teammates in update on his CoD pro future Pittsburgh KnightsCall of Duty began the Black Ops 4 season with CWL Las Vegas on December 7 and gave Pittsburgh Knights fans a look at how their team fared against the rest of the competition, but lackluster results have encouraged early changes in the squad. The Pittsburgh Knights are a new organization who have fielded teams for multiple titles since their creation, but their poor results in the first event for the 2019 CoD season could have had implications within the org. In a tweet, Dylan ‘Theory’ McGee announced he was no longer a part of the Knights’ banner and will move on to the next step of his esports career while hinting towards possible strife between him and his former teammates. Also officially no longer associated with @KnightsGG best of luck to them. If any PLQ teams need a player last second hmu 🙂 Looking forward to the future and purging the toxic people from my life — Dylan (@DMTheory) December 31, 2018 Theory had been a part of the Knights for no more than two months when he came over from the Lightning Pandas, but that might have been enough time to hold contempt over some people he’s met along the way. “Also officially no longer associated with [the Pittsburg Knights], best of luck to them… Looking forward to the future and purging the toxic people from my life,” he said. Read more: OpTic’s H3CZ and compLexity’s Jason Lake discuss where they’d locate their Call of Duty franchises – Although no clarification was made on what he meant, he followed up the message with an update regarding his health and player status. Due to certain medical conditions I’m not sure if I’ll be playing again. Not gonna close that chapter of my life completely and say I’m retiring as I don’t know what the future holds, but for the time being I’ll be considering coaching and management roles in esports 🙂 — Dylan (@DMTheory) December 31, 2018 “Due to certain medical conditions I’m not sure if I’ll be playing again,” he said. “Not gonna close that chapter of my life completely and say I’m retiring as I don’t know what the future holds…” Now looking to move into more managerial roles, Theory will look to promptly enter a new org in any capacity before Pro League Qualifier in January 2019.

Theory suggests MW3 maps coming to Modern Warfare in Season 3 Infinity WardOne Call of Duty fan has shared their theory as to what players can expect in Modern Warfare Season 3 and, if correct, fans of 2011’s Modern Warfare 3 can certainly get excited. Modern Warfare has been criticized by the Call of Duty community for a number of its features, including alleged skill-based matchmaking and the absence of prestiging. However, it has been largely praised by fans for their seasonal content model. Following in the footsteps of games like Fortnite and Apex Legends, Modern Warfare’s seasons see new content regularly added throughout its life. This has included a host of older Infinity Ward multiplayer maps, including Shipment, Vacant and, most recently, Rust. However, one fan has noticed a discernible and believable pattern to Infinity Ward’s content distribution, which is heavily suggestive that content for Season 3 will be drawn from 2011’s Modern Warfare 3. The theory, posted to Reddit on February 15, points out that content from the original Modern Warfare was released in Season One. This came in the form of multiplayer maps Shipment and Vacant. Similarly, content from 2009’s Modern Warfare 2 came in Season 2. Here, players received the infamous multiplayer map Rust, as well as a re-skin of the UMP SMG, a gun popularised in CoD thanks to its strength in Modern Warfare 2. Following this trend would mean Season 3’s content is drawn from Modern Warfare 3. The fan who posted the theory to Reddit speculated that players will see Dome, arguably the most popular map from the 2011 title. However, if the theory proves true, there is a host of exciting content fans could be treated to. Other multiplayer maps from MW3 that could be added include Resistance and Hardhat. If the trend of adding nostalgic weapons also rings true, we could soon see the L118A or MSR sniper rifles, or the ACR assault rifle. It goes without saying that this remains just a theory, and could be entirely coincidental. Regardless, the post excited fans, especially those who have a soft spot for the often underrated MW3. Given the length of Season 1 – just over 2 months – it seems likely we’ll see Season Three around mid-April to early-May. For now, then, players can just sit back and enjoy the wealth of content Season Two has brought.

TheDezmond’s duo wins $15k TeeP’s Trials Warzone tourney: final results Infinity Ward[jwplayer br5AuoVJ] Call of Duty World Champion and star Twitch streamer Tyler ‘TeeP’ Polchow hosted another running of his popular ‘TeeP’s Trials’ Warzone tournament, and we’ve got everything you need to catch up on all the action. Since the release of Warzone back in March, TeeP has been one of the most popular and standout streamers of the game on Twitch. Now, he’s returned the favor with another one of his stacked Warzone competitions. With this being the final major Warzone event before Season 5 kicks off on August 5, the star-studded collection of players were going all-out for the biggest slice of the $15,000 prize pool. Teep’s Trials Warzone event recap While many Warzone competitions try to keep an even playing field with content creators mixing with pro players, Teep’s Trials puts the most stacked squads possible in head to head action. From veteran Call of Duty competitors to some of the most successful Warzone players thus far, this event may have been the most intense we’ve seen yet. Huge names were narrowly beaten in the opening rounds as the likes of NICKMERCS & Swagg along with Tfue & wuskin were dropped out of the winner’s bracket early. Prominent Twitch streamers KingRichard and Jukeyz were the only duo able to stay ahead of the competition. They pushed through the entire tournament to claim their spot in the Grand Finals without dropping a map. The final upper bracket match then saw them beat Aydan & MuTeX by just a single kill. Read More: Warzone players have perfect idea for new tactical killstreak Meanwhile, the lower bracket was just as fierce. Symfuhny & HusKerrs had their tournament run come to an end after falling to Rated & TheDezmond by just a single kill as well. Ultimately, they would be the last challenge for KingRichard and Jukeyz in the Grand Final series. The first series was extremely close. Rated’s duo found themselves wiped out early in the last map. This left KingRichard’s team in a spot to close out the win, they just needed nine kills of the 24 remaining opponents in Verdansk. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t within reach. The bracket was reset and the duo of Rated & TheDezmond finally closed out the win, taking home the first-place prize. Teep’s Trials Warzone event placements (Top 8) When was the TeeP’s Trials Warzone event? The competition kicked off at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET on Tuesday, August 4, and went on for a few hours. Polchow and the Call of Duty League’s Joe ‘MerK’ DeLuca were livestreaming the event on TeeP’s own Twitch channel, which we’ve included below for your convenience. Additional streams: We’ve also included some of the participants’ individual streams, where they’re broadcasting their own POVs for the duration of the event. Live bracket Here is how the full bracket unfoled for the latest Warzone tournament. It was updated live throughout the day on the official TeeP’s Trials web-page as the results from all the matches came through. Players and teams As mentioned above, this tournament featured some of the biggest names in the Call of Duty community, and gaming overall, including the likes of NICKMERCS, Tfue, Symfuhny, Karma, Nadeshot, TimTheTatman, and more. Symfuhny & HusKers – Maven & AverageJoeWo – Karma & UnRationaL – Nadeshot & Exzachtt – Aydan & MuTeX – LuckyChamu & GDBooya (qualifier) – DougisRaw & Bronana – Rated & TheDezmond – Vikkstar & ItsWarsZ – Tfue & Wuskin – TimTheTatman & Frozone – Tommey & Almxnd – KingRichard & Jukeyz – Pacesetter & Stukawaki (qualifier) – NICKMERCS & Swagg – BobbyPoffGaming & SuperEvan – Format, rules, & prize breakdown Today’s TeeP’s Trials is a double-elimination tournament that features a popular ‘kill-race’ format used for most 2v2 Duos competitions. In each round, the teams matched up against each other in the bracket must queue into a Quads match together, so while they’re technically teammates in-game, they’re opponents for the purposes of the event. In the Winners Bracket matches, there are two games of Warzone played per matchup, with the duo that gets the more eliminations through both games advancing to the next round. The same concept applies for the Losers Bracket, except those matches feature only a single game. In the Grand Final, the team that made it out of the Losers Bracket needs to win two separate matches, while the Winners Bracket duo only has to win one. In case of any ties, one additional game is played where the first duo to hit 10 kills is the winner, and if no one manages to get that many, the team that ends up with the more eliminations advances. There’s also this major rule in case Jailbreak in-game event occurs: If a duo is fully eliminated and have no Gulag attempts left and the in-game event “Jailbreak” occurs. Upon re-deploying because of this event, the duo who was fully eliminated before this event was initiated in-game must immediately eliminate themselves. Players that have been re-deployed because of this CANNOT float around in their parachutes or accumulate or attempt to accumulate further eliminations. Doing so may result in a forfeit. Any eliminations accumulated by the eliminated team will not count. To eliminate yourself upon re-deploy due to “Jailbreak” being activated, open your parachute and immediate cut the cord to your parachute. Doing this will cause your character to fall straight to the ground and eliminate yourself. As for the prize breakdown, the $15,000 prize pool will be split between the top-four placing teams, with the winner receiving a whopping $7,000! 1st Place: $7,000 – 2nd Place: $5,000 – 3rd Place: $2,000 – 4th Place: $1,000 –

Theater mode & standard mini-map returning in Black Ops Cold War Activision[jwplayer br5AuoVJ] Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set to reintroduce two popular features that were either changed or absent from Modern Warfare: theater mode and the standard mini-map. Theater mode was introduced to Call of Duty back in 2010 and became a beloved feature across both Modern Warfare and Black Ops iterations for the ease in which players and content creators could go back through their gameplay. The mini-map was introduced even earlier, in 2007, and has been a longstanding comfort feature for players to assess their surroundings mid-game. In Infinity Ward’s 2019 iteration of Modern Warfare, fans grappled with the absence of the Theater mode that so many had enjoyed in Black Ops 4 and the replacement of the mini-map with a compass. Fortunately, both seem to be making their return for Treyarch and Raven Software’s Black Ops Cold War. Theater mode In Black Ops 4, players could revisit their gameplay from multiplayer, Blackout, and Zombies matches in Theater mode, toying with the footage to create and share their own highlights and content. This was a beloved feature for players who wanted to show off big plays and content creators who wanted to demonstrate some creativity, but it was nixed for Modern Warfare. As of yet, we’re not entirely sure what features Black Ops Cold War’s Theater mode will enjoy, but we do know that it will be in the game for multiplayer, at the very least. This is an encouraging sign for those who have grown tired of needing to export footage to video editing software after saving it through methods like PS4’s in-console gameplay recording studio. Theater mode is returning in #BlackOpsColdWar, allowing you to watch previous matches in-game! Details: https://t.co/YaoUCFChVQ pic.twitter.com/I9S5SKwInM — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) September 9, 2020 Mini-map Aside from map design and movement mechanics, the mini-map may have been Modern Warfare’s most controversial legacy. Originally, it was removed altogether (unless a player had a UAV or Personal Radar) and replaced with a compass, but that caused massive backlash from Day 1 of the Beta. Subsequently, Infinity Ward responded by introducing a mini-map alongside the compass, but missing an essential feature: enemies did not ping when shooting. Those pings showed up in Warzone, but never in multiplayer, despite player complaints. Now, the Black Ops Cold War mini-map will be a hybrid of the two. It will feature BO4’s Fog of War, a circular shape, and red dots when enemies fire. Interestingly, the compass is also expected to return. Tonight. 5:30 EST. Black Ops 4 GBs w/ the kid @Bountxy. Be there. pic.twitter.com/BjnsiYu9yy — josh (@IAmTacoGod) September 9, 2020 Overall, these changes should be exciting. Although some weren’t thrilled with Black Ops 4’s “Fog of War,” which limits enemy pings to your immediate vicinity with a smaller radius, the new mini-map should be warmly welcomed by the many who were displeased with Modern Warfare’s lack of information. With the return of Theater mode and a standard mini-map, veteran CoD players should be thrilled to get into the franchise’s upcoming iteration.

Theater mode is back and better than ever in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 After being notably absent from the last two Call of Duty titles, Theater mode finally makes a glorious return for Black Ops 4, and it is better than ever. Theater mode was first introduced by Treyarch in 2010 with the original Black Ops, and it was arguably the most innovative non-gameplay addition to Call of Duty ever. For the first time, players could rewatch all of their matches back, and could see the perspective of every player in the lobby, and use free cam to create incredible videos or learn from your own gameplay. So, whenever theater mode was missing from a Call of Duty since, fans were not happy. With neither Infinite Warfare or WWII having it, some thought it may never return. But, Treyarch have come up trumps once again. Not only is theater mode back, it is now available for Multiplayer, Zombies and, most significantly, Blackout. Previously, theater was only available for multiplayer, but now you will be able to watch back an entire Blackout match, and use free cam to explore the whole map and every player’s perspective. There is a plethora of viewing and capture options once in theater mode, and you will also be able to save your best clips and moments. More: Blackout will feature major changes at launch – Level 3 Armor, audio fixes, player counts, and more – With Blackout especially, it sounds like it would take significant processing power to capture and record the entire map, so it is an accomplishment that should be noted. Theater mode is excellent news for YouTubers and streamers too, as they will be able to utilise all its features to improve their content.

The worst Warzone glitches ever: Juggernauts, infinite stim, invisibility Infinity Ward / ActivisionWarzone is far from being the perfect battle royale — in fact, every update seems to bring a host of new bugs and exploits to the table. Today, we’re taking a look back at some of the game’s most notorious offenders. While Cyberpunk 2077 has been making headlines for its messy launch, it’s hard to forget just how buggy Warzone can be. While many of these glitches and exploits have been fixed by Infinity Ward, Call of Duty players are constantly finding new and interesting ways to break the game. From glitches that turn the player invisible to unlimited self revives, there always seems to be a new game-breaking bug that often ruins the fun. With Warzone entering the New Year, we decided to look back on the game’s most ridiculous bugs – ranking them from utterly game-breaking to mildly infuriating. There aren’t any real winners on this list, but these bugs certainly made our Warzone games frustratingly memorable. Invisibility glitch One of the most annoying Warzone glitches was recently found in the new Season 1 update. As the name suggests, this glitch enabled players to turn themselves completely invisible and go undetected to their enemies. If that wasn’t enough, those that did the glitch would be completely invincible. Read More: NICKMERCS shows off AK74u Warzone loadout – In order to successfully perform the glitch, players had to purchase a self revive and hop into the Attack Helicopter. Once both of these were acquired, all the player had to do was the switch from the passenger seat to the gunner right before the helicopter crashed. This glitch proved so damaging, that Activision had to remove the new helicopters from the game completely. Unlimited Juggernaut exploit As if Warzone’s Juggernaut suits weren’t scary enough, a duplication glitch made this overpowered drop even more ludicrous. Juggernauts have remained a strong point of contention in the Warzone community ever since its first introduction. Unfortunately, things got a lot worse when an unlimited Juggernaut exploit was discovered by players. The duplication glitch could be pulled off by simply activating the Juggernaut while picking up the killstreak at the same time. If done correctly, players would be able to infinitely duplicate Juggernaut suits. This led to entire lobbies being filled with dozens of Juggernaut suited squads. If one Juggernaut was hard to deal with, try taking down entire squads of them! Demon gun glitch NO FUCKING WAY ITS BACKK NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/S9026dl7yd — Charles (@MuTeX) August 23, 2020 The ‘demon gun glitch’ proved so infamous that even after multiple patches, Infinity Ward still struggled to keep this visual bug at bay. Any bug that prevents players from being able to see is always going to be a problem, particularly in FPS games where precision and reaction times are key. No one was safe when this glitch reared its ugly head. Guns would warp and transform into obscure jagged shapes, often consuming the player’s entire screen. The terrifying thing about this visual bug is that it could appear at any time and without warning. Let’s just hope Infinity Ward has killed the nightmarish ‘demon gun glitch’ for good this time. Game-breaking Infinite Stim Being able to endlessly heal yourself and outlive the gas will always remain a problem in Warzone, no matter the season. As a result, it will come as no surprise that the infinite Stim exploit makes its way onto our list. Just like the ‘demon gun glitch,’ the unlimited Stim Shot exploit has appeared in numerous Warzone seasons, making it one of the most notorious bugs in the game. We’ve seen several variations of this bug and it ruins games every single time. Getting to the final circle and beating enemy squads is hard enough in Warzone, so having an exploit that gives such a huge advantage is extremely frustrating. Dropping pre-game weapons While not all pre-game lobby weapons are good, they are invariably much better than the usual floor loot you see in the early rounds of the game. This is because they invariably come prebuilt with some decent attachments. Of course, this led to some savvy players finding out that these guns could be dropped in the pre-game lobby and picked up in real matches. Of course, this exploit instantly gave the players using it an instant advantage. During Season 4 it wasn’t uncommon to see folks dropping their pre-game gun, then landing on the exact spot to pick them up once the real game began. While this exploit may only be useful during the early-game rounds, it still gave many players opportunities to pick up plenty of kills. Hopefully 2021 will be a much smoother experience in Warzone. Of course, time will only tell what new exploits make an appearance.

The “worst gun” in Warzone 2 is so much better than expected Warzone 2 content creator Sally Is a Dog believes that the M16, an assault rifle many players consider the game’s worst gun is far better than expected. Due to the nature of battle royal games, burst weapons don’t tend to perform particularly well. There have been some exceptions but they aren’t usually considered meta weapons. The selling point of a burst gun in Call of Duty is that if you secure a one-burst kill it has an unrivaled TTK. However, that only applies to multiplayer where players have less health. In Warzone 2, burst weapons are not popular as it takes multiple bursts to down an enemy. However, it turns out that the M16 could be more viable than expected. Best M16 loadout in Warzone 2 Season 3 Sally Is a Dog admits that he initially thought that his M16 loadout would struggle. However, the supposed “worst gun,” in Warzone 2 massively surprised him, with the YouTuber later acknowledging that it was “so much better,” than expected. Since the M16 is not widely used there is no standard loadout for the burst rifle. Despite this, Sally Is a Dog has put together a strong loadout that takes advantage of a less common optic. Muzzle: Sakin Tread-40 – Barrel: 14″ Carbine Shroud – Optic SZ Recharge-DX – Underbarrel: FTAC Ripper 56 – Rear Grip: Support CP90 Grip – A unique advantage of the M16 is that since it’s a burst gun it is extremely ammo efficient. This negates the need for an extended magazine attachment as is standard on most automatic weapons in Warzone 2. If the M16 will catch on at all is to be seen. According to WZ Ranked, it currently has just a 0.2% usage rate making it one of the least popular guns in the battle royale. That places it below the Lockwood 300, LM-S, and even the Riot Shield.

The worst CDL teams have to keep these players for 2025 Black Ops 6 season ActivisionWith the Call of Duty Championship fast approaching, there are four CDL teams that won’t be in attendance after they failed to qualify. With their rostermania approaching, let’s take a look at the players each of these teams should be looking to retain next season, or if they should blow it up entirely. After Major 4 at the end of June, four of the 12 CDL teams were eliminated from Champs contention, making their offseason even longer. This gives them a headstart on sorting out their strategy for next season. Now, the Vegas Legion, Carolina Royal Ravens, Minnesota Rokkr, and Boston Breach have several months to prepare. The first question they will all have to answer is whether they want to extend any of their current players, or whether it’s worth saying goodbye to them instead. If I was running these teams, here are the players I would keep. Vegas Legion Vegas Legion is a tough one because they were right in the mix and could have qualified for Champs had a few small things gone their way, and I wouldn’t hate seeing them stick as a team of four unless clear upgrades are available. That said, if I could only select a couple of must-keeps, I’d say Attach and either Nero or Gio have the most upside. Attach had a top-five Kill/Death ratio in the league this season, while Nero and Gio were both fairly even in terms of their impact on the team. I would say they need to make at least two changes, so that would mean one of those two players should go. The younger, fresher player, Gio, is the most optimal choice to keep here. Carolina Royal Ravens Similar to Legion, I think this Royal Ravens roster shows a lot of upside but they need another star like Gwinn to come in to help fire them up the standings. For me, Gwinn is the only absolute must-keep player on this roster. Clayster is still a solid player and great for bringing fans in, while TJHaly had one of his best individual seasons for a few years, but Gwinn is the star of this team and should be treated as such. FeLo’s Champs record speaks for itself and is almost worth a spot based on that alone, but I would definitely be weighing up other assault rifle talent, either alongside Clay or without him. Minnesota Røkkr Outside of Major 1, RØKKR struggled to show any promise, despite one or two shining performances throughout the season. They need to make tying down Lynz to a longer contract their key priority, and like Gwinn for Carolina, is the only must-keep player on this current roster. Individually, he had a fantastic rookie season, and his teammates struggled to show that same promise. We already know that Rokkr are picking up a different roster for the Esports World Cup, so it looks very likely they won’t be sticking for Black Ops 6, though that won’t come as a huge surprise to anybody. Boston Breach In their last 20 series’, Boston Breach won just two matches: a 3-0 against Seattle Surge in Major 2 qualifiers, and a 3-2 against OpTic Texas in Major 4 qualifiers. They’re truly in ‘blow it up’ territory. Beans is the standout player on the Breach and they should be looking to keep him going into Black Ops 6. MajorManiak didn’t really have enough time to make a case for himself on the Breach, but they should be looking at any options to partner with Beans to bring the best out of each other in 2025. Priestahh is certainly good enough to be on a team — one better than the Breach side he was on this year — but for the sake of a fresh start, they need to focus on Beans as the future of the organization. Snoopy, again, has shown talent, and I expect him to stay, but I would be looking at all options if I was Boston’s GM. There are still Champs and the Esports World Cup for teams to assess certain players, both in the league and in Challengers, then decide what kind of moves they need to make next season. That said, they’ll no doubt already be thinking about how they should approach the 2025 Black Ops 6 season, and this is just how I would be handling their current rosters in that hypothetical scenario. What they will do in reality remains a mystery for now.

Warzone Gulag Climb & Punishment event explained Activision BlizzardCall of Duty Warzone’s Gulag is getting a new wrinkle in Season 3 as a new event, Climb & Punishment is coming to the game. Season 3 of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is bringing some new elements to Warzone. Rebirth Island is returning, a new Battle Pass is coming, and some weapons are being tweaked for gameplay balance. Arguably the biggest change that players will notice is the new addition to the Gulag, the second-chance battleground in Warzone. The new event is called Climb and Punishment and will see two ladders drop down from the roof of the arena for both players to escape and rejoin the action. The event will not happen in every Gulag fight, as it only has a chance to trigger. The event is not for players deploying on Rebirth Island either, as it will only occur on Urzikstan for now. In addition to rejoining the action on the Island after climbing the ladder, players will also earn $3,500 for completing the event. The ladders dropping, however, is not a guarantee that players will get an easy out of the Gulag. Opponents can still shoot and potentially eliminate players as they climb the ladder. Players should have their proximity chat on just for the chance that the ladders drop so that they can negotiate a truce with their Gulag opponent and make it out of the ring safely. Or, players can use the ladder as bait and take down their opponent as they try to climb to safety. Players will have to see for themselves whether it is worth taking on opponents in the fight to the death or simply escaping to fight another day in Urzikstan if the new event triggers.

The Walking Dead: Road to Terminus event in Warzone & MW3: Dates, rewards, more ActivisionMW3 and Warzone are crossing over with The Walking Dead in a new event, so here is everything you need to know. MW3 and Warzone have already featured some major crossovers in 2024, including a WWE-themed event, Godzilla x Kong, and more. In keeping with this trend, the CoD franchise is set to bring The Walking Dead into the game once again, with a brand new event, Road to Terminus, on the way. While the last crossover with the hit AMC show didn’t go down well for everyone, Activision is taking a second stab. As well as introducing a Daryl Dixon Operator skin, Road to Terminus will include lots of Walking Dead-themed goodies for players to get their hands on. That said, here is everything you need to know about Road to Terminus, including event dates, rewards, and more. MW3 & Warzone Road to Terminus dates The Walking Dead: Road to Terminus event will begin on September 25, 2024, and will run for a whole week before wrapping up on October 2, 2024. Road to Terminus will be the first event in MW3 and Warzone’s Season 6. Road to Terminus rewards While the devs have yet to reveal the full list of rewards included in MW3 and Warzone’s Walking Dead event, expect the following to be included in the upcoming event: Battle Pass tokens – Double XP tokens – Calling cards – Emblems – Weapon charms – Weapon camouflages – Weapon blueprints – Sprays – Be sure to check back in with this section as we update it with all the latest information. Road to Terminus event details The Walking Dead: Road to Terminus event will allow players to earn free rewards simply by playing matches. As stated in the MW3 and Warzone Season 6 blog, unlocking rewards for Road To Terminus can be done by hitting specific XP milestones, allowing players to progress and get their hands on the unique Walking Dead-themed cosmetics. The easiest way to earn XP quickly in Warzone and MW3 is by getting a high kill count in matches and playing the objective in multiplayer matches. Furthermore, equipping the Daryl Dixon Walking Dead Operator skin will speed up your progress throughout the event. However, the skin is only available as a purchase from the CoD store, meaning you’ll have to fork out some real money if you want to get an edge throughout the event. That’s everything we know so far about the Road to Terminus event coming to Warzone and MW3. It will launch on September 25, 2024, and run until October 2, 2024.

The ultimate One Year of Warzone quiz ActivisionCall of Duty battle royale hit Warzone officially turned one year old on March 10, so we wanted to test your knowledge of the game that has taken over the world. Throughout the first year of Warzone, we’ve seen a number of huge changes across the meta. When it was first introduced, the popular Modern Warfare multiplayer weapons, with a lot of M4A1s and MP5s in the mix. Since then, however, we’ve seen new locations arrive, numerous Easter Eggs crop up to give players rewards, and the Resurgence mode has provided us with a more frantic and action-packed map in Rebirth Island. But, how much do you really know about Warzone? If you’ve been playing since day one, this should be easy, but you will need to get your thinking hat on for this one. Take our Warzone anniversary quiz! So, how did you do? We’d be surprised if anyone got full marks, but stranger things have happened (Stim Glitch, anyone?). Going forward, there’s a lot to look forward to in the second year of Warzone. For a long time, leaks and rumors have spilled out over a new map called Ural Mountains, which is expected to arrive in March or April 2021. This could also mean a whole host of brand new areas to explore, new contracts, vehicles and simply a more refreshing version of the game. Of course, we’ll have to wait before we come up with any kind of verdict on the long-awaited new map. Let us know how you got on in the quiz by tweeting us at @DexertoIntel and showing off your scores, and be sure to stick with us for all your Warzone news.

The Terminator is coming to Warzone in Season 4 Activision/VivendiIn yet another action-movie crossover, The Terminator is set to make his arrival sometime in Warzone Season 4 Mercenaries of Fortune. After the arrival of 80’s action film icons John Rambo and John McClane, fans were quick to wonder if Warzone was trending towards bringing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic T-800 into the mix. That long-held community suspicion turned out to have some legs as Raven Software has now revealed that The Terminator will be hitting Caldera in the upcoming season. The Terminator might be getting his own Warzone bundle While Season 4 kicks off on June 22, the big guy with the big guns won’t hit the store until sometime in the midseason According to a post on the Warzone dev blog, both the Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 (aka the T-800) and its T-1000 successor will be coming to the store in their own limited-time bundles. If it’s anything like the duo that came before, then it’ll likely come with some extra goodies and typically cost 2,400 COD Points. These exclusive bundles have offered players everything from tracer packs to finishing moves, both of which could be fitting for the newest fighters. Grab this intel as fast as you can… they’ll be back 🤖 https://t.co/YpMndaQs1o pic.twitter.com/yixkojBcn7 — Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) June 21, 2022 This is of course only the latest movie-inspired crossover in what has grown into quite the long list for Call of Duty. Between moments like Season 3’s Operation Monarch event with King Kong and Godzilla and the chilling Haunting of Verdansk multifilm crossover of yesteryear, the list of long-heralded franchises joining the fray doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all.

The stats behind OpTic Chicago’s downfall in CDL respawn modes ActivisionOpTic Chicago bowed out of the CDL Stage 2 Major in a lowly 5-6th place, far below their expectations. While there could be a number of factors contributing to this, we take a look at the stats behind their performances and find out what’s going wrong. There’s no doubt that OpTic Chicago has one of the highest potential ceilings of all teams in the CDL, as well as being by far the most popular. However, their shakiness in the Major highlighted a number of growing issues with the team, both in terms of their team play and individual performances. With Search and Destroy being a major hindrance to the team’s chances in each series during Stage 1, Stage 2 saw a quick switch, and OpTic’s respawn seems to be taking a massive hit. Pointing to a number of the stats behind OpTic’s struggles, Andrew ‘Enigma’ Campion assesses exactly what’s going wrong in the Chicago camp during Reverse Sweep Round 11. While KD is rarely the best signifier of how well a player or team is performing, it can always point to difficulties or inconsistencies. For OpTic, this exposes their SMG duo as the possible reason behind their respawn losses. While other top teams thrive when their SMGs are frying, OpTic are falling slightly to the wayside in that department. Seth ‘Scump’ Abner is putting up a 0.92 and 1.10 in Hardpoint and Control respectively, while Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon is at 0.89 and 0.77. Envoy’s role is obviously a difficult one. As the entry SMG, he needs to be flying into the hill and picking up the intel for his team, but the loss of slaying prowess shouldn’t be this significant — especially in Control. While the AR duo of Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell and Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper are performing exceptionally, they do not have the same SMG pressure to support them as teams like Atlanta FaZe or Dallas Empire have. Read More: Mutineers bench Slacked after Stage 2 Major – We saw in Toronto Ultra’s Stage 2 Major victory over Atlanta FaZe how important a dominant SMG duo is — but OpTic just aren’t finding that right now, especially in the respawn modes. If they can bring their Hardpoint and Control results back up to where they were in Stage 1, while still maintaining a solid record in S&D, there’s no doubt OpTic Chicago will be competing for championships. They just need Scump and Envoy to really fulfill their potential.

The solo vs squads world record for Call of Duty: Blackout kills has been smashed The Call of Duty: Blackout solo vs squads world record appears to have been broken for the first time in a number of months. Call of Duty’s first foray into the Battle Royale genre has been a big success and players around the world are constantly one-up each other for bragging rights and the chance to say that they’re a world record holder. One such world record is for the most eliminations in a solo vs squads match, and it appears to have been smashed by PlayStation 4 player ‘Zeuss_49’ on January 14. The talented player uploaded a clip to Twitter directly from his PlayStation where he can be seen demolishing entire teams on his own and posting a ridiculous 34 kills to claim the victory. The two minute clip of the game, which includes his final six kills, can be viewed below: World record solo squads?https://t.co/DvrZwBpFoG pic.twitter.com/1f8LaFOazR — René (@Zeuss49) January 14, 2019 The score defies logic. Blackout solo vs squads games can be incredibly difficult to win on the best of days, and the fact that Zeuss managed to wipe out so many teams without being dropped by a single player is nothing short of insanity. According to another Twitter user, this breaks a solo vs squads world record of 30 kills that was set by HusKerrs on PC. However, we’ve been unable to find evidence of that particular match. The 34 kill total is by far the highest solo vs squads score that has been submitted to us since the game’s release. Our records do show that HusKerrs, a professional Battle Royale player for Rogue, still holds the world record for solos thanks to a 30 kill match set way back on November 9 – this could be the 30 kill record that the Twitter user was thinking of. If you know of any other world record in Blackout, or believe that our current records for solo or solo vs squads are incorrect, don’t hesitate to contact @DexertoINTEL on Twitter.

The Rumored OpTic Gaming CoD Lineup Was Spotted Playing Blackout Squads OpTic Gaming’s rumored Call of Duty lineup for the Black Ops 4 season has been spotted playing squads together on the Blackout beta. Long-time OpTic members Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter were spotted playing with Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly and Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell, hopping into some squad matches on the Blackout beta. The lineup has been teased by the notorious intel leaker known as ‘CoDBurner’ on Reddit, who stated that he was 100% sure that the lineup was set. It seems that the new lineup is spending some time playing together in the off season. It makes sense that they would start playing games together to build their relationships with each other, even if it’s a gamemode they likely won’t be playing in a competitive environment. If the rumors are to be believed, Dashy and TJHaLy are set to replace Methodz and Octane on OpTic’s roster. Octane has already signed with 100 Thieves to join their new Call of Duty roster, but there has been no information about the future for Methodz. While this is, on paper, nothing more than four friends playing the Blackout beta together, it will be interesting to see if they are also representing OpTic when the Black Ops 4 competitive season starts in Las Vegas on December 7 Call of Duty professional players, and the community at large, have taken an immediate liking to Call of Duty’s new battle royale, Blackout. The beta went live on Monday, September 10 on PlayStation 4, with the beta releasing on Xbox One and PC set for Friday, September 14.

The rise of Dashy: The walking montage of Call of Duty It seemed fitting that one of the greatest snipers the Call of Duty world has ever seen would eventually join OpTic – the first ever sniper team created back in 2006. But even before he became OpTic Dashy, Brandon Otell was destined for stardom. Born in 1999 to Lebanese parents in Canada, Dashy discovered video games at the age of seven on the original Xbox, favoring Halo and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic before he found his way to Call of Duty: World at War. But it wasn’t until Modern Warfare 2 was released when he started to display a rare talent for sniping. Geared with intervention, his favourite rifle of all time, Dashy made a name for himself in the small and niche community of competitive sniping where he grinded for four years. Despite getting no exposure, he believes that it was worthwhile. He said: “Do you know what’s crazy? I did that for so long and I don’t regret doing it. It was so much fun. I was making no money, I was not getting any exposure but the joy of doing it and sniping all day and all night was just so fun to me.” Following the release of Black Ops 2, Dashy did join a team called Obey and played in his first competitive sniping tournament, but he took a break from the game after they let him go. He recalled: “I ended up getting dropped for that team, I was like whatever and I kind of stopped playing CoD for a little bit.” However, the release of Black Ops 3 changed his life forever. In 2015, Dashy was on the verge of quitting Call of Duty in order to focus on school and sports but he reignited his passion for the game after getting his hands on Black Ops 3 and it only got better and better from there. Two years after he made the decision to pursue a pro career in Call of Duty, the 17-year-old prodigy signed for Str8 Rippin and qualified for his first ever Champs with StuDyy, Ricky and a fresh-faced Temp. Alongside a young and talented Temp, the duo carried their team all the way through the NA Last Chance Qualifiers where Dashy proved himself to be a dangerous and versatile slayer. The pair continued to shine at champs that year – making it out of a group that consisted of Fnatic, Tainted Minds and Evil Geniuses. But their luck ran out as they were decimated in the first round of knockouts by FaZe Clan. Some might have looked at this as a failure but it was far from it for Dashy – his performances got him noticed and getting spotted gave him an opportunity to pull off what was about to become one of the most memorable moments of the Call of Duty professional scene at that time. The game was WW2 and Dashy had just been picked up by Enigma6 for CWL Dallas 2018. They were in the Losers Bracket and they needed to beat Rise Nation for a chance to progress to Round 4. Here, Dashy etched his name into the history books by dropping 20 kills in a Game 5 Search and Destroy – a feat only matched by the legend Crimsix back in 2014 against FaZe. It was the first time the two players were being talked about on the same level – but it certainly wasn’t the last. Dashy’s rise to stardom also came with a price – while he was well loved by many fans, the charismatic and opinionated teenager also got into a lot of drama. Whilst playing for Enigma6 and later Complexity, Dashy became teammates on multiple occasions with Censor and Blazt. The trio didn’t enjoy much success together, though, and after the team disbanded, Dashy and Blazt recalled stories of Censor missing practice. On a stream, the pair claimed that Censor told his team that he was too sick to scrim but then posted a photo of himself on a jet ski two hours later. And Censor, who was an outspoken YouTube personality, hit back at the pair, accusing them of slandering his name and called them “pathological liars.” But the back and forth spat didn’t stop there. While Blazt was the more vocal one in the situation, Dashy also expressed his own criticisms. Responding to a 26-minute video Censor posted to clear his name, Dashy said: “He’s always complaining. Oh, I’m always the victim. I don’t give a f*ck if you’re getting fried, at least show me you give a f*ck, instead of f*cking making videos saying you do. Literally, that’s all he does, he talks about how he wants it, but doesn’t actually put in the work – that’s literally fucking psychotic.” Although the drama was left fairly open ended, it was clear that Dashy and Blazt had burnt some bridges with their former teammate but this was nothing compared to what transpired between Dashy and one of the biggest legends of the game after he joined OpTic. Despite making it to his first Champs at just 17 and slowly shaping himself into a top prospect, Dashy didn’t quite become the walking montage that he is today until he was picked up by OpTic. It was Black Ops 4, released in 2018, that truly propelled him into a superstar. OpTic were in for a revamp – they had just survived one of their worst years in the organization’s history. Octane and Methodz were out, while Dashy and TJHaly were in. It was going to take a special player to fill the gap left by Octane – who was considered one of the best in the world – and Dashy did just that. He went onto top the leaderboard in both Search and Destroy KD as well as overall KD but most notably, he helped OpTic to their first victory in over a year at CWL Vegas. Under the lights of the Hard Rock Hotel, with fans chanting his nickname “Bruce, Bruce, Bruce”, Dashy pulled out the performance of his life in the grand finals against eUnited. Dashy didn’t just lift the trophy with OpTic that night but was also awarded MVP of the tournament and had the highest KD from a winning team. Ever. Of course, Dashy’s success was also down to the superstar team he now had around him. He was no longer just sniping in his bedroom but playing on stage alongside Scump, Karma and Crimsix – some of the greatest players of all time in professional Call of Duty. But all good things come to an end and it was no different for this OpTic roster. Competitive Call of Duty underwent the most dramatic shift since the inception of the league when the new franchising system was unveiled. But no one can prepare for how the changes turned teammates into bitter rivals. Crimsix, who had spent five years at OpTic, dropped a bombshell that he was forced out of the organization. He revealed: “Three people colluded against me towards two of my best friends that I’ve known for over a third of my life. They were given a 3v1 ultimatum to replace me on a team that they wanted to leave/have left in the past. I was essentially forced out by other people other than Seth and Hector.” Crimsix went on to reveal that his former teammates had conflicts from the inception of the new roster and that they are no longer friends: “The team was split into two sides, with him Karm and Tyler against Dashy, Scump and TJ,” he said. “We hated each other, the two sides couldn’t have been more apart. They thought they were gods and Damon, Tyler and I were garbage. They wouldn’t listen. Even if you were right, they would ignore you. Teammates are supposed to build you up, not to try and tear you down. We had a lot of disagreements that almost always turned into personal shots at each other.” Dashy, who had become a fan-favourite during Black Ops 4, was also now being accused by Crimsix for being lazy and difficult to work with – to a point where Crimsix described working with this roster as “babysitting.” It was the first time in Dashy’s career where someone of Crimsix’s stature had come out and publicly criticized his attitude and his worth ethic, and Dashy didn’t stay silent for long. He responded on stream: “Listen, I’m good with all my teammates. It’s just some of them aren’t good with me because I didn’t want to play with them. If you don’t want to play with someone you get crucified for it – just don’t get sh*t on.” The roster drama didn’t just end there – although he retained a spot on OpTic’s new line up, Dashy allegedly threatened to bench himself because his request to transfer to the Chicago Huntsmen was denied. Of course, things were resolved before the start of the new Call of Duty 2020 season but when the two sides met during the launch weekend, it was Chicago that came out on top. The Huntsmen signed two of OpTic’s most legendary players, Scump and FormaL as they destroyed OGLA in a match where Chicago looked more like the old OpTic than OGLA themselves did. Dashy was one of the best players to ever touch Black Ops 4 last year – can we expect him to replicate his success in Modern Warfare and dominate the franchise? Only time will tell.

The release date for Nuketown in Black Ops 4 has been revealed The popular map from the original Black Ops will finally be making its way to Black Ops 4 just over a month after the game’s release. Treyarch had previously confirmed and teased the map’s inclusion in Black Ops 4, but there was no official word on when it would launch. All that changed when it was confirmed on the official Call of Duty Twitter that the map would drop for PlayStation 4 players on November 13. The Tweet was accompanied with a caption in Russian that translates to “Welcome back,” which again points towards the map being set in Russia this time around. :satellite_antenna: Добро пожаловать обратно. Coming to PS4 on November 13. #BlackOps4 pic.twitter.com/TbYhcUM5iq — Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) November 9, 2018 A short video was also put in the tweet that gives a few short glimpses at what the map will look like once players get their hands on it in a few days. One thing to note, however, is that the map will be exclusive to PS4 players at first. Going by the typical seven-day delay of other Black Ops 4 features, Nuketown should be available for Xbox One and PC players on November 20. Unlike most maps that come post-release, Nuketown will be available to all players regardless of whether you’ve purchased the Black Ops Pass. Nuketwon remains one of the most popular maps in the franchise’s history, as the small, claustrophobic map allows for some of the most hectic gameplay in Call of Duty history.

The Playoff Bracket for the 2018 CWL Championship Has Been Confirmed The group stage of the 2018 CWL Championship has concluded. After two days of competition, contenders at the last and most prestigious event of the WWII season have been halved, with 16 of the original 32 teams advancing to the playoffs. Single round-robin in pools of four teams is a punishing format, and this year’s group stage was particularly fraught with upsets. Most notable is undeniably the elimination of defending world champions OpTic Gaming, who missed out on a map record tie-breaker following a 0-3 loss to Evil Geniuses. Though undoubtedly the most prominent, OpTic weren’t the only casualties of the group stage. A total of six Pro League squads failed to reach the playoffs – OpTic, Echo Fox, Epsilon, Splyce, Tainted Minds, and Mindfreak. In addition to some big names crashing out, upsets in the group stage are also responsible for a surprising set-up for the bracket stage. Group stage results have produced a bracket in which most of the big tournament favorites are all on the same side. Red Reserve, eUnited, Luminosity, UNILAD, Rise Nation, and Team Kaliber – some of the most formidable squads of the WWII season, including the top-four finishers in the CWL Pro League Stage 2 – will all be fighting through the same half of the bracket. Meanwhile, the other side features four Last Chance Qualifier teams that have already out-performed their seeding in reaching the playoffs. The playoffs will kick off on Friday August 17 at 12:00pm ET.

The Perfect PC Setup For Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, As Used at Community Reveal Event Activision/Call of DutyThe team at Treyarch studios, working in tandem with Beenox will be putting extra emphasis on the PC player base for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – so, PC gamers, what do you need to get the best possible BO4 experience? For many, Call of Duty is primarily a console game, and even those with powerful PC setups have chosen to play the console version of past titles, due to the superior optimization. The PC community has been vocal about the lack of time and effort which CoD developers have given over to making playing with keyboard and mouse a rewarding experience. But this year, Treyarch have enlisted the assistance of Beenox and Blizzard’s Battle.net platform, to produce the best Call of Duty release on PC possible. So if you are considering making the switch from console Call of Duty to PC, then now is the time. The big question though which many have been asking is what both the minimum and recommended PC specs will be for the game. With 4K, HDR and uncapped frame rate all confirmed, a solid PC rig should make playing Black Ops 4 a dream. And while Treyarch are yet to reveal the minimum and recommended specs, due to the on going development, they have now released the full specs of the PC setups used at the recent community reveal event. Treyarch posted the full specs and equipment used via Reddit, so to give fans an early idea of the best setup for Black Ops 4. BO4 Reveal Event: Under the PC hood Ladies and gents, We’ve been asked (a lot) about the anticipated Minimum and Recommended PC system specs for Black Ops 4. While those are still some way from being finalized as the game goes through on-going testing to ensure a great experience on as wide a range of rigs as possible, we’ve been asked about the specs of the machines at the Reveal Event. That is something we can answer. Note again: This is not a Recommended specs outline, just the facts of what was used at the event. (Also note, all the capture from the Reveal Event was taken from the PS4 build, not the PC.) CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-8700K Processor – Memory: 4 x HYPERX 8GB DDR4 DIMM – Video Card: 2x NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 1080 8GB PCIe 3.0 (in SLI config) – Astro A40 TR headset and MixAmp Asus: • Monitor: 27” ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQ (4K, 60FPS, G-Sync) • Keyboard: ROG STRIX Flare • Mice: ROG Gladius II Origin • Mousepad: ASUS It is worth noting again that this is not the minimum or recommended setup – details of which should be released closer to the game’s launch. More: FaZe Clan’s Replays Reveals More Information as to Why He Came Out of Retirement for CoD: WWII – There is also confirmation that extra-wide monitors will be supported, which may be a preference for some.

The next Call of Duty title is reportedly NOT Ghosts 2 While we’re just a couple of days into 2019 and months away from finding out more about the next Call of Duty title, that hasn’t stopped fans from trying to figure out what the next game actually is. It’s common knowledge by this point that Call of Duty games rotate between developers each year, which means that it’s Infinity Ward’s turn to make the next game following Sledgehammer Games’ WWII in 2017 and Treyarch’s Black Ops 4 in 2018. With that in mind, the latest rumors swirling around the internet have centered on Tweets put out by Infinity Ward’s Communications Manager, Ashton Williams. Over the last few weeks, she has been posting ghost related GIFs on her personal Twitter, leading many to assume that this meant the next Call of Duty game would be a sequel to 2013’s Ghosts. Despite the parallels that people have drawn between Williams’ Tweets and the next Call of Duty game, though, they appear to be completely unfounded. Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, who has made a name for himself in the industry by breaking news on upcoming titles, has shut down those rumors definitively. Responding to a thread on ResetEra, Schreier says quite plainly “It ain’t Ghosts 2!” This appears to line up with what has been previously reported by charlieINTEL, as the 2019 Call of Duty title looks to be a new entry to the Modern Warfare series. Given that definitive information on upcoming Call of Duty titles usually doesn’t come out until around March or April, it looks like there’s still a couple months of speculation left before we find out anything concrete.

The Name and Release Date for the Next Call of Duty: WWII DLC Pack Has Been Leaked A new leak from O2 UK seems to confirm the name and release date for the third Call of Duty: WWII DLC pack, which will be called “United Front”. DLC packs for Call of Duty games aim to bring new content, maps, and more to the community and keep them titles fresh and interesting for as long as possible. DLC Pack 2 for Call of Duty: WWII was released on April 10th for PlayStation 4 players, and on May 10th for Xbox One and PC players, bringing new maps, Operation Husky, and a new chapter for Nazi Zombies. Now it looks like DLC Pack 3 is just around the corner. According to a leak from O2 UK, the third pack will be called “United Front” and be available on PlayStation 4 from June 26th. Read More: OpTic Gaming and Luminosity Had Very Different Reactions to Being Eliminated from CWL Anaheim – The leak comes in the form of a prize draw for O2 Priority users which is giving away 50 DLC 3 PlayStation 4 codes and claims that there will be new maps, armory, and adventures. The United Front description for DLC Pack 3 on the O2 website is as follows: “Join the United Front and experience the dramatic drive toward Berlin across three new multiplayer maps: Stalingrad, Market Garden, and Monte Cassino. Armour up and push across North Africa in a new objective-based War Mode mission: Operation Supercharge. Plus, join new heroes in a unique WWII Zombie experience. Good luck.” There is currently no more information about United Front available and Activision has not confirmed or denied the legitimacy of the leak. However, given the fact that it comes from a well known company like O2, it would seem likely that the name of the pack and the date of June 26th can be believed.

The MP-40 Has Been Found in the Blackout Beta An eagle eyed Redditor has found the classic MP-40 submachine gun in the Black Ops 4 Blackout beta. The user, who goes by the name of ‘Thekingofhatejb’, posted an image of the weapon to the Black Ops 4 subreddit. The weapons name is visible in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, and the ammo information confirms that it uses 9mm bullets. The MP-40 is only available via the Mystery Box, which is located randomly around the map. You may be able to acquire one by looting an enemy, but they would need to have found one first. It has went on to appear in every Call of Duty set during World War II, and made surprise appearances in games set in more modern times like Advanced Warfare and Black Ops III. Read More: David Vonderhaar Explains to Shroud and Lirik Why Freelook is Unlikely to Feature in Blackout – The MP-40 isn’t the only surprise weapon to make an appearance in the Blackout beta. The Ray Gun, which made it’s Call of Duty debut in the zombies game mode in World at War, can be picked up by killing a zombie in the Black Ops map, and is one of the most powerful weapons in Blackout. The Blackout beta is currently live on PlayStation 4, but Xbox One and PC players will have to wait until Friday, September 14 to try and find the MP-40.

The most used guns in Black Ops Cold War revealed Activision / TreyarchCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is home to plenty of iconic guns, but some have proven more popular than others. Find out which weapons are the current fan favorites. [jwplayer JnVNWndD] Black Ops Cold War features a number of deadly guns that players can kit out with all kinds of attachments and camos. Of course, like every Call of Duty title before it, Black Ops Cold War’s playerbase often gravitates towards a few guns. The most popular weapons are picked due to their high damage output, incredible accuracy, clean optics, and general ease of use. With the help of the game’s internal Combat Record stats, we’ve gathered the most used guns in Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer. Whether you’re looking to level up a new gun or just wanting to know which guns are currently dominating the game, then be sure to check out our handy popularity guide below. MP5 The MP5 taking the top spot really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. In fact, this deadly SMG proved so potent that Treyarch had to rush out a patch purely tailored around nerfing it. This once overpowered SMG dominated players across all levels of play thanks to early unlock, high rate of fire, and blisteringly fast kill time. After all, being able to drop multiple enemies with just a single clip has always been a notable strength in the game’s best guns. Despite receiving a significant damage and range nerf, the MP5 still claims the top spot for the most used gun in Black Ops Cold War — though that could change if the nerf affects players’ enjoyment too much. XM4 The XM4 (Commando) was a popular pick in the original Black Ops and it looks like Woods’ favorite AR has topped the popularity polls. This full-auto assault rifle may be one of the first assault rifles unlocked, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in the damage department. Now that the likes of the M16 and FFAR have been nerfed, the XM4 is proving to be even more appealing. Packing a steady rate of fire and decent damage range, this reliable rifle is capable of taking down foes across all distances. Unlike the other ARs in the game, Black Ops Cold War’s XM4 is incredibly versatile. To make things even better, the XM4 isn’t greedy when it comes to attachments. Simply slap on a 40 RND Mag, pick a low magnification optic, and you’re good to go. AK-47 Next up is the AK-47. The Russian assault rifle has been a fan-favorite since the first Modern Warfare game hit our screens back in 2007. Despite having incredibly high damage in Modern Warfare 2019, it’s high recoil and methodical fire rate kept it from taking a top spot. However, the classic Kalashnikov has returned in a dominant fashion. The AK-47 is one of the most popular assault rifles in the game and it#s certainly not hard to see why. Unlike Modern Warfare’s variant, Black Ops Cold War’s iteration features barely any recoil. When you combine this with the gun’s high damage output, you have a recipe for success. KRIG 6 The recent post-launch balance patch that reduced the M16 and FFAR’s damage has led many players to seek out the next best AR. While the KRIG 6 proved to be a popular pick back in the beta, it has begun to skyrocket in popularity. Not only does this highly accurate assault rifle deliver incredible amounts of precision, but it also deals decent damage across mid to long ranges. While it may fall off in close-quarters firefights, you’ll be able to shred through your foes on the game’s bigger maps. If you’re after an assault rifle that is viable in the game’s larger-scale modes or one that could be a hot pick in Warzone, then you may want to start leveling the KRIG 6. M16 This iconic rifle has returned in dominant fashion in Black Ops Cold War and while it may have been nerfed, it’s still a great pick for those that want to rack up the kills. Despite it being a burst rifle, the M16 offers one of the quickest times to kill in the game. Its three-round burst offers reliable damage and accuracy across all engagement ranges, making it extremely versatile. Simply equip a red dot or pair it with a higher magnification optic to catch targets out at range. Due to its ease of use and high versatility, it’s unlikely that the M16 will be dropping in the popularity rankings anytime soon. So there you have it, five of the most popular guns in Black Ops Cold War. If you want to keep updated with all the latest Call of Duty news and updates, then follow us over on @DexertoIntel.

The most popular weapons in Modern Warfare might surprise you New stats have revealed the most popular weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the rankings might actually come as a surprise to some players. The new Modern Warfare title has seemingly been a huge success for Infinity Ward, taking the Call of Duty franchise and adding a huge scoop of ‘realism’ to the mix. While plenty of players have had nagging complaints about the maps, bugs, and even grenades – everyone is still dropping into matches and trying to get the best of their opponents. That includes setting up your loadout correctly with the best weapons. Thankfully, with the game being out for nearly a month, a meta has formed and the weapons that you should be using are quite apparent. However, the newest stats about weapon popularity might actually surprise you. According to data collected by CodStats from 650,000 games, the M4A1 leads the way as the most used gun in Modern Warfare with nearly 23% of players using it. The assault rifle is followed by the Kilo 141 at 11%. While the high-powered rifles make sense, some players may be wondering where the devastating 725 shotgun fits into the mix. Well, despite seemingly running into it in every match, the close-quarters weapon is used by a touch over 5% of players – making it the fourth most popular choice. Most popular weapons in Modern Warfare As for the least used weapons, it should perhaps be no surprise that the game’s raft of rocket launchers and specialist weapons all rank near to the bottom. The Strela-p launcher has a usage of 0%, the riot shield and JOKR both have 0.1%, while the combat knife and PILA clock in at 0.2% of usage. Of course, while CodStats have used a rather large sample size, they won’t have covered every single match played since the game’s release, so there could be some fluctuation in the overall scheme of things. As for future movement, that will depend on the patches rolled out by Infinity Ward. Current guns will likely be both nerfed and buffed, while other weapons could be added later down the line.

The most complete CoD player since Scump? Seth ‘Scump’ Abner is considered the Call of Duty GOAT by many, but in this week’s Reverse Sweep, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt claims that one FaZe Clan player is the ultimate pro, giving the OpTic man a run for his money. Discussing their ultimate MVPs in CoD right now, Enable goes on to highlight Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr as his star performer for the week. “It’s obvious… I believed in him all Major long.” While there are many young talented stars out there, he adds that they miss a component that prevents them from being the complete package. But with Simp, however, it’s a different story. “He’s something special… I don’t know if I’ve seen such a complete player. There’s a lot of talent. He’s the only player that I think is the complete package when it comes to attitude, communication, drive, talent, in-game awareness.” Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker adds that the stats he continues to put up time and time again are “so consistent,” with Enable adding that he wants to see the player have an average event, joking that they need to change the format and put him on LA Guerrillas. Elsewhere in the Reverse Sweep, the group explain why Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris is the “perfect complement” to Simp, discuss their Stage 1 MVP picks and put together their CDL Power Rankings. Make sure to check out the full video above, and for all Reverse Sweep news, head over to our dedicated main page.

LA Thieves announce JKap as Call of Duty League head coach LA ThievesFollowing weeks of speculation, the Los Angeles Thieves have finally officially announced that veteran CoD pro Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan will be their Call of Duty League head coach for the 2021 season. JKap has been a Call of Duty professional since 2010 and boasts a resume including All-Star appearances, world championships, and the respect of the entire CoD community. Having won world championships in 2015 and 2016, he is one of only three players to ever go back-to-back on the biggest stage. In the inaugural season of the CDL, JKap was a founding starter of OpTic Gaming Los Angeles before he moved to a substitute role in Modern Warfare’s 5 vs. 5 format. Following the season and before the 100 Thieves acquisition, he retired from professional play on September 2, 2020. But Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag’s 100T organization acquired the Los Angeles spot from OpTic Gaming, rebranded as the LA Thieves, and have since been subject to numerous rumors about JKap’s prospective role. After a December Mike Majlak video seemed to leak Kaplan’s announcement as coach, 100T has officially announced the move. The world’s best kept secret… Announcing @JKap415 as our LA Thieves Head Coach! #LAThieves pic.twitter.com/nfYjEL8WPG — LA Thieves (@LAThieves) December 10, 2020 Given Nadeshot’s experience as CoD pro before he moved into the business side of esports, the recognition of JKap’s expertise in the field is understandable. While the Thieves have yet to cement their fourth starter, this coaching move establishes a strong foundation in CoD brainpower for the organization to work with. While CDL rostermania has simmered down, roster changes are continuing to take place. At the moment, the LA Thieves roster is as follows: Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat (Starter) – Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams (Starter) – Thomas ‘TJHaLy’ Haly (Starter) – Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan (Substitute) – Aside from Drazah, that is a very experienced roster and one that had high expectations going into the inaugural CDL season. Unfortunately, those expectations were never met as the team struggled through numerous lineup and coaching changes while sputtering toward ninth in the standings with a 10-17 record. Now, 2020 temporary starters like JKap, Martin ‘Chino’ Chino, and Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell have all moved on to different roles or teams and the rebranded Thieves are eyeing redemption. With three of their four starters locked in, a promising new head coach, and a talented young substitute waiting in the wings, the Thieves are not finished making splashes in the offseason. Nadeshot continues to up the brand’s ante by bringing in Warzone players (like Tommey and Rated), but competitive fans are dying to know how the pro roster will be rounded out ahead of the CDL’s second season. Read more: Nadeshot’s needs for LA Thieves’ 4th player – While JKap has no coaching experience, he is regularly considered one of the stronger minds in the CoD community and, therefore, could make the team an even more attractive destination for an intrigued fourth starter. Grounded in experience, veteran talent, and the organizational expertise of former pros like Nadeshot and JKap, the LA Thieves have a chance to prove they are far more than a “hoodie org” in 2021.

The legend of Killa: Call of Duty esport’s forgotten hero If Call of Duty had a physical hall of fame, somewhere in a dusty forgotten corner would sit a portrait of Adam “Killa” Sloss – a former World Champion who seems to have, at some point, been left behind. Killa’s career is the stuff of legend. To many, he’ll forever be considered one of the most brutal players the scene has ever known, both for his in-game skill and explosive personality. Born April ‘93 in Philadelphia, Killa was struggling in education long before Call of Duty arrived and distracted him further. Book learning just couldn’t capture his attention, and the most he had going for him at school was an occasional role as the class clown. At home, the relationship with his parents was fractured. Only Modern Warfare 2 could keep his focus, and with that he was obsessed. Killa would stay glued to his sofa from night time till twilight, eyes never straying from the screen. This lack of sleep fed into a vicious cycle: missing school the next day, falling further behind, and relying more and more on a future that in some way involved his favourite FPS game. A brief job as a painter stopped after just two weeks; pursuing COD really was the only thing that could drive him. Problem was the competitive scene itself wasn’t ready. LANs were rare, and he had no way to attend the events that did crop up. Small online tournaments were his best bet, and gradually, Killa’s dedication helped him make a name for himself. Around the turn of Black Ops 1, the right person finally noticed. Killa may have never made it without Paul “Ego” Megna. Ego, pretty much unique among the early COD scene as he actually had cash to spare, was a philanthropist that used his money to help talented up-and-comers attend events. A significant list of players owe Ego for their early success. TuQuick, Nifty; even a certain three-time world champion in Damon “Karma” Barlow. But in 2011, it was Killa’s turn. Ego invited him to join his Icons team alongside RJ, Terror, and Ego himself. While they found no immediate success, Killa gained a tonne of experience, but more importantly, he found his people. Guys that understood the deep-rooted desire he had to reach for the stars in a game that still had such a low glass ceiling. These events paid far more in experience than they ever did in cash. But then, out of nothing, a million-dollar tournament was announced that would end up playing a massive part in so many of these OG COD players’ stories… Call of Duty XP, announced in June 2011 and held three months later, was essentially a series of show matches. In holding the biggest tournament the franchise had ever seen on the unreleased Modern Warfare 3, Activision placed their own marketing over the hard work of their competitive player base. At this point though, player power wasn’t really a thing, and so one by one the top teams signed up. Killa will have been quietly confident. One of his key skills had been coming to grips with a new COD faster than anyone else. With everyone brand new, his adaptability would give Icons a huge advantage. Each player was there for the same thing: the chance to stay on the COD grind for a bit longer before being forced to give up and get a normal day-job. But Icons held firm, fighting their way to a semi-final matchup with Til Infinity. The chance to claim the 400k top prize had eluded them. But they didn’t have long to lick their wounds. In the third-place playoff against Infused, Icons stepped up, winning it by three games to none. Killa alone picked up 30 thousand dollars. But this was more than just money; it was vindication for choosing gaming over schoolwork. Proof he had what it took to win on the biggest stages of all. Most importantly, it was more time he could spend on the grind without totally risking his future. The will to win tournaments only became more desperate. After all that excitement, half a Black Ops 1 season still remained. Icons would find no further success. Eventually, with the Modern Warfare 3 season starting for real, Killa felt ready for a new challenge. He hopped teams, first to Collapse and then to Team Fear. Both teams were good, but it didn’t matter. Modern Warfare 3’s competitive scene was completely arid. Killa entered anything he could, even travelling halfway round the world for small prize pools. In the only two events in NA, his team finished first and second, earning a share of just 3500 bucks in total between all four of them. Sandwiched between were EGL events in England. Each paid less than the flights there. Through no fault of Killa’s own, the scene was crumbling around him. In November 2012, ahead of Black Ops 2, Killa signed with Fariko Impact. He was finally on a roster that shared his relentless thirst for success, spearheaded by a wrecking ball of a teammate that would go on to be known as the greatest of all time. The fans had no idea what was coming. Opposition plays seemed telegraphed into Karma’s head like he was plugged into the game’s matrix. It was incredible to watch, and it would have felt even better to play alongside, if it wasn’t for Karma’s one big problem: Karma. The man was an easily-tilted emotional thunderstorm; one that nobody else would justify teaming with. The only one that was arrogant enough not to be afraid? Killa. He figured if anyone could tame the beast, it would surely be him. Besides, now was the perfect time to take the risk. The Black Ops 2 season was set to be huge. Serious money was there to be made. Things started fairly well. Fariko finished third in Machinima’s Frag Cup IV, then matched that at UMG Chicago 2012. But Killa and Karma were ruthlessly ambitious. Bronze medals weren’t enough. TuQuick and John were soon kicked, replaced by Parasite and MirX. Next up was the MLG Winter Championship, three months later in March 2013. By now, information had landed about the first million-dollar World Championships, ratcheting up the pressure ever further. Fariko grinded harder than ever, developing a level of tactical sophistication that had never before been seen. Among it all, Killa convinced MirX to leave his job and spend more time training. So when the Winter Championship finally arrived, they weren’t just there for a pay check – they wanted to make themselves feared. With that elimination from Killa, they’d done what they’d come here to do. The biggest tournament of all time was now just two weeks away, and any other team would’ve taken a breather. Instead, Fariko travelled to a UMG event in Blackpool, England – the only top tier team to do so. To no one’s surprise, they won that too. Fariko headed to the World Champs on a two-tournament win streak. But it wasn’t that simple behind the scenes. Karma being Karma made things difficult enough, and the rest of them were constantly involved in their own little bitter disagreements. In truth, the team had only one thing in common: a will to win unlike anything that Call of Duty had ever seen. So up they stepped, knowing they were clear favourites in a tournament they couldn’t screw up. Otherwise the endless arguments, and the hours spent training, would all go to waste. Killa’s ego had been growing exponentially with each event win. Lose here, it might’ve been damaged beyond repair. But bringing this legendary team down would take more than a bit of pressure. Despite being sent to the losers’ bracket by EnVy, they eased past OpTic to set up a best of 11 Grand Finals EnVy rematch. One of the most thrilling series of all time would follow. Killa could achieve anything. That’s what he thought now. Any remaining humility had disappeared as soon as the confetti started falling. Nobody was as good as him. No one. He had the crown now, and it would never be taken away. It’s a thought that many throughout history have had. So far, Killa included, they’ve all been wrong. The inevitable slide didn’t start right away. Two weeks later they went to UMG St. Louis and won that too, no other team coming close. But success began to change them, Killa in particular. Not in a materialistic way – he was always much more comfortable in those same old cheap clothes – but in the sense that it wore away at the only thing he had over the dozens of competitors with more natural talent: his unrelenting drive. A love of LANs morphed gradually into all-night partying on the eve of events. At the start, the team were good enough for it not to make a difference. Killa and the gang would fall asleep two hours before start time, wake up hungover and drunk, and still steal a place in the top three. For Killa, Mirx and Parasite these were the glory days. For Karma, frustrated at his teammates’ changes in attitude, that was far from the case. Karma now admits he was just as bad as the rest of them, but at the time, that’s far from how he felt. Three months after World Champs, at Gfinity London 2013, Fariko finished fourth. Whether it was team politics, arrogance, or the FAL being banned by Activision forcing them to change their playstyle, Call of Duty’s first dynasty was imploding. Maybe things could’ve worked out if they’d sat down and talked their issues through. But the players’ egos were now so fragile that basic communication was no longer an option. Karma had finally had enough. He jumped ship, moving to EnVy and taking his insane game knowledge with him. Killa now accepts that Karma did the right thing, but at the time, all he felt was betrayal. These dysfunctional best friends had built each other up from nothing. Suddenly, their most powerful weapon had gone. Killa wasn’t worried though. That’s what he told himself. He didn’t need Karma anyway. All he needed was his drive, and now it was back; revenge against his former teammate the new Holy Grail he’d chase to the ends of the Earth. Fariko promoted from within, bringing substitute John into the main team. But if the confidence in this new roster really was there, it wouldn’t last long. A piece of the puzzle was now missing. The team bounced between orgs, eventually signing with Epsilon ahead of UMG Atlanta 2013, finishing a respectable third, and then immediately being dropped. Why? Because when Killa came up against Karma’s EnVy and won, he didn’t do it peacefully. Quotes from this tirade still get shared in the community. It should be said though, Killa did apologise. In his opinion at the time, it soon became water under the bridge. Whether Karma actually cared how Killa behaved is another question entirely. As Karma moved to compLexity and ushered in the game’s second great dynasty, Killa became a journeyman, scrapping away in the early rounds of tournaments in search of the occasional top 10 finish. Through 2014, a Ghosts season that began as ordinary at best included his greatest failure yet: missing out on World Champ qualification. As Karma won the second of his three rings, Killa watched on from the sidelines, never even getting to defend his title. A spell with OpTic’s B team, OpTic Nation, saw him through to the end of Ghosts. Many encouraged Killa to make the most of his new org’s dedication to their content creators. But to their frustration he rarely streamed, and his YouTube presence was non-existent. Killa, still as stubborn as ever, only had eyes for potential prize money. In fairness, the second half of the season was better. In Killa’s first OpTic Nation event he finished 4th, outranking OpTic’s A team. But as with most of his career highlights, this shred of success came with a swift kick in the teeth: it was Karma’s compLexity who put them out. The season faded without fanfare. Killa was still a decent player, and his Ghosts results were actually okay, but missing out on World Champs was all people could remember. Advanced Warfare, released November 2014, is where he really fell behind. Fate intervened to try and help, as Karma – remember him? – was drafted into OpTic from compLexity and dropped into the reserves alongside Killa for reasons you can probably guess. But however hard Killa tried, they couldn’t rekindle the old magic. For Karma, Optic Nation was a stepping stone, and he was quickly transitioned into the main roster. For Killa, this was as good as it got. Org after org picked him up; org after org then dropped him straight away. Skill-wise he was no longer anything special, politically he was a nightmare, and the list of players that refused to team with him grew longer by the day. By November 2015 and Black Ops 3, his reputation had hit rock bottom. Without an organization, he spent the first few months of the season cleaning up his image. The self-improvement paid off with an opportunity that raised more than a few eyebrows in the scene. He signed for Cloud 9. . The only way a player like Killa survives in an org like this is by winning everything and doing it quickly. Their first event would be the UMG South Carolina 2016 open bracket, where the team simply had to perform. Top 32 though, was all they managed. The Killa experiment ended straight after that tournament. He took to Twitter, swearing that he never saw it coming. Still, Killa seemed to have turned over a new leaf – perhaps because he’d recently discovered he’d be having a child with his long-term girlfriend. He quickly accepted a role on the OpTic subs bench, and soon had an opportunity in Week 6 of the 2016 CWL Pro League. This time, he shone. A starting role with an org called Dream Team was his reward. The good news continued, as they surprised the world by reaching Stage 2 of the CWL playoffs, where they’d go on to finish an impressive second. The prize was 40 thousand dollars – the most Killa had won since 2013 – as well as qualification for the 2016 World Championships. Killa was praised for bringing experience and organisation to a squad that was lacking both. The team were on the up, and Renegades, an established org that were new to the COD scene, took a chance on them ahead of the World Champs. For any other player, this may have been the start of a redemption arc. Sadly, Adam Killa Sloss is no regular player, and any redemption arc would have to wait. Instead he went nuclear. And it happened on the biggest stage of all. By the time of the World Champs, Killa’s Twitter habits were more volatile than ever, filled with rage and conspiracy theories about how tournaments were rigged against him. Perhaps this was why his team lost their first two group stage matches and were immediately eliminated. But they still had one series left, against a Pulse team who were also already out. Killa, in all his wisdom, refused to play. Renegades were forced to forfeit. He’d always been a loose cannon – it’s why so many loved him – but nobody supported this. Renegades released Killa straight after. The Infinite Warfare season was about to start. But before then, a tragedy occurred that struck the entire COD community – and Killa in particular – incredibly hard. Phillip “Phizzurp” Klemenov, a friend of Killa’s since they’d teamed together in 2012, and who streamed with Killa as often as they possibly could, unexpectedly lost his life on October 2nd, 2016. Understandably, Killa was deeply affected by the loss, and his mental state deteriorated. Just two months later he entered CWL Vegas – Infinite Warfare’s first event. The team placed outside the money, and the conspiracy theories that followed showed how fragile this former World Champion had now become. For the rest of that season, results didn’t matter. Killa was learning to raise his child, still deep in mourning, and needed to focus on himself instead of his career. Gradually his true personality returned, but he was hit with one more controversy a year later, during the World War 2 season. While teaming with lower level friends in an online tournament, he broke the rules by using someone else’s account. This time, he’d be banned, for the rest of the season. It’s taken six long years, but Killa’s finally come to terms with the fact that he’s no longer seen as the World Champion with the incredible work ethic. Instead, he’s become a competitive spectre; still revered, just not as a player; someone the old guard can reference whenever they’re in need of an easy joke. The ban ended with Black Ops 4. On two occasions since then, he’s grinded with up-and-comers, played his way into form, then found himself stood up at the event they were training for – once because a teammate slept in, another for reasons unknown. Now a father of two, there’s no further pressure on Killa to compete, and those extra hours can be used to hone his skills as a dad. Killa now speaks freely about the good old days, sometimes even with a hint of a smile on his face. During his ban he even upgraded his stream. Now he’s regularly going live, for hundreds of viewers at a time, playing whatever he wants while sharing his opinions about a COD scene he still cares about deeply. It may well be that Killa will never challenge the top of the Twitch charts, but he seems to have achieved something better: for now, at least, he’s found inner peace. Maybe, just maybe, this story does have a redemption arc after all.

The Last Dance in Verdansk is closing Warzone’s first chapter with a ‘historic’ twist Activision / BoomTVWith Verdansk’s time in the sun winding down, Warzone tournament organizers at BoomTV are gearing up for the biggest sendoff possible. Not only is the Last Dance in Verdansk putting $150,000 on the line, but its hosts are also preparing a spectacle “that has never been done in the esports scene.” When Warzone dropped into the battle royale conversation early in 2020, it quickly became one of the hottest gaming properties on the market. As the competitive scene began to flourish, dozens of players were able to change their lives for the better thanks to a near-endless stream of opportunities. North of $6.5m in total prizing has been doled out in the 19 months since Warzone’s release, with new events emerging on an almost daily basis. Throughout this run, players have called Verdansk home. The map that started it all during the Modern Warfare era, and later saw a few significant overhauls in the Cold War transition, has been the backdrop for all of Warzone’s most iconic moments. But now, it’s time in the spotlight is drawing to an end. With the new Pacific map fast approaching, BoomTV and Activision have collaborated on an epic finale to give Verdansk one final moment of glory. Dexerto spoke with the team behind this highly anticipated event to learn more about the big mystery that awaits for the final day of competition on Warzone’s original battleground. The Last Dance in Verdansk – Key details Prize pool: $150,000 – Dates: Oct 20: Qualifier #1 – Oct 21: Qualifier #2 – Oct 27: Qualifier #3 – Nov 2: Main Event – – Regions: North American residents only – One big mystery in Verdansk The Last Dance in Verdansk was made public on October 12. With the Main Event shrouded in mystery and the playerbase restricted to NA residents only, many began to speculate just how this final showdown would come to a close. For some, LAN seemed to be a safe guess. What better way to send off the first chapter in Warzone? “As much as it would be an absolute blast, it’s not a LAN finals,” BoomTV’s Cory Sobon informed us. Despite this, “something big” has been in the works for quite some time nonetheless, he teased. “It’s something that has never been done, at least to my knowledge, in the esports scene.” “I honestly think there’s a couple of things that haven’t been done before in Warzone that we’ll be doing with this event,” Marketing Manager Dakota Harding added. Not only is this spectacle being hidden from the general public, but it’s also set to be “a surprise for the players as well.” So what actually is this big mystery? It all started when Activision approached the experienced crew of event hosts at BoomTV. “Activision came to us and said hey, we have this absolutely ridiculous idea,” Sobon recounted. “We don’t know if it would even work, can you please either talk some sense into us, or tell us we’re ridiculous.” After a few weeks of strategizing and “building out” some rough plans, BoomTV came to realize “not only was it doable, but doable on a larger scale than originally presented.” “The original idea came from an Activision employee who was wondering what to do to say goodbye to Verdansk. We’ve gone through a few ideations and this is where we landed.” Read More: When is anti-cheat coming to Warzone? – Exactly what ‘this’ is, is still a tightly guarded secret for now. “The only people that know are those on the Activision team and our team internally.” Though we were able to confirm this intriguing concept won’t involve any “in-game changes” to Verdansk itself. Something ‘more’ on the line? With Warzone’s finest set to clash in one last Mini Royale on Verdansk, the hosts remain hopeful they can surprise players in more ways than one. Not only will the event itself come with a few twists, but perhaps even the rewards too. Beyond the hefty $150K cash prize at stake, Duos may be able to “earn something a little different to what they’ve earned before,” Sobon explained. The first set of puzzle pieces will be laid out later this week, though it won’t paint a full picture. The full mystery of Verdansk’s final tournament will allegedly keep players guessing until the Main Event gets underway on November 11. “Tuning into the finals will be worth it,” the event organizers added. You can keep up with all the latest results and announcements right here with our Last Dance in Verdansk hub.

Rivs2 & Destroy win $150K The Last Dance in Verdansk Warzone event: Final results Twitter.com/BoomTVBoomTV’s ‘The Last Dance In Verdansk’ tournament is now in the books as Duos dropped into the $150K sendoff for Verdansk. While it was rivs2 & Destroy who claimed the top spot in the Main Event, there was plenty of drama and excitement along the way. Here’s a complete recap of how the major tournament played out. rivs2 & Destroy win the $75K Main Event. – Swagg & Booya close out Qual #1 in first place. – Underdogs Ahzvm & SlideHD secure top spot in Qual #2. – Kenzrosey & aHTracT12 cruise to the win in Qual #3 – With Warzone Pacific looming, Verdansk is closing up shop in just a matter of days. So before we say goodbye to the original map, BoomTV hosted one of the biggest events of the year, the $150K Last Dance in Verdansk. Played out across four separate dates, the tournament saw Warzone’s sweatiest and most popular Duos going at it. From how the qualifiers unfolded to all the drama of the Main Event, we’ve got you covered with a full rundown on the tournament. The Last Dance in Verdansk Warzone Main Event The Last Dance in Verdansk Main Event Placements (Top 10) The Last Dance in Verdansk Main Event Results & Recap With $75K on the line in one of the final tournaments set in Verdansk, players dropped in with their sights set on gold. After three grueling rounds of qualifiers, everyone was pushing for the top spot in the Main Event. While action started off without a hitch, as the first six matches flew by, the Main Event quickly hit a massive bump in the road. Qualifier #2 winners Ahzvm & SlideHD_ were thrown into the spotlight as various competitors grew suspicious of their actions on the final day of competition. Some drama in the Last Dance $75k Warzone tournament 👀 Players suspicious of this pre-fire in the Gulag, which took place in Game 5/8. pic.twitter.com/rmTdEfWVWK — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) November 2, 2021 The entire event was derailed as admins investigated claims of hacking. Ahzvm cooperated every step of the way in attempt to prove his innocence. After 30 minutes of heated debate, no concrete evidence could be backed up so the admins made a final call. Ahzvm was cleared to play for the remainder of the event and the last two maps got back underway shortly after. Before long, the ultimate winners were crowned as Rivs2 & Destroy took home the lion’s share of the prize. The Last Dance in Verdansk Main Event teams From Duos that advanced through the qualifiers to special Main Event players that received their own invites, the final leg of the competition was stacked across the board. Below is the full list of players that dropped into the $75K Main Event. Below is a list of all the duos that have qualified or been invited to the Main Event. The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 3 The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 3 Placements (Top 10) The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 3 Results & Recap Qualifiers 3 was the final chance for Warzone’s top talent to secure a spot in The Last Dance. Just five more positions were up for grabs in this round, along with the usual $25,000, so once again, every single player came out swigning. Carrying their momentum over from a huge $75,000 Twitch Rivals win just 24 hours prior, ItsEyeQew & Arrayyz managed to win the first map. “”We start tourneys with Ws”” Game 1 is taken by @Arrayyz and @itsEyeQew! Strong push to close out the game. pic.twitter.com/Pdp3MwQAqj — BoomTV (@boomtv) October 27, 2021 This time around, however, they couldn’t maintain their lead all the way through the event. Other Duos like Mayappo & OtterEyes along with JoeWo & Bbreadman pushed ahead as the lobbies went by. Though ultimately, it was a huge effort from KenzRosey & aHTracT12 that secured the top spot overall. The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 2 The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 2 Placements (Top 10) The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 2 Results & Recap With remaining spots in the Main Event quickly dwindling, teams continued to push the pace in the second qualifier. Stacked Duos like DiazBiffle & SuperEvan along with OPMarked & ShadedStep fired first as they took early leads from game one onwards. Despite their experience in Verdansk and their huge followings, they weren’t the only players putting up insane numbers. Relative up and comers Ahvzm & SlideHD put their names in title contention with a huge 10-kill win in game four. $25,000 Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 2 WINNERS@Ahzvm and @SlideHD_ have secured their spot in the $75,000 Finals! pic.twitter.com/gQsdak4j7F — BoomTV (@boomtv) October 22, 2021 It was a close race among the top teams as Day 2 drew to a close, though ultimately, none could catch up this underdog Duo on fire. They cruised to the top of the standings and pulled away with a shocking one-point upset over DiazBiffle & SuperEvan to take not only the crown, but a coveted spot in the Main Event. The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 1 The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 1 Placements (Top 10) The Last Dance in Verdansk Qualifier 1 Results & Recap As one of the biggest events in Warzone history, each and every custom game is sure to be a banger. Duos are hungry for those Main Event spots, so it came as no surprise when action got off to a hot start on day one. With the likes of Swagg, Aydan, Tommey, Dr Disrespect, and HusKerrs all dropping in, to name a few, the first qualifying round was absolutely stacked with elite Warzone talent. After warming up in the first two maps, it was Swagg and his FaZe Clan Duo Booya that caught fire in map three. Primo comms from @Swagg and @FaZeBooya They win Game 3 of @boomtv’s 1st $150k Warzone Last Dance Qualifier with… 21 kills 😳 pic.twitter.com/FR1h5XPW2l — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) October 20, 2021 Not only did Swagg and Booya collect the all-important custom lobby win, but they did so with 21 kills to their name. This launched them well into first place, with everyone else stuck trying to catch up for the remainder of the event. Tommey and Almond just so happened to be up for the challenge. Two ridiculous maps in the final moments of day one had the Duo cruising through the rankings, all the way to the top spot. Not only did they finish first, but they pushed a whopping 17 points ahead of Team Swagg in second place. The Last Dance in Verdansk Tournament Stream & Schedule The Last Dance in Verdansk Format & Schedule 120 Duos all lined up to compete across three separate qualifying rounds, 40 in each. This included 35 pre-invited captains and five community teams, all of whom were picked from the NA region. The top five duos in each round earned a cut of the $25,000 prize and secured their spot in the Main Event which boasted a further $75,000 cash prize. The final round of action came to a close on November 2, marking the end of one of the biggest events in Verdansk’s brief history.

The KAR, ITRA and Shotgun all Made Appearances in a Pro League Challenge Match Red Reserve took on FIRESMACKIN in the first round of the July 1st CWL Pro League Challenge and things got out of hand quickly, resulting in banned weapons and trash talking between the two teams. The match started off well enough with Red taking a routine Hardpoint, before moving to USS Texas S&D. That is where it started to go downhill. Those watching the match through Adian ‘GorgoKnight’ Provenzano’s stream may not have noticed, since the match was not being casted, but a FIRESMACKIN player was using the KAR-98k sniper rifle and it appeared in the kill feed. Viewers in GorgoKnight’s chat noticed right away, however. Professional Call of Duty players decided to stop using the KAR sometime in January, due to its ability to consistently beat ARs and SMGs in a closer range than intended. Red Reserve did not take kindly to breaking the agreement and retaliated with an agreement break of their own, pulling out four smoke grenades. Some FIRESMACKING players, either acting or genuinely unaware of their teammate using a KAR, were shocked that Red were the ones breaking an agreement. Some foul language ensued, with Rhys “Rated” Price and Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall of Red Reserve even popping into GorgoKnight’s stream chat to voice their displeasure with the KAR use. Other pros were watching the match and chimed in, with James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks of eUnited questioning the use of the KAR. Josiah ‘Slacked’ Berry also stopped by to say “good guy GorgoKnight” after Adian stopped his stream in between matches to address the KAR situation, claiming he did not know it was being used. More: The 7th CWL Pro League Challenge Reaches the Semi-Finals With Major Teams Remaining – Final Placements (Updating) – FIRESMACKIN won the S&D to tie the series at 1-1 heading into CTF on Flak Tower. The tension did not cool down during the break, in fact it escalated. Red came out of the break using shotguns and the ITRA burst, two weapons also banned by the players, and FIRESMACKIN took out shotguns of their own. Red Reserve won the CTF by a score of 4-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series It is worth noting that nothing in the match was actually illegal in the eyes of MLG or Activision, since the weapons are still technically allowed in competitive play. Weapon choice went slightly back to normal for the game 4 Hardpoint, with only occasional ITRA appearances. The trash talk did not stop at any point, however, as Red continued to chat in GorgoKnight’s stream while FIRESMACKIN kept talking. The match went to a pivotal Game 5 Round 11, with Red Reserve taking the hostile match. The agreements being broken and cameos in the chat from top pros made for a surreal experience. In the end it was one of the most entertaining Pro League matches of the year, you can catch it all below. The match begins at 59 minutes on the stream timeline. Warning, the language is obviously offensive at times. Watch PRO LEAGUE CHALLENGE Vs Red Reserve w/ @GorgKnight from GorgoKnightTV on www.twitch.tv

The Imperial Return to Call of Duty to Send EU Team to CWL Anaheim European esports organization ‘The Imperial’ has announced its return to Call of Duty esports, recruiting a UK based roster ahead of CWL Anaheim. For those around long enough in CoD Esports, The Imperial may ring a bell from the very early days as far back as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The Imperial also fielded some of the very best European rosters in the Black Ops 1 and Modern Warfare 3 seasons, around 2010 to 2012. Legendary players including Callum “Swanny” Swan have represented the fleur-di-lis logo of The Imperial, even names such as Dylan “MadCat” Daly, Joshua-Lee “Joshh” Sheppard and Philip “Momo” Whitfield once played for the organization. The Imperial made their first return to CoD esports in the Infinite Warfare season, but it was a fairly short-lived one, as the roster led by Shane “ShAnE” McKerral – a player long-associated with the organization – struggled to become one of the top teams. After their worst finish, 29-36th place at the 2017 CWL Paris Open, The Imperial departed Call of Duty, but have announced their return with a new squad just in time for CWL Anaheim 2018. Recruiting the winners of the CWL National Circuit Stage 3, previously playing under ‘Team 3G’ Nicholas “Nolson” Belton, Deleo “Zerg” Devitt, Niall “Niall” Sunderland and Josh “Creza” Burman. Introducing the new Imperial Call of Duty roster. @YKTDeleo@NolsonCoD@ActuallyisNiall@Creza#ImperialEmpire :https://t.co/k9kY8moGXL pic.twitter.com/1ZjBXVpalk — The Imperial (@theimperialgg) June 11, 2018 Having won Stage 3 of the UK National Circuit, the team was a hot prospect with travel and accommodation to the Anaheim event secured. The Imperial CEO, Oli Adams, as the team goes through a number of major announcements, explained the decision to return back to CoD, even this late in the season. “I’m very happy to welcome this team to The Imperial. We’ve always said that the UK scene is very important to us and COD is certainly up there in this region” The roster’s most recent result is a 5-8th finish in the June 10th EU CWL 2K, where they were beaten in a game five loss to a team featuring former Splyce player Thomas “Tommey” Trewren. They are certainly one of the top European rosters at the amateur level currently, but will need to prove they can replicate their online performances at LAN, which these four players have struggled to do so far in the WWII season. None of the players on this roster have managed better than top 32 at a major open event this season, but as with any open bracket team, their goal will be reaching pool play.

The Imperial release CoD roster after CWL Pro League Qualifier exit After a disappointing end to the CWL Pro League Qualifier, The Imperial have announced the release of their Call of Duty roster. Despite fielding one of the most talented rosters in Europe, The Imperial simply never managed to get off the ground during the Black Ops 4 season. The team finished the first event, CWL Vegas, with a 21st-24th placing that gave them an entry to the Pro League Qualifier, but they failed to even make it out of a stacked Pool D. With the CWL Pro League featuring just one overall season that will span the entire competitive year, the Qualifier was the only shot at making it into the League. As such, The Imperial announced on January 23 that they had released the entire CoD roster following their untimely exit from the Qualifier. Sad to announce that we have released our COD team following the COD Pro League qualifiers. Thanks to the team for their efforts these past few months. Stay tuned over the coming weeks for more news on our next team! #imperialempire — The Imperial (@theimperialgg) January 23, 2019 The Imperial is the second team major org to have let their roster go on January 23, following the split of the G2 Esports CoD roster. All hope is not lost for these players, however, as every team in the CWL Pro League will need to field a substitute, meaning there will be room for some of the players who missed out on qualifying. The Imperial’s Reedy, who was very much outspoken against the new Pro League format following his team’s exit, has already announced his intention to find a home with a new team. If any NA teams need a player for the rest of the season get at me (or Uk) actually don’t mind not going to stop playing this game when I’m actually pure dirt at it. — Reedy (@Reedy_1905) January 23, 2019 The Pro League is set to kick off on February 4, giving teams a couple of weeks to try and lock down their final rosters ahead of its official start. Besides the Pro League, any player who failed to qualify can compete in the various open events throughout the year, with the next one being CWL Fort Worth on March 15-17.

The Haunting challenge guide: Every Warzone & Black Ops Cold War task & reward ActivisionThe Haunting event is now active across both Warzone and Black Ops Cold War so we’ve put together a guide for every single challenge and reward you’ll want to complete before it’s too late. Whether you’re dropping into Verdansk or just loading into some multiplayer action, there’s no escaping the new frights now in effect with The Haunting event. As per usual with limited-time spectacles in CoD, a huge batch of new challenges is now available. From Halloween-themed emblems to new weapon charms, there are plenty of exclusive rewards available now until November 2. So to help you keep on top of it all, here’s a rundown on every challenge in The Haunting event across Warzone and Black Ops Cold War. The Haunting event: Warzone challenges & rewards Challenges on the Warzone side range from completing matches to interacting with new gameplay features. All nine are sure to bring their own frights so be aware of jump scares throughout your runs. The Haunting event: Black Ops Cold War challenges & rewards Black Ops Cold War’s challenges vary from grinding out kills to placing among the top 3 in certain modes. You’ve got your work cut out for you here but The Haunting rewards are certainly worth your time. That’s all there is to The Haunting event this time around. With nine challenges to complete across both titles, there’s plenty of new content up for grabs. If that doesn’t fill your Halloween cravings, however, be sure to check out how to unlock all the latest Operator skins as well.

The future of Warzone esports: Baka Bros & CDL GM explain Warzone 2 ambitions Activision/PexelsWarzone 2 launced on November 16 and, with it, a new chapter in Call of Duty esports. After the original title totaled $10-plus million in prizing, we asked CoD Esports general manager Daniel Tsay and the Baka Bros’ Repullze and LuckyChamu about the potential for the new game’s esports scene. Released in March 2020, Warzone became home to over 100 million players. Despite minimal competitive in-game integration, the esport followed suit. In two and a half years, the game saw 370-plus tournaments with the aforementioned cumulative $10-plus million in prizing according to EsportsEarnings. Now, Warzone 2 has launched with the potential to build on that short, but storied history. And, unlike its predecessor, the sequel arrives at a time when the world has fewer restrictions and, consequently, the possibility for real LAN events. And who better to discuss that possibility with than Tsay and the Bakas? The former oversees CoD esports, from the Call of Duty League to the World Series of Warzone, and the latter have played in tournaments, casted tournaments and, maybe most importantly, organized the only major Warzone LAN thus far: the $100,000 Baka WonderLAN. The “electricity” of CoD on LAN As Repullze recalls, Warzone esports definitely has moments worth experiencing on LAN: “I think of things like Diaz [Biffle] 1v2’ing Tommey and Almond last year and how crazy…this guy was screaming and commentating, I was in the corner jumping up and down…I could just imagine how that would feel with thousands of people watching you and the lights going crazy.” Looking back at both the CDL and Warzone’s past few years, Tsay was candid about that experiential limitation: “it’s that in-person experience we’ve lacked a little bit … there’s nothing that quite matches that electricity of thousands of screaming fans … nothing quite like having players and fans all in the same room, screaming.” As for turning that appreciation into tangible plans, the GM couldn’t share specifics but did share his team’s intentions — touching specifically on the World Series of Warzone and CDL’s Resurgence circuit. While Tsay believes that “potentially there’s a LAN component” for the CDL’s Resurgence circuit, the WSOW is (fittingly) a bigger focus. Discussing the battle royale’s biggest tournament series (which has awarded $1.2 million across Europe and North America in each of its past two iterations), Tsay assured that LAN is on the table: “Certainly for that one, I would love to do a LAN. It’s something we’re trying to do.” Incorporating the OG “MLG format” The Bakas, meanwhile, have been in the lab trying to figure out precisely what Warzone 2 esports should look like on LAN. As competitors, Lucky and Repullze have over $100,000 in Warzone earnings. As hosts, they spent over a year planning the WonderLAN (which they then cast as well). “We’re hard workers and we’re also competitors, entertainers, and we are, as well, watchers. Like we love watching CDL. We love watching other Warzone tournaments, so we know what we want to compete in. We know what the viewers want and we always like to deliver that.” As Lucky explains, their varied experience informs brainstorms for the franchise’s future. And, apparently, that experience dictates that the ideal height of competition should be on LAN, should incorporate the MLG bracket-style format, and should feed off of competitive in-game integration. “Our dream one day is to bring back the MLG format from back in the day. We have an open bracket where everybody comes, competes on a Friday in Warzone, top 10 teams, we have multiple sections advance to Saturday. Then, from there, you break it down, then Championship Sunday. It’s the best of the best, all competing in that huge tournament, spectators, thousands of people.” While similar to the CDL’s weekend bracket structure for tournaments, Repullze describes a LAN event that differs by including the promise of an open bracket on Day 1—akin to the MLG format (and online qualifiers held for the WSOW). This would essentially level the playing field, allowing lesser-known players to compete for a chance at a major payday without hardware limitations or the possibility of cheating accusations. Integrating competitive play: Ranked play & tournaments As for determining who makes the trip out for the open bracket, the Bakas see competitive integration into the base game as a useful stomping ground for players who want to build up their reputation. Both Lucky and Repullze are wary of adding too many separate modes to Warzone 2, at the risk of splitting the player base too widely, but they see a path toward the same goal through CoD’s traditional weekly in-game tournaments. The ranked discussion is a complicated one. Repullze cautioned that he’s “seen ranked kill Fortnite” by making the casual scene too “try-hard” while ‘splitting the audience in two.’ Lucky expanded, noting that the player-base fragmentation won’t be helped by Warzone 2’s new DMZ mode: “I don’t think they’re gonna take out the big map. So now you have two different types, and then now you’re gonna add a third one … They need to make sure they don’t split their audience too much.” While both professed love for ranked play in the future, they have a simpler solution for the time being: weekly tournaments — like CoD multiplayer’s in-game Gunfight tournaments in Modern Warfare 2019 or, as Repullze noted, Fortnite’s “Cash Cups.” By adding open, online tournaments into Warzone 2’s playlist, the Bakas argue that the game can simultaneously build its competitive scene without splitting player counts. “I think if we were to do something like every Friday, everybody knows there’s an open tournament. Everybody’s practicing for that. Anybody can compete and it’s integrated into the game. That would be amazing.” It’s an enticing picture painted by Repullze and one with broader implications for access to the highest stage of Warzone esports when coupled with the idea of a LAN tournament having an open bracket on Day 1. Warzone 2 on LAN Warzone 2’s first major tournament, the $100,000 OpTic Texas event, will take place on November 21 and 22. Around a week after everyone gets to drop into Al Mazrah for the first time, the event should give us a sense of how the game plays at a competitive level. Past that, no events have been announced yet, but, as Repullze noted, the “future’s looking bright.” In an ideal world, Warzone 2 should add a weekly tournament so players can receive both recognition and ranks for their ability. Those players who have shown the most should then become eligible for qualifiers to play in the bigger, rarer events. Of those bigger, rarer events, the potential is there for both a LAN World Series of Warzone and an MLG-style open bracket tournament. No cheating, no internet problems, no hardware inconsistencies. Competitive play just makes more sense on LAN. And, as Lucky reinforced, “I don’t think we could do it without spectators.” The Call of Duty League 2023 season kicks off on Modern Warfare II on Friday, December 2, as the 12 best teams in CoD start their fight for their world championship season.

The first zero-kill wins have been completed in Blackout MaximusVXPlayers have managed to win a game without killing a single enemy – but they had some help along the way. Reddit user RealCarFacts uploaded a screenshot of Blackout that revealed his first zero-kill win, which was also one of the first recorded in the game. He didn’t do it alone – it was thanks to zombies killing one of the last living players that he was able to take the victory. The player revealed that his win was completely unintentional, as well, stating that he’d gotten lost in the hedge maze around the Asylum after exploring the map, with the last player dying by a storm circle. “I was just messing around and exploring and I noticed there were less than ten people left,” he explained in the post. “I was lost in the hedge maze when I heard zombies. They must have taken everyone out except me and one other…The other guy came out of hiding with a ray gun. The storm closed in and he jumped off of an edge and must have got himself stuck because….Victory.” He isn’t the only one to have earned a victory through pacifism, either. Another reddit user by the name of MaximusVX described his experience in getting a zero-kill win, wherein the remaining players blew themselves up trying to kill each other. The Blackout Beta will soon come to an end, closing across all platforms on September 17 at 1 PM ET. There’s still time to try for a zero-kill win: sometimes, other players (and zombies) do the work for you.

The First Teams Have Been Eliminated from the 2018 CWL Championship Four teams have been eliminated from the 2018 CWL Championships on the opening day of the event. There is still plenty to play for on the second day of the group stage for most pools, but in Groups A to D the first teams have been eliminated from the running. These were the groups in which each team played two matches, and while all will have a final match to play on the second day of the group stage, for some teams their fate is already decided. Both Tainted Minds and Brash Esports are out of the running in Group B. In Group C, Zone has been sent home, while Group D sees EZG eliminated. Group A is the only group in which no team is definitively eliminated. Epsilon currently sits at a 0-2 record with losses to Heretics and Lightning Pandas, but it is still mathematically possible for them to reach the playoffs. Teams can hypothetically escape the group stage with only a single match win in the event of a three-way tie, and though the odds are incredibly slim, in Epsilon’s case that’s still technically possible. They would need to defeat CWL Pro League Stage 2 champions Team Kaliber 3-0, and rely on Lightning Pandas to defeat Heretics. For Zone and EZG Esports, both of whom were unable to win a map on day one, no combination of results in the final matches could save them from elimination. In Group B, both Tainted Minds and Brash Esports lost both of their games to Rise Nation and Lethal Gaming. As a result, the group is divided evenly after the first day, the former pair eliminated at 0-2 and the latter assured of a playoff spot at 2-0.

The First Image of FormaL in a Luminosity Gaming Jersey and It Feels Weird The first image of Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper in a Luminosity Gaming jersey since his departure from OpTic Gaming and it definitely feels weird to see. After originally beginning his esports journey in the competitive Halo scene, FormaL eventually decided to switch to Call of Duty during the CoD: Ghosts season for better opportunities down the line. Although he would compete for the likes of Team Kaliber, FaZe Black, and Team Envy, FormaL eventually found a home in OpTic Gaming to kick off the Advanced Warfare season in 2014 alongside Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, and now-retired Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag. As a member of OpTic, he went on to become one of the most feared competitors throughout the entire Call of Duty scene and won a collection of major tournaments and events alongside the Green Wall, including CoD Champs 2017 on Infinite Warfare. However, following a string of poor placements and reported internal issues, FormaL was traded to Luminosity Gaming for Samuel ‘Octane’ Larew after CWL Seattle, ending his run as a member of one of the best CoD teams of all time. More: FaZe Clan’s Priestahh and Lightning Pandas Xotic Predict OpTic Gaming to Dominate CWL Pro League Division B – Now that Division B of Stage Two at the CWL Pro Leauge is ready to kick off on Tuesday, May 29th, Josiah ‘Slacked’ Berry, one of FormaL’s new teammates on LG, shared a picture of the former OpTic player in a Luminosity jersey for the first time on Twitter. Luminosity will play their first match as a squad together on LAN for the first time on Tuesday, May 29th at 3:30 PM EST (12:30 PM PST, 8:30 PM BST) against eUnited. The full week one schedule for Divison B at Stage Two of the CWL Pro League can be found right here.

The first 5v5 Black Ops 4 tournament might be cancelled Rumors are circulating that the first official 5v5 Call of Duty tournament has been cancelled. The PlayStation Masters is set to take place at the EGX convention in Berlin, Germany on Friday, September 28. The tournament is a four team invitational, played on Black Ops 4, with teams consisting of five members instead of four. However, a tweet from a German Call of Duty player named WJuleez suggests that the event may have been cancelled. There has been no official announcement from PlayStation regarding the status of the event, and the reasons as to why the Masters would be cancelled are unknown. PlayStation have previously run events like this prior to the release of the newest title in the Call of Duty franchise to help build hype for the game’s release. Call of Duty fans have been eagerly anticipating the PlayStation Masters as it will provide an opportunity for followers of the console esport to take a first look at the 5 vs 5 esports gameplay, which is rumored to be the competitive format heading into Black Ops 4. While there has been no official announcement that Call of Duty esports will be played 5v5, fans looked to the PlayStation Masters event as a hint of what is to come. With less than two weeks until the event is set to kick off, it will be interesting to see if Sony moves to squash the rumors, or if the event will indeed be cancelled.

The Finals instantly smashes MW3’s player count to become a breakout hit on Steam The FinalsThe Finals being shadowdropped at The Game Awards has clearly worked in their favor, with the title instantly becoming one of Steam’s most popular games and soaring far above competitors like Call of Duty: MW3. Hot off the heels of an incredibly successful beta period, The Finals shadow-dropped their game at The Game Awards and made it instantly available for everyone to play. While being a free-to-play game gives The Finals a bit of an edge over the competition when it comes to its barrier of entry in comparison to full-price games, it’s hard to deny just how meteoric its launch has been. What’s more, The Finals has maintained its playerbase on day 2, reaching even greater heights as its peak player count went over 200k compared to MW3’s at around 140k. The Finals instantly tops the Steam charts It’s hard to imagine any game toppling the likes of Counter-Strike 2 with its consistent 1.2m+ concurrent players and DOTA 2’s 700k, but the games below it have been in a constant scramble as of late. Lethal Company really shook up the charts when it broke the 100k concurrent player barrier and had sales that put it at the top of the best-seller chart, and The Finals has had an even bigger launch. With the much-anticipated multiplayer title hitting 200k peak concurrent users on launch and 221k the day after, The Finals’ launch has been wildly successful. It’s already got over 20k reviews on Steam, with the vast majority of them being positive. Though the game has had server issues here and there and some gripes from players about minor changes since the beta, it’s been holding strong and gaining players over time. For comparison’s sake, Apex Legends has a 336k 24 hour peak, GTA V has 253k, Baldur’s Gate 3 has 150K, and MW3 has 140k at the time of writing. It’s important to bear in mind that MW3 is also available on Battle.net and that CoD is incredibly popular on console, but these numbers are still very promising for The Finals. Whether or not this game can maintain the momentum generated by its incredibly successful launch remains to be seen.

The favorites for the Doritos Bowl ft Shroud, Ninja, Courage and DrLupo may surprise you The Doritos Bowl will take place on October 27 and looks set to be the first major Blackout event in history. The Doritos sponsored tournament will feature four teams headed up by four very popular Twitch personalities, playing the first ever battle royale experience on a Call of Duty game. Courage, Ninja, Shroud, and DrLupo will lead out teams of four at TwitchCon, each with their own lineup of popular streamers. The exact format has yet to be announced, but that hasn’t stopped one betting website offering odds on the outcome. BetDSI has Courage’s team down as the favorites at +100 (1/1), despite all four players coming from a competitive console background. World champion Call of Duty players Karma and TeeP will be joined by former Halo pro, Hysteria. The world’s biggest streamer, Ninja, is the narrow underdog at +125 (5/4), with former Halo teammate FearItself joined by content creators GoldGlove and JoshOG. Despite his outstanding ability, Team Shroud gets fairly surprising odds of +250 (5/2) with his team consisting of Just9n, ChocoTaco, and Chad. Based on his history of gaming, it’ll come as no surprise to find out that DrLupo trails the pack with +500 (5/1) odds. His team consisting of Annemunition, Mad Ruski and Ninja With No L are the major underdogs. Team Courage +100 (1/1) – Team Ninja +125 (5/4) – Team Shroud +250 (5/2) – Team DrLupo +500 (5/1) – On a side note, it appears BetDSI is also offering odds on other Call of Duty related outcomes, including Activision’s share price after Black Ops 4 launches, total sales of the game, and even the first celebrity to Tweet about the new title. Please note we have no affiliation with BetDSI and cannot verify if they are a legitimate betting website, which is why we have omitted any links to their website.

The Fall of OpTic Gaming OpTic Gaming was once a humble group of gamers that didn’t have major backing, no vast capital from venture capital firms, nor a well-equipped team of professionals running the show. Instead, it used sponsorship money to pay its players and personalities, to fund its expansion into other titles, and to create compelling videos. It was simply a group of guys who enjoyed competing at video games and creating content. Spearheaded by Hector ‘H3CZ‘ Rodriguez, OpTic Gaming found itself at the forefront of gaming content on YouTube and a major figure in esports through Call of Duty. Over the years, it acted as an internet celebrity factory, spawning a number of gaming superstars such as Matthew ‘Nadeshot‘ Hague and Seth ‘Scump‘ Abner. Before it received major backing, the only competition that the organization had was in FaZe Clan and that too was because of a well-crafted blend of excelling in both content and competition. However, once Neil Leibman, Co-owner of Texas Rangers invested in November 2017, things changed drastically. Moving away from shared houses that acted as both living quarters and hotbed of content in Chicago, H3CZ and his army of online celebrities jumped ship to Frisco, Texas to begin the next chapter in OpTic Gaming’s story. What transpired over the next 18 months, however, may have cut the legendary brand’s legacy short and resulted in its degradation and potential demise. But how this did all happen, and so soon? The Takeover When Leibman provided major funding to OpTic Gaming with the help of Chris Chaney, Infinite Esports & Entertainment was born. Acting as a parent company for OpTic Gaming, it soon became home to a franchise in Riot Games’ LCS and Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League. These developments marked the start of a new OpTic Gaming, one that could compete with the major organizations with significant funding. Combining HECZ’s aptitude for creating successful brands with a ton of resources seemed to be a genius idea; the sky was seemingly the limit. Around the time that Infinite Esports & Entertainment had secured its place in two franchised leagues, it also entered another popular title in Dota 2. This instantly was a noticeable change for the Green Wall, with OpTic Gaming abandoning its exclusivity to shooter titles and no longer prioritizing the family feel and culture that was carefully cultivated over the years. The Dota 2 team wasn’t as present in content as those who were present before them, and it stuck out like a sore thumb. A suite of companies was built up – either through business acquisitions or the start of brand new ventures – with the premise of supporting Infinite’s major esports brands through apparel, partnerships, health & wellness, and content production. With these businesses came the need to hire new staff that would assist, but operate outside of, OpTic Gaming, and this was another departure from the organization that fans recognized and supported. The Turning Point Things took a turn in March 2018 when Infinite Esports & Entertainment unceremoniously dropped OpTic Gaming’s beloved Halo team, which had won a series of tournaments – including the all-important World Championship in 2017. Not only did fans react in disgust, but players across all teams in the organization were vocal about their sheer disappointment, shock, and disapproval of the move. The explanation behind the team’s release was that the “industry’s landscape is rapidly changing”, as per the official announcement, meaning that it was no longer worthwhile to compete in the franchise. As with all players and teams in the organization for the entirety of its existence, the Halo roster comprised of more than just competitors – the players were wholeheartedly embraced and welcomed by those in OpTic Gaming and the die-hard Green Wall. Removing the Halo team was one of the most surprising and seemingly enraging decisions that could have been made. Not much time had passed before Infinite Esports & Entertainment decided to make another radical change within OpTic Gaming’s landscape of teams, but this time it went another way. Instead of dropping an additional roster, it began recruiting those from outside of North America. Opting to first recruit an Indian CS:GO roster, over the forthcoming months it also signed a Mexican Gears of War team, Southeast Asian streaming trio, and a Brazilian female CS:GO roster. This initiative went against the family feel that had assisted in making OpTic Gaming’s content so relatable and engaging for many in its fan base. Not only would new rosters be brought into the fold out of seemingly nowhere, but they wouldn’t be as present in content as the mainstay figures in the organization. This was a foreign move for the brand and undoubtedly created some important questions as to the plans Infinite Esports & Entertainment had – especially after it had dropped one of the most dominant rosters in console esports just weeks prior. Read More: OpTic parent company Infinite Esports layoff a host of staff including president Chris Chaney – OpTic Brazil and OpTic India – both of the new CS:GO rosters – got off to hot starts, dominating the competition in their respective regions. OpTic Mexico struggled to compete with the top flight of competition in Gears of War – including the organization’s ‘main team’ – while OpTic SEA didn’t appear to really do much or add any value. OpTic Global lasted a few months, with its demise starting with a scandal that rippled throughout the entirety of the esports industry. Nikhil ‘forsaken’ Kumawat, a member of OpTic India, was caught using a cheat program during the eXTREMESLAND 2018 CS:GO tournament. Not only did this cause an investigation that got the team disqualified from the event, but it undoubtedly spearheaded the closure of OpTic Gaming’s Indian arm. The rest of OpTic Global quickly toppled like dominos, with Infinite Esports & Entertainment appearing to have decided that pulling the plug on the venture would be the best course of action. Signing and housing teams from other regions is likely to be a costly operation, and if a negative reputation is hovering around these teams after a matter of months then it’s understandable move. This wasn’t what was making headlines for OpTic Gaming during the latter portion of 2018, however; it was the fact that the parent company had decided to let go a number of staff members. The most high-profile departure within the company was that of Chris Chaney, who helped facilitate the acquisition in November 2017 and had assumed the position of President. Filling in on a temporary basis was Ryan “OpTicJ” Musselman, a long-term and founding member of OpTic Gaming from its modest days in Call of Duty 2. The reasoning behind the layoffs was simple, according to OpTicJ. Speaking to Sports Business Daily, he explained that the company “grew too fast” and that the changes were necessary to establish a “healthy operating position.” Leibman also touched on the layoffs, stating that he was “positive the recent changes are the right way to move forward for our long term success in the esports business.” This seemed to be a great move for fans of OpTic Gaming, who had taken to blaming Chaney for a lot of OpTic Gaming’s misfires and disappointing moves over the first year of the acquisition. As H3CZ explained further down the line in May 2019, on his ‘Eavesdrop’ podcast, that all wasn’t as appeared and said that he had fallen out with OpTicJ quite some time ago due to the mishandling of a brand so precious to him. He and Davis “Hitch” Edwards told a story in which OpTicJ was close to dropping OpTic Gaming’s Call of Duty roster – a move that would have been devastating for the team, internal staff, fans, and Call of Duty esports at large. Thankfully this didn’t transpire due to H3CZ himself laying an ultimatum on the table: if OpTic Gaming leaves Call of Duty, he and his team of content creators would follow suit. That was enough to keep the status quo, but demonstrated how far Infinite Esports & Entertainment were willing to go to change things up. Following OpTicJ’s appointment as President at the end of 2018, up until H3CZ spoke out against his old friend, however, things were in a state of flux internally at OpTic Gaming. Players and personalities were constantly removing and adding the organization from their social media accounts and sly jabs were being taken in videos, but nothing concrete was being said. That was until a report surfaced in May, stating that Immortals Gaming Club had bid to buy the majority share in Infinite Esports & Entertainment and, subsequently, its properties. Follow-up reports were published explaining that the company had indeed bid but that H3CZ had also tossed his hand in the ring, but those in authoritative positions remained quiet for a while. The Acquisition On June 12th, it was officially announced that the acquisition was successful. Immortals Gaming Club had officially added OpTic Gaming to its portfolio of brands – joining Immortals, MIBR, Los Angeles Valiant, and Gamers Club. “We’re incredibly excited to work to preserve, sustain and grow OpTic’s unique and special place as the original content-first esports brand, one that consistently delivers amazing content and championships for its community, the Greenwall,” said Ari Segal, CEO of Immortals Gaming Club in a release at the time. What once was a self-made esports juggernaut is already starting to appear to be an empty brand, with none of the long-standing members actively representing it. – instead, they’re against the new ownership and aren’t afraid to show it. This much was evident when it was announced that Immortals Gaming Club – and by proxy, OpTic Gaming, had acquired the LA franchise in the upcoming Call of Duty franchised league. In a recent interview, Segal explained his intentions to keep the OpTic Gaming brand alive through the Call of Duty League starting 2020. Described as a city-based, geolocated league, it’s widely believed that the CDL will follow in the footsteps of the Overwatch League by having a city-based naming system. To comply with the rules that Segal is aware of, however, he believes that the brand chosen must only exist inside of the league. This makes sense considering the recent departure of its Gears of War roster and the impending release of its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squad. “I have a different understanding of [Activision] Blizzard’s rules and guidelines,” Segal told The Esports Observer. “My reading is that a single brand could be applied to [Activision] Blizzard’s franchise leagues. OpTic is Call of Duty and as long as we have anything to say about it, will always be Call of Duty.” If OpTic Gaming does indeed become a franchise within the Call of Duty League and ceases to exist elsewhere – to comply with Activision Blizzard’s rules – then it’s apparent that the brand will remain but everything that made it special may no be longer around. If this is indeed the case then it’s a travesty for esports; however, it is a growing, popular industry and people are looking to capitalize on that, so this may not be the last case of this nature H3CZ’s position in esports is unclear as things stand. Should he opt to operate within Immortals Gaming Club in any capacity, there may still be hope for OpTic Gaming yet in terms of fan perception. If he leaves – whether to join another organization or, more likely, start his own – then it’s been made very clear where the players and content creators’ allegiance lies: with him. For many years, it seemed as if OpTic Gaming as a brand was an anomaly that connected with gaming and esports fans on a level that transcends what others can produce. The acquisition – and the ordeal surrounding it as reports and rumors started surfacing – has proven that it’s the people within OpTic Gaming that fans have connections to. OpTic Gaming may have just come full circle: starting its journey in Call of Duty, slowly building up until it competed across several titles at once, to then come back and solely focus on Call of Duty once more.

The Epic Lower Bracket Run of FaZe Clan Continues at the 2018 CWL Championship FaZe Clan’s incredible lower bracket run continues at the CWL Championship, as they reach the lower bracket final with a win over eUnited. eUnited has been in formidable form throughout the event, but FaZe Clan defeated them with a 3-0 sweep to secure a top-3 finish and eliminate eUnited in fourth place. FaZe Clan was sent to the lower bracket in the very first round of the playoffs with a loss to Team Envy, but they’ve managed to work their way to now being within a single win of the grand final. Their run almost ended in the previous round, with a rematch against Envy. In the fifth map they found themselves down 1-5, but managed to pull off the come-back for revenge. Hot off of such an intense win, FaZe Clan managed to clinch a tough opening Hardpoint against eUnited, before following up on Sainte Marie du Mont Search and Destroy for match point. eUnited’s tournament life rested on Ardennes Forest Capture the flag, but FaZe denied them to secure the series. FaZe Clan will now face Team Kaliber for a spot in the grand finals, who themselves are coming off of a loss to Evil Geniuses in the winner bracket final. Team Kaliber had been on a hot streak in the winner bracket, but with EG handing them their first two Hardpoint losses of the tournament they will need to bounce back immediately to contend with the momentum that FaZe carries into that match.

The Definitive OpTic Gaming Call of Duty Team Quiz DexertoDo you think that you’re the ultimate OpTic Gaming Call of Duty fan? Time to prove it. The news on May 6th that the OpTic Gaming lineup of Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, Matt ‘FormaL’ Piper and Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow would be splitting sent shockwaves across the competitive CoD scene. It was confirmed via an episode of documentary series, Vision, that Crimsix and Scump would be picking up Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni and Sam ‘Octane’ Larew for the remainder of the season. A number of reasons were cited for the change, including a lack of wins compounding internal problems within the team, leading to bringing in new blood as the only option. This OpTic Gaming lineup stood tall for three years, and even during troubling times, they remained one of the favorites for every tournament they entered, with every team facing them giving that little bit extra because of who they were up against. That time as a roster is over, and Methodz and Octane will now attempt to fill two very big shoes as they head into Stage Two of the CWL Pro League, CWL Anaheim and eventually CoD Champs 2018 in August. So how much do you know about the OpTic CoD team and their history between 2015 and 2018? We’ve put together a comprehensive 25 question quiz to test even the most dedicated of fans. Tweet us your score (hide the result of the last answer) to @DexertoIntel for a chance at a RT, or comment below.

The CWL Has Announced New Details About Fan Voting for the CWL Anaheim All-Star Match The Call of Duty World League has announced new details regarding the All-Star Match that is due to take place during the upcoming CWL Anaheim event. Fans will now know the exact dates for when they can vote for the pro players they would like to see compete against each other in an exhibition style match. However, not every single player in the CWL will be eligible to be participate. Only players from the top four teams in each of the Pro League Divisions after two weeks of play can be voted for. Furthermore, each of the top four teams will have exactly one player representing them. This means the All-Star Match will feature four players from each of the top four Division A teams playing against four players from the top four Division B teams. Voting for the Division A All-Star players will last from May 25th-28th, and the vote for Division B players will be held from June 8th-11th. The format for the All-Star Game will be a 4v4 Pro-Mod Search and Destroy, meaning that each team will have to use at least one assault rifle, one sub-machine gun, and one sniper rifle. The match is set to take place at a time yet to-be-determined on Saturday, June 16th, which would be the second day of CWL Anaheim. This exhibition event will go towards promoting the Call of Duty Endowment, which is a nonprofit organization supported by Activision Blizzard that ‘identifies and funds the most efficient and effective organizations that get unemployed veterans back to work. – The full announcement regarding the CWL All-Star Match can be viewed below, or on the CoDCompetitive Reddit page. Hi all, With CWL Anaheim coming up in a little under a month, we wanted to give a quick update on the Call of Duty Endowment CWL All-Star game.Who’s playing? After the second week of matches in each Division, the top four teams in the standings from Division A and B will each have one player represent them in the All-Star game. These players will be fan-voted via Twitter polls from the @CODWorldLeague Twitter account. The four players voted in from Division A will play against the four players voted in from Division B.When is voting live? Division A polls will be live this Friday until Monday (May 25-28); Division B polls will be live June 8-11.When will the All-Star game take place? Saturday, June 16. Exact timing TBD.What mode will be played? Pro-Mod S&D. All items in game will be allowed.What is the Call of Duty Endowment? The Call of Duty Endowment is the official charity of the CWL. The Call of Duty Endowment aims to help combat veteran unemployment by helping veterans find high-quality jobs after their service. You can learn more about the important work the Call of Duty Endowment does by going here.Thanks all, can’t to see some of you at Anaheim!

The CWL Championship 2018 Grand Finalists are Locked In CWLThe grand final of the 2018 CWL Championship is set, with Evil Geniuses facing off against Team Kaliber for the trophy. Nobody would have predicted this match-up as the final showdown, but after five days of fierce competition these are the last two teams left standing. The run by Evil Geniuses has been the big shock of the tournament. Merely a map away from a group stage elimination, EG pulled off a 3-0 sweep against OpTic Gaming to make it to the playoffs. From there, they stormed through the winner bracket, securing their spot in the grand finals with a win over Team Kaliber. After being defeated in the winner bracket finals, Team Kaliber had to face a hot FaZe Clan to make their way back to the grand finals. FaZe struck first with a map one win, and almost extended their lead to two, but some big plays from tK secured a 3-5 come-back in Search and Destroy to tie the series. That victory proved crucial, as FaZe Clan were able to win Flak Tower CTF to reclaim their series lead. With tK’s tournament on the line, Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams put up one of the games of the tournament in London Docks Hardpoint, forcing a fifth game with Team Kaliber secured for the series win. Team Kaliber will now attempt to take revenge against Evil Geniuses and claim the CWL Championship trophy. Coming from the winner bracket, however, Evil Geniuses will have a series in hand, only needing to win one best-of-five while Team Kaliber will need to take two.

The company that made the CWL Championship rings were selling them on their website The company that designed and produced the Call of Duty World League Championship rings were attempting to sell replicas on their website. The discovery was made by current CWL World Champion Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price, who posted screenshots of the Baron website on his Twitter account with the caption ‘WHAT IS THIS”. Rings were made available to purchase at $995, and customers were allowed to customize the rings. The rings feature the CWL logo on the front, along with the WW2 logo on one side, and the CWL Champs trophy on the other. In a comment posted on Reddit, MLG Vice President of League and Event Operations Adam Apicella took to Reddit to confirm that replica rings weren’t scheduled to be available to order, simply stating; “This is not allowed.” In a separate comment on the same thread, an MLG employee confirmed that the web pages were made live by accident, and that the pages had been removed. It seems the listings were created to showcase their work, and the pages were never actually intended to go live on the Baron site. The website had two variations of the ring available on their site, one titled “OpTic Gaming Championship Ring”, and one with the more accurate title, “Evil Geniuses Championship Ring”. The real versions of the Championship rings were created for the 2018 CWL Championships, and given to the four members of the Evil Geniuses squad which one the tournament back in August.

The CoD World League Stream Set for Major Upgrade and the Return of a Familiar Face The Call of Duty World League livestream is set for a major upgrade for future events such as the CWL Pro League, Anaheim, and the 2018 CoD Championship, plus the return of a familiar face. Between Stage Two of the Pro League, CWL Anaheim, and the 2018 CoD Championship, over $2 million in prize money still remains on the table for teams and organizations to win. Now that roster lock has been solidified for the remainder of the CoD: WWII competitive seasons, teams are gearing up for some of the most intense competition of the year thus far, and attempting to bring a trophy home. More: New Statistic Shows Which Player Took Down the Old OpTic Roster the Most During Three Year Stint – With Stage Two of the CWL Pro League kicking off with Division A on Tuesday, May 15th, the CWL has released a ‘May Update’ which covers a variety of different topics for the remaining months of competition. As stated in the update, the CWL live stream will now be broadcast in 1080p, 60 FPS after a major upgrade was made to behind-the-scenes technology, and will be present at Stage Two, CWL Anaheim, and Champs. “Adam Apicella and crew upgraded our behind-the-scenes tech, and we’re now able to broadcast CWL content in 1080p, 60 FPS. This is a huge upgrade, and the team in Ohio have put in a lot of work to improve the broadcast for Stage 2, Anaheim, and Champs.” More: SlasheR and Bevils Respond to Criticism of Latest Gentleman’s Agreement in Competitive Call of Duty – It was also announced that John ‘Revan’ Boble and Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler will be joining the broadcast talent lineup full-time for Stage Two of the CWL Pro League, however, it is unknown if they will be present at CWL Anaheim or Champs at the time of writing. We’re thrilled to announce that both John ‘Revan’ Boble and Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler will be joining our the talent lineup for Stage 2 of CWL Pro League. Congratulations on your upcoming graduation, John! Stage Two of the CWL Pro League begins on Tuesday, May 15th, with a full schedule for the first week of Division A competition able to be found right here.

The CoD dark horses primed for CDL’s biggest upset In this episode of Reverse Sweep, Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt & Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker make their bold predictions Call of Duty League Stage 2 Week 2. Enable wanted Paris Legion to prove their mettle against Dallas Empire. Maybe not win, but at least put up a fight. They went on to lose 3-1, and Enable and Pacman’s thoughts that the team needs to make a roster change are slightly closer to coming to fruition if they truly want to challenge for championships. Read More: CDL Stage 2 Week 2 – Day 1: ROKKR stun OpTic – As far as predictions for wins go, though, Pacman is keenly watching out for ROKKR, thinking that they’ll take down Empire: “This is only because they beat them last stage, and they’re going to be off a really good warmup with OpTic.” Of course, RØKKR beat OpTic in a quick 3-0 fashion, thanks to a standout performance from rookie Eli ‘Standy’ Bentz on his debut. Pacman said: “With their new roster that I’m predicting that they have, they’ll be in a spot to beat Empire that second match.” Enable’s dark horse vote is on the London Royal Ravens: “Subliners are obviously a great team right now… I think they’re going to go into it just underrating London.” “I think everyone on London kind of has a chip on their shoulder right now… It’s like a revenge tour. I think they’re going to do everything in their power to come out, play their best CoD to date, and I think Subliners might just underestimate them.” Make sure to check out the full video above, and keep it locked over at our Reverse Sweep main page.

The CDL risks failing without major expansion and a format overhaul Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League has a lot of issues that have led to a decline in fan interest across the league’s first two seasons. Despite a rise in viewership in 2021, fans just don’t seem excited about the league’s third season. If the CDL wants to remain relevant, it needs to implement rapid expansion and overhaul its unpopular format. The CDL should be riding high entering its third season. A team on the verge of founding a dynasty, the formation of several potential superteams, and an injection of new talent, are all factors in why the league should currently be at its peak. However, whether it’s players railing against league salaries or sharing mixed reviews of Vanguard, the league finds itself in a difficult situation. This has been compounded by a general disdain for the franchised league, which many long-time fans see as a step back for the Call of Duty esports scene. If the CDL wants to reignite fan excitement, they need to start by expanding the league and rethinking its format. Expansion could breathe new life into the CDL The first change the CDL needs to make before anything else is a progressive expansion of the league. Read More: 2022 CDL roster hub – Currently, the CDL is comprised of 12 teams. 10 are in the continental United States while two are in western Europe. However, this has led to a number of issues. Stagnation While the CDL format also contributes to this, there is inevitable stagnation from playing the same 11 teams over and over. The league is still small enough that there are only so many times two teams can play one another. A prime example of this is Atlanta FaZe’s 7-1 record against the Toronto Ultra over the course of the 2021 season. Lack of geographical coverage The 11 cities are fairly disparate, especially the further west you travel. The Seattle Surge are nearly 1,000 miles away from the closest other CDL team. Both London and Paris only really represent their home cities in spirit, as the teams spend a majority of the season in the United States. Roster spots Roster spots in the CDL are limited to 48 starting spots and 12 substitute spots. This means that there is always going to be talented players pushed out, or rising prospects unable to find a way into the league. While the CDL appears open to expansion, any action has been seemingly impacted by the ongoing global health crisis. Rise Nation’s CEO Rodger Saffold told the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast in September 2021 that the CDL told Rise Nation the league wanted to include the org in a future expansion. Saffold also revealed that Rise were one of four organizations being considered for a CDL franchise. Read More: 12 cities the CDL should expand to – However, health crisis or not, it’s a move that CDL needs to implement as soon as possible. If Saffold is to be believed, the planned CDL expansion would increase the number of franchises to 16. In this hypothetical example of a four-team expansion, Rise Nation would get a spot in Nashville and teams would also be added in Las Vegas, Detroit, and Ottawa. No matter where they were based, simply adding four teams would be a major step in the right direction for the CDL. It’s four new teams added to the competitive rotation, helping alleviate stagnation. The geographical coverage of the league grows, especially if more teams are added in the western United States. This helps develop new fanbases and new media markets. While four teams also add 16 additional starting spots to the league. However, what the CDL needs to do is implement an expansion strategy for the coming years to develop steady and sustained growth. Here we see a hypothetical 30-team CDL. It expands across the US and Canada, as well as growing a scene in Europe, which allows the EU players often neglected by American teams a chance to showcase their abilities. The CDL’s ceiling is theoretically limitless. The important thing is that they introduce new teams in a measured and sustainable way. The MLS has added at least one team every year since 2017, and has plans in place to continue the trend until 2023. The NWSL added one team in 2021, and will add another two in 2022. The key is to add teams gradually, rather than rushing into a massive, and potentially overwhelming, expansion. But expansion on its own is not nearly enough to keep the CDL relevant. They need to pair it with a drastic overhaul of the league’s format. A new format makes the CDL more enjoyable Let’s be honest. No one likes the current CDL format. Five seeding round-robins, each followed by a standalone knockout Major simply feels disjointed and unconnected. The league needs a better way of running its season. As much as people want to see a return of open events, it’s highly unlikely that Activision wants to return to that format. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to have a fun season format. Before any league format changes occur, the league needs to be expanded to at least 16 teams. Once the number of teams increases, the CDL needs to look to leagues such as the NBA for inspiration. Some form of round-robin with teams separated into smaller divisions, such as two divisions of eight or four divisions of four, would allow for a more consistent regular season as opposed to the current format. Wider league events, such as All-Star Weekends, could be inserted into the calendar to break up the round-robin and provide more fan-centric experiences. At the end of the regular season, the overall standings would inform the seeding for a full 16-team, double-elimination bracket. While it’s not the beloved open system, something that could be re-integrated by way of events during the regular season, it provides more consistency and structure than the league currently has. The problems of the CDL go beyond the number of teams and its format. But adding more teams, and changing the way the league runs, is a quick and easy fix to give the CDL a platform to build on.

The Call of Duty League needs to change tack to avoid implosion Call of Duty LeagueThe Call of Duty League is one of the most ambitious esports leagues in the world in a number of ways, for better or for worse. But the league appears to be spiraling, and those running it need to seriously consider changing tact if they want to prevent the implosion that seems almost inevitable. On February 23, it was reported that Los Angeles Guerrillas’ owners would be looking to sell their spot in the Call of Duty League (as well as in the Overwatch League, Activision’s other esports venture). Such is the gravity of the situation that, if they can not sell, they would simply close operations, according to the same report, a clear sign that they want out as soon as possible. This would make them the fifth entity to either sell or attempt to sell their spot in the CDL since its first season concluded in 2020, following the likes of NRG, Immortals, and OpTic selling their spot to Boston to merge with Envy. While this is evidently an issue primarily within The Guard, LA Guerrillas’ parent company (who also laid off almost all non-competing staff on February 22), it’s one that resonates across the entire league, in a situation that some will argue has been written on the wall since day one. That’s why the Call of Duty League seriously needs to consider making several key changes, from the top down, to get back on track — if it’s not already too late. Abandon $25m franchise fees The buy-in fee for Call of Duty League franchises was scoffed at by fans almost immediately as soon as the figure was first reported. CoD esports hadn’t even come close to rivaling the top-tier titles, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends, yet Activision wanted to charge a fee never before seen in the industry for the honor of competing in their brand new league. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, given the fact that they had brought their franchising model to Overwatch in 2018, a clear plan for the direction of their esports entities: charge high, promise big, and hope it works out. So, both endemic and non-endemic organizations scraped their pennies together to buy-in before realizing very quickly that they were not going to be spinning a profit anytime soon. Since then, teams have floundered to get out of their agreements and find buyers to take on their commitments. The issue is, when this is happening multiple times a season, at what point do investors look at the CDL as a sinking ship moving faster than its tenants can keep up with? Who would look at the current state of the CDL and choose to sign away $25m, regardless of how small the installments are? A simple solution — and one that shouldn’t even have to be argued for — is a reduction in buy-in fees. Call of Duty is not the esport execs want investors to believe it is, and that’s fine. What’s not fine is that those who have already invested, watching their funds being drained, are struggling to keep the lights on while Activision holds out their hands asking for extra. For context, buying into the LEC or LCS in League of Legends came with fees of approximately $10m when those franchise competitions were announced. The esport is a proven one, significantly larger than Call of Duty, and seems like a far more obvious choice for investors looking to expand their portfolio or get into the esports space. This is not all to say that the CDL can’t be a profitable venture in the future. With comparisons to the NBA and the NFL by high-level executives, you have to give the league time to grow to reach even closer to those kinds of ventures. Expecting profits in the early years will have been silly. But with so many organizations looking to pull out, it’s easy to assume that franchises are struggling to see a return on their investment. In January of this year, a number of Overwatch League franchises were reported to have started “a collective bargaining process against the league after years of high operating costs and continually missed promises on revenue.” The report stated: “The goal for those discussions is for the teams to be awarded some form of economic relief to promote sustainability after each franchise spent somewhere between $7.5 to $10 million in franchise payments over the past six years, as well as more than $1 million in operating costs each year to maintain their teams.” What’s to say the Call of Duty League teams couldn’t draw inspiration from their Overwatch League peers — many of whom have teams in each league — and seek more financial support from the CDL? Simply put, a lower buy-in would entice more organizations to join up and ease the financial pressure that everyone is facing in the current economic climate. Not to mention the good response it would get from franchises already involved — support that the league could definitely do with at the moment. Figure out sponsorship and media rights One major issue the CDL needs to get a grasp on for the longevity and optimism of the league is its sponsorships and media rights deals. On February 3, Dexerto reported that the CDL was in talks with YouTube over another exclusivity rights deal in a move that left many fans, players, and franchises reeling. OpTic Texas CEO Hector ‘HECZ’ Rodriguez was vocal in his distaste for the CDL’s strategy, evidently disappointed that team owners wouldn’t even be consulted on such a decision. While most viewers prefer the Twitch experience, the YouTube exclusivity deal helped some franchises keep the lights on in the early days. The money received from that deal meant teams could make investments where they wanted to and not be so strict on their budget. When that income disappeared, it affected both the teams and the league. Another issue comes in the form of sponsorships, with the CDL hosting a merry-go-round of sponsors since its launch, changing multiple times each season. In the last few months alone, we’ve seen sponsorships with Aimlab and Prime Gaming end, as well as the likes of US Army, ASTRO Gaming, USAA, and Mountain Dew Game Fuel all coming and going. In fact, according to sources close to the situation, Mountain Dew pulling out as a sponsor meant the New York Subliners could no longer afford to host Major IV this season, which is why the tournament will now take place in Columbus, Ohio, without an audience. Subliners President Farzam Kamel denied this in a statement made to Dexerto, saying: “Our decision to pull out of the major was based on a multitude of factors, none of them related to Mountain Dew. In fact, when the decision was made discussions with Mountain Dew about their participation were actively taking place just as in the prior year.” In comparison to the above, the LEC has partnerships with the likes of KitKat, Kia, Santander Bank, Prime Gaming, and Red Bull, among others. They even have Warner Music as a license partner. For the sake of the longevity of the league, as well as to provide the support the entire league needs, the CDL needs to sell its product to sponsors as resolutely as it did to investors. With viewership on the rise (though that could be affected by a move to YouTube), now is as great a time to capitalize as ever. Earn the trust of fans and teams Finally, something the CDL desperately needs to do is re-establish the relationship it has with fans, players, and teams, earning their trust and respect to take the league forward. Of course, this is easier said than done, and is a long-term solution to what is becoming an increasingly urgent problem, but is one that must be rectified. Organization executives across the league are unhappy, whether they’re vocal about it, like HECZ, or they prefer to keep their criticism out of the public eye. The relationship between the league and its teams is so frayed that when CDL executives sought to find a new venue for Major 4, a number of teams were reportedly not even contacted regarding whether they would want to host. Boston Breach General Manager Denholm ‘Denz’ Taylor suggested as much in a tweet following the announcement, saying that “we wish we had the opportunity presented our way!” Ultimately, the league needs stability, support, and positive press more than anything else. Those can go almost hand-in-hand. They need to treat franchises with the respect of a group that has committed to $300m+ payments to them — involve them in decision-making discussions, and don’t share last-minute announcements without consulting them. Of course, it’s up to the CDL leadership what they do with their league, but they need to find a way to keep these teams on their side. Right now, they’re not doing a great job at it. These things are often easier said than done, but the league is gliding ever closer to breaking point on its current trajectory. While other factors may come into play — exorbitant, ever-growing player salaries, and annual game changes with varying competitive support, among others — the league itself needs to make things easier for franchises. The alternative, as proven by LA Guerrillas’ reported sudden U-turn, is a league soaring ever closer to complete failure.

The Call of Duty All-Star Game is Returning at CWL Anaheim The Call of Duty World League has announced that the CWL All-Star game will be making a return at the upcoming CWL Anaheim event. This came as part of a larger announcement on Reddit about the changes being made to the CWL, including some scheduling adjustments, broadcast talent update, and more. CWL Anaheim will take place in Anaheim, CA and will be the sixth major open tournament of the current CWL season. The tournament, which will be the final one before the 2018 CWL Championship, will feature over 160 teams from across the world battling it out for a share of the $200,000 prize pool. Read More: Full Week One Schedule for Stage Two of the CWL Pro League: Division A – International Timings, Matchups, and More – The CWL All-Star game will be played on Saturday, June 16th and will feature eight of the best and brightest talent that the Call of Duty World League has to offer. Fans will get to vote in the players that will participate, and it appears that the voting will be done on the CWL Twitter page. The format for the All-Star game will be a 4v4 Pro-Mod Search and Destroy, meaning that each team will have to use at least one assault rifle, one sub-machine gun, and one sniper rifle. This exhibition event will go towards promoting the Call of Duty Endowment, which is a nonprofit organization supported by Activision Blizzard that ‘identifies and funds the most efficient and effective organizations that get unemployed veterans back to work.’ – Full details about CWL Anaheim, including scheduling and ticket purchasing, can be found on the official event page here.

The Blackout solo kill record has been broken twice in one day Even though Black Ops 4 has only been out for less than a month, players are already starting to set some incredible records in the game’s battle royale mode, Blackout. As everyone continues grinding Blackout, the skill level is getting higher and higher on a daily basis, even amidst many of the widespread changes Treyarch has introduced to the game. Rogue’s Jordan ‘HusKers’ Thomas is seemingly leading the pack, as he set the world record for most kills in a solo match on November 8. Twice. His first attempt came in the afternoon hours of the day when he put up a ridiculous 26 kills in a single match. New #Blackout solo kill record. 26 kills pic.twitter.com/PvaDwvHNE1 — HusKers (@HusKerrs) November 8, 2018 Even as he secures the 26th kill, though, HusKers laments the fact that he wasn’t more aggressive during the match. “I should have played more aggressive,” HusKers tells his chat. “I could have gotten like 27 or 28 [kills].” It turns out that HusKers was completely correct as he managed to one-up himself just two hours later with another monster game to break the record he had just set. His world-record setting win was even more exciting than his earlier one as he managed to seek out camper inside of a gas station bathroom before hopping on an ATV to pick up the final kill. 30 KILLS. IN A SOLOS MATCH. WE DID IT.@CallofDuty @Treyarch pic.twitter.com/A05JFVyUWG — HusKers (@HusKerrs) November 9, 2018 HusKers is no stranger to setting world records, as his organization pointed out that he’s been doing this since the beta with multiple records under his belt. And @HusKerrs has done it again! He’s had the kill record in #Blackout since beta. 23, 24, 25, 26, and now 30! https://t.co/93WCsIVdDV — Rogue (@GoingRogueGG) November 9, 2018 Having been playing battle royales since the days of H1Z1, it’s no surprise that HusKers was able to accomplish this incredible feat. With a very high bar now set, you can bet that plenty of people will start gunning for HusKers spot at the top.

The Black Ops 4 Diamond camo changes colors with streaks Treyarch has taken the Diamond camo to another level in Black Ops 4 by adding a color-changing effect every time you go on a five kill streak. The camo turns into fluorescent blues, greens and reds with each streak, but something amazing happens if you can change the color seven times in a single match. As discovered by the KARNAGE Clan, the Diamond camo will turn into an animated rainbow. Every 5 kill streak while using the diamond camo, the color changes. Once you do that 7 times in a match it becomes a Rainbow Camo in #BlackOps4! THIS IS AMAZING @Treyarch! pic.twitter.com/g2NcHvFCO9 — KARNAGE Clan (@KARNAGEclan) October 14, 2018 Earning the Diamond camo is very similar to past Black Ops games. You will have to get 100 headshots with a weapon to unlock the basic camos, then a new set of camos will become available to be unlocked. Once you complete the challenges required for the next set of camos, you will unlock a special Gold camo for that weapon. Earning the Gold camo on every weapon in a class will then unlock the Diamond camo for all the weapons in that class. The gun in KARNAGE’s video is the Swordfish, which is in the Tactical Rifle class. Read More: Black Ops 4 game settings update for Multiplayer, Zombies, Blackout – Full Patch Notes – October 14 – Once you unlock the Diamond camo for every class in Black Ops 4, another special camo will unlock – Dark Matter. Check out Dexerto’s guide for the best way to unlock camos in Black Ops 4 so you can get a color-changing Diamond camo for yourself! Image Source: Karnage Ghosts

The Black Ops 4 CWL Codcaster has become a meme The Black Ops 4 competitive season is in full swing with the start of CWL Vegas and the event has been a success so far. The new season has brought a number of exciting changes to the first day of Vegas, including five players per team, specialist abilities and a new game mode in Control. Another major update is the Codcaster overlay, which shows more stats and information than ever before. However, as some fans are hilariously pointing out, that information is a little hard to see. One user figured out the perfect method for reading the new Codcaster, you simply need a high-powered telescope. Another take on the meme explored what it would be like if other sports explored the design cues of the Black Ops 4 Codcaster. Finally, someone discovered the true intentions of the CWL’s new Codcaster. You can save money by skipping those expensive eye doctor appointments, trying to read player stats will tell you everything you need to know about your glasses. Call of Duty caster Maven offered a more serious take on the state of the Codcaster, something he relies on to do his job. I like many of the changes to CODCaster. I understand it isn’t perfect, but it provides a lot of helpful information to viewers/casters. But wow, I was surprised how different it felt vs prior years and watching scrims. I didn’t know where to put my damn eyes sometimes — Clint Evans (@Maven) December 7, 2018 “I like many of the changes to CODCaster. I understand it isn’t perfect, but it provides a lot of helpful information to viewers/casters,” said the caster. Maven spent much of WW2 wondering which players had scorestreaks, so the updated HUD certainly brings an improvement in that area. He did agree with the complaints about the size of the fonts. I think that’s the main thing that needs to be tweaked, font/ratio of some of the HUD elements. — Clint Evans (@Maven) December 7, 2018 CWL Vegas continues through December 9, check out all the action on Dexerto’s CWL Vegas Event Hub, get real close to the screen if you want to see player stats though.

The best ways to counter Nomad’s Attack Dog in Black Ops 4 One of more difficult Specialists to counter in Black Ops 4 is Nomad – more specifically, Nomad’s Specialist Ability: the Attack Dog. Players using the Nomad Specialist will periodically get the opportunity to “Send out a hound to patrol an area, or call it in to follow you around as a guard dog,” and it’s pretty damn good at killing things. The Attack Dog can be difficult to hit and has a great deal of health, making it difficult to take down. However, there are a number ways of killing it if you know what you’re doing, as popular YouTuber ‘TheXclusiveAce’ recently explained. First, you can use a launcher as your secondary weapon and kill the Attack Dog in one shot, but only if you hit it directly. Miss one shot, and you’re probably going to die! Another effective counter can be the SG12 shotgun’s operator mod, which is a strobe light. The light can stun the dog for a few seconds on one occasion, but it only works once and there’s a good chance you won’t have the weapon in your loadout. Other Specialist abilities and equipment, like the War Machine, Ajax’s Ballistic Shield, Trip Mines, Razor Wire and more are strong against the dog, but require you to have them available when the canine is running towards you. In fact, if you or your team have any Razor Wire on the map, you can simply stand inside it and the dog won’t attack you at all, making it one of the easiest counters. TheXclusiveAce does demonstrate a way of avoiding the dog without any special weapons or attachments though – simply jumping to the side as it attacks and shooting it in the back as it recovers! You can check out the full video below. The ‘dancing around the dog’ technique is shown at the 10:35 mark.

Warzone streamers Baka Bros join TimTheTatman on Complexity ahead of $100k LAN YouTube: Repullze/ComplexityWarzone aficionados and rising Twitch stars The Baka Bros have signed with esports organization Complexity Gaming and are planning to celebrate the news in a big way. Comprised of DiazBiffle, LuckyChamu, and Repullze, the Baka Bros are best known for their gameplay on Call of Duty battle royale Warzone. They’ll now be representing Complexity Gaming in the arena. To give back to the community now they’re officially creators and competitors for a major North American esports org, the trio are hosting a $100k Warzone event and 12 days of giveaways with another $100k in prizes. The Baka Bros will collaborate with other Complexity competitors and creators, host more events, design co-branded merchandise, and represent the org in the battle royale title. winter in Vegas????https://t.co/DEdzcHmPOt Thanks to @MGMResortsIntl @CashApp for sponsoring this event pic.twitter.com/XpdJzPx68N — The Baka Bros (@thebakabros) November 18, 2021 The previously announced BAKA wonderLAN event will bring competitors to Las Vegas on December 17 to battle it out for a share of the $100k prize pool. UFC fighter Max Holloway will be there, alongside top Warzone competitors and some of their new Complexity colleagues. Complexity, under the umbrella of GameSquare Esports, will provide the trio with a bundle of resources from their sister companies. This includes Complexity’s own esports experience, agency Cut+Sew’s marketing expertise, and Gaming Community Network’s production prowess. “Warzone’s vibrant community continues to grow alongside its rebuffed focus on new in-game content, and builds upon our excitement to be partnering with some of the title’s most popular personalities,” said Complexity’s vice president of talent, Sören Vendsahm. “The Baka Bros bring depth and charisma to our ever-expanding roster, and will contribute to Complexity’s ongoing commitment to create innovative and engaging content, lift trophies, and foster a positive culture for players and fans.”

Attack dogs in Black Ops 4 can jump crazy heights to take out enemies Anyone who has played Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is likely to have come across the seemingly invincible enemy that is the game’s version of the attack dog. This year, the hounds are not a scorestreak, but can be called in by the player using the Nomad specialist periodically throughout the game. The dogs can kill opponents in one bite, and take a lot of damage to kill, so some players have taken to trying to hide from the vicious beasts instead of trying to battle them. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be an option either, based on a video uploaded to Reddit by a user named ‘Meltron77’. In an attempt to survive the upcoming assault, Meltron77 decided to hide in the balcony on the outer lane of popular map Summit. Because the only way up to the platform is by a ladder, it seems like a safe spot, because obviously no dog could climb a ladder. Well, it seems ladders are irrelevant when you have springs for legs, as the dog wandered up to the platform, and then jumped an incredible height onto the platform to take out it’s prey, giving the player little chance to eliminate the dog before it could bite him. With the dog now using superpowers to jump great distances, it seems Call of Duty fans will have to return to trying to eliminate the canine assailant rather than escaping it. Thankfully, there are some ways to eliminate the attack dogs, including the use of launchers, different specialist items and operator mods, although your aim will need to be good to take down the beast before he gets to you!

The Act Man flames CoD Modern Warfare 3 campaign: “I’d rather eat my own s**t” Activision/Instagram: The Act ManCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaign leaves a lot to be desired. The Act Man took to Twitter to give his take and he did not hold anything back. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is off to a shaky start after reports the game was rushed following the cancellation of the Advanced Warfare sequel. It’s struggled with the usual day-one spawn glitches resulting in the temporary removal of certain maps. Players have also called out “lazy” designs in Modern Warfare 3’s campaign missions. It’s a sentiment that’s been echoed around the internet by major streamers with Moistcr1tikal calling the game’s campaign “objectively horrible”. The Act Man has officially weighed in on the discussion posting a Tweet that absolutely shreds Modern Warfare 3’s campaign. Not pulling any punches, he let his followers know exactly how he felt. “I’d rather eat my own s**t,” he claimed. Players who took part in the early access period for Modern Warfare 3’s campaign criticized it for being “Warzone with cutscenes”. “The rumors were not exaggerated,” The Act Man agreed. “Modern Warfare 3’s campaign is the worst COD Campaign of all time. Somehow worse than Vanguard & Ghosts,” he went on before scoring it a “1/10”. Many users in the comments seem to agree with the sentiment, minus the s**t eating of course. “If Modern Warfare 4 isn’t them retconning MWIIIs campaign then they’ve officially failed,” one player said. “Campaign is straight dog s**t water a** f**k booty nuts,” another user replied. Other players in the thread took umbrage with The Act Man’s callouts of Call of Duty Ghosts and Vanguard. “The campaign was absolutely not the problem with Ghosts,” one user asserted. “I will die on this hill.” While most players can’t seem to figure out if Modern Warfare 3’s campaign is the worst in the series, they do seem to agree that it’s bad. Early reviews based on the game’s narrative have scored it the lowest in the franchise’s history. It’s a good thing that a majority of Call of Duty players are in it for the multiplayer. We’ve got a bunch of Modern Warfare 3 guides to help in that regard. Best Modern Warfare 3 AR class loadouts | Every confirmed map in Modern Warfare 3 | How to slide cancel in Modern Warfare 3 | Best controller settings in Modern Warfare 3 | Can you get a Nuke in Modern Warfare 3? | All MW3 maps & modes | How to play Modern Warfare 3 at 120 FPS on PS5 | Modern Warfare 3 TTK

Call of Duty’s 8 most controversial missions and moments Infinity WardCall of Duty is not a franchise known for easing back on something because of its edgy nature. In fact, the game has flirted with controversy several times. So we’ve picked out eight of the most controversial Call of Duty missions and moments in its storied history. [jwplayer RexLZ1JW] The various developers of the Call of Duty games have always incorporated what’s best for their games. If that means making the audience uneasy, then so be it. A momentary feeling of unsteadiness is all it takes to reassure people that these scenes are there for a reason. The franchise has certainly featured a few instances that could be filed under this category. Whether it was controversial in terms of its simulated depiction of graphic warfare or a controversial moment that upset fans with the nature of its content – Call of Duty’s Infinity Ward and Treyarch are very good at creating conversation. So here are nine of the most controversial Call of Duty missions to ever grace our screens. 1. No Russian Unquestionably the moment that put COD under the microscope. Subject to much intense scrutiny, it has long been debated whether or not No Russian was necessary. But its impact is a non-starter as it garnered a lot of mainstream media coverage. Giving the player the ability to gun down hundreds of innocent civilians in an airport was always going to be a touchy subject. 2. London attacked…Twice For some reason, London is a hotbed for terrorist activity in COD games. Modern Warfare 3 made players bear witness to a gruesome bombing that took the life of a small child. Furthermore, the recent Call of Duty reboot also has a bomb going off in Piccadilly Circus – causing bedlam. 3. Modern Warfare (2019) shows a dead child Carrying on with the Call of Duty reboot, its promises of graphic, harrowing depictions of war were true. In the game’s “Hometown” mission, Farah and Hadir are trying to escape town after an attack on their village. As they crawl through a hole in a wall, they arrive at the body of a dead child. The sight of the child’s lifeless, open eyes is quite chilling and upsetting. 4. Call of Duty 4 nuclear weapon Something that people don’t wish to discuss is the constant threat of nuclear warfare. All major nations have access to deadly arms that could launch at any second – causing mass destruction. So it was shocking when COD4 not only featured a simulated explosion, but put you in it. You feel it, the helpless realization that you’re watching a man slowly succumb to lethal radiation. 5. Shepherd’s betrayal 10 years later and this still annoys people to this day. General Shepherd came across as a stern, disciplined war general – but a trustworthy one. So it’s jaw-dropping when he shoots both you and Ghost in a shocking turn of events. He proceeds to heinously burn both of you alive and you’re powerless to do a single thing about it. 6. Killing Fidel Castro Needless to say, this created some hostilities between the makers and Cuba. It’s quite well-documented that there had been over 600 real-life attempts to kill former Cuban dictator – Fidel Castro. But in Call of Duty: Black Ops, this was quite possible, as you do kill him. But it actually turns out to be a double in the end. It still incited a fierce reaction from a Cuban website condemning the insinuation. 7. Al-Fulani execution scene Outrageous acts of terrorism in games are now commonplace. But back in 2008, this wasn’t as heard of. So it’s quite a rip-roaring beginning to see the President of Saudi Arabia being executed on live TV. Watching him plead for his life and seeing the barrel aimed squarely at your face is jarring. It was a precursor of things to come for the COD franchise. 8. Soap dies A final horrible moment for long-time fans of the games that essentially watched Soap grow. From being a Sgt. in COD4 to a Captain and Commander of his own field in Modern Warfare 2 and 3. It’s devastating to see him fall in Modern Warfare 3. It incites everybody – and even Captain Price who’s understandably furious. It’s a cold reminder that absolutely no one is invincible. So there you go, that’s our 8 most controversial Call of Duty missions and moments. Did we leave any out?

The 7th CWL Pro League Challenge Reaches the Semi-Finals With Major Teams Remaining – Final Placements (Updating) The July 1st CWL Pro League Challenge has reached the Semi-Final round with a few major organizations still alive. The Pro League Challenge is a bi-weekly tournament that sees the top eight North American teams from the previous 2k play against the eight current CWL Pro League teams. The $2,000 prize pool does not seem to be enough for the Pro League teams however, with most Challenges featuring a major upset against disinterested top squads who find private scrims to be more valuable. The July 1st edition of the Pro League Challenge was no exception as FaZe Clan and Team Kaliber fell in the first round, while EnVy and Red Reserve dropped second round matches to non-league teams. Evil Geniuses are still alive and might be using the Pro League Challenge to get their Search game back on track, having won two Game 5 S&D maps in the first two rounds. They will take on another league team in Splyce in one semi-final. More: Artillery Barrage Causes London Docks to Flood for GodRx in Strange Call of Duty: WWII Glitch BABES, a roster that formed in the aftermath of GGEA Orange and EZG reshuffling, swept Team EnVy to reach the other semi-final. Awaiting them will be non-league team Ghost Gaming, who advanced past Red Reserve after beating Epsilon in the first round. The CWL Pro League Challenge Bracket can be found below, along with the updating final placements. Semi-Final and Grand Final Bracket Rosters Ghost Gaming: Lacefield, GodRx, Pandur, Parasite – BABES: Cells, Kade, NauX, Believe – Evil Geniuses: ACHES, Apathy, Assault, SiLLY – Splyce: Bance, Jurd, MadCat, Joshh –

The 7th CWL Pro League Challenge Has Been Won by a Non-Pro League Team Yet Again – Final Placements Ghost Gaming has become the first team to win two Call of Duty World League Challenges after defeating Evil Geniuses in the Grand Final of the seventh installment of the competition. The CWL Pro League Challenge is a bi-weekly online tournament that gives eight ameteur teams the chance to compete with eight of the current Pro League teams for their share of a $2,000 prize pool. The seventh Pro League Challenge, which began on July 1st, saw an ameteur team take the top spot after Christopher ‘Parasite’ Duarte’s Ghost Gaming defeated Evil Geniuses 3-1 in the Grand Final. This is the second time in a row that the Pro League teams have fallen short after Enigma6 won the last competition with a 3-1 victory over Luminosity Gaming. Ghost Gaming took a forfeit victory over Red Reserve in the quarterfinals but the team proved their worth with a comfortable win over Kade ‘Kade’ Jones’ team in the semifinals before plowing through Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price and company in the Grand Final. After a 3-1 W over @EvilGeniuses, #GhostGang are your Pro League Challenge Champions. pic.twitter.com/t6iAyVqpgu — Ghost (@GhostGaming_GG) July 3, 2018 This marks the first time that an organization has won more than one CWL Pro League Challenge as Ghost also claimed victory in the February 25th competition when Chance ‘Maux’ Moncivaez was on the roster. The Evil Geniuses players will be disappointed about falling short of the title but their main focus will be on the final week of Division A action in the CWL Pro League, beginning on July 3rd. ACHES’ team is currently sat in third place with a 7-4 record. They will need to face the likes of FaZe, Team Kaliber, and Team Envy in the last week as they attempt to hold on to a playoff spot. The final placements from the July 1st CWL Pro League Challenge are as follows:

The 7 best CoD players not in the Call of Duty League CDL/DexertoWith the CDL’s opening campaign well underway and the standings taking shape, we take a look at the world’s best CoD players who are not currently on a CDL team for Modern Warfare. The Call of Duty League’s opening season has not been without its controversy. Many pros are arguing that the move online means tournament wins are meaningless, as well as the ongoing debate around the inclusion of Domination as a competitive mode. With just 12 franchises in the CDL, roster places are incredibly limited. Each franchise has between 6 and 10 players, but some seriously talented pros have missed out. Here, we take a look at the best Call of Duty players who are, at the time of writing, not on any roster for a Call of Duty franchise. This includes non-playing positions. Nagafen Given the strength of his Black Ops 4 season, it remains something of a mystery why Jared ‘Nagafen’ Harrell is not on a CDL outfit. His Gen.G roster, on paper an average group of CoD players, finished second at both CWL Playoffs 2019, and CWL Anaheim 2019. While a number of those players have gone on to CDL teams – most notably Envoy at Chicago Huntsmen – Nagafen has not managed to force his way into a roster. He currently represents Triumph, an organization competing in the Call of Duty Challengers season. Dqvee David ‘Dqvee’ Davies is the first – and only – British player to feature on our list. He is still on Team WaR, the organization he has represented (on and off) since June 2019. This very roster won the $6,000 CDC Paris tournament back in March 2020. Perhaps best known for his time on Epsilon Esports back in Infinite Warfare, he spearheaded the all British roster that won the 2017 tournaments CWL Birmingham and CWL Sheffield. John Johnathan ‘John’ Perez is probably the most talented player on this list. A world champion with Team Envy in Black Ops III, he has accumulated over $500,000 in prize money alone. His most recent tournament wins include Black Ops 4’s CWL Fort Worth, and Infinite Warfare’s CWL Birmingham. Rumors have swirled about his omission from the CDL, so his return to professional CoD may not be straight forward. Regardless, he is one player on this list almost certain to make his way on to a successful roster when the time comes. FeLo While Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson has struggled for major tournaments wins in the past few years, he has represented some of the world’s largest esports organizations, including Evil Geniuses, Splyce and eUnited. Best known as a rushing SMG specialist, FeLo has struggled for a consistent roster place since spending a year with Rise Nation in Black Ops III. He is currently a player for Triumph, alongside the aforementioned Nagafen. Parasite Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte is one of the older CoD players on this list, having been around when competitive CoD was finding its footing in esports. He was a world champion way back in 2013, when his Fariko Impact side won the very first CoD Champs. Since then, he has struggled massively to find consistency, representing 31 teams in just 7 years. In the Modern Warfare season he most recently represented WestR, a makeshift org with a host of NA players, but was dropped from the roster amid accusations of messaging a teammate’s girlfriend. Fighta Lincoln ‘Fighta’ Ferguson is the only Australian on our list. A member of Mindfreak for over five consecutive years, he currently represents Renegades. His Mindfreak roster competed in the Open tournaments during Black Ops 4, winning both CWL London and CWL Anaheim. We’ve seen a few of his compatriots and ex-Mindfreak teammates find their way onto CDL rosters – Denz and Shockz currently play for Paris Legion – but Fighta has not had as much luck. Xotic We’re rounding off our list with John ‘Xotic’ Bruno. The 21-year-old is probably best known for the year he spent with Evil Geniuses, spanning the whole Black Ops 4 season. He formed part of the EG roster that placed 7-8th at the 2019 World Championships. Prior to that, he represented Lightning Pandas, Cloud9 and GosuCrew. Despite starting the Modern Warfare season on the aforementioned Triumph roster, he departed in March 2020. He currently plays for Encrypted Gaming, who also compete in the CDC. That rounds off our list of the 7 best Call of Duty players not currently in the CDL. While all information is accurate at the time of publication, there is every likelihood that some players featured will find their way onto a CDL roster in the future. You can keep up to date with every CDL roster change right here on Dexerto.

The 6th CWL Pro League Challenge Reaches the Semi-Finals With Multiple Upsets Once Again – Final Placements (Updating) The 6th CWL Pro Leauge Challenge has reached the Semi-Finals with multiple top teams getting knocked out in the early rounds yet again. Taking place every two weeks, the Pro League Challenge is an opportunity for the top eight teams from the North American CWL 2K tournament to match up with the eight current squads at the CWL Pro League. A prize pool of $2,000 is on the line during every Pro League Challenge installment, however, teams mainly play for the ability to go head-to-head with some of the best players and squads across the competitive CoD landscape. Taking place on Sunday, June 3rd, teams played through the first rounds of the tournament up to the semi-finals, with the remainder of the tournament occurring on Monday, June 4th. Once again, major teams saw an early exit in the Pro League Challenge, including the likes of compLexity, eUnited, and Rise, which has become a recurring theme since the inception of the tournament. A full list of the remaining matchups can be found below, along with the final placements for the 6th CWL Pro League Challenge. Semi-Final and Grand-Final matchups. Rosters Ghost Gaming: Lacefield, GodRx, Pandur, Parasite – Luminosity: FormaL, Slacked, JKap, John – Enigma6: General, Sender, Diabolic, aBeZy – Lightning Pandas: Goonjar, Xotic, Theory, Royalty – CWL Pro League Challenge Final Placements *Updating*

The 6 Best CoD Players Without a World Championship DexertoFollowing the conclusion of Black Ops 4’s World Championships, 22 players have now earned themselves one of CoD’s prestigious ‘rings’. However, which of the world’s best players are yet to win one? With this year’s inaugural CDL campaign moving entirely online, it remains up in the air whether there will be a 2020 CoD World Championship. A number of CoD pros are arguing that online wins do not count for nearly as much as a LAN event. Hence, it looks like these six CoD stars might have to wait until 2021 for their next chance to earn a World Championship ring. Top of the list is probably Sam ‘Octane’ Larew. Having broken out back in 2015’s Advanced Warfare, the AR starlet made a case for the world’s best player back in Infinite Warfare, matched only by FormaL in terms of NV4 capability. He has been a handful for opponents in every CoD since, and was named our best Black Ops 4 pro player at the end of last season (while the fans’ vote went to Dashy). Another big name on our list is Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag. A Call of Duty player who has since transcended Activision’s FPS, he was part of a stellar OpTic Gaming roster that went into Advanced Warfare as favorites to win a world title. The team crashed out early though, forcing Nadeshot to step away from professional CoD. He’s not been back since. However, he is still heavily involved in esports as the founder of 100 Thieves. Our list is rounded off with Gunless, Enable, BigTymeR and RamboRay. Who do you think is the biggest name to miss out on a CoD World Championship?

The 2018 CWL Championship Rings Have Been Revealed Scuf GamingThe rings that will be awarded to the winners of the 2018 CWL Championship have been revealed. The CWL Championship is the most prestigious event on the Call of Duty circuit, and while the winning team will also be awarded a trophy and a $600,000 prize, it’s the unique rings that the victorious players will receive that are most symbolic of that prestige. Introduced with the very first Call of Duty Championships in 2013, the rings separate the world championship from any other event. It’s not just an extra zero in the prize pool or the more abstract significance of the title – a championship ring is a tangible, physical reward that can only be earned one way, that no amount of success in other tournaments will achieve. The rings for each year’s world championship are unique to that season – a factor that makes them even more exclusive, as each particular variant can only be earned at a single tournament. As the 2018 CWL Championship draws to a conclusion, this year’s rings have now been revealed. Never before and never again will these exact rings be awarded. They will forever remain exclusive to the winners of the 2018 CWL Championship, carried with each player no matter where their careers take them afterwards. At the time of writing, twelve teams remain in the competition. There have already been several major casualties, including defending world champions OpTic Gaming and this year’s favorites, Rise Nation. Six will reach championship Sunday, but ultimately only one team can walk away with these rings.

All 10 Prestige emblems for Black Ops 4 have been revealed Deziah / Snstnl (Reddit)Treyarch have revealed all of the Prestige emblems that will be used in their upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 title. In the days leading up to the release of Black Ops 4, Treyarch had been periodically tweeting out the Prestige icons in bunches, with the final batch revealed on October 10. As usual, there are a total of 10 emblems, one for each of the Prestiges that players can level up to throughout the course of the game’s Multiplayer. Each icon is unique in terms of its design, color scheme, and intricacy, with the only common aspect being the fact that each one features some sort of mask or helmet and a corresponding piece of head-wear. Graphic designer ‘Deziah’ has compiled the emblems together on one image, and all 10 Prestige icons placed side-by-side is truly a sight to behold. Unless there is a fundamental change introduced in Black Ops 4, the Prestige system will likely be very similar to CoD titles in the past. Starting from the base level and every Prestige thereafter, players will need to level up to a certain level before they can enter the next Prestige, at which point a new icon will appear next to their name, although all of their unlocked weapons, perks, and items will be reset. There are usually a multitude of ways to boost the in-game XP points needed to level up, such as completing challenges, performing well in Multiplayer, and more. Black Ops 4 is scheduled to launch worldwide on October 12. For all information about international release times, pre-loading the game on console, and all download and update file sizes, check out our information hub here:

The 10 best Call of Duty killstreaks ever [jwplayer SZm0PqRr]Whether you love them or hate them – there’s no denying how influential Call of Duty’s killstreaks have been to the series’ overall success. After all, this ever-popular FPS wouldn’t be the same without these game-changing rewards. Join us as we take a look at a few of the very best. Call of Duty’s killstreaks have been around ever since the first Modern Warfare hit our screens back in 2007, bringing with it new and exciting ways to dominate our opponents. Those that managed to get 3, 5, 7 kills without dying would be rewarded with enemy-spotting UAVs, deadly Airstrikes, and the game-changing attack Helicopter. Of course, these killstreaks have gradually evolved over time, and players not only have a lot more choice over their well-earned prizes, they also have a great deal of control when using them out on the virtual battlefield. Here are a few of the best Call of Duty killstreaks ever. 1. Attack Dogs These loyal canine companions have continued to prove popular ever since their first introduction to the iconic battlefields of World at War. These AI-controlled dogs race their way around the battlefield, chasing down any enemies that are unfortunate enough to get in their way. Even if your enemy manages to kill these toothy terrors, more will spawn until the killstreak timer eventually runs out. Read more: 10 guns to avoid using in Modern Warfare & Warzone If that wasn’t enough, it only takes a single bite from one of these vicious hounds to send you reeling back to the killcam screen. This killstreak is more reminiscent of a zombie horde and it’s one we still love using even to this day – after all, where would we be without man’s best friend? 2. Tactical Nuke Modern Warfare 2 is remembered for its hilariously over tuned weapons, crazy killstreaks, and blistering fast combat. There’s certainly no denying that Infinity Ward brought out the big guns for Modern Warfare’s second outing. This montage worthy killstreak was the pinnacle of one’s gaming career back in 2009 – in fact, we still fondly remember those sleepless nights of trying to get the 25 kills needed to launch this deadly rocket, only to fall just one kill short. However, the feeling of finally earning this game-winning streak is still unparalleled to this day. There really is nothing quite like ending a game this way. 3. Blackbird While it may not be as flashy as the rest of the killstreaks on this list, Black Ops’ Blackbird proved to be a real nightmare. This all-seeing airship exposed every enemy on the map, providing realtime updates on player positions and even going as far as to show the direction they are facing. To make matters even worse, the Blackbird couldn’t be shot down, and jamming perks like Ghost didn’t block its prying eyes either. Instead, the opposing team was simply forced to suffer as the map descended into a one-sided game of hide and seek. This airship certainly gives a new meaning to the phrase “Big Brother is watching you”. 4. Swarm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnALTkES2iQ Now just the name of this streak is probably enough to tell you that you’re in for a bad time – unless you’re the one using it. These deadly drones fill the sky and begin hurtling their way down towards their victims at breakneck speed, instantly exploding upon impact and killing anyone that gets caught within the blast. This deadly streak is like an airstrike on steroids, with each drone seeking out target after target. Black Ops 2’s Swarm was so oppressive that it wasn’t uncommon for players to leave the lobby to avoid being spawn killed for the next 45-seconds. As fun as this streak was to use, we can’t say we miss it all that much. 5. Chopper Gunner The Chopper Gunner has always been one of the most reliable and highly effective killstreaks in Call of Duty and no list would be complete without it. Being able to dominate foes from above with high impact turret rounds and explosive missiles. Even though the Chopper Gunner can be taken down by conventional launcher fire, doing so can be incredibly difficult, especially when the pilot has their sights firmly locked on you. As a result, it’s incredibly common for one team to end up forcing the other into one area of the map, gifting a bounty of kills for the pilot and their team. Using the Chopper Gunner has always been as satisfying as it is rewarding. 6. Juggernaut There’s a reason that the Call of Duty series continues to bring back this herculean suit time and time again. The Juggernaut is a killstreak that allows you to really get stuck into the action, putting you firmly on the frontlines as you slowly sweep the map in search of enemies. Your movement speed and vision may be a little hindered, but the time to kill and overall rush that comes from using this killstreak is fantastic. The Juggernaut suit takes reduced damage from all weapons and ordnance, allowing you to shrug off damage while mowing down countless enemies with your trusty minigun. If your foes didn’t fear you before, then they certainly will when you don this suit. 7. Strike Team There have been a number of gun-toting AI-controlled units that have appeared in Call of Duty, but the majority of them have either been inconsistent or downright useless. However, Black Ops 4’s Strike Team demonstrated just how powerful two AI companions can truly be. Both of these units have a huge amount of HP and take a great deal of punishment, forcing enemy players to either focus their resources towards shutting them down or hiding from their highly damaging rifles altogether. Once these two highly-skilled units have rappelled their way onto the map, there’s almost always going to be carnage. 8. R.A.P.S. These rolling balls of death had many players fearing for their lives in the futuristic battlefields of Black Ops 3. This streak could be deployed as soon as the player got 1300 points, making it one of the game’s more difficult streaks to get. However, the points required to unleash these robotic explosives were well worth the added hassle, especially when you consider how many kills they would often net you. R.A.P.S. hunt down enemies and explode upon impact, instantly killing those that happen to get caught within the blasts radius. This futuristic streak was Black Ops 3’s answer to the series’ beloved attack dogs and while they lacked the overall fear factor, they did prove incredibly lethal. 9. AP-3X Not only is flying around in your own little drone incredibly cool, it’s also a great way to boost those high kill counts. Infinite Warfare’s AP-3X was armed with two deadly machine guns and two rocket turrets, which allowed players to effectively zip around and deliver swift deaths to those that happen to get in the way. Having a streak that is both agile and destructive is always going to be a popular pick, especially amongst those looking to wreak as much havoc as possible. Infinite Warfare may not have been the best Call of Duty title ever released, but we certainly had a lot of fun taking to the skies with the AP-3X. 10. Care Package Now you may be wondering why we’ve added this rather mundane entry to our list of best killstreaks, but we do have a good reason for adding it. At its core, the Care Package is nothing more than a vessel – a gift from the skies above that allows any killstreak to be pulled from its confines. This killstreak is for those that like to play the odds as sometimes you may get lucky and pull out a Gunship or Juggernaut suit, while other times you may get stuck with a UAV or Shield Turret. There’s also the adrenaline rush of trying to frantically open your well-earned prize before your enemies find you, which is then either followed by the pure joy of being rewarded with something amazing or the inevitable frustration of pulling yet another terrible streak. Love it or hate it, the humble Care Package remains an iconic Call of Duty killstreak.

The 10 best Call of Duty games of all time – ranked ActivisionCall of Duty has come a long way since Infinity Ward first dropped us into the battlegrounds of World War II in 2003. We’ve taken on the enemy everywhere from the Cold War to way into the future, but what can be regarded as the best Call of Duty games of all time? The series’ captivating multiplayer action has brought people together to the point where we’re now on a battlefield with 200 players in the game-changing battle royale Warzone. Whether it’s boots on the ground or jetpacks, Call of Duty has been a consistently fun FPS for over 15 years; but what is the best CoD game ever, and where does the latest – Black Ops Cold War – fit into the rankings? Dexerto’s writers have been voting for their favorite CoD games of all time to decide this top ten – and three games didn’t get a single vote; sorry Blackout, WWII, and Call of Duty 3. In this list, we’ve separated Warzone as its own entry in the series, as it will now continue to evolve over the course of future entries in the series. That means it doesn’t factor into (2019) Modern Warfare’s judging. Onwards! 10. Black Ops 4 (2018) Black Ops 4 was the first and only Call of Duty game to launch without a campaign, and although multiplayer is mainly what it’s all about these days, this definitely displeased a number of fans. The multiplayer and Zombies modes were enjoyable though, with some stellar maps, and a generally well-balanced selection of weapons. Treyarch’s title looked very much like a Black Ops game with arcade action favored over gritty realism, though some do take issue with specialist abilities, as they can interfere with the standard gun-on-gun gameplay Call of Duty is famous for – something Black Ops 3 fell foul of, too. 9. Black Ops Cold War (2020) As it stands, although it has only been out for a short amount of time, Black Ops Cold War sneaks into ninth place in our rankings. The lack of maps and anger around SBMM have been major sticking points for critics of the game, but with its excellent weaponry, map design, and arcadey aesthetic – it is what CoD fans have come to expect from the Black Ops series. The MP5, AK-47, and the 74-U are all iconic firearms that bring a welcome sense of nostalgia for fans of the original Black Ops. Although limited to only a handful of maps, what is here is generally decent, with some exceptions (looking at you, Cartel). Crossroads, Checkmate, and Garrison all return to Black Ops’ excellent 3-lane design, which is refreshing after Modern Warfare. It will be interesting to see where this ranks once Warzone becomes fully integrated. Speaking of which… 8. Warzone (2020) Warzone has become nothing short of a global phenomenon since it was launched in March 2020, as a battle royale off-spin from Modern Warfare (2019). As a free-to-play title, it has reached a huge audience that might not otherwise have played CoD, and is right up there with the very best battle royale games. Unlike Blackout, Modern Warfare made use of the most iconic of CoD features: create-a-class. Dubbed as loadouts, Warzone lets players get fully kitted out with their weapons, attachments, equipment, and perks of choice – all from a single drop. It’s not an exaggeration to say this is revolutionary for battle royale games, which typically rely on purely looting whatever you find on the ground. It removed an element of luck, or RNG (random number generator), which BR’s are so often criticized for. And, it’s managed to keep players engaged without adding a whole new map or drastically changing the current one – a testament to the strength of the original Verdansk design. Hopefully, it will improve once Black Ops Cold War becomes fully integrated with it – a huge expansion is in the works. 7. Black Ops 3 (2015) Advanced Warfare split opinion amongst CoD fans with the introduction of jetpacks putting off many who prefer traditional boots on the ground. Indeed, Infinite Warfare is one of the most disliked CoD games of all time, as fans were simply sick and tired of the advanced movement mechanics. That said, Black Ops 3, the best of these advanced movement games, is a bit of a diamond in the rough. Its modes, of which a few new ones were introduced, were solid across the board, and some of the best multiplayer maps ever in CoD led to a fantastic year for the esports scene. Some classic levels like Fringe, Stronghold, and Infection made the most of wall-running and jetpacks, while not promoting an unhealthily fast pace that spectators couldn’t keep up with. Search and Destroy also flourished in BO3, with the amateur and online tournament scene booming. While Black Ops 3 can’t quite crack the top half of this list, it’s as close as an advanced movement CoD will probably ever get. 6. Modern Warfare 3 (2011) Modern Warfare 3 is sometimes at risk of being forgotten by the Call of Duty community. It didn’t exactly do anything groundbreaking or controversial, but was the perfect follow-up to Modern Warfare 2, a game that was, and still is, universally loved. MW2 fans could expect more of the same gameplay, plus solid maps. Read More: Ranked: Which Call of Duty had the best Nuketown map? Although the maps are more forgettable than the previous entry in the series, they were designed meticulously, well-balanced, and there are still some classics here like Dome. And the weapons had a great feel to them as well. Sniping left a lot to be desired, but the ACR and MP7 felt smooth as butter. The revamped killstreak system was exciting at the time, with the addition of Support and Specialist streaks. This gave players a lot more options suited to their playstyle and helped promote a less campy play-style, as you didn’t need to always protect your life to earn streaks. All of this helps it stand the test of time – you could still go back and enjoy MW3 to this day. 5. World at War (2008) World at War is another entry that has been underrated over the years. It had a respectable multiplayer experience, although balancing was a major issue, but there was one feature that separated this game from the rest: Nazi Zombies. As the first CoD game to feature a Zombies game mode, World at War completely changed up what Call of Duty could be, chucking in easter eggs and challenging players to get high-round finishes. Zombies was a whole new Call of Duty scene in the making and drastically changed what people demand from a CoD game and allowed a story to develop between titles that will linger long in the memory. Multiplayer, although perhaps fawned over now, was actually fairly messy. To this day, the MP-40 remains potentially the most overpowered Call of Duty weapon to never be seriously nerfed. And, if you try to play World at War now, you’ll find yourself in a perpetual loop of hacked lobbies. Still, the memories are intact. 4. Black Ops (2010) The original Black Ops game kicked Treyarch’s series off with a bang. It seemed doomed to sit in the shadow of the Modern Warfare series, but Treyarch had an ace up their sleeve. They brought in countless innovations: Theater Mode, creative streaks like the RC-XD and SR-71, overhauled the Zombies experience, and much more. It’s also responsible for the most iconic Call of Duty map of all time: Nuketown. This, among other gems like Summit, Firing Range, and Jungle have been remade numerous times. Even the DLC maps, like Stadium and Kowloon, earned much praise for their smart designs and unique atmosphere. Following Modern Warfare 2 was always going to be a tough ask, and it wasn’t instantly recognized, but over time players have realized that Black Ops 1 was actually an impeccable Call of Duty game. 3. Black Ops 2 (2012) Although it missed out on the top two here, Black Ops 2, for many fans, is the greatest Call of Duty game of all time – and you can definitely see why. It had just about everything you could want in CoD. Campaign and Zombies modes were good, building on solid foundations from the previous game, but the multiplayer was wonderful, with incredible maps like Raid and Standoff, which some would argue are even the best ever. A near-perfect selection of weapons, which were well-balanced and promoted a variety of options, rather than only one or two weapons dominated. Sure, the MSMC and M8A1 were most popular, but there were many other viable picks. The MP7, Scorpion, or PDW for SMGs. The AN-94, M27, or SWAT 556 in the assault rifle category. There were issues (Target Finder LMGs, for example), but generally, there was something for everyone, and it was balanced. Perhaps BO2’s greatest legacy though, is what it did for competitive Call of Duty. It was an incredible breakout year for competitive play, with an unrivaled League Play system, and the first World Championship, taking a burgeoning esport to the next level. To many, Black Ops 2 set the bar by which future CoD games will always be judged. 2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) Modern Warfare was a game-changer for the Call of Duty series, taking the action away from the historical battlegrounds of World War 2 to the near future (at the time). It brought in killstreaks for the first time ever, pioneered the create-a-class system, and so many other gameplay systems that we now take for granted in the yearly CoD release. Not to mention some truly iconic maps that have stood the test of time, like Overgrown, Crash, Shipment, and Vacant, to name but a few. While it lacked some of the features we deem mandatory today, like multiple killstreaks, and had some terrible balancing issues (the M16, and the battle of juggernaut vs stopping power), few CoD games can capture the magic of this groundbreaking entry. It was the best selling game of 2007, and it’s right to say that if it wasn’t for CoD 4, Call of Duty would not be the juggernaut it is today. 1. Modern Warfare 2 (2009) Of course, there’s only one game that could even compete with the previous two: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The campaign was gripping and features some iconic moments and characters like Ghost and the CoD 4 protagonists Price and Soap. But of course, the multiplayer is why this game is held in such high regard. It had incredible maps (Rust, Scrapyard, Terminal, and many more) and weaponry that welcomed every variety of playstyle imaginable. There are few more legendary weapons than the Intervention, the quickscoping god-gun. Or the relentlessly fun, even if overpowered, shotgun secondaries. It would be remiss to not mention the balancing problems – most of which when unfixed. Credit to Infinity Ward for patching the Model 1887s (undoubtedly the most OP weapon in CoD history pre-patch), but One-Man-Army ‘noobtubes,’ boosting, and guns like the UMP and Spas-12 went untouched for the game’s life cycle. And we haven’t even mentioned the streaks yet. This was the first game to break away from the 3-5-7 killstreak system and added new fan-favorites like the Predator Missile, Harrier Jets, and of course, the Chopper Gunner. And no one will forget the Nuke, which continues to be something fans chase every year, with a 25 killstreak (even though it no longer ends the match). Modern Warfare 2 had its problems, there’s no denying that, but for many, it’s still the quintessential Call of Duty, and captured that indescribable CoD magic better than any other game before it, or since. So, do you agree with our list? Do you think that Black Ops Cold War should be higher or lower, or did we miss out on your favorite completely in our top 10? Join the debate on @DexertoIntel.

The 10 best Call of Duty games of all time ActivisionCall of Duty is one of the most famous franchises in the world, even beyond gaming. Since it skyrocketed in popularity in 2007 with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, each annual release has earned millions in sales and brought waves of new players in. But which Call of Duty game is the best? Here are the top 10 best CoD games of all time, ranked. Call of Duty has evolved greatly over the years. Its roots in World War 2-themed shooters have expanded tremendously (and sometimes been revisited to a mixed reception), taking players into the Cold War, the near future, and even into space. It could be argued that the franchise revolutionized the first-person shooter genre, and continues to reap success to this day, especially since the launch of the battle royale phenomenon Warzone. With all that in mind, and some incredible games to list, here are our top 10 Call of Duty games of all time. This is primarily based on multiplayer, but we have taken zombies and campaigns into consideration, too. 10. Black Ops 4 Kicking off the list is a more recent Call of Duty title, with Black Ops 4 launching in 2018 to add to the ever-popular Black Ops series. The game was the last to feature Specialists, following on from how popular they were in Black Ops 3, adding extra layers to the classic CoD gameplay experience. The game may not be an insanely popular entry in the series that people saw as a competitor to the best Call of Duty games, but it was consistent and, most importantly, a fun game to play. 9. World at War World at War awkwardly followed Modern Warfare when it was released in 2008, a near-impossible task to do successfully. While some players stuck to CoD 4, World at War was eventually widely enjoyed by its playerbase and, perhaps most significantly, was the first CoD game to feature the Zombies mode, and it may have been the best of them all. 8. Modern Warfare (2019) MW2019 can be credited for bringing a huge number of departed players back to Call of Duty, with gameplay reminiscent of CoD of yesteryear, a new engine and, down the line, Warzone. The game hasn’t gone without its criticisms since launching, though, and became divisive among players frustrated with certain features, such as the fast TTK and introduction of doors to the series. 7. Modern Warfare 3 Infinity Ward had a huge weight on their shoulders when they released MW3 in 2011, attempting to follow Modern Warfare 2’s wild success after the departure of many of the team’s leading developers. What came felt a lot like Modern Warfare 2, with some refinements such as a change of the streak system, introducing specialist streaks for the first time. While it wasn’t as beloved as its predecessor, it was still an incredible game that felt like a traditional CoD, while still offering fresh and non-repetitive gameplay. 6. Warzone Not the first Call of Duty battle royale game, but certainly the most popular, Warzone changed the game for a huge number of players. Top streamers flocked to the game from competitors like Fortnite, and it reached a huge playerbase as the first free-to-play game in CoD history (besides CoD Mobile, of course.) Verdansk came at a time where the whole world was locked inside, and it couldn’t have worked out more perfectly, especially since it uses the very popular Modern Warfare engine. Could Warzone 2 be the sequel players want to see? 5. Modern Warfare (2007) For many Call of Duty veterans, CoD 4: Modern Warfare is where it all started. The M40A3 and M16 became iconic, the introduction of scorestreaks brought a whole new element of gameplay to the series, and the map design was almost flawless. Players of a certain age will almost certainly cite Call of Duty 4 as their favorite game, and it helped propel CoD to the incredible new heights it reached in future years. Modern Warfare was a huge turning point for Call of Duty, and they even remastered it in 2016 alongside the release of Infinite Warfare. 4. Black Ops 3 While the jetpack games aren’t often heralded among the best in CoD, Black Ops 3 is an anomaly. It brought the same fun gameplay, with enough fresh features, to make it feel like a real advancement of Black Ops 2. While the advanced movement is divisive for long-time players, Black Ops 3 is, to many, the greatest CoD game ever made. Even streamer Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop, who was a commentator for the Call of Duty World League when it came out, has BO3 at the top of his list. 3. Black Ops 1 Treyarch turned their back on the World War II theme and looked further ahead to bring fans the original Black Ops title, taking the series to Vietnam with Campaign and Zombies modes recognized as some of the best the series has seen. It wasn’t an immediate hit among players, who still adored Modern Warfare 2 which was released the year prior, but over time Black Ops has been recognized as one of the truly elite CoD titles. 2. Modern Warfare 2 Modern Warfare 2 has a very strong case to be recognized as the greatest CoD game in history, and it’s very much split with the game we’ve actually listed at the top of our ranking. The maps and guns were memorable and players have long clamored for a remaster of MW2. With 2022’s CoD entry being given the same name, fans can only hope for similar magic to be recreated. 1. Black Ops 2 Black Ops 2 represents everything that made Call of Duty great: A varied weapon meta, iconic maps, great campaign and zombies, and the birth of a burgeoning esports scene. The amount of map remasters that have come from BO2 speaks volumes, and the fact that so many players still cite it when asking what they want to see in future CoD releases is a testament to how timeless the game is. Every Call of Duty game will have its own legion of fans willing to go to bat for it, but Black Ops 2 and Modern Warfare 2 are often a unanimous top two. With a new Modern Warfare 2 coming in 2022, can it live up to the billing of its predecessor? So there we are – our 10 Best CoD games, in ranked order. For more Call of Duty content, check out some of our guides below: Best Warzone weapons | 10 most popular weapons in Warzone | Warzone player count | Do you need Xbox Live Gold and PS Plus to play Warzone | Best Assault Rifle loadouts in Warzone | Best Warzone Sniper Rifle loadouts

Tfue & Symfuhny reveal their Warzone settings for dominating enemies Activision / FaZe Clan / Instagram: symfuhny[jwplayer WKnqrXV7]With so many options available in your Warzone settings, it’s hard to know what’s best. Luckily, streamers Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney and Mason ‘Symfuhny’ Lanier have revealed the settings that help them dominate the game. When Warzone came out in March 2020, it was an instant hit with both Call of Duty fans and the wider gaming community, offering an alternative to the likes of Modern Warfare and Fortnite. Although many stick to the standard settings thanks to how easy it is to get used to, if you really want to up your game you’ll want to fine-tune everything as much as possible, and that’s where the suggestions of top players come in handy. One of the most important settings is sensitivity, and it can be tough to find the sweet spot between moving fast enough to react to your enemies, and still maintaining accuracy over any distance. Luckily, Tfue and Symfuhny seem to have found the sweet spot. As shown in the clip below, here’s what Tfue opts for: Mouse Sensitivity: 6.19 – Aim Down Sight (ADS) Sensitivity: Legacy ADS Sens. Multiplier (Low Zoom): 0.51 – ADS Sens. Multiplier (High Zoom): 0.51 – ADS Sens. Transition Timing: Instant – – 6.19 sensitivity isn’t that far out of the ordinary, but 0.51 ADS multiplier could feel pretty slow at first — but guarantees pinpoint accuracy once you’ve practiced with it. Symfuhny actually has very similar settings, too, but has clearly been playing around with his after seeing what other top players are doing. In his video uploaded on July 26, Symfuhny changed his mouse sensitivity very slightly, from Tfue’s 6.19 to a flat 6.10. He also switched his Low and High Zoom ADS multiplier from 0.67 and 0.55 respectively to both being 0.51 after Tenney’s recommendation. Symfuhny also sets his ADS Transition Timing to Gradual, rather than Instant, meaning he probably maintains a tad more speed when aiming in than Tfue does. While Mason suggests at first that it could be a little slow, and harder to track enemies flying in to the area, he’s hitting his shots as always and ends up 34 kills alongside Tfue’s 29, so there’s clearly something good about these settings. If you’re looking for a little more accuracy and precision in your Warzone gameplay, then these settings could be perfect for you. Just give them a whirl to find out.

Tfue & Syhmfuhny expose blatant Warzone hacker killing the entire lobby Twitch: Tfue/ActivisionTwitch stars Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney and Mason ‘Symfuhny’ Lanier were left mindblown after running into one of the most blatant cheaters in all of Warzone. Call of Duty Warzone has proven to be extremely popular with Call of Duty and battle royale fans alike as it mixes the best of both worlds in incredibly competitive matches. Though, with popularity, comes trolls and cheats – and Warzone has had its fair share of hackers trying to ruin matches for the past few months. While the developers have attempted to wipe them out, cheaters still manage to ruin games. However, sometimes, they don’t get things their own way and end up being exposed in front of thousands of viewers. During their September 26 streams, Tfue and Symfuhny had teamed up for a few games and after about three hours, they ran into some trouble. The pair had been rotating through Airport when they hopped out of a car and tried to take down another team. However, after trying to get some quick M4 shots off, Tfue was lasered right away and found himself on the back foot. “Motherf**ker,” Tfue called out as he was downed and eventually eliminated by the suspected cheat. “He’s 100% cheating bro. Yeah, I died dude.” However, instead of reporting the cheat and heading to the main menu, the streamers decided to report them and stick around to watch what they did next. It didn’t take long for the hacker to act up again – taking on ridiculous cross-map shots with their M4A1 and hitting them. “What a rat dude!” Symfunhy shouted as the pair watched on, laughing at how ridiculous the shots were. In the end, though, Tfue and Symfunhy got their revenge as they watched the hacker fail to win a gunfight before they were ultimately eliminated. “Oh! Get s**t on, you f**king idiot,” Tfue roared. Sym quickly echoed those thoughts, dropping his own shout of “get s**t on” as the cheater’s teammate took center stage after their elimination. Given that the pair submitted reports of their own, and have plenty of evidence of the cheating, it might not be long before Activision drops the ban hammer. As for other cheaters, alls players can do is continue to report them, and hope that the devs start rooting things out.

Tfue slams “easy” Warzone falling behind in Fortnite, Apex Legends rivalry Activision / Twitch TfuePopular streamer Tfue thinks the state of Warzone at the moment makes it the “most casual” battle royale compared to others in the genre like Apex Legends and Fortnite — and that’s not good for its standing in the rivalry. Tfue rose to Twitch fame for fragging out in competitive scenes for Fortnite. He’s no stranger to battle royales; and as the big three of Fornite, Apex, and Warzone battle for pole position, he’s not sure the latter has the legs to stand up to the others. Hot off an Apex Legends Twitch Rivals win, Tfue wasn’t impressed with Warzone’s meta and sounded off when a viewer said “Warzone is not casual, only Rebirth [is].” He expressed how ‘easy’ the game has gotten with recent changes which sparked conversations after posting the clip on TikTok. “Bro, Warzone is the most casual battle royale right now,” he said. “It’s the easiest battle royale to play.” The once Fortnite pro was adamant of the game’s state: “I could literally hop on Warzone right and just farm a whole lobby.” The Warzone devs have been tinkering with the game’s arsenal as of late among player complaints of overpowered weapons. Raven Software even promised an upcoming nerf after accidentally buffing guns like the PPSh. Streamers have been reacting to this in kind by hopping over to games like Apex Legends, which has been thriving in light of its Season 12 Defiance update. Raven has been adding in some quality of life updates inspired by its fellow BRs like Season 2’s Redeploy Balloons which have been a hit with players. The game is making strides in bringing features that players want into Warzone’s formula to get players like Tfue and more back to Caldera.

Tfue shows off his “perfect” MP7 Warzone loadout FaZe Clan / ActivisionFormer Fortnite pro Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney has shown fans his “perfect” MP7 loadout for Warzone, and it’s ideal if you’re looking to shred in those short-medium range gunfights. Although Tfue made his name as one of Fortnite’s biggest stars, he has slowly found himself gravitating away from Epic Games’ battle royale title to Call of Duty’s newest entry. Naturally, like every other top streamer, he’s been flicking through the catalog of weapons attempting to find the combination of guns and attachments that work best — and now he’s shown fans his favorite MP7 loadout. The SMG isn’t necessarily the most popular in Modern Warfare multiplayer, but in Warzone it is super handy thanks to its low recoil and solid fire rate, making it more efficient at longer ranges than the likes of the MP5. While most players opt for the likes of a Bruen Mk9 LMG or the Grau assault rifle, Tfue likes to carry the MP7 with a rocket launcher, which works well for his aggressive playstyle. Here’s what Tfue sticks on his MP7 to make it the “perfect” weapon for Warzone: Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: FSS Recon – Laser: Tac Laser – Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip – Ammunition: 60 Round Mags – The 60 Round Mags is an obvious choice on any custom loadout in Warzone, with the extra ammunition being a necessity for finishing kills and taking on more than one opponent per clip. The Tac Laser is one that some might want to swap out, especially as Tfue doesn’t have a Rear Grip on his weapon, but as he’s not carrying an assault rifle, the increased accuracy is definitely handy to have. If you do prefer to carry a weapon that emphasises range a little more, you can have a look at Vikkstar’s Bruen Mk9 class, or NICKMERCS’ M13 assault rifle, and take inspiration from them. If Tfue’s MP7 doesn’t quite match what you’re looking for, have a look through our guide to find the best MP7 Warzone loadout for you.

Tfue shows off FARA Warzone loadout after AMAX nerf Activision/Twitch: TfueIn the May 27 Warzone update, the FARA 83 assault rifle received a long-range buff alongside a CR-56 AMAX nerf, and Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney’s build could be ready to spice up the meta in Verdansk. The AMAX is the go-to long-range assault rifle for just about everyone in Warzone, offering decent damage stats at the expense of slightly more recoil than the likes of the Kilo. Making efforts to make every weapon viable, though, devs Raven Software gave the AMAX a slight nerf in the May 27 mid-Season 3 update and buffed the FARA in turn. They increased the hip spread of the FARA, making it less viable as a short-range option, but said that they “would like to see it as a long-range viable Assault Rifle and, in that light, we have smoothed out its recoil to be easier to control at range.” Tfue’s FARA loadout after AMAX nerf Of course, with the update, everyone wanted to jump in the game and test out both weapons — and the FARA looks like it could be well worth trying. Quickly, Tfue was racking up kills with a new, ranged class for it. Suggesting that the FARA might be a particularly great option for controller players in Warzone, here’s how Tfue builds out his class. FARA 83 Warzone attachments Muzzle: GRU Suppressor – Barrel: 19.5” Liberator – Optic: Axial Arms 3x – Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip – Ammunition: Spetsnaz 60 Rnd – As far as assault rifle builds go, this is pretty standard. The suppressor and additional magazines are essential for taking those mid- and long-range gunfights as well as staying hidden on the minimap. Read more: Warzone fans demand floor loot changes – While Tfue opts for the standard Axial Arms 3x optic, it’s worth noting that the May 27 update also introduced a number of changes to the Cold War optics. It’s worth trying others, especially the Royal & Kross 4x scope, though ultimately it comes down to personal preference.