Author: Nik Ranger

Octane showcases ‘ideal’ Modern Warfare Grau setup ahead of CDL Champs Call of Duty League / Infinity WardAhead of the biggest competitive Call of Duty event of the year, Seattle Surge’s Sam ‘Octane’ Larew has adapted a dominant Warzone Grau 5.56 setup for Modern Warfare. With $4.6 million up for grabs in the Call of Duty League playoffs, pro players have been looking for any edge they can get. Creating some of the most powerful classes in the game, Octane has already revealed his CDL M4A1 setup. His sights have now shifted to the Grau 5.56, an Assault Rifle that’s tearing up Warzone in Season 4. It’s one of the most common ARs in the battle royale and many content creators still believe it’s the best gun in the game, even in light of recent nerfs. Taking a popular setup for the weapon, Octane has adapted it ever so slightly for competitive play instead. Shifting a few attachments has turned it from a casual Warzone killer to a loadout ready for CDL Champs. Octane’s Grau 5.56 Modern Warfare loadout While the M4 may still be the more versatile weapon in competitive matchups, the Grau stands out from the pack in critical situations. If you know that long-distance gunfights are right around the corner, this is the tool for the job. “The main times that I actually use this gun are on Azhir Cave and any long-range breakoffs or distanced gunfights,” he explained. “You can use it whenever you want, the only bad thing is that the aim down sight speed is super slow.” Trading speed for range may not seem optimal in a majority of gunfights, but if you’re playing a specific role it can be absolutely dominant. Whether you’re holding down an objective or securing spawns for your team, the Grau will help you win long-range battles. Octane’s setup is extremely similar to most Warzone loadouts with one key difference. Suppressors are banned in the CDL settings. Therefore, his custom Grau is “basically the Warzone class without a Suppressor on it.” “I would take off the Grip for a Tac Laser in Warzone but other than that, this is quite literally a Warzone Grau class.” The full list of attachments for Octane’s very own Grau setup can be seen below. Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Ammunition: 50 Round Mags – Barrel: Tempus 26.4” Archangel – Rear Grip: XRK Void II – Muzzle: Compensator – If you’re doubting just how viable a Warzone-type AR is for competitive Modern Warfare, Octane reassured it’s a “staple part of the meta. I use this in scrims every day.” As Modern Warfare’s time in the spotlight comes to a close, this custom class could be all that you need to dominate until the next CoD release.

Octane reveals Seattle Surge spent $100K on a CDL team intro they couldn’t even use Call of Duty LeagueNow retired from competitive Call of Duty, Octane has spilled the beans on an unfortunate loss of six figures from his original CDL organization, Seattle Surge. It turns out a $100,000 production was ultimately scrapped by the League. When it comes to brand identity, franchise teams in the CDL have only a few ways of standing out. There’s the obvious visual presentation and voice on social media, but there’s also everything from content and in-game cosmetics to consider as well. Perhaps one of the more crucial elements today, however, is the custom team introductions. Ahead of every match both online and at LAN events, each team gets to air a brief intro video to spotlight their players and hype up their squad. Unfortunately for Seattle Surge, in the first year of the League, a jaw-dropping $100,000 production for said team intro was ultimately put to waste, as former starting member Octane has now revealed. “We filmed an intro for the League, it cost $100,000, and they couldn’t use it,” Octane said bluntly during a recent Twitch stream as the now-retired world champion turned 100 Thieves content creator began to spill the beans. The hype package in question was for his first team in the CDL, 2019-2020’s Seattle Surge. Out of the gate, the original lineup featured veterans across the board in Apathy, Enable, Karma, Octane, and Slacked. Together, this newly formed team all traveled to Vancouver, as Octane recalled, with one goal in mind: To film the best CDL intro possible. “So I go to Vancouver, we have to go film this intro video. One of the directors from one of the seasons of The Walking Dead is doing it. It’s a whole production, a movie production.” “The video is us trying to defuse a bomb that is strapped to [Joey “Nubzy” DiGiacomo’s] chest,” he explained. It was down to the players to rescue the then-coach, all entering the big-budget scene with a range of weapons and military equipment in order to save the day. “We’re in army gear, they had an army ranger come out who works on movie sets and trains actors to make it look authentic. So we had to learn how to hold guns, I’m learning how to hold an M16 to make it look real. “We go through this entire shoot, keep in mind, $100,000 goes into this shoot. Karma is in it, Joey’s in it, everyone’s in it. It was awesome, to be fair. It looked amazing.” For Surge, however, the spectacle of the intro video only got them so far. Before fans could ever see it for themselves, League officials intervened and swiftly shelved the production for one key reason: CDL players were seen holding weapons. “We’re about to get it out, it turned out so well,” Octane continued. “The League comes back… ‘Uhh, you can’t use this because the players are holding guns.’ My organization did not okay the idea of the video with the CDL prior to filming the video. So it got scrapped.” Perhaps if Surge had flagged the shoot with the League prior, they then could have pivoted and avoided any guns in the hands of CDL players. But in this timeline, that simply wasn’t the case and the finished product never saw the light of day. For now, it remains locked away in a vault with nothing more than a few pics from the shoot to go off.

Octane reveals why Seattle Surge are blacklisted from CDL scrims Call of Duty LeagueSeattle Surge players have had a rough outing in the inaugural 2020 Call of Duty League season, even being blacklisted by a majority of competitors in the space according to Sam ‘Octane’ Larew. Currently sitting in 11th place with 40 CDL points to their name, the 2020 season has been full of trials and tribulations for the Surge. From major, midseason roster shuffles to the departure of three-time world champion Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, it has not been an easy ride for the squad by any stretch. It doesn’t appear as though things will be turning around over the remainder of the season either: assault rifle slayer Octane has revealed the team has a major lack of options when it comes to practicing against fellow CDL teams. Joining hosts Anthony ‘Nameless’ Wheeler and Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker on the 31st episode of the Codcast, Octane described the current predicament. “We don’t get scrims anymore because either we’re a**, or we’re never on time.” With a brand new lineup just assembled – one without Karma or Enable – the roster needs all the practice they can get in order to catch up. However, there are supposedly only “three pro teams” still willing to scrim against Seattle. Most of the top-tier CDL teams have outright blacklisted the organization. Due to tardiness and unprofessional behavior for the most part. One particular example highlighted how the team has ‘torched’ a great deal of practice time with the Los Angeles Guerillas. Allegedly scheduled to practice together “23 times,” the Surge roster only showed up for 15 of those. To make matters worse, “of those 15 series, we finished every map four times.” That boils down to just four proper scrims where both teams played for the full amount of time booked in. Pacman chimed in with a similar experience while managing OpTic Gaming Los Angeles. Stating that he had “so many scrims booked with Seattle,” and most would be canceled on the day of the booking. It’s not as though this struggle is new either. Scrims have been difficult to come by for roughly “two months,” according to Octane. “We’re super-duper blacklisted.” While the upcoming Minnesota Home Series has been delayed, Seattle is tentatively scheduled to face the second-seed Atlanta in their first series back on June 12.

Octane reveals pro M4A1 Modern Warfare class used in Call of Duty League Infinity Ward / Twitter: Seattle Surge[jwplayer mnhpUTeb]Competitive veteran Sam ‘Octane’ Larew has showcased his all-new M4A1 setup in Modern Warfare, letting you run with the same class as pro players in the Call of Duty League. Since the major Grau and MP5 nerfs in Modern Warfare, players have been experimenting nonstop to find the next best thing. While many still opt to run the Grau in Warzone, the M4A1 has stood out among pro players as the best Assault Rifle for competitive matches. It boasts a great balance of fire rate, accuracy, and damage from afar. Making it ideal for a more tactical playstyle compared to the faster pace of an SMG class. If you’re looking to get the most out of your AR class, there’s no better tool for the job than the M4. But if you want to take things a step further, Octane has given the rundown on a new pro setup; one that the world’s best players have been using. Octane’s M4A1 Modern Warfare loadout This custom M4 setup is all about trying to minimize recoil from a distance. When running an AR, you want to be competitive in close range engagements. However, the main priority should be taking fights from a longer range than SMGs. This gives you the upper hand if both players start firing at the same time. Octane’s first recommendation is to apply the Forge Tac CQS stock. Recoil will drop significantly and you should instantly feel “how much better it is,” he said. “The majority of AR players have already swapped to this in the CDL.” Most other attachments aim to improve your accuracy and range. While minimal recoil is great, connecting a high amount of damage from afar is still essential. Obviously, this comes with a tradeoff as most attachments do in Modern Warfare. Your movement speed will be reduced slightly with this setup. But if you’re sticking to AR tendencies and working with your team, this shouldn’t be an issue. Below is Octane’s full M4A1 loadout that he uses in the CDL. Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Stock: Forge Tac CQS – Barrel: Corvus Custom Marksman – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip Tape – Muzzle: Compensator – Not only can this class help dominate in competitive Modern Warfare, but it can also destroy opposing squads in Warzone. It can go toe to toe with the Grau and ultimately just comes down to your personal preference. With a few games of practice using this loadout, you can be frying just like the world’s best players in the CDL.

Octane reveals insane CDL team that almost formed in the first offseason Call of Duty LeagueBefore the Call of Duty League got underway in 2020, players were scrambling to form the strongest franchise teams but Octane has now revealed one that may have trumped them all. Following the Black Ops 4 season, the competitive CoD scene underwent one of the biggest shakeups to date. Essentially every roster changed to some degree as the CDL geared up for its first season under the new format. While we know how the inaugural season played out, things could have been drastically different, according to Octane. Seattle Surge didn’t have a great start to the new league, but unforeseen circumstances forced them to build a team on just “two days” notice, he revealed in an August 12 upload. Before the initial lineup of Apathy, Enable, Karma, Octane, and Slacked came to be, a potential super team was almost put together. With the Black Ops 4 cycle winding down at the tail end of 2019, Octane’s popular 100 Thieves lineup fell apart. “Kenny and SlasheR split off to be a team of two,” he said. At the same time, “Priestahh was essentially on FaZe by the time Champs was over.” That left just Octane and Enable to build a new squad. Before long, the remaining duo was “approached by LG” as they were “buying into the [CDL]. I essentially got to build my own roster,” Octane explained, “that was the offer.” Initially, Slacked was lumped into the mix as he “was being held by the organization from his contract prior to the Modern Warfare offseason”. These three veterans had their eyes set on two young guns in particular: Arcitys and Envoy. While both eventually landed at the short-lived Chicago Huntsmen brand, Octane was first to have a “verbal commitment” from the two stars. As a result, it led to the “most stressful period of [his] life. The potential lineup had two options at the time, remain with LG or side with Dallas instead. Unfortunately for Octane’s ambitious roster, Huke “wanted to play with iLLeY”. Because those two were inseparable during the offseason, Octane explained, it “kinda f***ed up the whole thing.” “That was essentially the reason that didn’t happen. I didn’t want to take the chance on iLLeY, that’s on me, I will openly admit that.” With LG as the only remaining home, the team gradually fell apart at the finish line. “Literally two days before roster lock [Arcitys and Envoy] got a call from H3CZ and they left.” This left the upcoming Surge team scrambling for last-minute additions. “[Karma] didn’t have a team, so we hit him up and he said yes. We saw Apathy and we signed him, he was one day away from signing with Florida.” While Octane and Enable lucked out with some big names at the final hour, the Modern Warfare season obviously didn’t go according to plan. Karma and Enable both retired as the Surge fumbled to an 11th place finish that year. Who knows how CDL’s first year unfolds if that lineup came together.

Octane reveals he confronted Crimsix for trash-talking him: “This isn’t the first time” Call of Duty LeagueSam ‘Octane’ Larew might be one of the best ARs in CoD history, but he’s not immune from the wrath of three-time world champion Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter — and he’s confronted the star over his “sh*t talk.” Octane and Crimsix are two of the most successful names in Call of Duty, but there’s no doubt Crim puts the rest of his peers to shame when it comes to pure ability to win. The two have seemingly always had a decent rapport, and they even teamed together for the latter half of the World War II season under OpTic Gaming. But Octane says Crimsix has been sh*t talking him online on multiple occasions, including on ZooMaa’s The Flank, where he said that Octane had “one good year” and he shouldn’t have a reputation as a top 5 AR. This may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for Octane, who is currently working towards the end of a very disappointing two years in the CDL under Seattle Surge. He reveals he confronted the Dallas Empire player on more than one occasion over comments like these. “Porter’s been p**sing me off recently,” he told OpTic CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez on the Eavesdrop podcast. “I consider him a good friend of mine… Online, he just likes to talk sh*t about me, I don’t know why. “I confronted him about it a few days ago because he went on The Flank and was sh*t talking me for no reason at all. He was like ‘Man, all these kids on Reddit are always talking about KD., and I just had to prove a point.’” Timestamp 23:44 Octane went on to say that he told Crim “You have won a million championships, you’re literally the greatest player of all time, why are you soft about Reddit? Why are you soft about Twitter kids? Why have you got to prove a point to f**king anybody?” To most, Octane would easily be considered one of the best ARs in Call of Duty, though his recent track record on a team level may have left some doubts. No doubt in the 2022 season, Octane will be looking to be back to his best and winning championships again, proving Crimsix wrong once and for all.

Octane reveals CDL “sleeper” XM4 Black Ops Cold War loadout YouTube: Octane / TreyarchFollowing recent nerfs to the Krig 6 and the AK-47, new Assault Rifles have been tested at the pro-level in Black Ops Cold War and Sam ‘Octane’ Larew has revealed his optimal loadout. Since the release of Black Ops Cold War, afew ARs immediately shot to the top of the pack. Both the Krig 6 and the AK-47 were early frontrunners as a meta was established in professional scrims and public lobbies. The huge Season One update on December 16 scaled these two popular rifles back, however. Now, “every single AR is being tested at the pro level,” Octane outlined in a December 18 video. With six weapons to test, every gun is getting its moment in the spotlight. Though there’s one that could be the next meta weapon, according to the Seattle Surge pro: “the XM4 is the sleeper.” The very first AR unlocked in Treyarch’s new release packs quite a punch. It was always a strong option, though other weapons simply outclassed it early into the game. “The Krig and the AK were so heavily outclassing every other AR,” Octane said Though the “XM4 wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good” at that point in time. “Now that there’s been some changes, the M4 is starting to creep up.” It boasts a well-balanced rate of fire with decent accuracy and stopping power to boot. It’s not the type of AR to excel in any one area, but it’s a well-rounded option that can go toe to toe against the best in its class, according to Octane. To start things off, the weapon is so easy to control, Octane doesn’t even equip a muzzle. “I think with this setup, the recoil is 100% fine.” Moreover, there’s no need for a faster reload with a certain magazine, or even a need to improve hip fire accuracy. Read More: COD Mobile adding Nuketown Russia – What should be prioritized in the Barrel. There are two viable options here that can be interchanged. Octane runs with 13.7 Extended for its bullet velocity, though you “can use the 13.7 Takedown” as well. “Even though it’s the XM4, at distance, it doesn’t feel that great.” Using these attachments will help keep you in the fight at a longer range. Octane’s XM4 loadout in Black Ops Cold War Optic: Millstop Reflex – Muzzle: – – Barrel: 13.7 Extended / 13.7 Takedown – Body: – – Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip – Magazine: – – Handle: Airborne Elastic Wrap – Stock: Raider Pad – For the final few attachments, these should come as no surprise. The Field Agent Grip, Airborne Elastic Wrap, and Raider Pad are all “staples” for an AR, Octane explained. The pros heavily outweigh the cons, so these should be instantly picked for any new AR loadout. Read More: New Modern Warfare content leaked – “I do believe the XM4 will be used,” he added. “Every pro team has been trying it out.” So if you’re looking for a unique AR setup in Black Ops Cold War, look no further than the starting weapon. With these attachments, you could be on your way to pro-level gameplay in no time. While it won’t be viable in pro play, here’s our optimal Gunfighter XM4 loadout to get the most out of the weapon.

Octane Responds to John’s Accusation That He Threw CWL Seattle to Join OpTic Gaming OpTic Gaming player Sam “Larew” Octane has responded after his former teammate Johnathon “John” Perez suggested Octane threw the CWL Seattle Open to force a move to OpTic. Octane had been playing with Luminosity since the start of the Infinite Warfare season, and had stayed with the organization with the new roster for CoD: WWII, as John and Jordan “JKap” Kaplan joined. The team had performed well early in the season, winning the CWL Montreal invitational event, and then winning their first major event together, CWL Birmingham, in April. After a third place finish at the Pro League Stage One playoffs, the team travelled to CWL Seattle, where they placed disappointingly, in 7-8th. In a recent interview with Dot Esports while at CWL Champs, John had this to say about his former teammate Octane, who left after CWL Seattle to join OpTic Gaming. “Octane wanted to go to OpTic the whole time. He got offered like months before. And I honestly feel like he didn’t want to play for the team anymore, so we just let him go. If he didn’t want to play for the team – I actually feel like he threw Seattle just so he could join OpTic and at that point, just let him go and we’ll pick up FormaL, who wants to grind. From past events we played at to that event – it’s not that [Octane] didn’t play as well – it just felt like he wasn’t going as hard or giving it 100 percent.” A bold accusation to make, and one that Octane clearly didn’t agree with. Octane took to Reddit to make his response, and also revealed more about the messy OpTic – Luminosity trade. Octane’s revelation also begs the question, if it is true that John re-approached OpTic to join, why did they turn him down? Had the deal with Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni already been sealed? Octane and the rest of the OpTic squad are currently licking their wounds after a heartbreaking defeat at CWL Champs 2018, where they were eliminated in group play, finishing top 24. Luminosity continue to roll on in the tournament, currently top 6 heading into championship Sunday with a match against eUnited up next. You can keep up with all the action at the 2018 CWL Championship with our dedicated coverage hub, with streams, schedule and more.

Octane potentially leaks huge CDL Control rule changes ActivisionWhile appearing on Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto’s ‘The Flank’ show on Twitch, Seattle Surge’s Sam ‘Octane’ Larew seems to have leaked big changes coming to Control going forward. Control was first introduced during the Black Ops 4 season, making its debut as both a casual and competitive game mode. Since then, it’s provided some incredible action and jaw-dropping plays. With the return of Control, replacing Domination in the CDL rotation following the Modern Warfare season, players have been once again getting to grips with the mode. Now, though, halfway through Stage 2 of the 2021 CDL season, it sounds like some changes are coming. As you’ll be aware, fully capturing one of the points in Control provides an extra 1 minute added to the countdown timer, giving the attacking team an extra 60 seconds to capture the other point. Now, it looks like big changes could be coming, dropping that to 20 seconds per tick of the objective rather than 60 per capture. Octane tells ZooMaa and co: “I don’t even know if I’m allowed to say it, whatever, they’re adding time per tick instead of time per cap.” To add fuel to the legitimacy of this, ZooMaa said he had “heard about it” but wasn’t sure it would actually happen. While this hasn’t been made public yet, it sounds like Octane and his peers are excited about it, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out over time. They also mention that the fifth round — if it gets that far — will instead be based off of ticks rather than kills to see who gets the attacking and defending side. Both of these changes could alter the way the game is played massively, so keep your eyes peeled to see if and when they occur. It’s unclear whether this change is CDL-only or will affect public matches, too.

Octane On Leaving Luminosity to Join OpTic Gaming “Leaving the best team in the game for a chance is never easy” New OpTic Gaming Call of Duty member Sam ‘Octane’ Larew revealed more regarding his decision to leave Luminosity Gaming for the Green Wall and much more during a Reddit AMA. After three years of dominance, the OpTic Gaming Call of Duty roster of Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, and Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper decided to part ways after a lackluster start to the WWII season. Scump and Crimsix will be joined by Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni after OpTic bought his contract out from Rise Nation, and Octane, who was obtained in a trade with Luminosity for FormaL. The new roster will have their first shot at LAN competition in Division B at Stage Two of the CWL Pro League, where both new players will have an opportunity to compete against their former squads. Now that he is a member of the Green Wall, Octane took to the OpTic Gaming subreddit for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session where he answered a collection of questions regarding the move from Luminosity, plans for the future, and much more! Some of the best answers from the AMA can be viewed below, with more able to be found on the official OpTic Gaming subreddit. If he will be moving to Texas with the CoD team in the future. Which player was their first choice to pick up when he was a team-of-three with Scump and Crimsix. Difficulty of leaving Luminosity for OpTic. Favorite part of being a CoD pro. Potential bad-blood between himself and Luminosity. First reaction to officially joining OpTic Gaming. How the new roster is working in the current CoD: WWII ‘meta.’ The most exciting thing about joining OpTic. Opinions on having TeePee as a coach. Black Ops 4 wishlist. Approach and background behind his decision to join a new team and roster. Differences between himself and FormaL.

Octane Hits Out at LG’s Slacked for Tweet About OpTic Following Their Early Exit from CoD Champs 2018 Octane was not happy with his former teammate’s shot following OpTic’s CWL Champs disappointment. After Octane and OpTic were bounced in the group stage for the organizations lowest ever Champs placing, Slacked referenced comments from Octane about LG’s struggles. Slacked and Octane were teammates on Luminosity and won 2018 CWL Birmingham together, but the pair split in May and Luminosity struggled initially following the breakup. Octane mentioned LG’s struggles after he left, perhaps jokingly, while being interviewed at the CWL Pro League. It was that interview that Slacked referenced in his burn. At the time of the interview, Octane explained he did not mean the quote the way everyone took it. Read More: Clayster on Changing eUnited’s Communication at CWL Champs and Facing Red Reserve in the Knockout Stage – Octane and Slacked moved as a duo once again following the BO3 season, teaming on Luminosity for Infinite Warfare and WW2. They found their first major success in IW, winning CWL Anaheim. Slacked and LG made it out of their group and will be playing in the knockout stage on August 17, while Octane and OpTic are going home thanks to ACHES.

Octane hints at major role swap with Karma for Seattle Surge Call of Duty League / Seattle SurgeSeattle Surge Call of Duty League star Sam ‘Octane’ Larew appears to have confirmed that some members of the team will be undergoing major role changes as they continue to struggle through the league’s inaugural season. Seattle currently sit in 11th place in the standings, ahead of only rivals Los Angeles Guerrillas by 10 CDL points, and they have been attempting to find the right fit with swaps between Casey ‘Pandur’ Romano and Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt on the starting line-up, but now it appears they’re going to be taking a different approach. During a stream on May 24, in which Octane was playing Warzone with Pandur, coach Joey ‘Nubzy’ DiGiacomo and Guerrillas star Reece ‘Vivid’ Drost, he revealed that there was a big change coming in the Surge camp. While Octane has been arguably one of the best assault rifle players in the game for a number of years now, he said that he will be switching to a submachine gun going forward, running the MP5 at future tournaments. This is a bit of a strange step considering how much of a dominant player Octane is with the assault rifle, but the change was later explained by Nubzy. After commenting that “people think [I’m] trolling,” Octane confirmed that he is “literally running around with an MP5” and Pandur said that “Octane is the new flex for Seattle Surge,” citing Sam’s slaying abilities as a major factor, especially considering how much more impact MP5 players have on the map than AR players. A little while later, while playing in Modern Warfare’s CDL playlist, one of Larew’s team asked him for his honest opinion on Surge teammate Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, and he gave a very telling response, calling Karma “the GOAT… and also my main AR.” While we’re yet to see any gameplay from Surge with their new roles, the reasoning behind the swap makes sense. Octane’s raw gunskill is at a level many could only dream of and, if he can get the same number of kills with an MP4 as he does with an M4, this switch could be the making of Seattle Surge. That said, we’ve seen similar moves in the past that didn’t work out so well. Austin ‘Slasher’ Liddicoat running a sub at the start of the current season raised some eyebrows, and the infamous fall of the GreenWall in World War II saw Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper attempting to use one, and the way that turned out is one of the biggest stories in CoD esports history. We’ll have to wait to see how this turns out for Seattle Surge, but a change is clearly needed, and this could be the right one. We have reached out to the Surge team for comment.

Octane explains how FaZe “trolling” led to Surge upset at CDL Stage 5 Major YouTube: Octane / Instagram: atl_fazeSeattle Surge completed one of the biggest Call of Duty League upsets this year when they took down Atlanta FaZe at the Stage 5 Major. Star player Sam ‘Octane’ Larew has now revealed how “trolling” antics from FaZe cost them the series. When Seattle took down Atlanta at the latest CDL Major, it was instantly labeled one of the greatest upsets in competitive CoD history. A bottom four team taking out this year’s most dominant force left spectators shocked. In doing so, Surge handed FaZe their worst placement yet. While it appeared to be a close series on the surface, going all the way to round 10 in game five, FaZe may not have been putting their best foot forward, according to Octane. Before the eight talented pros sat down on stage, FaZe was “trolling” right out of the gate, he revealed in an August 5 YouTube video. Live reaction to the upset 🔊pic.twitter.com/ODSNpdlxaF — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) July 31, 2021 Ahead of every CDL match, teams are required to go through the veto process. It’s here where various maps are picked or banned for the upcoming series. In this vital lower bracket match between the number one seed in FaZe and the number nine seed in Surge, it was during the vetoes where “trolling” began. “Garrison Hardpoint has been our auto-veto because we’re dogs*** at it,” Octane explained. However, at the Stage 5 Major, they chose to leave Garrison in the mix to ban one of FaZe’s “stronger maps” instead. Although Garrison, a well-known weakness of the Surge lineup, was available to pick, FaZe refused to lock it in. Before long, the series was underway and Moscow was the setting for the opening Hardpoint. As a result of FaZe not choosing Garrison, “they lost” and Surge has a huge “boost [of] confidence” moving forward. Maps two and three went the way of FaZe as they were both fairly strong picks for the formidable roster. “They absolutely body bagged us,” Octane joked. But Surge was fully expecting this outcome across both S&D and Control. “Hardpoints were the catalyst for the series,” he added. “They trolled the vetoes super hard because they gave us Moscow and Raid.” When it comes to Raid Hardpoint, Surge was fully confident they’d “match up well” against FaZe here. “Whenever we play Raid in scrims with them, we tend to win the map pretty handily.” It was just an 18-point difference that secured the win this time around, but it was another Hardpoint win on the board regardless. All that remained was a final S&D on Standoff. Despite being wiped out 2-6 in the first S&D of the series, it was poor killstreak usage that secured the game five win, according to Octane. “Both of those streak rounds were some of the worst streak usages that I have ever seen. It was not good. They super duper choked the use of both streaks.” Read More: CDL Stage 5 Major Highlights – “That’s how we beat Atlanta. They trolled the Hardpoints and kinda trolled the last map as well.”

Octane Explains Why He Thinks Luminosity Have Struggled With FormaL On the Roster Former Luminosity player, Sam “Octane” Larew, discussed briefly why his former team have struggled in the CWL Pro League, since he was replaced on the roster by Matthew “FormaL” Piper. Octane moved to OpTic Gaming in a straight swap for FormaL mid way through the 2018 WWII season, but one team has faired considerably better than the other since the transfer. Luminosity’s performance took an immediate dip after the trade, but many fans and even the players themselves attributed it to having to ‘relearn’ the game as a team. As their performances have continued to be poor however, failing to qualify for the Stage Two playoffs, Octane believes it comes down to FormaL not being the most suitable replacement for him on the team. During a desk segment at the MLG Arena, Octane was asked by host Rich Campbell where he thought it was going wrong for his previous teammates. “I think they had just such a slow start, that you get that ‘we need to win’ mentality. Sometimes it’s good, depending on the team, but if you have that in the back of your head that ‘if we lose this, we are done for’, then that can kill a team. I think that’s what happened.” He also affirms that because FormaL’s play style as an AR is so different to his own, the replacement was not best suited to Luminosity. “It had to have been [that reason]. I left the team, and they declined.” Octane later took to Twitter to explain that he misspoke slightly and didn’t completely finish his thought, saying “I didn’t mean it like that.” Whatever LG’s issues, they now have less than a month to do their best to resolve them, before the World Championship begins on August 15. More: OpTic Gaming Puts a Flawless Search and Destroy ‘Retake’ On Display Against UNILAD at the CWL Pro League – Despite their Pro League performance, they have shown they are capable of playing well in a tournament setting, managing 3rd place at the last major open, CWL Anaheim – OpTic placed 5-6th. If they can find the momentum they conjured up at Anaheim and fine tune their mistakes, they undoubtedly still have a talented enough roster to go very far at Champs.

Octane explains why he believes Toronto Ultra will win CDL Champs ActivisionAfter Toronto Ultra’s monumental collapse in the Stage 5 Major, many fans have written them out of Champs contention — but not Seattle Surge star man Sam ‘Octane’ Larew. The Stage 5 Major really turned some heads as to how wide-open the CDL competition is. Minnesota RØKKR weren’t looked at as potential winners by almost anybody ahead of the event, but they wiped out the very best teams in the league in incredible fashion to lift the trophy. Toronto Ultra losing at the hands of a best-of-9 reverse sweep made Call of Duty history, and the onus is now on them to either use it as a stepping stone or let it eat them up. While many fans believe the loss will affect them mentally and ultimately be their downfall, Octane thinks it will go the other way and spur them on to win the big one. Read More: CDL 2021 Power Rankings after Stage 5 Major – “I know what you’re thinking,” he said after picking Toronto as his winner. “‘Sam, they just choked a 4-0 lead at the Stage 5 Major.’ They did, but I think they also should have won the Stage 4 Major but they choked that as well.” He continued: “I think they’re going to curb the choking. I think they’ve been the best team for quite some time now, they just haven’t been able to really put it together at the very end. I think they should have won the Stage 4 Major and the Stage 5 Major.” Octane says the one caveat to his belief in Toronto is if they let the loss to RØKKR blow them up, but with a “teensy bit of ice” they’re going to be the 2021 champions. Despite how solid Toronto have been, this is still a pretty bold call from Octane. Atlanta FaZe are an almost-unanimous number 1 pick for most in the community, while the likes of Minnesota, Dallas Empire, and OpTic Chicago will all have a lot of expectations on their shoulders. The CDL 2021 playoffs event takes place from August 19-22 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Octane explains why CoD 2021 leaks sound “fantastic” for CDL Call of Duty League/ActivisionSam ‘Octane’ Larew is arguably one of the best Call of Duty players in the world as a leading star in the CoD League — and he thinks the CoD 2021 leaks are showing a lot of promise for the future of the esport. [jwplayer HTC4QIpT] Sledgehammer’s 2017 effort, Call of Duty: World War II has had its fair share of critics. While at the time the game maybe didn’t receive the best reception, many believe that it was at least a reasonable game when looking back at it in hindsight. On the competitive side of things, especially, it proved to be a very interesting year, which ended with one of the biggest surprise tournament victories in history as Evil Geniuses won Champs. All in all, though, the gameplay itself was definitely solid, and Octane believes that should give competitive CoD fans hope looking into the future, judging by the recent leaks. In case you missed it, on February 17, leaks started to suggest that Sledgehammer Games would be working on CoD 2021, and it will once again be set in the World War 2 era. Read More: CDL 2021 power rankings – This premise is definitely one that excites Octane, who had an individually strong year despite ending on a sour note with a T32 Champs placement under OpTic Gaming. “What I’m looking for in that game is something very similar to WWII,” Octane explained. “I really hate the fact that I have to slide cancel to engage in gunfights… Sledgehammer had none of that cr*p in their game. They had dolphin diving and, even then, it kind of sucked.” That wasn’t all, though. Octane went on to say that “getting rid of all that cr*p” would be “fantastic news for me and competitive CoD in general.” Topic starts at 3:16 Octane is well aware that World War II as a game wasn’t perfect, though. He acknowledges that one of the main criticisms of the game was “boring looking” with a lot of grey, commending Treyarch’s more colorful efforts. Finally, Octane remembers that WWII had “the best League Play system ever” — something Black Ops Cold War has come under fire for since they launched their version of it. While opinions are split over the idea of another World War 2-themed Call of Duty title, Octane is clearly preparing for another year of dominance.

Octane expected to get dropped by LA Thieves before Major 4 & CDL Champs wins Instagram: LA ThievesLA Thieves AR star Sam ‘Octane’ Larew has revealed that he thought the team was going to drop him halfway through the season, just a couple of months before they earned their historic back-to-back victories at CDL Major 4 and the World Championships. Octane has been recognized as one of the greatest AR players of all time, his individual skill almost never in doubt even when his teams were struggling. That said, he found himself in a position at the beginning of the 2022 Vanguard season where his performances weren’t up to his usual standards, no longer able to completely shut down his opposition and go on the insane killstreaks he had become known for. This is something Octane acknowledged and worked to address halfway through the Vanguard season — but he admitted that he thought he was going to get dropped before having the chance to turn things around and eventually become world champion. Appearing on The Merk and Maven podcast, Octane spoke about how his season went, turning it around from being a middling team to world champions, and made the admission. “I thought I was getting dropped,” he said when discussing the issues that plagued LA Thieves’ early season. “I spoke to Kap [Thieves coach Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan] about it after Champs. But I wholeheartedly thought I was going to get dropped after Major 2. I was playing really poorly, and maybe I was in my own head about it. “I’ve really never been bad. I’ve never struggled individually … So when I was bad at the beginning of this game, it was unchartered territory for me.” Timestamp 12:29 Octane explained that he also spoke extensively to a sports therapist at 100 Thieves to help him, and that it was a “wake-up call” for him not being dropped, realizing that he had been given the chance to step up. Of course, things turned around for LA Thieves big time after Major 2. They came 2nd at the Pro-Am and, while Major 3 wasn’t massively fruitful, they went on an incredible run to place 1st at Major 4 and Champs, earning millions of dollars and etching their names in the CoD history books. While Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams was named Champs MVP, Octane’s abilities as a leader shone throughout the tournament and he’ll be delighted at how his season turned around.

Octane reveals deadly Modern Warfare AN-94 loadout for Season 5 Call of Duty League / Infinity WardSeason 5 of Modern Warfare just introduced the new AN-94 Assault Rifle and Call of Duty League (CDL) pro Sam ‘Octane’ Larew has got a playoff-ready loadout set for you to use online. Infinity Ward only just deployed Season 5 of Modern Warfare and Warzone on August 4, releasing new weapons, maps, and plenty more. Just two days later, Seattle Surge’s Octane may have already created the best custom loadout for the powerful AN-94. The AN-94 is a returning weapon from previous Call of Duty titles and certainly packs a punch this time around as well. It can only be unlocked by reaching Tier 31 in the brand new Battle Pass, however. Buying it outright or grinding for experience is the only way to claim the latest full-auto rifle. While the M4 and the Grau might still be the most common ARs as we approach the CDL playoffs, the S5 weapon could shake things up in a big way. Here’s how Octane has decided to set up his AN-94 loadout. Octane’s AN-94 Modern Warfare loadout Right out of the gate, Octane has decided to attach a proper Optic for this weapon. While it can often free up an attachment slot for something more beneficial, the default iron sights are “atrocious,” according to Octane. “The red dot just feels a lot better, it’s not as clunky.” There is a lot of personal choice in this regard, he admits. The G.I. Mini Reflex can be swapped out in favor of a Stock for instance. Though given the extreme recoil unique to the AN-94’s initial burst, Octane prefers the more precise targeting attachment. In order to control said recoil, a few other attachments are going to come in handy. “It’s just not a good gun at close range at all,” he explained. “If you’re up close, chances are you’re going to lose a gunfight.” To prevent this, you’ll need to play patiently and try to take your fights from a distance. Relying on the Rear Grip will help you there. Octane has already racked up some pro-level experience with the new S5 weapon to prove its effectiveness. While the loadout proved effective, “the general consensus of the pro community is that it’s a little bit too close to Champs time for a new gun. I’m hoping pro players kind of give me some leeway so I can use this gun,” he expressed. Kicking off on August 19, this year’s CDL postseason boasts a whopping $4.6 million prize pool. There’s no telling if Octane will be allowed to fry with his custom AN-94 during the playoffs though. You can find the full list of attachments below. Optic: G.I. Mini Reflex – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Barrel: VLK AN-94 Sila – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip Tape – Muzzle: Compensator – One of his “favorite guns in Black Ops 2,” Octane is jazzed to see it return in Modern Warfare. Whether you’re holding down an objective in standard multiplayer or tearing up Verdansk in Warzone, this loadout can help pad your stats in no time.

Octane, Clayster & other CDL pros call out FaZe’s Cellium for snaking Call of Duty League / ActivisionAs the Atlanta FaZe beat the Paris Legion at the Call of Duty League’s Super Week, Octane and other CDL pros jumped on Twitter to call out Cellium and condemn the return of snaking to professional CoD. Put simply, “snaking” is when a player abuses the crouch and prone movement mechanics to quickly bob up and down behind cover. This enables someone to shoot enemies while remaining practically invulnerable themselves (as playing a “head glitch” effectively breaks an opponent’s camera). The issue has existed for years as a recurring GA (gentleman’s agreement) and FaZe’s McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel is no stranger to snaking accusations. The FaZe star used the overpowered mechanic to pull off a 1v2 clutch in the game five Search & Destroy vs Legion, allowing Atlanta to secure the victory. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!@Cellium follows @SimpXO’s 1v3 with his own 1v2 and @ATLFaZe win the series in game five 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Tt7w2OV2wu — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) February 27, 2021 Almost instantly thereafter, Seattle Surge’s Sam ‘Octane’ Larew and other pros hit Twitter to complain about the mechanic’s sudden resurgence. Some pros joined Octane in simply critiquing the nebulously GA’d mechanic’s return, but the discussion quickly honed in directly on Cell himself. As Octane mentions from the outset, the FaZe and Legion match seemed to confirm that the professional scene has fully accepted snaking out of nowhere. As fans keyed in on Fire, the Los Angeles Thieves’ Kenny ‘Kenny’ Williams quickly referenced Cellium in response. First joking about a timeless story between Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper and Cell, in which the latter told the veteran he could match his play instead of complaining, Kenny then remarked on the game-winning 1v2: “As we just said this, it just happened for the W.” The issue is obviously not perpetrated by just one player, a point which Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto felt compelled to bring to light. Noting the difficulty of Cell’s position, he aimed to put the emphasis on the mechanic itself. Pointing out that, even if he stopped snaking, Cell would immediately return to it once someone did it to him — ZooMaa redirects the problem: “Unless snaking gets nerfed, it will always be used and abused by MULTIPLE players.” Dissatisfied, outspoken LA Thieves veteran Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat maintained that it could be solved by a GA, as evidenced by the fact that it was “‘banned’ for 5-plus years.” That response reinforces a focus on Cell’s behavior, as echoed separately by Octane — who shut down those defending the FaZe player, before continuing on to elaborate that he doesn’t even need the mechanic to excel. Based on these arguments, it’s clear that some pros blame Cellium’s behavior directly, some blame the mechanic and some are simply surprised by an overall acceptance of what used to be condemned. The New York Subliners’ James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks reiterated that final perspective, expressing shock during the FaZe and Legion’s match. While SlasheR pointed to the superior competitive integrity of 2016’s pros, Clayster simply showed disbelief at current behavior: “Still mindblown certain individuals/teams just don’t care and do it anyway.” Overall, the situation is a complicated one. GA’s are difficult to enforce generally, but especially so when they are mechanics-based and context-dependent (e.g. ZooMaa’s widely justified snaking in 2020). Until the crouch and prone mechanics get addressed by developers themselves, it’s possible that veterans will continue to be frustrated with newer, upcoming players.

Octane claims aBeZy is actually the best player in the CDL over Simp ActivisionWith the CDL Playoffs right around the corner, the MVP debate is hotter than ever, as the best players in the world fight to win their team a world championship. A number of players have had standout seasons during Black Ops Cold War, with players across Toronto Ultra, Atlanta FaZe, Dallas Empire and more individually putting on an absolute show for the fans. The CDL’s official MVP nominations list includes Cellium, Simp, aBeZy, Shotzzy and Cammy, each of whom are proving themselves to be among the greatest. For Octane, though, the decision lays entirely between the Tiny Terrors duo of Simp and aBeZy; and he’s already chosen his side. Your @ASTROGaming MVP Candidates for the #CDL2021 season! @SimpXO@Shotzzy@Cellium@aBeZy@CammyMVP 👑 https://t.co/Sn2lowSoyn pic.twitter.com/3o6jR988px — Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) July 18, 2021 For many, Simp has undoubtedly been the best player this season. His stats speak for themselves, with the highest KD in the league, and is almost always the best player on the map. Octane, though, thinks his duo aBeZy has been the best player this season, thanks especially to being so dominant in his entry SMG role. “I think Tyler’s [aBeZy’s] job is harder, and I think a lot of people have discredited that this season,” the Seattle Surge star explained. ‘From my personal opinion, playing Tyler and playing Chris [Simp], Tyler enables Chris so much more than you guys realize.” Timestamp 15:10 Octane explains that aBeZy is “super annoying” to play against and that while his and Simp’s roles are “polar opposites of each other,” they complement each other so well. He also adds that the entry sub role isn’t normally one credited to players, but it is to aBeZy because he’ll run around and “challenge everything.” While this opinion is bound to cause an insane amount of debate, it won’t be long before the official CDL MVP is crowned.

Octane blasts “horrible” CDL after Seattle Surge forced to play 4v5 Seattle Surge – Twitter[jwplayer qYU9URvL] Seattle Surge veteran Sam ‘Octane’ Larew went on a profanity-laced rant against the Call of Duty League after his team had to play almost a full map down a player, which led to another loss. Controversy has struck the Call of Duty League again where the Seattle Surge are involved, as the struggling side were forced to play their fourth map versus London Royal Ravens without star-man Josiah ‘Slacked’ Berry. Slacked, who had mentioned having internet problems prior to the match, disconnected nearly a quarter of the way through the St. Petrograd Hardpoint against Royal Ravens, which the hosts inevitably dominated to win their series 3-1. The CDL officials determined that the result would stand, after which Slacked posted videos on Twitter explaining that the league was holding him responsible for his internet connection, which is why the map wasn’t replayed. Obviously, this decision didn’t sit well with the Surge players, least of all Octane, who unleashed a fuming series of tweets bashing the CDL, calling them “horrible,” an “abomination,” and attacking their competitive integrity. “This league is f**king horrible, an abomination, holy f**k!” he wrote in all-uppercase letters. “Literally our most important series of the year and we can’t play it because the Call of Duty League decided we can’t replay a tied Hardpoint. This league sucks!” “Competitive integrity strikes again! 400 million dollar league by the way, 4v5, no replay, sick joke. Try and fine me CDL, holy f**k, people can’t do their jobs!” Slacked also openly questioned the league’s competitive integrity, suggesting that if a high-profile player like Scump had disconnected, or if this would have happened in a match that was being played on LAN, then the CDL would have no problem with replaying the map. As mentioned above, this isn’t the first time that the Surge have found themselves at the center of CDL controversy; back at the Minnesota Home Series, they were up 2-0 and on the brink of a monumental upset vs Atlanta FaZe, but a broadcasting issue delayed the rest of the series by nearly 45 minutes. Once the match resumed, FaZe won the remaining three maps to complete a reverse-sweep, and the Seattle players were similarly angry at the league for essentially stopping their momentum instead of allowing the series to continue off-camera. Despite the frustrations, Seattle will need cooler heads to prevail as they’ll be fighting to survive elimination tomorrow in the Group B lower bracket. Another loss and they’ll be knocked out in the first round again, as their opportunities to climb out of the depths of the 2020 standings are growing fewer and far between. As always, you can catch all of this weekend’s Call of Duty League action via our CDL London Home Series hub, which includes livestreams, full schedule, latest scores, brackets, and more.

Octane angry over “nonexistent” competitive integrity after FaZe loss DexertoSeattle Surge’s Main AR, Sam ‘Octane’ Larew, has hit out at Activision’s Call of Duty League after being reverse swept by Atlanta FaZe following an extensive break due to a technical error. Coming into the match against Atlanta FaZe, plenty had chalked Octane and co. to roll over to the might of the Tiny Terrors. Although straight from the get-go, it was clear that the Seattle squad had other ideas. With former substitute Nicholas ‘Proto’ Maldonado starting in place of the now-retired Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, Surge seemed to have the wind in their sails — taking an assertive 2-0 lead over FaZe in the series. But after edging out Atlanta FaZe 6-5 in the Search & Destroy, the CDL had to take an extensive break to look into – what was described as – a technical error with the broadcast. Following the technical reset, Atlanta FaZe mounted the series comeback and reverse swept the Seattle squad to take the series 3-2, after a nail-biting round 11 last map. Given that all momentum would have been taken from the Surge during the break, Octane vented his frustrations on Twitter — calling out the league’s alleged lack of competitive integrity during his rant. “Of course, bro. Literally laughable at the CDL’s standard this year, Larew started. “Legitimately laughable at the level of professionalism event after event.” While Surge’s substitute Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt pitched in to praise Octane’s outstanding performance against FaZe, the 22-year-old simply responded: “Onto the next, gotta love this garbage league.” Of FUCKING course bro literally laughable at the CDL’s standard this year. Legitimately LAUGHABLE at the level of professionalism event after event. — Sam “Octane” Larew (@OctaneSam) June 13, 2020 Given that each player is representing a team that is franchised to the Call of Duty League, some were calling for Larew to remove his Tweets. But the Main AR simply responded: “Fine me. Competitive integrity is nonexistent.” Fine me I don’t give a fuck. Competitive integrity is nonexistent. — Sam “Octane” Larew (@OctaneSam) June 13, 2020 Former Chicago Huntsmen player, Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman, replied stating that Call of Duty esports has “never had competitive integrity.” While having to pause for a technical reset is beyond the control of the league, it’s clear to see how a lengthy break in an esport where momentum plays a big impact, can swing the tide in the opposition’s favor.

Octane and Methodz Respond to Criticism for Playing Black Ops 4 Beta Instead of WWII OpTic Gaming / YouTubeOpTic Gaming’s Sam ‘Octane’ Larew and Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni have responded to criticism for playing the Black Ops 4 beta instead of practicing for the 2018 Call of Duty World Championship. One of Octane’s Twitch viewers said “you should be playing WWII and trying to win an event, not playing a beta”. But the former Luminosity player shut this statement down straight away, saying: “Listen guys, if we could be playing WWII, don’t you think I would be playing WWII right now?” Methodz followed up in typical Methodz fashion, saying: “We could be, but we would be shooting bots or playing ranked play. And I think I think I’d rather watch my father shower than do either of those!” With the Call of Duty World Championship set to take place from August 15 to 19, the timing of the Black Ops 4 beta is rather awkward for the 32 teams that will be attending the one and a half million dollar event. However, Octane and Methodz made it clear that getting good practice (scrims or similar) on WWII was not an option at the time of the stream, presumably because everyone else was either offline or also playing the beta. Octane and Methodz have both won events in Call of Duty: WWII with previous teams but have only managed to secure a 5th-6th at CWL Anaheim and a 7th-8th at the CWL Pro League Stage 2 Playoffs since joining OpTic Gaming. eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks faced similar critics when he was playing the Black Ops 4 beta but said “we just got done scrimming a whole series against EG, we can enjoy our time off!”.

NZ-41 has finally overtaken STG in Warzone meta ActivisionThe NZ-41 has officially overtaken the STG-44 as the most popular weapon in the Warzone meta, as Vanguard guns continue to dominate the competition across Caldera and Rebirth Island. Over time, the Vanguard weaponry has gradually shifted Cold War and Modern Warfare guns out of the meta, especially after sniper nerfs saw the Kar98k be forced out of the dominant position it once held. Since Vanguard’s integration and the launch of Caldera, the WW2-themed game’s assault rifles have consistently been at the top, though several have claimed the number one spot at different times. After periods of dominance from the Cooper Carbine, Automaton, and, most prominently, the STG, the NZ-41 has fought its way up the ranks to claim the top spot of the Warzone meta rankings. With stats provided from WZRanked, the NZ-41 has reached a 12.51 pick rate, ahead of the STG-44 at 12.25. The MP-40 submachine gun trails behind in third place at 7.25. Not only has it become the number 1 weapon in the Warzone meta, but it’s also got a top KD to boot, averaging a 1.29 KD — solidly above the STG’s 1.12. This places it as the second most lethal gun in Warzone, behind only the H4 Blixen SMG (1.76 KD), and with an impressive 4.27 win rate, the NZ-41 is clearly the assault rifle to be running if you’re looking to get ahead of the competition. The best NZ-41 loadout is guaranteed to help you pick up some wins, and if you’re looking for a shift away from the STG, the NZ is a must-use — if you haven’t been dominating with it already.

NYSL’s Crimsix claims Dashy cost OpTic Chicago during Cold War season Dallas Empire / CWLCompetitive Call of Duty legend Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter has fired shots at Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell, claiming that the OpTic Texas star was responsible for losing his side more maps than he won them in the Cold War season. Despite the obvious connection to the Greenwall, Crimsix has never been one to avoid criticizing the iconic esports organization. His departure from OpTic came back in 2019 following a disappointing Black Ops 4 season. He then moved onto Dallas Empire, and has found his way to the New York Subliners for the upcoming Vanguard season. It appears there’s no love lost between Porter and his former teammate Dashy, with the NYSL star claiming Otell cost his OpTic Chicago roster more maps than he won them during the Black Ops Cold War season. Speaking ahead of his recently announced $50k Vanguard tournament, Crimsix was assembling team captains based on his top 16 players from the Cold War season. At number 14 in his list, former pro ZooMaa enquired about Dashy and where he fits in. From there, the three-time world champion went on to criticize Dashy’s performance for OpTic Chicago in Cold War. “No [I don’t want to put Dashy in there],” Crimsix said. “Here we go, in my eyes, Brandon lost his team more maps than he won his team last year. It’s just a hard truth. I think it is [true]. You guys should ask FormaL that question. I would literally just watch… There was one time I remember it was P5 Garrison, I died three times in a row top bridge while we were getting 25 seconds total. And Brandon didn’t move from barrel alley.” In response, Dashy joked that “Crim doesn’t f**k with me at all” and that he would have probably made the list if it had gone to top 30, rather than just 16. Essentially, Crim’s argument is that Dashy fails to often play as part of a cohesive team unit, often trying to get kills on his own. Whether true or not, Dashy is one of only two OpTic Chicago members to make the switch to OpTic Texas, alongside Scump. Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon now plays for 100 Thieves, while Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper retired and is eyeing a return to competitive Halo. The Vanguard season is set to begin soon, although precise details have not yet been released by the Call of Duty League.

Team Aydan wins big in NYSL’s $50K WarzoneMania tournament: Full results Activision / New York SublinersWarzoneMania just returned for third year in a row as the Call of Duty League’s New York Subliners put $50,000 on the line for another major tournament. Team Aydan came out on top when all was said and done on the first day of action and Day 2 saw multiple teams finish in the money. Here’s a full breakdown of all there is to know. Team Aydan finish first on Day 1. – $50,000 prize pool split across two days of action. – Unique formats across both days. – WarzoneMania, one of the most recognizable events on the CoD BR calendar each year, finally made its return in 2022. Having started in 2020 with $100,000 up for grabs, followed by a second round in 2021, WarzoneMania has become a staple tournament in the scene. With all the most accomplished pros and established personalities lining up to compete once again, the third outing was just as exciting. With both days of action now in the books, we’ve got you covered with a full rundown of how NYSL’s latest WarzoneMania event unfolded. NYSL $50K WarzoneMania event: Day 1 Results NYSL $50K WarzoneMania event: Day 2 Results NYSL $50K WarzoneMania event: Streams & Schedule The latest WarzoneMania tournament took place across two days. Action kicked off on Monday, May 2 with the event then coming to a close on Tuesday, May 3. Previous WarzoneMania events have been streamed direct from the Subliners Twitch channel, and this time around, things were no different for the third iteration. NYSL $50K WarzoneMania event: Format Similar to last year’s tournament, the 2022 WarzoneMania event was split across two days. This time around, however, each day featured a unique format and featured $25K of the full prize. Read More: Top 20 highest-earning Warzone players – 18 squads dropped in to compete, with teams being split into two groups of nine. On Day 1, these squads competed in custom lobbies, fighting for both kills and higher placements to build up their point total. The top four squads from each group then advanced to the Finals where they had a chance to earn some cash. On Day 2, things got a bit simpler. Custom lobbies were still in focus, though this time, each game was ‘winner takes all,’ with $5,000 handed to the last surviving team in each private match. NYSL $50K WarzoneMania event: Players & Teams With 72 players dropping into the third WarzoneMania event, a wide range of Warzone’s top stars were all lining up to compete. Read More: Ultimate Warzone event calendar – Below is a full look at every squad across both groups, with captains highlighted.

NY Subliners use baby Yoda to roast Dallas Empire over Mutex situation In the golden age of social media, even Call of Duty League franchises are getting in on the hottest memes to roast their opponents – now, New York Subliners have made Dallas Empire their latest victim, with help from baby Yoda. The evolution of the baby Yoda meme came from the release of The Mandalorian – a Disney+ exclusive series based in the Star Wars universe, set before the emergence of the First Order. The series features an alien baby that many believe to be a younger Yoda, which the internet immediately fell in love with. It went on to become the basis of one of the funniest current meme formats in the following days, and now CDL franchise New York Subliners are using it to their advantage. After the fallout of the situation between Dallas Empire and player/analyst Charlie ‘MuTeX’ Saouma, in which Mutex was kicked from the team due to inappropriate language used on-stream, many fans of Dallas and Call of Duty, in general, had a lot to say. Now, though, CDL opponents New York Subliners have tweeted a short clip from The Mandalorian, in which a persistent baby Yoda keeps hitting a switch despite a guard’s attempts to stop him. They have overdubbed the switch hits with Mutex’s speech he made on stream after being kicked – with hilarious results. “Message to Dallas Empire, I appreciate the opportunity,” starts the recording, before being ‘shut off’. “Because good f**king luck finding anyone better than me, genuinely.” The tweet, captioned “Hastr0 be like”, immediately took off, with fans loving the drama that was unfolding, amassing hundreds of retweets and likes shortly after being posted. One person, though, wasn’t a fan of the tweet and immediately bit back. Dallas’ James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks said, “First time being a social media manager?” After fans responded roasting him in return, he followed up with a simple “Guess it’s hilarious, carry on.” He went on to explain that he didn’t think it was funny because “someone lost their job.” Optic placing T24 at champs doesn’t equate to a franchised team making fun of someone who lost their job. — Empire Clayster (@Clayster) December 2, 2019 Based on the overall reaction to the tweet, it seems that Clay isn’t joined by many in thinking that it wasn’t a funny tweet. Whether you think it’s funny, unprofessional or otherwise, it’s clear that things are starting to heat up and these teams must be itching to get at each other on the battlefield when the first event of the year arrives in Minnesota on January 24-26.

Numerous Upsets as the 5th CWL Pro League Challenge Reaches the Semi-Finals – Final Placements (Updating) The 5th CWL Pro Leauge Challenge has reached the Semi-Finals after a collection of top teams suffered early upsets to knock them out of the tournament. First introduced for the 2018 season, the Pro League Challenge takes place every two weeks and allows the top eight teams from the North American CWL 2K tournament to take on the eight current squads at the CWL Pro League. Although there is a $2,000 prize pool on the line for the Pro League Challenge, teams mainly play for pride and the chance to match up against some of the best rosters and lineups across competitive Call of Duty. More: OpTic Gaming’s Methodz Answers Questions on Health System, Blackout Battle Royale, and More After Playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – For the 5th CWL Pro League Challenge, the competition began on Sunday, May 21st, however, teams only played up until the Quarter-Finals, with the Semi and Grand Finals set to take place on Monday, May 22nd. Teams such as Echo Fox, FaZe Clan, Team Kaliber, Splyce, and Evil Geniuses were all knocked out in the first round of the single-elimination bracket, which leaves Team Envy, Red Reserve, Enigma6, and WaR as the four remaining squads. A full list of the remaining matchups can be found below, along with the final placements for the 5th CWL Pro League Challenge. Semi-Final and Grand-Final matchups. Rosters Red Reserve: Rated, Joee, Skrapz, Zer0 – Team Envy: Classic, Huke, Chino, Decemate – Enigma6: General, Sender, Diabolic, aBeZy – WaR: RobbieB, Envoy, Atura, Cells – CWL Pro League Challenge Final Placements *Updating*

Number of Original Infinity Ward Employees Return to Studio From Respawn Ent. to Work on 2019 Call of Duty A number of previous Infinity Ward employees have returned to the studio, departing Respawn Entertainment, and will work on 2019’s Call of Duty release. Of course we have barely had this year’s Call of Duty revealed, with Treyarch showing off Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, but some eyes are already turning to next year following these moves. If unaware, a messy legal battle caused the majority of the Infinity Ward studio to leave back in 2010, after Activision fired studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella for “breaches of contract and insubordination”. More: Statistics Give Insight To Why Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Will Not Include A Single Player Campaign – The team formed Respawn, and since worked on the ‘Titanfall’ series, the second of which was released in 2016. The original team were of course behind the creation of both Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, and so to have some of the team who worked on these titles back in CoD is big news. According to a lengthy Reddit post sourcing numerous LinkedIn pages and Twitter accounts, here is a full run down of the staff returning to IW from Respawn. Geoffrey Smith (Former Designer at Infinity Ward, Former Lead Game Designer at Respawn, now Multiplayer Design Director at Infinity Ward). – Joel Emslie (Former Art Lead at Infinity Ward, Former Art Director at Respawn, now Studio Art Director at Infinity Ward) – Mark Grigsby (Former Lead Animator at Infinity Ward, Former Lead Animator at Respawn, now Animation Director at Infinity Ward) – Some other members from the Respawn team have also left to join Infinity Ward, but were not necessarily on the original IW team. Ranon Sarono (Senior Animator at Respawn, now Senior Animator at Infinity Ward) – John Mundy (Senior Game Designer at Respawn, now Senior Game Designer at Infinity Ward) – Joshua Dunnam (Senior Environment Artist at Respawn, now Senior Environment Artist at Infinity Ward) – Dom McCarthy (Producer at Respawn, now Producer at Infinity Ward) – Madison Cromwell (Art Producer at Respawn, now Associate Producer at Infinity Ward) – Of course it did not take long for fans to begin speculation that these moves back to Infinity Ward would result in a return to the Modern Warfare Series. However, at this time, there is absolutely nothing known about 2019 Call of Duty, with the exception of this Tweet from the returning Studio Art Director at IW. So much dev firepower at IW. So much talent. Next game will be insane! — Joel Emslie (@JoelEmslie1) January 5, 2018 Fans still have until all of the Black Ops 4 hype train to enjoy, before even thinking about jumping to the following year.

Is Nuketown Zombies coming to Black Ops 4? Treyarch release teasers for third DLC map Joshwoocool – TwitterA new DLC map for Zombies is coming soon to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and Treyarch have already started to put out teasers for it. The new DLC Zombies map will be the third in Black Ops 4, following the Dead of the Night and Ancient Evil that were released in December and March respectively. Not much confirmed information is known about the third DLC, other than it will be releasing on July 9 and will follow the Aether Storyline, putting the newly introduced Chaos story on hold. On June 27, Treyarch gave players further clues about the nature of the upcoming map, dropping two brand new teaser images on Twitter. The first was an image of a female character floating in a mysterious blue light, along with the caption “I know what must be done, and who must do it,” leading some to believe it could be a sequel to the popular Moon map from the first Black Ops. “”I know what must be done, and who must do it.””#BlackOps4 #Zombies pic.twitter.com/UMxhjRVPia — Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) June 27, 2019 However, it was the second teaser that sent the Zombies community into a frenzy. Posted just a couple of hours after the first, the second image contained the words Alpha Omega, along with the Greek letters edited to fit the map’s theme. The image also came with a caption of its own, which read “The end begins.” Read More: Black Ops 4 devs “frustrated” with Activision pushing microtransactions and crunch at Treyarch – What instantly caught everyone’s attention was the small icon of a rocket in the first symbol, which many have interpreted to be a nuke, theorizing that Nuketown could be a part of the new DLC. The end begins. 2019.07.09#BlackOps4 #Zombies pic.twitter.com/sRb78g7HNi — Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) June 27, 2019 Further supporting this theory is an unreleased loading screen that was found in the game files by user Joshwoocool and leaked on June 27, showing what is clearly a classic Nuketown Zombies map. Nuketown Zombies was first introduced in Call of Duty as a DLC map in Black Ops 2, but has not been released in any of the titles since. Thus, the possibility of the once fan-favorite map finally making its return has a lot of devoted fans very excited, including several top Zombies YouTubers. If a return of Nuketown Zombies is indeed on the cards, there still remains the question of how it will fit in to the storyline, and how prevalent it will be in the third DLC as a whole. Players will just have to wait until July 7, when the map will be released on the PlayStation 4, followed by the Xbox One and PC seven days later.

Nuketown Easter egg discovered on new Black Ops Cold War map ActivisionBlack Ops Cold War players have discovered an easter egg that could hint at Nuketown from BO1 on the map Cartel, which is one of the brand new maps made available to fans during the game’s Open Beta. [jwplayer ulMZS35X] Everyone knows that Nuketown is the single most popular map in Black Ops history. It’s been a part of every single iteration in the series, even showing up multiple times in one title, if you count the Zombies version of it in BO2. Rumors have even suggested that the map will be showing up in Black Ops Cold War, which is unsurprising, to say the least. Because of its popularity, it’s only reasonable that the developers would want to start teasing it before it’s added to the game – but most people probably didn’t expect it to show up in one of the beta maps. If players go into the back of the map Cartel, which was one of the maps that players didn’t get to experience in the Alpha, they’ll find an image of one of the houses on the classic BO1 map. Does this mean that the classic version of the map will appear in Black Ops Cold War? Of course, no one knows at this point in time, but some people seem to think so, like YouTuber TheGamingRevolution. And it would make sense, too: With BOCW being a direct sequel to Black Ops 1, having a map pulled straight from that game would fit the time period. That being said, given that every single version of the map throughout its history has been changed, it would be surprising if the developers didn’t do the same thing this time. Regardless of what this picture means, it’s nice to see that the developers haven’t forgotten about the classic map, even 10 years after its original launch.

Nuketown ’84 gameplay & easter egg leaked in Black Ops Cold War TreyarchSeveral days before Nuketown ’84 is set to release in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, some players have already managed to gain access to the map, leaking both gameplay and a cool-looking easter egg. With the Black Ops Cold War launch now firmly in the books, Call of Duty players are looking ahead to the next waves of new content: Nuketown ’84 and Season 1. Nuketown ’84 is the fifth iteration of the iconic map in the main Black Ops sub-franchise, but, ahead of its release, some players glitched themselves inside and got to try it out for themselves. While the official artwork that’s already been released by Treyarch gave everyone a first look at the upcoming map, those who gained access early have already leaked a full set of gameplay. As expected, the fundamental layout of Nuketown ’84 is pretty identical to all of the previous versions; both sides feature a two-story structure with a couple of vehicles in between. Obviously, with BOCW having a Cold War era-themed setting, everything in this map follows suit, including the color scheme and some of the vandalism effects added to the houses’ walls. Nuketown ’84 Easter Egg Treyarch always like to add another interesting layer to Nuketowns by integrating an easter egg that players can solve. In the BOCW version, if all of the mannequin heads are shot off in the allotted time, the entire map completely takes on a retro look. The color-scheme features various shades of pink and blue, which actually apply to Operators and weapons as well, so your gun will turn dark blue as well. Even explosions from lethal equipment blowing up results in a light blue flash, rather than the orange and yellow of flames, so overall, it’s quite the retro feel. https://twitter.com/TheGhostOfMW2/status/1329952693599821824 When does Nuketown ’84 release in BOCW? The good news is that you don’t have to wait until Season 1 kicks off on December 10 to play Nuketown ’84; the map is actually being added a couple of weeks prior to that, on Tuesday, November 24. It’ll be free to everyone on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, so make sure to try it out when it drops!

Nuke world record set in Modern Warfare thanks to broken Shipment spawns One Modern Warfare player has shared their world record nuclear killstreak on the new version of Shipment, capitalizing on some insanely broken spawns. Since Modern Warfare’s October 25 release, many fans have been quick to criticize the game’s spawns, often placing players clearly in the line of sight of enemies, or even spawning them into instant death. However, the addition of Shipment on December 18 seems to have exacerbated the game’s inconsistent spawns. Such a small map will always bring spawn issues, but fans think it is far worse than it should be. This argument was substantiated on December 20 as one Reddit user shared their incredible 41-second nuclear killstreak, thanks mainly to Shipment’s bizarre spawn system. The ‘Nuclear’ medal has featured in Call of Duty games for many years, marking a player’s 30 gunstreak. However, Modern Warfare sees the return of the game-ending nuclear killstreak, as something of a throwback to 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. In Hardcore Domination on Shipment, player ‘GregKings’ achieved a 41 second nuclear, by simply sitting in a corner with the PKM LMG. The game appeared to ignore the player’s positioning, regularly spawning enemies directly in front of them. Update: Since posting this article, another player has used the same spot on Shipment to pull off an even faster nuke, as StreakingPSN shaved a second off GalacticBanana15’s time. At the time of writing, Infinity Ward have not replied to the post, or to fan concerns surrounding spawns on the new version of Shipment. However, the Reddit user’s experience is indicative that change is needed swiftly. When Shipment was included in 2007’s Modern Warfare, fans enjoyed the rapid chaos it brought, despite there being issues with spawns on such a small map. However, fans seem to be of the opinion that this year’s Shipment has worse spawns than ever. Shipment was joined by Vacant in the 1.12 update; another of the original Modern Warfare’s fan-favorite maps. Recent Call of Duty games have utilized the popularity of old maps, such as the inclusion of Summit and Slums to Black Ops 4. While fans are excited for another opportunity to play Vacant and Shipment, many fans questions why new Call of Duty games are struggling to come up with original, enjoyable maps.

Nuclear Warzone Season 4 easter egg spotted inside Bunker 10 ActivisionInfinity Ward has long been teasing an explosive shake up the state of Warzone. With the major Season 4 update on June 10, players may have been given their first look at what’s coming next. Subtle teasers have been appearing throughout Warzone for a number of weeks. Numerous Bunkers have been opened across the map, explosive devices have been discovered, and new characters have been brought into the battle royale’s ongoing narrative. It’s too early to predict just how these teasers will all come together. Though a cataclysmic event could be right around the corner, one that pushes players to a new map altogether. A brand new teaser has been spotted on June 11, here’s the full rundown. While Bunkers were accessible prior to the new seasonal update, venturing back inside is well worth your time. Not only is there a devastating minigun to equip, but new easter eggs have been uncovered as well. Exploring Bunker 10 in the latest version of Warzone, Twitch streamer ‘DougDagnabbit’ noticed something new: An enormous nuclear missile. Piloting their drone through the Bunker, they spotted the usual suspects of floor loot and locked doors. Without actually stepping foot through one door in particular, the drone was able to scout out a giant nuclear rocket on the other side. Players are barely able to see just a fraction of the full missile through the window in the bunker. That’s how large it truly is. Storyline theories immediately began to sprout as the Call of Duty community questioned how the massive explosive could come into play. One common theory suggests that the nuke will impact the Dam and drench all of Verdansk, forcing a subsequent relocation to an all-new Warzone map. Perhaps the nuke will be involved in a dramatic mid-season shakeup, or maybe the community will have to wait until Season 5. The current season is expected to last for over 50 days, meaning that teasers could continue for a number of weeks before a big bang. Keep your eyes peeled as there are likely plenty of secrets still left to discover in Season 4.

NRG trolls fans over Symfuhny “aimbot” accusations in Warzone Symfuhny / NRG EsportsNorth American organization NRG Esports had the perfect response after their popular content creator Mason ‘Symfuhny’ Lanier was accused of using aimbot in Call of Duty: Warzone. Since the release of Warzone, Symfuhny has been one of the most active streamers on the battle royale, consistently pulling off strong performances in both tournaments and public matches. However, the former Fortnite star received some backlash after questionable clips of his gameplay surfaced, leading some viewers to believe he was cheating. The unusual clips came from Lanier’s June 13 broadcast on Call of Duty’s BR, while he was teaming alongside fellow creators GreekGodx and Crowder. Symfuhny and his teammates were hunting down enemies from their bounty contract when his mouse flicked and stopped on two walls near where the opposing players could have been standing. Despite the first opponent in the clip being visible on Symfuhny’s screen, it still sparked a debate among many viewers online. While some were quite suspicious of the bizarre mouse flicks, the majority of the content creators spoke out in defense of Symfuhny to claim he was legit. Among those who spoke out was Shroud, who responded to G2 streamer Orb, explaining that Lanier’s mouse flicks “weren’t even on target,” and that it happens to him quite a bit as well, when moving his mouse to where he expects opponents to be. Wat. His flicks weren’t even on target. They were just within the vicinity of both players with both flicks. Also I do this all the time as well. C O N T E N T. 😀 — Michael Grzesiek (@shroud) June 14, 2020 When the matter was brought to the attention of his esports org NRG, Symfuhny’s team perfectly trolled those by posting a Twitlonger regarding the accusations. After baiting fans in, with many expecting an official response, NRG simply replied by telling those accusing him of cheating to “get gud kid” and taking the side of their player. Aside from the supposedly controversial clip, Symfuhny is one of the best streamers on Warzone and has even broken the Quads world record in the past, which was beaten by Vikkstar and the Atlanta FaZe pros shortly after. This is not the first time Symfuhny has received backlash during his time on Warzone, however, after he and Huskerrs recently hit out at Skrapz’s team following their defeat in the Royal Ruckus event.

NRG and H3CZ reveal logo and branding for Chicago Hunstmen CoD franchise NRG has finally unveiled the name and branding for their Chicago Call of Duty franchise, which will now officially go by the Chicago Huntsmen. The Chicago franchise became an instant fan-favorite after former OpTic Gaming CEO left the organization he had led for a decade to join NRG. Following him there are former OpTic stars Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper, who are joined by Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson, Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman and Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon to make up the starting roster of the Huntsmen. After announcing the full starting lineup on October 24, fans were left waiting to see the name and logo they’d be getting behind. Although various leaks had already hinted at the name Huntsmen, including one from the official Call of Duty League website. H3CZ teased the reveal of the team’s branding for October 31, with ‘founders’ merch available for fans who want to ensure they were among the first to back the Chicago-based franchise. The organization has now unveiled the logo that will emblazon their merch and player jerseys when the Call of Duty League begins on January 24, 2020, in Minnesota. STORE’S LIVE!https://t.co/7vjjfDmb5J pic.twitter.com/sDy9t9Z2MB — Chicago Call of Duty (@Chicago_COD) October 31, 2019 The announcements aren’t quite over yet for the Huntsmen though, as they will still need to bring on at least two substitute players to add to their roster, with up to a maximum of five subs per team. For now, their starting roster is already hard at practice on Modern Warfare, and have been playing online tournaments to ensure they don’t fall behind the competition. Meanwhile, H3CZ will be hard at work trying to push the Huntsmen brand as the next OpTic in Call of Duty esports, and attracting new fans. OpTic Gaming also has their own spot in the league, holding one of two Los Angeles franchise spots, but are now owned by Immortals Gaming Club, and many fans will choose to support H3CZ, over the historic OpTic brand. Rodriguez already has experience creating a popular franchise team, with a big role in the creation of the Houston Outlaws, the Overwatch League team. The team’s logo is regarded as one of the best in the league, and some of that same ingenuity has clearly been applied to the Hunstmen too. We’ve now had all but one Call of Duty franchise unveil their branding, still waiting on Paris to announce their name and logo. Call of Duty League franchise teams Atlanta FaZe – Chicago Huntsmen – Florida Mutineers – Dallas Empire – London Royal Ravens – Los Angeles Guerrillas – Los Angeles OpTic – Minnesota RØKKR – New York Subliners – Paris – Seattle Surge – Toronto Ultra – Keep up to date with all the roster moves in the Call of Duty offseason ahead of the franchise league with our dedicated roster hub.

NRG CEO explains why they’re “blessed” that H3CZ decided to join YouTube: HECZWith many options supposedly on the table for the former OpTic Gaming CEO, NRG founder Andy Miller told Cheddar Esports that his organization was “blessed” by the OpTic legend’s decision to join. Following his departure from OpTic Gaming, Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez stylishly announced his new home in NRG. Just a few days later it was revealed that the builder of the Green Wall was to be a co-CEO at NRG alongside Andy Miller, as well as spearheading the Chicago-based franchise in the upcoming Call of Duty league. Discussing the recent shakeup in a video interview shared by Cheddar Esports, founder and now co-CEO of NRG, Andy Miller, expressed that “we’re blessed that he picked us, he had a lot of options believe me.” Elaborating on just how significant the presence of H3CZ will be to the organization, Miller explains that “it’s about his leadership and his vision, his content, his social skills, merchandising, design, we just like him to be much more of the face of the business than me.” “”We’re blessed that he picked us.””@NRGgg CEO @amiller discusses the what the addition of @H3CZ means for the organization and what plans they have for @Chicago_COD. #OWL2019 pic.twitter.com/ntrvRMM9Pw — Cheddar Esports (@CheddarEsports) September 29, 2019 The impact of the announcement was felt immediately throughout the industry. “All he did in his video was put on an NRG hoodie” as Miller described, “and boom, we picked up over a hundred thousand fans across our socials, we sold out of our merch, just had a different feel to the org.” The transition came after months of behind the scenes drama that saw OpTic Gaming parent company Infinite Esports & Entertainment sold to Immortals Gaming Club. Since then, NRG has been “embraced by a lot of the Green Wall,” according to Miller. With ownership of the Chicago-based Call of Duty franchise spot, Miller is confident that while Chicago will be “on the front of the jersey, hopefully we’re gonna be loved around the world.” Through countless Call of Duty championships and the historic reign of the Green Wall dynasty, speculation has been rampant as to exactly which players will be signed to the Chicago team with H3CZ in the driver’s seat. Miller ensures that there will be some “superstars” on the roster however. The NRG-owned San Francisco Shock recently came away victorious in the 2019 Overwatch League Grand Finals after an incredible losers bracket run through the playoffs. It’s no doubt that the organization will be looking to replicate that success throughout 2020 in the Call of Duty scene. Call of Duty franchises have slowly started to reveal their rosters for the upcoming Modern Warfare season, you can keep up to date with all of the latest developments here. Disclaimer: Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez is a minority shareholder in Dexerto Ltd.

November 9 update for Black Ops 4 includes stability improvements in Zombies and more Blackout balancing – Full patch notes Just days after the last major update for Black Ops 4, Treyarch has released a game settings update that addresses a host of issues in every game mode. While some patches for Black Ops 4 mainly focus on certain game modes alone, the November 9 update hits on all three game modes with plenty of fixes for each. Chief among the changes are important stability improvements for all Zombies maps, as well as more weapon balancing updates for Blackout. After posting a Developer Update on November 7 detailing upcoming fixes for the various crashes in the Zombies game mode, Treyarch has come through on that promise with some major fixes. In addition to overall stability improvements for the game mode as a whole, Treyarch has released fixes for each map to fix different game crashes players have been experiencing on a regular basis. Zombies players: as we mentioned in our last update… we’re going in. Expect the gritty details on stability fixes in our patch notes going forward, including today’s update. Even if a bug we’ve fixed is obscure or not easily defined, we’ll get as granular as we can in the details. These community updates are for all Black Ops 4 players, and we’re playing the game right along with you. Let’s do this. Blackout also saw a few notable changes just a few days after receiving a major weapon balance pass with the November 6 update. The Paladin HB50 sniper rifle got a slight buff to headshots on enemies with Level 3 Armor and 200 health, making the damage a bit more consistent. Concussion Grenades also got a slight adjustment in the wake of the removal of 9-Bangs, with players now being able to change stances while disoriented by the item. Multiplayer fans weren’t left out, either, as some changes were made to the Hardcore game modes, including a sizeable SMG buff and a nerf to Body Armor. You can read the full patch notes below: Nov. 9 Update: 2X Tier Boost Weekend, Zombies Fixes, Hardcore and Blackout Balancing, Nuketown Nov. 13 on PS4 We’re kicking off the weekend with our first 2X Tier Boost Event in Multiplayer and Blackout, plus 2X Nebulium Plasma in Zombies on all platforms, now live through 10AM PT Monday, Nov. 12! Everyone earns Black Market Tier progression twice as fast during the event – and new ways for all players to boost Tier progression through playing the game are on the way, including daily bonuses. last update… we’re going in. Expect the gritty details on stability fixes in our patch notes going forward, including today’s update. Even if a bug we’ve fixed is obscure or not easily defined, we’ll get as granular as we can in the details. These community updates are for all Black Ops 4 players, and we’re playing the game right along with you. Let’s do this.Speaking of which, we’ve made a new round of stability improvements in Zombies with today’s patch, including some crash fixes across all maps, as well as resolving specific bugs and crashes in IX, Voyage of Despair, and Blood of the Dead. See the patch notes below for the full list of fixes. In Multiplayer, we’ve made some balancing changes to Hardcore modes to make SMGs more competitive in HC playlists, and we’re kicking inactive players more effectively to make sure your teammates are actually team players. And in Blackout, we’ve tweaked the performance of the Paladin sniper rifle and the Concussion Grenade, and we’ll continue to monitor the effectiveness of all weapons and Equipment for future balance passes. Jump in and let us know how they feel. Now, a look into next week: Nuketown arrives on PS4 on Tuesday, November 13! Stay tuned for a closer look at Black Ops 4’s revival of one of our most popular maps of all time. We can’t wait to jump in and play with you all very soon. Finally, we’ve got some major game updates coming early next week. These will include new balancing tweaks, stability fixes, Featured playlists, gameplay improvements… plus new surprises as we celebrate the launch of Nuketown this month in Black Ops 4. We’ve made the following updates to the game (Global): General All players get 2X Tier Boost in MP and Blackout, plus 2X Nebulium Plasma in Zombies through 10AM PT on Monday, Nov. 12. – Zombies Stability Resolved an issue that could cause the game to crash when the player is near the Mystery Box. – Resolved an issue that could cause the game to crash when a player dies or leaves the game when using the Staff of Ra Special Weapon in the Chaos Story. – Resolved an issue that could cause the game to crash when Zombies attack the player through barricades. – Voyage of Despair Resolved an issue that could cause the game to crash when a player leaves the game while using the Svalinn Guard. – – IX Resolved an issue that could cause the game to crash when a player leaves the game during the Main Quest. – Resolved an issue where, if a player left a game while another player was contributing to their challenge, the remaining player would crash when attempting to complete the challenge. – – Blood of the Dead Resolved two issues that could cause the game to crash when a player fails, bleeds out, or leaves the game during portal events in the Main Quest. – – – Multiplayer Hardcore SMGs now have a one-hit kill potential at close range in Hardcore. – Reduced Armor protection so that all weapons will now kill in 2 hits maximum in Hardcore. – Hardcore Team Deathmatch and Hardcore Kill Confirmed now allow 2 of the same Specialist per team. – – Miscellaneous Resolved an issue where players would not be kicked for inactivity in round-based game modes if the round ended before the kick timer. – – Blackout Weapons Paladin HB50 Slightly increased damage to reduce headshots required to take out an enemy equipped with Level 3 Armor and 200 Health from a Trauma Kit. – Enemies were escaping these fights with 4 Health, so we’re bumping the damage just enough to cover that gap. – – – Paladin HB50 – Equipment Concussion Grenade Players can now change stances after being hit with a Concussion Grenade. While players will still be slowed and overall disoriented, they’ll now have new opportunities to get back to the fight. – With the removal of the 9-Bang from Blackout, we’ve added a scaled-back white flash screen effect to the Concussion Grenade, and will monitor the performance of these balance changes closely. – – – Concussion Grenade – Character Missions Changed the descriptions of Character Mission Items to clarify the unlock requirements per playlist (Solo, Duos, or Quads). – – Have fun out there this weekend, and get ready for more updates early next week. -Treyarch Source – Reddit

November 21 patch for Black Ops brings long-awaited auto mantle fix – Full Patch notes Treyarch has kept the update train rolling with another patch for Black Ops 4. Following November 20’s Patch 1.07, another patch for Black Ops 4 has dropped to address a few key issues in both Multiplayer and Blackout. This patch also enabled the Quad Feed event that will be live through Monday, November 26 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Seemingly since the game was released on October 12, fans have been asking for a change to the auto mantle feature since it sometimes triggers at the worst possible moments. Treyarch has been listening and have added the option to toggle the auto mantle, with it being “off” by default. Toggling Auto Mantle on will allow you to mantle without pressing the jump button again when jumping toward a surface that you intend to mantle onto. Toggling Auto Mantle off will require you to hold the jump button to mantle onto your intended surface, or press the jump button once you’ve reached the surface you intend to mantle onto. Treyarch also confirmed that identified and resolved an issue with spawns in Multiplayer and have included a new fix with the November 21 patch. While this fix won’t change things completely, they say this “should reduce the overall percentage of bad spawns experienced” in Control and Domination. You can read the full patch notes below: Nov. 21 Update: QUAD FEED, Spawn Adjustments, Auto-Mantle Option, and more It’s Quad Feed time! Now live on all platforms, everyone gets 2XP in MP and Zombies, 2X Tier Boost, 2X Merits, and 2X Nebulium Plasma through 10AM PT Monday, Nov. 26. We love a long holiday weekend, and what better way to celebrate? Also in today’s game update, we’ve made two highly-requested changes: adjustments to spawns in round-based respawn modes on all platforms, and an option to toggle Auto Mantle (now live on PS4 and Xbox, coming soon on PC). Here’s a note on each from the dev team: Spawns We’ve identified and resolved an issue with the spawn logic in round-based respawn game modes. This specific issue particularly affected Domination and Control after the first round, in which the spawn system would improperly assess enemy proximity when selecting a respawn location. While this doesn’t resolve all issues that we’re currently tracking to improve with the spawn system, it should reduce the overall percentage of bad spawns experienced in these modes, specifically in rounds two and higher. Auto Mantle Toggle We’ve added an option to toggle Auto Mantle in the Controls options menu, now set to “Off” by default. Toggling Auto Mantle on will allow you to mantle without pressing the jump button again when jumping toward a surface that you intend to mantle onto. Toggling Auto Mantle off will require you to hold the jump button to mantle onto your intended surface, or press the jump button once you’ve reached the surface you intend to mantle onto. Speaking of movement options, we’ve also heard the requests for an Auto-Sprint option for console players, and are currently working on getting that into the game after it’s been put through proper testing. When enabled, this will allow you to double-click your left analog stick to allow your character to automatically sprint without further input. Keep an eye out for future announcements regarding this feature. Our latest PC title update also went live earlier today, which includes yesterday’s global changes as well as PC-exclusive updates. Get the full details at our dedicated PC community update. Now, onto what’s new today… General Event Quad Feed (now live through 10AM PT Monday, Nov. 26) 2XP in Multiplayer and Zombies – 2X Tier Boost in Multiplayer and Blackout – 2X Merits in Blackout – 2X Nebulium Plasma in Zombies – – – Quad Feed (now live through 10AM PT Monday, Nov. 26) – Gameplay Added an option in the Controls menu to toggle Auto Mantle on or off (now live on PS4 and Xbox, coming soon on PC). Applies to Multiplayer and Blackout. – Resolved an issue where enabling Sprint Cancels Reload would disable Auto Mantle (now live on PS4 and Xbox, coming soon on PC). – – Black Market Clarified the description for Signature Weapons to inform players that the Reactive Camo & Masterwork are now available as soon as a Signature Weapon is unlocked. – – Miscellaneous Fixed an issue where the Cheers! Gesture could not be equipped on Firebreak and Seraph. – Fixed an issue where some Stickers were missing their set name. – – Multiplayer Gameplay Resolved a spawn issue in Domination and Control (both Core and Hardcore). – – Enjoy the Quad Feed for the rest of the week, and Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Treyarch to those who celebrate! -Treyarch Source – Reddit

November 16 update in Black Ops 4 includes Reactive Camo patch, PC Blackout changes, and more – Patch Notes Treyarch have rolled out another one of their daily game settings updates for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on November 16. While these daily settings updates do not have the magnitude or file size of the massive patch updates, they still implement small tuning adjustments and fixes for issues the players have brought to the developers’ attention. This November 16 patch delivers updates to all three modes – Multiplayer, Blackout, and Zombies – as well as gives a sneak preview of the next major update to come in the near future. For the Multiplayer, this update delivers a fix for some of the Reactive Camos that were missing from Signature Weapons. Read More: Dates announced for first 2X Weapon XP event in Black Ops 4, plus “very special” 2XP event coming next week – The Sensor Dart and Razor Wire in Blackout have now been tuned so that the items now feature the stats that were intended for them from the beginning. There are also several changes made to Blackout that are exclusively to the PC platform. In Zombies, various crashes across multiple maps have now been fixed thanks to the fixes delivered in this update. The Razor Wire has been tuned in Blackout to perform closer to the stats that were intended for it. As for the major patch update set to go live sometime next week, Treyarch has informed players to expect gameplay improvements across all modes, the launch of both Nuketown and Blackjack’s Shop on Xbox One and PC, new stability fixes for Zombies, and “much more.” The full patch notes for the November 16 game settings update is available in its entirety down below: 2X Weapon XP is live in MP and Zombies through 10AM PT Monday, Nov. 19! Get out there and earn those Operator Mods, Clan Tags, and Kill Counters even faster over the weekend – and check back later next week for a very special 2XP event. We’ve also got another substantial game update planned next week, which will include gameplay improvements across all modes, the launch of Nuketown and Blackjack’s Shop on Xbox One and PC, new Zombie stability fixes, and much more. Today’s patch delivers updates to all modes, including a fix for missing Reactive Camos on Signature Weapons in Multiplayer, various crash fixes in Zombies across multiple maps, and bringing the Sensor Dart and Razor Wire up to their intended stats in Blackout. We’ve also included PC-specific updates to Blackout today. As a reminder, yesterday’s global updates are live on PC, including improved melee hit registration, Zombies fixes, and more. We’ve made the following updates to the game (Global): General Event 2X Weapon XP now live for Multiplayer and Zombies through 10AM PT November 19. – – Multiplayer Create-a-Class Resolved an issue where players could not equip Reactive Camos on Signature Weapons. – – Zombies Stability Fixed a crash that could occur when a player disconnected at a specific timing after killing a zombie and starting a voiceover line. – Fixed a crash that could occur while using the Shield to view hidden numbers during the Main Quest in Blood of the Dead. – Fixed a rare crash related to the Zeus altar head following players on IX and Voyage of Despair. – – Blackout Equipment Resolved an issue where the Sensor Dart would expire sooner than intended. – Resolved an issue where Razor Wire Health had been had temporarily reduced. – – We’ve also made the following updates to the game exclusively to PC in addition to the changes listed above: Blackout Closed an exploit that allowed the player to use a Perk twice. – Resolved an issue where two Mesh Mines would be consumed when the Mesh Mine Fire Mode option was set to Tactical. – Enjoy the 2X Weapon XP over the weekend, keep your feedback coming, and watch for more updates next week! There’s so much more to come. Source – Reddit

November 15 update for Black Ops 4 includes PC weapon balancing pass – Full patch notes Following the November 13 update that dropped for consoles, a brand-new update has released for the PC version of Black Ops 4. Following the trend set from the game’s release, a PC-specific patch for Black Ops 4 has dropped a couple days after the last major console update. This update addresses many aspects of the game from quality of life improvements across the board to specific changes and fixes in each individual mode. First off, Treyarch has improved melee hit registration and added enemy attachment information to killcams for players on all platforms, while also providing some updates on CWL Custom Game settings. More crash fixes in Zombies and general bug fixes were also included with the update to round things out for the global population. This update also featured a host of changes specific to the PC version of the game and key in on many issues that players have been asking about for quite some time. The biggest changes of all was another weapon balance pass that has again focused on SMGs, with the Saug 9mm, Spitfire, and Cordite all seeing nerfs to their hip fire spread. PC players also received some specific keybinds and other gameplay options, while outlining a few things that they have in the pipeline for upcoming PC updates. You can read the full patch notes for the November 15 update below: Nov. 15 Update: PC Title Update, MP Gameplay Improvements, Zombies Fixes, CWL Custom Game Updates, A Note on Speed Cola + more Our latest title update to Black Ops 4 has arrived on PC, with a long list of changes exclusive to PC joining changes included in this week’s global update. Unique gameplay balance updates are made on PC separately from their console counterparts, and the team takes the time needed to ensure each meta is adjusted accordingly. Check out the PC section below for what’s included just for PC players, as these notes cover multiple updates over the past 24 hours, including what’s coming in today’s newest update. We’ve also made a handful of gameplay and quality-of-life improvements across all modes on all platforms, including improved melee attack hit registration and exploit fixes in Multiplayer, as well as several more crash fixes and gameplay issue resolutions in Zombies. These include improved stability across all Zombies maps and numerous updates to IX and Blood of the Dead. This week in Zombies, we’ve introduced a modifier to the Perk system (lovingly known as “Speed Cola”in previous games) that increases weapon reload speed. In Black Ops 4, this modifier adds a +33% reload speed improvement. When combined with Fast Mags/Hybrid Mags, it will have a combined effect of a 50% increase, which is the same as the highest increase in previous games. This preserves the role of these weapon attachments in creating the quickest-handling guns in each weapon class. Additionally, we wanted to ensure the reload modifiers from certain Pack-a-Punch versions of weapons are still meaningful, which stack with the “Speed Cola” new tuning values. As always, we will continue to monitor game balance and continue to make adjustments as necessary. We’ve made the following updates to the game (Global): Multiplayer Gameplay Improved melee attack hit registration. More improvements to come in an upcoming patch. – Added enemy attachment information to Killcam. – Resolved an issue where players leaving a match shortly after joining could cause a white square to appear in the Scoreboard. – – Create-a-Class Closed an exploit that allowed players to apply Dark Matter, Gold, or Diamond Camos on any weapon regardless of camo progress. – Resolved an issue where players with Signature Weapons could encounter UI Error 55068 when selecting a weapon under another Custom Class tab. – – CWL Custom Games General Specialist Equipment restrictions are now implemented as intended. – Players now continue to earn score toward Scorestreaks after the first round of CWL Search & Destroy and CWL Control. – – Torque Torque is no longer selectable in CWL Search & Destroy to align with current official CWL ruleset. These changes will continue to be tested and reviewed for viability in competitive play. – Torque’s Razor Wire no longer does damage to align with current official CWL ruleset. – Resolved an issue where players could become stuck and unable to move when walking into an enemy Torque’s Razor Wire. – – – General – Maps Nuketown Closed an exploit where players could grapple on top of the red shed. – – Firing Range Closed a cover exploit on top of some sandbags. – – – Nuketown – Scorestreaks Fixed a crash that could occur when shooting down the Care Package, Mantis, or Strike Team Helicopters. – – Modes Gun Game Resolved an issue in Gun Game where winning a match, then leaving the lobby before the next game starts, could cause that player’s name to appear on the next game’s Scoreboard with stats from the previous game. – – – Gun Game – Challenges EKIA tracking has been added for Domination and Control to the “Proactive Measures” Challenge requirements in the Game Heroics category. – – Zombies Stability Global Fixed a crash that could occur when a player disconnected while the Chakram was thrown. – Fixed a crash that could occur when the Blightfather performed its tracking missile attack. – Fixed a rare crash that could occur while using Anywhere But Here. – Fixed a rare crash that could occur while using the Chakram throw. – Fixed a rare crash that could occur upon Homunculus death. – – IX Fixed a crash that could occur when fighting the Destroyer during the Main Quest. – Fixed a crash that could occur upon completing the Arena Rock side quest. – Fixed a rare crash that could occur when enemies spawned during the Ra obelisk step in the Main Quest. – – – Global – General Resolved an issue in Blood of the Dead where ambient music would abruptly stop and restart when progressing through rounds. – Closed an exploit where players could use certain Elixirs without consuming them. – – Blackout Characters Updated descriptions for Ranger, Airborne, Frogman, Seal, and Battle Hardened characters to clarify that they are unlocked by progressing to a specific Echelon. – – General Miscellaneous Resolved an issue where attempting to load a custom Paintjob could cause a UI Error message to appear. – Fixed a crash that could occur when switching between modes. – Fist Bump returned to the Gestures menu. – Resolved an issue where the Daily Tier Skip icon could appear misaligned in the main menu. – – Black Market Resolved an issue where current Tier progress could be reset by acquiring a Special Order. – Resolved an issue where the Black Market menu could disappear when switching between the Multiplayer and Zombies menus. – – – Miscellaneous – We’ve made the following changes to the game exclusively to PC, in addition to balance changes and fixes from this week’s global update and the changes listed above: General Stability Fixed a crash occurring on CPUs that don’t support SSE4.1 instructions extension. This issue was affecting AMD Phenom CPUs. – Fixed a rare crash during the first seconds after launching the game. – – Gameplay Added three new keybinds for Stance Up, Stance Up/Jump, and Stance Down. – Added a gameplay option for ADS sensitivity trigger timing. – Added a gameplay option to remove hitmarker visual and/or sound. – Added an option to toggle Asus Aura RGB effects On or Off. – Adjusted iron sights and scope movement while turning to make them appear close to the center of the screen. – Fixed an issue where the Push to Talk keybind would not work with an overlay opened. – – Miscellaneous Resolved an issue where the player could not name Paintjobs. – Fixed an issue where the player could not change reticle color with the mouse. – Added visual improvements on tooltips throughout various menus. – New messages will now always be displayed in the chat box, including callouts. – Aligned buttons in the Custom Games lobby. – – Multiplayer General Resolved an issue with re-rolling enemy Care Packages with the Engineer Perk. – Resolved an issue where a Specialist would appear in the preview slot when no Specialist was selected during the Specialist draft. – Resolved a visual issue in Heist where the close button would remain on screen when closing the Buy menu with the ESC key. – Resolved an issue where the textures would appear pitch black for several seconds at the beginning of a match. – – Weapons SMGs Saug 9mm Hip fire spread increased. – – Spitfire Hip fire spread increased. – Slightly reduced the hip-fire bonus granted by the Laser Sight attachment. – – Cordite Hip-fire spread increased. – – – Saug 9mm – Tactical Rifles Auger DMR Slightly increased rate of fire. – – ABR 223 Reduced delay between each burst. – – – Auger DMR – Sniper Rifles Paladin HB50 High Caliber I – Added shoulders to the one-shot kill zone. – High Caliber II – Now grants a one-shot kill to the stomach and above. Hands and lower arms have been removed from the one-shot one kill zone. – Fixed an issue where the game was not using the PC description for the Paladin and its attachments. – – – Paladin HB50 – Blackout Gameplay Added a keybind to tag an item. – Added Perk activation feedback in the player HUD. – Pressing the Interact key will now close the Stash while looting a Stash. – Resolved an issue where players could use a Trauma Kit before the game began to start with 200 Health. – Resolved an issue where the “Toggle” healing would heal faster than the “Hold” option. – Resolved an issue where the Free Look mode would make it impossible to move the RC-XD. – – Stability Fixed a crash occurring when aiming down sights using a Hades equipped with a 2x scope. – – We are also currently aware of some issues that were introduced with the new title update on PC, and the team is working on fixing the following issues: Left arrow to navigate through Custom Classes in the Create-a-Class menu is missing. Players can still change tabs by using the “Navigate to Previous Tab” and “Navigate to Next Tab” keybinds. – – Hitmarker options are not always set to their default value when launching the game. New options were introduced to allow the player to remove the visuals and/or audio for hitmarkers. If you wish the enable them, you will find the following options in the Interface tab in the Options menu: Hitmarker Visuals – Hitmarker Sound Effect – Damage-Based Hitmarkers – – – New options were introduced to allow the player to remove the visuals and/or audio for hitmarkers. If you wish the enable them, you will find the following options in the Interface tab in the Options menu: – There are other issues on our radar at the moment, with fixes also underway. Please keep your feedback coming, and we’ll provide status updates here in future posts. -Treyarch Source – Reddit

Notorious Modern Warfare cheater escaping ban despite blatant evidence An infamous Call of Duty cheater has been plaguing Modern Warfare’s servers and players are calling for Infinity Ward to swing the banhammer. Modern Warfare has traversed a rocky road in its opening months. Countless bugs and glitches have overshadowed what is otherwise a mechanically sound game. Despite Infinity Ward’s best efforts, Modern Warfare still remains full to the brim of small nuances that are hindering player’s experience. However, there is nothing worse than a cheater to really crash the party. A player has caught a well known Australian cheater red-handed, after posting a clip to the Modern Warfare subreddit. The cheater – operating under the alias ‘Straiyan’ – has found a way to hoodwink Activision Blizzard’s anti-cheat systems, despite being informed via the in-game reporting feature. The two-part clip highlights Straiyan exploiting third-party software to rapidly eliminate players with ease, as the software pings their aim from player to player. What’s perhaps more infuriating is that the cheater managed to obtain a Tactical Nuke for their ‘endeavors’ — which, of course, ended the game. The Redditor claims that Straiyan also tormented their victims by writing: “Good luck banning me,” in a separate Modern Warfare lobby. “This guy’s been on a rampage for the past two weeks on Aussie servers,” the post explains, “he is somehow bypassing the in-game reporting feature and is evading being banned by Blizzard’s anti-cheat.” While the cheater continues to go on a rampage in Australian PC lobbies, consoles have a much more stringent in-house reporting system. Nonetheless, any Modern Warfare fan will be hoping that the cheater is banned in the near future.

Notorious CoD insider claims LA franchise value has almost tripled in bidding war Unsplash / Activision BlizzardNotorious CoD esports insider ‘Call of Duty franchised league has seen its value almost triple as teams square off in a bidding war to secure the spot. The CoDBurner is a mysterious figure among the Call of Duty community, an unknown identity that regularly spills rumors and gossip surrounding the teams, players and organizations involved in the popular console esport. The CoDBurner, who is best known for his work during roster transfer periods, has turned their attention to the Call of Duty franchised league which is believed to kick off later this year, and has made a startling claim about one of the league’s most sought-after spots. CoDBurner reveals bidding war for Call of Duty’s LA Franchise With franchising on the way, thought to be kicking off with CoD’s 2019 title, organizations are currently working on securing their place in the league, with the price for a spot in the tournament believed to cost $25 million. Like its sister competition the Overwatch League, teams are bidding on geographical-based franchises, with Overwatch. One franchise location appears to be drawing a lot of interest though, with CoDBurner claiming that a bidding war is underway for the Los Angeles franchise, as a number of teams are interested in securing the rights to the Californian spot. According to a comment made by the notorious leaker on his subreddit, the cost of the spot has already soared thanks to a number of bids from interested parties, with CoDBurner mentioning that bids of “over $60 [million]” have been placed in an attempt to secure the spot. This is almost triple the reported cost of the franchise spot, showing that the organizations trying to buy the franchise spot are desperate to get their hands on it. Who could be bidding on the Los Angeles CoD franchise spot? While CoDBurner revealed that the bids are skyrocketing, the insider refrained from revealing who the organizations were that are throwing cash at Activision for the spot. It’s possible that 100 Thieves, who secured their first major championship as an organization at CWL London, could be one of those involved, although their links to the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team may see them choose that location instead. Another possible candidate is FaZe Clan, who are based in LA – although CoDBurner claims they heard players say they weren’t interested because it was “too expensive.” San Francisco-based Gen.G Esports are also a possibility, although they may choose to chase a San Francisco franchise – or the Korean market as they did in OWL with the Seoul Dynasty. Stan and Josh Kroenke, owners of the LA Rams and Arsenal FC, are also a possibility, as their Los Angeles Guardians already occupy the Los Angeles spot in the Overwatch League, while the Los Angeles Valiant, who are owned by Immortals are another possibility – especially considering reports that they intend to expand into other titles, including League of Legends by buying OpTic Gaming’s spot. It’s possible that we may see an announcement in the near future following the surprise confirmation of the first five teams in the league, however with bidding seemingly on-going, it’s probably unlikely.

North American CWL 2K Final Placements – Saturday May 19th The first CWL 2K series since the start of Stage Tow took place on May 19th, with 2000 pro points up for grabs for first place prize and an additional $500 USD. This event was another single-elimination online competition, but does not feature teams from the CWL Pro League, giving teams outside of the top level an opportunity to rack up some extra points. Ghost Gaming featuring big names Andres “Lacefield” Lacefield, Chris “Parasite” Duarte, Adam “GodRx” Brown, and Casey “Pandur” Romano came out in first place. Read More: Number of Original Infinity Ward Employees Return to Studio From Respawn Ent. to Work on 2019 Call of Duty – Team WaR had a particularly strong showing finishing as the tournament’s runner-up. Game 5, Round 11. #GhostCOD are your @MLG 2k champions! GG’s, @Parasite @Lacefield @CaseyPandur @AdamGodRx pic.twitter.com/JShvohfXwv — Ghost (@GhostGaming_GG) May 20, 2018 On the other end of the spectrum GGEA Orange, Lightning Pandas, and Heatwave Baby – a team featuring Mike “Blfire” Glushenok, Jeremy “StuDyy” Astacio, Michael “SpaceLy” Schmale and Jared “Nagafen” Harrell – all suffered a disappointing top 16 finish. Check out the full top 16 placements below: North American CWL MLG Gamebattles Series 2000 Online 2k Placements The top eight teams from this week’s CWL 2K will also earn themselves a place in the CWL Pro League challenge, where they will face off against the CWL Pro League teams for a cash prize. The CWL Pro League challenge begins on May 20th, and is expected to be streamed on the official Call of Duty Twitch channel.

NoahJ456 rage smashes controller after Black Ops 4 crashes at worst possible moment There’s nothing more frustrating that your game crashing while you’re playing but, as NoahJ456 showed, there are some times that quite literally couldn’t be worse. NoahJ456 had been grinding through the IX Zombies match in Black Ops 4 when he and his squad finally made it to the moments before the massive boss battle that takes place on the Roman-inspired map. Unfortunately for Noah, just as the battle was about to commence, the American’s PlayStation 4 suddenly reported an error and he could only watch on in horror as his Black Ops 4 game crashed, and his progress through Zombies gone. Noah remained silent as he stared at this screen in disbelief, seemingly unable to take in what had just happened to him. “I can’t break my good controller,” commented Noah, as he spun around in his chair to grab something behind him. As it turned out, the 100 Thieves streamer was actually turning around to grab an older controller that was sitting behind him, before hilariously launching it across the room in a fit of rage. Noah could only grunt as he left his desk to go and grab his now destroyed controller, but it’s hard to blame the Twitch star for his frustration, especially when you consider the time he put into the game to get to that point, only to see his work disappear in seconds. While the moment was clearly incredibly frustrating for Noah, it did provide some hilarity for the rest of us to enjoy!

No-recoil XM4 Warzone loadout is perfect to dominate Caldera ActivisionA no-recoil XM4 Warzone loadout could be the perfect Caldera setup for Season 2 Reloaded, with the Black Ops Cold War assault rifle quickly becoming one of the most popular weapons in the game. Warzone’s conflation of three game’s worth of content in one place has been an innovative first for the series, in spite of the issues Raven say it has caused in terms of causing issues and isolating fixes. It also means players are confronted with an unprecedented amount of choice when it comes to weapons, with Modern Warfare’s, Black Ops Cold War’s and Vanguard’s all available for use. One Cold War AR that has seen its use skyrocket once again in Season 2 Reloaded is the XM4 which, while perpetually popular in multiplayer, has been in and out of the battle royale’s most used weapons. As such, players want to know their best options in terms of loadouts and one “no-recoil” setup might just be the way to go in order to master Caldera’s more open POIs and longer line-of-sights. Coming by way of Warzone content creator Marathon, the setup maximizes accuracy and range at the expense of speed and mobility. As a result, it’s not the best weapon for close-quarters, although the XM4 will give you a fighting chance thanks to its fast fire-rate. If you’re still struggling to control the recoil and are happy with iron sights, swap out the optic for a foregrip of your choosing. We’d still recommend running an SMG as your secondary but, if you’re confident of landing shots and reacting quickly, a sniper could be a viable secondary too. The full class is detailed below: Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Barrel: 13.5″ Task Force – Optic: Microflex LED – Magazine: 45 Rnd – Stock: Raider Pad – The XM4 looks set to be one of the meta weapons of Season 2 Reloaded, and this class is a sure-fire way to get ahead of the curve. If it’s not to your taste, you can check out our other recommended AR class loadouts here.

No recoil STG loadout might be Warzone’s best overall weapon ActivisionCall of Duty: Warzone players have been using a somewhat unique loadout for the STG-44, and it may well be the best build in the battle royale. The long-awaited integration between Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone has meant that the battle royale’s meta has, pretty much, been taken over by weapons from the new game. Neither the Swiss K31 nor the Kar98 sit atop the top 10 most popular weapon charts anymore. They’ve been replaced by the likes of the MP-40, Bren, and Cooper Carbine. With the introduction of Caldera, the STG-44 had been up there as well, but the assault rifle has slipped down a bit – currently sitting slap bang in the middle of the pack at 5th, according to WZRanked. However, it could be set for a bit of a leap upwards. The meta build for the STG has been pretty settled for a while, with the likes of the MX Silencer, VDD 760mm barrel, Hand Stop underbarrel, and Polymer Grip all featuring as attachments. However, Warzone players like YouTuber TheKoreanSavage have been tweaking things ever so slightly – and it seems to be paying off in a pretty big way. Instead of the MX Silencer muzzle and G16 optic, the content creator opts for the Recoil Booster and SVT-40 PU Scope 3x-6x. With the recent changes to the STG’s recoil, it practically doesn’t move with the different set-up, which is always a bonus. Fastest STG Warzone loadout Muzzle: Recoil Booster – Barrel: VDD 760mm – Optic: SVT-40 PU Scope 3x-6x – Underbarrel: M1941 Hand Stop – Stock: VDD Weighted – Magazine: 7.62 Gorenko 50 round mag – Ammunition: Lengthened – Rear Grip: Polymer Grip – Perk 1: Vital – Perk 2: Fully Loaded – As the YouTuber shows, the STG still absolutely mows down opponents, especially in mid-range fights. Paired with an SMG like the MP-40, it is incredibly dangerous duo that isn’t to be messed with on Caldera.

No more FMJ? Black Ops Cold War makes changes to bullet penetration Activision[jwplayer HUZDdfol] Treyarch Game Designer, Tony Flame, has commented on bullet penetration in Black Ops Cold War, saying that it will feel different depending on the weapon you’re using and hinted that a classic attachment won’t be making an appearance. Ever since the reveal of both the single-player and multiplayer components of Black Ops Cold War, Treyarch and Raven Software have been pretty open about certain aspects of the game. The communication between the creators and the community for the game is a bit unusual for the franchise, as the developers generally like to keep secrets for as long as possible. One of the more socially active developers at Treyarch is Tony Flame, who works as a game designer for the company. He’s been fairly open about certain facets of the multiplayer, including the changes to damage flinch when shot at and adjustments to scorestreaks. Now, he’s dropped some new information about bullet penetration. According to Flame, bullet penetration will feel completely different in Black Ops Cold War when compared to other games in the franchise. While he didn’t go into an insane level detail about it, he did give two reasons as to how it’ll feel different. The first is the fact that each weapon class will have a different level of penetration. LMGs, for example, will be able to fire through surfaces better than most other weapons because they have a larger rounds. SMG’s, on the other hand, won’t be very good at penetrating because of how small the round is. Assault rifles will be somewhere in the middle. It’s worth noting that Flame also seems to say that every gun in each class will feature the same level of penetration, so certain ARs, for example, wouldn’t be better at that sort of thing than other weapons in that category. Bullet Penetration will be consistent per weapon in Black Ops Cold War. While past titles had Attachments like FMJ, we found these to be inconsistent and unreadable on the receiving end. It’s solely class based: LMG’s have more penetration than AR’s which have more than SMG’s. — Tony Flame (@Tony_Flame) September 14, 2020 Beyond that, Flame also hinted that FMJ would not be a part of the game. While he didn’t explicitly state this as a fact, he did say that while “previous games” have included it as an attachment, the developers found it to be “inconsistent”. If true, this would make Black Ops Cold War the first Call of Duty game to not include FMJ in any capacity since 2014’s Advanced Warfare. While 2019’s Modern Warfare didn’t include it as an attachment, it did come as a weapon perk. So far, the reception to this announcement has been pretty positive, which makes sense since people love consistency when it comes to Call of Duty. Even if FMJ is completely omitted, players will likely be fine with it as long as what Flame says about equal bullet penetration holds up. Of course, we won’t know whether or not it does until the game releases, or at least the beta, since that’s when a much larger player-base will be able to try the multiplayer for the first time and get a sense of all these new and/or adjusted mechanics. Also, we’ll have to wait and see how this new system actually affects the game and if BOCW will play better or worse because of it, compared to past games, because this isn’t guaranteed to be a success until it’s tested at a large-scale. Black Ops Cold War is set to release on November 13 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, with the Open Beta launching on October 8 for PS4 users who pre-order any digital version.

New no-glint Kar98k loadout takes over Warzone after update ‘breaks’ optics ActivisionThe most recent update to hit both Warzone and Black Ops Cold War completely broke a number of attachments. Here’s how you can dominate with a no-glint Kar98k loadout, thanks to a breakdown from YouTuber JGOD. With the latest Warzone and BOCW updates, various aspects of the game have been impacted. From stealth nerfs that didn’t make the patch notes to the return of the game-breaking stim glitch once again, the tail end of Season 2 has been on a rough stretch. Now, players have noticed yet another issue as certain weapon attachments are no longer working as intended. For Sniper Rifles across the board, there is now a way to eliminate glint. Without glint, enemies simply aren’t able to spot you from a distance. Whenever you scope in, you’ll be completely unnoticeable. This applies “not just for multiplayer, but also in Warzone,” JGOD explained in a new YouTube upload. Here’s a devastating Kar98k loadout to take advantage of the broken attachments. Broken Kar98k Warzone loadout without glint As far as the Kar98k goes, you could already create a number of powerful loadouts with this Sniper. But thanks to the new bug, they just got even stronger. All you need to do is equip a Variable Zoom Scope. In doing so, glint will magically be a thing of the past. While you might be scoping in a tad slower than usual, removing glint will give you an absurd advantage in combat. Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: Singuard Custom 27.6 – Optic: Variable Zoom Scope – Stock: FTAC Sport Comb – Perk: Sleight of Hand – This works across the board. So long as you select this Optic on any Sniper, “it will have no glint,” JGOD confirmed after testing every weapon. “They won’t know where you’re shooting from. It’s broken. That’s not the way it should be.” Obviously, there’s a good chance developers will be rushing to fix this glaring issue. For the time being, however, just about every Warzone and BOCW sniper class could be taking advantage. Expect to face ample frustration as you’re killed seemingly out of nowhere time and time again. Without being able to detect an enemy across the map, you’ll be running out blind. This Kar98k setup is one way to can fight back and have the no-glint bug on your side as well. If you’re looking for even more options with the Kar98k, be sure to check out our in-depth guide on the best loadouts.

NitroLuke tries to explain away hilarious clip being caught by Warzone’s anti-cheat Warzone streamer NitroLukeDX was detected by the newest countermeasures part of Ricochet’s anti-cheat, although he claims it was a glitch. While Warzone still has its fair share of hackers running the game, it’s not as near as bad as it once was, despite players reporting a massive cheating outbreak after the Season 2 update. Thankfully, Ricochet continues to improve and get better after the devs promised “more protection” and “new mitigation techniques” for players. The latest set of updates to the anti-cheat cracked down on controller players and brought an in-game reporting system for cheating or offensive actions. The April 4 update also improved various mitigation techniques, including ‘cloaking’ — which hides players from suspected cheaters by making them invisible. Warzone streamer hit with new Ricochet anti-cheat measures Warzone streamer NitroLukeDX has appeared to be one of the first to be hit with improved countermeasures while being live on stream. In a broadcast earlier this month, the Facebook streamer complained of players disappearing mid-gunfight — although the unaware content creator claimed it was down to a glitch. The streamer attempted to explain to his viewers he was experiencing a texture bug that makes players disappear when you shoot. “A glitch where you shoot bullets and the person disappears because of texture, shaders, or whatever. Bullsh*t mate,” he said. During the same stream, NitroLuke was continuously disconnected from the Call of Duty servers before his Activision account was presumably banned — where he then switched over to his PlayStation. Thankfully, there looks to be an end in sight to battle royale’s cheating problem. The latest Ricochet update also finally enables the system to detect users using controllers with a Cronus device attached — which will hopefully put a stop to the madness.

Ninja roasts OpTic Scump over CoD tournament wins during Blackout beta Ninja/TwitchTwitch star Tyler “Ninja” Blevins teamed up with former pro CoD players Matt “Nadeshot” Haag, Tyler “TeePee” Polchow and current professional Seth “Scump” Abner on the PC Blackout beta – and was all too aware of the latter’s recent tournament wins drought. Prior to the 2018 CWL Season, Scump had won at least one tournament in every season of competitive Call of Duty, since he began competing, but his run came to and end during CoD: WWII. Ninja, a former professional Halo player himself, has apparently been keeping up with events in competitive CoD, and hilariously roasted the OpTic Gaming star on his recent dip in tournament form. After Scump completely missed a Rick & Morty reference (one of Ninja’s favorite shows it seems), he entered Morty’s voice to call Scump “that washed up Ginger”, before switching to a Rick impression: “Yeh Morty, you know what I’m saying – I can’t remember the last time he won a tournament.” Ninja was sure to make clear that he was only saying it in jest, but Scump said “it’s all motivation for next year”, as competitive Call of Duty turns its attention to Black Ops 4. The OpTic Gaming roster for the upcoming season may not be completely announced yet, but we do know for sure that both Scump and long time teammate Ian “Crimsix” Porter will be staying with the organization. The first event of the year is set to take place on December 7-9, at CWL Vegas, but before that, Ninja himself will have the opportunity to win a Black Ops 4 tournament, as he is one of the captains at the Doritos Bowl tournament.

Ninja lashes out at CoD hackers after winning Warzone Wednesday Infinity Ward / Mixer: NinjaTyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins has used his Warzone Wednesday Week 3 victory to speak out about the Call of Duty battle royale’s cheating problem, stating he and his team had to use workarounds to avoid hackers in their lobbies. While Ninja had come close to tasting success in the Modern Warfare battle royale, during Week 3 of Warzone Wednesdays, he finally broke through. Partnering up with two-time champions JoshOG and Diegosaurs, the trio picked up their first win as a squad by quite some margin. However, their win didn’t come easy, after Ninja’s team was swarmed by hackers early in the tournament. Congrats to @Ninja @JoshOG & @diegosaurs for winning week 3 #WarzoneWednesdays !!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ItqgkHTnQv — KEEM 🍿 (@KEEMSTAR) April 7, 2020 While it didn’t ultimately affect their own placing, it forced the Mixer superstar to pause and reflect on how big of an issue cheating in Warzone has become. “Three of our five games we died to hackers early, and one of the games I plugged a controller in to get a console lobby without hackers,” the streamer said on Twitter mid-way through the bracket. For as many streamers who love to play the battle royale, there’s an equal amount of stories about how hacking is ruining the experience. It’s more than just stream snipers — full-blown god-mode-users and aimbotters are taking over. @jjcasts 3 of our 5 games we died to hackers early and one of the games I plugged a controller in (first time ever on cod) to get a console lobby w/o hackers. — Ninja (@Ninja) April 6, 2020 The hackers didn’t mysteriously vanish after the tournament ended either. Ninja wanted to unwind with some Warzone on stream afterwards, but had to quit after cheaters constantly ambushed him “I’m not kidding, 7/8 solo games after Warzone Wednesday I had a hacker kill me at airport, and chase me across the map after I won a gulag and kill me again,” he said. Ninja’s experience was affirmed by other streamers like Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop. “Skill based matchmaking combined with hackers every game ruins it,” the 100 Thieves star added. “Such a shame.” I’m not kidding, 7/8 solo games after Warzone Wednesday I had a hacker kill me at airport; and chase me across the map after I won a gulag and kill me again. Thank God Valorant beta goes live tomorrow. — Ninja (@Ninja) April 7, 2020 It’s such a shame. I feel the exact same way. People tweeting me “stop playing then” or “stop complaining” I fucking love Warzone. I really do think it’s a damn blast. Skill based matchmaking combined with hackers every game ruins it. Such a shame. — Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) April 7, 2020 Ninja’s one of many streamers to demand Infinity Ward clean up Warzone’s cheating issue. Most recently, Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag warned Warzone will “die out” if Infinity Ward don’t add any kind of anti-cheat software. Given the FPS game landscape right now, with Valorant releasing in just a matter of hours, these issues could spell the end for the incredibly popular battle royale. Infinity Ward have made commitments to stop cheaters, so it’s just a matter of time to see if their efforts seed change, or if it’s more of the same.

Ninja immediately accused of hacking during Warzone return stream Activision, NinjaCall of Duty: Warzone is known for its cheating and hacking, but Ninja’s return to the battle royale game was greeted by an accusation that made amused the streamer. Ninja continues to be a popular streamer and the star who rose to fame during the early Fortnite days has made his return to the Warzone. Activision’s Warzone is a huge rival to Fortnite and Ninja has flirted with Call of Duty’s battle royale in the past. He recently decided to give the divisive Caldera a crack and it wasn’t long before the gamer was being accused of cheating in the game. Warzone player claims Ninja is cheating With a bit of a throwback loadout featuring the Kar98k and MP40, more so the Kar98k since it was nerfed, Ninja was in the middle of a Solos game on Caldera. With 7 kills already in the bag and the streamer looking comfortable, he used a Redploy Balloon to survey his surroundings and an enemy opened fire on Ninja. After briefly ADSing for about a second, Ninja eliminated the opposition player with a quick and clean headshot, resulting in a rather accusatory death comm: “Hell, he’s cheating.” The comment simply made Ninja burst out laughing before exclaiming: “This is awesome!” He then carried on about his business as usual and in his Tweet about the clip described the Warzone vibes as “immaculate.” Ninja also said that the reason he is returning is to Warzone to “shake off the rust before The new MW battle royale.” So it’s clear that even Ninja is hyped and prepping for the massive drop of Warzone 2 following the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The second game in the rebooted version of Modern Warfare is currently scheduled to drop on October 28, 2022, and Warzone 2 has been confirmed to be released a tiny bit later and players have a big request for Warzone until then.

Ninja hilariously falls through the Blackout map thanks to Shroud’s terrible driving Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek might be one of the most talented video gamers you’ll ever see, but we don’t think that Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins will be hopping into a car with him any time soon! The combination of the two Twitch stars in Blackout would be a daunting prospect for anyone that came up against them, but shroud did his absolute best to even the playing field with some absolutely terrible driving skills when they jumped into a truck! The former professional CS:GO star decided to attempt driving down the edge of a hill and promptly flipped the vehicle on its head, trapping his teammate. Incredibly, Ninja’s character didn’t die and teleported underneath the map before popping back up in front of shroud, totally unscathed. “I’m trapped! Shroud I’m trapped,” Ninja screamed as the truck started to catch fire. “Shroud it’s going to blow up! I’m underneath the map! SHROUUUUD!” Amidst storms of giggles, shroud can be heard saying: “You’re good, you’re good.” We’re not exactly sure how Ninja escaped death, but it made for some incredible entertainment. You can watch the entire exchange from his point of view below, but don’t expect to get any answers from it – he was just as confused as we are! The two Twitch stars have been playing a great deal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout battle royale mode since the game’s release on October 12 and they teamed up to run some duo games on October 15. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they went on to win the match in question after Ninja’s near-death experience.

Ninja explains why he quit “sweaty” Warzone after Caldera launch ActivisionStreaming giant Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins has revealed why he quit Warzone shortly after battle royale map Caldera launched, claiming it is “old news” and became very “sweaty.” Almost all members of the video game community will be familiar with Ninja, the former Halo pro who became a streaming behemoth with the explosion of Fortnite. Since then he has become more of a variety streamer but still tops Twitch’s most-followed creator list by a huge margin. However, one title fans no longer see Belvins playing is Warzone, despite the considerable time he used to spend dropping into Verdansk alongside TimTheTatman, CouRage, and others. Ninja explains why he stopped streaming “sweaty” Warzone In an October 19 podcast with former NFL star Pat McAfee, Ninja delved into his move away from Warzone and why he has not stuck with it as he has Fortnite. He explained that his love for the game diminished after the “phenomenal” Verdansk was swapped out and the game grew sweatier. “I love both [Warzone and Fortnite],” he said. “For me, Warzone right now is just not piquing my interest. It’s very sweaty and it’s old. It’s old news. It’s the one thing that’s an issue with CoD is that they keep switching out games every year.” Timestamp: 15:30 He went on to suggest that he wishes CoD had stuck with the original Warzone and Verdansk for longer: “Even when they have an absolute banger like the last Warzone. Come on man just update the game, continue to push out updates. The game was absolutely phenomenal, the map that was out recently was great but now is it Caldera?” When the conversation turned to Warzone 2.0, Ninja explained that he thinks it’s “decent” and has “potential” but there are issues that devs need to iron out ahead of its November 16 launch. Here’s hoping we see him dropping back into Call of Duty battle royale in the coming weeks.

Ninja explains why custom loadouts in Warzone are “annoying” ActivisionStreaming star Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins isn’t too keen on custom loadouts in Call of Duty: Warzone, claiming they can make the game “annoying” to play. Unlike other battle royale games, Infinity Ward mixed up the typical formula of the genre by giving players the option of purchasing a custom loadout during a match. After collecting $6,000, players can go to a Buy Station to choose which of their pre-made loots to call in. Typically, players would have to solely rely on what they find on the map to win in a battle royale, making these loadouts a sour point of contention with longtime fans of the genre. Taking umbrage with the option to equip custom loadouts, Ninja detailed his experiences after noticing troublesome patterns in Warzone. “Unpopular opinion: Custom loadouts in Warzone = everyone has a thermal sniper and there is so much less variety,” Ninja said. “Annoying getting sniped by 30 people and being thirsted from 400M away cuz some player has an HDR thermal 16x scope and kills me [when I am] knocked.” However, the opinion might not be as unpopular as he thinks, as many people replied to the Mixer frontman expressing similar sentiments. Unpopular opinion. Custom load outs in war zone = everyone has a thermal sniper and there is so much less variety. Annoying getting sniped by 30 people and being thirsted from 400M away cuz some player has an HDR thermal 16x scope and kills me knocked. — Ninja (@Ninja) March 14, 2020 Players like CLG Apex Legends pro Jack ‘NiceWigg’ Martin agreed with Ninja, saying that the loadouts make the game a lot more “campy” while giving a lot of leeway for “high ground snipers.” Detroit running back Kerryon Johnson backed up the longtime Lions fan, saying that custom loadouts “ruin” Warzone. Battle royales have been loved and hated in the past for the scavenging element of the game. Told y’all….TAKE THEM OUT…ruins the mode https://t.co/RGY83OuRsE — Kerryon Johnson (@CoachKerryon) March 14, 2020 Though the nature of the random number generator (RNG) can give one team very little to work with while giving another seemingly everything they need, there’s a bizarre element of fairness in the irregular distribution of loot. With the ability to buy specific loadouts, Ninja has been seeing players equip the same type of weaponry that can make the game feel stale. The cash and Buy Station components in Warzone look like they’re here to stay, so it’ll be interesting to see how IW adapts if more players voice concerns over custom loadouts.

Ninja channels spirit of Summit1g in Modern Warfare beta fail Ninja / DreamhackMixer star Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins has added some variety into his streaming schedule by giving Call of Duty Modern Warfare a whirl, but one moment in a recent game had him seeing red. The Call of Duty Modern Warfare beta has been slowly releasing across platforms, with PC players able to get in on the action starting today. This has opened the door for a flood of new streamers to broadcast the game, with the latest release in the franchise dominating Twitch charts. Tim ‘TimTheTatman’ Betar and Ninja joined forces to try out Modern Warfare for the first time, with the two of them streaming on Twitch and Mixer respectively. However, the ghost of Jaryd ‘Summit1g’ Lazar was haunting the Fortnite star, as he died in the most unfortunate manner. In a nail-biting 2v2 Gunfight match, the streamer duo had gotten out to a 5-3 lead and needed one more round to secure the game. They lost two on the trot, putting them in a sudden death scenario. Read more: Ninja ‘rages’ at Starbucks employee – TimTheTatman was able to take down one of their foes before falling himself, leaving the rest of the round up to the low HP Ninja. The Fortnite star was prepped to throw a molotov on top of the enemy, but quickly had to duck for cover as he was rushed. As he crouched though, he released the incendiary at the same time, burning himself alive and costing the duo the game. The reactions from both of the streamers were priceless. TimTheTatman was in hysterics after witnessing his team mate mess up badly, while Ninja screamed at the top of his lungs in a fit of rage. Read more: Modern Warfare beta details – “No! Summit! No” was all the blue-haired phenom could muster, needing a moment to himself after that embarrassing play. Ninja’s mishap is very similar to the iconic Summit play at Dreamhack Austin 2016. The CS:GO star was subbing for Splyce at the professional tournament, and was set to win their match against CLG 16-11 after winning a 1v1. However, as he was running towards the ticking bomb, he frollocked through his own molotov used to flush out Jacob ‘FugLy’ Medina, taking himself down in the process. Splyce went on to lose the map 19-16, and the series 2-0. Not to be ones to admit defeat in such a manner, Ninja and TimTheTatman challenged the duo who beat them to another Gunfight game. They managed to take out the rematch 6-5, vindicating themselves in the process. However, the failed molotov will likely haunt the Mixer star for some time, and he might not ever be allowed to live it down.

Ninja calls Modern Warfare 3 fans “disgusting” for having faith in game NinjaModern Warfare 3 community members expressed optimism after the first beta weekend, but Ninja flamed players for getting too excited. Sledgehammer Games listened to community feedback and introduced a whole host of long-awaited features in Modern Warfare 3. For example, the devs addressed TTK concerns from MW2 and increased multiplayer base health from 100 to 150. And to resolve slower movement complaints, MW3 marks the return of slide canceling. Other exciting additions include the classic minimap with red dots coming back and players receiving the power back to vote for maps. Despite an overwhelming wave of positivity, Ninja halted the hype train in its tracks. Ninja predicts downfall of Modern Warfare 3 Ninja outlined the timeline of being a Call of Duty fan over the next year. “You disgusting, mentally abused players are going to fall for it, and you are going to keep playing it and be like, ‘Dude, they just gotta fix one of two of these glitches, man.’” The streamer claimed that MW3 will be “riddled” with glitches and cheaters at launch, and it will take the devs months to take any action. And then, Ninja added: “Eight months are going to go by, and viewership is going to be dead. You guys are going to be sitting here playing any other game under the sun.” Finally, after all hope is lost, Ninja claimed that Call of Duty fans will watch trailers for the next upcoming game, and fall right back into the same loop again. Modern Warfare 3 releases worldwide on November 10. It remains to be seen if Ninja’s bold prediction will come true. But, if Call of Duty fans are looking for a silver lining, the MW3 devs nerfed Battle Rage, within hours of community members vocalizing complaints. If Sledgehammer Games continues to operate under that urgency, Modern Warfare 3 players shouldn’t worry about Ninja’s previous claims.

Ninja and TimTheTatman bribe Warzone 2 enemies $1k to let them live Twitch: Ninja, YouTube: TimTheTatmanStreaming stars Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins and Tim ‘TimTheTatman’ Betar found the perfect way to take advantage of proximity chat in Warzone 2, when they bribed another squad to let them go by offering up some real-life cash. Proximity chat has been one of the standout additions in Warzone 2, with players absolutely loving the new feature, trolling their opponents and using the comms to hunt them down. Some players have also been using proximity chat to negotiate with their opponents, saying they’ll let them live in exchange for their weapons, equipment, or in-game cash. That’s exactly what Ninja and TimTheTatman decided to do when Tim found himself in a 1v4, facing players who could easily have taken him down and ended their hopes of grabbing another win in Al Mazrah. But they went one step beyond. Ninja & TimTheTatman make $1k Warzone 2 bribe With Ninja offering Tim $30,000 to bring him back into the game, Tim found himself between a rock and a hard place, as he tried to explain to the opposing team why they should let him go. Finally, he said that Ninja will have to offer something to them to sweeten the deal and, after reading out their Twitch usernames, the streaming star also said he would give the squad $250 each to give Tim their money to revive the squad, and leave the game. It was a quick decision for them: they dropped their cash and let Tim disappear into the distance, as an excited Ninja prepared to drop back in on Al Mazrah. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the tale, as Ninja admitted that he wouldn’t be sending them any money at all, and was just glad to be back in the game.

Ninja and Nadeshot’s awkward debate ends Warzone stream Instagram: Ninja, Nadeshot100 Thieves owner Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag decided to end his stream after getting into an awkward debate with Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins over how they should play Call of Duty: Warzone. The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare battle royale title released on Tuesday, March 10, and all of the top streamers across YouTube, Twitch and Mixer flocked to it, with the game reaching 6 million players in the first 24 hours. With the drop, Ninja and Nadeshot have started playing together quite frequently, with their shared knowledge of both battle royale titles and Call of Duty seemingly the perfect combination to rack up wins in Verdansk. However, not many had considered what happens when you throw two competitors into the mix together that have fundamentally different styles of play. Ninja is an aggressive player dating back to his Halo days, who takes every fight possible, whereas Nade has always been the slower, more methodical guy that plays the objective no matter what. During the March 12 stream, Ninja called out Nadeshot for a play that he claimed was “doing absolutely nothing,” with the 100T founder snapping back, telling the Mixer star to “shut the f**k up” and asking if he needs Ninja telling him to play a certain way. Despite the fact the two are clearly friends, Nadeshot wasn’t having any of it, questioning in what way Ninja was helping him or the team at that moment in time. He died shortly after and lost his 1v1 in the Gulag, his chance to return to the match, immediately looking frustrated and quitting out of the game before saying that he’s going to be ending his stream there. It was probably perfect timing considering things were heating up, and we all know the feeling of just needing a break from a game after so long playing it. Obviously, this isn’t a rarity in gaming. It’s not just Ninja and Nadeshot who have heated moments when gaming, and more often than not most players will argue with their friends over certain aspects of the game, and that’s part of the beauty of it: that you have your arguments and forget about it the next day. Needless to say, you’ll likely see Ninja and Nade playing again like nothing ever happened, and at the very least it made them feel a little more real to the thousands of people that look up to them as their idols.

Nifty CoD Zombies trick gives players infinite max ammo on Zombies Chronicles map ActivisionEven though Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Zombies Chronicles was released nearly five years ago, players have just now discovered a useful trick to get infinite max ammo drops. While Vanguard Zombies continues to disappoint the community, players find themselves back on Black Ops 3. Here, players have access to 13 different maps thanks to the release of Zombies Chronicles, which brought back eight classic maps. Despite, the map Shangri-La being over a decade old, people have just now discovered a trick that will prevent you from running out of ammo. Zombies players find trick on Shangri-La for unlimited max ammo For this infinite ammo trick, we need to load into one of Zombies’ most complex maps of all time, Shangri-La. A Reddit clip, posted by ‘I_Play_Zetsubou’ displays exactly what to do in order to receive unlimited max ammo drops on the map. This mechanic works when players have acquired the Widow’s Wine perk, which can be found in the mines or through Gobblegums. Shangri-La is home to the annoying Zombie Monkeys which come at random times whenever there is a drop on the map. They steal the drop and cycle through different ones it can be. If you kill them before it gets away then you will be rewarded with whatever drop it was on. Here are the full steps to get the max ammo drops: Get Widow’s Wine on Shangri-La. – Kill zombies until the Widow’s Wine grenade refill drop appears. – Let a Zombie Monkey steal the Widow’s Wine grenade drop. – Kill the Zombies Monkey when it has cycled over the max ammo. – Repeat over and over. – This can be extremely useful for players that are trying to go for high-round gameplay or those that simply just need ammo. Even though this version of the map has been out since 2017, one Redditor, along with others, didn’t know this was a thing. “I never would have noticed till you posted this.” So if you’re part of the player base that is sitting out on Vanguard Zombies and going back to previous titles, then definitely take advantage of this trick next time you load into Shangri-La.

NICKMERCS’s AUG Warzone loadout to dominate in Season 4 NICKMERCS (Instagram) / Activision[jwplayer SmN5cmUl] FaZe Clan’s superstar Call of Duty Twitch streamer, Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff, has given us an insight into his go-to AUG loadout for Warzone, which fits perfectly into Season 4’s new meta. Assault Rifles are a staple of anyone’s class setup in Warzone. If you find yourself being beamed from medium to long-range, you’re likely on the receiving end of an M4A1/Grau. With that said, SMGs are the ideal weapon to have in-hand during close quarter engagements — with the MP5 and MP7 generally dominating the meta since launch. Although, after the MP5’s recent nerf, plenty of players have turned to the AUG as a replacement. Having previously featured in a plethora of Call of Duty titles as an AR (and even an LMG in MW2), the SMG iteration of the weapon provides the ideal hybrid for Warzone. Best AUG loadout for Warzone NICKMERCS’ AUG class really hones in on bolstering the weapon’s precision at range, while making it much more lethal across the board. For what Nick’s AUG sacrifices in both Fire Rate and Mobility, it more than makes up for with Accuracy, Control and Range. Sprinkle a Tac Laser and 60-round magazine in the mix, and the Call of Duty veteran has created the perfect Warzone hybrid to shred enemies both up close and from afar. Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor. – Barrel: 407mm Extended Barrel. – Laser: Tac Laser. – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip. – Ammunition: 5.56 NATO 60-Round Drums. – Combining the AUG with the Grau, Kolcheff picked up yet another Warzone victory in impressive fashion. After being left as the last man standing on his squad, he clutched up with the AUG to bag himself a 24-kill game against all odds. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the AUG is that the iron sight is easy on the eye when aiming at targets both up close and at range — something which the MP5 most definitely lacks. Given just how well this weapon can work across the board, you won’t be forced into using Overkill if you’re looking to be proficient across the ranges. This means that you can equip Ghost as your second perk, to fly under the enemies’ radar in the latter portions of the match.

NICKMERCS worried about “weird” things ruining Warzone 2 NICKMERCS/ActivisionStreaming star Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff is a fan of Warzone 2’s new map but says there are a few “weird” things that he’s not quite sure about. As the battle royale genre has grown to one of, if not the biggest, in the gaming market to date, players are always looking for something new and innovative to get their teeth stuck into. Plenty of attempts at shaking up the battle royale have come and gone, with the likes of Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Warzone still standing supreme. When it comes to the latter, though, the Call of Duty developers are making a massive change with the launch of Warzone 2 in a few weeks. A handful of content creators have already gotten to play the game early, and have raised a few concerns about Warzone 2. In the case of NICKMERCS, he’s been complimentary about the new map but has a few worries about other things. NICKMERCS claims there are a few “weird” things about Warzone 2 The FaZe Clan star was quizzed about the follow-up battle royale during a recent stream, with one fan noting that he’d previously called the new map “incredible” despite his criticisms. “I thought you said Warzone 2.0’s map was incredible? When I was playing it, I did and I do like the map,” Nick replied. “There are just so many other things that are really, really weird about the CoD and you’ll see. I stand by what I said. I didn’t give it unnecessary gas, I was the only one there that was talking s**t about it.” Timestamp of 7:58 A few Warzone players that have gotten their hands on the game already have flagged the changes to TTK (Time-to-kill) and looting as being the biggest headaches. Nick has also stated that nothing is really going to change between the beta and release date, so it’ll be about adjusting. He’s been having plenty of success in Apex Legends, so, we’ll see how long he lasts in Warzone 2.

NICKMERCS wins the first ever Warzone 2 match at Modern Warfare 2 reveal event Activision, NICKMERCSWarzone 2 is officially underway and NICKMERCS was part of the first winning team in the game’s history at the Modern Warfare 2 event. At Call of Duty: Next, the world had the opportunity to bear witness to the first look at Warzone Mobile, an in-depth look at Modern Warfare 2‘s multiplayer, as well as the first footage of Warzone 2 and its new Al Mazrah map. Warzone 2, in particular, has grabbed a ton of the headlines due to many of its notable changes including a revised loot system along with a controversial Gulag change. The emphasis on the event though was providing actual gameplay and footage of the map in action, with tons of streamers and content creators there. We got to see the first-ever Warzone 2 match, and NICKMERCS came out on top in a solid team effort. Warzone 2 first match won by NICKMERCS’ team There were no picking sides in the first-ever Warzone 2 match with NICKMERCS being placed alongside fellow FaZe member Scope, as well as Smixie, in a team. After some early party chat issues, the team eventually got into their flow utilizing some great comms to work effectively as a unit. The team played it smart and tactfully during the middle of the match as they tried to figure out the new circle system in which multiple safe zones are marked before they eventually converge into one. The game got down to the final 20 players with the team still in good shape before Nick spotted some enemy players nearby, declaring: “There’s gonna be a fight here.” It happened, and Scope and Smixie ground out some kills with Smixie going on a 5-Killstreak. After an intense final few moments in which Scope and Smixie were taken out, Nick was left with a 1v3 scenario. Even though he was downed, Scope provided some top comms to point out the final player to Nick who gunned them down and claimed the dub for the team, with an ecstatic Nick shouting “Let’s go!” across the room in an effort to spot his teammates. “First game, first dub,” Nick said as his video signed off in style. NICKMERCS has said countless times that he is waiting for Warzone 2, and after besting many of the world’s top players including Aydan, Swagg, and many more, this could be the first of countless Warzone 2 wins for Nick.

NICKMERCS calls on Warzone hackers to “pay back” entire community with free camos Activision / YouTube: NICKMERCSAfter NICKMERCS was hit by the latest Warzone hack, one that automatically boosted his account to the maximum level and unlocked every cosmetic in the game, the popular streamer wants everyone to share the same experience. A new type of hacking controversy is plaguing Warzone in Season 4. This time, however, it’s one that surprisingly has a positive spin for those impacted. Rather than aiming through walls or cheating to unfair wins, certain hackers have started handing out gifts. With a new glitch, they’ve slowly been handing out free boosts in various lobbies. Those caught by the hack are instantly launched to level 1,000 and handed every single weapon camo in the game today. Yes, that even includes the notoriously difficult Dark Matter. At first, the new ‘issue’ hit a few notable players like Smixie and DiazBiffle. Before too long, none other than Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff found himself at max level, and the new hacking wave gave the Twitch superstar a bold new idea. The hack just happened to @NICKMERCS too and the guys are losing it 😭 (via @timthetatman) pic.twitter.com/nmTJLZWoCL — DEXERTO Call of Duty Esports News (@DexertoIntel) July 12, 2021 Rather than targeting the biggest streamers, he wants to see these hackers “bless” as many players as possible. “I think all the hackers in the game should spend the next week getting everybody all their stuff,” he suggested in a July 12 Twitch stream. After more than a year of terrorizing lobbies, NICKMERCS thinks it’s time they turned a new leaf. “[Hackers] spent years plummeting their d*** with the stupid s***. Now I think it’s time for them to pay back the community and give us what’s ours.” With every camo now at his disposal, NICKMERCS has essentially bypassed Warzone’s biggest grind. There’s no need to level up weapons for attachments, no need to complete challenges for certain skins, his account is maxed out in every way thanks to the hack. Now, he wants others to share that same feeling. “I want everybody in the community to experience this because we’ve all experienced getting hacked on. If you’re a hacker, listen up,” he stated. “Let’s do some business, let’s do it. I won’t talk about you guys so much anymore. Just do what you need to do over the next week.” If hackers do take NICKMERCS up and agree to “bless” lobbies over the next week, perhaps we’ll finally see Activision step in. After all, the longer this goes on, the more potential revenue they’re letting slip away. Could this finally be the straw to break the camel’s back and force a more stringent Warzone anti-cheat? Only time will really tell on that front. We’re yet to see any kind of response from the devs, but with the major Season 4 Reloaded update fast approaching, we may be hearing sooner than later.

NICKMERCS claims Warzone “can’t survive” without a ranked mode Activision / YouTube: NICKMERCSWarzone has been around nearly two years and although the Call of Duty battle royale remains popular today, Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff believes its time in the sun could be winding down if a ranked mode isn’t released soon. When Warzone released in March 2020, it instantly climbed through the rankings, cementing CoD’s place among the most popular battle royales after Blackout came and went. 19 months on and it’s still one of the biggest titles on the market. That could soon come crashing down if a few key things don’t fall into place, NICKMERCS warned in his latest YouTube upload. Simply put, “Warzone can’t survive” without a ranked mode. Players and content creators alike have been clamoring for a ranked component for months now. If it doesn’t arrive soon, the “longevity” of Warzone could be in jeopardy, according to NICKMERCS. A handful of the internet’s most popular streamers jumped ship from Warzone to Apex Legends earlier this year. A large part of that decision stemmed from that desire to play in a competitive mode. “That’s why Apex got some traction,” Nick explained during a recent stream while dropping into Verdansk for the first time in three months. “If it wasn’t for ranked mode, I don’t think Apex would even be that crazy.” Letting players compete at the appropriate skill level and climb their way through the rankings “can really carry a game,” he explained. “A good ranked mode is what keeps the longevity of a game.” “If you want to have a game stay around for a minute, that’s all you really need, a good ranked mode.” For now, Activision has remained silent on the possibility of a ranked experience coming to Warzone. Although Vanguard marks the start of a new era in the CoD BR, with Verdansk being replaced by a new Pacific map — something Nick himself can’t wait to experience — there’s still been no mention of the highly-requested ranked mode. “When Call of Duty does something like this,” NICKMERCS said before correcting himself, “if they do something like this… That’s what’ll make the game [soar] and then it’ll stay. “Then you just do your content, you let it flow, but you work on that ranked mode, you incentivize it with skins, stuff people can get. “The blueprint is there, you’ve just got to follow it. You can put your own twist on things, but just follow the yellow brick road and you’re fine.” Given Vanguard’s release is three weeks away and there’s no news on the ranked front, it wouldn’t be wise to hold your breath. However, the longer players have to wait, the worse off Warzone could be from NICKMERCS’ point of view.

NICKMERCS Warzone 2 trap gets foiled by his opponent’s act of kindness NICKMERCS/ActivisionNICKMERCS tried his best to fool an enemy in Warzone 2 using proximity chat, but he underestimated how kind some CoD players can be. Warzone 2 struck gold with the introduction of proximity chat. The feature allows players to communicate with enemies when they are close by. Community members have used the new system to role-play and trash talk. Some users have even gotten extra creative by coordinating flash dances or turning off enemies’ consoles. The Season 2 update slightly nerfed the feature, making it harder to hear enemies, but there is still plenty of fun to be had. NICKMERCS tried his hand at outsmarting an opponent using the feature but failed miserably. NICKMERCS fails to trick kind Warzone 2 player In a TikTok video titled, the CoD community is changing, NICKMERCS attempted to fool a player into believing his controller wasn’t working. Nick said, “my controller is broken or something. It’s not letting me shoot. I can’t press my right trigger.” The enemy responded, “that’s a bad problem to have, I’ll leave you alone then.” Unfortunately, Nick knew his mission had failed and responded, “I appreciate you, bro.” Nick couldn’t believe the trick didn’t work as he laughed and said, “It didn’t work, no way he was that nice.” One person responded, “bro doesn’t want to watch the world burn, he wants it to blossom.” A second user added, “Whenever I hear someone say I’m out of plates and armor or that their batteries are dead, I know it’s a trap.” Players in the comment section joked that all of the game’s toxic players switched over to Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play and Apex TDM. For a game usually full of players trolling one another or screaming at enemies, it’s nice to see a wholesome clip occasionally.

NICKMERCS warns Warzone devs they’re making huge mistake with Pacific loadout changes Twitch: NICKMERCS / Raven SoftwareNick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has come down hard on Warzone’s new Pacific loadouts system, claiming it’s only designed for “bots” and warning the battle royale developers they are making a mistake adding the feature. This week, Raven Software revealed all the details on Warzone Pacific, which is set to hit live servers on Wednesday, December 8 in the battle royale’s long-awaited Season 1 update. There’s plenty of changes coming to Warzone in the update, but one stood out big time: From Dec 8, loadout drop markers are “only purchasable from Buy Stations after the Loadout Drop events occur in a match”. This change is designed to push their power further into the late game, and the game’s top stars aren’t happy. When he saw the change, NICKMERCS dubbed it “an L.” According to the Twitch star, the change will “give the bots more time to run around and enjoy the new island view,” but won’t actually improve Warzone in any way. The biggest worry NICKMERCS has is that Raven Software is quietly trying to bring in changes that will lower the skill gap. That will leave the game “slowed down” and really only be enjoyable for casual gamers. “[These changes] slow the pace down, in an effort to protect these bots. But really,” he continued, “they’re just going to get sh*t on either way. “That’s the reality. Big devs will always make moves to protect their player base from the sharks that farm it daily, but there’s only so much you can do.” Negative. This exactly the opposite. Just gives the bots a bit more time to run around & enjoy the new island view. Slows the pace down a bit. When in reality, y’all gonna get shit on either way 😂 — FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) November 30, 2021 The Twitch star believes the Warzone devs are making a “huge mistake” leaning too far into that design. Going too far in a casual direction will alienate the battle royale’s hardcore fanbase, he said, which is needed to keep the game alive beyond irregular seasonal hype. “I don’t like when devs change fundamentals to assist the bots,” NICKMERCS said, “because at the end of the day they’re going to get rinsed regardless.” I slept SO good. Had a great back workout. Took a eucalyptus steam shower & am now laying in bed like a vegetable before the stream. Vibes are 10/10. Just don’t like when devs change fundamentals to assist the bots. They’re gonna get rinsed regardless. — FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) November 30, 2021 Kolcheff’s latest dig at the Call of Duty battle royale’s loadout changes doesn’t mean he won’t be diving into the new Caldera map on launch day either. In the build-up to the Tropical battlefield’s early December release, NICKMERCS has mentioned several times he’s very eager to give it a solid go, even if he’s struggled to play Warzone much over the past few months. “I always said they need to make a map with an island theme, jungley, and bro did they deliver. I’ve not played it, but I saw pictures and videos and it looks phenomenal,” he said. “I don’t like going back in time, especially to WW2 times, but I’m happy it’s going to be tropical. The map is a vibe. “I’m having a lot of fun in Apex Legends right now, I don’t think I’ll ever permanently go back to Call of Duty,” he added, “but I do want to check out the changes.”

NICKMERCS urges Warzone streamers to leave for Apex Legends after Caldera flop Twitch: Nickmercs / Raven Software / Respawn EntertainmentNicholas ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff is beating the Warzone defection drum again, urging top streamers like TimTheTatman, Aydan, and more to permanently quit Call of Duty’s battle royale for his title of choice, Apex Legends. Former Warzone star NICKMERCS has firmly planted his Apex Legends flag after major disappointment over the Call of Duty battle royale’s new Caldera map. The popular Twitch streamer was unquestionably Warzone’s biggest star from its 2020 release to his shock defection in August, but has barely touched the CoD battle royale since. Now he’s calling for other top stars to follow his lead more permanently, suggesting Apex Legends as the “best new option.” According to Kolcheff, the Call of Duty franchise title has had “long enough” to claim gaming’s top spot, and instead fumbled the bag. With the game sliding, now is the perfect time to pick up a new game. “Warzone streamers just have to switch,” he said. “Every time there’s an update they get hype, say it’s fire, then days later they’re roasting it for everything. They just need to leave, things won’t change.” It’s a cycle, the Twitch star explained, that he’s watched every year since Call of Duty began leaning into calendar releases. The hype hits boiling point before the new game, everyone buys into hype, and then they realize what kind of “lazy” update they’ve actually been given. “I’ve seen this so many times, every year,” NICKMERCS said. “Every year these Call of Duty stars sit there telling us it’s going to be the best CoD ever, that ever existed.” “Every year! They say, ‘Wait till you see what they have in store, it’s so fire!’ and then they, during the first few days, they’re losing their minds. And then it changes. Four days go by and they’re like, ‘This game is trash, what the f**k,’ and just start begging for changes, calling everything broken. “They start questioning why they keep playing,” he added. “I’m telling you, do that. Stop buying things. Stop playing that game. Just come play Apex Legends.” NICKMERCS has made it no secret he rates Apex Legends far higher than Warzone these days, often grinding the Respawn battle royale upwards of eight to ten hours a day in his quest to go pro in the game. Apart from one short Warzone stream back in early December, the Twitch star has barely touched the game in months. Even on the eve of Caldera’s huge release, NICKMERCS warned he wouldn’t change his mind on the title, which he claims is just a second-rate rival to Apex Legends after its failures. “The best battle royale out there right now is Apex Legends,” the star claimed recently. “Having that successful ranked mode to grind makes such a difference.”

NICKMERCS unveils Sykov pistol class which will “break” Warzone YT: NICKMERCS / ActivisionFaZe Clan YouTuber and streamer NICKMERCS has unveiled his Sykov pistol class for Call of Duty: Warzone, as the recently added pistol continues to prove controversially strong. Part of Warzone’s enduring appeal is the addition of new weapons, meaning that a season’s meta probably won’t overstay its welcome. Back in December, for example, we saw all of Black Ops Cold War’s weapons and equipment make their way into Warzone. Following this pattern, the Sykov pistol dropped in Warzone when it was simultaneously released in last year’s title, Modern Warfare. However, players quickly became concerned about the weapon’s relative strength in Warzone, arguing it far out-performs every other pistol (and even a lot of primaries). A nerf will be coming when Season 3 drops on April 21, but, for the time being, players can jump in and enjoy the Sykov pistol, and NICKMERCS’ insane loadout is a good place to start. Nick’s loadout is the Monviso variant, taking full advantage of the weapon’s insane 80-round magazine attachment. Naturally, the 80-round mag attachment is joined by the Monolithic Suppressor, a must-have on every MW weapon in Warzone. The 5mW laser will improve hip-fire capabilities – crucial when running the weapon dual wield. The class is rounded off with the Sorokin 140mm Auto barrel and the PP-Karabin stocks. It should also be noted that Nick was using them with the Akimbo perk – doubling their firepower at the expense of the ability to ADS. Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: Sorokin 140mm Auto – Laser: 5mW laser – Ammunition: 80 round drums – Stock: PP-Karabin – As if they weren’t already strong enough, NICKMERCS dropped a 20 kill game with the Sykov before being dropped in the match’s final moments. It goes to show the damage they can do in the right hands – as well as explaining why so many people want to see a swift nerf. Raven confirmed adjustments will be made to the Sykovs, alongside Roze skin changes, FFAR nerfs and adjustments to sniper glint.

NICKMERCS unveils NZ-41 Warzone loadout to dominate Caldera in Season 1 Activision / Twitch: NICKMERCSFaZe Clan YouTuber and content creator NICKMERCS has unveiled the NZ-41 as his weapon of choice in Warzone Pacific Season 1, detailing his go-to loadout to dominate enemies. With Warzone Pacific finally arriving on December 8, a host of content creators have been flocking to Caldera to try out the new maps, vehicles, and Vanguard’s weapons. Among them was NICKMERCS, a former Call of Duty and Fortnite competitive player who has spent recent streams enjoying Apex Legends. The FaZe Clan entertainer has already given his opinion on why Caldera hasn’t matched up to Verdansk’s high standards, and a December 11 YouTube video saw him unveil his go-to loadout for Season 1. His weapon of choice is the NZ-41, the Vanguard assault rifle which also featured in 2017’s CoD: WWII. The full class is detailed below: Muzzle: F8 Stabilizer – Barrel: Orbweaver 360mm BC – Optic: G16 2.5x – Stock: Ravenwood Padded – Perk: Frenzy – Perk 2: Fully Loaded – Rear Grip: Polymer Grip – Magazine: 6.5mm Sakura 50 Round Mags – Ammunition: Lengthened – Underbarrel: Carver Foregrip – Like almost all Vanguard classes, NICKMERCS‘ NZ-41 utilizes all ten possible attachments to augment the base weapon as much as possible. His chosen attachments here are guaranteed to make the NZ-41 a medium-range behemoth, with the G16 2.5x optic perfect for lining enemies up at those middling distances. There’s also a lot of balance to be found between accuracy enhancing attachments (like the Polymer Grip, Carver Foregrip, and F8 Stabilizer) and those than seek to improve damage and overall firepower (50 Round Mags, Lengthened ammunition, and the Orbweaver barrel). The secondary that players take will depend on personal preference and playstyle. Because the NZ-41 thrives at medium ranges, players may struggle to outgun SMGs up close, or LMGs and more stable ARs at longer distances. Naturally, then, the choice appears to come down to an SMG if you prefer an aggressive, run-and-gun style, or a sniper if you prefer to sit back and pick enemies off at range. Regardless of your secondary, with this NZ-41 loadout, your primary will be difficult to beat.

NICKMERCS unveils new meta XM4 Warzone loadout after attachments buff NICKMERCS / ActivisionNick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has been busy lighting up Verdansk with his new XM4 build, perfectly demonstrating just how deadly it truly is. The Season 4 update has brought a lot of changes to Verdansk, bringing with it three new weapons, POIs, and the Hijacked Gulag. Aside from these exciting changes, the recent patch also saw a drastic change in the game’s weapon balancing. This is largely down to the Cold War attachment buffs. Not only has this led to an influx of new weapons entering the top spots of Warzone’s meta, but it has also given underused guns the chance to shine. While the XM4 saw limited use in previous seasons, the reliable rifle has quickly rocketed its way up the AR rankings. NICKMERCS’ latest XM4 build showcases just how potent this Cold War weapon can be, especially when it’s kitted out with the best attachments. NICKMERCS’ XM4 Warzone class Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight – Optic: Microflex LED – Stock: Raider Pad – Ammunition: STANAG 60 Rnd – Nick’s new XM4 loadout buffs damage, range, and mobility. Not only does this help keep it competitive in close-quarter firefights, it also enables you to effortlessly beam players at range. Just like most Cold War weapons, Nick’s XM4 utilizes the Agency Suppressor. This Muzzle gives 100% muzzle flash concealment and 7% vertical recoil control, making it a must for those that wish to remain unseen. Meanwhile, the 40% reveal distance of the Tiger Team Spotlight helps with spotting targets – an area that is incredibly important in darker sections of Verdansk. Nick has also attached the Microflex LED, which provides a 1.25x without lowering the gun’s ADS speed. When this optic is combined with the added sprint to fire speed and ADS strafing from the Raider Pad, you have an incredibly quick AR that can compete against meta SMGs. If that wasn’t good enough, the STANAG 60 Rnd mags ensure you have plenty of rounds to tear through multiple targets. It’s certainly not hard to see why the XM4 has quickly become one of NICKMERCS’ top ARs in Season 4, so make sure you give this lightning-fast build a go.

NICKMERCS unveils ‘new meta’ FARA 83 loadout for Warzone Season 4 Activision / YT: NICKMERCSTwitch streamer and Call of Duty content creator NICKMERCS has shared his FARA 83 loadout for Warzone Season 4, describing it as the battle royale’s new meta weapon. Warzone’s fourth season has brought new weapon metas, map locations and more to Call of Duty’s immensely popular battle royale. While the best weapons are still being figured out by players, a few early contenders have emerged. The XM4 has proven itself very strong, but so has the FARA 83 assault rifle. In that vein, a number of content creators have built their own loadouts, and you might want to try out NICKMERCS’ for yourself. NICKMERCS’ FARA 83 Loadout for Warzone Shared in a June 25 YouTube video, Nick described the loadout as the ‘new meta’ for Warzone Season 4. While it has moderate recoil and players might need some practice to learn it completely, it will reward accurate shots like few other guns. “Ever since the M82 LNG got nerfed,” he said, “everybody’s been scrambling tryna find out what’s the next best thing is. Let me tell you right now – it’s the FARA.” The ‘Home Grown’ variant, this FARA 83 loadout prioritizes accuracy and firepower. We’d recommend a secondary weapon that shreds up close, like the MAC-10 or Milano. Muzzle: GRU Suppressor – Barrel: 18.7″ Spetsnaz RPK Barrel – Optic: Axial Arms 3x – Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip – Ammunition: Spetsnaz 60 Rnd – Like the Agency Suppressor on Modern Warfare weapons, the GRU Suppressor keeps players of enemy radars while extending their damage range. The 18.7″ Spetsnaz Barrel does the same in terms of range, ensuring damage is maximized at medium and longer distances. The Axial Arms 3x optic will be perfect to keep shots accurate, while recoil will be reduced by the Spetsnaz Grip as well. The final attachment, the Spetsnaz 60 Round magazines, will ensure players can take out multiple enemies without the need to reload. Given the FARA’s higher rate of fire, this is an essential attachment, and one that will be on any variation of this loadout you use. Whether the FARA 83 remains as strong as it looks across the whole of Season 4 remains to be seen but, for now, it is far and away the most popular weapon in the game.

NICKMERCS unveils incredible PKM loadout for Warzone Season 5 Infinity Ward/NICKMERCSPopular YouTuber and Twitch streamer Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has unveiled his new PKM loadout for Season 5, describing it as “one of the best guns” in Warzone’s current build. Despite the early seasons of Warzone being dominated by assault rifles, LMGs have truly come into their own in both Season 4 and Season 5. The Bruen Mk9 is generally considered the best weapon in the battle royale’s current build but, in an August 10 YouTube video, Kolcheff made the argument that the PKM is a truly viable alternative. He conceded that it is a slow weapon to use – with its reload time coming in somewhere around the eight-second mark – but argued that its damage, recoil stability, and magazine size are enough to negate this. As NICKMERCS explains, the PKM build is one featured in the new battle pass, known as the Bloodlust variant. First up is the Monolithic Suppressor, which has become a staple of nearly every single Warzone class. It extends damage range while keeping players off enemy radars. Pair this with the 26.9″ Extended Barrel, and it’s no surprise that this PKM can laser people across the map. The Tac Laser will reduce ADS time, as will the Snatch Grip. This Underbarrel attachment is arguably the most important on the PKM – massively reducing ADS time while also reducing recoil. Foregrips, in Modern Warfare, tend to slow ADS time. Finally, the VLK 3.0x Optic will enable players to capitalize on the minimal recoil, and employ the PKM at longer ranges. Realistically, this is the attachment to swap out if you prefer a slightly different optic. While Kolcheff admitted that the Bruen is probably slightly better, the PKM’s 100 round mags give you more than enough shots to take down an entire squad, whereas the majority of Bruen users employ the 60 round mags. If you’ve not unlocked the Bruen yet, give this PKM class a whirl and experience just how outrageous LMGs are in Warzone’s current meta.

NICKMERCS unveils his “overpowered” MP5 Warzone class for Season 4 FaZe Clan (Twitter) / Activision[jwplayer qiSnM8TU] Popular Call of Duty Twitch streamer Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has showcased his “overpowered” MP5 loadout for Warzone — and it’s a must-have weapon to keep in your arsenal. Warzone has been generally dominated by Assault Rifles during its opening months, with the M4A1 and Grau 5.56 taking the majority of the spotlight. Although, following Infinity Ward’s June 29 patch, players have been seeking alternative weapons to dominate inside Verdansk, with FaZe Clan’s superstar streamer opting for the M13 as a viable replacement. While ARs are great for the large majority of gunfights, there comes a time in most games where close-quarters proficiency is paramount. Enter the MP5. Best MP5 loadout for Warzone NICKMERCS‘ MP5 class is all about precision. For what his rig for the MP5 sacrifices in both Mobility and Control, it gains in Accuracy, Range and Fire Rate. Read more: How to get the new Spotter Scope in Call of Duty: Warzone – Combine the performance benefits with the extended magazine and faster reload times, and you’ll be frying enemies up close in no time with Kolcheff’s go-to MP5. Below is a summary of his loadout. Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip – Ammunition: 45 Round Mags – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip Tape – Perk: Sleight of Hand – If Nick’s impressive Warzone resume wasn’t enough to back up his claims of an “overpowered” MP5 loadout, he went on to bag a Warzone Victory while casually posting a 21-kill game. Nick combined the MP5 with the M4A1 during his gameplay, which has stood the test of time throughout the numerous patches that have been released following Warzone’s launch back in March. Of course, you’ll need to run Overkill in your second perk slot to run both weapons, meaning you have to sacrifice Ghost, but the rest of the perks are completely up to you. Check out our comprehensive perk guide to work out which setup is best suited to your playstyle.

NICKMERCS unveils his “one shot” Oden loadout for Warzone Activision / NICKMERCS (YouTube)Twitch star Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has delved into his “one shot” Warzone loadout for the Oden — and his rig will have players dropping like flies. Warzone’s meta seems to undergo a significant change every time a new weapon is introduced. For example, right now, the R9-0 Dragon’s Breath is all the rage, with players quite literally lighting up the battlefield. And while later additions like the Grau 5.56 and the Mk9 Bruen have also become a staple part of most people’s loadouts, there are very few weapons that have stood the test of time since Warzone was first released. The semi-automatic rifle certainly packs a punch, sitting as the most lethal weapon in its class by a longshot. As a trade-off, the weapon has the slowest aim down sight (ADS) speed. With that said, NICKMERCS has fine-tuned his Oden to run riot on the streets of Verdansk. Let’s see how the FaZe star gets the most out of the sturdy assault rifle. Best Oden loadout for Warzone NICKMERCS claims that his Oden loadout will kill enemies in “one shot,” providing you manage to find Stopping Power rounds on your travels. To get the semi-auto AR primed for this, Kolcheff is all about topping out on both Accuracy and Range. So by equipping the Colossus Suppressor and 5mW Laser, Nick gets very minimal kickback. To reduce sway, he adds the Oden Factory 810mm and Commando Foregrip — although the latter could just as easily be swapped out for the Merc Foregrip. Muzzle: Colossus Suppressor. – Barrel: Oden Factory 810mm. – Laser: 5mW Laser. – Optic: Corp Combat Holo Sight. – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip. – To showcase the rifle in all its glory, Nick clocked out with a 24-kill gameplay in Duos. As highlighted with the gameplay, you’ll get the most out of this weapon in both medium and long-range gunfights. So to ensure you’re ready across all the ranges, we’d recommend taking a leaf out of NICKMERCS’ book and pairing the AR with an SMG, like the MP5.

NICKMERCS unveils his “no recoil” Kilo class for Warzone FaZe Clan (Twitter) / ActivisionNick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff is undoubtedly one of the best Warzone players in the game, and while the Twitch streamer is vocal about the Bruen MK9, the Kilo 141 might just be his secret weapon. Ever since Infinity Ward nerfed the Grau and MP5, players have been turning to see what weapon would replace the Grau as the top dog in its class. While the M4A1 and the Grau are still most player’s go-to weapon of choice, plenty have been turning their hand to the Bruen LMG as a viable replacement, given Infinity Ward’s eagerness to continually tweak the Assault Rifles. But what if players prefer a more nimble alternative to the Bruen? Well a simple glance at the weapon’s baseline stats, and it’s obvious that the Kilo has the potential to be a suitable alternative to staple ARs. But what attachments do you need to get the most out of it? Kolcheff has the answers. Best Kilo 141 Warzone loadout NICKMERCS’ Kilo class is all about having razor-sharp precision, both up close and at range. That’s why Nick opts for the Singuard Barrel, which is perfectly complemented by the Monolithic Suppressor for ultimate stability across all ranges. Since the Kilo’s iron sight isn’t the most well-suited to Warzone, Nick adds the VLK Optic to give him a sure-shot at range. Add the Commando Foregrip into the mix and Kolcheff’s Kilo has next to no recoil. Below is NICKMERCS’ loadout for Warzone. Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor. – Barrel: Singuard Arms 19.8” Prowler. – Optic: VLK 3.0x Optic. – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip. – Ammunition: 60 Round Mags. – As with the FaZe streamer’s Bruen class, the Kilo is most definitely better suited to an optic. Whether you decide to opt for the long-range VLK 3.0x, however, is entirely up to preference. Although, this worked wonders for Nick, as the vast majority of his eliminations from his 18-kill gameplay came from engagements where he landed the first few bullets at range. While having the perfect Kilo setup is great, you’ll struggle to truly get the most out of the class if you don’t gear-up with the best perks — our guide highlights the most well-suited perks for the job, which will ensure you’ll be tearing up Warzone lobbies in no time.

NICKMERCS unveils his insane “no recoil” M4 Warzone loadout Activision / NICKMERCS (YouTube)Call of Duty content creator Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has revealed his “no recoil” M4 loadout for Call of Duty: Warzone, demonstrating just how devastating this assault rifle can be. The M4 has remained one of the most popular weapons in both Modern Warfare’s standard multiplayer and Warzone modes since release. While it may have lost its top-place ranking to the likes of the Kilo 141 and Grau assault rifles, the M4 still has great kill potential. This highly versatile AR boasts incredible damage across close to medium range engagements, making it the perfect gun for Warzone. This particular loadout aims to push the M4 to its ranged limits, giving players the chance to effortlessly beam enemy squads across Verdansk with minimal recoil. Not only does this loadout give the Kilo a run for its money, it also demonstrates just how deadly this assault rifle truly is. Best M4 loadout for Warzone Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: Corvus Custom Marksman – Optic: VLK 3.0x Optic. – Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip – Ammunition: 60 Round Mags – Nick’s build is purely tailored around boosting the M4’s already potent mid-range damage, while also keeping the gun’s accuracy high. This does greatly impact the assault rifle’s overall mobility and viability in close-quarters scenarios, but the pinpoint precision is well worth the trade-off. Both the Monolithic Suppressor and Corvus Custom Marksman greatly enhance the M4’s damage range. If that wasn’t enough, the added bullet velocity and sound suppression make hitting mid-range targets a breeze. As the name suggests, the Monolithic Suppressor quietens your shots and stops you from appearing on the mini-map whenever you fire. This is extremely important when you wish to get the drop on enemy squads in the late-game. Meanwhile, the VLK 3.0x Optic offers great visual clarity which is extremely important when you’re aiming for those all-important headshots. This optic also comes packed with hidden recoil reduction, giving you fantastic mid- to long-range precision. It’s certainly not hard to see why the VLK remains the go-to optic in Warzone. The Ranger Foregrip adds further recoil control and aiming stability. Warzone’s meta guns all feature minimal recoil, so it won’t come as a surprise that this loadout aims to reduce the M4’s already negligible vertical kick. This attachment keeps the M4 stable when firing for heavy durations, allowing you to purely focus on landing your shots and racking up those montage-worthy kills. Rounding things off at the bottom of the list is the 60 Round Mags. Unlike the standard multiplayer, Warzone’s enemies require a few more shots to take down. Fortunately, the 60 Round Mag gives you plenty of bullets to melt through even the tankiest of targets. The 60 Round Mag is a must for any player that’s aiming to secure high kill count games and satisfying squad wipes. Nick uses this M4 build to go on a 23-kill tear, proving that the M4 is still one of the best assault rifles in the current meta. If you want to keep updated with all the latest Call of Duty news and updates, then follow us over on @DexertoIntel.

NICKMERCS unveils “fastest killing” LMG loadout in Warzone YouTube: NICKMERCS/ActivisionPopular YouTuber Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has revealed the “fastest killing LMG” in Warzone, but, it isn’t exactly going to disrupt the Bruen meta. As the different seasons have unfolded in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Warzone has gone through a number of different metas. First off was the thermal scope meta, followed by the M4A1 meta, and now the game is dominated by the Bruen. The unlockable LMG, which rips through enemies at every range and has decent mobility, isn’t going to slip away from the spotlight anytime soon as there really isn’t anything that can shape up in the same way. However, for anyone who has grown a bit tired of the LMG and wants to run something else, there are a few different options out there. Most notably the MG34. NICKMERCS’ MG34 Warzone loadout That’s right, there is another viable LMG out there even though it won’t take the spotlight off the Bruen. In fact, running a variant of the MG34’s Iridescent blueprint is, according to NICKMERCS, the “fastest killing LMG” in the battle royale. So, how do you set up the MG34 you ask? Well, just like every weapon in Warzone, you will need the Monolithic Suppressor in the Muzzle slot, the Commando Foregrip, and the Tac Laser. These will keep the barrage of bullets on the straight and narrow. Outside of that, Nick also runs the FSS Brute barrel and VLK 3.0x Optic to really add some range and accuracy to the LMG. Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor – Barrel: FSS Brute – Laser: Tac Laser – Optic: VLK 3.0x Optic – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – If you look at the way Nick sets it up, the weapon might turn some heads away from the Bruen, but be warned – it is just ridiculously slow to move around with. On top of that, the MG34 has almost a ten-second reload time. So, while you can shred through enemies with the weapon’s impressive DPS, you will be quite exposed once your magazine runs dry.

NICKMERCS unveils deadly LC10 loadout SMG class for Warzone Season 2 YouTube: NICKMERCS/ActivisionYouTube and Twitch star Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has dropped his loadout for Warzone’s new LC10 SMG, and it looks a pretty solid choice if you want to rock something new. The move to integrate Warzone with Black Ops Cold War has caused some headaches for players, but the Season 2 update has made plenty of fixes and brought new content. There have been a few changes made to the map of Verdansk, weapons have been tweaked, and new guns have been introduced in the form of the FARA-83 and LC10 SMG. Players have already raved about the FARA-83 in multiplayer modes, but the SMG is getting some love as well, with NICKMERCS comparing it to the MAC10 that has run riot in Verdansk over the last few months. The YouTuber, who wasn’t best pleased with Warzone’s Season 2 update at first, said the SMG is as quick as the MAC10 in terms of rate of fire, and you can get around the map quickly with it too. Read More: Game-breaking Warzone revive bug is back – In terms of his loadout, he’s set the gun up to give it a slight range boost and negate some of it’s recoil – opting for a Foregrip, Wire Stock, and Flashguard muzzle. Additionally, you also need a bigger magazine, you don’t want to lose fights on account of someone else having another few bullets. So, he’s gone with the 42 Round Speed Mag. Nick has also thrown in an extended barrel too, just to give the gun another helping hand. NICKMERCS LC10 SMG Warzone loadout Muzzle: Flashguard .45 APC – Barrel: 12.5 Extended – Underbarrel: Foregrip – Stock: Wire Stock – Ammunition: 42 Round Speed Mag – In terms of it being a weapon that pros use in competitive games, Nick is unsure. “The only problem is the TTK. The time to kill is a little bit longer than most of the submachine guns,” he said. However, it’s still incredibly fun, and a nice change of pace if you’re looking to use something fresh while running around Verdansk and Rebirth Island.

NICKMERCS unveils “best” Warzone OTs 9 loadout for Season 4 Reloaded Activision / NICKMERCS (YouTube)The OTs 9 is the latest Cold War SMG to join Warzone in Season 4 and Call of Duty content creator Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has been putting it through its paces. Warzone’s Season 4 Reloaded update is well underway and players from around the world are busy trying out the new OTs 9. This lightning-fast SMG may be the new kid on the block, but that hasn’t stopped it from proving popular amongst both casual and competitive players alike. The OTs 9 comes packed with a blisteringly fast fire rate, minimal recoil, and high damage in close-quarter engagements. It’s certainly not hard to see why this pint-sized gun is currently dominating lobbies. While the Warzone SMG meta is still settling in, Nick’s OTs 9 loadout is one you’ll want to try. NICKMERCS’ OTs 9 Warzone class Muzzle: Sound Suppressor – Barrel: 8.1” Task Force – Stock: KGB Skeletal Stock – Underbarrel: Bruiser Grip – Ammunition: Spetsnaz 40 Rnd – Unlike our own OTs 9 loadout, Nick’s build mainly focuses on amplifying the SMG’s close-quarters damage, while also increasing its mobility. First up on the attachment list is the Sound Suppressor. Not only does this muzzle keep your shots silent, but it also increases the OTs 9’s bullet velocity, ADS speed, and sprint to fire time. Adding to this is the 8.1” Task Force, which also increases the gun’s effective damage range and increases your strafe speed. This makes it particularly useful for those that wish to duck and dive out the way of incoming fire. Timestamp of 1:08 Both the KGB Skeletal Stock and Bruiser Grip are vital to Nick’s build as they greatly enhance the OTs 9 mobility. Everything from general movement speed to hipfire accuracy is bolstered by these two attachments, enabling you to aggressively push enemy squads and effortlessly dart around Verdansk. Rounding things off at the bottom of the list is the Spetsnaz 40 Rnd mag. While the VDV Fast Mag may give you increased reload speeds, the Spetsnaz 40 Rnd does the job without drastically hitting the gun’s other main stats. While you may not be able to take down entire squads with one clip, the OTs 9 does make short work of people in 1v1 firefights. Once you’ve unlocked the best attachments, Nick’s OTs 9 loadout is definitely worth taking for a spin.

NICKMERCS unveils AS VAL Warzone class that is the ‘best secondary’ Activision/YouTube: NICKMERCSNick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff hasn’t kept his love for the AS VAL a secret in Warzone, and now he’s shown off his class for what he believes to be the “best pocket gun” in the game. The Season 3 Warzone meta is wide open, with just about every weapon viable in its own way, and that means we’re seeing a lot more diversity in loadouts across Verdansk. This is especially true for people’s secondary weapons. While the CR-56 AMAX is a pretty common assault rifle for long-range fights in Warzone, it’s not the definitive pick — and the picture is even less set for secondary weapons. There is a plethora of viable SMGs, assault rifles and shotguns that can be utilized in short-range gunfights, and Nick believes the AS VAL could be the best. NICKMERCS’ AS VAL class What has become common in Verdansk is using assault rifles as a secondary, and decking them out to excel at short distances with high mobility and damage stats. Essentially, turning them into an SMG. We’ve seen this with the likes of the XM4, the FARA 83 and more, but NICKMERCS thinks your best bet is to do so with the AS VAL as the “highest damage” weapon in the game. Here’s how Nick decks out his AS VAL to really excel in those close-quarter fights. AS VAL attachments Barrel: VLK 200mm Osa – Stock: Stovl 6P30 Skelet – Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip – Ammunition: 30 Round Mags – Rear Grip: Rubberized Grip Tape – As Nick warns, the biggest drawback to the AS VAL is its ammo count. It’s not the easiest gun to control, but if you can keep it locked on your opponent, you’ll take them down in no time. Due to the magazine only being 30 rounds, we wouldn’t recommend running this in any playlist higher than duos. Against trios and quads, you run the risk of losing ammo very quickly in the middle of fights, which almost certainly spells a trip to the Gulag. So, give this loadout a go and see what you think of it — it’s not the most popular weapon in Verdansk, but it could be a game-changer.

NICKMERCS tips AS Val as Warzone’s best weapon if one change is made YouTube: NICKMERCS/ActivisionWarzone star Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff believes the AS Val could be the next big thing in the battle royale, as long as the devs give it a tiny buff in the near future. When Warzone launched over a year ago, YouTubers and content creators were at the forefront of setting the meta. Their ridiculous highlight videos and weapon classes have been followed to the tee by fans. NICKMERCS is, arguably, the top dog for picking out the best weapons in the battle royale, and has his finger on the pulse when it comes to what’s the next best thing. He’s tipped other weapons like the Krig-6 and Bullfrog in the past, and with Season 3 continuing to rumble on, he believes the AS Val could start to get some love again. However, it does need one tiny change. In his May 15 video, the FaZe Clan co-owner spoke glowingly about the assault rifle, saying it’s the best choice if you’re playing solos. He believes it could work in other playlists, but it depends on your playstyle. “If you’re playing solos or duos, this is a must in your kit. It’s the fastest way to kill two people or one person, it’s a must,” Nick said. As to why it’s not the best all-around weapon in Warzone, well, it’s because it has a small magazine. “I personally do think that if they adjust the magazine size, you’re going to see everybody running it. It’s going to break the game kind of thing,” Nick added. Timestamp of 0:15 While the AS Val has had some shine in the past, its pick rate has dropped off quite a lot after it was once the 10th most popular weapon in the game. As per stats from WZRanked, it’s dropped down to a 0.7% pick rate. It remains to be seen if Raven will give the weapon the buff that Nick wants, or if it’ll stay in the doldrums, being a weapon people try out on occasion, still longing for its glory days.

NICKMERCS, TimTheTatman & more react to Warzone Season 4 update Raven SoftwareThe Warzone Pacific Season 4 update has finally arrived and received a warm reception from streamers and regular players alike. Here’s what they had to say about the new update and the new map. Warzone Season 4 brought a plethora of new content for players. This includes the new Fortune’s Keep map, new weapons, new game modes, new challenges, and a lot more. The new season received a positive response from some of the most popular streamers and content creators of the battle royale game straight away. Here’s what they had to say about Warzone Pacific Season 4. Warzone streamers praise the new Season 4 update Popular streamers like TimTheTatman, IceManIsaac, C9 EmZ, and more praised the new Warzone Pacific Season 4 update after it dropped on June 22, 2022. They claimed that the whole slew of new content was one of the best in recent times, especially since Caldera arrived in the game. Read More: Warzone Season 4 update patch notes – TimTheTatman, a well-known figure in the Warzone community, praised Call of Duty and appreciated their good work. “Last few warzone updates we have had have been a W keep up the good work.” last few warzone updates we have had have been a W keep up the good work @CallofDuty — timthetatman👑 (@timthetatman) June 22, 2022 Sally, another popular Warzone streamer, also shared a similar thought, calling it “an absolute W of an update.” NRG’s Warzone streamer, IceManIsaac, said that this is the best update since the arrival of Caldera. Almost the entire Call of Duty community had a positive response to the new update of Warzone. It even brought the likes of NICKMERCS back after being out of the game since the tail end of 2021. After playing the new map, he said, “This new map’s way better than the old one,” he said. “I love the new map. On a 1-10 [rating]? I give it like an eight or a nine. I really enjoy it.” Warzone streamers are clearly loving the new update, and with more yet to come, such as a Terminator collaboration, the best could still be yet to come before Warzone 2 launches later in 2022.

NICKMERCS & TimTheTatMan create a Warzone army of stream snipers Instagram, @NICKMERCS / Infinity Ward / Instagram, @TimTheTatManIn a social experiment for the ages, superstar streamers NICKMERCS and TimTheTatMan capitalized on their clout to create the biggest army of Warzone stream snipers and teamers to ever grace Verdansk. [jwplayer br5AuoVJ] Gamers, especially of the battle royale variety, do not like stream snipers and they do not like teamers. Countless popular Warzone streamers have decried the former, whether after being somehow hunted down and killed during a tournament or simply during a casual session with their friends. But NICKMERCS and TimTheTatMan have seemingly done the impossible by turning stream snipers and an inclination to team into a positive, as they united their massive followings to solidify an army. You see this army comin’ at you in Verdansk, what you doin? pic.twitter.com/qsML5vAiHz — FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) November 6, 2020 The two streamers, who boast a combined 10.2 million followers on Twitch, told their audiences to wear a unified Operator skin and meet at Airport in a game of Duos. The results were incredible, as dozens of players from the game’s lobby joined in, establishing peace among themselves and gallivanting toward unfriendlies. Unsurprisingly, leading a mass of muted unknowns is a difficult affair and the two streamers sometimes struggled to iron out the delicate balances inherent to leadership. With great power comes great responsibility and, at one particularly chaotic moment, NICKMERCS unknowingly, irresponsibly sacrificed his soldiers when trying to establish a vehicular convoy. But losing some fallen comrades didn’t stop the fun from continuing, as Nick once counted out a platoon of their army, reaching a solid 26 soldiers before encountering a hostile. And, as one would expect from a streamer army, the group simply erased the enemy combatant within seconds while dropping armor for their two leaders at the same time. Overall, it was a tremendous, positive experience in which the two streaming superstars proved the power of stream snipers can be harnessed for good content. The two led their group all the way until one of the final circles. With around 10 teams left, the convoy made its way up a stairwell in Stadium, crouched and down to a group of about seven final soldiers. Then, in a shocking twist of fate, a hostile pretended they were part of the group and joined them at the top of the stairs, crouching as if they were friendly. When the two streamers realized this imposer was wearing the wrong skin and could have been hostile, it was too late. An ambush was sprung and the entire unit was obliterated, securing fourth place and, more importantly, a dramatic ending to an elaborate storyline. While this giant army somehow didn’t end up winning Nick and Tim the game, the overall result was highly entertaining for the 100,000+ combined viewers between the two streams. All this said, however, the two Twitch stars might want to be a bit more careful organizing such get-togethers in-game, so to not invoke the wrath of Activision for essentially breaking the rules when it comes to teaming with enemy players.

NICKMERCS thinks Warzone will now be like Fortnite and decline from its peak Activision/YouTube: NICKMERCSNick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has given his thoughts on the future of Call of Duty battle royale hit Warzone — and he thinks it’s looking pretty bleak for the popular game. With the Vanguard integration and launch of the Caldera map, opinions have been thoroughly split on the new version of Warzone, and some think this could spell disaster for the future. Nick is one of the biggest names on Twitch, and made his full-time switch to Apex Legends halfway through 2021, having spoken out frequently against the direction in which Warzone was going. While Nick has been streaming all manner of games for years, he first really blew up as one of the most popular players in Fortnite, and he thinks Warzone is headed the same way as its competitor. During a discussion in his Twitch stream, Nick addressed the issue with Warzone, giving his verdict on the future of the game, revealing that he’s not too hopeful for it. “Games just have a lifespan,” he said. “I’m not saying that it’s going to be dead forever, I’m just saying that I don’t know if it will ever be as hot as it was in the beginning of Verdansk, when it was MP5, Grau and M4. I don’t think it will ever be like that again.” That wasn’t all, though. He continued: But here’s the f**ked up part: People will always hope that it gets back to that point, but it’s never going back to that point.” Nick went on to explain that it’s similar to Fortnite, with players wanting to return to the early days of Fortnite but that it’s “never going to happen.” While Nick wasn’t the first to grow tired of Warzone and switch to another game, he was certainly the biggest. If the game fails to sort out its ongoing problems, or doesn’t return to the point Nick speaks of, it could spell disaster for Warzone.

NICKMERCS tells people playing Warzone over Apex Legends or Fortnite to “get a grip” Activision / Epic Games / NICKMERCSIn an incredible rant, streaming giant NICKMERCS has urged Warzone players to “get a grip,” arguing that the CoD battle royale has fallen way behind its competitors in recent weeks. The battle royale scene is more competitive now than ever before. Apex Legends has a dedicated fanbase of passionate players, while the decision to offer a Zero Build mode in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 has revitalized Epic’s take on the formula. Meanwhile, Warzone continues to be plagued by technical issues and unbalanced weapons that are stopping the CoD BR from living up to its potential. Despite the relatively positive response to Season 2 Reloaded, many fans are still unhappy with where the game is right now. Streamers have also called out the state of the game since the move to Caldera. Most recently, Twitch superstar NICKMERCS has condemned Warzone, suggesting there is no reason to choose it over the competition. During his April 4 Twitch stream, NICKMERCS began discussing how the likes of Apex Legends and Fortnite have outshone Warzone in the last few months. He quickly erupted into a rant calling for players to leave Caldera behind. “Warzone is [a] f*****g shambles,” he explained, fighting back the laughter. “Fortnite is on fire, Apex is [immaculate].” “If you are playing Warzone right now, you need to get a f*****g grip,” he continued. “Ok? Full transparency, you need to get a grip. You’re f*****g high, man.” The popular streamer didn’t seem to have any sympathy for those who still flood back to Warzone time after time, ending the rant by saying: “You’re doing it to yourself.” It’s no secret that Nick has favored Apex Legends over Warzone after he dramatically quit the CoD BR back in August of 2021. He has dabbled since moving over to Apex, but even the move from Verdansk to Caldera wasn’t enough to entice him back in. Raven have introduced plenty of fresh content since then, even adding Redoploy Ballons plucked straight from Apex Legends, but it appears that none of it altered his opinion on Warzone. Like many players, NICKMERCS has been looking ahead to Warzone 2 and outlining what it needs to do to be a success. Maybe, an entirely fresh start will be enough to bring the legendary streamer back onboard.

NICKMERCS teams up with Activision for $100k Warzone tournament YouTube: FaZe Clan / Activision[jwplayer SmN5cmUl]Activision Blizzard has partnered with popular Twitch streamer Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff to help bolster his MFAM Gauntlet Warzone tournament, doubling the prize pool to $100,000. Nick’s MFAM Gauntlet is a monthly tournament held on Modern Warfare battle royale spin-off Warzone, bringing together some of the world’s top streamers and pro players to compete for cash prizes. Now, starting from July, the tournament is only going to get even bigger and better, with more on the line for everyone involved. The first MFAM Gauntlet took place in April and has become increasingly popular as players seek to show their worth and line their pockets too. Some of the biggest names across the Call of Duty community and further have been getting involved, and now the tournaments are about to become even more prestigious. As first reported by ESPN Esports, it has been announced that Activision Blizzard will be offering Nick more support in hosting his tournaments and changing it up slightly too. While the MFAM Gauntlet is usually a monthly tournament, the next iteration is going to be a four-week series, with qualifiers and a main event each week, with matches held in all different modes including duos, trios, and quads. Week 1 of the series will begin with a qualifier at 3pm ET (12pm PT / 8pm BST) on Monday, July 13. The main event will take place at 4pm ET (1pm PT / 9pm BST) on July 15, and will be broadcast on the official MFAM Gauntlet Twitch page. A preshow called ‘The Armory’ will also be added to the MFAM Gauntlet, though we have no further details on this yet. It’s fair to say that while Fortnite helped NICKMERCS grow, he might find even more success in Warzone – especially when he’s got the publisher and developers on side.

NICKMERCS team wins Toronto Ultra’s $100K Warzone event: final results Toronto Ultra, TwitterCall of Duty League’s Toronto Ultra hosted a massive $100k Warzone tournament that featured some of the biggest streamers such as NICKMERCS, TimTheTatman, Tfue, and more. Catch up below if you missed any of the action. Following Toronto’s Ultra’s impressive win as hosts of the final CDL homestand of the year, they announced that they will also be throwing a tournament on Modern Warfare’s battle royale, Warzone. Plenty of the top content creators and pro players in Call of Duty kicked off Season 5 to earn their share of the jaw-dropping $100k prize pool. So, here’s everything you’ll need to catch up. Toronto Ultra’s Warzone tournament recap The $100K competition took place over the span of two days. Jumping straight into the Season 5 action, all competitors had to get used to new weapons and drastic map changes. Each trio was stacked full of veteran CoD players and popular streamers alike, though not everyone could make it through the first day. Many of the biggest names involved were knocked out early but prominent Warzone players pushed through. From former Warzone event winners in Team Aydan and Team Tommey, to the popular event host and content creator NICKMERCS, the competition was fierce. The quarter-finals on day two saw day one leaders in Team Kayzah knocked out of the running alongside a handful of others. Ultimately, it was Team Rated and Team NICKMERCS that made it all the way through to the Grand Final matchup. Things could not have been closer from here on out. At the conclusion of the first map, the commentary team was left stunned as the scoreline was tied. However, a final kill ticked over in the post-lobby screen, leaving the first map score at 95-94. “We’ve casted a lot of Warzone… I don’t think we’ve ever had anything quite like this,” Maven said. After another round of action, it was NICKMERCS and his trio that finally came through with the overall victory. Toronto Ultra’s Warzone tournament day one placements (Top 8) When did Toronto Ultra’s Warzone tournament start? The Toronto Ultra Warzone event spanned over two days in total. The first day kicked off on August 5 and wrapped up the following day, August 6. The second day of the tournament started from 12 PM PST/3 PM EST / 8 PM BST on Thursday, August 5 and ran for a few hours. One of the BIGGEST @CallofDuty #Warzone tournaments coming to you LIVE August 5-6! Watch @NICKMERCS, @timthetatman, @DrLupo, @Vikkstar123, @Methodz, @Symfuhny and many more compete for 100K 💰 Tune in at https://t.co/GUPPf0oaB8 12 PM PST/3 PM EST#SooUltra #LiveFromWarzone pic.twitter.com/YHijrIgiUT— Toronto Ultra (@TorontoUltra) August 4, 2020 How to watch Toronto Ultra’s Warzone tournament? While Toronto Ultra hosted the Warzone tournament, the event’s action unfolded on Call of Duty’s official Twitch channel, which can be found below. The official stream was commentated by Maven, Puckett, Merk, and Lottie with appearances from other Toronto Ultra guests during the broadcast. Many of those competing in the event were also been streaming their POVs, giving viewers plenty of choice on how to tune in. Official Call of Duty stream Who played in the Toronto Ultra event? There were 32 teams-of-three competing in Toronto Ultra’s Warzone $100K Payout clash on August 5. Stars like NICKMERCS, Tfue, Nadeshot, Cloakzy, and more all appeared in the event. Here’s a full list of the players and teams that took to Verdansk. All confirmed teams and players Vikkstar123, JoeWo, exzachtt – Pamaj, Testyment, Gunless – Spratt, Fluxuryy, Porky99 – Tfue, theGaGOD, GodRx – Enable, Galvanxze, ClutchBelk – Nadeshot, Methodz, BobbyPoff – FaZe Bloo, TimtheTatman, JKap – LEGIQN, Bartonologist, Gangtazsalute – Jaffainc, FaZe Blaze, Fifakill – Aydan, MuTeX, Yungtaz – Symfuhny, Cloakzy, HusKerrs – WarsZ, Tommey, Jukeyz – Rated, Frozone, SuperEvan – SypherPK, LuckyChamu, Repulize – Rallied, JustClutch, EthanStellar – Vapulear, Kayzah, Splashed – GoldGlove, JERICHO, Die3sel – FemSteph, Bronana, Pineapqles – NICKMERCS, Swagg, Biffle – NuFo, Danii, Karma – IzakOOO, LEH, Janowicz – TheOceaneOpz, Neslo, Ranksss – DrLupo, YKTDeleo, xcudigee – TeeP, DougisRaw, Blast – Censor, SummN, Finessen – Ricky, Almxnd, Newbz – DanucD, Scoom, Legendary117 – Chino, StuDyy, Hastyle/JawnHa – ImSuda, BigPuffer, HyperNovaPuma – Jacob Banks, Nyah Williams, Blake Williams – Phantomz, Mayappo, Ottereyes – Gotaga, ChowH1, Lowan –

NICKMERCS & Swagg explain why they’re not playing Black Ops Cold War Swagg / Activision / NICKMERCSPopular Twitch streamers NICKMERCS and Swagg have explained why they just can’t bring themselves to play or stream the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta over Warzone. [jwplayer KfbNyXWJ] With the immense popularity of Warzone, Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 has become one of the most successful titles in the franchise’s history. It’s still a divisive game though, thanks to mechanics like weapon mounting and doors, so its multiplayer accompaniment has polarized the gargantuan fanbase. As such, the launches of Treyarch and Raven Software’s Black Ops Cold War beta weekends have merited a ton of community hype. But, in what seems to be the norm for Call of Duty titles, the game’s players are once again divided over the upcoming iteration as well. While a variety of Call of Duty League professionals and competitive fans have upheld the beta’s superiority, BOCW hasn’t quite made the same impression on streamers. On the negative side of the spectrum, NICKMERCS and Swagg both expressed how mediocre they find the new title and why they can’t be bothered to stream, let alone play it. In a duos stream, the two legendary Warzone streamers broke down Black Ops Cold War and why they refuse to partake in its testing phase. After Nick asks Swagg if he’s playing it, the latter’s response is concise: “First of all, it’s just simply chalked.” When Swagg tries to continue on to give the political, compromising answer about how they, as streamers, consider the game from their point of view, NICKMERCS cuts him off to lay down his perspective: “F**k a POV, that game is below-average and you know it. That’s the bottom line. If it wasn’t below-average, you and me would be on it right now.” Other Warzone streamers, like Aydan, have detailed why they think BOCW is mediocre and how it can be improved. But NICKMERCS and Swagg’s consensus doesn’t even allow room for that, they simply think the game is not worth playing at this point in time. Nick gave a direct comparison between BOCW and earlier Treyarch titles, and the fall in quality between them. “I remember when the Black Ops III beta came out … I couldn’t get off that f**king thing, man,” he said. NICKMERCS and Swagg aren’t the only ones not feeling it either. Other streamers like Cloakzy continue to play Warzone instead of the beta, which the two streamers pointed out. There’s room for Treyarch to make improvements to Black Ops Cold War. After all, it’s only in beta. However, NICKMERCS said he’s not going to hold back from criticizing something he doesn’t enjoy. “I keep it real … If I don’t like something, I’m not gonna like it. That’s it. A lot of motherf**kers be acting in this scene, they just act. Bunch of little f**king actors. I’m not acting.”

NICKMERCS claims Stoner 63 Warzone loadout is better than PKM Activision / NICKMERCS (YouTube)The Stoner 63 is one of the most viable LMGs in Warzone thanks to its decent accuracy and high damage. NICKMERCS thinks he’s found the perfect combination of attachments to make this gun hit as hard as possible. While Warzone is often dominated by assault rifles and SMGs, there have been times where the game’s LMGs have become the go-to weapons. While the likes of the Bruen and PKM have dropped in popularity, Call of Duty content creator Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff believes the Stoner 63 is a decent contender for the LMG crown. Black Ops Cold War guns have often struggled to compete with Modern Warfare’s loadouts, but with the right attachments, the Stoner 63 can dish out some truly dizzying damage. Unlike the M60 and RPD, this LMG is pretty accurate and can deliver the precision needed to secure those all-important ranged kills. NICKMERCS’ Stoner 63 Warzone loadout Muzzle: Agency Suppressor – Barrel: 17.8” Cavalry Lancer – Optic: Axial Arms 3x – Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip – Ammunition: 120 Rnd – Nick’s Stoner 63 class is tailored towards increasing the LMG’s accuracy and damage, while also bolstering its range potential – an area many Cold War guns have struggled to compete in. First up is the Agency Suppressor, which gives the Stoner 63 increased damage range and sound suppression. Of course, this increased range will mean nothing if you can’t actually hit your targets. Fortunately, Nick has equipped the Field Agent Foregrip to help control the Stoner 63’s vertical recoil. Those of you who have used the Stoner 63 will know just how potent the vertical kick can be, so having any attachments that reduce recoil are a must. Perhaps the most interesting choice here is the 17.8” Cavalry Lancer. This barrel may state that it simply increases vehicle damage, but it actually drastically improves the Stoner 63’s bullet velocity. Not only does this make it easier to hit mid to long-range targets, it also decreases the weapon’s time to kill. Lastly, rounding things off at the bottom of the list are the Axial Arms 3x and 120 Rnd mags. The Axial Arms 3x is one of the cleanest Black Ops Cold War sights in the game, enabling you to easily kill targets across all engagement ranges. Meanwhile, the 120 Rnd magazine gives you enough ammo to grab those game-winning squad wipes. It’s certainly not hard to see why NICKMERCS secured a 24-kill game with this loadout, so give the Stoner 63 it a go yourself.

NICKMERCS reveals his “SMG” FARA 83 loadout for Warzone Season 3 Activision / NICKMERCS (YouTube)Call of Duty content creator Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has transformed the FARA 83 into a lightning-fast SMG that absolutely dominates in close-quarter fights. The FARA 83 has seen a huge surge in popularity after the Season 3 nerfs reduced the FFAR, M16, and AUG’s damage. This has led to many Warzone players looking for a worthy replacement. While the likes of the AMAX and Kilo still remain viable picks, the FARA 83 has started to see an increase in play in Season 3. This deadly Cold War AR boasts an incredible rate of fire, high damage profile, and incredible precision, making it one of the more deadly Assault Rifles in the game. In fact, the added damage range buff has enabled the FARA to rival even the most powerful ranged weapons. However, Nick’s latest FARA 83 build aims to capitalize on the gun’s incredible close-quarters capabilities. Whether you’re looking for a replacement to the FFAR or just want a gun you can use aggressively, then this FARA loadout is one you’ll want to try. NICKMERCS “SMG” FARA 83 Warzone loadout Muzzle: Gru Suppressor – Barrel: 18.7” Spetsnaz RPK Barrel – Stock: KGB Skeletal Stock – Underbarrel: Infiltrator Grip – Ammunition: Spetsnaz 50 Rnd – Nick’s loadout is different from our own FARA 83 setup as his loadout is tailored around making the gun as quick as possible, enabling players to eliminate players in close-quarters fights in the blink of an eye. First up is the Gru Suppressor and 18.7” Spetsnaz RPK Barrel. Both of these attachments increase the FARA’s effective damage range and bullet velocity, while the muzzle adds sound suppression to your shots. Read More: Best FARA 83 Warzone loadout class – Next up is the KGB Skeletal Stock, which increases the FARA’s ADS firing movement speed and sprint to fire time. This makes it particularly potent when you’re aggressively flanking or rushing down your opponent in close-quarter scenarios. The Infiltrator Grip enhances your movement speed and keeps you on your toes. Not only does this attachment help make you much harder to hit, it is also great for getting the drop on your foes. Combining this with the KGB Skeletal Stock is a must for those that wish to compete against the PPSh and MAC-10 loadouts. Read More: Best Warzone PPSh class loadout – Rounding things off at the bottom of the attachment list is the Spetsnaz 50 Rnd magazine. The added rounds will enable you to drop multiple enemies – something that can give you an edge in those 1v4 situations. There you have it, one FARA 83 loadout that can compete with the game’s best SMGs. If you want to keep updated with all the latest Call of Duty news and updates, then follow us over on @DexertoIntel.

NICKMERCS slams Warzone players trying to ‘expose’ FaZe Swagg for cheating YouTube: Nickmercs/SwaggStreaming star Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff hit out at Warzone fans who have been trying to ‘expose’ FaZe Swagg for using a Strike Pack to get a leg up in the battle royale. Ever since Warzone launched over a year ago, players have been trying to find ways to get a leg up on their opponents. Plenty have resorted to cheating, be it through using hacks like aimbots, wallhacks, and god mode – while others have exploited problems in the game itself like the stim glitch and going invisible. Others have used controller mods like strike packs as well. These give players extra paddles that can be bound to different controls, and they also let users add mods too. These mods have been known to give weapons a better fire rate and even nullify recoil. On April 1, one Twitter user shared a TikTok that claimed FaZe Clan’s Swagg was using a strike pack on his PlayStation controller and was trying to expose him for doing so. Well, NICKMERCS wasn’t standing for it, and gave the Twitter user both barrels by unleashing a ruthless clap back in the replies. “Watch his YouTube intro today you dumbass. And ay do the homework, next time you make accusations about s**t you dunno nothin’ about,” Nick responded. “And to all you small c**ks in the comments actually believin this dumbass. Go f**k urselves.” Watch his YouTube intro today you dumbass. And ay do the homework, next time you make accusations about shit you dunno nothin’ about. And to all you small cocks in the comments actually believin this dumbass. Go fuck urselves — FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) April 2, 2021 The video Nick was referring to was an upload from Swagg where he explained that the TikTok was a load of nonsense because he uses a Scuf controller, not a Strike Pack. Swagg noted that because his controller has a small light on it, people started believing that it was a Strike Pack, but that’s just false. Other Warzone stars jumped in to defend the FaZe Clan star too, taking shots at those who have been spreading the video. It’s clear that if anyone tries it again, they’ll probably be on the end of some stern words from Nick and others.

NICKMERCS slams “horrible” Warzone Season 2 update in viral rant Twitter: NickMercs/ActivisionPopular YouTuber and Twitch star Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff slammed Warzone’s Season 2 update as “horrible,” saying the game is worse now than it was before. After much hype and excitement, Black Ops Cold War’s Season 2 update finally dropped on February 25, making changes to multiplayer as well as Warzone. In Warzone, changes have been made to the Verdansk map, the gas has become even more dangerous than before, and there are now Zombies in certain parts – among plenty of other changes. While plenty of players are happy with the update, not everyone is, with NICKMERCS airing his thoughts in a hilarious way, which made him go viral on Twitter. After a few hours of playing the new update, Nick and his teammates seemed a little bummed out and the vibes were down, prompting his chat to try and get him to turn things around and be a little more positive. Read More: Where to find weapon silos in Warzone – However, that wasn’t going to happen. “Guys, I’m fine, just this update f**king sucks,” Nick said. “Like, the game is worse today than it was just yesterday. How is that possible? It is, it totally is. The Gulag sucks! It’s f**king horrible. The ship is loud and pointless.” The FaZe Clan member then ramped things up with a rant that hit close to two million views on Twitter. “When I experience a new update on this game, I subconsciously, I can’t help it, I compare it to other games that have had updates,” Nick added, noting that Fortnite comes to mind given they started the constant updates. Read More: How to get Yellow Access Cards in Warzone – “So what I do is I compare the game to other games that did updates,” he yelled, as the loud, opening cinematic played again. “And after comparing this update to the other updates, I’ve come to the conclusion that this update is f**king horrible!” New Warzone update’s fuckin’ great pic.twitter.com/m2g3fOIG5n — FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) February 25, 2021 The boat cinematic only added to Nick’s frustrations, but that’s since been removed from playing at the start of every single game. Whether or not a bigger change to Verdansk, which is rumored to be happening in April, will be up Nick’s street and help sway him on the update over time, remains to be seen.

NICKMERCS skeptical that Warzone 2 will change after beta: “This is the f***ing game” YouTube: NICKMERCSNICKMERCS was one of many content creators to receive an invite to the COD Next event, where Activision showed off Warzone 2 – and after getting some hands-on time with the game, he’s ready to share his thoughts. NICKMERCS is one of the giants of Call of Duty. From his time competing in Search and Destroy wager matches to establishing himself as a competent Warzone player, the FPS veteran has seen it all when it comes to the franchise, which makes him an excellent source when it comes to reviewing any new experience. When fans asked him what he thought of the game, he gave it a generally positive review and cautioned players not to expect drastic changes when it comes time to jump from beta to finished product. NICKMERCS believes that Warzone 2’s beta won’t change much in the final game The streamer was reflecting on his early experience and telling his chat how he felt about the state of the game. One fan brought up the possibility of some interface changes and other small tweaks, and that’s when the vet encouraged everyone to pump the breaks on their wishlist. “For anyone who thinks the game is going to change a lot upon the game coming out, you’re f***ing dumb,” he promised. He went on to say that things like UI and coloring might get updated, but reaffirmed that he doesn’t believe any big changes will happen between now and launch, even if the developers write things off as beta-specific problems. All in all, the multi-game pro did say that he liked the game, but attributed that to being in the “honeymoon phase” and specified that he hasn’t seen enough to know if it’ll be bad or not when it’s all said and done.

NICKMERCS shuts down fan requests for full-time Warzone return Twitch: NICKMERCS / ActivisionTwitch powerhouse Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has doubled-down on his stance regarding a full-time streaming return to Call of Duty: Warzone, reiterating that it won’t happen anytime soon. NICKMERCS has long been one of the most popular streamers in the gaming community. His popularity led to some rumors of a switch to YouTube but, back in October 2021, he confirmed he had signed a new Twitch exclusivity deal. However, some of his viewers have been disappointed by his move away from Warzone, the game that dominated his streaming time across 2021. Citing issues with the BR including cheating and bugs, Nick has since spent the majority of his broadcasts playing Apex Legends instead. There has been some backlash to his decision but, for the most part, the streamer has stuck to his guns and been dropping into Respawn’s BR, as opposed to Activision’s. While he has dropped into Caldera on occasion, he’s regularly stated that he won’t make a transition to streaming Warzone full-time. Despite his comments, many continue to badger him about sticking with Warzone but, in a January 22 tweet, the streamer doubled down on his words. Replying to a clip of Nick playing Warzone, one viewer commented: “Hope to see you back again full time in the future.” Nick, though, responded to pour cold water on their hopes: “Not gonna happen chief, but I did have some fun reppin’ with the lads”. Not gonna happen chief, but I did have some fun reppin’ with the lads 💪🏼 — FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) January 22, 2022 The news disappointed some, but many respected the FaZe Clan star’s decision to play whatever he is enjoying most. With a plethora of issues dominating Warzone right now, it’s no surprise that Nick is enjoying his time with other games at the moment. Recent developments with cheaters have seen them flying around Caldera in big bertha trucks, while texture bugs have the game looking like Roblox. Taking those factors into consideration, we can’t really blame Nick for sticking with Apex Legends for the time being.

NICKMERCS shows off surprisingly powerful Striker 45 Warzone class Infinity Ward/FaZe ClanPopular Twitch streamer and ex-Call of Duty pro Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has shared his powerful Striker 45 class, that he uses to take down enemies at close to medium ranges in Warzone. When it comes to Warzone SMGs, a couple remain dominant in the game’s current meta. From the MP5 to the MP7, there are only a few SMGs that can compete with the best ARs in Verdansk’s current build. The Striker 45, Modern Warfare’s Season 2 DLC SMG, is probably not very high on this list for most players. NICKMERCS, however, has revealed his favored Striker loadout, that he uses to dominate in Warzone. NICKMERCS’ Striker 45 loadout for Warzone Monolithic Suppressor – 400mm Stainless Steel barrel – Tac Laser – 45 Round Mags – Merc Foregrip – The class is certainly designed for Warzone. There is a clear emphasis on improving the Striker’s range and reducing its modest recoil. The Merc Foregrip, 400mm Stainless Steel barrel, and Monolithic Suppressor will see to these improvements, with the latter also keeping players off enemy radars. The 45 round mags are also a necessary addition in Warzone, allowing players to take down multiple enemies without the need for reloading. With armor giving players extra health, extended mags are a sensible attachment on nearly every weapon. Finally, the Tac Laser speeds up the Striker’s ADS time and improves hip-fire. This should enable you to land the first few shots in any gunfight, instantly giving you the upper hand. There is also no need for optics – a fairly minor caveat given the gun’s viable iron sights. Kolcheff explains that, while he had never actually used the Striker 45 prior to this Autoclave class, he was encouraged to by YouTube comments. “Full transparency,” he said. “Going into these games I was thinking no shot, no chance, no way – but I somehow drop a 32-kill game with this gun. It’s got no recoil, the hip-fire is actually pretty insane… it’s still a viable weapon.” Nick used the Striker behind the Bruen Mk9 LMG, which has grown to be one of the game’s strongest long-range weapons. The two together enabled him to dominate at all ranges. If you want to do the same, stick this Striker loadout on, and check out our recommended Bruen setup. Good luck, gamers.

NICKMERCS shows off dominant StreetSweeper Warzone loadout Activision / TreyarchCall of Duty content creator Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has revealed his “insane” StreetSweeper loadout for Warzone, demonstrating just how powerful this shotgun can be. While the StreetSweeper shotgun may not even be officially out yet, that hasn’t stopped players from unlocking it early. In fact, the new shotgun was supposed to go live during the mid-season update, and the glitch that unlocked the StreetSweeper early has since been patched. That, however, didn’t stop top Call of Duty Twitch streamer NICKMERCS from getting his hands on it and showing just how lethal it can be. The upcoming weapons boasts incredible close-quarters damage, making it the perfect gun for clearing out buildings and aggressively pushing squads. NICKMERCS’ loadout aims to push the full-auto shotgun to its very limits, while still maintaining its blisteringly fast fire rate. If you managed to unlock the StreetSweeper early, then make sure you use this deadly loadout to help you dominate the competition in Warzone. Best StreetSweeper loadout for Warzone Muzzle: Duckbill Choke – Barrel: 14.4” Task Force – Laser: SWAT 5mw Laser Sight – Stock: No Stock – Ammunition: STANAG 18 RND – These attachments increase the StreetSweeper’s damage and mobility, allowing you to aggressively rush your foes. While the lack of stock may decrease the gun’s hip-fire accuracy, the quick ADS speed more than makes up for this. When you combine this gun’s high damage, fast fire rate, and great mobility, you have a shotgun that is capable of downing multiple enemies in a matter of seconds. The first attachment is the Duckbill Choke. This mighty muzzle increases the gun’s pellet spread by a whopping 50%, which enables you to shred through multiple targets in close-quarter scenarios. Next Up is the 14.4” Task Force barrel, which enhances the gun’s damage by 72%. While it may decrease your effective damage range, it is well worth taking the hit considering how devastating this loadout is. While Nick’s loadout is largely tailored around ADS speed thanks to the No Stock, the SWAT 5mw Laser Sight does bolster the SteetSweeper’s hip-fire accuracy. After all, even with minimal ADS times, there will be scenarios where accurate hip fire will give you the edge. Rounding things off is the STANAG 18 RND. Having more ammunition is always a good thing, especially in Warzone where the addition of armor can prove problematic. Fortunately, the STANAG 18 RND will give you more than enough rounds to down your foe. If you want to keep updated with all the latest Call of Duty news and updates, then follow us over on @DexertoIntel.

NICKMERCS shows off his new lethal Bullfrog Warzone loadout Activision / TreyarchCall of Duty content creator Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has created a powerful Bullfrog loadout in Warzone that can be lethal in Verdansk. [jwplayer OebdrqRb] While this Bullfrog loadout won’t remove the MAC-10 from the very top of the meta rankings, it’s still a good pick for those that like the extra ammunition the Bullfrog affords them. After all, having an SMG that can take out multiple foes in a single clip is always going to be beneficial across Verdansk. Of course, just like every gun in Warzone, you’ll need to kit the Bullfrog out with the best attachments. Fortunately, Warzone streamer NICKMERCS has demonstrated just how lethal this SMG can be. If you’re looking for a gun that has a high ammo count and decent hipfire, then the Bullfrog is a great option. NICKMERCS’ Bullfrog Warzone loadout Muzzle: GRU Suppressor – Barrel: 7.4” Task Force – Stock: No Stock – Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip – Ammunition: Stanag 85 Rnd – Nick’s Bullfrog loadout is different from our Black Ops Cold War multiplayer version, as it mainly focuses on the gun’s range and mobility. Unlike the MP5, the Bullfrog can actually hit targets outside of the usual close-quarter ranges. While it won’t beat any of the game’s powerful ARs, it can get you out of a tight spot if you find yourself out of rifle ammo. Read More: NICKMERCS’ “two burst” AUG Warzone loadout – GRU Suppressor is a vital attachment as it increases the Bullfrog’s damage range, while also offering sound suppression that quietens your shots. This enables you to effectively gun down your enemies without having to constantly switch to your AR for mid-range engagements. The 7.4” Task Force also increases the gun’s overall damage, increases bullet velocity, and adds even more damage range. While this loadout will never beat Warzone’s best snipers, both the Muzzle and Barrel greatly bolster the Bullfrog’s ranged kill potential. Due to the SMG’s clean default iron sight, Nick has a lot more options available when it comes to creating the perfect loadout. As a result, the No Stock attachment has been used to help increase the Sprint to Fire Speed, which allows you to react to threats that much quicker. After all, being able to sweep corners and remain mobile is something every SMG player will want. This is particularly useful when you’re going for those sneaky flanks or hyper-aggressive pushes. Read More: NICKMERCS’ new Bruen loadout – The Spetsnaz Grip decreases both the Bullfrog’s vertical and horizontal recoil, giving you excellent precision and handling. Not only does this make landing headshots easier, but it also stops you from having to wrestle for control whenever you fire. Lastly, the Stanag 85 Rnd will give you enough bullets to wipe out multiple enemies and secure those game-winning kills. If you want to keep updated with all the latest Call of Duty news and updates, then follow us over on @DexertoIntel.

NICKMERCS shows off his M16 Warzone loadout ahead of Season 2 Activision/FaZe ClanNick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff is perhaps the biggest Warzone streamer in the world right now, and he’s revealed his M16 loadout that looks set to become the new meta weapon ahead of the launch of Season 2. The M16 burst assault rifle entered Verdansk as part of the Black Ops Cold War integration late in 2020 but, for the most part, didn’t make much of an impression. The DMR became the go-to rifle and, following its nerf, the meta spread a little more across the likes of the Kilo, CR-56 AMAX, and more. Now, we’re seeing more and more players pick up the M16 in Warzone games, and it might be the next ‘meta’ weapon if Nick’s praise is anything to go by. NICKMERCS’ M16 Warzone class The gun can shred through a fully armored enemy in just two bursts if you hit your shots, making it possibly one of the most powerful guns in the game, but so far has managed to go relatively unused by the general population in Verdansk. With an increasing number of top pros and streamers picking up the M16, including Tommey, here’s Nick’s loadout: Muzzle: Agency Silencer – Barrel: 15.9” Strike Team – Optic: Axial Arms 3x – Underbarrel: Field Agent Foregrip – Ammunition: STANAG 60 Rnd – For the most part, this is just about what you would expect from a dominant Warzone loadout. Some of the attachments come down to personal preference, though. For example, you might prefer to use a different underbarrel, or the Fast Mag to make reloading quicker, but this loadout completely prioritizes accuracy and making sure you get those downs. The key to this weapon is that there is a bit of kick between bursts, so you’ll want to be in complete control and not put yourself in compromising positions. As long as you string a couple of bursts together, you should have no issue getting kills with the M16.