Author: Nik Ranger

CoD Vanguard exploit under the map wipes out defenseless players from unkillable position ActivisionEvery now and again a new CoD exploit will come along and cause havoc. Vanguard’s small, chaotic Dome map has a damaging exploit that is ruining games for many. Call of Duty: Vanguard has been a solid release with plenty of maps to choose from and lots of competitive weapons like the Automaton and BAR. But there has been an unfortunate hiccup or two since the game’s release. The latest one is a game-breaking map exploit that renders many players completely and utterly prone to constant gunfire, unable to return it. As a result, players using this glitch are able to rack up tons of kills and leave their opponents frustrated. Dome is known for being one of CoD Vanguard’s most insane maps as it’s one of the smallest in the game. You can spawn and easily encounter a bucketload of enemies in a matter of seconds. Combat is hard enough during a game of Dome, but this new map exploit allows players to get very deep under the surface of the map and shoot players from below. The exploit was experienced by Reddit user PainInfinite and they showed how impossible the exploit is to deal with. It’s similar to the chaos that was caused in Warzone’s Verdansk ’84 as players were able to get out of the confines of the map and score easy kills in Raven Software’s battle royale. The two crucial points here are that it’s entirely unclear how to perform this exploit, it’s unknown if this is a one-off, or there is a certified way to pull this off every time. The other thing that makes this map exploit even more difficult to deal with is the fact that it’s one-way fire. So if you’re on the map, as usual, your bullets will not penetrate the map like they will for people using the exploit. Hopefully, it’s the usual case of bringing awareness to the issue and Sledgehammer will be on the case quite quickly.

CoD Vanguard exclusive: Sledgehammer Games explains how new weapons are tuned for Warzone ActivisionCall of Duty Vanguard is now out in the wild meaning players can go hands-on with 38 new weapons. But with more attachments than ever before, unique traits baked in, and Warzone to keep in mind, what went into balancing the latest additions? We spoke with a number of key developers at Sledgehammer Games to gain some insight on the process. Years prior, when a new CoD title dropped, the initial slate of weapons on offer were typically locked for the 12 months that followed. These guns were used in multiplayer modes alone before a new release cycled into the annual spotlight with its own weaponry warchest. Nowadays, the process is a little more complicated. Not only do newer weapons offer more customization than their older counterparts, with dozens of attachments to pick from, but these exact same guns can also be used across multiple games. As a result, when each new CoD rolls around, developers now have to factor in a great deal more than they previously did. Namely, with more than 100 weapons soon to be in the mix in Warzone’s Pacific update, there are plenty of plates being juggled all at once. So how exactly does it work? What goes into building new weapons for the CoD franchise in 2021? How do developers keep on top of the sheer amount of content that needs to be balanced across multiple titles? We spoke with developers at Sledgehammer Games to figure it all out ahead of Vanguard’s November 5 release. How guns are balanced in Vanguard, Warzone CoD Vanguard marks the entry of another 38 weapons in the franchise. This time around, each piece of equipment comes from the WWII era and while the set is currently available in multiplayer for now, it’s soon arriving in Warzone through the Season One update on December 2. For the second year running, devs have had to keep the immensely popular battle royale in mind when building weapons. Rather than focusing exclusively on how it functions in multiplayer, Warzone also has to be factored in. Throughout the development of this year’s release, all weapons were “purpose-built for Vanguard,” Lead Designer Zach Hodson told us. The team at Sledgehammer has then been keeping a “separate balance sheet to track how things might work in Warzone.” Take weapon recoil, for instance. What feels good in Vanguard’s multiplayer modes may not feel the same when implemented in Warzone. As a result, specific adjustments need to be made by other dev teams. “One bit of insight is that [Vanguard] guns have more recoil than you’ll have seen in previous CoD games. That doesn’t necessarily translate perfectly to Warzone,” Hodson explained. Read More: 10 most popular weapons in Warzone – “So there’s a bit of adaptation that needs to go in on the Warzone side to bring the guns over in a similar way to what’s been done before with Cold War and Modern Warfare.” Settling on 10 upgrade slots for each Vanguard gun Not only did Sledgehammer Games have to consider Warzone when building its new set of weapons, but the arsenal also had to balance around a first for the franchise: 10 customizable slots at once. While some earlier titles maxed out with a Pick-10 system, including all guns, perks, and equipment under one allocation, Vanguard marks a huge step forward with a whopping 10 points of customization available with each individual weapon. “The reason why we went with 10 slots was really based on being able to change up the power of the attachments instead of having attachments compete,” Hodson said. In more recent CoD games, with only five slots available, “they’re all competing with each other.” Bucking this trend and going all-out with personal choice, Vanguard was designed with the philosophy of letting players “do whatever they wanted with [their] guns.” From Optics and Magazines to Ammo Types and Grips, it’s an unprecedented level of freedom for a CoD release. Naturally, that comes with its own set of hurdles throughout development. “We did a couple of things to stay away from overwhelming the players,” Hodson outlined. “The slots unlock in a bit of a stagger, so you don’t immediately get to 10.” Moreover, the team intentionally designed most attachments with significant “trade-offs” built-in. While a certain Magazine might boost your reload speed, for example, it may come at the cost of your Aim Down Sight Speed. Thus, not every slot is “mandatory to fill to get the most potential.” “In some builds, we’ve found even leaving a slot on the default has been one of the better choices.” “At this point, we’ve gotten great feedback for the 10 attachments,” Hodson added. “The way that you customize the weapon feels reasonable in terms of balance and just offer so much personalization on the gun.” In contrast to the options available in Sledgehammer’s 2017 release set in the same era, customization is far greater than what it once was, Creative Director Greg Reisdorf chimed in. Read More: New Vanguard Patrol mode explained – “That was another thrilling piece about going back to World War II and having Gunsmith on top of that, now you’re able to truly personalize your loadout and make it yours. There’s so many combinations that you can create.” Expect to see plenty of variation over the coming weeks as the community comes to grips with Vanguard’s updated Gunsmith. Before long, Warzone will also be getting in on the action with 10 attachment builds for the new Caldera map. There’s plenty happening in the CoD space to round out 2021 so be sure to keep up to speed with everything here and follow along at @DexertoIntel on Twitter.

CoD Vanguard exclusive PlayStation rewards: Battle pass tiers, XP boosts, more Activision / PlayStationWith Call of Duty Vanguard set to release, PlayStation has some exclusive rewards you can earn such as free Battle Pass tiers, XP boosts, and more. Vanguard is set to release on November 5, on all platforms and will be available to pre-load on November 2. Like previous years, Call of Duty is going to bring tons of new content and rewards but some of it can only be earned by being on PlayStation. Here’s what Call of Duty: Vanguard is bringing to PlayStation for another year of exclusive rewards. CoD: Vanguard exclusive rewards for PlayStation users While there will be tons of things to unlock in Vanguard, people that play on PlayStation will have easier ways to level up, finish their battle pass, and customize weapons with specific benefits. Here are all the rewards that have been announced for PlayStation users: +5 Tier Skips with the Battle Pass Bundle (25 total) – +2 Custom Loadout Slots – Combat Packs included each Season for PS Plus users – Monthly 24-hour Double XP events – +25% Weapon XP when partying up with friends – PlayStation exclusive benefits in #Vanguard: • +5 Tier Skips with the Battle Pass Bundle (25 total) • +2 Custom Loadout Slots • Combat Packs for each Season for PS Plus • Monthly Double XP events (lasting 24 hours) • +25% Weapon XP when partying up with friends pic.twitter.com/N8aP36chbT— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) October 29, 2021 Some of the highlights include five different Tier skips for the Battle Pass along with 2 extra loadout slots for Multiplayer. Another key aspect that PlayStation users can take advantage of is a full day of double XP. While dates have not been revealed, there is expected to be one day per month where PlayStation gamers will have a double XP day. PlayStation users will have a bit more extras than Xbox or PC players but the core Vanguard experience should still be the same regardless of the platform you play on.

All CoD Vanguard equipment & Field Upgrades: Every confirmed Lethal & Tactical ActivisionCurious as to what equipment you can run with in your optimal CoD Vanguard loadouts? We’ve got an early rundown on every confirmed Lethal and Tactical, along with each Field Upgrade to boot. Alongside your standard weapons in CoD, classes always have access to some trusty equipment. No matter your playstyle, this equipment can often come in handy. From destructive grenades to armor plating that absorb extra bullets, there’s something for everyone in Vanguard’s new set. So before the new CoD hits store shelves, here’s a complete overview of all the new and returning equipment in Vanguard. Lethal Equipment in CoD Vanguard MK2 Frag Grenade Opening the list is your standard frag grenade. It works no different in Vanguard compared to previous years, with players able to ‘cook’ the nade for a brief moment before throwing it out for lethal explosive damage. Gammon Bomb Next is the Gammon Bomb, an explosive that detonates on impact. This lethal deals damage the moment it comes in contact with any surface. Molotov Cocktail The Molotov is back in Vanguard, creating a small field of fire where it lands. Enemies that come in contact with this explosive take damage over time. Demolition Charge The Demolition Charge is essentially TNT in Vanguard. This explosive device can be set up, left alone, and detonated from anywhere on the map. Thermite Thermit is another lethal that deals damage over time. This option sticks to surfaces and detonates with a burst of flames that sticks around for a few seconds. Throwing Knife Last for the confirmed lethals in Vanguard is the typical Throwing Knife. In the exact same fashion as previous years, the Throwing Knife can lead to an instant kill on unarmored enemies. Tactical Equipment in CoD Vanguard M18 Smoke Grenade For the first tactical in Vanguard, we have the standard smoke grenade. As per usual throwing this item into the battlefield creates a cloud of smoke that obscures vision from all angles. N0 69 Stun Grenade The typical stun grenade is back in Vanguard no different from usual. Hitting enemies with this tactical will leave them with slower movement and slower aim. MK V Gas Gas grenades return in Vanguard as this tactical deploys a deadly cloud of tear gas. Read More: New Vanguard Patrol mode explained – While it might not outright kill you, this grenade slows movement, obscures your vision, and deals a small amount of damage over time. Stim Stims are back for another year as this tactical helps regenerate health in an instant. Moreover, this iteration of the tactical equipment also resets your Tactical Sprint. S-Mine 44 This tactical might be the deadliest of the bunch as the S-Mine 44 functions similar to the classic Bouncing Betty. Deploying this device leaves a proximity-triggered explosive in the map for enemies to stumble into. Field Upgrades in CoD Vanguard Dead Silence Dead Silence returns as a Field Upgrade in Vanguard. Activating this ability gives you a few seconds of silent movement, eliminating any footstep cues so you can flank and sneak up on unsuspecting enemies. Armor Equipping Armor works exactly as you’d expect. This Field Upgrade gives you a little extra protection, allowing you to absorb a few additional bullets in the heat of combat. Field Mic The Field Mic can be set up on any part of the map, providing a small circle of intel. Enemies that cross into the Mic’s radius will appear on your minimap for a brief moment. Goliath Activating the Goliath Field Upgrade spawns a controllable vehicle at your feet. This mini-tank might be slow in its movement but it certainly packs a punch in the right situation. While that’s every piece of equipment in Vanguard for now, there’ll be plenty more down the line. Read More: Vanguard’s new Combat Pacing explained – We’ll keep you updated right here with all the latest as new additions join the mix closer to launch.

Insane CoD Vanguard ‘elevator’ glitch lets players fly above the map with ease ActivisionOne of the more ridiculous Call of Duty Vanguard bugs discovered in Sledgehammer’s new game is allowing players to fly above any given map in just a few seconds with the right equipment. Here’s how players are using the glitch to gain new vantage points. CoD Vanguard is finally upon us as the FPS franchise transports the community back to WWII once again. Given this setting, boots are supposed to remain firmly on the ground. You won’t find jetpacks or any advanced movement in this year’s release. Despite that, players are finding bizarre ways to launch themselves through the air. A new glitch is currently being exploited across nearly every map to rise up off the floor and get an unmatched view of everyone in the lobby. With the right set of equipment and in the right spots, anyone can be flying in just a matter of moments in Vanguard. Here’s how you can pull it off. First things first, this glitch relies on the Deployable Cover Field Upgrade. This gear is intended to block a few shots at critical points on the map. However, players have since found a more devious way to use it. Setting this cover up just in front of a flat surface is step one. From there, all you need to do is position yourself around the corner to start blind firing. A new feature in Vanguard, blind firing lets you shoot from behind a wall to keep your body from being exposed. It’s this unique addition that completely breaks the game. Spamming the crouch input while blind firing will randomly break the camera. Before you know it, your Operator will be in an invisible elevator and quickly rising above the map. While in the air, you can aim, call out enemy positions, and even phase through any ceilings that might be above you. The moment you exit from blind firing, however, you’ll start falling back down. Though this descent happens to be in near slow motion, allowing for easy shots across the map from the most unorthodox angles. While the elevator glitch has already gained a ton of traction online, devs at Sledgehammer Games are yet to issue a response. Many critical bugs are listed on their public Trello board, though this particular problem hasn’t popped up on their radar at the time of writing. With new updates coming through every so often, this game-breaking bug is sure to be removed any day now. In the meantime, you’ll just have to be cautious of flying Operators shooting down from the clouds.

CoD Vanguard drama explodes over “egirls” being invited to $110k tournament ActivisionCall of Duty drama is some of the spiciest around and this past week was no exception. After a $110,000 Vanguard tournament, the scene erupted into debate as some players criticized the opportunities given to “egirls.” Playing video games is a pastime for most, but a way to make money for some. Sometimes, the stakes are raised and that amount of money balloons. Such was the case for the $110,000 CoD Vanguard Black Friday tournament. The only mode played during the event was Search and Destroy and teams were mixed, with pros and co-ed requirements. Technically, each team needed at least one woman creator and one content creator, with the last spot either filled by a pro or another creator. Unfortunately, while many enjoyed the mixed format and unique event — there was some backlash. Namely, a situation unfolded in which women felt “slandered” by competitors unhappy with the team restrictions. Call of Duty woman creators react to ‘egirls slander’ A Call of Duty commentator and player, ‘Allycxt’ was at the heart of the situation. There was some general drama involving Twitch chat and women competing, but things got more fiery on Twitter. Atlanta FaZe S&D coach John ‘x2Pac ThuGLorD’ Hartley complained about the team restrictions after the tournament. In his tweet, he mentioned “Twitch mods, bot shooters, and egirls.” Allycxt responded quickly, saying “don’t blame us, the girls deserved an opportunity like this.” She was then blocked by 2Pac, but not before she shared screenshots on Twitter. Other notable woman creators, like FaZe Kalei, responded with shock: “Fighting against the odds and constant sexism in the industry just to be talked down to?” $110k Vanguard S&D tournament in 2 hours and we’ve got pure rostermania chaos unfolding 😳 New captains, teams scrambling, it’s armageddon out here pic.twitter.com/FMLRoBWyBi — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) November 26, 2021 Eventually, 2Pac unblocked Allycxt to explain that he wasn’t angry with the women involved — but instead with the tournament organizers. He specifically noted the “constantly changing” event rules, which were a subject of controversy the entire day. Dissatisfied with the explanation, Allycxt asked why he decided to “slander women in [his] tweet then?” Overall, the situation was an ugly one, but one that brought issues within the CoD community to light. While 2Pac’s main concern is earning opportunities for the passionate S&D community, women have firmly pointed out that his wish shouldn’t be mutually exclusive with the hopes for more gender-neutral opportunities. As far as the tournament organizers’ response? They’ve already announced another co-ed tournament, this time for $40,000, and said that they won’t be “stopping anytime soon.”

CoD Vanguard devs slam Ranked Play quitters with massive punishments ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard’s developers are ramping up their efforts against quitters in Ranked Play. Publicizing their punishments against the worst leavers, Treyarch are sending a message to those who ruin games. Vanguard Ranked Play offers a return to the beloved competitive ELO SR (skill rating) system CoD fans have envied for the past few years. While present in shooters like Apex Legends and Overwatch, CoD hasn’t had a true SR format since 2017’s WW2. Unfortunately, the early days of the ranked beta featured a number of players quitting out of matches and leaving their teammates at a disadvantage. While punishments have since been added for quitters, those who ruined games beforehand were unscathed. That’s now apparently been fixed, as Treyarch – who manage Vanguard’s ranked mode – explained that they are now punishing early-season quitters. Vanguard devs treat Ranked Play quitters to massive punishments Why are we doing this? To keep a level playing field & prevent players from purposefully leaving matches. Case in point: The top offender has disconnected 280+ times since Ranked Play’s launch. Enjoy your -2000 SR loss, chief. We hope it was worth it. [Narrator: It wasn’t.] — Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) March 7, 2022 In a series of March 7 tweets, Treyarch revealed that they have not forgotten about those who hindered the ranked experience prior to punishments being added. Instead, they’ve now punished around 2% of Vanguard players for quitting games before February 28. As an example of how far these punishments can go, the devs used the worst as an example: “The top offender has disconnected 280+ times since Ranked Play’s launch. Enjoy your -2000 SR loss, chief.” Losing 2,000 SR is as serious punishment as you can get without being suspended or banned outright from the playlist. There are seven SR tiers in Vanguard Ranked Play, ranging from Contender at 0 to Challenger at 3,000. Therefore, a 2,000-SR drop equates to a four-tier drop in rank. If a player got 50 SR per win, they’d need to win 40 games to get back to their original tier. With that kind of punishment put on full display for the public, Treyarch seem intent on making it clear that competitive integrity is being taken seriously.

CoD Vanguard devs respond to annoying “crickets” bug making matches unplayable ActivisionThe Call of Duty: Vanguard developers have finally responded to an annoying bug that makes it seem like the in-game audio has been overtaken by crickets making a constant clicking sound. Call of Duty: Vanguard has gone through plenty of ups and downs since its release back in mid-September, as CoD fans have repeatedly aired their grievances with new features like the destructible cover. Sledgehammer Games have been hard at work trying to iron things out, rolling out plenty of new updates, with the most recent coming in the form of the Season 2 Reloaded update. While that new patch has brought a new mode with Arms Race, as well as a new weapon in the form of the Armaguerra 43 SMG, it has also brought about an annoying audio issue that is making players give up on matches. If you’ve dropped into a match following the update, you’ve most likely run into the issue where your audio is taken over by a constant clicking noise. It is pretty unbearable as it’s louder than other white noise problems that have arisen in Call of Duty previously. On top of that, players have noted that the issue also leads to matches running at a lower quality too, which again, leads them to quit – especially on the map Tuscan. As a result, the developers have now flagged the issue on their public Trello board and are investigating the ongoing problems as they seek out a fix. However, just because the developers are aware of the issue, doesn’t mean that it’ll be fixed overnight. It could be a bit of a wait before things are completely ironed out. As of now, the only fix is to back out of your game when the audio problem flares up and find a new lobby. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing. Though, we’ll keep you updated as the devs look into things.

CoD Vanguard devs respond to game-breaking Perk that keeps ruining aim assist ActivisionHas your aim assist felt off lately in CoD Vanguard? You’re not alone as Sledgehammer Games has confirmed suspicions that the essential mechanic is outright broken when using the Cold Blooded Perk. When it comes to snapping onto targets in multiplayer, aim assist is crucial for those using a controller. It’s been the case for years in the Call of Duty franchise and Vanguard is no different. While arguments go either way about the strength of the feature in this year’s release, players recently noticed a glaring flaw. Many were suspicious that aim assist wasn’t quite working and now, developers at Sledgehammer have confirmed the theory. Cold Blooded is breaking aim assist in CoD Vanguard. If you happen to be using the popular Perk, you’ll be putting others at a huge disadvantage in almost every gunfight. Found in the Perk 1 slot, Cold Blooded has the intended effect of keeping you out of danger. AI-controlled scorestreaks are unable to target you and you’re harder to spot in player-controlled streaks. After early investigations, however, Cold Blooded also comes with a surprising bonus. Without reason, the Perk accidentally breaks aim assist for enemies on the map. Other players trying to track you are at a huge disadvantage. It’s not disabled at all times, but Cold Blooded accidentally “toggles” the feature “on and off,” Sledgehammer Games confirmed through the Vanguard Trello board. For opposing players trying to shoot your way, you’ll be a much harder target to hit. This bug alone could see Cold Blooded taking over the Perk 1 slot until a fix is deployed. There’s currently no telling how far off a potential patch might be. Although it’s being worked on at the time of writing, a resolution is yet to be uncovered. Furthermore, Cold Blooded also hasn’t been disabled in Vanguard just yet. The Perk is still live across all multiplayer maps and modes. We’ll be sure to keep you posted here if that changes in the coming days.

CoD Vanguard devs release patch for broken spawn system in beta ActivisionCall of Duty fans across the world are digging into the Vanguard multiplayer beta, but an insane spawn system issue is infuriating players. The Call of Duty: Vanguard beta has opened the floodgates, as PlayStation users are among the first to get an exclusive hands-on experience. Featuring the likes of gunfight-inspired Champion Hill and classic Team Deathmatch, players are already learning the best tactics and loadouts to employ. Sometimes an exceptional loadout isn’t enough to overcome the enemy. Players are growing increasingly frustrated, as the beta’s downright broken spawn system is hindering the multiplayer fun. Ridiculous spawns are trapping players Spawn systems have always been a prevalent point of conversation in the history of CoD, and it’s a problem that may never be truly fixed, although the developers sweat to improve it. Read More: Best MP40 Vanguard class loadout – For fans blasting away enemies in Vanguard’s beta, the return of some awful spawn locations has reared its head once more. https://twitter.com/GoGoYubari__/status/1436465121371385865?s=20 Even the Dexerto team is encountering some truly strange problems. Spawn issues are ranging from players popping in out of thin air in bizarre places or simply finding themselves trapped in a filthy gunfire trap. Teleporting into the map might make sense if it was behind friendly lines, but players are still finding themselves thrust into unfair zones. At the time of writing, the problems are specifically appearing on the Hotel Royal map. https://twitter.com/NukeLuxury/status/1436537948871307269?s=20 Disgruntled players hopefully won’t have long to wait before a hotfix is applied, as the developers are on the case already. “We are aware of spawn issues on Patrold and are deploying a fix to adjust spawn logic.” 🔨 We are aware of spawn issues on Patrol and are deploying a fix to adjust spawn logic. A thank you to everyone participating in Beta. Your feedback is an important part of our development process, so keep it coming! https://t.co/VIQgzDKfoh — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) September 11, 2021 However, it seems there is a long way to go before Sledgehammer truly wins over anyone on the fence as new glitches appear. Call of Duty: Vanguard releases on November 5, so don’t forget to stay updated will all the latest developments here.

CoD Vanguard devs outline major Incendiary nerfs on the way ActivisionFires are being put out across Call of Duty: Vanguard as Sledgehammer Games has finally revealed a number of Incendiary nerfs and changes on the way in future updates. Outside of “broken” shotguns and Bayonet builds, one particular feature has reigned supreme in CoD Vanguard. Whether it’s Incendiary Rounds or damage from lethal equipment, fire effects have been dominant since launch. This issue was only amplified when Season 1 introduced “tone deaf” Incendiary Grenades. With thousands pleading for nerfs on a daily basis, the calls have finally been heard. Fire damage is being tweaked in CoD Vanguard, Sledgehammer confirmed on January 7. While an exact date hasn’t been confirmed, we already know a few different changes to expect soon. The most obvious tweak aims to address Incendiary Grenades off the rip. “We’re nerfing Incendiary Grenades by reducing the overall damage dealt,” the devs put simply. “They’ll still be painful, but you’ll recover.” This indicates the lethal equipment will no longer outright kill. Instead, it should apply damage over time but allow targets a chance to survive. On top of that, two Vanguard Perks are being buffed to further counter fire damage. Both Fortified and Dauntless are in line for big improvements to address the contentious damage effect. The former “will significantly reduce incoming fire damage” while the latter is set to “grant immunity when moving through fire.” The original goal of the Incendiary Grenade was to close off space, but unfortunately, it wasn’t properly balanced for small maps. We are confident this first wave of changes will have a positive impact on using and dealing with Incendiaries and fire damage. — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) January 7, 2022 Sledgehammer is “confident” this initial series of adjustments will “have a positive impact” on Vanguard, but the devs aren’t stopping there. Another future update is also looking to address Incendiary Grenades in another way. Rather than tweaking damage directly, the next update seeks to “reduce the area affected.” This applies to both the radius of fire along with the smoke effect that blocks sightlines. No specific dates were announced for these key updates, but devs assured more details will “come later.” Keep your eyes peeled for any surprise updates over the coming days, but rest assured fire damage won’t be tearing up every single Vanguard lobby for much longer.

CoD: Vanguard devs fix ‘unplayable’ visual effects after complaints from players ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard is the next installment in the CoD franchise, and for the second weekend of the beta, developers Sledgehammer Games have already fixed a major visual issue ruining the game for players. The first weekend of the Vanguard beta was only open to PlayStation players who had preordered the game, giving them their first taste of the new experience. Of course, because it’s a beta, this also meant that there were a lot of issues to be ironed out. Audio problems, bugs and abnormalities were present in the game, but most of it was to be expected. What wasn’t to be expected, however, was the insane visual distortion some players were experiencing when trying to aim at enemies. Certain clips and posts about the visual glitching went viral, with the weather effects in Vanguard causing character models to look very strange and incredibly difficult to hit. It was super frustrating for players, who found it to be a huge distraction and argued that “there is literally no valid reason for this.” This is something the devs appear to have addressed for the second weekend of the beta, releasing a short patch notes-style post discussing the changes made. This includes visibility, with the following explanation: “Distortion has been turned off globally to improve visibility when Aiming Down Sights. Since we’ve disabled distortion globally, this will also affect the appearance of fire and explosions throughout the Beta and reduce overall visual fidelity. This change is a temporary solve to mitigate visibility issues so players can focus on gameplay.” Here’s the updates SHG made for Vanguard Beta from weekend 1 to 2. pic.twitter.com/r7nVVtci9p — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) September 16, 2021 So, it’s clearly a problem they’re aware of and are aiming to fix, though the idea that the change is “a temporary solve” may leave some players concerned. There’s no doubt the issues will be seriously diminished when the game officially launches on November 5, but it will be interesting to see whether they bring it back to some degree.

CoD Vanguard devs criticized as “tone-deaf” over new Incendiary Grenades ActivisionDespite the early promise of CoD Vanguard’s gameplay, a long stream of issues have prevented the new game from living up to its potential. Now, following the release of Season 1, fans have accused Sledgehammer of not taking community complaints on board. While there’s no doubt that Vanguard launched with a series of frustrating bugs, the core gameplay in the new CoD is just as fun as ever. But as the glitches have been ironed out, a few lingering issues have remained since the start. Players have long been complaining about the sheer amount of fire and explosions that engulf the map in each game. Mortar killstreaks, in particular, have been singled out for the way they bombarded the map and ruined visibility. Now, alongside the release of Vanguard Season 1, the new lethal Incendiary Grenades are causing carnage in multiplayer matches. In response to the chaos they are seeing, Vanguard players are accusing Sledgehammer Games of being “tone-deaf.” The new throwable Incendiary Grenades function similarly to the Firebombing Run killstreak, only they can be deployed in place of your lethal grenade. They engulf a medium-sized area in flames, damaging anyone it comes into contact with. It comes as part of the Season 1 Battle Pass, unlocked by reaching level 21. Given the number of explosives and fire-based equipment has been a complaint ever since launch, fans feel that the Vanguard devs are not taking the community concerns seriously. “It was completely tone-deaf for them to add that new grenade. Wtf are they thinking?” asked one player. “Clearly none of the devs actually play their own game otherwise they’d realize it’s just annoying.” Others noted that enemy players spamming these new grenades make objective-based modes like Domination and Hardpoint “miserable” to play. Once objectives are captured, players are simply being overloaded with fire and explosions that consume the screen. Smaller maps, in particular, like shipment and Das Haus seem to be the most affected. As you can see from the clip below, posted by Reddit user Nytrousx, Incendiary Grenades make the game almost unplayable. Seeing as though the new explosives are part of the Battle Pass and are unlikely to be removed, fans have called for a way of combating them. Some suggested that Trophy System added in Modern Warfare would provide some defense against incoming projectiles. Others called for a Perk that helps them withstand fire damage, to give them more chance of escaping areas covered with Thermite and Incendiary Grenades. Another solution was a simple nerf to lethal throwables, in the hopes that enemy players will stop relying on them so much. Sledgehammer are yet to address the fans’ concerns surrounding the new Incendiary Grenades, but the community will be waiting desperately for a solution to the problem. Until then, many players have claimed they will be jumping ship for the time being.

CoD Vanguard devs confirm Zombies pause feature finally coming ActivisionCall of Duty Vanguard developer Sledgehammer Games has confirmed a pause feature is coming soon in Zombies, after months of fans calling for its addition. Sledgehammer had previously stated, before the game come out, that the option was in the pipeline and would be added in a future update. On January 11, during the famed ‘115 Day preview’ for the year ahead, the dev team revealed that a dedicated pause server is on the way. Clearly, the ability to pause the game during a round of Zombies would be a big advantage to players, as the current system means they must continually fire down the swarms of the day with no breaks. Each break you do take can be risky, as you might be knocked down. But that’s all going to change. Is Vanguard Zombies still getting a pause feature? In an official blog post, developers reassured players that a pause feature is going to be added to Vanguard Zombies. However, they admitted that the rollout of this feature had not been plain sailing, explaining some of the work being done behind the scenes. “Let’s be honest… moving Zombies to an infrastructure hosted entirely on dedicated servers for the first time in a new engine hasn’t been a seamless experience.” They continued: “In the past, traditional Zombies lobbies ran on player-hosted servers, which were often prone to a myriad of issues, depending on the player’s connection and several other factors. While the gameplay experience should now be smoother across the board for matches of all sizes on dedicated servers in , the process of pausing said servers for Solo and single-player Private matches isn’t as simple as flipping a switch.” When is the pause feature coming to Zombies? There is still no set date for the addition of a pause feature in Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Zombies. In the statement, Sledgehammer said: “Like all of you, we wanted Dedicated Server Pause for solo players to be included sooner, and the amount of work required to get it right has frankly taken longer than we would’ve liked. Thanks for your patience while we wrap up its implementation in an upcoming update.” Despite the delay, this goes some way to reassure players that the change is still in the pipeline for 2022.

CoD Vanguard devs confirm iconic zombies weapon in Shi No Numa remake TreyarchA classic Call of Duty Zombies Wonder Weapon, the Wunderwaffe, is arriving in Vanguard with the release of Shi No Numa’s remake in Season 4. Since Call of Duty: Vanguard’s release in late 2021, fans have hounded the developers for a true round-based zombies experience. After being teased with an unlockable portion of Shi No Numa in Der Anfang, the devs have made Call of Duty players’ dreams come true, as they revealed the full Shi No Numa map would be released in Season 4. Along with the return of the classic World at War map also arrives the iconic Wunderwaffe Wonder weapon, making for a full nostalgic zombies experience. In a tweet on June 14, Treyarch Studios – the developers behind the zombies game mode in Vanguard – announced that players would be returning to the Swamp of Death to “to unearth its secrets,” on June 22. In a follow-up tweet later, the developers confirmed that the classic Wunderwaffe weapon would also be making its long-awaited return to Call of Duty – 13 years after it was introduced with the original Shi No Numa map. However, it’s worth noting that when the map goes live, there’s been quite a few specific gameplay updates that’ll make the Rising Sun facility play a bit different from what fans are used to. Von List always talked about creating a wunderwaffe — a “wonder weapon.”#Vanguard #ShiNoNuma #Zombies pic.twitter.com/2scLnEKqIX — Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) June 17, 2022 According to Treyarch, a Sacrificial Heart is awarded to players every three rounds, and the Altar of Covenants inventory refreshes every three rounds too. Furthermore, classic Wall Buys will also make their return, but with a twist. Starting at round 6, Wall Buy weapons will have a chance to increase in Pack-A-Punch level every round all the way up to level 3 at higher rounds. The cost for the Pack-A-Punch machine has also been reduced to 5000 Essence for level 1. This is the first round-based experience players will get their hands on so far in Vanguard’s life cycle. However, players can only hope they’ll get a taste of more classic round-based zombies.

CoD Vanguard devs reveal Beta fixes locked for full release: Spawns, weapon balance, more ActivisionThe Call of Duty Vanguard Beta may have only just come to an end, but the developers at Sledgehammer Games are already hard at work polishing a few key areas for improvement in the full release this November. After months of anticipation, the CoD community has finally had its first taste of this year’s release. The Vanguard Beta is now in the rear-view mirror and while it wasn’t without its fair share of issues, many aspects of the game have already been targeted for urgent fixes. While hacking problems and various bugs weren’t mentioned, a few glaring issues were detailed in Sledgehammer’s September 22 blog post. Sledgehammer Games has confirmed a number of improvements have either “already been fixed,” just hours after the Beta closed its doors, or have been highlighted as a top priority for fixes ahead of the November 5 launch. Vanguard’s sun is… pretty strong 😳 (via @Swagg) pic.twitter.com/JJePkOb29k — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) September 7, 2021 At the very top of their list is the hottest topic: Vanguard’s sun. From day one in the Beta players were growing frustrated with over-the-top glare on certain maps. Thankfully, by the time Vanguard releases in full, the sun will have been “nerfed,” Sledgehammer confirmed. Next up, both Red Star and Hotel Royal have been tweaked to some degree. The large, snow-covered map is being hit with some visual improvements while the smaller nighttime map should have improved spawns to “avoid murder kitchen” scenarios. As the top killstreak available in the Beta, Attack Dogs had their fair share of problems as well. These issues are already behind us; “dognados” will no longer haunt players at launch. Last but not least, a popular S&D flaw has been patched up. Players could talk trash between rounds during the Beta and although some loved this throwback to the earlier days of CoD, it doesn’t appear to have been an intentional feature. Devs are also eager to take another pass at weapon balancing before the full slate of weapons becomes available. Similarly, both audio mixing and visibility should see some improvements as well. With six weeks left until Vanguard arrives, expect to see plenty more announcements before we get our hands on the full release.

CoD Vanguard devs return with 2022 promises: Challenge fixes, Sniper buffs, more ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard developers have returned to work after a short holiday break, outlining the first big patch of 2022 while promising a number of bug fixes, balance changes, and gameplay improvements yet to come. It’s been three weeks since the last Vanguard update arrived. When it comes to CoD, three weeks is a lifetime and the community has certainly been vocal about their frustrations with the latest release. While Krampus has been tearing through lobbies all sorts of fundamental issues have risen to the surface. After a short stretch of radio silence as the dev team enjoyed a break, Sledgehammer Games is back in action to help fix Vanguard. The first set of changes have already been detailed as promises have been made to fix a handful of the most crucial issues. Here’s an early rundown on what to expect from the first Vanguard patch of the year. “The break is officially over,” Sledgehammer announced in a January 3 Twitter thread. While an immediate update wasn’t rolled out there and then, the return came with news of what’s to come. Namely, the devs highlighted four key points as a top priority upon their return. First up, challenges are in line for a fix in the near future. Since Vanguard launched, a number of weapons have been stuck in their progression. This has left players unable to complete the camo grind, but rest assured, that issue should soon be a thing of the past. Next is a broader tease that suggests a number of “Perk adjustments” are on the way for one specific reason: “to help counter all things fire.” If you’ve loaded into any multiplayer playlist over the holidays, you’ll know the Special Incendiary Grenade has been dominant. With almost every player running with the Season 1 Lethal, expect Perk changes to help reduce its impact. Similar can be said for Incendiary Rounds as well. Sledgehammer’s return also teased the first weapon balance pass of 2022. While specific details remain under wraps, we do know Snipers are set to be buffed while Shotguns are in store for additional nerfs after the first attempt fell short. ▪️ Changes to help with the completion of Panzerfaust Challenges 🐶 ▪️ Perk adjustments to help counter all things fire 🔥 ▪️ A weapon balancing pass (Sniper buffs and Shotgun nerfs!) ▪️ A tweak to Mortar Barrage to reduce duration— Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) January 4, 2022 Last but not least, the “game-ruining” Mortar Barrage streak will soon be much less powerful. Just how soon these changes will come into effect, however, isn’t quite clear. Devs assured “more frequent updates” to follow and we should even have more specific details on the first big patch “this week.” As always, we’ll keep you up to speed with all the latest Vanguard changes as they’re announced — we’re expecting them to drop soon.

CoD Vanguard dev explains why red dots were removed from minimap ActivisionA Call of Duty Vanguard developer has explained the decision to remove red dots from the minimap again, and instead offer players a perk to return to the classic map style. When Modern Warfare 2019 first removed red dots from the minimap (and even removed the minimap entirely), it was a massively divisive change for CoD players. The minimap can be your best friend when it comes to gathering enemy intel, so removing it can cause some issues. Vanguard has followed in similar footsteps to MW19, with no red dots on the minimap when enemy players shoot unless you equip the Radar perk. Now, a Vanguard dev from Sledgehammer Games has explained why they decided to stick to this new version of the minimap. During a Twitter Spaces call with CharlieIntel, Sledgehammer Games’ multiplayer creative director Greg Reisdorf explained the decision to not go back to what some players prefer. Read More: Best controller settings for CoD Vanguard – “That was another thing that we were looking at, starting with Modern Warfare in a lot of ways, and seeing the success there in terms of just the gameplay as well, keeping players focused on what’s in front of them,” he noted. “That minimap is super important for high-level play, and really, at the end of the day, you’re just playing the minimap. We wanted players in the game. We had this focus on fantasy within the game, so we really pushed on that from day 1 on the power of the weapons, around all the destruction happening in the maps. We really wanted to put you in there and get you looking at what’s in front of you as opposed to up in the corner all the time at the minimap.” He elaborated on the point saying that they wanted players to have more choice in their games, hence adding the Radar perk to offer the minimap as it used to appear in Call of Duty games of years past. While many players miss the classic minimap, based on this, it might be a while before we see it return.

CoD Vanguard update 1.09 patch notes: Kar98k buffs, map changes, more Sledgehammer GamesSledgehammer Games has released the latest Call of Duty Vanguard Season 1 update, 1.09, as the holiday season hits the 2021 title. Here’s everything in the December 15 patch notes, including Kar98k buffs, Camo changes, the new Festive Fervor event, and more. Festive Fervor holiday event begins – Kar98k, Type 99 headline weapon balancing – Nine Vanguard maps get 1.09 changes – The holiday season is in full swing in CoD Vanguard, with Festive Fervor bringing seal-team elves, folklore monster Krampus, and more to the game. Before the festive celebrations really get underway, however, Sledgehammer Games are shipping another December balance patch, targeting several outlier weapons like the Kar98k, Type 99, and Gorenko. The December 15 update is now live on Vanguard servers. There’s plenty to sink your teeth into, from the aforementioned buffs, to map updates, events, and more. Read on for all the changes in Season 1’s latest patch. Kar98k, Type 99 headline gun changes Four Call of Duty Vanguard guns and one attachment — the bayonet — have been hit with changes in the 1.09 update. The Kar98k and Type 99 have been handed the biggest buffs, with both now retaining the ability to deliver one-shot kills via chest damage. The Top Break pistol has also been buffed slightly, with its distance damage no longer falling off as aggressively. The Gorenko Anti-Tank sniper rifle rounds out the gun changes, via a buff to its scope. In the attachments department, the Bayonet will no longer have has much melee range when comboed with the Reach Kit Perk in multiplayer. Below are the full Vanguard patch notes, courtesy of Sledgehammer. These changes are now live in the Call of Duty title, and will require players to install a small update over the next 24 hours before they can access the game. CoD Vanguard December 15 patch notes Holiday Events From fighting Krampus and hunting down Elf Team Six to getting plenty of holiday gifts and Bundles, Festive Fervor is here to spread plenty of cheer across Call of Duty: Vanguard, Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific, Call of Duty: Mobile, and more. Plus: Call of Duty Endowment’s involvement in the 2021 Jingle Jam. Festive Fervor Make your list of squadmates and check those corners twice: Festive Fervor is coming to Call of Duty with plenty of holiday surprises for both the naughty and nice. – Festive Fervor will take over several Call of Duty experiences, including Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone Pacific, with limited-time modes, events, rewards, and features up to the New Year along with plenty of discounts on classic Bundle and new holiday-themed offerings. – Elf Team Six Outside of that limited-time mode, Operators can also earn Killstreaks through seeking and destroying the elite Elf Team Six. – Hidden around Vanguard’s Multiplayer maps, Elf Team Six are ready to roast Operators like chestnuts on an open fire if they aren’t found before they disappear. – Operators who take down these Elf Team Six members will earn match score and Killstreak progress, a small gift that could help give your enemies something far worse than coal in their stockings. – Krampus The folk horror figure Krampus is coming to Vanguard, appearing during Multiplayer matches and targeting whoever has the least impressive objective score, such as a pathetic Hardpoint time or a disgracefully low number of Domination captures. – Weapon Balancing Kar98k & Type 99 When using a lower caliber magazine, these weapons will now retain the ability for One-Shot-Kills when landing chest shots – Top Break No longer reduces damage, but range reduction increased – Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle The default scope will no longer heavily obscure player vision when meleeing with the bayonet – Attachments Melee range has been reduced for Bayonet when Reach Kit Perk is applied – General Riot Shield now blocks front-facing damage and bullets will not penetrate – The Firefight Blueprint has been fixed to remove light coming from the front end of the barrel and parts of the optic – Kar98K Hunter incentive skin no longer causes the gun to aim down the iron sights instead of the attached scope – Top Break muzzles no longer jump on reload – Corrected Loadouts using 7 Round Mags so the total ammo count is divisible by 7 – Addressed multiple issues with charms in a QOL pass – Weapon animations have been polished and some glitches have been resolved – Challenges Panzerfaust Challenge has been changed from destroying aerial streaks to longshot kills – Camos Double Barrel Corrected wording in the Death Artist Challenge to say “16 Gauge Mag” instead of “12 Gauge Mag” – Assault Rifle Alpha Camos now show proper progression – M1 Garand Camos now show proper progression – Cross-progression Master Ribbons data from Cold War will now be imported and reflected in Vanguard – Getting kills in Warzone now counts toward challenges in Vanguard – Killstreaks Mortar Barrage Increased damage dealt by the Mortar Barrage Flare – Mortar Barrage has been tweaked to make deployment less difficult – Maps Paradise Fixed several out-of-map exploits – Fixed instances of unnatural hitching when jumping against ramped walls – Radar Fixed issue which made some doors indestructible – Fixed out-of-map spawns and exploits – Desert Siege Spawn tuning to reduce instances of spawning close to enemies – Fixed a rendering issue that resulted in intense fog for some players – Blinking texture issues have been fixed in several locations – Bocage Bullet penetration issues for certain walls have been fixed – MK2 Frag Grenade blast radius no longer affects players who should be protected by walls – Red Star Fixed a bug that resulted in lighting effects following the player like a spotlight around the map – Berlin Distracting and graphically incorrect shadows no longer appear under light fixtures – Numa Numa Removed invisible geo in Numa Numa that blocked bullets midair – Gavutu Fixed an issue in which an invisible wall remained after it was destroyed – Demanysk Demolition and Tactician Perks now operate as intended – Sub Pens, Castle, Oasis, Das Haus – Fixed out-of-map exploits – Modes Control Control is now live! – Champion Hill Players will no longer crash out of Champion Hill Duos, resulting in the closure of the entire game – Players can now access Scoreboard and Spectate Mode – Stability Using Daniel’s alternative skin will no longer crash the game – Seasonal Challenges Progression for Seasonal Challenges is now visible, active, and tracking – UI/UX Users will no longer get errors saying they don’t have Crossplay permission when attempting to add other consoles to a party. – Flairs now appear with every Prestige level-up, and XP bars should reflect Prestige progression. – Duplicate Prestige icons have been fixed. – Campaign Fixed a progression blocker in the Lady Nightingale level caused by an unresponsive character. –

CoD Vanguard Dark Aether camo impossible to unlock in Zombies ActivisionCoD Zombies fans love going for the Dark Aether camo as it’s seen as the mode’s ultimate prize, but Vanguard players are reporting that a bug is preventing them from unlocking it. Alongside the usual checklist that Zombies fans expect from a Call of Duty game such as Easter Eggs and Wonder Weapons, camos are also highly prizes. Just like with Vanguard’s core multiplayer experience, Zombies allows players to grind and complete camo challenges for all guns and earn the main reward — the Dark Aether camo. Earning the top camo is always a long endeavor that can take weeks of work, and some Vanguard Zombies fans, despite their best efforts, are being denied their reward by an in-game bug. CoD Zombies Dark Aether camo bug Treyarch’s determination to salvage Vanguard’s Zombies has been admirable, but some fans just haven’t been pleased with this year’s attempt at undead content. Regardless, loyalists will still play Der Anfang and Terra Maledicta out of love for Zombies. Striving to unlock Dark Aether camo will be a big incentive to do so, but one player has revealed why this isn’t actually a possibility for some. “Survivalist camos (2000 kills with 7 attachments) are currently bugged for PPSh, Welgun, all DMRs, 3-line, Gorenko, Type 11,” they informed other players. They concluded by sending a plea for help to the devs. In short, Dark Aether camo requires players to complete every camo challenge for every gun, and if so much as one other gun cannot be completed, then you’re in trouble. Some more examples were described in the replies: “Such bulls**t. I’m finishing Assault Rifles and then I got handguns left.” Another user said that everything was working except Sniper Rifles. One of the commenters on the post made their feelings clear by saying; “How are these challenges still bugged? Game’s been out for months now, I can’t imagine it’s that hard to update some stupid challenges but what do I know.” In the grand scheme of things for Vanguard, it doesn’t appear like Zombies is high on the priority list. So if the issue becomes more widespread and problematic, then action may need to be taken sooner rather than later.

CoD Vanguard players expose “copy-paste” Christmas bundle ripped from WWII ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have exposed a new ‘Secret Santa’ bundle in the CoD store that appears to be charging a premium fee for old content already accessible for free. As the holiday season begins to wind down, the last remaining festive bundles are rolling out in the CoD store. Each day intends to highlight a new or classic pack at a discounted price. However, the latest set of goodies enraptured the Vanguard player base for all the wrong reasons. A Secret Santa bundle is currently live at the time of writing. For the price of 1,500 CoD Points – roughly $15 – players can obtain two weapon blueprints along with a handful of emblems, finishing moves, and more. One weapon blueprint, the Dasher Shotgun, immediately stood out to fans online. This particular item comes boasting an identical look to a free cosmetic previously available in 2017’s WWII release. This Legendary blueprint gives the Shotgun a wooden visual with distinct red highlights along the Muzzle and Barrel. Notably, it also features the ‘Trench Runner’ label printed along the base of the gun, as well as a soldier silhouette on the Rear Grip. It just so happens that this premium reward in Vanguard matches a free reward from CoD WWII. Sledgehammer’s previous entry in the franchise featured this exact cosmetic, only, it was free. Rather than paying to unlock, players could earn the unique Trench Runner visual. By “completing Orders, prestige Divisions, and reaching new Social Ranks,” the Shotgun variant could be unlocked. For those grinding Vanguard, however, there’s no way to obtain this once-free item without forking over some cash. Naturally, many were agitated by this new discovery. “The amount of effort put into this game is something else,” one player said on Reddit. “[The] bundle is a straight-up copy-paste of a free WWII variant now being resold for $15,” another chimed in. “Could not believe my eyes when I realized what it was.” Not the first time devs have been called out for duplicating premium rewards, this now appears to be a more common trend than ever before. Be sure to keep an eye out as future bundles may employ the same tactic in Vanguard.

How CoD Vanguard’s new Combat Pacing feature is actually doing more harm than good ActivisionWhile CoD Vanguard’s new Combat Pacing feature intends to provide a better multiplayer experience with more options available than ever before, the matchmaking tool is actually doing more harm than good. When Sledgehammer Games revealed Vanguard’s first multiplayer details earlier in the month, Combat Pacing was highlighted as one of the more significant new features. In short, the addition serves as a more customizable form of matchmaking, letting players pick from three different categories that impact lobby size, and therefore, the pace of any given match. Although it sounded like a great concept at first, as more options are almost always beneficial, Combat Pacing comes with some major downsides in practice. CoD Vanguard’s Combat Pacing groups everyone together In every CoD title up to this point, when searching for a specific playlist you were always fully aware of how many players would be in that mode. Searching for a regular game of Domination would land you in the same sized lobby every match, for instance. With Combat Pacing now in effect, that’s no longer the case. On paper, the new feature should be extremely beneficial as it allows you to fine-tune the experience and search for a particular game mode with a particular lobby size. In practice, however, it doesn’t always go according to plan. Say you’re only interested in playing smaller team-based modes with 6v6 limits applied. In previous years, you simply searched for the mode and in time, you’d find a lobby fitting that size. Now, Combat Pacing can throw you into a completely different environment without warning. Even with the desired Combat Pacing setting highlighted, Vanguard can still lump you into various other matches without any heads up. If you’re searching for a 6v6 match, there’s every chance you load into a 20v20 game instead as the new feature fails to do its job. Rather than exclusively matchmaking for games of your desired size, Combat Pacing bundles every single option into one playlist. If there are no 6v6 lobbies available when you’re searching, instead of waiting for a new game to form, Combat Pacing throws you into whatever else is accessible at that moment. Read More: Best MP40 Vanguard class loadout – Obviously, no one wants longer matchmaking times, but players also shouldn’t be dumped into a random lobby without being consulted. At least provide the option to stay and wait in the menus for a preferred match. Combat Pacing simply doesn’t work in minor regions Outside of the avoidable matchmaking issues, Combat Pacing also creates an even bigger problem for smaller regions. While the new feature may be all fine and dandy for areas with hundreds of thousands online at any given time to fill out the various matchmaking pools, it comes at a cost. Minor regions undeniably suffer with Vanguard’s Combat Pacing in effect, to the point it feels as though they were never factored into the equation. Grinding through the Beta in Australia was a constant uphill battle. Despite it being one of the most populated times of the yearly CoD cycle, a vast majority of games during the public test forced locals onto foreign servers. Most of our nights were spent playing on 200+ ping in any given mode. This is a direct result of Combat Pacing trying to fill three distinct groups for each and every game type. Once again, Vanguard’s new feature hurts the multiplayer experience rather than improving it. You can’t knock Sledgehammer Games for trying to provide more options in this year’s release. In theory, giving more power to the players is a great thing: Customizing the multiplayer experience should work a treat. Read More: CoD Vanguard Beta first impressions – If the Beta taught us anything though, it’s that there’s still work to be done. Come release day, if Combat Pacing isn’t fixed, it’ll be one step forward, two steps backward for the Call of Duty franchise.

CoD Vanguard’s new Combat Pacing matchmaking system explained ActivisionWith this year’s Call of Duty release, Activision has established a new form of matchmaking in Vanguard. Combat Pacing provides a number of different options and we’ve got the full rundown on how it all works. Matchmaking has pivoted in a new direction with CoD Vanguard. Rather than the standard playlists dropping everyone into the same experience, players now have more options at their fingertips. Combat Pacing is a new system that allows for great customization in Vanguard’s multiplayer component. With three distinct forms, players can fine-tune individual modes to their liking. Whether you’re after a more action-packed session or looking for a more strategic option, Combat Pacing has you covered. Here’s a full overview of how the new matchmaking system works in Vanguard. How Combat Pacing works in CoD Vanguard Combat Pacing is present across almost every multiplayer game mode in Vanguard. Before you load up your first lobby, it’s vital you navigate through the Combat Pacing settings in the main menu. Here you’ll be presented with three unique options. Depending on which you settle for, the “intensity of your game” will be drastically different. These Combat Pacing options change lobby size and thus, change how each mode flows from map to map. Instead of one big group of players to matchmake with, Vanguard now splits each mode into separate pools. Vanguard Combat Pacing: Tactical Tactical is the first Combat Pacing option and will be familiar to those with previous CoD experience. If you’ve ever played standard multiplayer in a CoD title before, this is the new label for that form of competition. Tactical Combat Pacing drops players into regular 6v6 matches, no different from what the community has grown accustomed to over the years. Vanguard Combat Pacing: Assault To ramp things up a bit, Assault is here to expand your lobby size. Rather than 6v6, Assault Combat Pacing drops teams of up to 14 players against one another. With this matchmaking setting switch on, you’ll be playing some extremely hectic matches with dozens of players flooding each map. Vanguard Combat Pacing: Blitz Last but not least, Blitz takes things to yet another level. Bumping up from Assault’s max player count of 28, Blitz allows for up to a whopping 48 players in a single map. Expect absolute chaos from start to finish if you settle on this Combat Pacing option. Not only will Killstreaks be constant but you’ll likely be in a gunfight every two seconds. So there you have it, the full rundown on how each Combat Pacing option works in Vanguard. It’s worth noting that with this new system, it may take longer to find matches across the board. Read More: How to play CoD Vanguard Beta – With players now split into different categories within each mode, you might be waiting a little while to fill out particular lobbies.

CoD: Vanguard cheaters run wild as hacks sell for cheap ActivisionWith the Call of Duty: Vanguard open beta out, players have found themselves in an all-too-familiar uncomfortable position — competing against hordes of cheaters. As it turns out, the reason for this could be that the cost of hacks has become insanely cheap. Like with most games in the Call of Duty franchise, hackers have taken over Vanguard, bringing in cheats from Warzone to the new game. One aimbot hack in particular is selling for the low price of just $7, according to the watchdog group Anti-Cheat Police Department. “There are already cheats for COD Vanguard released, and they cost like $7 for a 1-day key,” they revealed, posting screenshots of the hack. There are already cheats for COD Vanguard released, and they cost like 7$ for a 1-day key. pic.twitter.com/LOhxtN77yq — Anti-Cheat Police Department 🕵️ (@AntiCheatPD) September 20, 2021 Basically, these cheats operate on a subscription service model with those wanting to break the rules paying a set price for each day they use the nefarious software. “Day 1 cheats in beta are familiar. Maybe anti-cheat not even on? Or it Has been completely bypassed from day 1?” the watchdog group asked. While it would be extremely concerning if the new anti-cheat software coming with Vanguard’s launch was already compromised, this seems to not be the case. For those wondering why there’s so many hackers in the #Vanguard Beta, it’s because the Beta is using the exact same anti-cheat as Warzone (which has been compromised). New anti-cheat will be coming once Vanguard releases, but it’s definitely concerning seeing so many hackers. — Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) September 20, 2021 Notable leaker and insider Tom Henderson revealed the reason why there are currently so many hackers in the beta is because the new anti-cheat has yet to be implemented. “The Beta is using the exact same anti-cheat as Warzone (which has been compromised),” he said. “New anti-cheat will be coming once Vanguard releases, but it’s definitely concerning seeing so many hackers.” Luckily, this means for the time being, the hackers haven’t gotten a taste of the new anti-cheat and it will be very interesting to see how well it holds against the waves of cheaters wanting to infect the next CoD title. Until then, however, Vanguard will remain infected with cheaters paying just $7 to ruin matches.

CoD Vanguard cheater exposed by CDL pros after costing S&D players “thousands” ActivisionCall of Duty cheaters just won’t quit as barely a few days into the launch of CoD Vanguard, CDL pros have already exposed a major hacker that disrupted launch weekend S&D tournaments. RICOCHET’s kernel-level driver can’t come soon enough as Vanguard’s first online tournaments have already been impacted by various cheats. As many of the scene’s top CDL players come to grips with the new release, tens of thousands in prizing has already been made available through early S&D events. While some have gone off without a hitch – outside of the ‘heartbreaking’ defuse bug – others have already been impacted by cheaters. Such was the case during a $7,000 tournament on November 7. A vast majority of CDL teams were all competing alongside a number of Challengers squads. One particular team, comprised of relative newcomers, was quick to raise eyebrows after taking out OpTic 3-2 and landing a spot in the semi-finals. Before long, the results were overturned as a hacking player was exposed. Shiv is the name of the first major cheater to come under fire in the CoD Vanguard cycle. While all looked fine on the POV shared through his Twitch stream, viewers quickly noticed his cheats through the monitor cam. Taking a closer look at Shiv’s screen in real-time, you can easily see enemy nametags through walls. It goes without saying, this clearly provides him and his team with an unfair advantage in any given matchup. It didn’t take long for the entire competitive scene to flame the cheater on social media. “F***ing sh***er,” iLLeY called him on Twitter. “Shiv Pack hitting different right now,” Dashy joked. Amusingly enough, not everyone fell victim to Shiv’s cheats. ROKKR’s squad managed to find some success in their games, even with the disadvantage. walls ? kids got an alpha kf shit don’t matter pic.twitter.com/7VX4hAAOCy — mike (@majormaniak) November 8, 2021 As it turns out, this particular cheater has allegedly been getting away with easier wins for quite some time, not just in Vanguard. “I knew this kid was cheating since the beginning of Cold War,” Atlanta FaZe analyst ‘x2Pac ThuGLorD’ said. “Kid went from getting 6-0d every tourney to magically winning. Cost me $1000s.” The latest scandal even caught the attention of former S&D grinder turned popular streamer NICKMERCS. “The CoD SnD community… By far the worst group I’ve ever been a part of,” the Twitch star said. “Home to some of the dirtiest little creatures on the internet. Cheaters, booters, hackers. Anything for a buck. Steer clear lads!” The CoD SnD community… By far the worst group I’ve ever been apart of. Home to some of the dirtiest little creatures on the internet. Cheaters, booters, hackers – Anything for a buck. Steer clear lads! 🐀🧀 — FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) November 8, 2021 Shiv and his team were immediately disqualified from the $7,000 event and OpTic went on to continue their run. The cheater soon tried to save face by exposing a list of other supposed cheaters in the scene. While there’s no clear-cut evidence supporting these claims, one thing is for certain. Vanguard’s anticheat truly can’t arrive any sooner.

CoD Vanguard official CDL ruleset revealed: Day 1 rules ActivisionThe first official Call of Duty League ruleset for Vanguard has been revealed, giving players a first look at how the competitive game may play out in the CDL and any form of ranked mode that may come out. While CDL rulesets are something that will be gradually refined before and throughout the course of the season (not even including the players’ Gentlemen’s Agreements), there’s always a good few things to discuss when the Day 1 ruleset becomes available to peruse. From restricted weapons, possible maps and confirmed modes, here’s what the first official CDL ruleset looks like for Call of Duty Vanguard. Weapon, equipment & loadout restrictions Here are the overall loadout restrictions in Vanguard’s opening day CDL ruleset: Weapons: Shotguns restricted – LMGs restricted – Riot Shield restricted – Launchers restricted – Attachments: Silencers restricted – Subsonic and Incendiary ammunition types restricted – Perks: Perk 1: Ghost, Dauntless restricted – Perk 2: Tracker, High Alert, Forward Intel, Piercing Vision restricted – Perk 3: Demolition, Overkill, Tactician restricted – Equipment: Lethal: Throwing Bomb, Thermite, Demolition Charge, Molotov restricted – Tactical: Stim, Gas Grenade, S-Mine, Decoy restricted – Field Upgrades: Supply Box allowed – Dead Silence allowed – All 7 other Field Upgrades are restricted – Killstreaks Glide Bomb allowed – Strafing Run allowed – Bombing Run allowed – All 13 other killstreaks are restricted – CDL game modes in Vanguard It’s not yet clear which modes will be the final ones in Vanguard. In the past few years, we’ve seen Uplink, Control, Blitz, Domination and Capture the Flag all be viable third modes in professional play. Read More: All CDL 2022 rosters – The only modes that have been confirmed in the CDL ruleset in Vanguard are Hardpoint and Search & Destroy. Vanguard’s CDL maps As with the modes, the official CDL maps haven’t yet been confirmed, and likely won’t be until at least a few weeks after launch. That said, there will be a lot of discussion among pros and prominent community members over which maps will be best fitted to competitive play, so be sure to keep up with the conversation online to see which maps look likely CDL entries.

Game-breaking CoD Vanguard bug leaves Scump shocked as Attack Dogs turn on him YouTube: Scump / ActivisionAttack Dogs appear to have no loyalty in CoD Vanguard as Seth ‘Scump’ Abner came across a game-breaking bug that saw the killstreak work against his team. The CoD Vanguard Beta has come and gone but throughout its brief time in the spotlight, the early build saw plenty of highs and lows. From time-to-kill complaints to a number of “rough” bugs, many top streamers and CoD veterans experienced it all. Though none found their footing quite as easily as Scump, OpTic Gaming’s competitive star. Having streamed for dozens of hours during the Beta, Scump dominated countless lobbies and called in plenty of V2 Rockets. Though before his Vanguard streams came to an end, the King of Call of Duty fell victim to one of the more brutal gameplay bugs we’ve seen yet. https://twitter.com/DexertoIntel/status/1440815803109036034 As the highest-cost killstreaks in the Beta, Attack Dogs are always a menacing force on the map. After being called in, they’re supposed to charge at the enemy team, instantly killing any foes they cross. That wasn’t the case when Scump called in his Attack Dogs during a recent stream, however. Moments after the not-so-good doggos spawned into Red Star, they turned on one of CoD’s biggest names. “What just happened?” Scump yelled after one of his deadly companions “took [him] out.” Instead of biting nearby enemies, the Attack Dogs randomly decided to start chewing through teammates instead. “Why’d your dog just kill me?” fellow CoD veteran Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni asked. “It just killed all of us,” Scump said, clearly fuming at his “bad doggie” killstreak. This appeared to be a one-off occurrence in the Beta, though there’s no predicting when good dogs may turn bad again. Despite the game-ruining bug, this was far from the biggest issue in Scump’s eyes. Instead, skill-based matchmaking was his biggest frustration, demanding the feature be scrapped altogether.

CoD Vanguard bloom explained: weapon stats, how to minimize & more ActivisionFor the first time in a mainstream Call of Duty title, Vanguard’s weapons now operate with a ‘bloom’ mechanic. It has featured in a host of other games, including CoD: Mobile, but how does it work and how can players reduce it? Here’s everything you need to know about weapon bloom in CoD: Vanguard. To some FPS fans, the introduction of bloom in Call of Duty: Vanguard will warrant a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders. To long-time CoD fans though, it may be something of a mystery. It is the first time in the series’ history that an annual release has incorporated the mechanic. What is ‘bloom’ in Call of Duty: Vanguard? To put it simply, ‘bloom’ (sometimes referred to as ‘weapon bloom’) refers to how accurately your bullets will fire. In past CoD titles, bullets fired when ADS would always match where a player’s reticle was aiming. Bloom incorporates an element of unpredictability into firing, with bullets firing imperfectly within a small zone around your reticle. Certain factors can affect bloom, like strafing and weapon choice. According to CoD stats YouTuber TrueGameData, this mechanic operates like hipfire. That is to say that aim is still important, and will increase the likelihood of your bullets connecting. However, different guns will have different levels of bloom, meaning some will be marginally more accurate than others. We do not expect this to be a major factor in every gunfight, but it could be used as a balancing factor by Sledgehammer. Which weapons have bloom in Vanguard? Early signs suggest that the vast majority of weapons in the game have some form of bloom, but certain categories are more susceptible than others. TrueGameData, the YouTuber who first uncovered bloom in Vanguard, broke down the stats and confirmed that the game’s SMGs in particular experience noticeable bloom. The levels of bloom in ARs, LMGs and Marksman Rifles are significantly lower, while sniper rifles do not appear to have bloom. How to minimize weapon bloom in CoD: Vanguard Although it is a new mechanic for the CoD series, players will be reassured that there are guaranteed ways to improve bloom on any weapon, and naturally increase your accuracy. The best way to do this is to essentially select attachments that boost your accuracy while in Vanguard’s Gunsmith. Unfortunately, bloom is not specifically referenced in the game’s Gunsmith – only accuracy. However, employing these attachments will noticeably reduce bloom. TGD showed that on the M1928, when using all the accuracy attachments possible, that bloom was reduced by roughly 95%. He theorized that 1 point of accuracy equates to a roughly 25% decrease in bloom. It does not appear possible to eliminate bloom on weapons that have it, merely to reduce it. That’s all we know about weapon bloom in Vanguard at the moment. We’ll be sure to update this page if Sledgehammer release more information on the mechanic. It also remains to be seen whether it will feature in professional Call of Duty, with some pros already sharing their concerns over the new mechanic. As always, stay tuned to Dexerto for the latest.

CoD Vanguard Beta playlist update: Blitz Team Deathmatch, Hotel Royal removed ActivisionThe Call of Duty: Vanguard Beta is live for PlayStation users and players are jumping right into the swing of things. With the beta testing out many things prior to release, the devs have sent a new update bringing Blitz TDM, removing Hotel Royal as they investigate spawns, and more. PlayStation players have had first access to the Vanguard Beta. While the game has limited modes, weapons, and maps, Sledgehammer Games is updating their offerings to keep it fresh. Part of the beta is testing out what works and what doesn’t work for the game. While things are going well, they want to iron out some rough spots and update the playlist. Vanguard Beta update The new playlist update added Blitz Team Deathmatch as its own playlists. Blitz features two teams of 24 players fighting it out on a single map. This is part of the new combat pacing system that lets you pick different ways to compete in. The playlist update also removed TDM and Kill Confirmed from Tactical Combat pacing in Quick Play. The devs also removed Hotel Royal from Patrol. It got rotated out due to the rise in complaints about the map’s spawns. Players expressed their concerns about the spawns, since it led to many unpredictable moments in-game. Sledgehammer Games intends on figuring out a better way to spawn players on that map. On top of that, they also made it clear that they are listening to the feedback of players as the Vanguard beta moves forward. They are aware of issues regarding player visibility and audio. There will be an update, later on, this week about a fix for these problems. For any other news regarding the beta or the game, make sure to check out our Vanguard page for all the latest updates. CoD Vanguard Beta Playlist Sept 11 update & fixes Removed Team Deathmatch and Kill Confirmed with Tactical Combat Pacing from Quick Play – Removed Hotel Royal from Patrol while we investigate spawns – Increased the frequency of Blitz and Assault matches in Quick Play for higher intensity gameplay – Heavy plus sign Added Blitz Team Deathmatch as a Featured Playlist – We’re aware there is a significant amount of discussion around player visibility and audio mixing. Stay tuned as we will address some of our planned updates later this week. –

CoD Vanguard beta players are losing on purpose due to SBMM ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard has unleashed its first taste of multiplayer glory, but fans taking strange measures, as they’re intentionally losing to combat the game’s skill-based matchmaking. The first glimpses of Sledgehammer’s return to the Call of Duty are here, as the open beta is live now. Players are already figuring out how to tear their down enemies, as pros like Scump have showcased some of Vanguard’s most filthy weapons. However, not every fan giving Vanguard a try has had a great experience. While the developers have been fixing various audio and visual bugs, players are now taking measures to new extremes as they try to find enjoyment in the beta. Players are using “noob” tactics to enjoy Vanguard The Vanguard beta has thrust players into classic Team Deathmatch scenarios and the gunfight-inspired Champion Hill. Despite initially gaining favor with fans for using the Modern Warfare engine, Vanguard’s initial multiplayer experience hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Read More: – Notably, the beta infuriated players with disgusting spawn systems in the now-removed Hotel Royal map. Now fans are intentionally losing in a bid to find lower-level lobbies. For those unaware, reverse boosting is a tactic used to trick the game’s playlist system into thinking your skill level is lower than normal. As bugs and overpowered weapons run rampant, the trick is being utilized even by known CoD and Battlefield leaker Tom Henderson. The merits of skill-based matchmaking are constantly debated among CoD fans, with some going as far as to champion it. “Is it that serious that you have to go thru the trouble of reverse boosting to enjoy the game?” one fan commented in response to Henderson’s actions. This Vanguard-specific iteration of reverse boosting hasn’t been addressed by the devs as of yet, but make sure to stay updated as more developments unfold.

CoD Vanguard Beta first impressions: Catering to casual players more than ever ActivisionWhile CoD Vanguard’s base mechanics feel as smooth as any year prior, an abundance of casual-friendly boosts in the new Sledgehammer Games title shrink the skill gap more noticeably than ever before. After months of anticipation, we finally got our first hands-on session with Vanguard’s multiplayer ahead of the upcoming Beta. Although Champions Hill provided an initial taste, this playtest gave us two full hours with various maps and modes to see how things are shaping up as we draw nearer to November 5. From the very first spawn, it became apparent that Vanguard is among the best-looking Call of Duty titles to date. Though the more we played, the more we stopped focusing on the flashy visuals, as gameplay frustrations seeped in and nagging issues bogged the experience down. Vanguard is undeniably a competent FPS title, there’s no discrediting that. But this early glimpse gave the impression that casual gamers are by and large the core focus for this year’s multiplayer offerings. Everyone can be a winner in CoD Vanguard Right from the jump, it’s impossible not to feel the overwhelming impact of Vanguard’s new additions if you’re well versed in the CoD franchise. All but gone are the days where gun skill and game sense were king. Now, it seems as if anyone can thrive as gameplay systems directly cater to the lowest common denominator. Finding it too difficult to keep your aim straight? No need to work on improving accuracy over time. Instead, Vanguard ramps this year’s Gunsmith up a notch, offering a whopping 10 attachments per weapon, a considerable bump from anything we’ve seen in previous years. While some provide the minor statistical buffs you may expect, others afford game-changing benefits. Take Ammo Types as a key example. Why use standard bullets when you can level up your gun and equip exploding ammunition instead? Not only does it improve your gun’s lethality, but it even deals extra damage over time. If you lose your gunfight, there’s still a chance to claim revenge from the grave. Weapon Proficiency further adds to this casual-friendly catering with more must-pick boosters. Vital is a specific option that stood out in our early session while testing SMGs. This Gunsmith selection alone breaks the fundamentals of CoD. By expanding critical hitboxes on opposing targets, headshots are no longer even necessary to deal the utmost damage in Vanguard. Multiply this issue a few times over and suddenly everyone is running around the map with ridiculous builds that essentially go against what makes CoD great. Similar can be found outside of particular weapon attachments as well. Felt cheated in previous years as killstreaks were stripped away upon death? Now they carry over between respawns. If you’re a casual player, that’s probably music to your ears. If you’re an experienced CoD player, you probably just groaned. Firing unsilenced weapons no longer reveals your position on the map. This was an extremely controversial change in the Modern Warfare Beta that led to a wave of backlash and ultimately, a swift reversion from the devs. Two years later and Vanguard is making the exact same mistake. Rather than sticking to the norm, Radar now comes in as a dedicated Perk to reveal enemy icons on your minimap as they fire. It’s illogical that we’re once again in this position. These seemingly innocuous changes to core gameplay systems have drastic, overarching effects on Vanguard’s multiplayer experience. Less and less does it feel as though your individual skill makes a difference in CoD. Instead, anyone and everyone can feel good about their performance thanks to these cheap buffs and fundamental adjustments that ensure all comers get their fair share of kills. With 10 attachments at once, many of which are obscenely powerful, it’s also a head-scratcher as to how Sledgehammer might balance Vanguard’s weaponry when it comes time to expand into Warzone. Vanguard’s style over substance Vanguard is set to launch with 16 original maps this November. In comparison to recent years, that’s a fairly significant bump. But what exactly can we expect from this lengthy list? After diving through four of these designs, it certainly feels like a mixed bag. For the most part, maps appear to follow a three-lane structure, a formula that’s historically served the CoD series well. While some designs like Hotel Royal feel like your classic CoD layouts, new elements have a major impact on the flow of any given match. Breakable walls are one thing, but glass panels are present a great deal as well. Shooting these out lets you drop to a different level in the blink of an eye. Obviously, in time, everyone will grow wary of these particular spots, but when combined with a haphazard spawn system, it gets a little too chaotic. Perhaps it’s down to the number of players on any given map, but regardless of whether it was a smaller battlefield or a larger, open layout, spawns were all over the place in this early session. Regardless of which angle you controlled, opposing players could appear from all directions at any given moment. Problematic spawns felt especially painful in Vanguard’s new Patrol mode. With a single objective floating through the map, teams are constantly rotating as the fight goes on. There’s very little predictability, little to no control, and actually playing for the objective almost feels like a lost cause. Read More: CoD Vanguard adds new Patrol game mode – While the usual suspects like Domination and Kill Confirmed are back as you’d expect, only time will tell what additional modes will pad out Vanguard’s experience. One thing we do know for certain, however, is that Combat Pacing will shake up the multiplayer matchmaking system we’ve grown accustomed to. Rather than a single pool of players for each mode, Combat Pacing splits each playlist into four distinct groups. These groups directly alter team sizes and thus, the madness of each match. For casual players looking to rack up easy killstreaks, Combat Pacing lets you play standard game types on standard maps with considerably larger teams. While more options are usually a good thing, this new feature in Vanguard is a little concerning for minor regions. Here in Australia, it can often be hard enough to find full lobbies a few weeks out from the launch of a new CoD. With the player base now divided more than ever before, matchmaking times could quickly become a huge issue for smaller communities. Ultimately, Vanguard may offer a fun time for you and a few friends to mess around in here and there. But for the dedicated CoD fans who actively want to grind and improve in the latest title, this early taste sorely misses the mark of what makes the franchise great. If all you’re seeking is a mindless battleground to run amok in, more power to you. Fundamentally, it’s still one of the most coherent FPS titles on the market today, as you’d expect from the CoD franchise. But this early Vanguard session wrapped up with no desire to jump back in until some form of competitive structure takes shape.

CoD Vanguard: Best audio settings for game & voice chat ActivisionLooking for the best audio settings for Call of Duty: Vanguard? Here’s a rundown of everything you need to track your opponents in style. Sledgehammer Games have brought the battle back to World War II, with a plethora of devastating weapons to tear down your foes with. Vanguard might be utilizing some controversial mechanics this time around, but you can remain the ultimate champion with a finely tuned setup. Here’s how to put together the best audio settings in CoD: Vanguard. Contents Game Sound settings in Vanguard Having immense skill is just one-half of the battle when it comes to dominating Vanguard’s maps. With additions like Dead Silence making their return to the selection of perks, you’ll need to keep an ear out for any foes looking to send you back to the lobby frustrated. Not everyone has access to headphones, so we’ve put together a setup that will accommodate players no matter what their sound comes through. When it comes to your Game Sound, you can use these settings to get the jump on your enemies: Master Volume: 100 – Music Volume: 0 – 25 – Dialogue Volume: 35 – 50 – Sound Effects Volume: 100 – Hit Marker Sound Effects: Vanguard – Audio Mix: Headphones (although this can be changed to your preference) – Killstreak Music: On – Mono Audio: Off – Speakers/Headphones Game Sound Device: where you’d like the output to be sent to – If you are able to use headphones while you play Vanguard, we’d recommend tweaking some of the settings to get even more precision. The music of Jack Wall may be fantastic, but you’ll likely want to drop anything that isn’t gunshots to a minimum. Go ahead and take that down to at least 5%, to enhance more traditional sound effects. You’ll no doubt be racking up killstreaks too, which will make the announcer rather talkative. To give his mouth a rest, you can bring down the dialogue volume to below 50% if needed. Other parts of the CoD franchise such as Warzone enable different presets to be enabled too, but for now, Vanguard is a bit more limited in that regard. However, as more updates arrive, we can expect more customization in the future. Voice Chat settings in Vanguard If you’re playing on PlayStation 5, most squads will favor the usage of Game Base to chat with one another. Nonetheless, if you tend to use the in-game chat functionality instead, we’ve got you covered when it comes to those settings too. Here’s what you can do to get the most out of your voice chat: Voice Chat: On – Speakers/Headphones Voice Chat Device: Where you’d like the audio to be sent to – Microphone Device: Your microphone of choice – PC Only – Microphone Activation Mode: Push to Talk – PC Only – Push to Talk (Voice Chat): V – Open Mic Activation Threshold: 3 – Voice Chat Volume: 25 – Microphone Volume: 25 – Voice Chat Effect: No Effect – If you prefer to talk when only necessary, the Push to Talk feature for PC players is a handy feature. Alternatively, if you’re constantly communicating with your fellow players, you can keep this set to Open Mic. How to improve audio in Vanguard Having the perfect settings will surely improve the quality of audio in Call of Duty: Vanguard. However, there are some other steps you can take to further improve game audio. Firstly, the hardware you use makes a huge difference. If you play Vanguard on a TV or monitor with in-built speakers, you may want to invest in a dedicated headset or even earbuds. While this may cost you extra, the quality of audio will be immensely improved. In addition, your surroundings and environment can play a huge role in the audio quality. If you plan on improving in Vanguard, try to minimize the amount of surrounding noise that may interfere with your game sound. And there you have it. Now you’re all set to conquer your rivals with some excellent sound settings. Not sure how to get the best of your guns? We’ve got plenty of guides prepared for all your Vanguard needs: Best Automaton Vanguard class loadout: Attachments, Perks, Proficiency, Setup |How to get wins in Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Champion Hill mode | How to import settings from Warzone to Call of Duty Vanguard |Best Itra Burst Vanguard class loadout: Attachments, Perks, Proficiency, Setup | Best CoD: Vanguard settings for FPS, visibility, performance on PC & console |Best STG44 Vanguard class loadout: Attachments, Perks, Proficiency, Setup

CoD Vanguard Attack on Titan bundle is secretly pay-to-win ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard released the ultimate crossover skin bundle with Attack on Titan, but players are finding it to be pay-to-win. Vanguard players got the first Attack on Titan bundle on January 20. There is also rumored to be a second AoT pack that will hit the stores during Season 2. However, fans had mixed feelings about the one that is currently out, which brought a Levi operator, blueprints, emblems, and a finishing move. Players are finding that the execution is actually letting players turn into Neo from the Matrix and dodge bullets. Vanguard players claim Attack on Titan bundle is pay-to-win While players are enjoying running around Vanguard in a fan-favorite anime character, others are frustrated by its hidden ability. In a Reddit post by ‘Dreamweaver_duh’ a clip has players baffled by the AoT finishing move as it actually lets the player escape a near-death experience. You can see in the clip that the character model is assassinating the enemy. Right as they start up the animation, it ends up pulling them behind the door and bullets that should be hitting go flying by. While the player still eventually die, it allowed the them enough time to complete the execution. This would not be the case with the default finishing move that is in the game. This one only lets you creep up from behind and take them out without jumping around like an anime character. One Redditor thought this was actually a good representation of the show saying, “Anime powers.” Another person added “Not going to lie, looked really badass.” Even though going for a finisher might not be ideal in every situation, it is proven to have some extra power and could even be utilized in CoD’s battle royale, Warzone.

CoD Vanguard attack dog glitch turns them into flying demons ActivisionVanguard players face danger in practically every direction during a game, so it’s slightly disconcerting to many that defeated Attack Dogs are essentially coming back from the dead to haunt players in demon form. Call of Duty has dealt with several themes in the past: previous wars, modern-day war, space, psychological warfare, and now it seems like players are taking a trip to hell. Attack Dogs are traditionally a deadly Killstreak awarded for a player going on a sensational run of kills. The map is swarmed by a pack of bloodthirsty poochies that want to tear the jugular out of any enemy they find. But it seems that many of them are taking exception to the notion of death. Usually quite resilient, Attack Dogs take a lot of damage to put down, meaning players get a lot of bang for their buck if they acquire them – you do need a 10 kill streak after all. A weird texture glitch seems to exist in Call of Duty: Vanguard that pretty much resurrects dead doggos. Multiple posts on the Vanguard subreddit have all revealed evidence of this happening to them, showing that this isn’t a one-off event. This first post showed an elastic demon dog bouncing around Ship Haus uncontrollably, ricocheting violently off of the walls and floors. But if you’re on an outside map then the effects can look even worse. “What type of birds are these?” was the appropriately titled post for the next video that revealed the dog’s true demonic form.

CoD Vanguard April 18 update patch notes: Ray Gun fix, new bomb timer & more Sledgehammer GamesThe newest Vanguard update is live with some new fixes. From reducing game crashes related to the Ray Gun in Zombies to adding the bomb timer to Ranked Play, this is everything contained in the new patch. Sledgehammer Games and its supporting studios have been on a hot streak of fixing smaller bugs and problems in Vanguard in 2022. April 18’s update carries the torch by making some minor but much-needed adjustments that span across the entirety of the game. What changed in Vanguard’s April 18 update? The most notable adjustment was the fix for inspecting your weapons in Zombies mode. The devs tackled a problem with both the Ray Gun and the Decimator Shield wonder weapon that would previously cause the entire game to crash. On top of this, they also patched up another crashing bug that was stopping Xbox players from waking their game up out of its idle state. A stability update has been deployed in #Vanguard, including fixes for: ▪️ Accessing Armory while cross-play is disabled ▪️ Search and Destroy bomb timer ▪️ Glide Bomb targets persisting after useCheck out the Patch Notes for details 👇https://t.co/nB4gvqQ3Ir — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) April 18, 2022 The final big change was the addition of the bomb timer to the ranked play Search & Destroy HUD. Before this change players previously had to open up the scoreboard to check how much time was left until detonation. This staple feature of the game mode was mysteriously missing in Vanguard until now. For more information, check out the full patch notes listed below. Vanguard April 18 update full patch notes Castle Addressed an issue where Operators could be invisible during the MVP Voting phase. – – Search & Destroy Bomb timers will now always be shown on the HUD. – – Arms Race Improved physics when colliding with a Nebula Crate using the CD12 Transport vehicle. – – Combat Shield (Melee) Addressed an issue that caused Operator heads to disappear when using a Combat Shield and Akimbo weapons. – – Glide Bomb (5 Kills) Targetting UI elements will no longer persist if a teammate uses a Ball Turret Gunner while the player’s Glide Bomb is active. – – Addressed an issue that prevented some players from being placed on a Ladder after completing their 5 Skill Evaluation matches. – Progression is now accurately displayed on the Rank widget in Multiplayer menus. – Players can now access the Armory while the cross-platform play option is disabled. – Operators will now showcase the correct Weapon during the countdown of a Free-for-All match. – Fixed a crash when resuming the game from an idle state on Xbox consoles. – The Hard Shell Bundle will now grant the correct item for the Typhoon Weapon Charm. – Addressed an issue that prevented Halima’s face from properly animating during loot previews. – ZOMBIES Addressed a stability issue where players would be kicked from a match when reviving a player using melee and tactical items only. – Added stability fixes for crashes that would occur while inspecting the Decimator Shield or Ray Gun. Weapon inspects for both of these items have been enabled. –

CoD Vanguard aim assist is so strong it works through walls Activision/Sledgehammer GamesCoD Vanguard players have noticed how strong aim assist is in the game, but it now appears console players can snap onto enemies through walls. The strength of aim assist in CoD Vanguard has been a big point of contention in the game’s community. While the best aim assist settings won’t enable you to win every firefight, it can give you a huge advantage. This is particularly true in Vanguard, where aim assist enables console players to track their enemies behind walls. Call of Duty streamer, Aydan, recently showcased how potent aim assist is when he managed to snap onto a target behind a wall. While Vanguard’s launch has been pretty smooth, this unintentional bug is giving console players a huge advantage over their PC rivals. CoD Vanguard aim assist compared to wallhacks During a recent stream, Aydan demonstrated just how busted aim assist is on CoD Vanguard. While playing Search and Destroy on Demyansk, the Warzone pro used the game’s aim assist to track where the last enemy player was hiding. Aydan clambered up onto the church roof and began to fire into a nearby building. Once it was clear the enemy player had moved from the position, Aydan tried to trigger aim assist through the rocks surrounding the nearby objective. While his aim assist didn’t trigger at first, it eventually snapped onto the player as he ran towards B. With this vital information on the player’s location, Aydan managed to relay the exact position to his teammate. Despite having this clear advantage, the enemy soldier still managed to take Warzone’s highest earner down. However, this clip highlights just how powerful aim assist currently is in Vanguard. Read More: Best ‘broken’ CoD Vanguard Bayonet loadouts – Whether Sledgehammer will address this in a future update remains to be seen, but if you find yourself getting beamed from behind cover, then chances are there could be some aim assist antics at play.

CoD Vanguard $110k tourney team disbands after player dropped for alleged cheater ActivisionDrama is no stranger to the Call of Duty community and the $110k Vanguard tournament delivered that as a team disbanded when a player was dropped for an alleged cheater. The eFuse Black Friday $110k Search and Save tournament was the largest prize pool Vanguard has seen at the time of the event. Doug ‘Censor’ Martin was one of the team captains selected for the event and needed to field a content creator and woman to round out his roster. While everything seemed set in place, things got out of hand when he decided to drop ShawnJ Gaming, for a cheater. Man tried to pick up anyone to be on top. He really needed this win too bad she couldn’t play 😂 — KRNG ShawnJ 💚⚡️ (@ShawnJGaming) November 26, 2021 Vanguard $110k tourney team breaks up after cheater exposed Prior to the start of the tournament, Shawn J who was a World Series of Warzone captain, announced she would be on Team Censor for the $110k. However, just a day later she was informed that he was dropping her to pick up another woman. Things got even spicier as a clip of the player Censor replaced ShawnJ with surfaced. This showcased her playing in Black Ops Cold War and using wallhacks in a match. Due to this, ShawnJ said that this person was blacklisted by the admins and not allowed to play. Whoever is in this clip idk who she is. https://t.co/HTlmu22Rbo — KRNG ShawnJ 💚⚡️ (@ShawnJGaming) November 26, 2021 When it seemed that things had reached their peak, they continued to spiral downward. While he was searching for another, Censor’s other player on the roster decided to jump ship and abandoned the team. This left him with hours to find two new teammates for the biggest Vanguard tourney to date. Context for those of you who don’t understand what is going on. Censor Picked me up & then dropped me hours later after saying we were locked in. Censor had to replace his female because she was blacklisted. &Now Censor lost his content creator an hour before the tournament. pic.twitter.com/hKaHvxsrIw — ShawnJ 💚⚡️ (@ShawnJGaming) November 26, 2021 Censor ended up teaming with JokerKun and Cloey, but they were unable to win a series and bowed out 0-3 in the group stage.

CoD TikToker goes viral by “playing Fortnite” in Warzone ActivisionA Warzone player has gone viral on TikTok for bringing a taste of Fortnite to Warzone with a surprisingly effective crossover strategy. Warzone has seen a wide variety of metas come and go. There have been flaming shotguns, broken pistols, and a wealth of one-shot snipers that have ruled the day at one point or another. While weapon balancing updates typically have the biggest effect on gameplay, there are certain tactics that have shifted the game as well. From slide canceling to bunny hopping, non-weapon-related adjustments have also had a big impact. While this strat might not change the game in the same way that those mechanics did, the new “Fortnite meta” certainly offers up a fresh way for veteran players to try out a new way of playing Warzone. Warzone player goes viral on TikTok for bringing the Fortnite meta to CoD There is only one pre-requisite for trying out the so-called Fortnite meta for inquisitive players, and that of course is the deployable cover Field Upgrade. While it’s not something a player can depend on having in every single gunfight, knowing when and where to deploy it can genuinely make a huge difference in a lopsided gunfight. TikToker maletal demonstrates exactly how funny the results can be when an unsuspecting opponent finds themselves caught playing against it. (Click here if TikTok doesn’t load) This video has collected 210,000 likes on the clock app and other Warzone fans have rallied around the semi-troll strategy and the hilarious results it can produce. While it is primarily a joke, many have praised it for ‘being clever’ and indicated they might give it a run on their own. One commenter even took the battle-royale comparison a step further, joking that the Deployable Cover is actually more of a Rampart wall from Apex Legends. With Warzone entering its final era, it’s nice to know that players are still discovering new ways to have a little fun before it’s time for the sequel.

The Flank drama explained: ZooMaa & Ben clash over CDL show’s future Twitter: TheFlankThe Flank hosts Ben J Nissim and Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto have clashed after Ben complained on stream about lack of show progression. The competitive CoD community has been enjoying The Flank for a number of seasons now, with its blend of elite-level CoD insights with pro-player banter. It seems as though things may have hit the rocks though, as Ben spoke out about some issues he has with The Flank, and it came to blows on-stream as ZooMaa and Ben clashed. The Flank beef explained Nissim let fans know his frustrations on stream during a Halo tournament watch party, implying a lack of ambition from his Flank co-hosts. Ben expressed his disappointment with the lack of future planning for the show, saying: “I’ve been frustrated recently with the Flank. “I feel like I’m the only one that wants to take this show to the next level. I feel like I’m just screaming into a brick wall these days. And when we go to events I feel like I have to do literally everything. I’m really hoping it changes.” He went on to say that while he’s focusing on the bigger picture, he feels like “people are stuck in the moment too often” and he’s the only one who wants to do it. ZooMaa and Ben clash on stream ZooMaa responded to Ben’s criticisms live on stream when the two were in a voice call, saying “you made me look bad, you tried to make me seem like I don’t give a f**k.” Following the stream where Ben talked about his frustrations, ZooMaa said that fans had been calling him “immature,” and accusing him of “not caring about the show.” Ben did admit that he regretted what he said, stating “I misconstrued it in that clip, that’s not at all what I was trying to say.” The two appeared to agree on certain topics, with ZooMaa letting Ben know that “I’m on your side” regarding the issues. But Nissim still didn’t seem reassured, saying that “my issue is that I’ve been talking about it for eight months, and it still hasn’t got done.” Fans of The Flank will hope that the two can put aside their differences to keep The Flank growing, especially with more pros retiring, and Scump and Methodz’s show “The Breakdown” also contesting them for viewers during the CDL season.

CoD streamers slam Warzone star WarsZ for “pathetic” K/D tanking Infinity WardCall of Duty: Warzone stars continue to call each other out – this time Tommey is joined by HusKerrs and others in critiquing multi-event champion, WarsZ, for manipulating tournament Kill-Death Ratio (K/D) caps by tanking his account. [jwplayer br5AuoVJ] With more and more money being piled into Warzone tournaments, the stakes are higher than ever and competitors are understandably adamant about integrity. Many of these competitions have turned to K/D caps, as a way to limit good players from forming super squads that’ll end up dominating the opposition. Following earlier condemnations from top streamers like NICKMERCS and Aydan about others gaming the K/D cap limits, Tommey has exposed WarsZ in particular for allegedly partaking in the unfair practice. Tommey, a former Call of Duty League player and multi-time Warzone champion, did not hesitate to single out WarsZ for a suspicious drop in his kill-death ration just ahead of this week’s leg of the $210,000 Vikkstar Warzone Showdown. Although the caps have been instituted in tournaments to provide for better parity among teams, they can also be manipulated by purposefully delivering uncharacteristically poor performances. WarsZ has won six Warzone championships across different tournaments, so Tommey’s linked image of the streamer having double-digit zero-kill matches in the past few days is particularly damning. “People seem to be scared of the repercussions but I’m fed up with the bulls**t,” Tommey tweeted, tagging the rival competitor directly while calling the alleged tanking “pathetic.” As for WarsZ’s response, it was not well-received. Suggesting that this notable drop in K/D was spurred by having his “girl” play on his account, a variety of notable Warzone competitors slammed the excuse. Among those wast renowned multi-time champion, HusKerrs, who replied simply, “Brother, c’mon now… nobody is buying that.” Popular streamer DougisRaw also chimed in, mocking the excuse for how obviously the screenshot goes against the idea of letting an inexperienced player drop in for some games: “Damn, your girl plays solo squads. She’s cracked.” To follow up on this whole tanking K/D, as far as I’m aware there’s no rule in Vikk’s tournament. That’s the difference from @NICKMERCS to this. They’d have dedicated guys looking through days of stats to make sure nothing like this got swept under the carpet. — Tommey (@Tommey) October 7, 2020 While none of the allegations can be proven, many seem dissatisfied with WarsZ’s excuse and believes it is unfair to competitors like Jukeyz and others who were unable to snag tournament spots because of their high K/D. It must be noted, as Tommey mentioned in the tweet above, that Vikkstar’s tournament technically doesn’t prohibit such a tactic, so while WarsZ isn’t breaking any rules, it’s fair to say that the rest of the big-name competitors don’t think too highly of it. It remains to be seen if other tournaments will begin following NICKMERCS in the way he runs his MFAM Gauntlets, monitoring participants’ past in-game performances to make sure that they’re not trying to circumvent the K/D cap.

CoD streamer Xposed banned on Twitch after leaking viewer’s private info Popular Call of Duty content creator and Twitch streamer, Xposed, has been banned on Twitch after accidentally revealing private information of his viewers during a Christmas giveaway broadcast. With over 130,000 followers to his name, Xposed is one of the bigger Call of Duty content creators on Twitch, however the streamer was just met with a temporary ban after violating the Community Guidelines. In the midst of a Christmas giveaway on December 26, the streamer accidentally revealed the private information of a number of viewers, directly resulting in a month-long ban from Twitch. https://twitter.com/XposedTwitch/status/1209873250228019202 “I’m officially banned from Twitch,” the streamer shared just days later on December 29 alongside a detailed explanation of the events that led to his temporary removal from the platform. Outlining the situation that resulted in a 30-day suspension, Xposed described how he was hosting a Christmas giveaway on Twitch and that in order to promote a fair and transparent contest, he would utilize the giveaway service known as ‘Gleam.’ “I wanted to do the giveaway live so people didn’t have any suspicion on who won the giveaway and didn’t think it was fake,” he explained. “I didn’t realize that when the winners are drawn it shows Hometowns, First and Last Names and Emails.” I’m officially banned from Twitch 😖 Read: https://t.co/x4zfAQDuhA — Xposed (@Xposed) December 30, 2019 Expressing regret for the oversight, Xposed stated that he “immediately” realized he was in the wrong and had “messed up” in accidentally sharing vital information that so many viewers had entrusted to the giveaway site. “I quickly deleted the Vods and Clips but it was too late. Accident or not, I’m at fault for this and should’ve tested the giveaway website before using it. I want to apologize to Twitch and my viewers for what’s happened.” Serving as the only source of income for the content creator, Xposed will be unable to provide for his family over the next 30 days and with a child on the way in the near future, the streamer has emphasized just how damaging the lengthy ban can be. Read More: Shroud reveals why he stopped playing Halo – “All my subscriptions currently will be canceled, people may forget about me, people may find new streams to watch because I’m no longer online every day. With all this going on I’m going to be super stressed and it will be extremely difficult for myself and my family.” A number of fellow content creators and Call of Duty professionals chimed in and showed their support for Xposed, even campaigning for a reduced suspension. Dillon ‘Attach’ Price of the New York Subliners Call of Duty franchise reassured that “no one is forgetting about [Xposed].” “Upload some YouTube videos in the meantime,” the CDL star added. “People would love to support you anyway they can.” Similarly, OpTic Gaming content creator, ‘Rallied,’ expressed concern, stating that the situation is “actually awful. Hope [the ban] gets shortened for you. This still is our lives so I could only imagine how you feel.” That is so unfortunate, I’m sorry brotha. No one is forgetting about you and upload some YouTube videos in the mean time. People would love to support you anyway they can — NYSL Attach (@Attach) December 30, 2019 Damn, man. That’s actually awful. Hope it gets shortened for you. This still is our lives so I could only imagine how you feel. On the bright side it’s only temporary so stay strong, brother. — OpTic Ral (@Rallied) December 30, 2019 With over 25,000 followers on Twitter and just under 10,000 on YouTube, Xposed could continue to push content out on other platforms for the duration of the Twitch ban as others have suggested. However, his primary source of income has been made redundant for the following 30 days despite similar oversights resulting in lesser punishments. Accepting fault for the oversight during the Christmas giveaway, it’s likely that Xposed will be extra cautious upon his eventual return to the platform.

CoD streamer stunned after winning Warzone match despite dying Infinity Ward / ActivisionPopular Twitch streamer its_iron was stunned after he managed to pick up an extremely lucky win during his Warzone broadcast, despite dying in the final 1v1 duel for the victory. Picking up wins in Call of Duty’s battle royale, Warzone, can prove to be quite challenging for even the best of players, as you have to outlast 150 players in a single match to come out on top. However, one Warzone streamer its_iron managed to pick up a bizarre victory, even surprising himself after somehow winning the battle royale match when he had been downed by his final opponent. During his November 27 Warzone broadcast, Its_iron had attempted to run the final player over with his cargo truck, but they had managed to explode the vehicle just in time with an airstrike killstreak, downing the streamer’s character in the process. With the opponent running towards him to confirm the kill, the streamer had already admitted defeat and began praising the player for his clever tactic to counter his idea. “What a play, good stuff,” he admitted, thinking he had lost the Warzone match, “I can’t even be upset that at that one, heck of a play.” However, as the Twitch streamer had picked up a self-revive Kit earlier in the game, the game did not end when he went down, and he was shocked to realize that he had actually won the game when he looked back at his screen. “I never even saw him call in the [airstrike] either” he added, before reading his chat and discovering he picked up the win, “I won? No…he killed himself with the airstrike?” Despite securing the win, the streamer revealed he did not feel as if he had earned it, adding that the other player had deserved it instead. “I feel bad, that’s unfortunate. I don’t feel like I won that,” he said. While the airstrike initially worked well against the streamer, his final opponent was likely unaware of the second bombing run and eager to secure the kill before its_iron could use his self-revive to get back in the fight.

CoD streamer Nadia calls out Activision “double standards” with no invite to MW3 event YouTube: NadiaStreaming star Nadia hit out at Call of Duty over “double standards” as she claims she hasn’t received an invite to COD Next due to some of the photos she’s been posting online. In the world of Call of Duty, the end of summer usually means a couple of things: the upcoming game is finally announced, we get to see a trailer, and invites begin to get sent out for events like CoD Next. CoD Next is the first big, public event where fans can see some of their favorite creators and players testing the new game for the first time. With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 releasing on November 10, we’ve got this year’s event coming up on October 5. However, one creator who seemingly won’t be there is Nadia. The Twitch streamer, who has been a regular in Warzone over the past few years — even when she’s been accused of cheating — has revealed she hasn’t gotten an invite because of her “bikini pics” on Twitter/X. Nadia hits out at CoD for “neglecting” her over COD Next invite That’s what she claimed on Twitter/X on September 3, pointing out that some other invited creators – including Swagg, Tfue, and Aydan – have posted similarly risque photos. “Call of Duty didn’t invite me out to COD Next because of my bikini pics (i’ve never once posted nude), but has continued to invite creators out who post pictures like this. & when I reached out weeks ago about the double standard, they dismissed it & lied,” she said in a now-deleted tweet. Nadia offered slightly different reasons during her stream addressing things, stating that she’d pointed out that the popularity of the game was down during a previous preview event and things started from there. She said that some had questioned her not playing Warzone as regularly as she had been but Nadia was unsure of that being the case. She pointed to this being an issue stemming back to April when she was still focused on streaming CoD, as she wasn’t getting invites to creator feedback sessions then. Later on stream, Nadia noted that she’d reached out to contacts at Activision and acknowledged that she may not be invited due to being a “brand risk” but wanted clarity on whether or not she’d be getting an invite. From there, she noted that other women in a similar position have also been “blackballed” from events. “Even FaZe Kalei said something about this before when she kinda got blackballed for the s*it that she tweets but then you’ve got a picture of someone’s ass on Raven’s profile picture,” Nadia continued. “It’s not something that’s new, it’s something that has been happening for a long time. The first biggest female Warzone creator spoke up about it two years ago and here I am speaking up about it. It shouldn’t be a consistent pattern. That’s obviously something wrong.” The Twitch star added that when she had previously called out the devs for “neglecting” her on stream, things changed and communication opened up. However, Nadia believes all invites have been sent out for CoD Next despite some other creators stating otherwise. So, who knows if it’ll change this time.

CoD streamer LEGIQN joins the Florida Mutineers Florida MutineersThe Call of Duty League’s Florida Mutineers announced the signing of YouTuber and streamer Jordan ‘LEGIQN’ Payton to their content machine. LEGIQN signs with the Mutineers. – Mutineers gain one of the more well-known CoD streamers. – LEGIQN has been a big name in Warzone. – LEGIQN joins Mutineers The Mutineers locks in LEGIQN who has been booming on Twitch and YouTube with his Warzone battle royale content, among others. LEGIQN’s has long been a source of sharp humor and skill that’s been growing his channels for years, especially after Warzone dropped. His unique brand of comedy is already starting to spread to the rest of the org. Even Mutineer’s GM, Tom Ryan, got into the fun by announcing LEGIQN as part of Florida’s Stage 2 Major roster. “Our starting roster for the Stage 2 Major will be: Slacked, Owakening, Neptune, LEGIQN,” Ryan said, purposefully omitting CDL pro Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno. “Legiqn has been playing incredibly well in Challengers with multiple event wins under his belt this season. We’re excited to see him play on the big stage this week ok I’m trolling.” LEGIQN is going to be a big fixture in the Mutineers content creation side as more CDL teams ramp up original content around Call of Duty.

CoD streamer gets impossible nuke on 10v10 Shipment in Modern Warfare ActivisionCall of Duty streamer Numbster managed to do the impossible, picking up a nuke on 10v10 Shipment to the surprise of everyone watching and in-game. As anyone who has played on Shipment before will know, picking up any sort of streak can be difficult. The map is hectic and the spawns are so crazy that by the time you’ve taken down a few enemies, two or three are spawning behind you. It’s not impossible to go on an insane streak, but getting a tactical nuke and ending the game? Well, that’s nigh on impossible, even for the best of the best. However, CoD streamer and YouTuber Numbster managed to achieve that incredible feat to the surprise of everyone watching and those who were in his game. The CoD content creator, who still plays games on Modern Warfare multiplayer, dove into the game and it was evident from the get-go that he was going to do something crazy. With the help of his Bizon, and some stims, Numbster managed to rattle off a pretty sick streak of eliminations before he realized that he wasn’t too far away from a nuke. He didn’t let up, though, and start sitting in corners. He ramped things up, grabbed a few final calls, and called for the end of the game after just over a minute. “I got a nuke on 10v10! I just got a nuke on 10v10,” the streamer said to his chat with a shocked look on his face. As soon as he called the nuke in, he was eliminated, so talk about some good timing. Numbster was in complete disbelief that he’d managed to pull it off, as were his enemies as some called out that they’d never been nuke’d before. Though, one did try and suggest that the content creator was cheating. He’s got a history of pulling off quick nukes, but getting one on Shipment in a 10v10 game is just a ridiculous feat.

CoD streamer boasts about cheating in Warzone on Twitch: “I’ll do it again” Activision / TreyarchWarzone content creators constantly have to deal with hacking accusations, but one streamer actually admitted to it live on stream. Despite Activision targeting cheat websites and clamping down on the current cheating problem, Warzone continues to be flooded with hackers. In fact, it’s not uncommon for multiple cheaters to be found in the same lobby. While many cheaters try their best to hide their cheats from the game’s spectators, there are many who are brazen enough to stream their hacks to the entire world. After all, many Warzone hackers can pull in thousands of views via streaming their gameplay on Twitch, Facebook, and TikTok. Not only does this pull views away from other content creators, but it also helps provide a stepping stone for those that wish to get into hacking. Warzone streamer brags about hacking As new cheat software is developed and tools used to enable them to become less intrusive, it can be rather difficult to spot a hacker. This is particularly true when the cheater in question isn’t just snapping onto every enemy in the lobby. When a streamer is constantly getting the drop on enemy players and landing headshot after headshot, there’s usually a few questions that get raised. Well, this is exactly what happened when one viewer questioned the legitimacy of LemonSnipezz’s gameplay. After submitting evidence of the streamer’s hacks and getting called out for his actions, LemonSnipezz shocked viewers by admitting to the whole thing. “Hey, guess what? I’d do it again,” he shouted. The streamer then proceeded to share his screen, showing viewers where he purchased his hacks and how many days left he had on the subscription. “I’ve got 14 days left and I’ll do it again,” he continued. Quite whether Twitch will take action against LemonSnipezz’s account remains to be seen, but for now, a number of viewers are reporting him for his actions. “Send this clip to Twitch and he’ll be permabanned within 48 hours max,” said lafleur-42. “I can’t believe he actually pulled it up on stream. Like sure Activision might not ban you, but Twitch 100% will.” Despite ramping up its efforts to ban hackers, Activision has yet to fix the problem completely. However, many fans are hopeful that the upcoming anti-cheat system will fix the problem for good.

CoD streamer banned from Twitch for “cheating” amid aimbot allegations Twitch: MPControlWard, ActivisionCall of Duty streamer MPControlWard has been banned from Twitch after viewers flagged questionable footage, claiming he was using an aimbot. The Call of Duty community is no stranger to its share of hacks, exploits, and glitches. Raven Software have continued to douse the fires of Warzone bugs for months, but one thing that regularly plagues CoD players is aimbotting. Twitch streamer MPControlWard has found themselves at the center of controversy, as the CoD community combs over footage of him allegedly using an aimbot in Modern Warfare. CoD players losing their “sh*t” over aimbot allegations Redditor Zaxoe brought attention to MPControlWard’s gameplay, which shows the streamer obliterating Modern Warfare players with minimal effort. “He has a flick aimbot paired together with a wallhack, once he shoots the first enemies,” the Redditor said, claiming to provide reasoning behind the allegation. “He flicks too an enemy that is behind a building, he stands there for 2 seconds, not realizing what’s going on, even shooting the building, and walks, where exactly 1 guy with 2 other people stand,” added the Redditor. They claimed that this situation seemed to be “pretty cut and dry” that an aimbot was being utilized. The streamer revealed that they had been banned from Twitch for “cheating in a multiplayer game,” suggesting that he’d been reported as a result of the allegations stemming from Reddit. “So I’m assuming this was an automated ban from reports (lol) caused by this Reddit post,” he posted. Some players quickly leaped to the Twitch streamer’s defence, claiming that there was no way to prove anything was amiss. One player, sejpuV said “I’m sorry but that’s not proof of aimbotting lmao” which garnered the following response: “Yeah I’m thinking the same, I have a mate who gets clips like this and he always has people raging at him for cheating.” “He flicks too an enemy that is behind a building, he stands there for 2 seconds, not realizing what’s going on, even shooting the building, and walks, where exactly 1 guy with 2 other people stand,” added the Redditor. It remains to be seen if the streamer will be unbanned.

CoD streamer banned after forgetting to hide wallhacks in Modern Warfare TwitchA Call of Duty Twitch streamer was caught red-handed using wallhacks in Modern Warfare, resulting in a swift ban from the platform. [jwplayer iWRvz1JV] In a classic tale of a streamer accidentally revealing that they are in fact cheating while playing, streamer ‘TwistedBear’ seemed totally unaware that all of his viewers could see his wallhacks on the broadcast. Cheating has become a prevalent issue in Modern Warfare and in Warzone, the battle royale component of the latest Call of Duty release. Although fans are often suspicious of certain streamers, it’s rare to catch one so obviously in the act. Although Activision and developers Infinity Ward have taken steps to curb the rise of hackers, it’s a constant war of attrition, as the cheats find new ways to bypass the protections. There has been speculation that a significant increase in hacking has occurred in the game’s fourth season. Hackers have apparently found a way to get around the two-factor authentication requiring a mobile number to set up a new account. For this streamer though, it seems as if this was taking place on their main account. As the clip shows, he can see enemy players’ exoskeletons through walls, anywhere on the map, even on a player way back in their spawn. This clip quickly went viral, doing the rounds on social media and Reddit — and so it wasn’t long before it came across Twitch’s attention. Unsurprisingly, TwistedBear’s channel is no longer available. Unfortunately, viewers never got the satisfaction of seeing TwistedBear realize his error. One of the most infamous hacking scenarios caught on Twitch went viral after a CS:GO streamer blamed her friend ‘Clara’ for installing the hacks. The streamer, MissQGemini, was also using wallhacks, before realizing to her dismay that all of her viewers could see the embarrassing truth. Presumably, Infinity Ward will also be issuing a ban to TwistedBear’s Modern Warfare account, which should stop him ever ruining matches by cheating again.

CoD SnD star banned for cheating after getting praise from Shotzzy ActivisionA Call of Duty SnD player has been banned for cheating, just days after getting praised by pro player Shotzzy for shredding on stream. Cheating in games is a problem not limited to just CoD, of course. Whether it is in speed runs, tournaments, or casual play, the issue seriously hurts the ones trying to simply play by the rules. Cheats are becoming increasingly available and some players have been caught foul of downloading one or two small things, hoping they can pass it off as skill. It is a risky game, too – get caught and the ban hammer can come out. Now, it appears rising star Cr9fty has also been caught flouting the rules. Their PC was checked and multiple cheats were found to be installed. CoD SnD player Cr9fty banned A video on Twitter started circulating of the player Cr9fty making a 1v4 comeback in SnD, playing it out so well that Shotzzy donated 100 subs after he won the round. Cr9fty was also part of and won a $10k tournament on February 11. Only a few days later, it was revealed that Cr9fty had been cheating for quite some time. CMGBrett took to Twitter with more evidence in multiple threads explaining what had happened. Brett had checked Cr9fty’s PC and discovered a handful of orders for cheats dating back to October 2022. Checkmate Gaming (CMG) is an online esports platform that lets users to compete in competitive gaming. While some users accused those at CMG. of knowing about this for much longer, CMGBrett explained their process of detection and said: “Anyone we (CMG) have reasonable suspicions off but cannot 100% confirm hacking, those players will be made Console only so they CANT even play on PC. Players found to be cheating 100% with boxes, aimbot, subscriptions ETC will be perm banned.” Cr9fty must have been on their radar already as his PC was searched soon after the tournament, leading to the permanent ban.

CoD SBMM will be reworked in Modern Warfare 2 according to leaker ActivisionSkill-based matchmaking is one of the most controversial features in the CoD series, and according to a new leak, SBMM is being reworked for 2022’s Modern Warfare 2. After the mixed reception to Call of Duty: Vanguard, many players are already looking ahead to what 2022 will bring to the series. This year’s game is widely expected to be Modern Warfare 2, a sequel to the 2019 reboot. With a name that holds a lot of clout within the community, it’s hoped that Modern Warfare 2 will deliver before the franchise takes a year off in 2023. And if a leak is to be believed, its changes to one feature will be much appreciated. Skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), has been a contentious issue among fans for many years, but MW2 will allegedly take steps to lessen its impact on players’ experience. Put simply, SBMM is a system that aims to drop you into lobbies with players of a similar skill level to you, with the aim of making matches more even. However, although devs have confirmed this has always been present in CoD, the general feeling is that it has gotten much stricter in recent years. According to CoD leaker RalphsValve, SBMM is going to be “revised” in this year’s title, with the aim of making it far less restrictive. He revealed that MW2’s matchmaking will be “less debilitating” and the devs are concerned about “disciplining” better players. By loosening the SBMM, it means that a wider range of abilities will make up each match. Whereas at the moment, the very best players are subjected to incredibly sweaty lobbies every time. However, the same leaker did also mention that the controversial disbanding of lobbies after each game will remain in place. CoD expert TheXclusiveAce made a video on the apparent leaks, where he welcomed the idea of SBMM being more lenient. He felt that the current system ‘alienates’ high skilled players by giving them a “significantly harder experience” than a casual player. He added that by taking a different approach to matchmaking, Modern Warfare 2 can strike the perfect balance of being welcoming to new players while retaining a “feeling of accomplishment.” As is always the case with leaks like this, be sure to take the information with a pinch of salt until Activision or Infinity Ward confirm the news. But there’s no doubt that this would be a huge change to CoD multiplayer that fans have been eager to see for some time.

CoD quietly brought back iconic attachment in MW3 Season 4 without telling anyone ActivisionAn iconic attachment from Call of Duty’s past has been re-added for one weapon in Modern Warfare 3 Season 4, and it appears to be a bit of a secret. There have been plenty of iconic weapons, maps, and characters over the years with Call of Duty, and everyone has their favorites. You might be more of a fan of the Modern Warfare series than Black Ops, and remember the Commando Pro and Tactical Knife combo as the best thing ever. Others, however, do things a little differently. More veteran fans of the CoD franchise will harken back to World at War, remembering those heart-stopping moments in the campaign and multiplayer where enemies would spring a massive surprise on you and hit you with the Bayonet. The barrel attachment has been missing in CoD since Call of Duty: Vanguard but has returned in Season 4 of Modern Warfare 3 as an attachment for the KAR98K. However, it wasn’t mentioned in the patch notes, and fans were pretty surprised upon finding it. “The homies brought back the Bayonet without telling us,” Redditor Diego_Mannn_096 said. “Please let us put it on the M4,” one fan commented. “Y’all remember how cheesy the bayonet rush was in WWII? Just super sprint into a room and instakill the poor sap inside. I’m so hyped to unlock this,” another said. Sadly, if you have dreams of running around Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone and Banzaii rushing enemies, you’re in for a letdown. You can’t bayonet rush this time around. The Bayonet is a powerful attachment, no doubt about it, and you will be able to delete enemies with a quick stab. We’re still hoping that the Tac Knife makes a return. Though, that would make things pretty toxic, pretty quickly – especially when it comes to running around Quarry or Favela.

CoD pros want serious changes after Halo Infinite esports starts with a bang Activision/343 IndustriesOn November 21, the first-ever Halo Infinite online tournaments rounded out with some incredible action across all regions — and top Call of Duty pros and personalities were struck by the success of it. Call of Duty was almost like a spiritual successor to Halo, taking over as the premier console esport and the birthplace of many CoD stars’ careers. With the hype around Infinite, though, and the first event proving a success, much of the CoD community were left a little underwhelmed at the thought of the future of the Call of Duty League. With fans, players, and top personalities alike all tuning in to the Halo Infinite open tournament, there was an air of excitement around the game. CoD players loving Halo Infinite Throughout and following the final matches of the tournament, a number of top CoD names were clearly loving the action. 100 Thieves founder, and former CoD pro, Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag was one of the first to comment, saying that Halo’s re-entry into esports “has been nothing short of incredible,” commending the game’s “balanced maps, ranked play and a multi-million dollar tournament circuit.” What a statement from Halo. Their re-entry into esports has been nothing short of incredible. Balanced maps, ranked play and a multi-million dollar tournament circuit out of the gate two weeks after release. Bravo @Halo. And congratulations @OpTic on the first 🏆 — 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) November 22, 2021 OpTic Warzone streamer and CoD world champion Tyler ‘TeeP’ Polchow also bigged up Halo after the tournament, with a slight jab at rival games, saying that it’s “so refreshing to play a balanced game.” Took a day off and I just want to play more halo, I’m addicted. Then that final was nuts and made it worse. Those people are doin things right. So refreshing to play a balanced game. Way less cheese. Congrats to the #OpTicHalo boys they nasty — TeeP (@TylerTeeP) November 22, 2021 CoD pros frustrated after Halo Infinite tournament While there was heaps of praise being mounted on Halo and the esport, some found themselves considering what CoD looks like currently in comparison — and where it could be going. FaZe Clan’s Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto simply tagged Vanguard developer Sledgehammer Games in a tweet saying “we gotta talk.” Chris ‘Parasite’ Duarte was a lot more forthright with his thoughts while the grand final went on. “Watching comp CoD die is like watching half of my life literally vanish into thin air,” he said, listing the issues he believes to be facing Call of Duty and the CDL. Watching comp CoD die is like watching half of my life literally vanish into thin air. No 12th league spot. Competitive CoD being back burned every year. Warzone ruining CoD by design by introducing noob mechanics. The state of ATVI/Blizzard. Franchising the list goes on and on. — Chris (@Parasite) November 22, 2021 LA Thieves’ Sam ‘Octane’ Larew wrote a message that was a little more relatable to CoD fans, saying that “COD needs a kick in the a*s because we’re down 5-0 in a 1v4.” My timeline has been exclusively Halo since Infinite dropped. COD needs a kick in the ass because we’re down 5-0 in a 1v4. — Sam “Octane” Larew (@OctaneSam) November 22, 2021 While it’s still very early days for Halo Infinite, we saw multiple current and former pros enjoy competing in the tournament, including the likes of Karma, Clayster, Dqvee, and more. Whether it becomes a real challenger to CoD’s dominance of the console esports scene remains to be seen but, in the early days of Infinite’s lifespan, it’s definitely got some CoD players thinking.

CoD pros want to see a major change made to Specialists in Black Ops 4 We are nearing the halfway point of the Call of Duty World League season and professional players are still asking for changes to be made to Specialists in Black Ops 4. While the fundamentals and game modes of competitive Call of Duty have been pretty straightforward over the years, the addition of Specialists in recent titles has thrown a twist into how things work. While the pros and cons of Specialists is always a topic up for debate, one things that most pro players have come to agreement on, at least in Black Ops 4, is that there is a serious flaw with how Specialist abilities are earned during matches. Currently, the time it takes for player to unlock Specialist’s abilities is based on both score and time spent alive, which means that players will ultimately get to use the ability during a match even if they are doing poorly. Most pro players have a serious problem with this system and contend that earning Specialist abilities should be based only on a player’s score and not the time they’ve spent alive. With how powerful and game-changing a single Specialist’s ability can be, many players argue that the current system is both unfair and unbalanced, as a player who is performing poorly during a match should not be able to benefit from their Specialist’s powerful ability. eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks gave a good example of this when recounting a recent match against Evil Geniuses. “Alex {Arcitys] had 4,000 score and didn’t have his Vision Pulse,” he tweeted. “Goon [Goonjar] had 2,300 and had his because he was alive longer than Alec. Mindblown.” Alec had 4k score and didnt have his vision, Goon had 2.3k and had his because he was alive longer than Alec. mindblown. — eU Clayster (@Clayster) March 21, 2019 Similarly, Midnight Esports’ Rasim ‘Blazt’ Ogresevic pointed out how his former G2 Esports team had lost a crucial Search and Destroy in the CWL Pro League Qualifier against Red Reserve when Rhys ‘Rated’ Price got to use an Annihilator against them despite having gone 0-7 up to that point. Red Reserve ultimately went on win the Losers Bracket round three match, eliminating G2 from Pro League contention, and ultimately going on to qualify themselves. Here are some others from the CoD esports scene who would like to see Specialist ability earn rates to be based solely off score. I don’t understand why they haven’t made that happen yet :pensive: — Apathy NV (@Apathy_BZ) March 21, 2019 While there is no doubting that most pro players agree with this idea, the big question remains as to whether Treyarch and the CWL will give in and make this highly requested change. Of course, if the change does end up being made, players will have to quickly adapt and make adjustments, as there are only a few months and major events left until the end of the Black Ops 4 season.

CoD pros voice frustrations over League Play in Black Ops 4 Black Ops 4 fans finally got the long-awaited League Play on February 21 for PlayStation 4, but early thoughts from the game’s pro players seem to suggest that the mode might not be up to snuff. League Play sought to bring Call of Duty players a more competitive environment by implementing the CWL ruleset to the broader community, but it seems problems with ranking and a lack of meaningful competition for some is ruining the experience. Tweets from the CoD pro community are coming in droves, as quite a few players think that Treyarch could have simply come up with something better. Very baffling like you need to come 1st in your sub div to get 4 gems and then you’ll get placed in gold t10 you get 2 for sliver then t25 for bronze like and you only have 3 days lmao guess I’ll be kicking it about in unranked for a while — Reedy (@Reedy_1905) February 21, 2019 Fans of the game have been repeatedly begging Treyarch to integrate a ranked mode into Black Ops 4, but the developer kept delaying its launch to provide the best experience it could. But now it seems the final product is falling short of expectations. Read more: Everything you need to know about League Play in Black Ops 4 – World League Hub, how it works, and more – “Not gonna lie four months for this,” former CoD pro Jordon ‘Reedy’ Reed said. “Doubt I’ll be playing it ww2 was unreal ranking wise blops2 don’t get it.” WE HAVE WAITED 4 MONTHS FOR THIS “delaying release for a perfect ranked play system” xd nice one chief — Dave (@Dqvee) February 21, 2019 The sentiments were echoed by more pros in the scene. Frustration even showed on some due to the constant delays League Play had, which was time that Treyarch could have used to improve its mode. Read more: Black Ops 4 Design Director Vonderhaar responds to accusations that he lied over Blackout characters – “This ranking system is dead,” David ‘Dqvee’ Davies said. “Why have they done it like this lmao??? Where is MMR? If they brought this out four months ago they would have had PLAYER feedback… made improvements from there.” This ranking system is dead, why have they done it like this lmao??? Where is MMR — Dave (@Dqvee) February 21, 2019 If they brought this out 4 months ago they would of had PLAYER feedback to how the majority of people want ranked play and made improvements from there. But that is the smart thing to do and we are dealing with game developers here. — Dave (@Dqvee) February 21, 2019 Treyarch will surely be monitoring its community’s suggestion to improve its new mode, which possibly missed its mark with some fans.

CoD pros troll Modern Warfare after Call of Duty League media training A number of Call of Duty professionals, including Dashy, JKap and SlasheR, have trolled Modern Warfare following media training at the Call of Duty League player summit. Competitive Call of Duty’s transition into a franchise-based league means pros will be held to different standards as they represent their new teams and league. The ongoing Call of Duty League ‘Player Summit’ has been marked on Twitter with regular images and information on players of all teams. However, it appears a number of pros are unhappy with the rules pertaining to game criticism, something they appeared to mock on December 13. The rules surrounding game criticism have been ambiguous thus far, with pros generally allowed to express their frustrations with the game. However, while unconfirmed, it appears that the rules for players will be much stricter going into the CDL’s inaugural season. Dillon ‘Attach’ Price, former World Champion and pro player for New York Subliners, joked that there were things he could no longer do or say, following his social media training from the CDL. I just went to COD League social media training so I cannot reply to this but… — Attach (@Attach) December 14, 2019 However, a number of pros began to troll Modern Warfare, simultaneously tweeting: “I love Modern Warfare”, followed by a thumbs-up emoji. Players from all teams took part in the trolling, seemingly to mock the new, austere social media rules. While unconfirmed, it seems that players will not be able to criticize Modern Warfare as freely as they have past CoD titles. Some fans have even suggested that doing so would result in a fine from Activision – again unconfirmed. The Call of Duty publishers are heavily involved with the organization and funding of the Call of Duty League. Many pros have complained in the past at the lack of consultation and collaboration made by development studios, arguing that they have the knowledge to improve Call of Duty games. There have also been incidents in other esports, regarding pros being punished harshly for criticism of developers or the game. Back in November, FIFA pro Kurt0411 was banned from EA’s soccer simulation after spitting on the developer’s logo during a furious rant. The exact contents of the meetings between professional players and league organizers remains private, so it’s unknown what exactly prompted the wave of sarcasm across social media.

CoD pros suffer hilarious jersey mixup ahead of CWL Vegas Looks like a sporting-company did their best to cater to one of the latest Black Ops 4 team to enter the scene, but the results were far from expected. The England-based Lightning Pandas organization were ready for “pandamonium” when they signed an entire 5-man roster for the upcoming CWL season but they probably weren’t referring to the uniforms. In a picture posted on Twitter, David ‘Dqvee’ Davies showed off his teams new threads, but apparently, more than a couple of them came with brazen typos. I can’t laugh because mine says ‘Dave’ instead of Dqvee argh but that ain’t as bad as P E T E :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing: — Dave (@Dqvee) December 5, 2018 The jersey inscribed for “Pete” is presumably for Lightning Panda’s teammate Adam ‘Peatie’ Peate with a couple of errors present. But it looks like one of the Lightning Pandas first team-exercise will be to laugh this off, seeing how it happened to others on the squad. “I can’t laugh because mine says ‘Dave’ instead of Dqvee argh but that ain’t as bad as P E T E,” Dqvee said. The rest of the organization is quiet on the issue, but esports writer Alisha Wicks hinted it might have happened to even more players. “Everyone’s had an absolute nightmare with their jerseys,” Alisha said in reply to Dqvee. The mistake comes just days before the Pandas are expected to compete at the CWL event in Las Vegas, and there’s no word if they will decide to man these uniforms or get a reprint. The first CWL event of the year will kick off in Las Vegas and run on December 7 with the Lightning Pandas in Group C along with FaZe Clan, Team Envy and two yet-to-be-determined teams.

CoD pros split on surprise move back to 4v4 CDL in Black Ops Cold War MLG / ActivisionCall of Duty pros are generally pleased with Activision’s decision to move to a four-versus-four format for Black Ops: Cold War, and while Dallas Empire’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks is also supportive of the decision, be believes that the timing couldn’t be worse. With the Call of Duty League’s inaugural season all wrapped up, Activision are naturally looking to improve upon their first year. As part of this effort, The CDL is reverting to a traditional 4v4 format for the 2021 season. Prior to the Black Ops 4 season, this was the standard team sizes for all of CoD esports history. 4v4 not only creates a more tactical game for players to navigate, but also a more digestible viewer experience. But in the previous two seasons, players have been fielding an extra player per side, which naturally lent itself to more fast-paced action. CoD pros react to 4v4 change As franchising was introduced for the 2020 season, players settled into their franchised teams for what they thought would be the foreseeable future. Recently crowned world champ, Clayster, was vocal in his distaste for the timing of the transition. “They should’ve made this change when every player was a [free agent] and was building rosters like, [I don’t know], before this f**kin’ year? Why make teams build like this just to revert?” Eubanks continued to vent, explaining that “nobody deserves to go,” from the world championship roster that both he and veteran partner, Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, built from the ground up. “Pretty upsetting that we can’t see what this team can do next year, just wish it wasn’t like this. Nobody deserves to go.” Then again, this looks and smells like a cost-cutting measure for orgs to be able to maintain their investment during COVID. Not gonna talk about it anymore, pretty upsetting that we can’t see what this team can do next year, just wish it wasn’t like this. Nobody deserves to go — Clayster (@Clayster) August 31, 2020 Dallas Empire teammate, Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, shared the same sentiment. While he agreed that reverting to the traditional format is better for the competitive Call of Duty, the 20-year-old expressed his concerns with needing to remove one of the current members of Empire’s active roster. “First team I’ve been on since I came back to CoD where all five players actively cared and worked towards the same goal, and it goes to 4v4, tough scenes.” Although 4v4 is definitely better for competitive cod, we will see how it plays out 🤔 — Surge Huke (@Huke) August 31, 2020 Chicago Huntsmen’s self-proclaimed ‘king’ simply expressed his gratitude for the switch, but explained how he’s still hopeful for a return back to offline events. So thankfully 4s are back. Now just have to hope we can play on LAN again — OpTic Scump (@scump) August 31, 2020 Scump was one of the most feared players in 4v4 for the best part of a decade, so it’s no surprise that he’s excited to return back to CoD esports’ roots. Fellow veterans of the space in Doug ‘Censor’ Martin and Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan were also in high spirits following the announcement. Call of Duty is returning back to 4v4 Biggest W of 2020 🙌🏻 — Doug Censor Martin (@Censor) August 31, 2020 Seattle Surge’s Bryan ‘Apathy’ Zhelyazkov teased that the esport will be an entirely different meta. This shift in meta will likely favor long-time players such as Apathy, who’s a two-time world champion in the four-versus-four format. 4v4 next year, I can’t believe it. Beyond excited!! It’s going to be a whole new world 🤫— Apathy (@Apathy_BZ) August 31, 2020 Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price, a two-time world champion in four-versus-four CoD, was very pleased with the change also. Just a 2 year hiatus for nothing. Back to 4v4 woooo https://t.co/XXoNPE7tWL — PATTYP (@ACHES) August 31, 2020 With Activision reportedly setting their stall with the current 12-team league for the 2021 season, this season’s rostermania is primed to be one of the most cut-throat transfer markets ever.

CoD pros slam Vanguard CDL skins in Season 1: “Trolling us at this point” ActivisionThe Call of Duty community, including top Call of Duty League pros, has slammed the new CDL skins in Call of Duty: Vanguard, after they were revealed with the Season 1 update on December 6. Throughout recent years, operator skins and weapon camos for the competitive scene have become commonplace in Call of Duty. You’ll often see players running around Verdansk in their favorite CDL team skins, and each year brings new designs. On top of individual team skins, Activision have made a habit of releasing generic CDL skins in two black and white colorways, for fans who just want to support the league. When the new ones were revealed in the PC update on December 6, however, many players were less than impressed. CDL skins appeared in Vanguard after new PC update. (@JakeDMND_) pic.twitter.com/1XJ20zscdu — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) December 7, 2021 It didn’t take long for the jokes and comments to start flying in, questioning who approved of the skins and comparing them to ones in other games. Before long, the pros themselves were getting involved too, clearly not happy with how the new CDL skins look in Vanguard. OpTic Gaming creative director Davis ‘Hitch’ Edwards made a joke at the expense of the skins, comparing them to those in games such as Halo and Rocket League, and this, in particular, elicited a response from some of the pros. LA Guerrillas’ Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat simply responded with a gif of Matt Damon from Saving Private Ryan, looking pained and upset. SlasheR’s teammate, Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman, added that “they just trolling us at this point.” OpTic founder Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez even insinuated that he would have to teach the game’s creative director about creativity. Let me guess, I have to reach out to the creative director and explain “creativity”. — OpTic HECZ (@H3CZ) December 7, 2021 With much of the community clowning these skins and even the pros stunned by them, it will be interesting to see the reaction if and when they release the CDL team skins for each franchise. Players will definitely be hoping for something better when that happens — but we’ll just have to wait and see.

CoD pros set insane Warzone Quads world record for most kills Infinity WardOne skilled group of CoD players have absolutely smashed the Warzone squads kill record, hitting an incredible milestone for kills in one single match. On April 8, Call of Duty: Warzone added four-player squads alongside Modern Warfare’s Season 3 update. This led to a new category in which world records can be set, and one team has set the bar unbelievably high. Mark ‘Zepa’ Zepackic is an Australian CoD professional, who currently plies his trade on Oceanic organization Mindfreak. He is already known in the Warzone community for having a hand in the Trios world record, and has now pulled off an equally impressive squads performance. On April 10, Zepa shared a screenshot from a recent Warzone match, showing that he and three teammates put up an incredible 100 kills between them. The insane number of kills was put up thanks to a combined effort between multiple professional OCE players. Zepa himself dropped 29 kills and nearly 10,000 damage, the highest on the team. Giancarlo ‘Nimble’ Vagnini, also a pro for Mindfreak, recorded an insane 25 kills, while Lymax put up an insane 32 kills. The squad’s effort was rounded off by another competitive player, micka, who put up 14 kills to take the total to three figures. With squads only added two days prior to the record being set, we can expect to see some stark competition emerge. It’s important to remember that, given Warzone’s Gulag respawn system and the ability to buy dead teammates back, the same player can die multiple times in one match. This probably goes some way to explain how the team managed 100 kills in a game mode with 152 total players. Regardless, this should not detract from the insane achievement demonstrated by the Australian pros. You can check out all the current Warzone kill records right here.

CoD pros set to add to BO4 gentleman’s agreement ahead of CWL Finals TreyarchIt appears that another Call of Duty players using a gentleman’s agreement. Gentleman’s Agreements are created by pro players themselves, as they attempt to balance the game and remove weapons, attachments, and scorestreaks that have proved to be too powerful for use in esports competition without waiting on it to be added to the official CWL ruleset. While these player-made restrictions are usually made in the early stages of the competitive season, it appears that pro players have decided that the Thermal Scope has become too powerful, and decided to ban it from the game. Twitter account CWLIntel states that players have specifically banned the Thermal Scope from being used on the game’s dominant ICR assault rifle, with it restricted in all three CWL game modes. Players have also deemed it to be too powerful for use on sniper rifles as well, although it is only unavailable in Search & Destroy – meaning anyone who would like to use it on a sniper in either of the two respawn modes can continue to do so. GA UPDATE: -Thermal sight on ICR (all modes) -Thermal sight on sniper (S&D only)REST OF LIST: Sensor Dart Molotov Grapple (S&D only) Auger DMR Double equipment Stock 2 Mozu Annihilator Swordfish Attack Chopper Thresher Assault Pack Gunship FMJ 2— CWL INTEL #ROSTERMANIA (@INTELCallofDuty) June 21, 2019 Professional players Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall and Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell were overheard discussing the ban during a pickup game on stream, with FaZe Clan’s Skrapz discussing with OpTic Gaming star about how difficult it was to break “B side” of Gridlock without the Thermal Scope. “It’s so hard,” said Skrapz, while Dashy seemingly voiced his agreement with the ban by saying: “It was a little too easy though.” Pro players have yet to officially reveal the extent of the gentleman’s agreement, but with Skrapz and Dashy talking about not using the attachment, it seemingly confirms that the decision has already been made. With CWL Anaheim now over, pro players will return to action in the CWL Pro League on Monday, June 24, likely with no Thermal Scopes in their arsenal.

CoD pros Scump, Simp & more reveal their attachments for M4A1, MP5 & MP7 Several top Call of Duty professional players have revealed their preferred attachments for the M4, MP5, and MP7 weapons in competitive Modern Warfare, and all of them have been compiled together courtesy of the ‘CoD Highlights‘ YouTube channel. When it comes to competitive Call of Duty, no one’s opinions, tactics, and preferred weapon loadouts are regarded higher than that of pro players, especially those who distinguish themselves as being the best of the best. With the first iteration of the competitive ruleset having already been released for the upcoming Modern Warfare competitive season, all of the pros have been testing out various attachment combinations for the three weapons currently make up the meta – M4A1 assault rifle, MP5 SMG, and MP7 SMG. With there being so many attachments for each gun, it’s no major surprise that these loadouts vary from player to player, as each pro has equipped their weapon to fit their own play-style and role. Read More: 5 best M4A1 loadouts in Modern Warfare – Below, you can find all of the pro player loadouts that have been revealed so far, each containing the list of five attachments used for at least one of the three meta weapons. Pro player competitive loadouts for M4A1 assault rifle There is a virtually unanimous consensus within the CoD community that the M4 is the best assault rifle in the game for both casual and competitive matches. Its balanced damage profile and stats make it versatile and agile enough to be used at short, medium and long ranges, especially when fitted with the appropriate attachments. Here are the loadouts that pro players Scump, Crimsix, and SlasheR have decided to go with for their M4 classes: Seth ‘Scump’ Abner – Chicago Huntsmen Scump is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, and there are a lot of Call of Duty fans and players that will be interested to see what attachments he has on his M4. Barrel: Corvus Custom Marksman – Optic: G.I. Mini Reflex – Stock: Singuard Arms Invader – Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip – Rear Grip: Rubberized Grip Tape – Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter – Dallas Empire As the winningest Call of Duty pro of all time, Crimsix has no shortage of fans in the competitive CoD community, many of whom have been looking forward to see how he will be stacking up his M4 rifle. Barrel: Stock M16 Grenadier – Optic: Cronen LP945 Mini Reflex – Stock: Singuard Arms Invader – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Rear Grip: Rubberized Grip Tape – Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat – OpTic Gaming Los Angeles Over the last few years, SlasheR has established himself as a top competitive player, and my players in the scene will look to his loadout to try and replicate his dominant playstyle. Barrel: Stock M16 Grenadier – Optic: G.I. Mini Reflex – Stock: Singaurd Arms Invader – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Rear Grip: Granulated Grip Tape – Pro player competitive loadouts for MP7 SMG The MP7 has distinguished itself as one of the two go-to submachine guns in Call of Duty multiplayer. While it does not offer the balance that the MP5 does in terms of range and damage, it makes up with its devastating close-quarter potential, making it the perfect choice for those who have fast reflexes and like to run and gun. Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr – Atlanta FaZe No one has ever risen to super-stardom in CoD esports as quickly as Simp did in 2019, going from a rookie playing his first even in April to being named MVP in back-to-back events – CWL Finals and Champs. There are definitely many players out there who want to try and dominate with an SMG the way Simp does and will be looking for his MP7 loadout for guidance. Barrel: FSS SWAT – Stock: No Stock – Underbarrel: Tactical Foregrip – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip Tape – Perk: Sleight of Hand – Ender ‘iLLeY’ Dhaliwal – Dallas Empire Much like Simp, iLLeY already has a reputation of being one of the better players in the game and he hasn’t even played a single professional match yet. Those looking to replicate his style as a fast-paced slayer can start by using his MP7 setup. Barrel: FSS SWAT – Stock: No Stock – Underbarrel: Tactical Foregrip – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip Tape – Perk: Sleight of Hand – Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto – New York Subliners Having already been around the pro scene enough to earn the status of veteran, ZooMaa is still considered to be among the best SMG slayers in the game. His reaction time and fast pace are renowned, so those looking to use his MP7 setup should remember to play as such. Barrel: FSS RECON – Laser: 1mW Laser – Stock: FORGE TAC Stalker – Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip – Rear Grip: Rubberized Grip Tape – Pro player competitive loadouts for MP5 SMG The MP5 is the other meta SMG that both competitive and casual players have gravitated towards in the early stages of the game. It offers a very good balance for its class, as its range and damage make it viable for both close and medium range gunfights. Bryan ‘Apathy’ Zhelyazkov – Seattle Surge Apathy has been a top SMG player for the past three years, which is a big reason why he’s won two World Championships and finished second in another over that span. His MP5 loadout is interesting, as he’s opted to go with more ammunition and a muzzle rather than a barrel or optic sight. Muzzle: Muzzle Brake – Stock: FFS Close Quarters Stock – Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip – Ammunition: 10mm Auto 30-Round Mags – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip Tape – Johnathon ‘John’ Perez – TBA Much like Apathy, John has also been one of the more prominent SMG slayers in competitive CoD over the past few years. While he still hasn’t been announced as part of any CDL franchise, there are those that may be looking to use his loadout for the MP5. Muzzle: Muzzle Brake – Barrel: FFS Light – Stock: FORGE TAC Ultralight – Ammunition: 10mm Auto 30-Round Mags – Rear Grip: Rubberized Grip Tape – These are only some of the pro player loadouts for the M4, MP5, and MP7, and you can check out the full list of classes in the video below. Keep in mind that these loadouts are all subject to change at any given moment, since players are always tinkering with their attachments to see what works best. Furthermore, weapon balancing changes are likely due to be made in the near future, which may nerf one or more of these guns to the point where they are no longer meta, and buff a weapon or two up into the meta. Finally, with Activision themselves saying that the competitive ruleset will be evolving throughout the season, certain weapons or attachments may end up getting restricted or subjected to a gentlemen’s agreement.

CoD pros Scump, Attach & more hit out at SBMM in Black Ops Cold War Treyarch/CDLA host of Call of Duty pro players and prominent content creators have hit out at Black Ops Cold War’s Alpha, over its controversial inclusion of skill-based matchmaking. There are few topics that have been as prominent and divisive in gaming as skill-based matchmaking. Unfortunately, it does appear to be any closer to a resolution, with a host of new titles including SBMM as a key part of finding lobbies. While early feedback to the Black Ops Cold War Alpha has been largely positive, criticisms emerged on September 18 as it became clear that players were being put into lobbies with those of very similar skill. SBMM, many argue, should only be present in ranked game modes to ensure casual matches remain casual. However, it appears to have been added to the Black Ops Cold War Alpha, with a host of prominent Call of Duty names hitting out at its inclusion. Chicago Huntsmen SMG and Call of Duty legend Seth ‘Scump’ Abner commented that the SBMM was “nuts”, and hinted that he wants to see it toned down. As one of the best players to ever touch Call of Duty, we can’t imagine being put in a lobby with players of Scump’s level is very fun. His feelings were echoed by pro player Attach, who argued that SBMM should only be present in ranked game modes. “SBMM doesn’t belong in CoD,” the ROKKR pro stated. “Just give us a good Ranked Playlist instead.” Ex-CoD World Champion JKap stated the exact same. SBMM doesn’t belong in CoD Just give us a good Ranked Playlist instead — MN Attach (@Attach) September 19, 2020 Similarly, content creator and CoD sniper FaZe Bloo hit out at the mechanic for punishing good players; one of the most common complaints about SBMM. “I’m literally just gonna keep making new accounts to play the Alpha,” he said, “because it makes no sense to me that we’re PUNISHED for being GOOD.” I’m literally just gonna keep making new accounts to play the alpha because it makes no sense to me that we’re PUNISHED for being GOOD — FaZe Bloo (@FaZeBloo) September 18, 2020 His fellow FaZe Clan member Pamaj, though, shared a different opinion and encouraged players to “adapt” to “whatever gets thrown” at them. “Guys I don’t care about SBMM,” he said. “Like I went to play Wagers/GBs last year chasing the cracked players not running from them. I can’t enjoy a game if I’m going into it knowing certain things like that cause then I’ll be bitching 24/7 about it. I always just be adapting to whatever gets thrown our way.” Like I can’t enjoy a game if I’m going into it knowing certain things like that cause then i’ll be bitching 24/7 about it. i always just be adapting to whatever gets thrown our way — FaZe Pamaj (@Pamaj) September 18, 2020 It seems that, once again, skill-based matchmaking will prove a controversial topic in this year’s Call of Duty. It’s long been unpopular, but game studios have their reasons for including it and more and more games seem to be using it as a key part of matchmaking. We’ll have to wait and see how Activision plays this one.

With the infamous Rust map making its return in 2019’s Modern Warfare, the game’s best players reveal who they would most like to face in a sniper shootout on the abandoned desert environment. Any Call of Duty player will be familiar with Rust, the Modern Warfare 2 map that has since shifted to become a timeless arena for 1v1s. It has returned in a number of CoDs, such as Advanced Warfare, and was added to the most recent installment, CoD: Modern Warfare, back in February. The map is known for its grid-like structure and tiny size, lending itself to some chaotic, fast-paced gameplay. In the center of the map there is a large metallic tower, which quickly established itself as a power position and a great location for trickshots. Plenty of CoD player feuds were settled on Modern Warfare 2’s Rust. A host of the pros called out one another. Scump, the veteran SMG playing for Chicago Huntsmen, called out Atlanta Faze’s Abezy, citing the “trash talk” he is regularly given. In response, the reigning World Champion called out Scump, joking that the pair are always at each other’s throats on Twitter. Atlanta’s Simp also proved a popular choice, with many pros looking to chalk up a win over the young MVP. He made his name with some incredible plays on Black Ops 4. These included an insane sniper three-piece against Units at CoD Champs, which featured at number 3 on our Top 10 CoD Champs 2019 plays. Whether these 1v1s will ever actually happen is up in the air, but we know plenty of people who would want to see such events. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.

CoD pros reveal Warzone’s Tac Sprint cost them 20+ broken controllers Activision / Twitter, @_Meta_Ph3nom_Call of Duty: Warzone has taken many virtual lives, but one of its mechanics is apparently taking out controllers IRL too. CDL and Warzone pros like Shotzzy and UnRationaL revealed just how devastating Tactical Sprint can be. When Modern Warfare 2019 released, it introduced the Tactical Sprint movement mechanic. This, combined with slide-canceling, allowed players to endlessly sprint and finesse around the map at demonic speeds. But the mechanics are demanding and controllers struggle to keep up. To properly Tac Sprint and slide cancel, a player needs to double-tap their left analog stick, double-tap their right analog stick, and click the jump button — all in rapid succession. While Automatic Tac Sprint (ATS) means the left analog stick doesn’t need to be clicked as often, pros didn’t allow it in the Call of Duty League. And 2020 MVP Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas explained that he and his teammates broke dozens of controllers in the process. CDL pros reveal MW19 Tac Sprint tore through their controllers Tac Sprint is really a menace 😭@Shotzzy says he ran through ~5 controllers and Crimsix torched… 20+ during MW19 pic.twitter.com/cBuU3thy8R — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) November 29, 2021 When Shotzzy, known for his movement skills, hosted a Q&A, we had to ask about the controllers. And he responded by explaining that he went through four or five, but it was even worse for his teammates. Specifying Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, Shotzzy revealed that the veteran “definitely went through 20-plus.” While even four controllers for one season sounds wild, 20-plus is on another level, and apparently Crim wasn’t alone. ATS couldn’t save Warzone pros from broken controllers I can tell you throughout all of warzone I’ve gone through around 21 I think (I have a graveyard and I’m going off this ) — Gavin (@xUnrational) November 28, 2021 Warzone is built on the MW19 engine and shares the same movement system. Fortunately, ATS is allowed in Warzone, so some button-mashing is prevented. Unfortunately, even that’s not enough. According to UnRationaL, he’s burnt through “around 21” controllers since the start of Warzone. That’s about half as many as Crimsix annually, but still a considerable number. Controllers breaking to wear and tear is no new phenomenon, but the rate at which they’re dying has skyrocketed since MW19 and Warzone. Tac Sprint is considered the clear culprit, as the controllers’ analog sticks — through stick drift and the like — are usually the first piece to fall. At the moment, CoD pro Doug ‘Censor’ Martin is still “fighting a war” to get ATS allowed in the pro circuit to save thumbs from injury and controllers from breaking.

CoD Pros reveal their top 5 Call of Duty’s of all time – Crimsix, Karma, Censor and More A handful of Call of Duty pros have revealed their top 5 lists for the best CoD titles of all time, with some varying results. The latest release, Black Ops 4, is the 15th main entry in the series, not counting spin-off’s and remasters, meaning there is now a lengthy list of candidates for the best ever. Different sub-franchises also compete, such as the Modern Warfare series vs the Black Ops series, but which individual game’s were the best in CoD’s long history? Top professional players, many of whom have been playing for over a decade, have had their say, but almost none of them agree. It’s unclear how the trend first began, but OpTic Gaming’s Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter posted his top 5 list on Twitter, with other pro’s following. Crimsix, the winningest CoD player of all time, surprised some by placing Black Ops 4 in his list, despite the game having only released months ago. Both the original Black Ops and Black Ops III are conspicuously missing from his list, with Advanced Warfare perhaps his most controversial pick. Team Envy player Justin ‘SiLLY’ Fargo, an over ten-year veteran of competitive CoD, had high praise for the first two Black Ops titles, placing them at 1st and 2nd. The most surprising selection here is Infinite Warfare, which beats out Black Ops 4, Modern Warfare 2 and other favorites to take fifth spot on SiLLY’s list. Former professional player and popular YouTuber Doug ‘Censor’ Martin also gave his picks, with a rare World at War pick in the top spot. Censor clearly favors the older titles, with the most recent release on his list being 2012’s Black Ops II. He explained his World at War pick by saying it was “personal nostalgia”. 3 time world champion Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow also threw in his list, which also focused on last generation titles. His top three titles all come from the Modern Warfare series, with only Black Ops II representing the BO series in his list. Again World at War sneaks in to take fifth. my top 5 favorite call of duty games – cod4, mw2, mw3, blops2, waw — Damon B (@OpTic_DKarma) January 5, 2019 Finally, eUnited’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks decided to (we presume) troll his followers with some very unorthodox picks. 2017’s Call of Duty: WWII makes the top of list, for example – something tells us that Clayster didn’t exactly intend his picks to be taken seriously. Update: Clayster has now provided his actual list, with some much more expected picks. Alright alright, my actual T5 favorite CoDs: CoD4 MW2 Blops2 AW IW (yeah I know, I fucked with it)— eU Clayster (@Clayster) January 5, 2019 Of course, there is and never will be a definitive answer to such a subjective question, but at least these lists can give us a general consensus of what the pros like best in a Call of Duty. With Infinity Ward up next in the development cycle, and a new entry in the Modern Warfare series expected, perhaps there will be a new contender?

CoD pros reveal best Warzone loadouts: Scump, Attach, Apathy ActivisionProfessional Call of Duty players have all been playing battle royale game Warzone in their free time to wind down, and they’ve given fans a little help by revealing some of their favorite or most overpowered Warzone loadouts to try and get more wins. As most of them have been playing at the top level for almost (or even over) a decade now, they’re pretty familiar with what works and what doesn’t and often have an idea of the best things to use in-game. With many players still trying to optimize their Warzone loadouts to perfection, we’ve got a selection here straight from the pros themselves. Scump’s Warzone loadouts As with most players, Scump’s preferred loadout includes an M4A1 assault rifle, partnered with an RPG to deal serious damage and to get enemies out of vehicles. His loadout is: M4A1 Monolithic Suppressor – Stock M16 Grenadier – Stippled Grip Tape – 60 Round Mags – Ranger Foregrip – RPG For his perks, he uses E.O.D., Ghost and Amped, keeping him safer from explosive damage and enemy UAVs, and keeps a Semtex and Flash Grenade as his utility. He also has a second class, with Overkill as Perk 2 meaning he can carry a HDR sniper rifle as a second weapon, though he says he very rarely, if ever, uses it. Attach’s Warzone loadouts While Attach uses an M4/RPG loadout very similar to Scump’s he also has a couple of others, including this one, which he describes as his favorite for playing aggressive and getting high-kill games. MP7 submachine gun Monolithic Suppressor – FFS Recon – Rubberized Grip Tape – 60 Round Mags – Merc Foregrip – RPG For his perks, Attach picks Double Time, Restock and Amped, allowing him to move quicker as well as recharge equipment quicker. (Timestamp 15:05 for mobile viewers) He also goes against the grain with an M13 class, which he says is the best long-range assault rifle in Warzone, even more so than the M4A1. He uses Double Time, Ghost and Amped for perks, as well as an RPG as his secondary, and his attachments are: Monolithic Suppressor – Tempus Marksman – Solozero Optics Mini Reflex sight – 60 Round Mags – Merc Foregrip – Apathy’s Warzone loadouts Seattle Surge’s Apathy has given fans something different to use in Warzone, making for one of the most unique but deadly loadouts in the game. He uses a PKM light machine gun, with the MP5 Ducat variant to boot as a secondary weapon. Obviously that means he uses Overkill in Perk 2, as well as Double Time and Amped. He also carries a C4 and Flash grenade. His PKM attachments are: Monolithic Suppressor – 26.9” Extended Barrel – Tac Laser – VLK 3.0x Optic – Snatch Grip – Apathy describes this loadout as “deadly at every range,” which definitely sounds exciting. On the MP5 he uses the Suppressor, 45 Round Mags, Stippled Grip Tape, Merc Foregrip and FTAC Collapsible, which is a fairly common MP5 class setup. So there’s a decent mixture of Warzone loadouts to get you one step ahead of your opponent, whether you prefer long-range engagements or getting up close and personal. Give them a whirl and see if you can rule over Verdansk – they could be the difference between a huge win or an early Gulag exit.

CoD pros react to not being invited to $250K Modern Warfare tournament Several professional Call of Duty players and star content creators expressed their frustrations with Activision for not inviting them to their $250,000 Modern Warfare Streamer Invitational tournament. Set to take place on December 10, the Modern Warfare Streamer Invitational features 20 “hand-picked Twitch streamers” split into four teams competing against each other for $250,000 in prize money and “supreme bragging rights.” While there are some CoD-related streamers playing, like TeeP and Hitch, many quickly noticed Activision had omitted some of the community’s biggest names. Instead, they opted to go with a mixed bag that includes Fortnite pros such as Team Liquid’s Vivid and NRG’s Symfuhny, GTA roleplay stars LordKebun and Spaceboy, Overwatch pro Seagull, and more. ACHES, captain of the Los Angeles Guerrillas team and a very outspoken player, was quick to point this out in a sarcastic tweet. Speaking of sarcastic tweets, none were more so than Crimsix’s post, as the Dallas Empire star took the trolling to a whole new level by announcing that he too was competing at the event when he actually wasn’t. Fans were quick to realize that he was trolling when they saw him name former Halo pro ‘SUDDOTH2’ and legendary Formula One racing driver Fernando Alonso as two of his teammates. HUGE NEWS! Tomorrow I am teaming up with Aches, Clayster, Pamaj, SUDDOTH2, and Fernando Alonso in the Call of Duty Streamer Invitational! This is for $250k!!! Starts at 4pm PST! #COD_Partner #Modernwarfare @CallofDuty https://t.co/rKQmuE74CE — FaZe Crimsix (@Crimsix) December 9, 2019 Pamaj, who Crimsix jokingly named as one of his teammates, also had something to say about his omission. Unlike some of the pro players who aren’t massive content creators, Pamaj is as big as it gets when it comes to CoD YouTubers, so he had a reasonable bone to pick. Read More: Dr Disrespect warns Ninja about MW return – And to those who may contend that he didn’t get invited because he’s a YouTuber and not a streamer, the FaZe Clan star revealed he had streamed over 250 hours just this past month. Speaking of big names in the community, none are bigger than Chicago Huntsmen stars Scump and FormaL, who are known as the T2P duo after coining the phrase ‘Time to Pound’ during the OpTic Gaming days. Neither of them were invited to compete in this tournament, which FormaL and Scump both definitely took notice of on social media. While not a pro player anymore, NAMELESS also chimed in with his disbelief at some of the names that were included on the list of ‘CoD Partners’ and the $250K tournament. Seeing some people on this #codpartner list in this 250k tournament. Shocking but wow grats on the cash! pic.twitter.com/Gy8byA050E — Anthony Wheeler (@NAMELESS) December 9, 2019 Despite the outrage from Call of Duty pro players, content creators, and the general fan-base, it doesn’t look like Activision will be making any changes to the list of streamers they invited to compete in their $250,000 tournament. The competition will be taking place on Tuesday, December 4, kicking off at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET live on Twitch.

CoD pros ZooMaa and Rated trade shots during heated exchange Call of Duty pros Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto and Rhys ‘Rated’ Price exchanged heated words on Twitter. The incident started when ZooMaa said, “ Not sure why Rated always has my name in his mouth, has he won an event?” Since ZooMaa noted in the callout that Rated has not won an event, it is possible Rated has been talking about FaZe Clan’s failure to make the Pro League. “Why you asking me to team then buddy? Get comfy to watch me [in the Pro League] over the next couple months,” replied Rated. James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks recalled a time when he got into a similar situation with Rated. To be fair I tried to do something once upon a time and all you said was, and I quote, “stop shoutin at me mate” — eU Clayster (@Clayster) February 18, 2019 Enable and Saints replied with reactions showing their anticipation for the Rated and ZooMaa argument. Currently, ZooMaa and Rated are not scheduled to play against each other anytime soon; since OpTic and Red already played in the Pro League, the earliest they could meet again would be Week 7 of the Pro League in May. However, ZooMaa may not be a member of OpTic once the next roster transfer window comes around, meaning the pair could meet up much sooner depending on where ZooMaa signs.

CoD pros potentially adding DLC guns to competitive Modern Warfare meta Infinity WardAfter the Season 2 launch introduced two new primary weapons into Modern Warfare, several CDL pros have already loaded one of them into their competitive loadouts, potentially paving a way for a new meta. Prior to the new season, the M4 rifle and M15 submachine gun each received nerfs in the January 28 update. The M4A1’s range and damage were both lowered, as was MP5’s headshot multiplier and it’s range when equipped with the 10mm attachment. Despite the changes, they still remained near the top of the meta with no clear contenders emerging to take their place. That is, until Season 2 released, and players met the GRAU 5.56 assault rifle. The new rifle is unlocked at level 15 of the Season 2 battle pass, meaning for any pro player that plays multiple hours per day, it doesn’t take much work to acquire. Pros are already quickly adding the GRAU to their loadouts, and the new rifle has a chance to be a consistent part of the game’s competitive meta. CDL players have already been seen using the GRAU extensively in scrims, as attachments like the Drifter barrel make it a highly mobile, quick to aim weapon that’s very suitable for a flex player. Much like the M4, it’s customization options give it a ton of variety for fitting play styles. Chicago Huntsmen teammates Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon and Pierce ‘Gunless’ Hillman both used it on stream in recent scrims with positive results. The weapon isn’t the only gun getting some extra time in the sun over the past few weeks, as members of the community have been hyping up the RAM-7 as well. While it isn’t new, its recent extended clip ammo clip increase makes it more viable after the M4’s recent nerf. Earlier in Gunless’s stream, the lobby was talking about the RAM-7 being available, prompting his teammate Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper to immediately create a class for it. It’s been seen frequently in 10-man scrims as well, and Seattle Surge’s Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow heaped lots of praise on it on the CoD competitive subreddit. With these two rifles getting more attention, fans of CDL may see a break in the M4 and MP5-dominated meta seen in nearly all competitive game modes. With the pros adopting them into their own loadouts, expect to see more of those guns in your own matches as well.

CoD pros lash out at “dogsh*t” Vanguard immediately after CDL season ends ActivisionJust moments after the 2022 Call of Duty League season came to a close, pro players finally let out their true feelings after bottling it up all year, with some even calling it “the worst game [they’ve] ever played.” Since the CDL came into effect with the 2020 season, pro players have been punished for speaking their minds. Just for being critical, they risk hefty fines that have left even the likes of Scump “scared” to voice new opinions. As a result, despite Vanguard’s well-documented issues throughout the year, players mostly kept silent during the season in fear of these consequences. With Champs now in the books, however, the gloves just came off. Mere hours after the conclusion of the 2022 post-season and players are finally unleashing their pent-up frustrations, slamming Vanguard as a “dogsh*t” entry in the CoD franchise. “Thank god I’ll never have to play this dogsh*t” CoD ever again,” Champs runner-up aBeZy said on Twitter shortly after Atlanta FaZe suffered a 2-5 loss to LA Thieves. “Literally the worst game I’ve ever played,” he added, to which many fellow pros soon agreed. “Dude it’s so bad,” Clayster chimed in. “Can concur,” Standy replied. “Waiting for that one,” his teammate Arcitys joked. Complaints about the state of Vanguard flooded the timeline from players now done with the title. One particular issue that impacted Ultra’s CleanX seemingly restricted him from using tactical equipment and his Dead Silence ability. “If anyone is a controller genius and knows the fix, let me know,” he said on August 6. Two days later, he found a solution. Just by switching account, those features came back into effect. “Gonna miss Vanguard,” he said sarcastically. Another potentially game-breaking issue was revealed shortly thereafter when Arcitys exposed yet another x-ray vision glitch. This time, if players looked at the floor and had breakable surfaces in their sights, they could allegedly see right through. “God bless this game is done,” he added while signing off on the year. For the most part, it’s evident pros weren’t all too pleased with the year now gone. Sights are now set on the season ahead and with Modern Warfare 2 coming into focus, Vanguard can be left behind once and for all.

CoD Pros JKap and Temp roast each other during eUnited vs Splyce scrim Pro CoD player Donovan ‘Temp’ Laroda is known for his ruthless temperament, never afraid to speak his mind, and when he locked horns with eUnited’s Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan, sparks went flying. During a scrim between Temp’s Splyce and eUnited, a break in the action saw JKap get into a war of words with his opponent, and of course got it right back as good as he gave it. JKap later clarified on Reddit, that this was all just a troll, but even their teammates couldn’t tell at the time if the pair were being serious or not. It all started after Splyce won a hardpoint map 250-231, and Temp quickly entered game chat to remind his opponents that they had just been “smoked”. JKap then went to game chat to retort “Donny your fat ass has never won an event, you got by every other player in the world” – which sent Temp off. Temp fired back saying “you couldn’t win with FormaL, that’s why you got dropped for [Classic]”, referring to JKap’s replacement on Luminosity. JKap’s eUnited teammates weren’t sure what to make of the situation at first, but everyone laughed it off in the end. For anyone still wondering, JKap’s clarification on Reddit makes it clear that this all in jest, and there is no hard feelings between the pair. While Temp is known for his trash talk, much of it is light hearted, but no less entertaining for fans to watch, especially now that more professional teams are live streaming their practice. JKap on the other hand is not known for his trash talk, but after so many years in the scene, he can certainly dish it out when required.

CoD pros hit out over Vanguard sniper ban in Call of Duty League Activision/ValveCall of Duty pros and the wider community are once again frustrated after plans were revealed for snipers to be banned in competitive play and the CDL. During the Black Ops Cold War season, pros opted to leave snipers out of competitive play completely for the first time in CoD esports history, much to the disappointment of players, fans, and the community at large. The belief, at the time, was that snipers were overpowered, resulting in the pros making a Gentleman’s Agreement (GA) to simply not use them. So with the pros themselves opting to remove snipers, you would think there wouldn’t be any backlash — but the situation is causing a huge divide among Call of Duty’s elite. Each year, while certain things are banned in the game itself, such as shotguns, certain killstreaks and some perks, the pros also devise their GA list. These are things that are deemed uncompetitive and therefore unsuitable for pro play. Read More: How to watch CDL Kickoff Classic 2022 – On January 12, just a week before the 2022 CDL season’s Kickoff Classic event, it was revealed that all 12 teams voted unanimously to GA snipers for the second year in a row. Vanguard Gentlemen’s Agreement v1.2 Sniper Rifles have been GA’d. This is for NA only, but other regions might follow suit. via @DotEsports https://t.co/Ke2hsb2g3v — CDL Intel (@intelCDL) January 12, 2022 Before long, though, it became clear that not everyone was happy with the change, including pros that apparently voted in favor. Eli ‘Standy’ Bentz said that he “didn’t mind if it was in” despite the fact he doesn’t snipe. LA Thieves’ Sam ‘Octane’ Larew added that he wanted snipers in too. I don’t even snipe and didn’t mind if it was in 🤯 Also the fact some pros wanted smokes out in SnD is abysmal… — Standy (@Staaandy) January 13, 2022 Nvm I’ve been informed smokes are in sorry guys I wanted to snipe too — Sam “Octane” Larew (@OctaneSam) January 13, 2022 Meanwhile, Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro revealed that the OpTic Texas team actually wanted to keep snipers in, but voted to remove them in order to have a better chance of smoke grenades staying in. There was clearly some confusion between pros, their coaches, and further afield about the sniper ban, even streaming superstar and former CWL commentator Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop simply said that the decision “sucks.” With the sniper GA enforced once again, and several pro players unhappy or confused by the decision, it’ll be interesting to see whether it’s reversed throughout the season.

CoD pros find major spawn problems on hardpoint in Modern Warfare Professional Call of Duty players have been experiencing some major spawn issues on the Hardpoint game mode for Modern Warfare. The highly anticipated release of Modern Warfare has had mixed reviews among the competitive community with many players, such as FormaL, criticizing the current map selection. Since the official ruleset for the upcoming season was revealed, pro players have already started to compete on the new game, however, they noticed some major issues with the spawn system on Hardpoint. Retired Call of Duty pro Anthony ‘NAMELESS’ Wheeler was among the few to notice the spawn problems while he was testing out the respawn mode’s ruleset in a competitive match on November 1. The former Evil Geniuses captain was playing hardpoint on Rammaza when he found himself respawning directly in front of his opponent and giving him little time to react to the gunfight. NAMELESS was shocked at what he had witnessed simply shouting “what!?” before staring at his facecam, expressing his frustration with the unusual spawn location. Similarly to NAMELESS, Seattle Surge player Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow also experienced his share of issues with the respawn system on the Rammaza map. The three-time CoD world Champion was also surprised to see that he had spawned in right next to two opposing players after dying, however, it was in a different location on the map than his former competitor’s. Although there seem to be some major issues with Modern Warfare’s respawn system for Hardpoint, particularly on the Rammaza map, it is likely that they will be fixed well in time for the start of the Call of Duty League which kicks off on January 24 in Minnesota. Infinity Ward will hopefully be investigating and monitoring faulty spawns on a variety of maps and modes, but for competitive play, Hardpoint spawns are absolutely crucial, more so than any other mode.

CoD pros excited by Dr Disrespect’s unique Modern Warfare tournament idea Dr Disrespect/ActivisionCall of Duty fans are gearing up for the highly anticipated release of Modern Warfare on October 25 after getting their hands on both an alpha and beta. While the beta actually showed off some of the more traditional multiplayer aspects of the game – including game types, killstreaks, and perks, the earlier alpha dove into the 2v2 Gunfight mode. In the 2v2 mode, players take a partner into battle as the game throws a random set of weapons to both teams – be it something like an RPG and a Desert Eagle, or a sniper accompanied by a knife. It’s that mode that has piqued the interest of Dr Disrespect as he looks to make his mark with a tournament right off the bat. “Here’s what I’m thinking…,” the Doc tweeted on September 30. “Modern Warfare 2v2 Code Red Tournament – Cross Platform. Teammates consist of 1 on PC and 1 on Console.” Of course, it wouldn’t be just for fun or the bragging rights over your fellow players, with the Two-Time also asking: “100k? Talk to me.” Here’s what I’m thinking…#ModernWarfare 2v2 Code Red Tournament – Cross Platform. Teammates consist of 1 on PC and 1 on Console. 100k? Talk to me. — Dr Disrespect (@drdisrespect) October 1, 2019 Shortly after the streamer had put forward his idea, plenty of Call of Duty professionals and other content creators put their interest forward in taking part. Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter claimed he was “down,” Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag wanted to “get this bread,” while Doug ‘Censor’ Martin couldn’t contain his excitement – spamming “yes” over and over again. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!! YES!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!! — FaZe Censor (@Censor) October 1, 2019 However, no one was scouting out teammates like Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni, who informed Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek that he would go to some uncomfortable lengths to be able to partner-up with him. It remains to be seen whether the Doc will go through with his idea, or if something else will take his interest before Modern Warfare finally releases – but his Code Red events have proven extremely popular in the past. One thing is for certain, though, there is plenty of interest in seeing PC and console players join forces on the virtual battlefield in Gunfight.

COD pros concerned about “worst ever” Modern Warfare 3 spawns ActivisionCall of Duty pros are concerned that Modern Warfare 3 might have some of the worst spawns in COD history, as the MW3 beta gets into full swing and players get to try out the game for the first time. By and large, the feedback to the game has been pretty positive. Players are loving getting to play on the classic MW2 2009 maps again, while the movement is fluid and free-flowing once again, more reminiscent of MW2019 than the slower movement of MWII. Not everybody is delighted by the changes, however. For example, there has been a lot of debate regarding the TTK of the game, with some preferring the slower time to kill while those who loved games like MW2019 think it should be a lot quicker. One thing almost all players are in agreement with, though, is that the spawns need some work. You’ll regularly find yourself spawning somewhere random, right next to your opponents, with little logic behind where you’ve spawned in — and both casuals and pro players alike are concerned. Modern Warfare 3 spawns “worst ever” A number of people in the pro community have come out to speak about the issue that is the spawns in the MW3 beta, hoping it will be fixed by the time the game launches on November 10. Three-time COD world champion and current OpTic Texas coach Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow said that “the game feels so f**king clean… the spawns, though, are hurting my head.” He added that it’s not squad spawns but it just “feels random.” He added in a tweet that the spawns are “the worst he’s ever seen,” to which 2023 world champion and new Boston Breach signing Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner questioned how hard it is to “get traditional spawns back.” Karma and Priestahh weren’t the only one ones, though. Recently retired Sam ‘Octane’ Larew said that spawns “don’t seem great” but it could be down to “6v6 randomness.” Overall, there has been a lot of discussion around MW3 spawns and a clear belief that they need to be fixed ahead of the game’s full launch. How much they change, however, is not yet known, as another weekend of beta gameplay, more testing, and a few weeks of final development touches still need to be done.

CoD pros Clayster, Scump and more discuss their most embarrassing tweets H3CZ / YouTubeA handful of Call of Duty pros were invited to Twitter HQ ahead of the 2019 CWL Championship, to recall their old hot takes and embarrassing tweets from the past. The pros were also joined by veteran caster Clint ‘Maven’ Evans and OpTic Gaming’s Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez, to create a one-off video for Twitter Gaming. Call of Duty esports is among the most talked-about on Twitter, with four players, Scump, Clayster, Crimsix and Dashy, all in the most mentioned esports competitors on the social media platform. Unsurprisingly, topping the pile was OpTic’s Seth ‘Scump’ Abner, who was reminded of some of his classic Twitter musings like “There is a new Chipotle in the area, so I switch back and forth every day so the employees don’t think I’m crazy.” Scump stood behind this classic Tweet, confirming the story was true, as did Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, who still believes that Hot Cheetos are the best snack food, after posting it in October 2018. ZooMaa’s classic tweet recalled when his physical therapist realized ZooMaa was a pro player – and then couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved Scump. That #CWLChamps was one for the history books. We caught up with some of the best to go #BehindTheTweets ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/V0x8FJyDdo — Twitter Gaming (@TwitterGaming) August 20, 2019 James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, went back the furthest, with a throwback to when he was still in college while trying to compete, and posting a tweet about the struggles of finishing a paper, at 8am: “I was probably up all night doing it,” the now two-time world champion explained. GenG’s Jared ‘Nagafen’ Harell, was put on the spot to defend his opinion about pineapple pizza – always a controversial take on Twitter – but stood by it: “Try it before your roast me on Twitter.” Maven was sent back to his early days in the Call of Duty esports scene, in 2013, where he recalled all the ‘drama’ that went on, with a Tweet saying “Twitter has become much more entertaining to me since getting involved in cod. I swear after 3am it’s like Jerry Springer.” H3CZ’s tweet was more recent – his viral video post asking Alexa who the best Call of Duty player is, which Alexa said to be Scump, while the pro was stood in the room. Twitter also supported the CWL Championship with its very own ‘hashflag’ for #CWLChamps. Call of Duty and the teams and players involved remain one of the most talked-about of esports on the platform, which might have something to do with all the drama that Maven mentioned.

CoD pros Censor and ACHES defend Complexity’s Jason Lake amid CSGO roster drama Call of Duty/Facebook: Jason LakeCall of Duty pros Doug ‘Censor’ Martin and Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price have come to the defense of Complexity CEO and Founder Jason Lake, following backlash about his CSGO roster shake-up tweet. Lake, who founded the esports organization back in 2003, sparked outrage in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community following a tweet he posted after his current roster were dumped out of the StarLadder Berlin Major. After they fell to Grayhound Gaming in a 1-2 record elimination match, Lake tweeted that he wouldn’t tolerate the performance and issued a message to any CS:GO pro out there, offering the world’s highest salaries in the hopes of building a juggernaut. Ryan ‘Freakazoid’ Abadir labeled his post as “fucking stupid,” even though Lake says he informed his team about the tweet prior to posting it. Since then, however, Lake has had some of his former players come to his defense, including Censor, who played under the coL banner during the Call of Duty: WWII season, before leaving as the roster disbanded. He tweeted: “When I played on coL, Jason was nothing short of an outstanding owner. His priority was ALWAYS his team and he did everything to put us in positions to be successful. It was an honor to play for him.” When I played on coL, Jason was nothing short of an outstanding owner. His priority was ALWAYS his team and he did everything to put us in positions to be successful. It was an honor to play for him :raised_hands::skin-tone-2: https://t.co/t6QM3oDqD9 — FaZe Censor (@Censor) August 25, 2019 Fellow professional ACHES, who was a part of the organization for more than two years – winning multiple event titles and a world championship, echoed Censor’s sentiment. “One of the best CEOs in the game,” he added, before Censor noted that the compLexity founder is what he ‘strives to be’ in his everyday life and business dealings. Literally. The man is what I strive to be every day in business and relationships. — FaZe Censor (@Censor) August 25, 2019 Other former players and fans have also stepped in to back Lake’s comments, but it appears clear that his opinion isn’t entirely popular with the competitive CSGO community. What the future holds for the current roster, however, remains unknown as the StarLadder Berlin Major is in full swing. The organization could very well be involved in a huge post-Major shuffle, but the prospect of that happening is still a few weeks away.

CoD pros call for Vanguard health increase to combat “hardcore” TTK ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have been complaining about weapons doing too much damage. And CDL pros are calling for a health increase to help the game’s TTK that feels like “Hardcore.” Since Vanguard’s release, players have noticed that the time to kill is one of the lowest ever in the franchise. This means that guns like the MP-40, STG, Automaton, and more are shredding through enemies in the blink of an eye. After the opening weekend of the 2022 CDL season, pros are begging that devs change the base HP as they feel like the game is being played on Hardcore mode. CDL pros ask for more health in Vanguard I feel like if we bumped up the health to 130 instead of 100 it’d make this game play out way better. The extra bullet ttk adds a wider skill gap imo. I also feel like it’d make the viewing experience better — FaZe aBeZy (@aBeZy) February 7, 2022 In a tweet, Atlanta FaZe pro Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris said that he wanted to see health bumped up to 130 instead of being at 100. He thinks this would create a larger skill gap and make the game more competitive. On top of that, the defending champion thinks would be great for viewership. Some fans have said it’s hard to follow Vanguard because there is so much happening at a fast pace. Even Former World Champion Tyler ‘TeeP’ Polchow was struggling to understand what was happening on the map. They gotta change the health in Cdl to 200 or something holy shit 😂 — TeeP (@TylerTeeP) February 7, 2022 While watching a CDL match, the now-content creator said, “They gotta change the health in CDL to 200 or something.” Former caster, Joe ‘Merk’ DeLuca chimed in saying that 150 health needed to be tested because people die too fast. Multiple people, including pros, have said the game feels like it’s on Hardcore. That mode is known for having realistic health where players typically die with one or two bullets. CDL pros say raising health won’t fix Vanguard TTK Some CDL pros said it wouldn’t be possible to raise the health because that would make grenades extremely useless. In a Tweet from Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon, the LA Thieves player said that you will literally “eat a nade.” Anthony ‘Methodz’ Zinni added on to Envoy’s claim that nades “are the reason we can’t do it.” Since you can take reduced damage with the Fortified perk, three grenades would not be enough to kill someone with 130 health. This makes upping the base HP nonviable for competitive play. While people continue to figure out a long-term solution, both pros and casual players have a common goal: raise the TTK in Vanguard.

CoD pros angered by Modern Warfare exploit that reveals enemy positions ActivisionA major exploit has surfaced in Modern Warfare which allows players to briefly locate the entire enemy team — and professional players are furious. The exploit is one that originally dates back to MW2, an infamous exploit coined the ‘start glitch.’ It appears to have surfaced again in 2019’s Modern Warfare, allowing players to see enemy positions after dying. Clearly, this is problematic not only in regular multiplayer games for casual players, but has a particular impact on professional play. What is the start glitch in Modern Warfare? Despite all of CoD pros’ best efforts to strive for competitive integrity in Modern Warfare with GAs, it appears that an exploit that allows players to see enemy positions by opening up the ‘Start’ menu during a killcam could be giving teams an unfair advantage. The bug, which originally plagued competitive Call of Duty back in MW2, shows enemy locations on the minimap for the entire duration of the killcam — essentially granting them the ability to call out their positioning, while their opponent is none the wiser. Enemy kills you, you watch the killcam for 5 seconds, during the killcam you hit start button, and you essentially see what would’ve been that persons(the opponents) minimap during him killing you. So you can callout his entire team. — PATTYP (@ACHES) July 24, 2020 Given the potential implications of the exploit, former world champ, Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat, sent out a cryptic Tweet, asking which teams had been using the bug to gain the upper-hand throughout the season. Ahh another glorious day of MW where something new pops up… So which teams have been doing the MW2 start glitch the entire year??? — SlasheR (@SlasheR_AL) July 24, 2020 This led to a plethora of backlash from pros, with the likes of Dallas Empire’s James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks and London Royal Ravens’ Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris venting their frustration in the thread of replies. According to CoD veteran, Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price, the exploit has been in the game since release, meaning that players have had the opportunity to gain an unfair advantage all season long. With teams set to compete for the largest prize pool in Call of Duty history ($4.6 million) in less than one month’s time, players will be hoping that Infinity Ward finds a way to patch this exploit, given the obvious issues it presents. After a series of patches, tweaks and Gentlemen’s Agreements (GAs), CDL players would be hoping to be playing a finely tuned, well-balanced game — especially considering the most lucrative tournament in Call of Duty history is just around the corner. But aside from recent change in meta following the slight nerf to the most used weapon in the CDL (the MP5) coming slap bang in the middle of the season, players have also had to contest with the logistics of online play after only playing four Home Series events on LAN.

CoD pros ACHES and SlasheR hit out at Modern Warfare over lack of updates Veteran Call of Duty professionals Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price and Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat have criticized developers Infinity Ward over the lack of updates Modern Warfare has received since its release. Modern Warfare, as with every new Call of Duty title, has received some criticism from the professional community for some aspects that pros do not think are well suited to competitive play. There has long been frustration among pro players over the communication – or lack thereof – that they receive from Call of Duty developers. Many argue that the developers do not do enough to help optimize the game for competitive play. It seems that Modern Warfare has not bucked the trend, as pro players SlasheR and ACHES lashed out at Infinity Ward on January 18. The two men, who play for OpTic LA and LA Guerrillas respectively, criticized the latest CoD installment for its lack of updates to improve the game from a competitive perspective. The criticism came about as a result of a tweet from London Royal Ravens’ Rhys ‘Rated’ Price, who says that pros were “told there’s a slide cancel patch [coming] on the 22nd”, only to be told that there’s no time scale on a fix. Told there’s a slide cancel patch on the 22nd get close to the 22nd “”No time line on the slide cancel patch”” only call of duty. — Rhys Price (@Rated_COD) January 18, 2020 In response, Black Ops 3 world champion SlasheR said that he’s “curious” to see if Modern Warfare ever gets a patch that benefits professional players. “A week out from the league and still nothing,” he finished. “Gotta laugh it off.” ACHES echoed SlasheR’s comments, saying: “Bro we legit haven’t gotten a single update that improves the game for us. And we still aren’t gonna before [Minnesota]! Insane.” Bro we legit haven’t gotten a single update that improves the game for us. And we still aren’t gonna before MN! Insaneee. — PATTYP (@ACHES) January 18, 2020 The inaugural Call of Duty League season starts on January 25 in Minnesota. Despite being 3 months on from Modern Warfare’s release, some pro players argue that, from a competitive perspective, the game has not changed at all. Past games like CoD: WWII have been criticized for pandering to professional opinions more than they should. Other games have been criticized for not doing enough. While it’s a fine line for developers to tread, it seems ACHES and SlasheR are among those who believe Modern Warfare is not doing enough for the professional scene.

CoD pros ACHES and SlasheR have hilarious argument over the CWL ruleset Two of the most outspoken professional CoD players inevitably locked horns on Twitter following the release of the V1 CWL ruleset for Black Ops 4. 100 Thieves’ Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat was part of ther team of pro players who met with developers to give input on the ruleset, which was more complex than ever in Black Ops 4, with new specialists, equipment and the change to 5v5. The initial version of the ruleset has been met with mixed reviews to say the least, and one of the most vocally against it, was reigning world champion and Team Envy captain Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price. The biggest change (other than 5v5) was the inclusion of the new ‘Control’ mode, but the competitive community was mostly up in arms over specialist restrictions, or lack thereof. Only Nomad has been banned, meaning powerful abilities like Torque’s barricade and Ajax’s Riot Shield remain. In response to the ruleset, ACHES took a direct shot at the pro players who were part of the process, calling them “yes men”, rather than “seasoned veterans” (like him, presumably). That’s why you gotta get actual seasoned veterans that aren’t yes-men to provide feedback on rules and mapsets months in advance. Otherwise this happens. pic.twitter.com/V7BGvNGXeZ — Patrick Price (@ACHES) October 26, 2018 SlasheR clearly took notice of the slight dig towards him and the others involved in the feedback process, suggesting that they had not said “yes” to everything, as ACHES insinuated. Everyone take a moment to realize how delusional pattyp is he thought we sat there and said yes!! Lmao :shocked: — 100T SlasheR (@SlasheR_AL) October 26, 2018 ACHES retracted his yes men accusation, instead suggesting that SlasheR and co. were unable to “formulate an argument” against certain features, and that they “rolled over” after being shut down once. SlasheR, who completed his degree in robotic engineering in 2017, quickly fired back, saying he could have programmed a robot to form his argument for him, never mind forming it himself. You are so moronic you actually believe that. I could code a robot to formulate an argument for me don’t ever try and insult my intelligence idiot — 100T SlasheR (@SlasheR_AL) October 26, 2018 For now, the V1 ruleset is being put to the test by pro players and amateurs in competitive wagers, scrims and online tournaments, with League Play set to launch in December. The first major event, CWL Vegas, is also fast approaching on December 7, so whether there is just over a month for rules to be finalized before teams commence play at what $250,000 tournament.

CoD Pros ACHES and SlasheR dispute competitive map vetos for Black Ops 4 With the first event of the Black Ops 4 CWL season on December 7, the competitive community is getting everything in order, including whether or not map vetos will be used. Map vetos were used in Call of Duty: Ghosts, and returned for Call of Duty: WWII, allowing teams to pick and ban certain maps, depending on their strengths and weaknesses. While it is sensible approach in theory, some players and fans complained about a lack of map variety in series, where a five game series could see the same map played three times across different game modes. In response to a Tweet from former pro player, now manager at Rise Nation, Jonathon ‘Pacman’ Tucker, 100 Thieves player Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat argued that map vetos lead toi this issue of poor map variety. Specifically, he references the map ‘Ardennes Forest’ from CoD: WWII, which was by far the most frequently played map, often played three times in a five game series. However, Team Envy captain Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price disagreed, pointing out that map vetos feature in every other esport with multiple maps, and is “more competitive than random generated.” Its still more competitive than having random generated. and theres no argument about that. — Patrick Price (@ACHES) November 14, 2018 SlasheR points out the flaw in ACHES’ argument however, because unlike Call of Duty, other games with multiple maps only have one game mode, meaning the same map being played more than once in a series is not possible. CoD however has multiple modes and multiple maps, meaning the same map could be played for Hardpoint, Search & Destroy and Control. Cs plays one game mode so it’s not possible to have cache 3 times in a row there is always variety. Can’t be said for cod. — 100T SlasheR (@SlasheR_AL) November 14, 2018 SlasheR’s argues that having map variety is much better for the viewing experience, and even as a player he prefers watching different maps in a series, rather than the same back to back. Envy coach Embry ‘Bevils’ Bevil disagreed however, stating that competitive integrity should take precedence over the viewing experience. While SlasheR didn’t necessarily argue against this, he doesn’t believe the improvement to competitive integrity is worth the poorer viewing experience. How much competitive integrity are we giving up here? I really don’t believe it’s nearly enough to make it worse on the viewer — 100T SlasheR (@SlasheR_AL) November 14, 2018 It is unknown if map vetos will be used in Black Ops 4 for the CWL, but there has been no indication that it will be. There has been hints that some of the maps currently in rotation will be removed ahead of the first event, with finalized CWL rules expected before CWL Vegas begins on December 7.

CoD pros ACHES and Decemate react after ‘snaking’ is seen in Modern Warfare Infinity Ward/CWLCurrent Call of Duty professionals for Team Envy, Patrick ‘ACHES’ Price and Jacob ‘Decemate’ Cato, have reacted to the potential of ‘snaking’ in the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Despite the full multiplayer reveal for Modern Warfare having taken place on August 1, much remains unclear about the game, including the esports side of it. No League Play mode has been confirmed as of yet, nor whether it will retain Black Ops 4’s 5v5 format. On August 2, CoD pros Decemate and ACHES reacted similarly to an emergent video clip featuring Trevor ‘TmarTn’ Martin, which appears to show a member of the YouTuber’s team performing a ‘snaking’ movement. ‘Snaking’ has long been a controversial topic in the CoD community, in particular among professional players, as usually more skilled and competitive players will use the exploit. It involves players manipulating the game’s prone mechanic, and adjusting to crouching or standing quickly, so their character performs a motion that has been likened to a snake’s slither. However, when done quickly and behind the right cover, it can result in the player being almost invulnerable, as they are still able to peek over the cover behind which they are based. It has been a prominent debate in past CoDs, including Infinity Ward’s previous title, Infinite Warfare. Envy star Decemate, who originally tweeted the video, simply captioned it “no!”. ACHES echoed this sentiment, stating: “Oh god no. No! No! No! No!” While snaking has undoubtedly been manipulated by professional players in the past, it’s fair to say the majority of them do not want to see it return when Modern Warfare drops in October this year. The maneuver even garnered so much controversy in Infinite Warfare, that Infinity Ward released patches to reduce its effectiveness. While it has been in no way confirmed to play a big role in Modern Warfare, the video clip does point to it being a movement possibility, at least in the game’s current build.

CoD Pro ZooMaa calls ‘gentleman’s agreements’ a “joke” in Black Ops 4 FaZe Clan pro player Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto went on an impassioned rant about the recent controversy over ‘gentleman’s agreements’ in Black Ops 4, saying he is “tired” of it. Gentleman’s agreements (GA) have been used to varying degrees and with varying success over previous seasons in competitive Call of Duty, and it is an issue which has cropped up again in Black Ops 4. Although some in the community are vehemently against GA’s in every aspect, some argue that they are necessary to allow the competitive community, mainly at the professional level, to act quickly when something is problematic – or at least quicker than the developers/CWL can. Fans from the Infinite Warfare season will recall the issue with OSA assault rifle, which was used by almost all players at the first event, forcing a gentleman’s agreement until it was finally ruled out of competitive play officially. Black Ops 4 doesn’t have an OSA type situation thankfully, but there has been rumors of a possible GA to Ruin’s Grapple Hook, at least in Search and Destroy, where it can be used at the start of almost every round. However, ZooMaa has made his feelings very clear on the issue. While playing the recent CMG ProDown tournament, the FaZe Clan vet lashed out at fellow pro’s who were trying to enforce the Grapple GA, calling it a “joke”. ZooMaa’s teammate James ‘Replays’ Crowder explains that if he does use the Grapple in SnD, effectively breaking the GA, other teams will respond by using the Ajax specialist (also rumored to be GA’d in competitive play due to the shield, which is not officially restricted in the ruleset). The Stage One MVP doesn’t care however, saying “I’m tired of sitting back and letting people run the show. I’m using the grapple every fucking map. Use Ajax, for all I give a fuck”, before pointing out that other powerful specialists are being used. Although amendments to the V1 CWL Ruleset were made to better balance specialists in competitive (like making Torque’s Barricade and Razor Wire deal no damage, for example), there are clearly still issues for some players. The debate around the Grapple Hook would likely be resolved by giving it a longer cooldown, so it cannot be used so frequently in Search and Destroy, or perhaps restricting it so it cannot be used for the first 10 seconds of an SnD round. Whether Treyarch has any plans to implement such changes to the Grapple in competitive play is unknown, and with only a matter of weeks until the first major event, CWL Vegas, there isn’t much time to make changes either.

CoD Pro Tommey Tweets His Travel Struggles After Missing Flight to CoD Champs 2018 Professional Call of Duty player Tom ‘Tommey’ Trewren has had a nightmare attempting to travel to the 2018 Call of Duty Championships. The annual event is the biggest event of the calendar year for competitive CoD fans, and on August 19 there will be four players who will be crowned WWII world champions. It hasn’t been plane sailing (no pun intended) for everyone. British player Tommey was attempting to catch a flight on August 13 when he ran into severe traffic in his taxi, and as a result, missed out on being able to check in for his flight to Columbus. The Team Vitality player explained that he had a terrible morning and eventually missed his the cut off time to check in by 20 minutes. To compound his misery, because it was technically his fault, he was forced to pay £350 ($446) to reschedule another flight for the next day and had to pay £105 ($133) for a new hotel. He Tweeted out the news following his ordeal. Tommey and co will fight it out against Echo Fox, Luminosity Gaming, and Havok Esports in Group G. They’ll need to place in the top two to advance through to the Championship Bracket. Matches begin on Wednesday, August 15 at the MLG Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

CoD Pro Spart’s OP Volk loadout breaks Vanguard meta at $500k event Activision/YouTube: Dexerto Call of DutyAt the Call of Duty League Major 2 event, LA Guerrillas took home the trophy to the surprise of absolutely everyone — and that came largely down to the success of Kris ‘Spart’ Cervantez, and his meta-breaking Volk loadout. While CDL players have often been stuck to just two guns this season — the MP40 and Automaton — there was a little more variation in the meta at Major 2, and it had a huge impact on the final standings. The Volk hadn’t seen any pro play throughout the opening Major cycles of the season until Spart subbed in for LAG, pulling it out for certain maps and modes. Here’s how you need to deck your Volk out if you’re looking to dominate your opponents in Vanguard ranked play, just like the Major 2 MVP. Volk loadout for Vanguard ranked play Muzzle: T1 Flash Hider – Barrel: Krausnick 428MM 05V – Optic: Slate Reflector – Stock: Reisdorf 22V Adjustable – Underbarrel: M1941 Hand Stop – Ammo Type: FMJ Rounds – Rear Grip: Stippled Grip – Proficiency: Fleet – Kit: On-Hand – While, for the most part, these kinds of attachments are popular across the board for assault rifle loadouts in competitive play, there’s one main change. Rather than the F8 Stabilizer — a mainstay in Vanguard assault rifle loadouts — Spart opted instead for the T1 Flash Hider, giving the gun more of a recoil reduction. Pray for our ranked lobbies 😭@itsspart | #LightsOut | #CDL2022 pic.twitter.com/O4BGNM9u66 — Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) March 31, 2022 Spart’s appearance for LAG at Major 2 was enough of a shock, but going and winning it with an incredible performance was almost unthinkable at the start of the event. If you’re looking to change things up and dominate like the pros in Vanguard before they try to get the gun banned, it’s well worth trying out this Volk loadout.

CoD pro Slacked roasted by NFL stars Patrick Mahomes & Tyreek Hill EA SPORTS / Seattle SurgeSeattle Surge’s Call of Duty pro Josiah ‘Slacked’ Berry got some big praise from Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay for his in-game skills – but Super Bowl winners Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill took the opportunity to roast him, instead. There has been a big merging in the sports and esports worlds over recent years, and even more so due to the ongoing global pandemic that is leaving sports stars with nothing to do but explore other interests. One of those interests, obviously, is video games, and now Slacked has managed to run some Warzone games with Slay and San Francisco 49ers CB Richard Sherman – but some other NFL stars took the opportunity to roast him for his play instead. After Slay tweeted about Slacked being “so good it’s crazy,” Kansas City Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill called Slacked “so washed” and challenged him to a Fortnite 1v1 – even saying that he’ll give the CoD pro $100 if he could kill the wide receiver just once. If that wasn’t enough, 2020 Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes rubbed even more salt in the wound, saying that he “promises [Slacked] is washed these days.” Obviously, Slacked gives as good as he gets, and told Mahomes that neither of them could kill him and he would “play with one hand.” Slacked has long been a very passionate Kansas City Chiefs fan, so to have some of the team and league’s biggest stars calling him out could probably be a pretty daunting prospect, though it might not be much of a challenge for a professional like him. After his response, another Chiefs player, wide receiver Mecole Hardman, told Slacked that he “loves the confidence,” obviously backing the CoD pro over his teammates on the field. I love ya confidence lol https://t.co/7p7sGHqOnw — Mecole Hardman Jr. (@MecoleHardman4) March 31, 2020 Clearly, despite all major sports and esports leagues being out of action for the foreseeable future, there may be some crossovers in the digital world as players look to fill their spare time. Who knows, Slacked might even get the chance to back up his claims.

Paris Legion’s Skrapz proves he doesn’t need twin Wuskin to compete CDL’s Super Week is underway, seeing Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall put in an unbelievable display for Paris Legion, showing that he can fend for himself away from his twin brother, Bradley ‘Wuskin’ Marshall. The boisterous Brit shone for Legion when they 3-0’d a sub-par Florida Mutineers. However, it’s not all done for Skrapz yet, with tough battles against the rest of their CDL opposition heading into the Stage 1 Major. After being overshadowed by Wuskin’s unbelievable performances in the inaugural CDL season, Legion’s masterful Mancunian will need to continue his good run of form to prove his doubters wrong: there’s still life for the star after Wuskin. Heading into the series with Florida, Legion was sat winless in the standings after taking losses from both OpTic Chicago and LA Guerrillas in the opening weekend. Swooping in and saving the day, though, was Skrapz. Stepping up when his team needed him the most, he shone with fantastic close-quarters mechanics and patience. Upcoming opponents Toronto Ultra and Atlanta FaZe are undoubtedly out for blood against Legion, with Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr’s Atlanta men posing the biggest threat. This, ultimately, will be the true test for Skrapz. Make sure to head on over to our main CoD page for all news and events on Call of Duty.

CoD Pro Skrapz Posts Hilarious Response to Censor Following Recent Breakup News The recent breakup of compLexity Gaming pro CoD player Doug ‘Censor’ Martin and his now former girlfriend Yanet Garcia has generated a lot of interest and discussion. After publicly announcing that their breakup was due to the long distance nature of their relationship conflicting with personal responsibilities, Censor has received feedback from many in the community, ranging from casual fans to fellow pro players. One such player was Red Reserve pro Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall, who recorded his reaction to the news in a video that he has since posted on Twitter. Known for being a consummate joker and one of the funniest guys in the CoD community, Skrapz’s hilarious tweet certainly lived up to expectations. “What’s happening Doug? What the fuck have you done mate? What have you done? I tell you what Doug, you’ve made a bold move mate. […] Oh my God, she’s got a bumper as well. You’ve made a risky move Doug. Wow. That is what you call… you must have a big sack of nuts. […]” Fortunately, Censor was very familiar with Skrapz’s comedic tendencies, and took the reaction in stride, even calling him hilarious. LOL!! You’re hilarious my guy! I’m just a man that knows what I want. Good luck at playoffs this weekend — Doug Censor Martin (@Censor) July 24, 2018 Skrapz was not done there however, as he posted another video of him talking about the subject, although this time he was much more serious. Censor appeared to be very appreciative at what the Red Reserve pro had to say, perhaps relieved that someone understood his point of view and wasn’t quick to judge carelessly. Great talk bro. Let’s get these rings, go out to Bora Bora and get us some beautiful bumpers. — Doug Censor Martin (@Censor) July 24, 2018

CoD pro Skrapz continues to tease FaZe Clan move with new PlayStation ID Call of Duty pro player Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall has continued to tease a potential move to FaZe Clan by updating his PlayStation Network ID to include the legendary organization’s name. The Call of Duty roster transfer period is now open, allowing organizations to sign, release and transfer players to other teams in the hopes of strengthening their squads. Organizations will be looking towards the return of the CWL Pro League as they attempt to finalize their rosters, with the competition set to restart on May 13. What’s going on with Skrapz and FaZe Clan? With Red Reserve’s time in Call of Duty seemingly coming to an end, rumors have been flying as to where the former lineup would go, with notorious leaker CoDBurner at the center of the speculation. According to the CoDBurner, FaZe Clan are going to purchase Red Reserve’s spot in the CWL Pro League for themselves after missing out on the competition with a poor performance at the Pro League Qualifier. While the organization holding the spot may change, it seems two players will remain – with Skrapz and Red Reserve teammate Trei ‘Zer0’ Morris believed to be joining Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto, McArthur ‘Cellium’ Jovel and Dillon ‘Attach’ Price for the remainder of the season. Skraps teases FaZe Clan move With fans of both the player and the organization eagerly awaiting confirmation of the CoDBurner’s rumors, Skrapz has used social media to tease the possible move, making a number of mentions to the team that is believed to be his new home. Following the news that PlayStation 4 owners can change their ID on PSN, Skrapz used the opportunity to change his name on the console to ‘FaZeSkrapz-’, a fairly obvious hint at his future in Call of Duty. This isn’t the first time that Skrapz has tweeted about his potential move, using FaZe’s motto in a tweet on April 11. Neither FaZe Clan or Skrapz have made an official announcement, but it seems likely that fans will get confirmation of the move before CWL London, which kicks off on May 3. Of course, if CoDBurner is wrong and Skrapz has been messing with Call of Duty fans, it may go down as one of the best trolls in the history of the esport.

CoD Pro SiLLY Has Intel on Black Ops 4, Says Leaks Could be Fake Evil Geniuses’ Call of Duty Justin ‘SiLLy’ Fargo-Palmer has heard some new rumors regarding Black Ops 4 and says that all of the previous leaks could be fake. Announced in March of 2018, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will release on October 12th 2018 and has already been the subject of some intense rumors and speculation. These range from the game not featuring single player all the way up to it featuring a separate Battle Royale mode released by Raven Software that will even be available on the Nintendo Switch. For the multiplayer community, though, the rumors have left everyone scratching their heads as leaks have reported that the gameplay will be more like Overwatch or Lawbreakers than a classic Call of Duty title. This has left both the casual and competitive community in a state of confusion, especially when you factor in other leaks that claim the game will have both “advanced movement” and “boots on the ground” gameplay. However, Evil Geniuses’ SiLLY, formerly of eUnited, has heard differently. Taking to Twitter late on April 29th, the professional player said that he has been told that all of the previous leaks were fake. apparently all that leaked bo4 stuff was fake? love to hear that — EG Justin Fargo (@silly702) April 30, 2018 It would be a rare occurrence for so many leaks from different sources to all turn out to be fake, but it is possible that Treyarch and Activision have allowed some “fake” information to be spread as they attempt to keep the true nature of their game a secret. The Call of Duty community seems to be split in what it wants to see from Black Ops 4, so it would be a serious achievement if the developers manage to release something that keeps everyone happy. One thing is for sure: the community reveal for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will take place on May 17th and we’re unlikely to have any concrete facts about the highly anticipated game before that date.

CoD pro Shotzzy buys Warzone teammates new monitors after hearing they played on TVs YouTube: ShotzzyOpTic Gaming movement king Shotzzy offered to buy his Warzone teammates some high-end gaming monitors to help them out after learning they played on 65” TV screens. When it comes to getting the most out of Warzone, the top players are pushing every part of their setup. Whether its a custom PC build, top-of-the-range mouse and keyboard, or monitors tuned for gaming with high-refresh rates in mind, there’s always something to help boost performance that little bit extra. So when Shotzzy encountered some strangers one day on Rebirth Island, he had to learn about their gaming rigs. Joking that his auto-fill teammates were all playing on PS4s with “their mum’s big TV,” he soon found out he wasn’t far from the mark. Two of the players on his squad let him know they were playing on 50 inch and 65 inch TV screens respectively. After laughing it off, Shotzzy soon made a wager. If this team could pull out the win, he’d upgrade their setup with some fresh monitors. “If we win, I’ll buy both of you guys monitors alright?” Shotzzy said early into the match. “Alright chill MrBeast,” one the players joked in response. Without knowing who Shotzzy was, they were both skeptical of the offer at first. But as the lobby progressed and they continued to pile up kills, the win was well within reach. Bantering along the way, the ragtag group made it work and before long, they managed to close out the lobby with an emphatic victory. Shotzzy himself even dropping 18 kills to help get there. Sending them friend requests and chatting after the match, the OpTic star made good on his promise. He guided them to his Twitch channel where they quickly realized they were playing with ‘Scump’s teammate.’ “He’s seriously streaming,” one of them said. “This is crazy.” Their day had just turned around completely by luck as Warzone’s matchmaking system just so happened to send Shotzzy their way. Now with a win on their record, they were able to ask for just about any gaming monitor that caught their eye and Shotzzy was there to put the order in.

CoD pro received “two strikes” for teabagging at Esports World Cup Carolina Royale RavensCall of Duty esports veteran and Carolina Royal Ravens player Tyler ‘FeLo’ Johnson detailed on a live stream how he was penalized at the Esports World Cup for teabagging his opponent. The Call of Duty portion of the Esports World Cup ended with Atlanta FaZe lifting the trophy after three days of high-octane competition. The third-party event was the first tournament in a long time in the space not run by Activision Blizzard and thus featured a slightly different ruleset. FeLo detailed in a livestream after returning from the event how the different ruleset caused him to earn a penalty mid-match. The 10-year veteran said after winning a round against the Las Vegas Legion, he beelined for his opponent’s body and teabagged him to rub in the outplay. “After the map, the ref tapped me on the shoulder.. and he was like ‘I just want to inform you from the higher-ups, you got two strikes for that map.’ And I was like ‘Huh? Two strikes? That’s not good,’” FeLo said. FeLo did not elaborate on what would have happened if his team reached three strikes. His team went on to win that match, and place in the top eight at the tournament. Call of Duty esports is known for getting rowdy at times with players trash-talking during and after matches. However, the “higher-ups” at the Esports World Cup did not seem to jive with the CDL’s culture of talking trash. The mega-tournament, which features over a dozen popular esports, is run by ESL and funded by the Saudi Arabian government. Teabagging during competitive esports matches has been a contentious topic in recent years as some players have been banned or warned of incoming penalties for crouching on their enemy’s bodies in live games. The in-game taunt has been labeled toxic by some developers and organizers, who want to have clean matches with the only drama being the scoreboard. General professional and community sentiment has leaned toward letting teabagging continue, but at a certain point, it’s not worth a potential fine or match loss. The Esports World Cup has not commented on the claim made by FeLo at the time of writing.

Rated slams “dumb” people claiming franchising has ‘ruined’ CoD MLGCall of Duty professional Rhys ‘Rated’ Price has slammed CoD fans who believe that franchising has ‘ruined’ the game’s competitive scene already. With the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 season now over, and eUnited being crowned world champions, fans have turned their attention to the future – specifically, franchising at the start of 2020. The move to follow in the footsteps of the Overwatch League has split fans, with some concerned about the major departure from the system they have become accustomed to. Yet, with huge names like 100 Thieves, Luminosity Gaming, and Team Reciprocity announcing that they won’t be apart of the inaugural Call of Duty League season, some fans are worried for the future – criticizing the league before it’s even gotten underway. That is something that has annoyed former UNITS star Rated, who believes that fans need to give the switch to franchising a chance before waging war against the upcoming changes. On August 30, he tweeted: “People are tweeting franchising ruined CoD before franchising has even happened or had a chance are bottom of the barrel dumb. Yes, it’s sad we won’t have historic names & it’s upsetting, but franchising has just as much chance of exploding CoD as it does killing it [right now].” People who are tweeting franchising ruined CoD before franchsining has even happened or had a chance are bottom of the barrel dumb, yes it’s sad we won’t have the historic names & it’s upsetting but franchising has just as much chance of exploding CoD as it does killing it rn. — Rhys Price (@Rated_COD) August 30, 2019 What Activision Blizzard’s plan for franchising in Call of Duty compared to their Overwatch League remains to be seen, as the only real confirmed details exist around roster construction and playing home/away matches. An exact starting date is also still a mystery, with Johanna Faries, commissioner of Call of Duty esports, only confirming that the league will begin in early 2020 once Modern Warfare has been released for a few months. Even though it will, undoubtedly, be a departure from the current CoD scene – especially with rules where teams are allowed to make mid-series substitutions – pros like Rated are clearly willing to give it a chance.

CoD pro Rated bashes teammates, hints at roster changes soon – “No one gives a f*ck” Esports New UK / MLGProfessional Call of Duty player Rhys ‘Rated’ Price has slammed his teammates amid their collective struggle in the CWL Pro League. Things have not panned out the way they were envisioned for the team that formerly represented Denial Esports in the CWL Pro League. Not only are the players currently in limbo after the organization’s recent collapse, their performances have not been up to par with what was expected when the roster was first put together during the most recent RosterMania period. On June 6, the final day of matches for Division B teams in the Pro League before the upcoming CWL Anaheim major tournament, Rated took to social media and slammed the team’s chemistry and vibes, despite the fact that they were coming off of a 3-2 victory against Enigma6 Group. “That would be assuming there was team chemistry in the first place,” he wrote in a Reddit reply. “Team doesn’t care about winning or lising together, not watching VODs. Literally the vibe is no one gives a fuck, so I will reflect the same vibe back.” “Brack could literally drop a 0.1 [K/D ratio] over an entire series and people would still say he’s a one man team,” he tweeted. “Yeah, we really wouldn’t have won that series if Brack wasn’t on the team, one man army.” One candidate is Lamar ‘Accuracy’ Abedi, who just announced his free agency after being dropped by Splyce, and Luminosity substitute Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman, although it’s unlikely he’d join a team that’s performing as poorly as LG. Read More: Censor continues to take shots at Crimsix – “When money’s on the line, I’ll always beat you” – They also always have the option of promoting Ryan ‘ZeeK’ Lapierre back to the starting lineup, although the Frenchman seems to have formed a new amateur team with TrainHard eSport. However, before they can make any changes, the squad will have to try to put their differences aside and regroup at the upcoming CWL Anaheim tournament, where they’ll likely be considered an underdog no matter which group they get placed in. The ex-Denial squad is currently 6-12 in Division B of the CWL Pro League, sitting just one game above last-place Enigma6 Group. While their chances of finishing top-four and clinching an automatic Playoff berth are slim to none, the team can still qualify for the postseason via the Play-In tournament, although that will be a difficult task for any of the bottom eight teams.

CoD pro Pred says “everything” was attempted to secure OpTic Texas CDL move Twitter: Seattle SurgeSeattle Surge CoD pro Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari has claimed that “everything” was attempted to try and secure a move to OpTic Texas, as the fan favorite org continue to struggle to replace Dashy. CDL Major 1, won back in December by the New York Subliners, has given way to considerable chaos in the professional Modern Warfare 2 scene. Plenty of organizations have been embroiled in a mid-season rostermania, no more so than OpTic Texas. Scump’s final season was meant to be one of success but, so far, has been dominated by confusion and disappointment. OpTic Texas quickly moved to replace both Dashy and iLLeY but, with difficulties in drafting in new players quickly obvious, iLLeY now looks set to remain. Dashy has confirmed he is no longer on OpTic and all reports claim the Greenwall failed in a move for Arcitys. It now looks like the same has happened in their move for Seattle Surge’s Pred, with reports claiming a record breaking CDL offer was a possibility. Pred says “everything was attempted” to secure OpTic Texas move While live for 8s on January 7, the Australian CoD professional briefly discussed the reports, confirming that “everything was attempted” to make it happen. “Let’s just leave it at everything that could have possibly happened to make it happen was attempted,” he explained. “Let’s just say everything that was possible to make it happen was attempted… It was attempted to the highest level. It just wasn’t possible. Done everything we could, it just wasn’t possible.” Unfortunately, Pred did not delve into details. However, reports have claimed that OpTic Texas offered unprecedented amounts of money to secure Pred’s services, but Seattle ultimately rejected the offer. After explaining why it didn’t come off, he affirmed his enthusiasm to continue the season with the Seattle Surge. “But hey, still got a season,” he said. “A long season. Gotta lock in baby.” OpTic Texas has since announced the addition of Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, formerly of the Los Angeles Guerillas, as the fourth member of the starting lineup. Seattle Surge look set to retain their entire roster, which placed second at Major 1.

CoD Pro Player Skrapz Has Dropped a Massive Hint Regarding His New Team The Rostermania saga surrounding Call of Duty professional player Matthew ‘Skrapz’ Marshall appears to be nearing its end. The former UNILAD player had spent the entirety of the current CWL season with the org before looking to make a move after the recent CWL Seattle event. Despite a number of teams, both at home and abroad, reportedly showing interest in the Englishman, it initially appears that he was set to make a move to European org Red Reserve. However, there seemed to have been a number of stumbling blocks on the way to making that deal happen, despite Skrapz saying that his current team supports his decision to leave. With his move to Red Reserve seemingly having dried up, the pro player has apparently found a different organization to secure his services. He went on Twitter on May 1st to drop some massive hints regarding his new team, which he has said he will announce on May 2nd. Currently there are seven teams in Division B of the CWL Pro League Stage 2 other than UNILAD. OpTic Gaming – Luminosity – eUnited – Rise Nation – UNILAD – compLexity – Mindfreak – Tainted Minds – Initially, it seemed that Skrapz’s clue that his next team is American could have been a play on words, as Pro League participant Splyce are technically an American organization fielding a European roster. However, Splyce are in Division A, which makes the situation even more unclear. Either Skrapz is offering false clues and will indeed be joining Splyce, or the league roster restrictions regarding the switching between regions have been lifted exclusively for him.

CoD pro player Dedo reaches target for mom’s funeral following $5,000 donation Although the competitive Call of Duty scenes has its share of ups and downs, what makes it truly special are moments when many come together to support a single player or cause. When CoD pro player Kenneth ‘Dedo’ Dedo announced that his mother, Rosanne Dedo, had passed away on December 15, many tweeted out their condolences and paid their respects. While their thoughts and prayers were very much appreciated, the financial burden of the funeral costs were too great, and thus Dedo and his family decided to start a GoFundMe page on December 18 to raise money for the expenses. This is when the CoD community rallied and showed their true colors and strength in unity, raising enough to blow past the $8,000 donation goal in just a single day. Upon reaching the goal, Dedo posted a video of him and his father expressing their deepest gratitude to everyone who donated money or even just raised awareness for their family’s difficult time. “To all you gamers out there, thank you so much, for someone you don’t even really know, to contribute is amazing and your generosity will never be forgotten,” his father said. “It sucks, it really does right now, but you guys came through and we can’t thank you enough.” Thank you, everyone. We love all of you. pic.twitter.com/gz6wPUo5L3 — Dedo (@Dedo) December 19, 2018 A large chunk of the amount raised was donated by MLG co-founder Sundance DiGiovanni, known better on Twitter as ‘MLGSundance,’ who contributed $5,000. “We are all in this together. Wishing you the best in this difficult time,” he wrote in his donation message. with the help of everybody, the cod community in which ive spent 10 years of my life and any other gaming community involved and the insane and generous $5,000 donation from @MLGSundance, we are only $50 away I will be posting a short video with my dad soon to thank you all https://t.co/GZ9s1tMsCd — Dedo (@Dedo) December 19, 2018 His massive donation earned respect and praise from many in the online gaming community, such as his friend and fellow MLG higher-up Adam Apicella. “I’m so proud to have been able to call him a mentor and friend,” he tweeted. “This is the kind of person he is. He cares about this community, the players, and the teams. Just got choked up.” The GoFundMe page for Rosanne Dedo’s funeral costs is still active and anyone who would like to donate can do so by clicking this link.

CoD pro Octane reveals how 100 Thieves worked out their internal issues Logan Dodson – @100ThievesIt’s no secret that 100 Thieves‘ Call of Duty team was mightily struggling leading up to and into the CWL Pro League, and pro player Sam ‘Octane’ Larew has given some insight into that difficult period for the team. Major questions arose about 100 Thieves following their underwhelming 9-12th placing at CWL Vegas, and those questions only intensified after their poor start in the CWL Pro League qualifiers. Despite their temporary bounce-back and eventual qualification, the team did not look right to many, and their suspicions were confirmed when Maurice ‘Fero’ Henriquez was stunningly demoted to the substitute’s role in favor of Preston ‘Priestahh’ Greiner, who had just been loaned from FaZe Clan. “It wasn’t an easy decision by any means,” Octane said in an interview with RealSport. “[We] ultimately arrived at the decision to move Fero to the bench because of some in-game issues and the possibility to add Preston to our starting roster.” “He brings a great attitude to practice every day in terms of personal improvement and the ability to take criticism well,” Octane said of Priestahh. “This is a trait a lot of pro Call of Duty players don’t have, so right from the game it’s been great.” Of course, Priestahh was not the only addition 100 Thieves made at the time, as they also brought in world champion pro James ‘Crowder’ Crowder as their first ever coach. “Chris [Crowder’s]addition was felt on the first map of day one of him joining the team,” he explained. “Being a player not even 3 months ago, and an amazing player at that, allows him to understand the game beyond just what spectators or coaches that haven’t played may see.” According to Octane, prior to the recruitment of Priestahh and Crowder, the team was plagued by internal issues that was directly affecting the way they were performing in-game. “I think we all could see the issues in our own game,” he said. “But I think, before the change with Preston and Chris [Crowder], we all had a lot of animosity towards each other just from how badly we were playing, so it hindered us from improving by a lot.” Now, with the addition of both the new player and coach, the team has been able to handle certain situations a lot better, thanks particularly to Crowder’s presence as a great communicator. “We all knew the problems that we had and we were just too stubborn to actually attempt to fix it,” he admitted. “So having Chris as a voice of reason in a lot of these situations definitely facilitates conversation a lot better than before.” Of course, despite the addition of these new members, 100 Thieves continued to struggle into the Pro League, going 1-2 in the first week. However, things turned around spectacularly once Priestahh and Crowder got acclimated with their new setting and had ample time to inject their influence. 100 Thieves finished the second week 4-0, improving to their overall record to 5-2, good enough for first place in Division B going into the CWL Fort Worth break. “Week 1 was the same as week 2 minus the ability to close,” said Octane. “Moving into week 2 we understood our issues (communication on stage was number one for us) and quickly turned that around and began to play like the team we knew we were.” Out of the 16 pro teams competing at CWL Fort Worth, 100 Thieves come in as arguably having the most momentum, which they could definitely use to their advantage. With some teams going through roster changes and others through struggles of their own, Octane and his squad have a great opportunity to turn what was a horrid start to the season into one to remember.

CoD Pro Octane Leaves OpTic Gaming to Join 100 Thieves for the Black Ops 4 Season [UPDATED] A massive roster change announcement has sent shock waves through the Call of Duty community as OpTic Gaming’s Sam ‘Octane’ Larew has left the org and joined 100 Thieves. The move was announced late in the day on August 31, with the announcements coming simultaneously on each org’s respective Twitter accounts. We would like to thank Sam “Octane” Larew for his time on our Call of Duty team and wish him the best as he continues to compete in the CWL. Thank you to @OpTicGaming for everything they’ve done for me over the last few months; an unfortunate ending but we made some great memories. It’s time to set my sights on bringing home a championship for @100Thieves and all of you guys. #HonorAmongThieves. Octane’s spell with OpTic was rather brief and unsuccessful as the team failed to win any of the three events they competed in since his arrival in May, including a disastrous group stage exit at the 2018 CWL Championships. Prior to joining OpTic, the longtime veteran had a successful 1.5 years with Luminosity Gaming, having won the 2018 CWL Birmingam Open, placed second at the 2018 New Orleans Open, and won CWL Anaheim in 2017. UPDATE: Octane has since announced that he was dropped by OpTic Gaming ahead of his move to 100 Thieves. Now all eyes will be on Optic Gaming and their roster dealings, as the org has found itself thrust into the RosterMania spotlight for the second time in three months, after not making a single roster move in a span of over three years before then.