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Activision’s big plan for Call of Duty is to bring traditional games into the series with the phenomenal success of battle royale Warzone. It’s an idea that basically benefits players, with progression between games for soldiers, weapons and even the battle pass. But in practice, it was a complicated undertaking.
When Black Ops Cold War began its integration with Warzone, the battle royale received a series of weapons from Treyarch’s marksman for use in the field. Players predicted weapon balance chaos, which it turned out to be, with three Black Ops Cold War weapons mastering the Meta Warzone over the Christmas holidays. Three weeks later, Warzone Guardian Raven released a nerf for the DMR 14, Type 63, Mac-10, and Dual Pistols in an effort to improve the state of the game. Now that the community Call of Duty has had time to dig into the details, many believe those nerves don’t go far enough. The dreaded DMR, it seems, remains the go-to choice.
Shooting metas change as new weapons are added, and Call of Duty is no different. But what’s interesting here is that this new Raven nerf update begins the start of a weapon feel difference between games.
Raven’s recent changes to the DMR and its partners are exclusive to Warzone. Firearms remain intact in Black Ops Cold War multiplayer. So Call of Duty fans who play both games now have to contend with the DMR working slightly differently in Black Ops Cold War than it does in Warzone.
Overall, the integration of firearms has gone awry. Players have complained about meaningless weapon stats, poor quality skins, and broken damage counts. I mentioned the broken meta – considered by some to be the worst Call of Duty meta of all time – Warzone suffered during Christmas when the weapons of Black Ops Cold War went into effect. Raven’s nerf is in place, but established Call of Duty content creators worried about weapon balance changes have revealed that Black Ops Cold War’s ultra-powerful weapons remain ultra-powerful. Call of Duty YouTuber Xclusive Ace reports in the video below that the DMR may be a bit more accurate after the update, which is quite the thing.
It’s a sticky situation given Activision’s cross-platform, cross-game strategy here. When you start Black Ops Cold War, Warzone, or Modern Warfare, you’re presented with a tri-fold menu screen that gives each game a share of virtual real estate. It’s a unified front, a message to Call of Duty fans that whatever game you play, the ecosystem has you covered.
But the first season of Black Ops Cold War and Warzone didn’t go as well as many players had hoped. Black Ops Cold War fans who have no interest in playing Warzone aren’t thrilled with the game’s constant push towards battle royale. Confusingly, Warzone has two AK-47s, one named Black Ops, the other Modern Warfare. I mentioned the menu screen, but there’s more: you have to play Warzone to unlock Black Ops Cold War cosmetics, which is annoying if you own Black Ops Cold War and don’t play Warzone.
For example, at level 30 of the Season 1 Battle Pass, you unlock the Bad Blood skin for Park, as well as Park’s Season 1 Battle Pass mission. This mission includes four objectives which when completed unlock two skins, an emblem, and a business card. The fourth objective requires players to play Warzone.
“I just wanted the skin at the end, so I did all of the challenges (multiple times because they were barely followed) but since they don’t let you see the challenges in advance, I found out that I had to play a completely different game for the one thing I wanted from that, “redditor iceyk111 said.
“It’s not a debilitating problem but I hate Warzone with a searing passion (no offense to Warzone players but it’s just too slow for me) and would appreciate alternate challenges for people who don’t want to upgrade to AN ENTIRE OTHER GAME! “
Speaking of Battle Pass, I’ve already discussed how Modern Warfare deserves a next-gen update and a full second year. As it stands, season six is its last, with only scraps of new content to aim for. While Modern Warfare players can purchase and upgrade the new Season 1 Battle Pass by playing the Infinity Ward game, no new Modern Warfare content is included. It feels like Modern Warfare is being left behind in this new integrated future.
Raven’s decision to set Warzone’s Black Ops Cold War weapons separately from Black Ops Cold War itself raises an interesting question: whether Warzone is breaking away from the annual Call of Duty series to become its own fully separate ongoing game, with its own set of operators and weapons? I can’t see it happening myself, given that Activision realized that Warzone is the ultimate showcase for new Call of Duty games. After all, the company revealed Black Ops Cold War as part of an in-game Warzone event.
Perhaps more reasonable is that all Call of Duty games are built on the same engine. Infinity Ward has done wonders with Modern Warfare and Warzone of 2019. Black Ops Cold War, which runs on a different engine, feels like a step backwards in many ways. If the Call of Duty games were built on the same engine, the weapons would at least seem consistent across the different experiences. I look forward to seeing how the big new Call of Duty game of 2021, no doubt an effort by Sledgehammer, tackles this problem. Are players facing Warzone receiving an influx of new weapons from another new game in just 10 months? If so, will Black Ops Cold War be left behind after just a year like Modern Warfare did?
Activision is pitching Call of Duty as an open church, but it’s clear that at this early stage the new way, there are more than a few details. Meanwhile, players in every game – Black Ops Cold War, Warzone, and Modern Warfare – feel like their favorite would do better as a Lone Wolf.
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