Infinity Ward recently released its contribution to the massively popular battle royale genre, Call of Duty:Â Warzone, where one hundred and fifty players duke it out on the massive Verdansk map. While the game has received rave reviews so far, it is not perfect. Plenty of small but notable issues prevent it from reaching its true potential. Should Infinity Ward remedy the problems listed below, then they really have a shot at a long-lasting, living game.
All things considered, though, the mode launched smoother than most modern multiplayer components. Infinity Ward and the Call of Duty series are known for their polished products and smooth internet connectivity. But while some of the problems are minor, others are quite urgent.
10 Solo Play
As of now, the battle royale mode puts players into teams of three. It is possible to go in solo or as duo, but lone wolves go up against well-coordinated teams, putting them at a disadvantage. Not everyone always has two other buddies to play with, and matchmaking with random players is a dice roll, so it would be ideal for the game to add additional squad options to level the playing field for solo players. Additionally, every man for himself changes the way everyone else plays, making for more variety.
9 Faster Death In The Ring
One major complaint about every battle royale is how long it takes for someone to die once they are out of bounds. Many decry one's ability to still reasonably kill other players while losing health in the hazardous area. While Warzone speeds it up and obstructs a player's vision while outside the ring, it isn't quite fast enough. In fact, they had to quickly patch an error on the first day which allowed teammates to indefinitely revive each other in the gas for a cheap victory. If one could live only for a few seconds without a gas mask, it would make battles near the red zone all the more intense.
8 Bug Fixes
This one is thankfully remedied with each passing day, and Infinity Ward is always on top of their bug fixing game. The original multiplayer suite had some bugs, particularly in the Ground War mode, which the developer quickly attacked. Warzone has some glitches and errors which affect few players, but are still notable. After all, it is unfair and upsetting for any player to lose a high stakes gunfight in Verdansk due to a random glitch.
7 More Items At The Buy Station
Buy Stations are Warzone's unique contribution to the genre. Players collect cash which can then be used to purchase a small handful of items from locations designated on the map, including revives, armor plates, and some kill streaks.
Other than the first two, few interesting items are available for purchase. Hopefully the devs are still testing what items they could bring into the buy station while still maintaining a balanced game.
6 Gas Mask Animations
Gas masks are used to breath longer and see clearer for about ten seconds while outside the ring. This is a fine item to have when the ring shrinks, but some players have major complaints about the animation. It happens automatically once one steps into the hazardous gas, and can spell death if the player is in a gunfight. Some are asking for the animation to be cut out entirely so as to avoid situations like this. Others say the animation balances it, but its automatic usage is still a problem if this is the case.
5 Quicker Startup To Matches
The opening cutscene was cool the first several times people saw it. Now it is getting on some people's nerves. Other battle royale titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends start their rounds off faster. The pre-game lobby is not so much of a problem, and maybe it is even necessary, but future rounds should start the plane off on its trajectory right away instead of playing the small cinematic telling the name of the operation and the date. It tries to add immersion, but is ultimately unnecessary.
4 Download Warzone Without Downloading The Whole Game
Many who already own Modern Warfare still have the game installed on the system, so the update adding Warzone did not take up a significant amount of extra space. Those who don't own the base game can play Warzone for free, but still have to download the entire package, even though they don't have access to it. This means setting aside anywhere between eighty and one hundred gigabytes for the game mode. Making a way to download it separately would be a huge convenience for players only interested in Warzone.
3 Bigger Squads
On the other side of those wanting to play as lone wolves are people who want to bring in as many friends as possible. Why stop at just three? That number seems to be popular these days with the amount of three-player cooperative games coming out, and Apex Legends also using the same squad size.
Warzone can go bigger, though, especially with its increased player count. It doesn't have to stop at four, either. Rolling into Verdansk with a squad of eight players would create some interesting gameplay moments no other battle royale modes could match.
2 Special Events
Since the mode is relatively new, special events are not expected right away. However, they should definitely be laying out a plan on ways to spice things up for a weekend here and there. Fortnite is a great example to follow in terms of a battle royale keeping players engaged and excited. A stagnating battle royale eventually grows boring, so Warzone has to think of ways to keep players coming back for more.
1 Bigger Variety In The Gulag
The gulag is a genius way to give players a second chance. The only problem is the level design quickly growing repetitive. Only a few map layouts exist for the prison showers. An element of randomness would help make these encounters even more intense. If there was no way to procedurally generate them, then they should at least add more map layouts for greater variety. It is a small complaint to have, though, considering the feature's ingenuity.