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This is the end of the line
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We’re knee-deep in Season 3 Reloaded and I don’t want to admit it, but is Warzone 2.0 starting to feel like a real video game again?
Season 3 has been by far the biggest shift mechanically in the Warzone 1 direction.
New items are having huge impacts on gameplay.
And Ranked was introduced.
Are you having fun yet?
When Warzone 2.0 launched, it felt like every other AAA game at release — bare bones, buggy, and super disrespectful to the customer base.
We all know launching as a beta is par for the course. It’s baked into the business model cake at this point.
So it’s not unexpected that 6 months after launch, Warzone 2.0 feels fuller — that’s always the plan. But is it working with the CoD community?
The biggest change Reloaded brought to the game were the equipment and RNG-tweaks that boosted the “Info-Push” loop. If you don’t know what that means, it’s understanding where your next battle is going to be and having the ability to get there quickly.
The combination of more cash, unlimited UAVs, UAV towers, and Redeploy Balloons make the Rusher style of gameplay so much more accessible. Even though Al Mazrah hasn’t changed geographically, there’s less running around the empty parts of the map.
Warzone 2.0 is starting to feel like a Call of Duty game again. I’ve personally swapped out High Alert for Ghost in my Perk Packages because of it.
If I had to sum up Warzone 2.0 Season 3 Reloaded in 5 words, it would be:
Less dead space — less downtime.
In the old gameplay loop, the first 10 minutes of the match were completely lifeless unless you landed hot.
In this Season, it’s so easy to get your loadout, plates, a UAV, and start hunting, all within 5 minutes of landing — everything has been tightened up. It’s proof that the changes the developers made to the economy and Buy Station positions have worked.
The addition of the new deployables make strong changes to the loop as well.
Deployable Redeploy Drones and Buy Stations are eliminating a lot of the issues that plagued Warzone 2.0 in the early months.
The slower movement is more bearable now because it’s easier to get to POIs across the map. And the portable Buy Stations create dynamic POIs wherever you go. The risk of having them shot down and stolen from you is a nice touch.
Overall, Al Mazrah feels less empty.
The tweaked economy has also increased Buy Back frequency. Warzone 2.0 is starting to feel a bit like Apex Legends because of it.
There are always players dropping from the sky to refresh your Kill Feed — getting third-partied is a real threat.
And there are always things to do — you’re only bored if you choose to be.
With that said, it’s still frustrating to get a squad fill of people who play casual like their lives depend on it. Unless you’re running and gunning, this game can still feel soulless.
But if you’re playing to have a good time, Raven has managed to make Warzone 2.0 feel alive from the first to the last circle.
Raven’s also injecting as much “Hero Shooter” game design into the franchise as they can get away with.
They finally introduced Perk Packs into the game and it’s done a lot to diversify the experience.
It’s a small addition because Call of Duty is about guns and not special powers, but it mixes things up nicely.
Season 3 Reloaded also introduced Ranked.
I can’t say much about the new mode because I refuse to play this game at that level unless it’s for money. But from what I’m seeing streamers go through, it’s exactly what you expect.
Warzone 2.0 Ranked is all the stuff that’s made modern Call of Duty horrible to play.
It’s a complete sweat-fest with a ton of camping for SR — and the quick TTK doesn’t help. Logically, Drill Charges have become part of the utility meta.
It’ll be interesting to see how they evolve Ranked. Right now, every match plays the same — Cronen, thermal scope, Smokes, find a building…
I’m looking forward to having some type of map rotation with the rumored 2023 Las Almas. Maybe they can design the new map to have fewer lines of sight which would force engagement.
Conclusion
Season 4 is going to be interesting.
What else does Raven have the power to change? All I see in the future is content.
See you on the battlefield and as always, stay cool, gentlemen.
