Season 3 of Call of Duty: Warzone 2 just launched with a ton of new content. While most of the new updates are welcome additions to the game, there is one thing that has sparked a furious debate on social media - premium skins that actually give you a tangible advantage.
The new season of Warzone 2 introduced big changes to Warzone DMZ. One of the big new features is the addition of Active Duty Operator slots. There are three slots by default for each player, but a fourth slot can be added by purchasing a bundle and this is where the problem starts.
The Bomb Squad premium skin adds a medium backpack to the operator when you launch into a round of DMZ. This gives players a slight advantage of not having to look or craft a medium bag when entering a match.
DMZ is an extraction shooter which means that the goal is to successfully exfil from the exclusion zone. Dying in DMZ means you lose all your weapons and on-soldier items such as killstreaks, self-revive kits, and your backpack. Death is the great equalizer in the DMZ mode; players fight both AI and other players to survive.
And unlike the battle royale mode, DMZ has three backpack sizes: small, medium, and large. Finding a medium or large bag means you can carry more gear and have an additional weapon slot. When a player dies, he loses all the contents of his/her backpack, including the bag itself.
It is a familiar loop for players of extraction shooters which has sadly been changed by the introduction of the new Bomb Squad skin. Not only does the cosmetic skin add a medium bag, but the bundle also includes an LMG blueprint that only has a 15-minute cooldown when used as an insured weapon.
Some players see this as an unfair advantage for players who fork out cash for the Bomb Squad bundle. Having a medium backpack lessens looting time. The blueprint LMG gives you an insured weapon every other round as each match lasts around 25 minutes.
2) Free self-revive on spawn
Bundle releases on May 2nd pic.twitter.com/QdeFWhemCo
— bob. (@BobNetworkUK_) April 12, 2023
These are minor advantages for veteran players. If it was just the Bomb Squad skin, it wouldn’t such a big deal. However, there are leaked bundles revealing that upcoming premium skins will also have bonus DMZ perks. The new Sinister Skin gives the player a self-revive kit, while the new Ghost Skin has a two-plate vest by default.
The bundle that the community is most upset about is the new Roze Skin. The DMZ bonus for this skin is a free UAV killstreak. Imagine a team of three using this advantage - having even one UAV can turn the tide of any PVP encounter. A full squad equipped with UAVs will be very hard to beat in DMZ.
One can argue that UAVs can be purchased or looted, but it does take some effort to acquire them. Having a UAV from the start of the round gives a huge tactical advantage, even if we don't take stacking into account.
There are players, especially those who play DMZ solo, who have expressed interest in the new bundles. It does help them a lot in the early game as being a solo operator in DMZ is rough. While giving solo players help against organized teams can seem like a good idea, there is no way to prevent exploitation of these perks.
The community is calling this a blatant cash grab from Activision. It isn’t a massive advantage for players, but it still does give some advantages for those who pay real money for these bundles, especially the one with the UAV.
Hopefully, Activision listens to the community and nerfs the skins with the DMZ perks. With the dwindling number of players on Warzone 2’s battle royale, the company cannot afford to anger the DMZ community as well.
