Has Black Ops Cold War Integration Into Warzone Actually Worked?
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was integrated into the world of Warzone on December 16 last year and players have now had nearly a month to get familiar with the additions that it brought to Warzone. Some of them have worked, and some of them haven’t but has Cold War integration been a total disaster?
The Problems
One of the main issues plaguing since the December update has been the weapon balancing for the new Cold War weapons. If you have played Warzone over the holiday period, then you will be familiar with some of the weapons that have quickly become the meta.
The DMR 14 is arguably the most overpowered weapon that Warzone players have had to deal with since the game's release. Its ability to hit hard at range with minimal recoil paired with its assault rifle ammo reserves ensured it was the must-have weapon throughout December. Take a look at the clip below to see just how OP the DMR 14 is.
Raven Software released a nerf last week that increased the recoil and reduced the headshot damage of the DMR however, it has had little effect and the DMR still causes chaos in every lobby. It causes so much chaos that players called for another nerf immediately after the first one was released, so there is clearly still work to be done.
The MAC-10 also heavily featured in most loadouts in the early days after the December 16 update. While it has also received a nerf it is still one of the better weapons to come across from the Cold War roster.
Weapon balancing has been a major issue and will continue to pose a significant problem for Raven Software going forward. Ensuring that every weapon that arrived with the update is balanced is a tall order, and they will also have to balance any other weapons that arrive with future battle passes.
The other issue all this new weaponry brings is the fact that not everyone can unlock and use it as quickly as others. While all the new weapons can be unlocked by all players if you do not have access to the Cold War multiplayer, then you are at a significant disadvantage to those who do.
Levelling up your chosen weapon to unlock its best attachments is time-consuming, and if you don’t have access to the Cold War multiplayer, then you will need to do this in Warzone lobbies. Most of the new weapons are not particularly effective straight out of the box and will require significant use to unlock the attachments that turn them into viable weapons in Warzone.
Levelling up standard weapons without attachments in battle royale lobbies can be extremely tiring and if you are faced with other players who already have their OP weapon setup then even playing the game itself can become tiresome.
The Positives
While the weapon balancing issues have left many frustrated, there are several positives integration brought to the table. We now have a huge variety of weapons to choose from when making custom loadouts.
The sheer volume of weapons available to players ensures that there is something for everyone. Players who prefer automatic weapons now have endless options to choose from, and those who like to use burst fire weapons finally have more than a couple of viable options. Providing they can get the weapon balancing right eventually then we should hopefully see a huge variety of weapons being used in Verdansk.
However, one of the best changes brought to the game by Cold War integration was the gulag refresh. No longer is the gulag an ever-changing layout of prison toilets, and we now have a smaller version of the fan favourite Nuketown map.
Click to enlargeMost - if not all - Call of Duty players will be familiar with Nuketown in one form or another and bringing it back proved to be a great decision. The layout of the previous gulag was often random and made for a pretty frustrating experience if you narrowly lost out to your opponent.
The central area of Nuketown is great for 1v1s and has proven to be a hit with players so far, and the removal of the rear gardens and the interior of the houses ensures that a quick gunfight is done and dusted before anyone has an opportunity to corner camp.
Without a doubt, integration has brought some major issues with it into the world of Warzone, but it has also brought some fresh changes that have leased new life into the game. While the weapon balancing issues are going to be a problem over the coming months if Raven Software can successfully balance them all along with the new additions then this version of Warzone could be the best we have seen yet.
Images via Activision