With the launch of Season 3 of Warzone 2.0 has come new skins for sale that give players in-game advantages.
For years, since the launch of Modern Warfare (2019), Call of Duty has been selling skins and weapon blueprints. While weapons, for example, might unlock some attachments on a weapon before you’ve leveled it up enough, that’s just about all there has been when it comes to pay-to-win, outside of the occasional skin that’s more difficult to spot in-game than it really ought to be. However, that’s changing when it comes to Call of Duty’s DMZ mode.
Now, you can purchase skins for Warzone 2’s DMZ mode that directly give you in-game advantages over players who’ve decided not to spend extra cash on the game. For example, one pack you can buy, the Bomb Squad pack, will give you a medium backpack when you load into a game of DMZ. For an extraction shooter, making it easier to pick up loot is a fundamentally major advantage. However, the situation looks to be getting even worse in future.
According to leaks of planned future premium packs you can buy for Warzone’s DMZ mode, a skin called ‘Thorns Out’ is set to come with a free UAV when you load into a game of DMZ. If you don’t already know, a UAV will automatically ping enemies on the minimap, informing you of their location. Once again, that’s a pretty major tactical advantage you can get in-game over other players just because you’ve decided to spend some extra cash.
It’s unclear if the backlash is going to force Activision’s hand here and get the company to walk back these kinds of microtransactions, but many gamers aren’t too hopeful. Beginning with Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty started selling ‘Weapon Vault packs’ which automatically unlocked a host of different attachments for a particular gun without the need to level it up first. This, for many, was already a descent into pay-to-win, and these new microtransactions seem to be continuing that unfortunate trajectory.
However, for all the fans out there, there’s certainly still a chance that Activision will change its mind.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
