6 changes Warzone needs to make in its second year

It’s now been a year since Warzone hit our screens, but what things do we hope to see in the game’s Year 2 roadmap? 

Warzone continues to be one of the most popular battle royal games thanks to its satisfying gunplay, customizable loadouts, game-changing killstreak system, and highly competitive games. However, the free-to-play title’s release has been far from smooth. Just like most modern games, Warzone has had its fair share of problems – many of which still persist a year later. 

Of course, with Season 2 well underway and the big Season 3 update right around the corner, players are hoping for some big changes. As Warzone enters its second year, we’ve outlined six major things that need to be addressed in Warzone’s Year 2 roadmap.

New Buy Station items

Buy Stations enable Warzone players to purchase weapon loadouts, killstreaks, redeploy squadmates, and secure lifesaving items. As a result, the wares on offer are an integral part of each player’s survival. 

However, there’s nothing stopping the offerings at these virtual shops from being rotated. For example, new killstreaks could replace the current arsenal and additional equipment could be introduced. 

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If the new map is rumored to take us back to a 1980s themed battleground, then having equipment and killstreaks tailored around this time period would be more befitting. There could even be new hazards added, which would require the utilization of new equipment in order to survive.

More communication from developers

It’s only in recent months that we’ve seen strong communication from Activision, mainly surrounding the hacking problem and ban waves. The American video game publisher has largely remained quiet on the various issues, with both Treyarch and Infinity Ward seemingly following suit. Aside from the usual patch notes and briefings on the official Call of Duty blog, there is often very little communication between players and the developers.

This is in stark contrast to games like Apex Legends, which constantly has developers and design leads discussing updates with its fans. Not only does this show that Respawn is interested in hearing its community’s thoughts, but it also enables them to act upon negative issues that impact the health of the game. Greater levels of communication would certainly go a long way towards fixing many of Warzone’s issues – that is clear.

Improved gun balancing

This is an area Warzone and every past Call of Duty title has struggled with. Due to the highly competitive nature and SBMM system, many people often gravitate towards a couple of guns. For example, the Season 2 weapon meta largely revolves around the FFAR, AMAX, Kar98k, and MAC-10 SMG. In terms of variety, this is as good as it gets. For example, the Kilo 141 and MP5 dominated every lobby for months before new guns finally managed to topple their dominant reign. 

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Warzone has a huge amount of weapons at its disposal, especially now that the battle royale is integrated with other Call of Duty titles. In theory, this should make the weapon meta incredibly broad, but this isn’t the case at all. 

Why even have a large arsenal of weapons in the first place if the playerbase is simply going to be punished for using the vast majority of them? While better balancing wouldn’t outright stop any potent guns from being used, it would help create a more diverse meta.

Robust bugfixes

From glitches that enable players to hide inside walls to the notorious demon gun glitch, Warzone is no stranger to the world of game-breaking bugs. To make matters even worse, many bugs that have been fixed in previous patches invariably rear their ugly heads in new updates. The infamous stim glitch and revive bug are just a few recent examples of how old bugs continually come back to haunt players. 

Many of these pesky problems have been known to ruin games for months on end before action is taken. If the hacking and SBMM didn’t make games hard enough, throwing in a number of bugs can make winning games seem like an impossibility. While every game has its fair share, it would be great to see a lot of the more persistent ones completely ironed out in future updates.

New map

Despite receiving a new POI in Season 2 and a few minor changes since its release, Verdansk remains totally indistinguishable from when it first graced screens. While Verdansk still makes for some adrenaline-fueled games, the mountainous region has long overstayed its welcome. After all, other popular battle royales like Apex Legends and Fortnite are constantly adding and removing large sections of their maps.

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Not only does this help each game from stagnating over time, but it also adds a level of excitement and mystery. Fortunately, if the rumored Nuke event is to be believed, then the new Missile Silos could end up completely leveling the main map. 

During the event, players will be allegedly sent to a 1980s themed battleground, with familiar Black Ops locations scattered throughout. It certainly seems like a new map is in the works, so let’s hope it comes sooner rather than later.

Better anti-cheat

Warzone’s anti-cheat is still proving to be frustratingly bad. Things have gotten so bad that many Call of Duty pro players and streamers have voiced their concerns, with a few even outright avoiding competitive tournaments. Despite Activision supposedly “stepping up” their anti-cheat efforts, the game continues to be flooded with hackers. 

In fact, it’s a rare occurrence if you don’t run into a hacker during a game. While the Warzone community has voiced their anger since the game’s release, it seems Activision is still struggling to find a robust fix. As of writing, Warzone’s current report system does little to dissuade hackers as they can simply make new accounts. Harsher penalties are needed if Warzone is to survive.

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So, there you have it, six things Warzone needs to include in its Year 2 roadmap. If you’re looking for the next Warzone loadout to try or just want to keep updated with the latest news, then be sure to check out our Call of Duty hub.