Warzone player’s epic rant perfectly sums up why so many hate Gas Masks

Theo Salaun

A Call of Duty: Warzone fan has decided to wear his heart on his sleeve and express just how frustrating the game’s Gas Mask animation is, with a full video documenting the pain it has caused him.

As good as Warzone’s been since its release back in March, there’s been plenty for players to complain about, whether it be the seemingly unstoppable infestation of hackers to the awful “demon” gun glitch that inexplicably took over for several weeks.

One such topic is the Gas Mask, the item’s animation to be more specific; fans have never shied away from letting Infinity Ward and Activision know how much they despise the visual process of equipping and taking off a Gas Mask, which oftentimes can impact the result of a gunfight.

But out of all the complaints about it, Reddit’s ‘jakericca‘ probably has the best one so far – going on a powerful and epic rant about how poor the whole concept of the mechanic is.

The player has made a name for himself on the website’s Warzone subreddit by sharing a multitude of videos exploring the nuances of Verdansk. 

In his latest clip, he describes how the dreaded Gas Mask animation has plagued his, and others’, psyche for six seasons: “We’ve all been through it. We’ve all been hurt. You hear me, Activision? It hurts all of us. This needs to stop.”

After relenting and allowing himself to be vulnerable, jakericca dives into the issue with the gameplay to prove it. As he’s down to the final circle, wiped one squad, and killed another surprise enemy, he’s suddenly faced with an unsuspecting foe.

But, instead of being able to gun down this player from behind, the mask’s animation kicks in as the gas approaches, giving the enemy enough time to turn around and erase him from the game.

Warzone Gas Mask
Should the Gas Mask mechanic be revamped in Warzone?

“F**king Gas Masks … F**king bulls**t,” – it’s a painful story but one that the CoD community isn’t unfamiliar with.

And jakericca brings up two good points in response to the automated animation. For one, numerous Operators are wearing large masks, so why can’t the Gas Mask be worn indefinitely throughout the game as well? And, echoing a more popular solution, couldn’t Infinity Ward simply implement a toggle option for the mask?

If that was the case, then players could decide when or not they’d like to put it on, or even if they’d like to keep it automated. This would work akin to the Tac Sprint options and would allow players to feel more in control of their own destinies.

Alas, there’s no indication when, or even if, the developers would be interested in reworking the whole Gas Mask mechanic. Until then, looks like jakericca and everyone else have to do the best they can to manage.

About The Author

Théo is a former writer at Dexerto based in New York and built on competition. Formerly an editor for Bleacher Report and philosophy student at McGill, he fell in love with Overwatch and Call of Duty — leading him to focus on esports for Dex.