Call Of Duty Fans Criticize New UAV Bundle Deemed “Pay-To-Win”

Over the past few weeks, Activision has released a number of paid bundles for Call Of Duty: Warzone 2’s DMZ mode that players have deemed “pay-to-win,” as they include mechanical benefits that free players simply don’t get. The recent release of the new Roze and Thorn bundle has garnered the most pushback yet from fans, as it includes a free UAV effect that some are calling mode-ruining.

UAVs reveal an enemy’s location in Call Of Duty, which gives the user a huge advantage over the other team, allowing them to obtain better positioning. Back in late April, Activision nerfed UAVs in DMZ by forcing players to wait a full minute before using the ability, in an apparent response to the Roze and Thorn bundle being leaked by dataminers. But that hasn’t stopped Call Of Duty fans from expressing their dismay with the move, with many worrying that this heralds a change in the game’s design philosophy.

“This is genuinely game-breaking in my experience. People defending this either don’t own a pay-to-win package so they have no idea how much you can abuse this, or they do own pay-to-win packages and love abusing them,” wrote one Reddit user. “The worst part is how many people are treating it like it’s nothing and see no issue with this,” says another.

This isn’t the first such bundle, as April’s Season 3 release saw the introduction of “bonus effects” like armor vests, insured weapon cooldowns, and bonus operator slots for certain skins. While it’s worth noting that these mechanical advantages for paid cosmetics are currently limited to the game’s DMZ mode, it’s unclear if that will remain the same in the long-term.

This isn’t the first time that a big shooter has faced an audience backlash for attempting to make users pay for a mechanical advantage. Back in 2017, EA removed all microtransactions prior to launch in Star Wars Battlefront 2 after fans complained about such “pay-to-win” abilities and perks being hidden in lootboxes.