In the course of this year, the modes that will be available for a limited time will make the scenes of Call of Duty: Warzone a complete mess by adding wall jumping and grappling hooks as a feature for the testing of experimental movement. The big news from CharlieINTEL has divided the Warzone community into two parts, with the first praising the innovations and the second doubting that these had made Warzone similar to Apex Legends.
The question now is what exactly is going to happen? They will release limited-time modes to experiment with various movement features like wall jumping and grapple hooks as part of the testing later this year. The changes brought about by the announcement are a mix of feelings and the battle royale community has reacted accordingly.
The ecstatic ones are few but and still very vocal and ecstatic nonetheless. The user 2Bad is an example of such an ecstatic player, who ran to exclaim, “That’s what the hell I am talking about!!!!!” Another player even told that “the greatest WARZONE of ALLLLL time is incoming” and added the shushing emojis as if they know a secret that we do not. You can definitely feel the hype among some parts of the community.
Nonetheless, the new features did not get total approval. One user, Chase, expressed it by asking: “Grapple hooks??? What is this, Apex?” which is indeed a very reasonable question. The link between grapple hooks and Apex Legends and Titanfall is quite logical according to some and less so to others. Another user Rugby, who commented on somebody else’s post, said, “Y’all are too young for me wall jumping in a game. What are we… 5?” This is somewhat funny but it also shows how much the community differs in regard to motion changes.
The discussion quickly turned into speculation as to what this really meant for the future of Warzone. Many players instantly connected the experimental features to the return of Blackout, the battle royale mode from Black Ops 4, which was just a rumor. User slingybingy2 exclaimed, “We’re actually getting blackout 2, holy shit,” whereas BossmanMusic was curious, “So is this them confirming blackout is gonna be a limited mode if they just testing these features?”
This theory does have some credibility particularly because it is true that Blackout had a much better verticality and movement options compared to Warzone. Therefore, testing wall jumps and grapple hooks might really be the foundation of reviving such gameplay. User rob knight told another user, “No, they are testing them before blackout comes for a limited time in special playlists,” which suggests this could be the first step of a bigger plan.
The issue of where these features should be located was not only interesting but also the maps that would be better for these changes. User Fablo pointed out to another user’s comment when he said, “It will be in Avalon. People would cry if it was a thing on Verdansk,” which indicates that players have started thinking about which of the maps would be most suitable for these movement changes. Avalon, being the new map with a higher verticality, is definitely the one that would be more suited for wall jumps and grapple mechanics.
However, there is still the downside to the whole situation. User Tuplicate threw the truth at the matter in a very rude way by saying, “Gay as fuck” while KeolaSZN went on a rant against Warzone: “Warzone is dogshit. WE do NOT give a fuck😂” still, another user responded to them asking: “Making a post about it is already ‘giving a fuck'” which is quite true since if no one cared, no one would be commenting.
A few players are already connecting this with the future of the Call of Duty franchise. User Davon Johnson believed that “This is the perfect time for Sledgehammer to make Advanced Warfare 2 and grant wall jumps in Warzone,” which is quite a smart link, as Advanced Warfare had those exo suits with boost jumps and wall running. Even though the leaks say that Sledgehammer’s next title is going to be modern, the movement mechanics could still be a part of it.
The mixed reactions have revealed how tricky the matter of changing a successful formula can be. Some gamers like Ghost simply stated: “Those updates got me interested” while others voiced their fears that the game would become too complicated. User thereswru noted “So wall jump isn’t already going to be a feature for Warzone? Weird,” implying that they thought of these features as part of the base game rather than being limited-time tests.
It is truly amazing that this announcement has unraveled the identity of Warzone and the dilemma of whether it is to be the more grounded and realistic battle royale or should it rather be the one embracing the silly movement that other games have popularized. User OYA Play hit the nail on the head when saying “Call of Duty is about to get way more vertical” because that is precisely what wall jumps and grapple hooks would do- totally transform the verticality of battles.
At the same time, a number of players are just wishing for the return of classic modes. User TheAntiHero_J implored “Please bring back One in the Chamber or Sticks n Stones” while Will demanded “bring back heavy metal heroes and my life is yours” indicating that not everyone is interested in the new experimental stuff when there are older modes they miss.
The community may be in different camps, but one thing is certain – the test with limited-time modes will lead to much debate and gameplay videos when they are released later this year. Wall runs and grappling hooks enthusiasts will probably switch between games like it is Titanfall while those who oppose these tricks will just give it a try out of curiosity. And that is exactly what Activision is aiming for – getting players involved with new content even if it is somewhat controversial.
In the end, the testing of limited-time crazy features in modes is a very smart way to monitor what works without making drastic changes. In case wall jumps and grappling hooks turn out to be a disaster, they can simply take them out when the limited-time mode ends. If players love them, perhaps they will become a permanent feature or get integrated into whatever comes after Warzone. Either way, it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.
So buckle up, Warzone gamers – your warfare is about to change massively, the elevation is coming whether you are against it or not. The experimental limited-time modes with wall jumps and grapples have been set for the latter half of the year, and they will undoubtedly have an unpredictable impact on the game’s meta.
