Reduced Lobby Count
The first major change is the reduction of players per game. Warzone was the first to introduce a BR game with over 100 players. It launched with 150 players and sometimes introduced limited-time modes (LTM) with over 200 players. However, with Season 3 Reloaded, Raven Software has decided to cut back on the number of players per lobby. The player count per lobby for all core BR game modes in Warzone is reduced to 120, down from 150. This is in part related to the new “second-chance” game mechanics added into the game. It allows players to get more playtime if they die early into the game. More on the mechanics below.
Stim Nerfed
The Stim has received a major nerf as it was deemed overpowered. Players could heal using the Stim even while taking damage. On top of that, the players using the Stim could slide at a much faster speed than you normally would. This has been fixed. Heartbeat Sensors are still one of the more popular pieces of tactical equipment, despite getting heavily nerfed. After the new Stim nerf, there is no doubt that players will now go back to the Heart Beat sensor in a heartbeat (pun intended).
Health Increase
What was first tested during Iron Trials has become the main health cap in Warzone. The base health of all the main BR game modes has been bumped up to 150 HP, up from 100 HP. This allows all the players to have a fair chance at a gunfight. Before this change, if a player were getting shot at from somewhere, they would not have any chance against the shooter. This change will increase the time-to-kill (TTK) and give everyone a fair shot at each other. This health increase was done based on the Twitter poll result, which Raven Software carried out. The change is also on Rebirth Island now.
Do you like the current Health pool in BR, or would you like to see us increase it to match Vanguard Royale? Have your say below! 🗳️ — Raven Software (@RavenSoftware) March 16, 2022
Squad HUD Revamped
The newly refurbished squad HUD is a highly requested change. The new HUD allows players to see each other’s items, including killstreaks, cash, gas masks, armor plate, and their quantity.
— Ted Timmins (@JustTeddii) May 25, 2022 The new HUD also shows the combined team cash and indicates a loadout icon if the cash requirement to buy the loadout marker is met. Many concept drawings of this particular requested feature were circulating the Reddit. One of the popular ones was uploaded by a Reddit user u/BurterSpeed in October of 2021.
Counter-Focused Updates
There are new items added into the game that serves to facilitate players in countering certain aspects of the game when getting attacked by enemy players. These items include the following:
Serpentine Perk: First seen in Vanguard multiplayer, Serpentine, works differently in Warzone. It reduces the damage taken when sprinting. Lootable Perks: Players can now loot perk satchels such as Serpentine, Tune Up, Hardline, Tracker, Kill Chain, and E.O.D. Radar Jammer Field Upgrade: Radar Jammer can be deployed to disrupt enemy mini-maps and Tac Maps. It also prevents enemy airborne killstreak attacks. Lootable Loadout Markers: Players have a rare chance of finding loadout markers as ground loot. If you’re lucky enough, you might get one when returning from the Gulag.
Movement-Focused Updates
Movement-focused updates are used to promote movement around the map and force more player engagement. Here are all the new updates in this category:
High-Value Loot Zones: These zones were first introduced as part of Operation Monarch. They are represented by a “$” on the Tac Map. You can find legendary and high-tier loot in these zones, including a lot of cash. Underground Transit System: You can now move around the map using the underground minecart system, which serves as means to fast travel around the map. Lootable Speed Boost: You can now loot Speed Boost power-up, which gives you a temporary movement speed bonus. It is available in all core BR modes. Downed Movement Speed: Players can now move much faster when downed. Previously, due to slow downed movement speed, players couldn’t get to safety on many occasions where they should’ve.
Playtime-Focused Updates
Playtime-focused updates are all about giving second chances to the players. It aims to reduce the spectating time and give players more chances to stay in the game and fight through to that number one spot. This is what we referred to as the “second-chance” mechanic earlier.
Lootable Gulag Entry Token: Players can loot Gulag Entry Token to get another chance at the Gulag. Players already spawn with one token. Players can only carry one token at a time. Lootable Redeploy Extraction Token: Players can loot extraction tokens which allows them to get back into the game without going to the Gulag. Players can only carry one token at a time. This will not interfere with the Gulag Entry Token, as both tokens are independent of each other. Decreased Buyback Cost: The player buyback cost is reduced to $3,000, down from $4,000. This will allow more players to get revived and jump back into the game. This is especially important when the player count has been reduced to 120. Death Tax Adjustment: When players died, they lost 80% of their original cash amount. This has been adjusted, so players only lose 50% of their original cash amount.
Other Quality of Life (QOL) improvements include fixing footstep audio. Now, you will be able to hear the footsteps easily as the surrounding gameplay sound will lower its volume. Melee will now require you to hit four times to down an enemy instead of the controversial three. The killstreak warning banner has been moved below the crosshair to avoid any disruptions during the gameplay. You can continue to navigate the lobby menus without any interruption, even if the lobby hosts queues for the game. Dead squad members will now be prioritized and shown at the top of the Buy Station interface. The ghost perk activation threshold has been reduced. Spawn-protected players flying into the map will now take 25% less damage. Roze skin brightness has been adjusted to increase by 70% for better visibility and clarity in dark areas of Caldera. Roze skin has always been a concern, even before the release of Vanguard. While it was fixed briefly, players still seemed to have a lot of issues locating the skin when in-game. Hopefully, the new brightness increase will fix that. A new SMG has been added in Vanguard and Warzone called the H4 Blixen.
