Dead Silence has long been used by Call of Duty: Warzone players looking to get an edge heading into tense fights. The field upgrade removes the sound of your footsteps and makes you faster, so you can flank enemies with ease or silently push into buildings. However, the upgrade is controversial, and in an attempt to level the playing field, Raven Software is nerfing it for Warzone Pacific Season 1.
Previously, the Dead Silence upgrade would refresh after each and every kill – giving you an unlimited amount use if you were a skilled player that could rack up kills quickly. However, in new changes announced ahead of the Warzone Pacific Season 1 launch, Dead Silence will now only refresh after the first kill – and that’s it.
You’ll still be able to sweep the field upgrade off the ground and from crates, but you’ll be able to use it a hell of a lot less this season. Raven has not only nerfed its effectiveness but also reduced its drop rate to provide “fair” and “reactable” counter play options to it.
But that’s not all Raven Software has changed – several other field upgrades and equipment have been caught up in the latest patch notes.
Stopping Power has been removed from the game altogether and the gas mask animation has been tweaked so it will only trigger when your reload/armour plate insertion/grenade-throwing actions have been completed.
Raven has previously teased a big shakeup to equipment, and the latest patch notes show that the studio wasn’t joking. Claymore, Frag, Molotov, Proximity, Semtex, and Throwing Knife damage have all been increased significantly, making lethal equipment more viable in combat. Tacticals have all had a sweep too, but this one is a bit more of a mixed bag in terms of the changes.
The Decoy Grenade will now fire rubber bullets which can hit enemies for one hitpoint, the Heartbeat Sensor receives a nerf as its pulse time has been increased from three to six seconds, the Snapshot Grenade detection radium has been increased by 14 metres, the Stim will only apply a three second movement boost, and the stun effect you get with Stun Grenades
While the above changes might seem relatively simple to the average player, they are going to have a huge effect on the Warzone meta and how people approach each and every game. Paired with the new guns making their way to Warzone Pacific Season 1, it looks like our list of best Warzone guns is set to change too.
Regardless, it’s an exciting time to be a Warzone fan and the new season is shaping up to be the best – and most competitive – yet.