The wait is finally over. Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Season 2 is here, and it comes with a lengthy list of changes, many of which are major improvements. Activision detailed a slew of patch notes for the all-new season, breaking down all the changes and fresh features. Warzone 2.0 has been in an odd spot lately, so it’s heartening to see so many positive changes. While there’s plenty to be excited about, which new features or changes are the most notable? Here are five of the most substantial additions to Warzone 2.0 Season 2.
Season 2 has introduced plenty of weapon changes in an attempt to balance and shake up the meta. While it’s unclear how exactly that’s shifted since the season is so new, one thing is certain: the top contenders from before are no longer overpowered. These include the Fennec 45 and the RPK, both of which were absurdly powerful previously, leaving most other weapons in the dust.
Surprisingly, these two firearms are actually still competitive, which is unusual following a weapon nerf. Typically, Activision will nerf a powerful weapon into the ground, making them practically unusable after an update, but the Fennec 45 and the RPK are still competitive without feeling like you have to use them to stand a chance. This does open the doors for other top-tier weapons like the M13B, Kastov 762, Lachmann Sub, and Chimera, adding more variety to the gunplay.
Warzone 2.0 finally has the “Play Again” prompt that comes up after a match. This one might seem insignificant, but it truly picks up the pacing, allowing you to immediately queue up after a match, without having to back out to the main menu and jump back into a lobby. When accounting for load times and button inputs, the time between matches before Season 2 would often feel excruciating, so this is a much-needed improvement.
Alongside weapon balancing itself, attachment tuning has received a notable change. Previously, tuning a weapon was often ill-advised, as the cons would frequently outweigh the pros. This wasn’t always the case, but it’s something that players had to be aware of when deciding to tune a particular weapon. Now, Activision has reduced the cons and elevated the pros, giving players more of an incentive to actually tune, and finally offering a compelling reason to use this mechanic.
Likewise, you’re now able to tune Laser attachments for the first time, which, for some reason, was a missing feature before. Now, players have a greater reason to utilize Lasers since they can be tuned and should be (especially since tuning is more beneficial).
Another seemingly insignificant update is the ability to move faster while applying an armor plate. This is actually a major deal, as it once again bumps up the pacing in a significant way. Previously, if you were to attempt to finesse an opponent who already landed shots on you, it was difficult, as you’d move at a snail’s pace while trying plate up. There were numerous times when you’d basically have no chance if an enemy shot at you first, but now, as part of Season 2, there’s much more you can do to survive, thanks to the plating change. Now, you can outrun your enemy, jump out a window, plate up, and reset the gunfight, without slowing down to a crawl.
This was one of the most requested features leading up to Season 2, as players were used to this mechanic from the original Warzone. In the first game, it was common to see players outmaneuver one another frequently while plating up.
Finally, I can’t discuss Season 2 without mentioning the return of Resurgence mode that takes place on the new Ashika Island. Resurgence mode is a fan favorite, allowing players to respawn continuously so long as at least one other person remains alive. This mode offers smaller-scale matches consisting of around 40 to 52 players, meaning you can get to the end in around 12 to 15 minutes, which is perfect for those with little free time.
As for Ashika Island itself, it’s a refreshing new map with a wide variety of points of interest (POIs). Unlike Al Mazrah, Ashika has fewer wide open spaces, which helps keep the action flowing. On Al Mazrah, you’d typically get caught in-between pieces of cover when rotating to different POIs, deterring players from moving at all. On Ashika, everything is much more condensed, with meaningful hubs scattered all around. There’s even an underground area that mirrors Fortune’s Keep, giving players multiple ways to navigate the map.
One of the best POIs is Tsuki Castle, which features a massive Japanese structure with multiple entrances, making it a fun place to battle your opponents. Although it’s only been out for a few days, we’ve already had plenty of memorable moments at this particular POI, and around Ashika Island at large — a great sign for the new map.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.