Call of Duty: Warzone developer promises "adjustment" for "pay-to-win" Roze skin
Eyes on the prize.
Call of Duty: Warzone developer Raven Software has promised an "adjustment" for the controversial Roze skin.
Activision's battle royale has for months now come under fire for a particular skin for operator Roze, which many consider "pay-to-win".
Last year the "Rook" skin for Roze was sold as part of the Season 5 premium battle pass (it was a tier 100 unlock).
The issue has to do with the way the outfit looks: it's entirely black without any reflective surfaces, which means it's very difficult to spot in dark areas of the game. Even Roze's eyes are surrounded in black facepaint.
Anyone who's played Warzone knows there are plenty of dark areas in the map to hole up in. Playing the battle royale in solos can feel like a particularly campy time. Add to this Roze's Rook skin, and you can end up in situations like this:
Roze's Rook skin has been an issue ever since it was released, but it was thrust back into the headlines in January after it was used by participants in the high-profile $250,000 Twitch Rivals tournament (the one that led to accusations of cheating).
Redditor caribou_drew drew attention to a lobby packed with Roze skins waiting to drop into the Warzone tournament. The image was taken from the livestream of one of the tournament participants, NRG player Jordan "Huskerrs" Thomas:
>God I wish they would take this skin out of the game from r/CODWarzone
The skin has proved so popular that Call of Duty players surface clips of all out war against squads full of "sweaty" Roze skins.
>There's nothing more satisfying than putting a full sweaty team of Rose skins in their place... :) from r/CODWarzone
Last night, 100 Thieves co-owner Jack "CouRage" Dunlop tweeted Raven a list of changes he wanted to see in the game. This list includes "removal/refund of the Roze skin".
Raven replied to reveal a number of changes coming to the game, and one is "an adjustment to Roze".
We don't know what this adjustment means right now, but it seems clear the design of the skin will be changed in such a way as to improve visibility.
Elsewhere, Raven promised "a significant balance pass" to weapons such as the Tac Rifle Charlie (the AUG), the M16, the FFAR 1, and the Sykov.
The full-auto Sykov was surprise-added to the game this week and is wreaking havoc when used with its 80-round drum and the akimbo perk. Already a nerf is seemingly inbound.
Raven also promised a fix for Modern Warfare weapon perks and the sniper glint issue, as well as a change to how you acquire the RC-XD.
"We want to reassure you, and the rest of the community, that we're constantly on the lookout for ways to improve the game," Raven said, before teasing "some big surprises next week".
Of course, Warzone's big nuke event is scheduled for next week. After that happens, a 1980s-themed version of Verdansk is expected to kick off season three.