The recent Call of Duty: Warzone Season 5 update included a slew of great changes, many of which were highly requested features. While the game still needs a bit of work, the changes introduced during Season 5 are certainly a step in the right direction.
There are a lot of little Season 5 changes to dig into. Some are subtle, but each one is doing its part to fix up the base game, which still struggles to reach the heights of its predecessor. From movement tweaks to perk changes, these are some of the best and most impactful changes introduced during Warzone Season 5.
Movement speed adjustments
Throughout the newest version of Warzone’s lifecycle, players have criticized its movement, as it has always felt clunky and slow compared to its predecessor. Now, as part of Season 5, Activision has finally implemented some movement adjustments that have made the game noticeably more fluid. Slide time has been decreased, slide velocity has been increased, and players can now shoot sooner after initiating a slide. Similar changes have been made to jumping, as well, making the game feel snappier. It’s still a far cry away from the original Warzone, but this movement adjustment is a slide in the right direction.
Drill Charge adjustment
Drill Charges can be pesky, but they now work slightly differently thanks to a nerf. Now, the Drill Charge will deal slightly less damage when stuck to a player, which will lead to more eliminations from the explosion, rather than direct impact. This could impact the frequency of multi-eliminations, as the player stuck with the Drill Charge will now stay alive longer, which could damage their teammates if they get close. However, thanks to a new Perk change, the sticking damage will no longer take down a fully-plated player. This offers more balance across the board.
Weapon changes
Notably, the MX9, Vel 46, and BAS-P have all received buffs during Season 5, which have already started to impact the meta. These are all close to midrange weapons that work best on smaller maps such as Ashika Island and Vondel. Likewise, the Cronen Squall caught a bit of a nerf, along with the HCR 56. These changes will allow players to utilize a wider range of weapons more effectively.
Perk changes
A couple of Perks have changed as part of Season 5, including Bomb Squad. Now, players with Bomb Squad will no longer die after being stuck with equipment, as long as they have full armor plates. This is a major deal since it gives players another chance after being stuck with equipment. Oftentimes, even the best players can be thwarted by a lucky equipment throw, so it’s nice to see this change added.
In addition, the game will now offer a visual cue when dealing damage to a player with the Quick Fix Perk. Now, you’ll no longer need to wonder why an enemy player is eating so many bullets. Once again, this is a great addition that improves the game.
Battle royale pacing
Season 5 has modified the lobby size of a standard battle royale on Al Mazrah, changing it from 150 players to only 100. While this is seemingly a bad thing, Activision has also changed the circle collapse speed, size, and time between circles, reducing around three minutes from the beginning portion of a match.
While the lower player count may seem like a negative change, this actually could be an effort to reduce some of the server issues, which have plagued the game for a while. Before, it was common for lag to ruin the experience, while getting kicked from the match was a common occurrence. Reducing the player count and speeding up the pacing of the match is a great change, as it has seemingly improved the server issues while minimizing downtime.
Quality of life
Season 5 also featured a handful of quality-of-life improvements that make the experience better overall. For one, there’s now an indicator of your total squad’s cash, which allows everyone to know how much money a team has in total. This will hopefully make it more efficient when purchasing a Loadout Drop.
Speaking of teams, the buyback price is now $3,000 down from $4,000. This is a major change that will make it easier to regain after being sent to the Gulag. Gone are many of those annoying situations in which a player cannot find enough cash to buy their squad mate back. This is a much-needed change that should have been in the game since day one, but nonetheless, is nice to see now.
