Warzone Vs Blackout

LONG READ/IN Depth

I was never a Battle royale gamer, PUBG, Fortnite, H1z1, realm royale, Tried them all, didn't enjoy any of them. It wasn't until Blackout (on pc which is what i game on) where I fell in-love, but not with the genre, just Blackout.

I will start with things I very much disliked (at the time) with blackout. Keep in mind this is from a PC players perspective.

Foremost, the thing i hated most was what affects most PC gamers, hackers. Not that it was a problem with game design, but something that affects many popular and unpopular games alike, people cheating. and i would argue that hackers have a much greater affect in a game like Blackout or any battle royale game, in comparison to a game like overwatch. here is why : in an overwatch match, you are in a match with 1 hacker, he affects 6 other ppl negatively and directly, it is a 1:6 ratio for the duration of the match, andmost likely he is hacking in ranked, and will climb due to their unfair advantage. compare that to a hacker in a BR game, where on average you have 60-100 ppl in the figurative or even LITERAL sites of the hacker, you have a team of 4, and 96 enemys, so the ratio of 1:96, now chances are that the hacker will not run into ALL 96 enemys by himself , but that hacker will most likely as i have seen, pull kills in the range of 15-20+ if not even higher. and as well, you dont have much you can do since by the time you know there is a hacker, u are dead, and its not as if you could take precautions, in OW you can run heavy shields or dive as a team to focus and potentially overcome them(in higher ranks where hackers tend to reside). but in BRs like blackout hackers will be against noobs and pros alike, and just decimate. thats enough about that.

Second, the LVL 3 armor system and general TTK balance that surrounded it. It was addressed in my opinion a little too late, by the time they had a more definitive resolve on armor, the PC population was nearing numbers where games would take 20mins + to start.

that is about it as far as things i wasn't a fan of on blackout, now for the things i think it did amazing in comparison to other BRs and most importantly in comparison to Warzone

Sniping, one of the most rewarding ways to kill someone is to get a longshot headshot, the amount of joy i would feel when i saw an outlaw or paladin laying on the ground was more than when i would get a new epic from a wow boss. because i knew what was coming next, that noise of the bullet when u got a headshot. Games like apex(which is the only other BR i sorta enjoyed) fall flat in this way, sniping in apex is almost non existent, its all shotty and smg play(mostly). I love the feeling of sniping in blackout, it was rewarding, there was risk in giving position away but reward for leading a great shot on someone running accross the farmfields. Compared to warzone, ide say that sniping still feels relatively good, BUT not as good, mostly due to the next 2 paragraph sections.

Sniping rating: BO (9) , WZ (7.5)

Weapon customization/attachments.: i feel this paragraph will make more sense to PC players than Console players, with the way warzone has done away with peripheral attachments to weapons and sort of mimic the more streamlined "tier" weapon system of fortnite. I loved putting red dot on my outlaw, or keeping both a reddot and an long range high X scope, and swapping between them depending on the circle or area i was in at the time, with that gone in warzone, i feel a lot less "attached"(pun intended) to my setup and potential in the match, and allowing customization for weapons(this applies almost entirely to scopes/optics) gave you a sense of reassurance about your setup or playstyle. Forinstance every time i find a warden(leveraction) its always got a particular scope on it, this is a little disappointing but not the biggest downfall.almost all the attachments on blackout aside from the optics were just raw improvements on the weapons performance, which i think doing away with is not a big deal tbh. but I would love if on warzone , you could swap optical attachments or find them and carry them.

Weapon customization: BO (8), WZ (5)

Map design: the map of blackout was amazing for ALL forms of gunfighting, it had lots of great open areas for AR semiauto tapping and sniper rifle gunplay, it had tight places for shotty play and camping , it had medium density streets for great smg and ARs. also, it was VIBRANT, it was just fun to be in. in comparison, warzone is still a great map and looks great for what it is, but its so much more dense and cluttered that sniping takes a slight "hit" and LMG/ARs are MASSIVELY favored, sniping is no-where near unreliable, snipers are still a great option for the areas which are more open(which there are in the map, just not as many in relation to the high density clutter). Also the map is rather dreary and "tarkov'y" it lacks that joy and jovial feeling you get from blackops with the vibrancy of map design, its very russian, which makes sense its set in russia or somewhere very slavic. This is a personal preference of course, and some ppl will absolutely love the more cold dreary grey'ed out look of warzone to the vibrant color splash and green grass blue skys of blackout. I think the size of map on both BO and WZ is appropriate given the 100 vs 150 pop size on the rounds.

Map design rating: BO (9), WZ (8)

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TTK: this is probably one of the hardest things in ANY shooter to find a balance with. Time to Kill, devs are always trying to find the right balance. Blackout was by far one of the best shooters ive played with a great TTK. now before i go further, the lvl3 armor as it was upset this balance and i think the TTK was drastically harmed by lvl3 armor, so much so that i previously wrote a post about it back when i was playing and they were trying to remedy it. but lvl 3 armor aside, the TTK felt very fair and not too insta real, or too boss fighty. Warzone i feel does this just as good, similar to level 3 armor i think they should tone down 3 armor plates to maybe 2 or just make health 150, and give 1 armor plate extra, im just not a fan of armor hording or camping to avoid risking your precious armor. warzone is doing this well for a launch, and i believe they will improve it even more over time. Summit1g seems to put it well when he talks about the heavy influence shooters and armor buffs play on the flow of BR fights in games. Now heres where I pick on apex for a minute lol, apex, a game i do enjoy, its major flaw is TTK and the reliance on armor, maybe they like fights lasting 30 seconds at a time, maybe they like the idea of soaking 10+ smg shots and still getting away because of purple/gold armor, but for me, every fight in apex is a bossfight, which is what destroys the reliability of snipers(excluding the Kraber, the only real sniper threat in apex). so blackout and warzone i feel have the best TTK.

TTK rating: BO (9) WZ (9)

TTK with level3 armor or 3 plates:: BO (5) Wz (7.5)

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overall weapon effectiveness: blackouts weapon roster was fairly useful on all fronts, there were favorites , but compared to say APEX where a Mozam would barely = a wraith punching you to death, blackouts weapons were lethal on a somewhat balanced scale. sure pistols were not as effective as ARs but they were still better than punching... ahem.. apex p2020/mozam. Warzone is on par with BO on this front, i dont need to go in much depth, but ide rate them on weapon balance for the effectiveness of guns across the board equal.

weapon effectiveness rating: BO (8), WZ (8)

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weapon loot roster/loot distribution: this on the other-hand is a different story, this sort of goes hand in hand with the previous paragraph on weapon customization, but how many fucking MGs do i have to find in 1 building on Warzone. its not unbearable but still, a bit more variety on weapons is definitely welcome, unless we are just in the Fortnite mindset where we have 2 shotguns, 2 ARs, 1 or 2 Snipers, and 1 LMG. i know there are more than that, but for real, the loot distribution on Warzone needs some modification, which i assume it will get, its still a new gamemode. but with how many weapons are available in COD MW, there needs to be a few more options in warzone mode.

Loot distribution: BO (8), WZ (6)

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healing mechanics: This is something i think both BO and warzone sit apart from eachother equally on both good and bad, In warzone, u are out of combat for a few moments, and u practically insta heal your health, very cool, with a fast TTK that isnt too big of an issue, but also, it makes poking and peaking the meta, because u wanna hide all the time, crossing big open areas are insta death vs the guy hiding in the building window. on the other side, BO u need healing items, and u run out, so you wanna camp and not take dmg to waste your valuable heals. I think warzones mechanic is better, but needs to be tweeked, the time before your health regen i feel should belonger, and take a bit slower to fully come back. i do prefer warzone on this regard but blackout feels more "classic" in comparison to how health is regulated with the original BR games.

health mechanics rating: BO (7.5) WZ (8.5)

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Edit(add)
movement/reload: Blackout and warzones movement are both pretty good, the ability to peak corners in warzone is very cool, i love MORE options in games in every way, climbing , proning, peaking, sliding. Sliding in warzone is ... kinda meh, i wouldn't say its useless, but its definitely something that took a hit. One of my first loves in blackout was sliding, i remember watching a stream with XQC and he slid up on a dude while shotgunning him and it was one of those "OMG I LOVE THAT" moments that hooks you into a game with a feature you didn't even realize you were going to use over and over. For the most part ide say blackout and warzone are equal , the sliding to me feels better in blackout, the peaking is a feature that warzone has that i love, so its mostly equal. but heres where my boi APEX comes in to slap both these noobs. Apexs movement is what makes apex ... well, apex. it is the most integral part of the game, and it does it well. Lets be clear, sliding 20 meters down hillsides would NOT be suitable in COD, im not saying apex movement, climbing 12 foot walls, sliding down mountains as 30 mph the entire distance, pathfinder grapple magic, IT SHOULD NOT be applied to COD as such. BUT , the movements smooth feel, the sliding while shooting, the RELOADING, all feels amazing in apex and COD should refine it a bit more. Reloading while moving in apex is amazing, and even more amazing is Reload save progress, for instance, in apex, say there are 3 stages to a reload, mag drop - mag insert - bolt rack = full reload. In apex, if you complete the first 2 stages, then do a climb on a wall or a movement ability, it saves the 2 first stages and all you need left is just to rack the bolt and u are good to go. this is a feature i think ALL shooters should mimic. In warzone if you pick up an MG and you start to reload, if u make it 80% of the animation and accidentally do something that stops the animation, well grab your popcorn and sit back and wait another 10 seconds for that bad boy to get set.

Movement/reload: BO (7) , WZ (7.2) APEX (9.5)

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radar/awareness: Blackout i think wins this round due to a key feature that i feel should be removed, Shooting pings u on the map. A feature/flaw of design in my opinion for any BR game. Audible and visual awareness should be skills in themselves, and to just reveal your almost precise location both laterally and horizontally on a minimap is the area of Halo/COD multiplayer gaming sessions, NOT BR styled gameplay where stealth or ambiguity is a gameplay feature. I see the benefit , but at what cost, it basically removes the aspect of stealth gameplay , when the instant you pop a sniper shot from a window, that everyone in the area sees you on the mini and fucks you, from a single shot. NOT a fan of this feature in warzone. I much prefered the radar beacon gun from BO, where you had to spend your gadget in order to reveal enemys on the map.

radar/awareness: BO (9), WZ(6)

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respawn mechanics: this is an issue that warzone seems to have done a good job addressing, the gulag in my opinion is fresh and beneficial feature to the genre of BR gaming, i may be understating this but before warzone, i felt apex had the best respawn mechanic, and now i would put the gulag as tops, the buyback system is also nice but perhaps a little too cheap, maybe increase the price which is a very simple change , so i wont be too harsh on that. Blackouts respawn mechanic as it was for most of the hayday(first 4 months on pc) was well , basic.

respawn mechanic: BO (6), WZ (9)

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unlock mechanics*:* one of my favorite aspects of blackout that surprised me was the way they had fun ways to unlock characters with objectives done INGAME, and not from the wallet or credit card, the seraph unlock mission with the pistol, shooting the things at fireing range, getting the kills, just a great OLD SCHOOL game mechanic that is so pleasant to see in todays game world, just an awesome throwback , no rating just figured ide mention it since its nice

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looting: this is very PC specific , the bag system of BRs, carrying grenades, heals, ammo, gadgets, ect, is very much a problem for console players who can't be as mobile or fast on looting as pc counterparts, so i understand the looting and lack of bags on warzone. do i Understand it , Yes, Do i Like it, Not really. i wont rate this part , as its an issue that i dont feel is game breaking on either side but leads into the next paragraph which is one of the most, if not THE MOST imporant aspects of BO vs Warzone..... Crossplay.

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CROSSPLAY, is the feature Blackout needed for PC players. Lets take a look at this from a business perspective. A vast and overwhelming majority of COD players are on console, and understandably should get priority from a business standpoint. how did that affect us isolated PC players, well, hackers all over the fucking place, dwindling server population, long queues, and general neglect.

Cross play was/is the solution, and warzone hits this issue very well. When you intermingle PC and Console players, you will give Us PC gamers the ability to play without long queues, and also exposes yall to our infamous cheaters, which will then put pressure on the publisher/devs, to take more rapid and severe action against them, when 90% + of all hackers affect the small population of just PC players like on blackout PC , it doesn't make sense for them to address it as it would if the hackers were running rampant on the massive Console game population.

If crossplay was instituted on blackout, i would have been playing blackout from its release to this day, but for MONTHS if not almost a year, blackout on PC NA has been relatively dead. I once had a game many months ago where I went into a match with 2 teams hacking, game ended, and the population was so low, the SAME 2 teams of hackers were in my next game after waiting 17 mins in another queue. and it was the final time i played blackout. Crossplay not only shines light on PC players who hack and need to be punished banned, but it also dilutes them among a larger population and you run into them fewer times.

Crossplay rating: BO (ZERO) WZ(10!!!!!!)**

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and lastly, PRICE, keep it simple, Warzone 0$, blackout 60$, need i say more

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In summary, I do enjoy warzone, and maybe its a little bit of a let down because i was hoping for it to be a refined Blackout, which is stupid on my part, but knowing that it is going to kill off blackout and maybe even the potential for blackout to comeback, it does fill me with a bit of resentment which i want to get rid of. Both are great BR games, in their own right, and I hope warzone lasts for a long time on PC and that maybe someday, Blackout will return to sit along side its sister warzone and we have a choice between both. just a dream :P

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I love gaming and want threads like this to influence people and devs and publishers to improve games, i want Warzone, blackout, Call of duty, activision all to prosper and we all have games where we feel at home and enjoy gaming with friends.

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For those who made it this far, please leave your opinions, comments, insults, rants, questions, w/e