Buried in a small update focused on bug fixes, Warzone subtly changed how the final circles work with the removal of redeploy flares.
Raven Software and other supporting studios have not shied away from making groundbreaking changes in Warzone. In August, the devs made a bold decision to decrease the player count on Al Mazrah from 150 to 100.
To explain why the change was made, the Warzone devs argued: “We’re reducing the number of players across our core Battle Royale modes, which will prevent the match feeling too chaotic but provide improved matchmaking times, faster pre-game lobbies, and a better quality of match overall.”
This time around, the devs doubled down on improving the flow of matches by removing redeploy flares. Let’s jump right into why this choice was made.
Redeploy flares removed from Warzone
Season 4 introduced redeploy flares to Warzone. the Field Upgrade allows a player to redeploy a randomly selected Squadmate back into the battle. Redeploy flares were found via loot cache, ground loot, or could be purchased from buy stations.
Despite the Field Upgrade providing a good way for teammates to feel involved, it also came with downsides. After redeploying, teammates would hang in the air in the final circle to avoid getting killed, and teams would horde the field upgrade to make winning easier.
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The devs explained: “created situations with a general lack of competitive counter strategies, especially in the final moments of a Ranked Play Battle Royale match.”
And because of that competitive unbalance, the devs ultimately decided to remove them entirely.
Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone October 4 update patch notes
Here are the full MW2 and WZ October 4 patch notes.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where the Player can be kicked back to the main menu when attempting to access the “Manage Files” section in the Settings menu
- Fixed an issue where a significant hitch could occur when transitioning to some menus from COD HQ
- Fixed an issue where the Battle Pass After Action Report wouldn’t play correctly if the Player had Auto Redeem turned on
- Fixed an issue where the ISO 9 Mastery Completeionist Charm displayed an incorrect Charm
- Fixed an issue where the Player could be kicked back to the main menu when viewing Tracer Pack: Witchcraft
- Fixed an issue where the Dual Kamas model is missing in the preview for the Red Haunt Blueprint
- Fixed an issue where locked camos could be added to weapons before they were earned
- Fixed an issue where the TR-76 Geist Mastery Completionist Charm would incorrectly show the FR Avancer instead
Warzone Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where the mission ‘Thinning the Herd’ could not be completed as intended due to Konni Group no longer spawning on Al Mazrah in DMZ
- Fixed an issue where some melee weapons could clip through the Operator’s wrist when transitioning into a DMZ match
- Fixed an issue where Skin Indicator tiles for several Operators could display inconsistently
Match Ruleset Updates
Field Upgrades
- Redeploy Flares have been removed.
- Team Insight: Redeploy Flares often created situations with a general lack of competitive counter strategies, especially in the final moments of a Ranked Play Battle Royale match.