Warzone's MAC-10 Blueprint Accused Of Being Pay-To-Win
A premium variant of the new MAC-10 SMG in the current Call of Duty: Warzone Battle Pass is seemingly overpowered to the point of being pay-to-win.
Players of Call of Duty: Warzone have discovered that the premium Gallantry Blueprint of the MAC-10 SMG is such a significant upgrade that it could be considered pay-to-win in nature. This weapon and many more from across the last few years of Call of Duty comes from the Blueprint system, which offers custom configurations of default weapons for a fee. They can come either in the game's battle pass system or through the in-game store, although players can pick up a few free ones here and there in certain games. Either way, they're basically a way to implement Destiny-style legendary weapons on top of the existing Call of Duty modes, just with a whole lot more real-world cash on the line.
While Blueprints can be an issue with powering up many weapons past their breaking point, the MAC-10 was already a top of the line choice for Call of Duty players. Once unlocked via tier 15 of this season's free battle pass, the tiny SMG is a preferred choice thanks to its quick time to kill and its ease of use compared to some bigger weapons. The SMG was so popular that it recently got a nerf to put it in line with other weapons of its type, but the Gallantry version of the gun didn't get that memo.
Call of Duty YouTuber JGOD is no stranger to the subject of pay-to-win elements in Call of Duty: Warzone, and he's made an in-depth video showing his findings regarding how busted the Gallantry is compared to other MAC-10 variants. Not only does the weapons do bonus damage for headshots when compared to the generic SMG, but it deals at least the normal amount of headshot damage no matter where a player hits an opponent. Even if someone were to successfully aim at a player's toes, they'd kill in the same amount of time someone with a normal MAC-10 would if they scored a series of headshots.
This is a problem solely because the Gallantry is not generally available to Call of Duty players' loadouts. It's not available as an in-game unlockable and it's not even purchasable à la carte in the store. Instead, players have to grind their way up to the 95th tier of the Season 1 battle pass in order to receive the blueprint. This is only five levels away from the end of the progression, and that requires a serious investment of either gameplay hours or cold hard cash. While it's possible the gun will end up in the store after Season 1 wraps up, it's not guaranteed, so players who want to use the meta-topping weapon will have to jump on the opportunity now.
It's unfortunate but not surprising that Call of Duty: Warzone's various forms of monetization have sunk into mobile phone territory. Activision has never been shy about turning that particular knob in its most popular franchise, and Call of Duty particularly seems like an unkillable juggernaut at this point. Any game with premium currencies, an in-game store, a battle pass, and other options to sink more cash in run the risk of becoming play to win. Until these tactics reach the same conclusion as Star Wars Battlefront II's loot boxes, it's up to the players to know what they're getting into and when to pull the parachute on a game that goes into this type of unscrupulous territory.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: JGOD