Activision has laid out specific plans for the upcoming Warzone 2.0 Season 2, which aims to be the most substantial update yet. The company published a lengthy blog post about the seasonal update, and there’s an impressive number of things in the works, though not all are good. Arguably the most exciting addition is the new Resurgence map, Ashika Island, but it comes with a major caveat that suggests Activision is out of touch.
AI With ... Swords?
Ashika Island marks the first small-scale Resurgence map in the Warzone 2.0 era, which should be enough to bring some players back. Based on the blog post, the new map looks promising. While it’s easy to be optimistic about the new map, one addition could very well ruin the entire experience: AI bots with swords.
Yep, one of the most disliked aspects of Warzone 2.0 — AI bots — is coming back, and it already seems like it’ll be even more annoying than ever.
These new AI, referred to as Rushers, are different from the bots you’ve encountered before. Instead of attacking you with long-range rifles, Rushers focus on close-quarters and come equipped with a pistol, smoke bombs, and a short sword.
Rushers will have lower health and armor, though it’s unclear to what degree. However, Rushers also boast “increased agility,” which is concerning, especially in close-quarters situations. Our fear is that Rushers will be grossly overpowered and will lead to more frustration than fun, which has been the general consensus with AI bots at large.
Since Ashika Island is a smaller, more condensed map, there will likely be many combat encounters that take place indoors. Imagine getting shot by an enemy player and then running inside to cover, only to get ambushed and downed by a Rusher. It would be infuriating, to say the least. Or perhaps a Rusher might throw a smoke bomb at you, making it hard to navigate the building you’re in. The problematic scenarios seem all too prevalent.
No Place for AI
Surviving in a battle royale game is hard enough as is. On the big Al Mazrah map, you’ve got nearly 150 other players to deal with, making it difficult to come out on top. But when AI bots are added into the mix, it truly feels like even more control is stripped away from you, leaving the match up to chance. That logic carries over to the small Ashika Island map, as well.
If the AI bots are even slightly annoying, the community will complain, and Activision will adjust them. This has happened across numerous mechanics in the past, so it’s perplexing that Activision would add such a terrible feature, to begin with. It wouldn’t be surprising if eventually AI bots are removed from the game entirely at some point.
There is simply no place for AI bots in a survival mode like battle royale.
AI is likely added to help maintain pacing and fun, especially for newcomers. This is indicative of the game’s overall pacing issue, which is the heart of the problem. Rather than simply adding AI to help with the pacing, Activision should adjust movement, weapon mobility, aim-down sight times, and player health to encourage more engagements — not add bots.
Season 2 isn’t all bad, though. It will feature the addition of Redeploy Drones, which allow players to rotate to new locations easier; along with a fascinating new mechanic, wherein players can recover their (or a teammate’s) dropped dog tag, which rewards them with cash, one UAV ping, and will mark nearby supply boxes. This will hopefully make it easier to regain so you don’t get stuck in an endless cycle of respawning.
We’ve got our fingers crossed that Rushers won’t be a big deal at all, but either way, their inclusion doesn’t make much sense.
Warzone 2.0 Season 2 will launch on February 15, 2023.
