Warzone players furious as another “pay-to-win” feature arrives
ActivisionAnother Warzone 2 bundle is being called “pay to win” in the battle royale, as players compare the Dark Rituals III Holotherm to the base thermal sight.
Warzone 2 players are becoming increasingly frustrated with the devs as they have discovered another pay-to-win feature in the game.
Thermal sights have been fairly controversial in Warzone 2, but since the devs nerfed them slightly and also restricted their use in Ranked Play, they have been less influential.
That said, Season 5 introduced the Dark Rituals III bundle, and players have noticed something different about the SZ Holotherm on the Death’s Door Cronen Squall weapon blueprint.
This bundle costs players 2,800 CoD Points, which will set you back around $40 / £34.99 if you don’t have any spare. The SZ Holotherm featured in this bundle provides a clearer thermal coloration, making it much easier to spot enemies through the map, whether it be in the open, in smoke, or even in water.
In the comments of CharlieIntel‘s post, players have even shared their experiences with the Dark Rituals III Holotherm, backing up just how strong it is compared to the base version.
One user even shares a video of it in-game, where they say the “entire enemy is highlighted” and “when an enemy is about to shoot there’s an indicator over their head.”
This was also highlighted on the Warzone subreddit through user coone90‘s post, which features a video of the player comparing the base version of the SZ Holotherm with the “P2W” Dark Rituals III bundle version of the optic.
As you can see in the video below, the red thermal coloration featured in the Dark Rituals III bundle provides a more prominent and clear visual of enemies, particularly through the smoke.
The base SZ Holotherm provides a subtle outline of the enemy that almost blends in with the orange color of the thermal sight, whereas the Dark Rituals III version shows a distinct red for the enemy against a grey background.
The OP even shows just how powerful this sight is at range, comparing the sights on Al Mazrah while aiming at an enemy who’s some distance away. With the Dark Rituals III version of the SZ Holotherm, it’s easy to make out the enemy from miles away, while it’s very difficult to do so with the base version of the sight.
Players in the comments have had enough of the pay-to-win content, as one comment read “Each season they add more p2w stuff here and there. Doesn’t surprise me,” while another said “That’s a huge difference. Really uncool.”
We’ll have to wait and see how the devs deal with the controversy, as it’s clear players feel the SZ Holotherm provided in the Dark Rituals III bundle is pay-to-win.
For more, you can also check out our guide on the best weapons to use in Season 5 of Warzone.