Dataminers have uncovered many unreleased weapon variants in COD: WWII’s game files, as well as three types of supply drop (loot box) that are also not in the game right now.
Where have you seen that before? Here are the movie references in COD: WW2.
COD Points – the game’s microtransaction currency – have just gone liveafter a rocky launch period. They can be purchased for real money and spent on loot boxes, which can also be earned through playing the game. As ever, the question is what impact the contents of those loot boxes will have on gameplay, and whether paying money can be a shortcut to in-game power.
Here’s the thread for the datamine. It mentions Legendary, Epic, and Weapon Supply Drops, as well as several variants for 16 different weapons. So far, there’s no sign of any of this in the game, though Eurogamer spotted that supply drops now contain XP boosts.
That means faster leveling, which means faster gear and weapon unlocks. We’ve seen XP boosts in COD loot boxes before, though, and no-one seems to mind – their impact is fairly minor, and isn’t a ticket to anything that can’t be earned through gameplay.
The concern comes when you ask what Sledgehammer are planning on doing with those datamined weapons (if anything – the usual caveat that not everything in a datamine will make it into the game should be borne in mind). In Black Ops III, weapon variants were added to loot boxes after launch that had different, and sometimes better, stats than the base gun.
Thisis the line that no-one wants to see crossed again. Provided they’re only cosmetic, or can also be earned through gameplay (as in Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered), the community seems ready to tolerate this. There’s no indication in the datamine one way or the other.
In related news, Sledgehammer have posted an update to coincide with the game’s latest patch. The Headquarters social space is now as social as it should be, and another patch is due next week with a range of bug fixes, connectivity optimisations, UI improvements, and rebalancing: the BAR will be nerfed, and flich will be reduced in line with player feedback.
Winter Siege, a seasonal event, will kick off at 10:00 Pacific on Friday, December 8, and will run until early January. The highlight is a winter version of Carentan, a classic map from the original Call of Duty that has been reimagined for several other games in the series. It will be free to all players for a limited time during the event. We also hear that ranked play is coming to console on December 1, so hopefully it won’t be far behind on PC.
Finally, to apologise for all the problems since launch, Sledgehammer are activating a Thanksgiving double XP weekend one day early – it starts at 10:00 Pacific today.