After complaints of Warzone 2’s Birdseye perk being overpowered, Raven Software has confirmed that it’s been shelved for now.
Warzone 2’s perk system is set to change upon the arrival of Season 2 on Wednesday, February 15, but that hasn’t stopped the developers from making some changes ahead of the update. The Birdseye perk has been a point of contention among Call of Duty players, as it's essentially an unlimited Advanced UAV in its current state. Taking over from Birdseye in the Recon Perk Package will be the Survivor Ultimate Perk – which allows players to be revived faster while pinging the player that downed them.
Raven Software, which handles Warzone 2's battle royale portion, dropped the news on Twitter, saying that the perk has been disabled for now, and is currently getting rebalanced so it's ready to get rolled out again in a future update as part of Season 2’s new customisable Perk Packages.
Warzone 2 Season 2 is set to bring a number of other changes with it; some have landed well with the community, and some...not so much. We'll be seeing the return of 1v1 Gulag, 3-Plate Vests for everyone, and an increase to plating movement speed. But a DMZ wipe is also on the cards, that'll see player progress wiped in a seasonal reset.
Flipping the bird
The Birdseye perk has been a bone of contention in Warzone 2 for a while now. Players over on the Warzone subreddit have been going back and forth on the decision and its impact, as well as potential rebalances that would make Birdseye more viable. One redditor acknowledges that the perk is overpowered but with the "lack of bounties and UAVS, it was the only thing keeping some what of the pace going through the the game."
Another player admits to running Birdseye but concedes that it began to 'get annoying' with everyone knowing the location of everyone else on the map "at all times". It makes for incredibly frustrating moments in the match – or incredibly entertaining, depending on your perspective.
"The amount of full team fights we've had, where both teams spend minutes trying to rotate around each other, only to move and counter it due to birds eye... Becomes a bit of a joke engagement."
The Birdseye perk finally being removed could be the catalyst for big changes in Warzone 2, particularly ahead of Season 2. The first season of Warzone 2 has been dominated by a very select number of weapons and perks, one of which was Birdseye, with the game's meta being completely unchanged for the last few months. I can't be the only one that's sick of using an RPK or a Fennec, and using the Birdseye perk to find enemies. It's boring.
Warzone 2 games are repetitive right now, as you have to use the same weapons and perks as everyone else if you are to stand a chance of winning in Al Mazrah. Obviously, you can go against the grain, but it's much harder. A bit more variety would make the game much more enjoyable, and hopefully, the removal of Birdseye will kickstart a big change to the meta, particularly as we get closer to the much-anticipated Season 2 update in mid-February, which should bring a big weapon balancing update.
