Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Helldivers 2 soldier with an explosion reflecting in their visor
Third Person Shooters As death threats derail Helldivers 2's wholesome D10 challenge, devs address “increasing hostility in the community”
A toy monkey with dynamite attached is surrounded by zombies in Call of Duty: Warzone's Black Ops Royale mode
Call of Duty Warzone Warzone gets back-to-basics battle royale dubbed "Blackout 2" by Call of Duty fans
Arc Raiders characters standing together
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders patch nerfs Hurricane Caches so you can't just "walk away from every session" with an armful of blueprints
Marvel Rivals Season 5 Rogue and Gambit
Third Person Shooters Marvel Rivals implements a "Victim Compensation Protocol" for players affected by "malicious match-losing"
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Call of Duty Activision shuts down popular Call of Duty leaker, rubs salt in the wound by saying they weren't always right anyway
Arc Raiders character holding golden sledgehammer on dark blue starry background
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders lead says "revisions are probably required" on uneven events which have just become a camper's dream
thor looking into the camera with a steely stare
Third Person Shooters As Marvel Rivals players get paid to throw games, devs threaten permabans for those who "deliberately sabotage matches"
Cropped Helldivers 2 art from the official 'Save Cyberstan' poster.
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 players cheated so hard that Arrowhead had to "disable the Galactic War" and change a Major Order
Arc Raiders trailer screenshot of a man's face in red lighting
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs "understand your frustrations" with Wolfpack nerf and new crafting recipes, but are changing nothing
Arc Raiders Shrouded Sky update
Third Person Shooters Embark nerfs Arc Raiders' Venator once more, and the Kettle and Stitcher are also getting reined in
Arc Raiders armor set with antlers and beaded veil
Third Person Shooters "We can track who shoots first": Arc Raiders design lead says aggression-based matchmaking is "a bit of a misnomer"
Arc Raiders Bettina assault rifle on dark blue background
Third Person Shooters "The highest PvE damage output of any weapon" in Arc Raiders was from the Bettina, and that was before its buff
A Helldivers 2 Cyborg cries out in despair
Third Person Shooters "Your goldfish has been executed": Helldivers 2 support staff apparently don't take kindly to anyone joining the Cyborgs
Arc Raiders best weapons
Third Person Shooters "Will this blow up the server?": Arc Raiders players are so good at killing Arc that Embark eyes ways to "escalate" PvE
Arc Raiders characters with shotgun and revolver
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders players make a plea to Embark: don't let PvP in trios poison your solo "aggression-based" matchmaking
  1. Games
  2. Battle Royale
  3. Call of Duty Warzone
  4. Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty Warzone is rolling out new ways to mess with cheaters, including Damage Shield

News
By Connor Sheridan published 18 February 2022

That's good schadenfreude

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Call of Duty Warzone
(Image credit: Activision)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Call of Duty Warzone anti-cheat has a new way to crack down on cheaters which sounds very frustrating for them and very good to us.

The latest Warzone anti-cheat update on the Call of Duty blog noted that the implementation of the Ricochet kernel-level driver had helped drop cheating to an all-time low over the winter break. It's come back up since then - still not as bad as it got back in Verdansk, thankfully - but a new tool called Damage Shield should help mitigate the effects of cheaters in Call of Duty Warzone while also gathering more data on their methods.

Damage Shield sounds like a power-up, but it's quite the opposite: if a server detects a player is actively tampering with the game, it can disable their ability to inflict critical damage on the fly. No matter how magnetically drawn their crosshairs may be to your noggin, they won't be able to score increased damage.

You may like
  • Black ops 7 season 1 Call of Duty is cracking down on cheaters ahead of season 2 with "major" anti-cheat measures for ranked play
  • Arc Raiders best weapons Arc Raiders players say there's "cheating like crazy," former FPS pro says it "might be worse than peak Call of Duty"
  • Arc Raiders Shared Watch event update. Arc Raiders devs insist they aren't too soft on cheaters, "stepping up enforcement" with perma-bans for "serious" breaks

Why not just turn off the cheaters' damage outright? Well, this way the server can keep gathering more info on how the hack functions without the cheater immediately realizing they've been made, and legit competitors can more easily clean them up the old fashioned way (since Damage Shield isn't meant to affect critical damage dealt out by legit players).

Activision Damage Shield is now live on Warzone servers around the world, and other means of cheat mitigation will keep launching periodically - though it won't announce them all, since it wants them to remain unpleasant surprises for cheaters.

Warzone Ricochet anti cheat | Call of Duty Warzone tips | Warzone Red Doors | Warzone Error codes | Is Warzone down? | Warzone Patch notes | Warzone best guns | Warzone best SMGs | Warzone best sniper | Warzone best LMG | Warzone Secrets of the Pacific locations

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Xbox Series X Xbox One PS5 PS4 Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan
Social Links Navigation
Former GamesRadar+ News Writer

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.

Read more
Black ops 7 season 1
Call of Duty is cracking down on cheaters ahead of season 2 with "major" anti-cheat measures for ranked play
 
 
Arc Raiders best weapons
Arc Raiders players say there's "cheating like crazy," former FPS pro says it "might be worse than peak Call of Duty"
 
 
Arc Raiders Shared Watch event update.
Arc Raiders devs insist they aren't too soft on cheaters, "stepping up enforcement" with perma-bans for "serious" breaks
 
 
Arc Raiders trailer screenshot of a man's face in red lighting
Arc Raiders cheating and "out of map" exploits acknowledged by Embark: "We are implementing significant changes"
 
 
Arc Raiders cover art with three raiders
Arc Raiders boss can tell anti-cheat efforts are working since there's "an influx of people trying to get to the studio"
 
 
Arc Raiders raider in a pilot helmet looks at the camera in a sunlit forest
Arc Raiders hotfix stops players from using a command that was "never meant to be player facing"
 
 
Latest in Call of Duty Warzone
A toy monkey with dynamite attached is surrounded by zombies in Call of Duty: Warzone's Black Ops Royale mode
Warzone gets back-to-basics battle royale dubbed "Blackout 2" by Call of Duty fans
 
 
Haven's Hollow Warzone map screenshot
I smashed out a win on Haven's Hollow at Call of Duty: Next, so naturally the incoming Resurgence map is my new Warzone favorite
 
 
Blackout Warzone 2026 screenshot showing four players diving into Avalon
Warzone is getting a Blackout-inspired mode in 2026 and a dev who also worked on Call of Duty's original battle royale promises "that mode is going to be fun"
 
 
Black Ops 7 Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone's weapon attachment tweaks are being separated from the other games like Black Ops 7 to allow for "faster meta shifts" and tuning
 
 
Call of Duty CODE: Got Your Six event
Call of Duty CODE: Got Your Six event and rewards explained
 
 
Call of Duty Blaze of Glory event
Call of Duty Blaze of Glory event and rewards explained
 
 
Latest in News
Battlefield 6
Battlefield 6 designers say developers have a "responsibility" to make games intuitive
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gustave winces
"The first track spoils the whole game": Clair Obscur Expedition 33 dev confirms it was filling your ears with spoilers
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 took inspiration from a surprising anime - Soul Eater creator's Fire Force
 
 
A close-up of Grace talking with someone through glass in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem leads let actors re-do "technically" perfect scenes if it made them happy, says Grace actor
 
 
Kratos approaches Aphrodite's bedchamber in God of War 3
"The God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," which is why Aphrodite's bed looks "like a labia"
 
 
Alan Ritchson in Reacher season 3
Reacher star Alan Ritchson says season 4 is coming this year: "It's by far the best season we've had yet"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gustave winces
    1
    "The first track spoils the whole game": Clair Obscur Expedition 33 devs confirm they were filling your ears with spoilers the entire time
  2. 2
    The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reveals Donald Glover as the voice of Yoshi and more new casting in a star-spanning trailer that sends the entire Mushroom Kingdom to another planet
  3. 3
    Reacher star Alan Ritchson says season 4 is coming this year: "It's by far the best season we've had yet"
  4. 4
    Clair Obscur Expedition 33 took inspiration from a surprising anime - Soul Eater creator's Fire Force: "Because it was a JRPG, we tried to find a mix"
  5. 5
    "The God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," former Sony Santa Monica writer says, which is why Aphrodite's bed looks "like a labia"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...