Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is getting one-shot snipers back, and players are actually liking it

Warzone 2
(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty: Warzone 2 welcomes Season 3 tomorrow, and the return of the one-shot sniper rifles is going down pretty well with players.

Earlier this week, as PC Gamer first noted, "one-shot" snipers were announced to be returning to Warzone 2. In a blog post, developer Raven Software noted that we can "expect the return of one-shot sniper rifles — under certain attachment and platform conditions — as part of this seasonal update."

This sounds like a recipe for disaster - whenever live-service games like Warzone 2 add in a supremely powerful weapon or ability, it's nearly always met with a polarizing response from the player base, as plenty inevitably decry the addition for being overpowered.

Shockingly, that's not really the case with Warzone 2's latest addition. Over on the Warzone-dedicated subreddit, players are sounding off on the new weapons, and one commenter writes that "this is a very welcome change" as sniper rifles were "borderline useless, and only very situational" with weakened power.

Another commenter writes that this should stop people simply ducking behind cover to armor up and recover instantly from a sniper shot. Even headshots from a sniper couldn't outright kill players in Warzone 2, leading to a lot of frustration and incredibly drawn out firefights.

However, there is some concern this could mess up Warzone 2's pacing. Some commenters see this change as increasing the game's 'time-to-kill,' which could theoretically make Warzone 2 even faster and more difficulty for slightly less skilled players. "And we thought the TTK was too fast before..." writes one sceptical player.

This is generally being seen as a pretty welcome addition for Warzone 2 Season 3, which goes live tomorrow on April 12. Given that Raven Software says the one-shot snipers will only be returning under "certain attachment and platform conditions," perhaps don't expect them to be so widespread in the battle royale sequel.

Check out our comprehensive Warzone 2 Season 3 content walkthrough for a look at everything that's new in the next update. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.