Warzone Season 2 changes have convinced me to play again

Call of Duty Warzone season 2 — (Image credit: Activision)

Warzone Season 2 is coming to save the day. At least, that's certainly what it seems like after the latest Call of Duty blog post detailed "over 30 improvements" that will be implemented when Season 2 drops on Monday, February 14.

Since the Call of Duty: Vanguard integration, Warzone has suffered from performance issues, visual bugs, and a whole host of other problems that have pulled players (especially those on console) away from the battle royale. The problems were so vast that I wrote that you should wait to play Warzone until fixes were made, and suggested the delay of season 2 is exactly what Warzone needed to give devs time to make important fixes. Many of those fixes will be implemented on February 14, along with some much-needed quality of life updates that will further improve Warzone's current state. Here are the five biggest changes coming in Warzone Season 2 that have convinced me to return to the battle royale.

1. Improved movement

Call of Duty Warzone — (Image credit: Activision)

We're getting "improvements in all forms of movement" in Warzone Season 2, which includes increased mantling height, parachutes deploying at a lower vertical height, and better vehicle handling. With the integration of multiple Call of Duty titles that have different movement mechanics and vehicles, Warzone's movement and vehicle handling has always felt a bit off. With the introduction of Caldera, parachute deployment became a major issue, as players found walking off of buildings didn't trigger the parachute open option, so that fix will be an important one. A complete movement overhaul will help breathe some life into Warzone.

2. Fixing more glitched Operator skins

Warzone Pacific — (Image credit: Activision)

There's a handful of Operator skins that are currently invisible in Warzone. The tier 100 battle pass skin was plaguing players for a while, prompting accusations of another "pay to win" component whereby those who got to the final level of the battle pass could use the accidentally invisible skin. And although Raven Software fixed that particular skin with an update in late January, players soon discovered an entirely different skin was appearing as just a head, neck, and weapons at a distance. Raven is promising a fix for these various invisible Operator skins in Warzone Season 2, which will take a lot of the frustration out of gameplay.

3. Gas mask animation rework part 2

Warzone Pacific Season 1 — (Image credit: Activision)

Warzone players have long had a problem with the gas masks. They may protect you from the encroaching deadly gas, but they often do so at the expense of aiming, reloading, or plating up. As such, the gas mask animation has resulted in countless Warzone deaths and has been a serious pain point since the game dropped. Warzone Season 1 introduced gas mask animation changes which prevented it from interrupting actions like reloading or plating up, but it didn't stop you from getting dragged into an animation while aiming down sight. Warzone Season 2 will finally fix that, removing the gas mask animation from Operators who are aiming down sight. I won't be able to blame the animation on why I got killed anymore, but I'm happy nonetheless.

4. Bye-bye distorted graphics and other performance issues

One of the biggest issues in Warzone since the Vanguard Pacific integration has been performance issues like distorted and otherwise messed-up graphics across all platforms. While console players believe they got the worst of it, the graphical issues persisted across all methods of play. During my first few days in Warzone Pacific, I frequently picked up guns that had exploded into polygonal messes and dropped into matches with trees that looked like they were from the first Tomb Raider game. Just a few weeks ago, a texture bug appeared on Xbox that made Caldera look like Roblox, so the graphic issues are retaining a vice-like grip on Warzone's neck. Luckily, it looks like that and some other bugs (including voice chat problems and streaming issues) will be fixed in Warzone Season 2.

5. Buy Station glitch fix

This one is a special kind of nightmare. The Warzone Buy Station glitch popped up in January, temporarily freezing games for players for several seconds as soon as they opened up a Buy Station. In some cases, the temporary freeze is permanent, with the glitch causing the entire game to crash completely. Considering Warzone recently reverted back to the original loadout drop timing, which allows players to buy a loadout as soon as they get the funds, fixing this Buy Station glitch is of the utmost importance. Come Warzone Season 2, you'll be able to visit a Buy Station without wincing in anticipation of a game crash.

Warzone Season 2 is implementing some much-needed upgrades and fixes that will hopefully make the game a more enjoyable experience for players on every platform. As someone who hasn't played it since the days immediately after the Vanguard integration, these changes have reinvigorated my interest in the game. Expect to see me dropping in when Warzone Season 2 drops for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC on February 14.

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.