Season 4 of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's" battle pass introduces Captain Price as the season's signature operator, awarding that skin to players who purchase the latest pass. But even beyond the legendary character's presence, the investment in the battle pass makes a good deal of sense for Warzone players looking to upgrade their loadouts.
The breakdown of new weapons (2), character skins (12), weapon blueprints (21) and various other cosmetics falls in line with the previous three seasons featuring 100-plus goodies unlockable by combining game play with the equivalent of a $10 buy-in. It's a particularly savvy investment for players of the free-to-play "Warzone" who don't own Modern Warfare. Grinding out kills and upgrading weapons is considerably easier in multiplayer modes that aren't available in "Warzone." Without them, what could be as little as a one-time $10 purchase can go a long way to improving your arsenal by unlocking weapon blueprints, which include assorted attachments to improve accuracy, range and/or damage dealing.
Loadouts can provide a huge edge for veteran Modern Warfare players in "Warzone." Non-Modern Warfare players often lack strong kits and more effective weapons because they haven't had time to level them up or unlock when opportunities for kills (and weapon XP) are relatively few in both Battle Royale and Plunder modes. (They may be easier with the newly introduced "Rumble" mode, a 50-vs.-50 death match on the "Warzone" map.) So, while the battle pass goods are mostly only cosmetic, and non-battle pass owners can still obtain Season 4′s two newly introduced guns, new players will directly benefit from unlocking the 21 new weapon blueprints (and their attachments) over the course of the battle pass and incorporating them into their loadouts.
This season's blueprints include four that can be unlocked without a battle pass.
As before, the pass also includes 12 new operator skins (plus missions to unlock additional variations) and 1,300 Call of Duty (COD) points, 300 more than you'll need for the Season 4 pass, assuming nothing changes.
By purchasing the battle pass, "Warzone"-only players can better arm themselves for the battle royale and its other modes. And after grinding out the full battle pass, they'll have access to future season passes for the $10 they've already invested (so long as they save 1,000 COD points for Season 5. That's pretty great value and even more useful than the "Fortnite" battle pass (which is solely cosmetic).
Activision debuted "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's" battle pass in December alongside its Season 1 rollout. The approach was a first for the game, ditching the series' long-running and lucrative - but largely disliked - loot boxes in the process. Players can now purchase the standard battle pass for 1,000 COD Points (the in-game currency), which translates to $10. Players progress through tiers by spending time in the game, completing challenges and gathering experience points through strong play.
Twenty-four Season 4 tiers are free for everyone and attainable simply by playing the game, though progress will vary from player to player. The standard battle pass allows players to collect content featured in the remaining 76 tiers, which contain a number of cosmetic items like character skins and weapons blue prints in addition to stickers and calling cards.
The free tiers include two new weapons introduced into the game, the Fennec SMG (Tier 15) and the CR-56 AMAX assault rifle (Tier 31). That's a notable change for the series, with previous Call of Duty titles criticized for locking game-changing items in randomized loot boxes that required players to spend money with no guarantee of receiving the newly introduced guns. The first of those weapons is available at Tier 15, a big difference from the Black Ops 4 weapons bribes, which were randomized and usually appeared as the final tier in a given season (usually 50 or higher).
Skipping a tier costs 150 COD points. There is also a battle pass bundle that instantly unlocks 20 tiers (for an additional $14) to expedite your progress. The bundle saves players a decent chunk if they don't want to grind out all 100 tiers.
Free content outside of the battle pass from Season 4 includes new maps, multiplayer modes and three new operators, starting with Captain Price.
With 100 tiers in total, purchasing solely the standard battle pass still means it will take hours upon hours to progress through all tiers. Again, you can skip a tier by paying 150 COD Points ($1.50). Skipping all 100 would cost 15000 COD points ($150) - if you didn't elect for the $24 battle pass bundle - which is a steep price. And if you wanted to pay to obtain the new guns from the outset of the season, it would cost a minimum of $30.50. But it's far cheaper than what players may have needed to shell out to secure the same items in the loot box model.
For those pining for the new skins, emblems, blueprints and other cosmetic offerings, the battle pass system is a streamlined way to earn guaranteed rewards that keeps you motivated to play. For those looking to level up faster in "Warzone," it's a particularly good deal. And for those who care more about the core experience, the new battle pass strikes a good balance by being entirely optional.