[jwplayer mCpsAxNx]A Call of Duty: Warzone operator skin is bugged and not showing any smoke trail when the character deploys. This unfair advantage has been called out by the community, with Infinity Ward confirming that they are aware of the issue.
No pun intended, but the Wendigo Operator Pack is cool. For just 2,400 Call of Duty Points, you get an adorable abominable snowman charm, a couple frosty weapon blueprints and a chilly Taiga skin for Krueger—but that skin doesn’t have a smoke trail, and that’s a no-go for Warzone’s competitive integrity.
You don’t spend a lot of time deploying from the heavens and down onto Verdansk, but those moments, whether at the start of the match or during a re-deployment, spent parachuting and nose-diving into combat are some of the most critical in the game. The sky is the game’s most powerful high ground and, to give people a chance amidst the chaos, each skydiving character is followed by a red trail of smoke.
That trail of smoke is crucial on your initial deployment, as it allows you to see where opponents are landing and begin strategizing. Later in the game, it’s less impactful but still useful, so that you’re not surprised by a re-deployed ambush—especially should one of Season 4’s Jailbreak Events occur.
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Krueger’s Taiga skin breaks that balance by providing people who paid for the bundle with an unfair advantage. In a clip shared by ‘aur0n’ on Reddit, someone using the skin is seen deploying for an instant with no trail.
The character simply disappears to the human eye, with the video needing to be replayed in slow motion just for you to really notice that they’re there. That’s how impactful the lack of a smoke trail is.
Fortunately, Infinity Ward is on the case. While the bug has yet to be added to their Trello board, IW’s Senior Communications Manager Ashton Williams replied on Reddit to let the community know that this issue is “noted.”
No matter how slight or niche this advantage is, it still presents concerns for a game that becomes more competitive each passing day. Having any semblance of a pay-to-win microtransaction, that’s available solely to people willing to buy a bundle, is damaging for a game’s integrity.
As of yet, there has been no confirmation of when exactly the bug will be fixed—but the developers are aware and it should be remedied soon. In the meantime, just be careful where you drop.
