An update that went live on 10th December has “drastically reduced the amount of bloom on all base Vanguard weapons”. Raven Software say they plan on “removing bloom from Vanguard weapons entirely”, but it’s a more complex issue that can’t be fixed with one or two quick tweaks. “This process will take time, as we will need to determine adequate downsides to counterbalance the removal of Bloom, which will vary based on each individual Weapon and the type of Attachment they are attributed to,” they explain. Weapon bloom is another term for ‘bullet spread’, which adds a layer of randomisation to your shots. So if you aim at a target and hold down the trigger, it guarantees that a number of your shots won’t hit their mark. Your bullets won’t fly off in all sorts of directions, it’s not as severe as that, but even the slightest adjustment to your margins can make or break those clutch encounters. And that’s what players aren’t too happy about. Before Vanguard’s integration with Warzone, weapon bloom wasn’t a thing. You’d hold down the trigger and your bullets would shoot true to your weapon’s stats. Accuracy was only affected by distance, so the farther away your target, the greater you’d need to lead your shots to compensate for the bullet drop and travel time. For whatever reason, Raven Software decided “no, we want random please” and added bloom to Vanguard’s arsenal. It could be because Vanguard weapons allow players to equip 10 stat-boosting attachments, which is double that of Modern Warfare and Blops Cold War’s offerings. I’ve still not had the chance to drop into Warzone’s new map, so I can’t speak for how significant the bloom changes feel. However, TrueGameData can. They’ve put together a video that covers the matter extensively. It is long and has images of bullseyes on Excel spreadsheets, which tells you all you need to know. Elsewhere, the update also stops planes from auto-targeting parachuting players and reduced the number of planes, bombing run environmental hazards and airstrike Killstreaks. Clearly, the planes had become a touch too powerful. Activision Blizzard are currently being sued by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing for an alleged culture of discrimination and harrassment. Employees have since called for CEO Bobby Kotick’s removal after a new report came to light alleging several new abuse allegations. Activision Blizzard QA staff recently staged walkouts in protest of redundancies at Raven Software, and a lawyer representing an Activision Blizzard employee demanded over $100 million in compensation for those workers affected by sexual harassment and discrimination.
