Among other developments, Call of Duty: Warzone 2 introduces a proximity chat feature, allowing players to communicate with their nearby opponents - or potential allies - in the updated battle royale mode. At its best, proximity chat is fantastic, but unfortunately it has a key weakness in its execution. This is, in many ways, a microcosm of Warzone 2's launch as a whole; it's full of great ideas, but numerous bugs and issues prevent it from being truly great.
So far, Warzone 2 has received a mixed response; while plenty of players have been vocal about issues with networking, clunky menus, and the game's monetization structure (leading to "mostly negative" reviews on Steam), new features like the ability to interrogate enemies bring depth to Warzone 2 that wasn't always present in its predecessor. The game's proximity chat is one such feature, and it's making waves online as videos showcasing player interactions are popping up across social media. Such interactions range from expectedly toxic to surprisingly wholesome. Plus, giving players the ability to speak to each other while nearby opens up all kinds of gameplay opportunities, including negotiating deals, forming temporary alliances, and, of course, breaking said alliances. Proximity voice chat is an absolute success, save for one glaring issue - every player's voice is at a fixed volume.
Warzone 2's Proximity Voice Chat Needs To Be More Dynamic
Players that jump into the newest iteration of Call of Duty's battle royale game mode will quickly find that Warzone 2's new map, Al Mazrah, is massive; it's so big that it contains the entirety of several beloved original Modern Warfare and MW2 maps within it. Yet, as each match progresses, players are forced closer and closer together, making combat engagements inevitable. In this context, proximity voice chat is somewhat genius - as players run into each other, they can share some words, be those taunts, negotiations, or just a few laughs. Yet, Warzone 2 only accounts for proximity between players within a binary. Two given players are either close enough to hear each other, or they aren't. Players who are further away are no quieter than those adjacent to each other. This is hardly immersion-breaking (Call of Duty isn't exactly striving for realism), but it prevents an already good mechanic from being even better.
This feature certainly would have had its own complications. Warzone was rebuilt to fix bugs that were contributing to negative play experiences, and the result is Warzone 2 which, unfortunately, already seems to be riddled with similar issues. As interesting as it may have been, a more complex version of the currently implemented proximity voice chat system would have added yet another factor for developers to consider, and potentially contributed further to the game's rocky start. The current system certainly isn't bad, as demonstrated by the numerous clips circulating online, and perhaps developer Infinity Ward will revisit this as it continues to support this latest release.
Proximity voice chat is only one method to turn Warzone enemies into allies. The game's revamped Gulag provides would-be eliminated players a chance to return to the main action - if they can win a two-on-two fight with just one life each. The ability to speak with nearby players makes this all the more interesting, as teammates may find themselves paired with players not on their original team, or even players that they encountered earlier in the match.
Overall, Warzone 2 is playing with some interesting ideas, even if the execution isn't always ideal. Fortunately, Infinity Ward has announced at least a year of support in the form of new content; players can likely expect bug fixes and quality-of-life updates along the way. Call of Duty: Warzone 2 isn't perfect, but it's a compelling next step in the evolution of the franchise.