NICKMERCS warns Warzone devs they’re making huge mistake with Pacific loadout changes

Isaac McIntyre
NICKMERCS and Warzone Caldera map.

Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff has come down hard on Warzone’s new Pacific loadouts system, claiming it’s only designed for “bots” and warning the battle royale developers they are making a mistake adding the feature.

This week, Raven Software revealed all the details on Warzone Pacific, which is set to hit live servers on Wednesday, December 8 in the battle royale’s long-awaited Season 1 update.

There’s plenty of changes coming to Warzone in the update, but one stood out big time: From Dec 8, loadout drop markers are “only purchasable from Buy Stations after the Loadout Drop events occur in a match”. This change is designed to push their power further into the late game, and the game’s top stars aren’t happy.

When he saw the change, NICKMERCS dubbed it “an L.”

According to the Twitch star, the change will “give the bots more time to run around and enjoy the new island view,” but won’t actually improve Warzone in any way.

One big Warzone change coming to Caldera has NICKMERCS worried.

The biggest worry NICKMERCS has is that Raven Software is quietly trying to bring in changes that will lower the skill gap. That will leave the game “slowed down” and really only be enjoyable for casual gamers.

“[These changes] slow the pace down, in an effort to protect these bots. But really,” he continued, “they’re just going to get sh*t on either way.

“That’s the reality. Big devs will always make moves to protect their player base from the sharks that farm it daily, but there’s only so much you can do.”

The Twitch star believes the Warzone devs are making a “huge mistake” leaning too far into that design. Going too far in a casual direction will alienate the battle royale’s hardcore fanbase, he said, which is needed to keep the game alive beyond irregular seasonal hype.

“I don’t like when devs change fundamentals to assist the bots,” NICKMERCS said, “because at the end of the day they’re going to get rinsed regardless.”

Kolcheff’s latest dig at the Call of Duty battle royale’s loadout changes doesn’t mean he won’t be diving into the new Caldera map on launch day either.

In the build-up to the Tropical battlefield’s early December release, NICKMERCS has mentioned several times he’s very eager to give it a solid go, even if he’s struggled to play Warzone much over the past few months.

“I always said they need to make a map with an island theme, jungley, and bro did they deliver. I’ve not played it, but I saw pictures and videos and it looks phenomenal,” he said. “I don’t like going back in time, especially to WW2 times, but I’m happy it’s going to be tropical. The map is a vibe.

“I’m having a lot of fun in Apex Legends right now, I don’t think I’ll ever permanently go back to Call of Duty,” he added, “but I do want to check out the changes.”