Call of Duty: Warzone has a cheating problem. The game's continued troubles with hacking are well-documented, but another issue is exploits that allow players to cheat their way to victory without the need of third-party software. One of the most persistent types of exploit since launch allows players to clip under the map and shoot through the ground.
If you're imagining what it's like to face someone using this exploit, it's as bad as it sounds. The offender is completely unreachable 10 meters under the earth's crust but can easily see and shoot enemies without consequence. The gas circle can't reach them either, so they don't technically have to do anything to win, just wait until everyone else dies.
That seems to be what happens in a clip posted to the Warzone subreddit yesterday by div2691 (seen below).
Oh great. This shit is back. from r/CODWarzone
It's possible that the player who supernaturally survived the circle recreated the Stim glitch that allows players to indefinitely regain health and not perish to the gas, but it's far more likely that this player found a way under the map. It wouldn't be the first, second, or third time, after all. Players have been punching new holes into the Verdansk for months and Infinity Ward scrambles to patch them up as they're discovered.
The most well-known version of the bug reached a breaking point back in May when widespread videos on Reddit and YouTube showed players flying a helicopter through the ground and gaining free reign of the map below the surface.
Anyone else get screwed by the helicopter under the map glitch? from r/CODWarzone
This clip by kingofthenawth is seriously worth watching all the way through. You can see them fight tooth-and-nail through the final stages of the match, narrowly surviving firefights and adapting to a very small circle. You can almost see them accept defeat as they hop off a roof and spot the outline of a helicopter below the floor. Within seconds, the cheater easily kills them.
Thankfully, Activision patched that particular hole. But people keep finding similar versions of the same bug, so that exact scenario is still possible. With frequent updates to the Warzone map that add new buildings or an entire subway system, it might be near-impossible to patch every nook and cranny. In fact, the subway was exactly where the last popular glitch hole was found.
One player recently achieved a similar effect to the map glitch without even going underground. Streamer Ethan Stellar was able to drop a loadout box on top of himself and clip into it. The result was a perfect little bulletproof box that Stellar could freely shoot out of.
Yo @InfinityWard you thought this was a good idea? pic.twitter.com/OZI8NrSgEWNovember 2, 2020
"The only way to get Activision to fix a glitch...Blame Activision and [Infinity Ward]," reads the video caption. (Of course, Stellar can also report the bug through official channels .)
Any persistent game with frequent updates will always have bugs, so the most we can hope for is a responsive dev team that is able to patch up issues before they're too widespread. I think Infinity Ward has done alright in this regard so far, I just hope it can keep that pace when Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War integrates with Warzone in December.
