Call of Duty is known for its high-octane gunplay, which is thanks to the game's low time to kill and plethora of equipment. Many different types of guns, attachments, grenades, and killstreaks exist to give the game near infinite replayability.
With Modern Warfare recently releasing its Battle Royale gamemode called Warzone, all of that game's equipment and items have made their way over to the BR counterpart, for better or worse. The shift to longer gunfights and squad-focused gameplay has certainly shifted the meta compared to Modern Warfare's core multiplayer component, making item composition more important than ever. Here are the 5 best and worst items you can use in Call of Duty: Warzone.
10 Best: Heartbeat Sensor
Getting the jump on enemy squads is critical to success in any Battle Royale game, but it is especially true in Call of Duty: Warzone.
This can be hard to do if you are in a close-ranged engagement in a building or street. For these situations, a Heartbeat Sensor is a blessing. This scanner will lower your current weapon in exchange for a scanning pulse every 5 seconds that pings nearby enemies. If you are in a small building and need to scout out the area, this tool is essential for staying alive.
9 Worst: Smoke Grenade
Considering that knowledge is half the battle in Warzone, it would make sense for vision-impairing equipment to be essential. That isn't always true.
Smoke Grenades are a great choice in the first few minutes of a Warzone game when players lack custom loadouts and gear. Once the first couple of loadout drops appear, though, Smoke Grenades become obsolete thanks to the likes of Snapshot Grenades and Thermal Optics on certain weapons. You are actively encouraging enemies with Thermal scopes to shoot at you.
8 Best: UAV
On the opposite end of that spectrum, the UAV is a killstreak players can purchase or find in caches. Out of most of the killstreaks you can buy, the UAV is one of the best.
This drone will mark nearby enemies in a pulse, similar to a Heartbeat Sensor. It does this in a massive radius around you, giving your team vital information on the enemy's whereabouts. To make matters worse for the enemy, stacking 3 UAVs together will grant an Advanced UAV, giving your team a real-time feed of where the enemy is moving and where they are looking. This Advanced UAV covers the entire map as well and can't be shot down!
7 Worst: Thermite Grenades
Thermite Grenades are similar to Molotov Cocktails in that they cover a small area in a damage-over-time effect. Sadly, Thermite Grenades do this much worse than their Molotov cousin.
These grenades can stick to enemy targets, making them a Semtex-like alternative to Molotovs. The radius they cover is much smaller, though, making it less focused on area denial and more on straight damage, something it lacks compared to standard Frag Grenades. For vehicles, the Thermite Grenade is actually a solid choice. Unfortunately, there are also better lethal equipment options for vehicles like C4 charges.
6 Best: Self-Revive Kit
If you have played Apex Legends or similar Battle Royale titles, you know how powerful a self-revive can be. Getting up when the enemy least expects it can turn the tide of battle in your favor.
Unlike Apex, Warzone's Self-Revive Kits make little noise when used until you get up, allowing you to stealth revive yourself when the enemy isn't paying attention. The animation for this is also subtle, meaning only experienced players will be able to tell you're reviving yourself. This is also great if you are separated from your squad but are in a safe position. There are so many situations where this item can save the match for your team that you would be crazy not to purchase one.
5 Worst: Gas Grenade
It was mentioned earlier that Molotovs have AoE alternatives like Thermite Grenades. The Gas Grenade is also in the same camp, deploying a field of gas that deals small increments of damage over time while impairing the target's vision.
This sounds incredibly powerful until you realize gas masks and the Battle Hardened perk exist. Battle Hardened significantly reduces the strength of enemy Gas Grenades while gas mask items can mitigate them almost entirely. They might see use in the first few minutes of a Warzone match, but don't rely on them for certain strategies.
4 Best: Thermal Optics
Warzone has one of the largest Battle Royale maps ever created, which is a necessity since it can contain 150 players fighting each other at once.
With how large this map can get, finding enemies at a long distance can be troublesome. Thanks to Thermal Optic sights, you can find entire squads thousands of meters away from your location. Certain sniper Thermal sights are also small enough to prevent glare when scoped in, making Thermal Optics a no-brainer for any Warzone game. They would be the best item if it wasn't for the Cold Blooded perk countering the effect.
3 Worst: Sniper Optics
Not every scope in Warzone is bad. Most serve a unique purpose in terms of stat bonuses or visual preference. With that said, long-ranged Sniper Optics are an objectively bad choice.
This is thanks to Call of Duty's new scope glare effect. In essence, aiming down sights from a large scope will cause a bright white glare to emit from your location, giving your position away to all enemies in sight. You are giving your position away with these scopes for little gain considering how easy it is to snipe from long distances with Warzone's near hitscan sniper rifles.
2 Best: Loadout Drop Marker
Costing a whopping $6,000, the Loadout Drop Marker allows you and your team to select any custom loadout to equip.
This is the only way to obtain perks in Warzone currently, which already makes them a great purchase. The fact you can spawn your favorite weapons with your favorite attachments makes this an even better investment. Loadout Drop Markers are the single reason Warzone is much less reliant on RNG loot than other BR titles currently. Get this item as soon as you can.
1 Worst: Recon Drone
Recon Drones should be a great choice for finding enemy squads, but their slow movement, limited range, loud noise, and the vulnerability of its controller make it the worst item in Warzone.
Drones can be flown in the air to mark enemy targets. It can fly rather high in the air, but it can not stray too far from the controller or it will lose connection and break. The sound it makes is rather loud as well, letting everyone near the drone know you are nearby defenseless. Their only real use is to distract squads, but decoy grenades can do the same thing and don't take your field upgrade slot.