For many modern multiplayer shooters, especially those with a competitive edge, cheating can simply ruin the experience for players. Whether it be activating god mode so that killing a cheater becomes impossible, or flying around in cars to get easy shots on those below, Call of Duty: Warzone has seen its fair share of cheats since the game's launch. Even with developer Raven Software working consistently to combat cheating, it is something that often comes up when players complain about the game.
While Call of Duty: Warzone players will often ask the developers to buff a certain weapon, nerf another, and add more life to the recent Caldera map, battling cheating is something Call of Duty: Warzone players want almost universally. As is the case with other multiplayer battle royales, cheating can deter players from even wanting to play the game if they feel that cheaters occupy much of the lobby space.
Activision announced last year that Call of Duty: Warzone would be getting its own Ricochet Anti-Cheat system, which would work to deter cheaters and ban them from the game. The first months of Ricochet saw little success, with some reporting that even more cheaters were appearing in the game than before. Now though, a recent blog post details a new way in which players can combat cheaters when one is found to be in their lobby.
The anti-cheat team for Call of Duty: Warzone had been working on what it termed a "damage-shield" for some time, and now it seems that mechanic is ready to be released. "Damage shield" doesn't exactly seem like the right term for the mechanic, as it will effectively give all non-cheating players in a lobby god mode against the cheating player. No matter what aim assist or other cheats are being used then, a Call of Duty: Warzone cheater won't be able to do any damage. This does not affect non-cheaters though, as the post goes onto explain that the anti-cheat team "will never interfere in gunfights between law-abiding community members."
According to the Ricochet team, the "damage shield" or god mode won't have a chance of occurring randomly either, giving players immunity to damage when they should not have it. However, considering Call of Duty: Warzone's reputation with bugs and glitches, there might be a chance of random players or even cheaters being able to utilize the "damage shield" when they otherwise should not be able to. This update is being rolled out globally though, so only time can tell how it will affect Call of Duty: Warzone's cheating problem.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Call of Duty Blog