Call Of Duty: Warzone--Why You Should Avoid Playing Solo [Update]

From what I can gather, there are folks out there wishing for a solo or duos mode in the latest free-to-play battle royale game Call of Duty: Warzone. Both modes, Warzone and Plunder, are built around three-player squads and can have up to 150 players in each match as of the game's launch. But if you select "Don't Fill" in the Squad Fill option on the bottom left corner of your lobby screen before going into matchmaking, you can drop in solo or with one partner. But while it's definitely possible to jump into matches alone or with one other friend, we wouldn't recommend it, no matter how good you are. [Update: Those eager to leave their teammates behind are in luck: The March 17 update for Modern Warfare and Warzone has introduced a Solo play option. That means that diving in on your won't put you at a disadvantage right from the start. That said, the game is arguably more fun with a team to rely on, but it's good that this option is available for those who want it.]

Of course, going solo or as a duo against full squads of three is going to be tougher, because that's how math works--you won't have anyone watching your back or providing extra firepower in combat. But it's also because this isn't just Modern Warfare with more players and on a huge map, there are some fundamental changes to mechanics that make it harder for the lone wolves out there.

Namely time-to-kill has changed drastically because of the armor system, which has a big effect on how even the sharpest of shooters will fare in firefights. Sometimes it's not enough to catch an enemy off guard--if they're armored up, they'll probably have time to escape death and find cover. Even then, you can expect their teammates to be on the lookout or fire back, unless they're really bad teammates.

This isn't to say it's impossible to win all by your lonesome in a squad-centric battle royale game. The in-match currency system can give you an upper hand with killstreaks and gear that'll help you survive, and getting kitted with perks and your best weapons/attachments set up through loadouts certainly helps. The Gulag respawn system may also alleviate the woes of solo players--if you die in an early stage of a match, you can enter a phase where you battle one other dead player in a 1v1 Gunfight-style battle to earn a respawn in that particular match.

Just don't expect to run wild and rack up kills in Warzone like you could do in Modern Warfare or any other Call of Duty game. If you're wishing for solos or duos in Warzone, this is your only option right now. Good luck, I guess?