Call of Duty: Warzone's Most Popular Sniper Accused of Being "Pay-to-Win"

Some Call of Duty: Warzone players have pointed out that the Oceanographer blueprint for the HDR sniper rifle offers a big difference over the standard HDR. When using the standard HDR, the view from the scope is the only thing visible to the player and the rest of their surroundings are blacked out. However, when using the Oceanographer blueprint, users are given peripheral vision, allowing them a greater chance to see what's happening around them. With all the talk of "pay-to-win" lately, the blueprint is raising some questions regarding whether it gives players willing to spend more an unfair advantage.

Images showcasing the difference between the two scopes were shared by Reddit user aur0n, and can be found in the post embedded below.

Since we had some talk about "pay to win" wepons with difference stats in the store, can we please talk about the HDR and the benefits it has with the CDL/Oceanographer blueprint? from r/CODWarzone

Not everyone agrees on whether or not the alteration can be considered "pay-to-win." Several posters on Reddit pointed out that the increased peripheral vision does not necessarily equate to an unfair advantage. Increased range of vision certainly might help, however, and it wouldn't be surprising to see more players embrace this option as a result. It's worth noting that this is a Modern Warfare weapon and has been available in the game for some time now.

Of course, some "pay-to-win" advantages are much easier to make a strong conclusion on. The operator Roze Rook skin has led to a lot of controversy of late, with many Warzone fans requesting that it be nerfed or removed entirely from the game. The skin allows players to camp in some of the darkest areas of the map, granting them near invisibility. Like the Oceanographer blueprint, the Rook skin has been available for quite some time, but sometimes it takes players a little while to truly understand how to best take advantage. Whether or not the Oceanographer blueprint will earn the same level of frustration from fans remains to be seen!

Call of Duty: Warzone is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Have you used the Oceanographer blueprint? Do you consider it pay-to-win? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!