To buy or not to buy the Battle Pass? Many players face this question at the beginning of a new season of Call of Duty: Warzone. MeinMMO explains why it is by no means mandatory and shows who really benefits from purchasing.
What is the Battle Pass all about? The Battle Royale CoD Warzone and the respective, annual main title of the CoD series – currently Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – are continuously supplied with fresh content through free seasons. Part of this is the so-called Battle Pass.
This free pass offers players additional incentives in the form of further rewards – like here with the Battle Pass in Season 4. However, if you purchase the pass, you get more. Many wonder whether they miss out on something by not buying the Battle Pass. Is it really necessary to fully enjoy the season? You will find out here.
All about the Battle Pass for Call of Duty: Warzone
Since Modern Warfare 2019, there is no annual pass and no loot boxes in CoD. Instead, new content such as maps or base weapons are unlocked freely and free of charge for all players through the seasons and via a structured Battle Pass, where rewards can simply be unlocked through playing without a random factor.
The structure of the seasons and the Battle Pass has remained the same since its introduction and is therefore generally representative for all further seasons.
What exactly is included in the Battle Pass? Through the Battle Pass, additional, mostly cosmetic items such as emblems or operator skins can be unlocked in the respective season. But also bonus XP tokens, new base weapons, or blueprints for alternative cosmetic variants of weapons and even CoD Points (premium currency) can be obtained there.
This is how the Battle Pass is structured: The pass offers 100 tiers and is essentially free, but consists of 2 reward branches:
- a premium branch for buyers (costs around 10 €). Here, upon purchase, you immediately receive some cosmetics such as new operator skins or XP tokens. In 100 tiers, you can unlock another reward on each tier by leveling up the Battle Pass (simply by collecting XP, i.e., by playing).
- and a free branch that offers rewards for all Warzone players – regardless of whether you buy the Battle Pass or not. However, there are not rewards at every one of the 100 tiers on the free reward path. You get less prizes here, but still all gameplay-relevant items, such as new base weapons.
There is also a traditional Battle Pass bundle for 2,400 CoD Points (about 24 €), where you get 20 tier skips along with the Battle Pass and can bridge 20 tiers in the Battle Pass and immediately grab the corresponding rewards. Tier skips are paid and cost 150 CoD Points per tier jump.
Interesting for frequent players: If you fully unlock the purchased Battle Pass, you will receive enough CoD Points to finance a Battle Pass for a new season. You won’t have to spend any more money.
You can also buy the Battle Pass later. If you reached the 100 tiers in a season and have not yet bought the Battle Pass – definitely get it. The game will deduct 1,000 CoD Points from you and directly credit the 1,000 points from the pass back to your account (300 points were already obtained from the free reward branch).
What if I play multiple CoD titles? In short: You can currently level the Warzone Battle Pass across 3 games:
- in Warzone itself
- in CoD Cold War
- and in Modern Warfare from 2019
Because the Battle Royale has functioned as a kind of link between the annual major releases since Modern Warfare. However, the seasons focus their content primarily on Warzone and the latest installment, currently Cold War. There is no new content for Modern Warfare – not even through the Battle Pass. However, content from the current Battle Pass can still be unlocked through Modern Warfare and then used in Warzone and, if applicable, also in Black Ops Cold War.
Who benefits from the Battle Pass in CoD Warzone?
Battle Pass in CoD Warzone – To buy or not? This question really depends on how important cosmetics are to you and whether you play a lot or regularly in Warzone or the other CoD titles.
The Battle Pass is by no means a must to fully enjoy a season. All essential content is released either as updates through the season or via the free reward branch of the Battle Pass – such as in the case of new weapons.
If you buy the Battle Pass, it only expands the rewards pool and grants you some XP bonuses, CoD Points, and a lot of cosmetic items – provided you play enough. Because only those who regularly play CoD and invest time can work through the 100 tiers of the Battle Pass by the end of a season. To recoup the cost of the pass, you need to reach level 74 – most casual players are unlikely to achieve that.
Conclusion: If you play a lot and regularly and/or care about additional cosmetic bling-bling for character and weapon customization, then you can buy the Battle Pass with peace of mind and secure access to the premium reward branch. There, you then have the opportunity to unlock various cool and sometimes crazy cosmetics for an additional 10 €, alongside all the free content of the respective season.
However, if you play little or occasionally, then basically you’re not missing anything important apart from the additional cosmetics and can skip the Battle Pass without a guilty conscience. You get all gameplay-relevant content as well – without having to spend extra money.
So yes, you can fully enjoy the seasons and fresh content even without the Battle Pass.
What do you think? Is the Battle Pass in CoD Warzone a must-buy for you? Or have you also had fun in the battle royale without all the extra cosmetics? Let us and other readers of MeinMMO know in the comments.
