Warzone Shotgun Temporarily Benched

Call of Duty: Warzone's Reclaimer 18 Shotgun Temporarily Deactivated

The popular Reclaimer 18 shotgun, a staple in Call of Duty: Warzone, has been temporarily disabled by developers. The sudden removal, announced via official Call of Duty channels, has left players questioning the reasons behind the decision.

Warzone boasts an extensive arsenal, constantly expanding with weapons from new Call of Duty titles like Black Ops 6. This vast selection presents balancing challenges, as weapons designed for previous games (like Modern Warfare 3) may become overpowered or unstable within Warzone's environment. Maintaining balance across this diverse weapon pool is a significant undertaking for developers.

The Reclaimer 18, a semi-automatic shotgun inspired by the SPAS-12, is the latest weapon to encounter these issues. The official announcement only stated that the weapon is disabled "until further notice," offering no explanation or timeline for its return.

Player Speculation and Community Response

The lack of detail prompted immediate speculation, with many pointing to a potentially "glitched" blueprint version of the weapon. Videos and screenshots circulating online suggest unusually high lethality from this particular variant.

Reactions to the temporary disabling are mixed. Many players voiced support for the developers' proactive approach to addressing overpowered weapons. Some even suggested reevaluating the JAK Devastators aftermarket parts, which allow dual-wielding of the Reclaimer 18, creating incredibly powerful, albeit potentially frustrating, close-range combat capabilities. While some players appreciated the nostalgic "akimbo shotgun" builds of past games, others found them overly dominant.

However, others expressed disappointment, arguing the disabling came too late. Since the problematic blueprint ("Inside Voices") is exclusive to a paid Tracer Pack, some players feel this created an unintentional "pay-to-win" scenario and that more rigorous testing should have been conducted before the Tracer Pack's release.