Warzone lobby sizes have been reduced for the classic Battle Royale mode. How large can BR lobbies be now? Was this for performance or game design?
Whenever Raven introduces new changes to Warzone they usually make a big show of it, whether it's a guaranteed Jail Break event, or bog-standard patch notes. But a pretty fundamental change was introduced almost in secret last night, on December 29, 2021. Lobby sizes for the classic BR mode were reduced across the board. So how big are Warzone lobbies now? And why did they make the change?
How Big Are Warzone Lobbies Now?
Warzone lobbies on the new Caldera map have been reduced for the classic Battle Royale mode, they used to be 150 players max, but now they are limited to the following player counts:
- BR Solos: 140
- BR Duos: 140
- BR Trios: 138
- BR Quads: 140
Rebirth and Vanguard Battle Royale have been unaffected by the changes, it was only the classic BR mode that saw reduced player counts. You can see the changes implemented in-game beneath:
Some New Lobby Sizes for Warzone, not sure when they Changed152 - Vanguard Quads 140 - BR Quads, Duos, and Solos138 - BR TriosThoughts? pic.twitter.com/eRXZEEI7jM
— James - JGOD (@JGODYT) December 29, 2021
The response was largely positive, although (as with all Twitter discussions regarding Warzone) most wanted to get back to talking about the current performance issues on console:
Honestly the player count doesn't matter to console players. Bc the game is soooo broken as it is. But for whatever reason I keep going back lol
— WARZONE Crew (@warzonecrew) December 30, 2021
And that's fair enough. Console's really have been having a bad time on the new map. No FOV slider, constant crashes, and broken pay-to-win skins. Unlike PC players, who have largely seen far better performance on Caldera. FYI, if you're on PC and you have had issues then check this out:
Why Was The Warzone Lobby Size Reduced?
This is the real mystery, because with most changes, we are given an explanation, doubly so if it's something so important like this. There are only two possible explanations; this was either done to improve performance, or it's a game design choice intended to give easier wins. The first of those explanations isn't unreasonable, given the aforementioned problems the game is currently having, especially on console. But given that Vanguard Royale still hosts 152 player lobbies, it's more likely that was a design choice.
Warzone has certainly become a lot sweatier than when it was first introduced, and an increasing number of casual players have mentioned how difficult the barrier to entry has become. With the ever-changing meta most players simply don't have time to keep up week by week with the current best gun in the game, and need to rely on the solid but never top-tier builds like the STG. With fewer players, easier wins are guaranteed, and so it should be more inviting for the casual player base. We'll see how this pans out, and how the fans react.
If they revert the changes, we will of course be the first to let you know. Good luck out there!