Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is the first game in the long-running shooter series to carry forward cosmetics from a previous game, and while on paper this means welcome continued use for virtual items players have bought, out on the battlefield it’s causing a few problems.
Warzone and Modern Warfare 2’s Gaia operator skin, dubbed ‘Groot’ by the community because it is made up of twisting roots much like the Marvel superhero, went live as part of the premium battle pass for the recently released Season 6. At the time, fans were quick to call Gaia pay-to-win because of how hard it is to see in-game.
Last month, Activision adjusted the Gaia skin to improve visibility, acknowledging the problem in the process. But now Modern Warfare 3 is out in the wild, players have carried forward all their Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 cosmetics, Gaia included, and this ‘Groot’ skin is perhaps even harder to spot in Multiplayer, particularly in the Estate and Wasteland maps.
The big issue with Gaia is that the torso is almost entirely see-through, and its dark colour helps it blend in. In a game as fast-paced as Modern Warfare 3, getting the jump on your opponent is key to winning a firefight. Gaia certainly helps with that.
“Sledgehammer please nerf the Groot skin already,” pleaded redditor Glittering-Laugh8544. “I swear it’s insane. You can’t even see it on Wasteland or Estate and I’m sure it will be difficult in the new Warzone map as well. This is just ridiculous.”
“This skin needs a nerf, it is so over power in Estate and Wasteland,” echoed jamesswazz. “Literally invisible.”
“Seriously, remove this skin now. Enough is enough with this pay to win,” said korge23, alongside the remarkable screenshot below showing just how hard it can be to see Gaia in Modern Warfare 3.
The Gaia skin rekindles memories of Call of Duty’s infamous Roze skin, which sparked controversy because it was entirely black and incredibly difficult to spot in shadowed areas.
While Activision is yet to comment, the hope is a change is made to the Gaia skin to improve its visibility. Until then, be sure to double check those corners.
Modern Warfare 3 has endured something of a rough launch. After its single-player campaign was universally panned, Activision was forced to pull various multiplayer maps out of the game because of spawn points that were causing absolute carnage. After the game’s first weekend on sale, those maps are still out of rotation for certain modes.
If you’re playing Modern Warfare 3, check out IGN’s Modern Warfare 3 loadout guide.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.