As per usual, this season of Warzone will come with an upgraded version of the Battle Pass called “BlackCell” for $30. They’ve just revealed all the bonus rewards you get with this version of the Battle Pass, and while it’s boring to see the black and gold aesthetic yet again, there are some dope skins sprinkled into the mix.
Whereas the normal Battle Pass costs $10 each season, the BlackCell version costs $30. With this version of the BP you get Tier Skips, in-store credit (about $10 worth) and some exclusive rewards. Obviously, the BlackCell is really only targeted at very committed players, but that might be you.
So, with Season 1 about to launch, let’s take a look at the BlackCell rewards for this season and see if they justify the price tag.
BlackCell Season 1 Rewards
In MW3 and Warzone Season 1 you will get the following if you buy the BlackCell Battle Pass:
- 20 Tier Skips: These allow you to complete 20% of the Battle Pass on day one, which means you can use the two new weapons immediately. If you play a lot and expect to complete the Battle Pass normally, then these Tier Skips are effectively worthless and only serve to give you early access to seasonal content. But if you’re impatient like me, you can understand the temptation.
- 1100 CP: This is just in-store currency for CoD, about $10 worth. If you plan to buy skins this year, then you will need the points. This part of the BlackCell is hard to argue with from a value perspective.
- 6 Weapon Blueprints: The skins are black and gold and look quite cool, certainly better than nothing. So far, they have revealed five of the weapons that will get BlackCell blueprints:
- Haymaker Shotgun: This is worthless; shotguns are trash (check out where they land on our tier ranking of every weapon in MW3).
- BAS-B Battle Rifle: The BAS-B is really strong, and we expect it to be the Warzone Season 1 meta, so this is a great reward.
- MTZ-762 Battle Rifle: Not the worst weapon in the game, but not relevant to the meta.
- MCW Assault Rifle: MW3’s most popular AR has negative recoil, and will be very popular. Although, it is a bit of a pea-shooter.
- XRK Stalker Sniper Rifle (New): We haven’t tried this weapon yet, but blueprints for new weapons are helpful because you can at least start the levelling process with something.
- Ram-7 Assault Rifle (New): Same as above.
- 10 Character Skins: For every character skin you get in the Battle Pass, there is a BlackCell equivalent, which is basically the same skin but just recolored in Black and Gold. Honestly, if you are willing to spend $30 on a Battle Pass, you can afford far better skins from individual shop bundles (Paul Atreides is coming soon, for instance). But here is a good shot of the five coolest BlackCell skins this season:
Lots and lots of hoods this season. | © Activision - “War Horse” Vehicle Skin: This vehicle skin is quite nice (black and gold again), but it’s for a vehicle called the Coyote, which is new this season and won’t be very popular. It’s like the Tac Rover from last year but with a mounted machine gun.
- Execution: To round us out, we have an execution. It’s not very exciting, and we’re sure no one will be buying the BlackCell for this item.
Those are the rewards for MW3 & Warzone Season 1’s BlackCell Battle Pass.
Is The BlackCell Battle Pass Worth It For You?
With the basic BP and the added store credit worth about $20, you need to ask yourself whether getting the weapons early and about three solid weapon blueprints are worth $10.
For most people, no. But, if you play a lot, you have enough disposable income to justify spending $15 a month on CoD, and you want to buy skins in the store on top of the Battle Pass then yes.