Warzone devs confirm RICOCHET nerfs cheaters in-game with “Damage Shield”

Luca Di Marzo
ricochet anti cheat damage shield

A recent progress report from the Call of Duty team has detailed some interesting information concerning RICOCHET Anti-Cheat and how it nerfs cheaters in Warzone games with a “Damage Shield”.

It’s safe to say that Warzone players have had mixed opinions of RICOCHET since it went live back in December 2021. At first, the Call of Duty community was full of praise for the Anti-Cheat as it passed judgment on cheaters and banned thousands of accounts.

However, recently players noticed an uptick in cheaters which led to questions of whether or not RICOCHET was still active in Warzone. It turns out RICOCHET Anti-Cheat has been active since launch and has hit some cheaters with a “Damage Shield” nerf live in-game.

Warzone RICOCHET Anti-Cheat progress Report

Warzone Pacific Ricochet Anti-cheat

Interestingly enough the RICOCHET progress report confirms what players noticed as a recent rise in the number of cheaters, “While a recent rise in cheating is not at the level it was during Verdansk, according to our data, any increase is frustrating”.

The influx of new cheaters comes down to cheat providers developing new technology to bypass RICOCHET. Rest assured, the team claims that they have thwarted countless efforts of players using new technology and continue to monitor the situation.

More importantly, the report also sheds light on some of the techniques used to ban cheaters in Warzone. Due to the data collected from cheating players, RICOCHET can enforce in-game nerfs in addition to banning accounts.

What is the RICOCHET Damage Shield

Warzone Operator shooting

One of these remarkable in-game nerfs is dubbed the Damage Shield and it prevents cheating players from inflicting damage in real-time “This mitigation leaves the cheater vulnerable to real players and allows #TeamRICOCHET to collect information about a cheater’s system”.

In essence, cheaters would lose the ability to damage non-cheaters in what many are calling one of the best innovations to come from RICOCHET.

The team also states that a Damage Shield will never accidentally apply to a non-cheating player. This brilliant Damage Shield feature is now out of testing and is being deployed across the globe.

If you think this live nerfing ability is a well-deserved punishment then you’ll be happy to find out that more features like this one are in development and should outrage cheaters in the near future.


For more Warzone, check out our comprehensive Warzone Pacific Season 2 review.

Image Credit: Activision

About The Author

Luca is an Associate Editor at CharlieIntel. An accomplished, writer with interests in sports and gaming alike, Luca is focused on Call of Duty and FIFA as a content creator. After earning his BA in English Literature at Concordia University, he began writing for Gamelevate, OddsShark, and H4X. Luca joined CharlieIntel in 2021. You can reach Luca at [email protected], or via X @TheLucaDiMarzo.