A familiar Modern Warfare 3 skin is once again playing havoc in the game’s multiplayer modes, prompting complaints from players.
Modern Warfare 3 allows players to transfer a “vast amount” of their previously acquired Modern Warfare 2 content over to this year’s Call of Duty release – including the controversial Gaia operator skin, which could be acquired as part of Modern Warfare 2’s Blackcell Battle Pass bundles. This has been dubbed the Groot skin within the community given its likeness to Marvel’s sentient tree-like creature.
The Gaia skin is described by Activision as an “ancient goddess of considerable power, [that] uses her earthen form to inspire ruin in her enemies”. As you can see from the header image above, it is incredibly dark and see-through in places, making it almost indistinguishable from many of the surroundings in Modern Warfare’s multiplayer maps (both 2 and 3).
Many now want to see Modern Warfare 3 developer Sledgehammer Games remove the skin, or at least nerf it somewhat, to allow for fairer gameplay.
“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 WZ map as well,” one disgruntled player wrote over on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Reddit.
Another Redditor shared a picture of the Gaia skin in use, adding: “Seriously, Remove this skin now enough is enough with this Pay 2 win.”
As you can see below, it is pretty hard to make out against the rest of the scene (“What skin there is nothing there,” another user replied, I am assuming with their tongue in cheek).
In a more recent post, another Modern Warfare 3 player lamented the inclusion of this skin.
“In every map I played, I could barely see players who using this stupid skin, how is that fair and why no almost no one talks about it? It should be a removed from the game as it promotes [pay-to-win] characteristics and Its literally invisible at first glance,” they wrote with the accompanying pictures shown below.
Eurogamer has asked Activision for comment on the Gaia skin.
We are yet to share our thoughts on the game’s multiplayer modes, as the team is currently testing them on live servers before delivering the final verdict on the overall package.
However, you can read our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign review on the site now.
