Warzone, especially the first battle royale, has had a torrid time tackling cheaters and illicit play. One major tool used by those manipulating the game for their own benefits is a Cronus, but what is it and how does it work in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2?
MW2 & Warzone Cronus Meaning
A Cronus, or Cronus Zen more specifically, is a cheating device that players attach to their console or PC. When it’s in use, players download ‘scripts’. These scripts tinker with gameplay to a significant degree, adjusting aspects of the game depending on the scripts acquired.
An example is a script that automatically reduces recoil, ‘pulling down’ on players’ aim as they fire. The script that does this automatically means it’s far easier for players to shoot even the most volatile weapons. There’s a huge number of scripts possible, each targeting a different aspect of gameplay (like firing semi-automatic weapons rapidly, boosting aim assist and more).
As they’re ‘remote’ cheats – essentially a device added to hardware to manipulate game mechanics – they’re very difficult for anti-cheat software, like Activision’s RICOCHET, to detect.
Is Using a Cronus Cheating?
Yes, it is cheating. Some players might think it’s acceptable because they’re easy to purchase and not as explicit as wallhacks or an aimbot. Regardless, players using them are manipulating their game to an unfair degree. As a result, they’re breaking the terms of service they agreed to when loading into CoD and gaining an advantage over opponents. Because it breaks the rules, those caught using a Cronus device will banned from Warzone and MW2.
Activision have made a real play to reduce the prevalence of Cronus devices with their anti-cheat updates. Back in April 2023, the devs broadened the anti-cheat to recognize these devices faster and more reliably. If players are caught using the devices, they now receive an ‘Unsupported Device Warning’ message.
Failure to remove the ‘unsupported device’ will result in an account ban or a hardware ban. The latter is designed to ban an entire PC or console, ensuring the cheating player cannot simply create a new account.
They also outlined some in-game mitigations that Activision may use against cheaters. These are as follows:
- Cloaking: The process of hiding legitimate players from cheating players.
- Disarm: The process of removing weapons and equipment from cheaters while in-game.
- Damage Shield: The process of providing legitimate players with a protective barrier against cheaters.
That’s everything to know about Cronus devices in MW2 and Warzone. For everything else Call of Duty, check out the related content below.
