Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 players rejoice, because Sledgehammer Games has announced it will be temporarily disabling the infamous Gaia Operator outfit, known in the community as the “Groot” skin, so it can make some changes.
In a recent Reddit AMA, the developer said “adjustments” for this outfit are “in the pipeline.” In response to one user asking what the studio’s plans were regarding the “problems [the skin] has brought forward to [Modern Warfare 3] from [Modern Warfare 2],” it responded confirming the fixes were incoming, and that the Gaia and Gaia Blackcell Operator skins will be disabled in a future update until the changes are ready to be deployed.
The Gaia / “Groot” skin has been plaguing Modern Warfare 2 players since its launch in late-September alongside Season 6. While it does closely resemble the tree-like creature in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, it’s advertised as “an earthen form of Mother Nature herself.” It would seem the major issue most players have with this skin is that, due to the nature of being a bundle of tree branches, the camouflage allowed it to blend in too well with its surroundings.
The alternate skin for Nova was adjusted in an October 11 patch which “added VFX to base skin that reflects the same level of visibility as BlackCell skin,” and “improved visibility compensation,” but some fans aren’t happy. Since the skin has made the jump to Modern Warfare 3, fans have taken to Reddit to accuse the skin of being pay-to-win and questioning how it hasn’t been fixed yet. Here’s hoping the team at Sledgehammer Games gives this skin a complete overhaul and alleviates players’ concerns. Because I think the skin looks really neat — if only it could not be broken on a fundamental level.
