The patch notes for season five of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone went live today, Aug. 2, and the biggest change made is without a doubt the new features of animal companions known as Tactical Pets.
Across all game modes, players can bring a companion alongside them, providing “the unparalleled benefit of companionship along with a devastating Finishing Move.” What the animal companions are capable of outside of Finishing Move participation is unknown, but pet owners will be relieved to know they “cannot be harmed in any way.”
Related: When does Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone season 5 start?
Only one Tactical Pet has been confirmed so far, the loyal K9 unit Merlin. This very good boy is the sole companion of the season five BlackCell operator Arthur, a faceless Shadow Company elite. However, players will not have to have Arthur actively equipped in order to have Merlin accompany them on the battlefield.
Merlin is likely earnable through the battle pass, given that the term “BATTLEPASS” appears in the name of his image on the CoD blog’s patch notes, and the gold trim on his armor indicates that players will have to purchase BlackCell. The patch notes do hint at “other Tactical Pets” that will join the roster of animal companions.
The notes indicate that there will be a place in the menu where you can equip an active Tactical Pet, but you still have to go to your Operator and equip that pet’s finisher before loading into a match. It appears that you can have a Tactical Pet equipped without necessarily having to use the pet’s finisher.
For those players in fear of getting beset by dogs, put those fears to rest. Tactical Pets are not the new Attack Dogs killstreak, which terrorized multiplayer lobbies in World at War and the first two Black Ops titles. Given that the dogs can’t be harmed, they are likely not going to have any significant effect on combat at all.
Hopefully, more pets will be available when season five launches, or at the very least are released during the season itself.
