The gas mask is Call of Duty: Warzone's greatest source of self-inflicted pain

I was on the roof of one of the apartments in Promenade West when I dropped a guy to secure a top ten finish. The storm was closing in, and I wanted to go further. I wanted to win.

I didn't have much time so I ran to the ledge and jumped as the green mist overtook me. I pulled my parachute when I was halfway to the ground, which normally would have given me enough momentum to get into the next circle, but that's not what happened. Instead, my character put on his gas mask, leaving the parachute un-pulled. I dove straight into the asphalt.

Are you fucking kidding me from r/CODWarzone

For an item that is supposed to help you, Call of Duty: Warzone's gas mask is awfully deadly. I've died more times from it then I have from RPGs. 

Gas masks are very useful items: they allow you to exit the circle without taking damage for 12 seconds. But the automatic animation that plays whenever you enter or exit the storm interrupts gunfights and stops parachutes from deploying. The few seconds it takes to put on the mask can be the difference between win and a loss in the final circles.

Warzone players have asked Infinity Ward to change how the gas mask works for months, but it still operates the same way it did in March. 

am i just bad, or does the gas mask need reworking? from r/CODWarzone

"What makes me upset is that they stated they fixed this in recent updates, yet I see countless videos where it’s still occurring," writes Redditor jsm009. "Also the fact that this can be your fate in a top 10 situation, like come on man."

Some players have created workarounds that disable the automatic animation. The heartbeat sensor and dual-wielded pistols prevent it and the mask still comes on. It's a nice bandaid, but just a bandaid.

Here's how to get no gas mask animation (sprint with akimbo) from r/CODWarzone

The final circle in Warzone is incredibly hectic and using a gas mask is often required to get a win, but there's no reason for it to play such a big role. There are plenty of fixes that would address the problem without changing the purpose of the mask. 

"The auto mask has fucked me many times," says Redditor Barry_McKackiner. "There should REALLY be an option to make it a manual on/off only so the player can choose to take damage but win a fight if that's what is called for. Even if that means having limited vision when not necessary. Absolutely no good reason why they couldn't implement this."

A button toggle that lets the player choose when to put the mask on might be the best solution, but some players are hesitant because they think it'll encourage campers to use the storm to hide as long as possible, rationing their mask use. To solve that, Infinity Ward could potentially stop automatic health regeneration when in the storm, making the lives of campers much harder.

Whatever the solution, I'll probably prefer it to having my parachute fail to open.

This animation can go to hell from r/CODWarzone

The worst thing is when the gas mask animation directly prevents a win. Of course the player in the clip above would rather have taken a bit of damage and continued shooting than get stuck in that animation.

"It’s buggy because it’s inconsistent and it’s also unrealistic/not fun," said Redditor Chieffelix472, referring to the clip above. "In this case he would have won the game if he had not picked up a piece of equipment that he can’t drop or control."