Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III's extraction shooter mode, DMZ, has only been live for two days—and only for those who pre-ordered—yet one feature has already sparked collective player outrage: the ability for players to revive themselves after being killed.
This skill is called "Possum," one of many skills players can unlock as they level up their Operators. Here's how it works: Once activated, the player can trigger a self-revive once per match upon being killed. Upon triggering, the player enters a "Last Stand" state, needing to get up from a helpless downed position to continue acting. The entire process from being downed to returning to combat takes about 10 seconds and cannot be interrupted. After reviving, all loot collected by the player is cleared, effectively resetting them to their initial state.
Undoubtedly, adding a self-revive mechanic to an extraction shooter is a bold design choice for DMZ. Currently, there seems to be no way to tell if an opponent you've killed has this skill equipped, meaning any enemy you take down could come back for revenge later in the match when you let your guard down. What's more, the unlock requirement for this skill isn't high; if players focus their Operator progression on the "Warrior" branch, they can unlock "Possum" in just a few hours. Therefore, it's highly likely that someone in every DMZ match will be ready to counter-attack using this skill. Saying that "Possum" has caused polarization among Call of Duty players would be an understatement.
"Possum is a trash design, remove it ASAP," posted player pdmaloney94 in the DMZ subreddit. "In my opinion, this mechanic completely ruins DMZ, severely diminishing the risk factor of matches. After wiping out an entire squad, do we now have to camp their bodies to confirm they've actually returned to the lobby? Who thought it was a good idea to add this kind of setting to an extraction shooter?"
Other players have expressed similar dissatisfaction. "I just barely won a 1v3 in the underground mall, and before I could loot, I went to revive my teammate. The first person I killed got up from the corner and killed me," wrote player SkinDiesel. "What were they thinking adding this kind of skill to an extraction shooter? I can understand self-revive kits or bandages as items, but freely reviving from death every match is just ridiculous."
However, some players hold different opinions, offering more rational evaluations of the "Possum" skill and sharing counter-strategies. "Just walk away, they can't catch up. Since they have no loot, there's no reason for them to chase you," suggested player cleppingout. Player Wilus82 also proposed an interesting idea: "I've seen people suggest placing Claymores or mines on enemy corpses."
Many prominent Call of Duty YouTubers have also criticized this skill. Content creator Phixate slammed it as "completely breaking balance," while Wynn-Gaming called the "Possum" design "outrageous." The main reason for the backlash is its significant impact on team-based combat dynamics. After all, eliminating an enemy member to gain a numbers advantage and pressing the attack is a classic tactic. If such a clear numerical advantage suddenly disappears mid-fight, the consequences are considerable.
My personal take? I hope "Possum" isn't nerfed right away; let's observe it for a few more weeks. Let it run its course naturally. We're already seeing this skill force players to explore interesting new tactics. With only two days since launch, it's far too early to determine if it truly breaks balance. Let the match ecosystem settle naturally and allow players to fully挖掘 its potential. If it's still a problem by December, it won't be too late to deal with this "Possum."
Of course, the new skill isn't the only thing drawing complaints in DMZ. Players have also reported spawning in the middle of the road and getting instantly run over by a car upon landing, which is quite comical. We'll have to wait and see what other interesting situations arise as more players get access later today.