It can be brutal when your favorite weapons are slammed by the nerf hammer, but the new MW3 patch notes might be on your side. Depending on what your preferred arsenal is in MW3, the latest Call of Duty update for PS5 and Xbox introduces plenty of tweaks, but several meta guns are still safe from having their power wiped clean.
It isn’t a surprise that many of the best MW3 guns are dominating the MW3 meta, as picks like the MCW, Rival-9, or the Longbow continue to be viable options for your best MW3 loadout setups. According to the new MW3 patch notes, Sledgehammer Games is taking aim at popular SMGs, with the excellent Striker getting knocked down a few paces.
While the Striker has persisted with great TTK and mobility, you’ll need to factor in reduced sprint-to-fire time and ADS before you make a move on your enemy. The Striker’s cousin, the Striker 9, also receives similar detrimental effects to these attributes. Specifically, players diving into arguably one of the best multiplayer games on PS5 and Xbox will experience the following statistical changes to these SMGs:
- Striker and Striker 9
- Decreased sprint to fire time from 110ms to 100ms (-9%)
- Decreased aim down sights time from 230ms to 215ms (-7%)
- Striker Stubby (Barrel): Added 9% aim down sights time benefit
- WSP Swarm
- Decreased sprint to fire time from 110ms to 88ms (-20%)
- Decreased aim down sights time from 190ms to 175ms (-8%)
- Striker 9
- Decreased aim down sights time from 225ms to 205ms (-9%)
We definitely thought that a nerf would be inbound for the Rival-9, as its place amid the SMG roster is extremely strong in-game currently. Using these superb MW3 Rival-9 loadout highlights just how versatile is within this weapon class, as it can easily meet the demands of both fast-paced and mid-range combatants.
During our experience in-game recently in playlists like Meat 24/7 or standard Quick Play, the Rival-9’s prowess came out of the gate with the ability to melt enemies in 287 milliseconds. Now that is some exceptional speed to consider. You’ll find yourself sweeping up all those MW3 camos and ranking up the MW3 Prestige system quickly as a result.
Outside these SMG changes, it is also bad news for Modern Warfare 2 fans. Well, the ones that are left, that is. The patch notes dictate that the MW2 Carry Forward feature is implementing fresh tweaks, as Sledgehammer Games confirms that players can expect a large ammunition reserve for “all Weapons to MW3 standards.”
Furthermore, MW2 attachments that affect hipfire spread benefit (like Underbarrels) will have their values decreased 5-12%. Lasers on the other hand gain a smaller reduction, as they will sit between 2-5%. The clock is ticking down for other MW3 weapons to run the gauntlet through nerf city, and your ideal gun could likely be next on the list.