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Warzone nerfs the new EX1 before Season 5 even begins

The new EX1 energy rifle in Call of Duty Vanguard and Warzone will behave differently in both games, with the latter nerfing it so it doesn't break the meta

Warzone EX1: A man in a white suite and a black eye patch fires a weapon that produces a red blast of energy

If you’d forgotten that Call of Duty Vanguard and Warzone was meant to be set in World War 2, we don’t blame you for it. The overarching theme of both games has been largely abandoned, and the introduction of the EX1 assault rifle (an energy rifle that featured in Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, set in the year 2054…) is the cherry on top of that particular cake.

Rather than your standard World War 2-friendly bullets, the EX1 fires energy rounds that are produced from a battery, rather than a magazine. As a result, it technically has unlimited ammo, with a cooldown the only thing preventing you from holding down the trigger forever. It also has ridiculously strong damage range. These things combined mean it’s going to be a menace in Vanguard multiplayer.

However, as revealed in the Warzone Season 5 patch notes, Raven has had to adapt and essentially nerf the EX1 before it even releases in the battle royale so that it doesn’t completely break the meta.

“In Warzone we’ve made some substantial differences to the EX1 to better accommodate [battle royale] gameplay vs Vanguard multiplayer gameplay,” Raven explains. “The EX1 has limited ammunition, increased recoil, and substantially lower bullet velocity.”

So if you’re regularly playing both Vanguard and Warzone, expect the EX1 to feel rather different in each game.

With these changes, it’ll be intriguing to see if the EX1 will be as dominant in the Warzone meta as it will inevitably be in Vanguard’s. Check back in with our best Warzone guns guide in the next couple of days to see where it lands.