Season 3 of Call of Duty: Warzone is here, and the update ushering in the new season has brought about some big changes that go far and beyond the new map. As well as the infamous Roze skin finally being made more visible and only Black Ops Cold War weapons dropping as ground loot, a swathe of weapons and attachments have been buffed and nerfed. Some changes could also dramatically change the meta and the best Warzone guns.
Arguably the standout change is to the FFAR 1, one of the most popular guns in the game right now. The hard-hitting, fast-firing AR was shredding in (old) Verdansk, but has been nerfed in the Season 3 update. The biggest change is to its max damage (down from 30 to 27) and its max damage range (decreased by 15%). There are also nerfs to damage multipliers for neck and upper torso shots, but to balance these changes there is a slight buff to ADS speed. All of this could dramatically impact your best FFAR Warzone loadout.
Both the M16 and AUG tactical rifles have also been tweaked, with big nerfs to fire rate and neck damage multiplier.
The MAC-10 gets a slight damage nerf, while your best LC10 Warzone loadout will be looking slightly stronger with the gun getting a buff to bullet velocity.
There is also a further nerf to the Sykov pistol following this week’s initial nerf. More damage reductions have been made to the Sorokin 140mm Auto attachment, particularly when paired with the Akimbo attachment.
While not targeted in this patch, Raven Software also drops in a sneaky line about one of Warzone’s top ARs, the AMAX. “We are keeping a close eye on the AMAX. No king rules forever,” it says.
Check out the full patch notes here, but just the weapon tuning section can be found below.
WEAPONS
- Cold War weapons have had their ammo names updated.
- The FFAR 1 crosshair has been updated to match other Assault Rifles.
Assault Rifles
- Cold War AK-47
- Recoil pattern has been adjusted
The recoil pattern on the Cold War AK-47 had made its downsides far more apparent than its upsides. We have smoothed out its recoil to make it easier to control. If you are accurate, or skilled at recoil control you will now find the Cold War AK-47 quite effective at most ranges.
- FARA 83
- Minimum damage increased from 25 to 26
- Maximum damage decreased from 33 to 31
- Maximum damage range increased by 17%
- Recoil pattern has been adjusted
As a fast-firing AR with relatively strong recoil, we felt there was too much of an identity overlap between the FARA 83 and the FFAR 1. We have smoothed out its recoil and pushed its damage profile out to be a more viable mid-long range AR option.
- FFAR 1
- Maximum damage decreased from 30 to 27
- Maximum damage range decreased by 15%
- Neck damage multiplier changed from 1.1 to 1
- Upper torso damage multiplier changed from 1.1 to 1
- ADS speed decreased slightly
With high damage, rate of fire, and a competitive mag size, the FFAR 1 has enjoyed a lengthy reign of terror on the short-to-mid range engagement space. When a weapon is so ruthlessly efficient that it pushes the entirety of a weapon category out of viability, it needs to be addressed. The FFAR 1 will remain a respectable option following this change, but it should now be a playstyle preference rather than a loadout necessity.
- Groza
- Recoil increased slightly
- ADS speed decreased slightly
- Upper torso damage multiplier changed from 1.3 to 1.1
This change is more of a precaution. We expect in the absence of the FFAR 1, that the Groza would rise to take its place. While there will always be a ‘meta’, we want the meta to exist in a TTK range that is a bit higher than where we are currently. In that regard, we believe the Groza was a bit of an outlier that, much like the FFAR 1, could have been detrimental to weapon diversity. Bringing the Groza down a notch should allow for some healthy competition in this weapon category.
- Krig 6
- Head damage multiplier changed from 1.4 to 1.5
- Neck damage multiplier changed from 1 to 1.3
- Upper torso damage multiplier changed from 1 to 1.1
- Lower torso damage multiplier changed from 1 to 1.1
The Krig 6 has long been overshadowed by other all-stars in the AR category. We believe this change will allow for a more competitive Time to Kill given the shots are well placed.
- QBZ-83
- Move speed increased
- ADS move speed increased
- Neck damage multiplier changed from 1 to 1.2
- Upper torso damage multiplier changed from 1 to 1.1
The QBZ-83 is a unique weapon that trades overall lethality for mobility. We aim to provide players with the tools to support a multitude of interesting playstyle options. Our goal is that with the right attachments, skillful maneuvering and rotations will be a hallmark of the QBZ playstyle. We have also given it a much-needed nudge in lethality if you can manage aiming and moving simultaneously.”
Submachine Guns
- LC10
- Bullet velocity increased slightly
- Mac-10
- Maximum damage decreased by 1
This is another precautionary change to promote diversity. The Mac-10 is both popular and fun to use. Part of what makes the Mac-10 feel fair to play against is that its upside feels comparative to its downside. That is where player skill comes in. Knowing when and what weapon to swap to during an engagement is a facet of skill expression we want to highlight whenever possible. While this change only brings the Mac-10’s Time to Kill up by about 10%, we think this is a good place to start to encourage exploration in the SMG category.
Sniper Rifles
- Pelington 703
- ADS speed increased
- Raise time increased slightly
Tactical Rifles
- Cold War Tactical Rifle Charlie (AUG)
- Time between bursts increased by 33%
- Neck damage multiplier changed from 1.8 to 1.3
- M16
- Time between bursts increased by 10%
- Neck damage multiplier changed from 1.8 to 1.1
The Cold War Tactical Rifle Charlie and the M16 were able to reach rates of fire that allowed the wielder to negate a requisite identity pillar of burst rifles—accuracy. With their extreme rates of fire and generous burst pattern, shots were not required to be well placed. You would inherit the high damage profile and range of burst rifles with minimal downside. With this change, and the change to Fire Rate barrels noted below, you will now need to aim deliberately if you intend to kill quickly.
And… we are keeping a close eye on the AMAX. No king rules forever.
ATTACHMENTS
- Position Concealment
- Position Concealment will reduce the time your position is visible on the compass and minimap after firing. This effect has been added as a pro on both the Flashguard and SOCOM/KGB Eliminator.
Barrels
- 16.3” Rapid Fire (M16)
- Increase to rate of fire reduced by 58%
- 18” Rapid Fire (Tactical Rifle Charlie)
- Increase to rate of fire reduced by 56%
- 15.9” Strike Team (M16)
- Increase to rate of fire reduced by 66%
- 18.2” Strike Team (Tactical Rifle Charlie)
- Increase to rate of fire reduced by 64%
- 16.3” Titanium (M16)
- Increase to rate of fire reduced by 61%
- 17” Titanium (Tactical Rifle Charlie)
- Increase to rate of fire reduced by 59%
- Sorokin 140mm Auto (Sykov)
- Minimum damage reduced from 23 to 19
- Sorokin 140mm Auto AND Akimbo (Sykov)
- Minimum damage reduced from 19 to 14
- This only affects the weapon when both the Sorokin 140mm Auto and the Akimbo attachment are equipped simultaneously.
- Minimum damage reduced from 19 to 14
The Sykov, when equipped with any permutation of the Sorokin 140mm Auto has been far more lethal at range than we would prefer. When secondary weapons can go toe-to-toe with, or even best a primary weapon consistently, we risk streamlining access to one of the most powerful Perks in the game—Ghost. While we continue to examine the impact that Ghost has on gameplay, providing easier access to it with negligible downside is not something we want to enable.
Lasers
- Ember Sighting Point
- ADS speed penalty reduced by 20%
- SOF Target Designator
- Flashlight is now visible during hip-fire and ADS
Magazines
- Salvo/VDV Fast Mag
- ADS speed penalty reduced by 20%
- Speed Mag
- Pistols
- ADS speed penalty reduced by 40%
- SMGs
- ADS speed penalty reduced by 30%
- Snipers
- ADS speed penalty reduced by 20%
- Pistols
Muzzles
- Flashguard
- Added Position Concealment pro
- SOCOM/KGB Eliminator
- Added Position Concealment pro
Optics
- SUSAT MultiZoom
- ADS speed penalty reduced by 10%
- Ultrazoom Custom
- ADS speed penalty reduced by 20%
- Vulture Custom Zoom
- ADS speed penalty reduced by 20%
Rear Grips
- Increases to ADS speed reduced by roughly 10%
We have begun the iterative process of tweaking values on attachments. We would like the diminution of weapon downside to be a build direction rather than a single attachment choice. As it stands, we feel most attachments need to have their values addressed in some regard to achieve this. We are hoping to make some previously nonviable options less so in addition to widening overall build variety. This may include increasing upsides or downsides on existing attachments. We are also actively looking at how we can create more compelling choices within the confines of attachment categories—chiefly, muzzles like the Monolithic and Agency Suppressor.