Weapon Balance Changes in Warzone & MW3 Season 4 Reloaded

The recent Season 4 Reloaded update for Warzone and Modern Warfare 3 includes numerous weapon buffs and nerfs, once again altering the game’s meta.

Despite its dominance since its arrival, the Kar98k has finally been nerfed. However, there have also been significant balancing adjustments made to other major weapon categories, including Assault Rifles and SMGs, which could impact the rankings as we approach Season 5.

In Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 4 Reloaded, you can find a comprehensive list of all weapon buffs and nerfs.

Every buff and nerf

MW3 and Warzone player swinging Sledgehammer — Activision

There are also two new weapons being introduced in the mid-season patch.

BAL 27

The Lower Torso Modifier has been raised to 1.1x from its previous value of 1x.

MCW

The minimum damage has been raised to 24, previously 22.
The bullet velocity has been raised to 750m/s, an increase from its previous speed of 710m/s.

HOLGER 556

Near-Mid Damage Range increased to 60.96 meters, up from 50.8
The bullet velocity has been raised to 720m/s from its previous speed of 690m/s.

MTZ 556

The bullet velocity has been raised from 690m/s to 720m/s.

M16 (MWII)

Like Patriot AMP
- Mid Damage Range increased to 53.34 meters, up from 48.26.

BATTLE RIFLES

MTZ 762

The Max Damage Range has been extended to 25.4 meters, a significant increase from its previous measurement of 19.05 meters.
The Near-Mid Damage Range has been increased to 48.26 meters, which is a significant increase from its previous distance of 40.64 meters.

SUBMACHINE GUNS

FJX HORUS

HOW Scimitar Kit
- Max Damage Range increased to 15.08 meters, up from 13.71.
- Near-Mid Damage Range increased to 27.22 meters, up from 24.
- Mid Damage Range increased to 41.91 meters, up from 41.14.

Top Scorer

The Lower Torso Modifier has been raised to 1.1x from 1x.

RIVAL-9

The maximum damage range has been extended to 12.7 meters, an increase from 12.19 meters.
The Near-Mid Damage Range has been extended from 24.3 meters to 25.4 meters.

Types of Light Machine Guns

RAAL MG (MWII)

The minimum damage has been raised to 28, an increase from the previous 27.

SAKIN MG 38 (MWII)

The minimum damage has been raised to 25, previously it was 24.

RAPP H (MWII)

The Leg Modifier has been raised to 1x from its previous value of. 95x.

HCR 56 (MWII)

The Near-Mid Damage Range has been extended to 50.8 meters, a jump from its previous range of 48.2 meters.

Marksman Rifles

Lockdwood MK2 (MWII)

JAK Wardens Conversion Kit
- Increased sprint to fire speed from to 100ms, up from 35ms.

KAR98K

Adjusted the aim assist properties of the controller to match those of the Sniper Rifle class.
The maximum damage range has been decreased to 55.88 meters, a decrease from its previous range of 63.5 meters.
The bullet velocity has been reduced to 620m/s, a decrease from its previous speed of 660m/s.

MW3

Submachine Guns are a type of firearm that are commonly used in close combat situations due to their compact size and high rate of fire.

FJX Horus
- Decreased maximum damage range from 15.2m to 13.7m (-10%).
- Decreased near-medium damage range from 25.4m to 22.9m (-10%).
- Decreased medium damage range from 33m to 29.7m (-10%).
- Decreased far-medium damage range from 40.6m to 36.6m (-10%).
- HOW Scimitar Kit
  - Increased damage range benefit from 35% to 65%.

Shotguns are a type of firearm.

KV Broadside
- JAK Jawbreaker Conversion Kit
  - Fixed an issue causing Muzzle Attachment to unequip in gameplay.

Marksman Rifles are a type of firearm designed for long-range shooting accuracy.

Kar98k
- Removed hipfire aim assist properties for controller input devices.
- Decreased strength of ADS aim assist properties for controller input devices.

Controller aim assist properties of the Kar98k are now aligned with the Sniper Rifle class.

Lockwood Mk2
- JAK Wardens Conversion Kit
  - Increased sprint to fire speed from 35ms to 100ms (+186%).
  - Decreased maximum damage range from 4.6m to 3m (-33%).
  - Decreased near-medium damage range from 8.9m to 7.1m (-20%).

Sniper rifles are a type of firearm designed for long-range shooting.

Carrack. 300
- Increased maximum damage from 95 to 128 (+35%).
- Increased near-medium damage from 90 to 95 (+6%).
- Increased medium damage from 70 to 90 (+29%).
- Increased minimum damage from 60 to 70 (+17%).
- Decreased maximum damage range from 30.7m to 12.7m (-59%).
- Decreased near-medium damage range from 58.1m to 30.7m (-47%).
- Decreased medium damage range from 69.6m to 58.1m (-16%).
- Increased head and neck damage multiplier from 1.7x to 2.2x.
- Increased lower torso damage multiplier from 1x to 1.1x.

Handguns are a type of firearm that is held and fired with one hand.

COR-45
- XRK IP-V2 Conversion Kit
  - Fixed an exploit allowing the Akimbo Rear Grip to be equipped.

In addition to weapon changes, Season 4 Reloaded offers a plethora of new discoveries. Notably, Warzone’s map has undergone significant alterations and MW3 now features two new modes, Havoc and Mutation. Furthermore, both games now have access to the Reclaimer 18 and Sledgehammer weapons.

The source of the patch notes for Call of Duty: MWIII Warzone Season 4 can be found at the following link: https://www.callofduty.com/patchnotes/2024/05/call-of-duty-mwiii-warzone-season-4-patch-notes.