Modern Warfare 3 devs tease AR hip-fire nerf in Season 3 Reloaded

Sledgehammer Games revealed its findings from the MW3 Ranked Play weapon evaluation and plans to use that data to make weapon adjustments in Season 3 Reloaded.

From April 16-23, Treyarch hosted a weapon evaluation in Modern Warfare 3 Ranked Play. The BP50, Holger 556, MTZ-556, HRM-9, and RAM-9 were tested as potential replacements or additions to the current Call of Duty League weapon pool. Sledgehammer Games intended to increase weapon variety in the competitive game mode, and the results confirmed that the event was a success.

The MW3 posted detailed weapon evaluation data on Twitter. Sledgehammer Games admitted that at the start of the test period, the MCW held on to a 40 percent pick fate, followed by the WSP Swarm at 17 percent and the Rival-9 at 15 percent. However, by the end of that trial run, MCW usage nearly halved, while the Holger 556 and BP50 became the second and third most popular weapons.

Despite being more familiar with the MCW and Rival-9, players tended to have better statistics with the four new weapons. As a result, the devs were able to crunch those numbers and make a broader assessment of what needs to be changed.

“We recognize that SMGs are underperforming compared to ARs,” Sledgehammer Games claimed. To counteract this trend, the devs confirmed that there will be a nerf to AR hip-fire accuracy in the Season 3 Reloaded update on May 1 so they don’t outclass SMGs in close-range engagements.

ARs already suffered a blow in the Season 3 update, as the MCW had its headshot multiplier reduced, meaning one headshot will no longer result in a four-shot kill. The MW3 devs explained the reasoning behind that nerf and its impact on the overall meta.

“During our evaluation of individual weapons, the MCW stood out uniquely, with a significantly increased K/D ratio for high-skill versus low-skill players,” Sledgehammer Games said. “This observation is one of the reasons for the recent headshot damage multiplier reduction. The MCW is highly dependent on the player’s skill. By bringing it down a notch and introducing more options to the meta, we create a smoother experience for players of all skill levels.”

Sledgehammer Games concluded the report by asking players for feedback on which weapons should be added to Ranked Play and what adjustments still need to be made for a weapon to be a contender for the game mode. The devs did not confirm if this test period will affect the current Call of Duty League weapon pool.