December 14’s set of patch notes come just a week after sweeping balance changes from MW3 Season 1’s launch, and there are some massive follow-up nerfs to some meta weapons. Here’s every buffed and nerfed weapon MW3’s Dec 14 update.
Nailing down the weapon balance in Modern Warfare 3 has been a challenge for the devs. Combining MW2’s weapon pool with MW3’s guns and increasing health across the board in the transition has created some outliers, both for overpowered and underpowered weapons.
And, while some particularly OP guns like the Holger were nerfed quickly as devs have been diligent with balance updates, there are still some weapons that have been tearing it up since release.
As a result, the devs have delivered some heavy nerfs to some of the game’s strongest weapons in the MW3 Dec 14 update.
MW3 weapon buffs and nerfs in Dec 14 update
This patch is purely nerfs; there are no buffs coming this time around. However, some of these nerfs are massive, with Akimbo pistols getting nerfed across the board and many of the strongest ARs and long-range rifles getting hit hard.
What’s more, Akimbo Snakeshot Tyrs have emerged as a heavy-hitter in Warzone with Snakeshot attached. The Snakeshot rounds seem undeterred by the standard Tyr nerf, making them a real meta deviant at the moment despite the nerfs below.
Here’s the full list of weapon nerfs in MW3’s Dec 14 update:
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Assault Rifles
- DG-56
- Max Damage reduced to 32, down from 40.
- FR 5.56
- Max Damage reduced to 35, down from 43.
Battle Rifles
- BAS-B
- Max Damage reduced to 35, down from 39.
- Min Damage reduced to 25, down from 27.
Handguns
- COR-45
- Akimbo
- Max Damage reduced to 30, down from 45.
- Akimbo
- Renetti
- Akimbo
- Max Damage reduced to 22, down from 33.
- Headshot Multiplier reduced to 1.2, down from 1.4.
- Akimbo
- TYR
- Akimbo
- Max Damage reduced to 70, down from 120.
- Akimbo
Marksman Rifles
- DM56
- Max Damage reduced to 41, down from 50.
- Min Damage reduced to 37, down from 39.
- KVD Enforcer
- Headshot Multiplier reduced to 1.8, down from 2.2.
- MTZ Interceptor
- Headshot Multiplier reduced to 1.5, down from 2.
Shotguns
- Haymaker
- Max Damage reduced to 36, down from 52.
Submachine Guns
- Fennec 45 (MWII)
- Max Damage reduced to 22, down from 25.
- Headshot Multiplier reduced to 1.25, down from 1.35.
- Lower Torso Multiplier reduced to 1, down from 1.1.