A number of Modern Warfare players – including three-time Call of Duty World Champion Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow – have lamented the current state of the 725 shotgun in Infinity Ward’s latest CoD.
Modern Warfare has undergone a number of patches since its release on October 25, the majority of which have been to iron out small glitches and inconsistencies that have been discovered following its launch to the public.
The 1.06 patch notes, released on November 2, made a number of adjustments to the game, but no weapon balancing changes. This is contrary to community feedback, which indicates that, in the current build of the game, the M4A1 assault rifle and 725 Shotgun are far too strong.
One player who definitely agrees with the general consensus is Karma, who recently signed for Seattle Surge alongside Octane, Enable, Slacked and Apathy.
On November 2, Barlow tweeted that the 725 shotgun “is getting ridiculous. It feels like the models all over (again).”
The Model 1887s have featured in numerous CoD games, but were most notorious in 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. Already the most powerful shotgun in the game, the option to run them akimbo boosted them from overpowered to broken, although they were later nerfed.
Karma feels the 725 is reaching a similar point in terms of its relative strength in Modern Warfare.
The 725 is getting ridiculous. It feels like the models all over.
— Damon B (@DKarma) November 3, 2019
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A double-barrel shotgun, the 725’s main criticism has been its incredible range which, paired with its high damage, can result in some ridiculously long-range shotgun kills.
A clip from Reddit user ‘ToyMachine471’ amassed over 20,000 upvotes, showing the 725 being used almost as a sniper rifle.
Popular Call of Duty YouTuber Tmartn was among those to agree, sharing the clip on Twitter to his 1.7million followers.
Similarly, FaZe Jev uploaded a video on November 2 entitled ‘The 725 shotgun keeps me up at night’, in which he constantly shows how overpowered the weapon is.
While the 1.06 patch did not bring any changes to the 725, it seems the community has made up its mind about it requiring a nerf. Joe Cecot, lead multiplayer developer, has confirmed that weapon balancing is coming, but did not specify further.
Infinity Ward are probably ensuring they get the balance right in the context of other weapons in the game, before they make any changes. Hopefully, we see the correct adjustments made soon.