Call of Duty: Warzone’s Season 4 launched with the MG 82 LMG and, following its dominance in Verdansk, devs went into full-on crisis control. Now, a new patch has slashed the weapons stats in an attempt to rein it in.
The writing was on the wall for the MG 82 already, as early patch notes explained that it would have the fastest firing rate of any LMG. That was alluring enough for streamers to jump on it as soon as Season 4 deployed, but its other traits have made it an absolute necessity.
The MG 82 not only had a blistering firing rate — it also had practically nonexistent recoil and enough bullet velocity to disintegrate enemies from absurd distances. Those attributes, coupled with yet another nerf to the CR-56 AMAX, made it the best primary weapon in the game, and prompted Raven Software to take action.
It’s no surprise then, that devs quickly took notice and have now made changes within a couple days of Season 4’s release. As Raven Software explain, the LMG is too strong and that’s what the nerfs aim to fix.
The MG 82 is getting a total of 7 changes in the June 22 update, listed below:
- Maximum Damage decreased from 30 to 29
- Minimum Damage decreased from 28 to 27
- Maximum Damage range decreased by 20%
- Headshot multiplier decreased from 1.3 to 1.2
- Upper Chest multiplier decreased from 1.1 to 1
- Extremities multiplier decreased from 1 to .9
- Vertical and Horizontal Recoil increased
While these changes definitely seem significant, devs say we shouldn’t expect to see the LMG leaving meta, though hopefully it will be a bit less OP.
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“Do not be deceived by the magnitude of these changes,” Raven said in the patch notes. “The damage per magazine and rate of fire is still top tier so we expect the MG 82 to remain viable.”
🛠️ A #Warzone update is going live soon!
Includes balance changes to the MG 82 (BOCW), several bug fixes, and a comment on Perks.
The Season Four patch notes have been updated (see June 22nd): https://t.co/lL99ezRul4 pic.twitter.com/x0iEaKriKN
— Raven Software (@RavenSoftware) June 22, 2021
Raven didn’t waste any time at all in Season Four to make changes to the MG 82, and based on how OP it seemed before the June 22 patch, that makes sense.
An LMG can have a fast firing rate, but probably shouldn’t also be able to control easily or whip out against an SMG close-range. Now that the update is live, all that remains to do is watch and see if it actually accomplishes what devs intend it to.