Warzone January 7 update: Double-barrel shotgun nerfs, Bren & MP-40 plans, full patch notes

Call of Duty: Warzone fans should be overjoyed as the dreaded Double-Barrel Shotgun finally got nerfed in a January 7 update. Along with the changes, the devs noted a couple of other tweaks and plans for the Bren and MP-40.

For what feels like an eternity now, the Akimbo, Sawed-Off Double-Barrel Shotguns have plagued the Warzone Pacific community. With Raven Software finally acknowledging the close-quarter behemoth’s issues on January 6, they’ve now gone ahead and nerfed them.

The centerpiece of January 7’s Warzone patch is their efforts to fix the Double-Barrel Shotgun, whose Akimbo perk and Sawed-Off attachment are both receiving tweaks.

Further, Raven also made a tweak to Plunder, deployed some bug fixes, and announced plans for the current meta options at range and up close: the Bren and MP-40.

Warzone January 7 patch nerfs Double Barrel Shotguns and teases Bren, MP-40 nerfs

Activision

Dual-wielding Double Barrel Shotguns had become a nightmare in Warzone.

As far as specific changes launched on January 7, the Double Barrel Shotgun loadout is having its mobility, damage, and hip-fire efficacy lowered. Additionally, the devs have fixed more environmental “collision issues” and doubled the Plunder cash threshold, up to $2 million.

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The patch also introduces some interesting future plans for weapon balancing. In the spirit of promoting weapon diversity, Raven announced that they will be nerfing both the Bren and MP-40 “in the near future.”

Further, the devs explained that all Vanguard assault rifles will have their “visual recoil” decreased at some point as well. This tweak could serve to buff the ARs to make more of them feel viable.

Treyarch/Activision

The Bren will soon be joining the Double Barrel Shotguns on the nerf chopping block.

Warzone January 7: full patch notes

GAMEPLAY

• Cash threshold to enable Overtime in the Plunder mode has been increased to $2,000,000, up from $1,000,000.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed collision issues with various elements across Caldera allowing Players to exploit/peek/shoot through them.

WEAPONS

• We would like to take a moment to discuss some of our upcoming plans as well as how our Weapon balance philosophy will be changing in Caldera. We will be looking to take on a more incremental approach to Weapon nerfs. We understand it can be frustrating to commit a great deal of time to a Weapon to have its viability completely stripped in an unexpected balance patch. We would like to reiterate that our north star is Weapon diversity. With that being said, we feel it is appropriate to announce that in the near future we will be making some adjustments to the Light Machine Gun Charlie (VG) and the Submachine Gun Charlie (VG) – with the intent of closing the gap between these two Weapons and their competitors. In addition, we will be toning down what is often referred to as ‘Visual Recoil’ on Vanguard Assault Rifles. We feel this will help promote a healthier, more diverse pool of mid to long-range Weapons.

ATTACHMENTS

Barrel, Double Barrel (VG): Sawed-Off

• Move Speed decreased to 1.03, down from 1.04

Perk, Double Barrel (VG): Akimbo

• Damage Multiplier decreased to .55, down from 1
• Damage Range Multiplier increased to 1, up from .6

• Move Speed decreased to .985, down from 1

• Hip Spread increased to 1.32, up from 1.28

The Akimbo Double Barrel (VG) was able to consistently achieve lethality at extreme ranges. While we agree that Shotguns should be the most lethal option within close quarters, once that range begins to encroach on Submachine Gun territory, we must intervene. It may seem peculiar that we are removing the Damage Range downside from the Attachment given previous statements, however a more significant reduction to its overall Damage will make the Akimbo Double Barrel (VG) feel less oppressive at extreme ranges while maintaining its effectiveness in close quarters.