Warzone streamers demand nerfs for overpowered melee damage

Melee damage in Warzone has been a sore spot for many players since the game’s release, and several content creators have now called on Raven Software to nerf the battle royale’s powerful hand-to-hand damage output.

With the arrival of Season 3 in Call of Duty: Warzone, Raven Software introduced brand-new weapons, a heavily updated version of the game’s Verdansk map, and a slew of balancing changes to help push out the burst-rifle meta that dominated Season 2.

While the new season has addressed plenty of issues, many players are still frustrated with the way Warzone’s melee attacks function — something the community has been demanding changes to since the BR released alongside Modern Warfare in 2019.

Despite many balancing tweaks in prior seasons, Warzone’s melee combat has remained a hot-button topic for the community, and some of the game’s biggest streamers have now made their concerns with the game’s OP melee damage known to developer Raven Software.

Activision / Infinity Ward

Warzone now has a slew of melee weapons (like the infamous Kali Sticks) that many consider overpowered.

The latest exchange over balancing Warzone’s melee attacks popped up when NRG’s newest addition to their Warzone squad — IceManIsaac — re-ignited the debate by sharing a clip of an enemy decimating him with nothing but the butt of their pistol.

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In the video, Isaac is chasing an opponent through the hectic Superstore POI. As he bursts into the room where his enemy is hiding, the streamer barely has time to react before the opponent smashes him with his pistol and downs him almost instantly.

Isaac appeared to be in disbelief as the engagement played out again in the killcam, which clearly showed the enemy striking him twice and downing him in an instant. He also tagged Raven Software in his tweet with the video, and pleaded with them for a change to the game’s melee.

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“Please Raven Software. Please nerf melee damage,” he implored. Replies flooded in, agreeing that the Warzone developer should take action to reduce the effectiveness of melee in the BR, and several of Isaac’s fellow streamers chimed in on the subject as well.

FaZe Clan’s Austin ‘Pamaj’ Pamajewon pointed out that melees in Warzone have always been a two-hit kill. However, Isaac argued that while a two-hit elim in Cold War’s fast-paced multiplayer might be balanced, it doesn’t translate well into Warzone’s slower TTK environment.

“They need to nerf the melee rate, damage, lunge, or something. 250 health gone in an instant [is overpowered],” he responded. While Pamaj didn’t seem too concerned about the state of Warzone’s melee, fellow streamer Joe ‘MerK’ DeLuca agreed with Isaac and offered up a potential solution.

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“Momentum should stop if you get shot between [the] first and second melee. It’s just too fast in Warzone,” he agreed. DeLuca’s suggestion that shooting an enemy should stop the melee animation is a popular idea amongst Warzone players for balancing the BR’s melee attacks.

While Raven has not officially responded to Isaac’s tweet at the time of writing, the developer has already pushed out a flood of balancing changes during Season 3, so it’s possible Warzone players could see the BR’s melee toned down at some point during the current season.