Call of Duty: Warzone has its fair share of weapons that can be very powerful in the right hands. Loadouts in Call of Duty: Warzone even help diminish randomization so players can get the weapons they want faster. Sometimes, however, certain weapon configurations in Call of Duty: Warzone are too powerful and loadouts make them too easy to access. Such appears to be the case with an increasingly popular akimbo Double Barrel shotgun build, which Call of Duty: Warzone players are saying needs a nerf.
A popular clip being shared on Call of Duty: Warzone's subreddit shows just how powerful akimbo shotguns can be. The Warzone player is behind cover with less than half their head showing in the opponent's direction. Further, they know where their opponent will be approaching them from. It's the perfect setup for a victory. Instead, their opponent runs out through a door and fires their akimbo shotguns in the player's general direction, killing them instantly.
The title of the Reddit post captures the player's sentiment well, reading, "ain't no way bruh... you could barely see my fat head, they need to nerf this asap." The sentiment is repeated in the thread's comments, with many Warzone players finding it difficult to believe what they saw really happened. Others who have personally been the victims of the akimbo shotgun loadout go further, saying it's toxic.
One Warzone player does offer a different opinion. They say that the akimbo shotgun loadout isn't overpowered, but rather that it's broken. They imply that a nerf wouldn't solve or fix the issue seen in the Reddit post. Rather, there's a bug or unintended design element at play. While they don't say the issue, it's clear that they mean the spread of the shotgun at this range shouldn't be one-hit killing anyone, even with a "lucky" shot.
Akimbo shotguns have, awkwardly, been a topic of controversy in the Call of Duty franchise for a very long time. All the way back in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the akimbo wielding of Model 1887 shotguns were incredibly powerful. Like now, they worked like a long-range shotgun sniper rifle. Infinity Ward fixed the problem by shortening the weapons' range significantly. That would, funnily enough, probably work well here, too.
Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Vanguard are complex games that receive frequent updates and balance changes. It's all but inevitable that there will be unforeseen consequences to the multiplayer meta with some changes. While the power of the akimbo shotguns may seem obvious at the moment, it very likely came as a surprise to the developers in the same way it surprised players. Hopefully, the weapon will be nerfed or changed just as quickly so it no longer causes any problems.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.