Call of Duty: Warzone is always changing, and the same can be said for the weaponry of the free-to-play battle royale game. With each new season, a new meta transpires, and it is usually not long before players find out about it. With loadout experts like NICKMERCS constantly discussing the game’s strongest gear and equipment, news quickly spreads upon the discovery of each overpowered gun.
Once a gun becomes meta, it usually dominates the competition for several weeks before Call of Duty: Warzone developer Raven Software provides a patch. The nerfs usually stick once they have been carried out, however, as overpowered weapons usually fall from grace quickly after changes are made. While some can live on and still get some use post-nerf, many of Call of Duty: Warzone’s biggest changes have served as a death blow to the viability of the weakened weapons.
Grau 5.56 (June 2020)
One of Call of Duty: Warzone’s very first overpowered guns was the Grau 5.56 Assault Rifle. Discovered soon after the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone, fans quickly saw just how strong the weapon was when compared to the rest of the weapon lineup. Beating out other strong Assault Rifles such as the M4A1 due to its absurd range and a lack of recoil, the gun was loved and hated by the community. However, with voices like that of pro player Crimsix joining the discussion and pushing for changes, the weapon was eventually altered.
The Grau 5.56 nerf took player criticisms into account, making the base weapon kick far more when being fired. Damage range was also lowered on the default version of the gun, while two of the gun’s barrels were altered to be less effective in their boosts to range and lowering of recoil. With the Grau 5.56 nerfed heavily, players quickly moved on to new weapons. Though the gun could soon see a return to power thanks to the void left by the final entry on this list, it will likely never be as strong as it once was.
Bruen MK9 (August 2020)
While the M60 LMG is one of the most viable heavy weapons in Call of Duty: Warzone today, it could never compare to the Bruen MK9 at the peak of its power. Boasting a surprising amount of speed for a light machinegun with pinpoint accuracy and strong range, there was too much upside to the weapon and far too little downside. As such, the incredibly popular LMG was nerfed two times, with Raven doing its best to quickly lower the gun’s viability.
The initial nerf for the Bruen MK9 laid the groundwork for its downfall, as the gun took a major hit to its damage range. The second Bruen nerf is what really took the weapon down a peg, however, as a noticeably large increase to recoil came for the fan favorite LMG. Now firing like a weapon in its class should and losing its odd assault rifle tendencies, the Bruen went from a must-use weapon to a mostly forgotten Warzone wonder, and the gun is rarely seen in Call of Duty: Warzone matches nowadays. While the Bruen MK9 was once at the top of its class, two nerfs proved to be too much for a gun that was once an absolute powerhouse.
C4 (October 2020)
While it may be surprising to see a piece of equipment ranked alongside once-dominant guns like the Grau and the Bruen, those familiar with Call of Duty: Warzone’s C4 situation will understand its spot on the list. At the end of last August, it was discovered that 80% of Warzone players had been using the explosive device. Doing immense damage while being able to be tossed fast and far, C4 was a must-use item in the battle royale game for several months after release.
However, that eventually changed, with an October nerf for C4 bringing an end to the equipment’s dominance. Not only was its detonation time raised, as players needed to wait for a full second after the item landed to trigger the explosion, but its range was decreased heavily as well. With players no longer able to chuck the item over buildings or across great distances, while also losing the ability to make it explode mid-air, C4’s pick rate quickly fell. Causing major problems for those familiar with the original strengths of the lethal gear piece, C4 has not been seen nearly as often since its nerf.
SP-R 208 And AS VAL (October 2020)
While the C4 changes were certainly impactful, they were hardly the most important changes to come to Call of Duty: Warzone’s meta last year. When Season 6 released, both of the weapon additions were legitimately broken. The AS VAL was able to fire through walls, doing the same level of damage regardless of their thickness — essentially giving players an insta-kill assault rifle where cover meant nothing. The SP-R 208, on the other hand, was glitched to be a hitscan weapon, with no bullet drop time added to its shots. Thankfully, the Season 6 guns were nerfed rather quickly.
While the initial nerfs were simply removing bugs from the weapons, a necessary move due to how the guns were ruining matches, a further nerf for the SP-R 208 made it less effective at ranges. Essentially killing the weapon off, the gun is rarely seen in Call of Duty: Warzone lobbies as of late. However, the AS VAL remains at least somewhat viable. With a recent NICKMERCS AS VAL loadout tutorial seeing the weapon turned into an SMG, the gun can be used effectively without its absurd penetration glitch, though it is hardly the best weapon in the game at the moment.
MAC-10 And DMR 14 (January 2021)
The most recent entries on this list are also some of the most ridiculous, as the MAC-10 and DMR 14 recently had a lengthy reign of terror in Call of Duty: Warzone. The MAC-10 SMG drew ire from the likes of Dr Disrespect, as the Two Time was outraged by the prevalence of the rapid-fire weapon. The MAC-10 Gallantry blueprint glitch also gave the weapon a temporary pay-to-win functionality, with the variant having better stats than the original. Thankfully, the blueprint bug was fixed, and the weapon was nerfed — though it does still get a fair bit of use despite this.
However, nothing can compare with the most overpowered Call of Duty: Warzone weapon of all time. With the DMR 14 killing players in 3 shots with full armor, regardless of where in the body they were hit, the weapon’s absurd damage gained outrage from the community. With clips appearing online that showed players being killed instantly by the gun while parachuting and riding in vehicles, the community outrage regarding the DMR was unprecedented. As such, two DMR nerfs were carried out. The first only changed the weapon’s headshot damage, causing more frustration among players. The second, however, made real adjustments — lowering damage, adding recoil to the previously recoilless gun, and decreasing bullet penetration. Despite this, some players still find the tactical rifle to be broken, meaning a third DMR nerf could still happen.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.