| 1 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | !!Infinity Ward |
| 4 | [[folder:Call of Duty]] |
| 5 | * Submachine guns in general have always been overpowered in the World War II-set ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games, but even in [[VideoGame/CallOfDuty1 the first one]] a few stood out: |
| 6 | ** The classic ''[=CoD=]'' Game Breaker is the [=PPSh=]-41; in the original, it had a huge 71-round magazine along with very friendly and predictable recoil and an excellent iron sight. Almost every later game tried to {{Nerf}} it somehow. |
| 7 | ** The Thompson was another contender, having a slightly lower mag capacity than the MP 40 and Sten in return for noticeably stronger per-shot power, able to kill in two hits; later games toned down the damage slightly and have only ever featured it with 20-round magazines since, though with some games letting you unlock drum mags. |
| 8 | * ''[=CoD=] 1'' also had the scoped Mosin-Nagant; while every other scoped rifle had to reload rounds one at a time, due to a glitch the Mosin-Nagant used a stripper clip whether scoped or not, giving Soviet snipers a huge advantage in multiplayer. |
| 9 | * Apart from the other broken scoped rifle, of course. The FG 42 in the original game was ridiculous, a selectable semi- or full-auto high-damage weapon with an extremely accurate scope, it was a true do-everything gun with no meaningful weaknesses whatsoever. |
| 10 | [[/folder]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | [[folder:Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare]] |
| 13 | * ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty4ModernWarfare'' has the grenade launcher: an attachment that can be used with any of the Assault Rifle-class weapons, is perfectly accurate, arcs over obstructions (which also handily lets it ignore the effects of cover), requires about ten seconds of practice to master, is an instant kill if you're anywhere near the impact, ''and you spawn with two rounds.'' There is no downside to using the "Noob Tube," and you essentially get not one but two free kills after every spawn. |
| 14 | * Due to an oversight, attaching the ACOG scope to the [=M40A3=] sniper rifle increases its base damage from 70 to 75. While this may not sound like much, the damage multipliers on shots from sniper rifles are coded so that a player with the Stopping Power perk (which multiplies bullet damage by 1.4x) will deal 98 damage on a "bad" hit, like to a target's foot, barely letting them survive a single shot with the default 100 max health. As such, the [=M40A3=] will be a OneHitKill just about anywhere on the body unless your target has the Juggernaut perk to increase their max health, and even ''then'' a shot anywhere that's not a limb will still be an instant kill. |
| 15 | * Another oversight meant that the Skorpion's base damage was unaffected by the suppressor attachment. This was bad enough in normal gameplay, where in close range it dealt 50 damage per bullet, but it was especially noticeable in Hardcore mode, where that damage is higher than the maximum health players are given, combined with the gun having practically no recoil for ranges where a single bullet won't do the trick. The weapon was universally banned from competitive-league games for this reason, even after it was patched. |
| 16 | * A downplayed example in the campaign would be the RPD machine gun, which especially on consoles with the help of auto aim assist can mow down multiple enemies within a 5 second time-frame whilst spraying willy nilly. Though it's a nightmare to reload once you eventually run out of bullets. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | [[/folder]] |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]] |
| 21 | * The Model 1887 shotgun in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2'', prior to patching. It almost always instantly kills the target (even ''without'' Stopping Power), and can still hit at a long range despite [[ShortRangeShotgun the typical uselessness of shotguns in this series]]. Here's the real kicker: ''they can be dual-wielded.'' Infinity Ward themselves acknowledged the problem and issued a patch to [[{{Nerf}} "balance"]] it, drastically lowering its effective range. Unfortunately the first patch only applied to its ''akimbo'' version, meaning a single 1887 is just as bad (or good, depending on what side of the weapon you're on) as it always was. Furthermore, using the Bling perk for two weapon attachments - Full Metal Jacket and Akimbo - would effectively give you the pre-patched version of the dual 1887s, as well as the increased penetration of FMJ. A second patch reduced this problem. A second, slightly-less-broken but still powerful shotgun is the starting SPAS-12, which due to a glitch that never got fixed has its maximum range fluctuate between normal shotgun range and the ranges of the submachine guns. Add Stopping Power and you've got guaranteed one-shot kills at distances other non-1887 shotguns could only dream to even register a light nicking with. |
| 22 | * Additionally, there's the M93 Raffica machine pistol, also known as the "Pocket M16". The game treats it as a pistol, meaning it gets swapped to very rapidly and, unlike the other machine pistols, can be used in Final Stand. However, it has insane damage ratings, dealing so much damage that on its own a full burst is only ''not'' instantly fatal at the most extreme ranges - and with Stopping Power, it kills in one burst even then. Unlike the one-burst-kill assault rifles, it can also be dual-wielded to great effect, which eliminates some of the potential at extreme range in exchange for doubled ammo, letting you spray bursts even longer. |
| 23 | * The UMP 45, unless a submachine gun is supposed to be able to kill a target in three bullets while silenced and still allow incredible mobility while running and aiming. Not to mention as well that its damage values and ranges are closer to those of the high-end assault rifles, so even at extreme ranges it'll only take one extra bullet to kill someone. |
| 24 | * Can't leave out the Noob Tube/One Man Army/Danger Close combination. The Grenade Launcher (or "Noob Tube") is, as in ''Call of Duty 4'', very powerful. However, you only get two grenades from spawning. The One Man Army perk, in return for replacing that class's secondary weapon, allows the player to switch between classes on the fly, including to the class they are switching from, with a full replenishment of all ammo to accompany the switch. This allows an infinite stream of grenades to toss with only a short delay in switching between classes. Danger Close deals more explosive damage with a larger area of effect. Worse is that, since the grenade launcher has reliable pinpoint accuracy, it's easy to fire into the sky at specific angles from certain spots on the map to hit the enemy on the ''entire opposite side of the map'' - objective-based modes like Domination became a joke because, barring being inside a big, sturdy building, the objectives would just [[GrenadeSpam explode every couple seconds]], making it near-impossible to actually capture them. Alternatively, if you like having a secondary weapon, the Scavenger perk allows you to refill your ammo from dead opponents, including grenades - opponents you likely just killed ''with your grenade launcher''. It got so bad that later games never had a perk even ''close'' to resembling One Man Army, and set it so Scavenger bags didn't drop from explosive kills or replenish grenade launcher rounds. |
| 25 | * Also notable is the G18 attached with Akimbo with the Steady Aim perk, allowing greater firing from the hip. Add Stopping Power and Scavenger and the player is given a nearly unending, highly-fatal bullet hose. |
| 26 | * The combination of three perks: Marathon (lets you sprint infinitely), Commando (allows you to instantly lunge forward a ridiculous distance when using the knife), and Lightweight (increases movement speed). Combine with the Tactical Knife attachment (which lets you carry your knife alongside your pistol to significantly shorten the delay after knifing someone), and there will always be someone running at inhuman speed and stabbing people ''from across the room'' for one-hit kills every time. The worst part is ''these three perks are unlocked by default''. Upgrade them and you're even ''more'' nimble, being able to climb obstacles faster, bring weapons back up from sprinting quicker, and not take any falling damage. |
| 27 | ** As overpowered as it, it isn't as broken as it used to be. Holding a Care Package marker (or a Sentry Gun/Emergency Airdrop marker, but everyone used Care Package because it's only four kills) would grant a speed increase that would stack with Lightweight. Effectively, you'd run at roughly 200% speed with the ability to slide ten to fifteen feet towards someone for an instant kill with a knife; lunging also grants invincibility frames if your opponent doesn't shoot fast enough. To top it off, as you're running so damn fast, on everyone else's screens you'd be crouching while running so you're even harder to kill. Then add the above-mentioned [=UMP45=] to the 'knife class', and you get a class that can not only sprint indefinitely at higher than normal speeds and lunge across rooms for instant knife kills, but that is also a credible threat ''at range''. |
| 28 | * The chopper gunner can also be seen as quite overpowered as it lets you easily spawn trap opponents, leaving them easy prey in most maps (some maps with high cover, such as Skidrow, Karachi and Invasion, prevent this). |
| 29 | ** AC-130 can do this, too, but typically doesn't have equal killing potential because it has to reload. The trade-off is that the AC-130 is significantly harder to shoot down than a Chopper Gunner - it can't be touched by small arms and has two sets of flares, meaning a lock-on launcher needs ''three'' shots to take it down (meaning a single player simply can't do it in one life even ''if'' it doesn't notice and kill them the first time they try to lock on), and while the dumb-fire RPG-7 or a Predator missile can take it out in one shot, that requires whatever sacrifices need to be made to [[ATeamFiring get the RPG-7 to shoot in the general direction you tell it to]] or somehow managing to get enough kills for a Predator while that AC-130 is busy murdering you and your entire team every time you poke your head out of a building. Basically, nothing is going to cut the rampage short save the gunner getting bored. |
| 30 | * Prior to patching, the Javelin missile launcher had this reputation. Before the patch, the Javelin could be used to get revenge kills using a glitch causing the Javelin to launch into the ground immediately upon death, killing anyone within 20 yards. Paired with Danger Close, it was essentially Martyrdom on steroids. It got so commonplace as an annoying troll maneuver that Xbox Live and [=PlayStation=] Network actually issued account suspensions to people who were reported just for using the glitch. |
| 31 | [[/folder]] |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3]] |
| 34 | * ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare3'' raised the bar with [=SMGs=], particularly the [=PP90M1=] and [=MP7=]. The former has incredibly fast fire rates and can hold a massive 54 rounds with Extended Mags, becoming a proverbial bullet hose (note its nickname was [[MeaningfulName the 'Super Soaker' or 'Water Pistol gun']]); the latter has virtually no recoil, and the recoil it did have is easily mitigated. It was common to see players being ''sniped'' by a no-recoil silenced [=MP7=]. |
| 35 | * Another class of weapon that was game-breaking was the Machine Pistols. [=MW2=] had overpowered Secondaries in the Shotguns, but [=MW3=] pushed the bar up a few notches with their machine pistols. Being able to have what amounted to free Overkill meant that players very rarely took any other secondaries, save for the occasional anti-aircraft launcher. [=FMG-9s=] were the worst of the four in terms of balance. Having the same fire rate, range and capacity as the aforementioned [=PP90M1=] was bad enough, the only saving grace being its insane kick and lesser mag capacity; but the GameBreaker was when it was used [[GunsAkimbo akimbo]] alongside Steady Aim. Having two submachine gun-class weapons hipfired meant players could essentially use them as a primary weapon out to a middle distance, the output more than making up for the range drop. It was so bad, the gun was [[{{Nerf}} nerfed multiple times]] over the course of the game's lifespan, but even despite these it's still pretty much just as bad as it was at release. All of the other machine pistols are insanely good as well, with fire rates, recoil, and damage values equaling the best primary [=SMGs=], with the only other one getting any sort of nerf being the returning G18, with a reduced capacity from ''[=MW2=]'' alongside worse sights and slightly more wild recoil (which you won't have to deal with if you run them Akimbo) - as mentioned, it's essentially the Overkill perk from ''[=CoD4=]'' for free. |
| 36 | * Two weapons were broken by design, the Type-95 and the Mk 14; the former had the highest automatic damage in-game, albeit in a 3-round burst, but the bursts occurred so fast that it was a non-issue, and it was also incredibly accurate. The latter had players take advantage of the lack of firecap to use a modded 'turbo' controller to have full-auto versions that were incredibly accurate and powerful, combined with the fact that the M14's recoil across the series has always been simply wandering straight up. |
| 37 | * There was a brief window that made shotguns incredibly overpowered. In the same patch that adjusted machine pistol balance, they also intended to change a [[GoodBadBugs glitch]] that gave shotguns 50% more pellets per shot when given Extended Mags. The goal was to give all the shotguns more pellets by default (shotguns were anemic on launch and thus only the rapid-fire, high-capacity Striker was used), while removing the Extended Mags bonus. They only achieved one of these goals on the first pass, meaning shotguns very briefly became instant-death cannons, overpowering even the formerly broken akimbo FMG-9 combo. |
| 38 | [[/folder]] |
| 39 | |
| 40 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Ghosts]] |
| 41 | * ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' had ''integrated'' attachments, meaning certain guns have traits that are automatic, meaning you could potentially have 4 attachments on a single gun. Of note was the integrated suppressor, which gives certain weapons unmatched playability, as they are always silenced, and can run 3 attachments over the standard 2, gaining an edge over non-integrated weapons. The Honey Badger was the most prevalent, being the go-to weapon for most players when starting a new character, given it also unlocks the majority of stealth perks for no cost, making a very powerful class available from the get-go. |
| 42 | [[/folder]] |
| 43 | |
| 44 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare]] |
| 45 | * ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyInfiniteWarfare Infinite Warfare]]'' introduces Gun Perks, which are buffs included with weapon variants (acquired through [[RandomDrop Supply Crates]]). The [[RareRandomDrop Epic]] rarity is special in that all its perks are unique to a specific gun, denoted by unique appearance (and in very rare cases, two will share the same perk). The other tiers (Common, Rare, Legendary) have their own perks, which are more spread out across guns. |
| 46 | ** The "Twinsanity" gun perk gives you two of the weapon, wielded akimbo. This doesn't sound like much, but in this game only pistols (and one shotgun) can be wielded akimbo. Twinsanity is a perk found on the "Gemini" Epic variant HVR, a submachine gun, and the "Fury" variant Auger, a ''minigun'' (note also that Twinsanity does not affect your mobility whatsoever). While the Auger cannot be spun up, it has a high maximum fire rate and Twinsanity lets it chew through enemies like never before. Combined with the Merc's Man-at-Arms trait (weapons don't impact your movement speed) and/or the Gung-Ho perk (shoot and use equipment while sprinting) and you can mow down enemies at a speed that other [=LMGs=] can only dream of. |
| 47 | ** The Karma-45 "Deimos" and its Berserker gun perk. While it requires you to reach level 50 with Blood Anvil mission team to be unlocked, it is a fitting reward; getting a kill with it makes the fire rate skyrocket for a short time, and it also greatly reduces hip spread and recoil. With enough enemies close by, it's completely possible to wipe out the entire enemy team. |
| 48 | ** The R.A.W. light machine gun, with the right attachments, it is a devastating weapon, again, thanks to the Merc's Man-at-Arms trait, which grants maximum ammunition and allows for fast movement, it becomes very powerful for campaign and multiplayer. |
| 49 | ** The "Ghost" perk returns with almost the same functionality as it did in the ''Black Ops'' games. Players utilizing this Tier 1 perk do not appear on the enemy mini-map when enemy [=UAVs=] are active or radar pings are used, [[ObviousRulePatch provided they are]] sprinting, using a [[KillStreak Scorestreak]] or defusing/planting a bomb. However, Ghost becomes invaluable in multiplayer when its effects are stronger than the other perks in its "Blue" category, particularly the "Recon" perk[[note]]Gain a greater mini-map and vision from enemy [=UAVs=][[/note]], because a Ghost-equipped player calling in a friendly [=UAV=] remains invisible to Recon-equipped enemy players. |
| 50 | [[/folder]] |
| 51 | |
| 52 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)]] |
| 53 | * ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019''[='s M4A1=] is a textbook example of a weapon that can do literally everything. It has high accuracy, great damage output, long range, and a high fire rate. It is the single most "balanced" weapon in the entire game, which in turn also makes it one of the most overpowered. And on top of that, you can add attachments and weapon perks to it that make it even stronger. Despite several patches allowing more specialized assault rifles to shine alongside it, the [=M4A1=] still remains a powerful contender due to just how insanely versatile it is. |
| 54 | ** The XRK [=M4A1=] Blueprint, which can be obtained through [[BribingYourWayToVictory purchasing the game digitally]], comes with an integrally-suppressed barrel, a hybrid sight, a commando foregrip, a laser sight and the [=M16=] stock. Both the hybrid sight and the barrel attachment are supposed to be late game attachments unlocked by using the gun long enough. What makes it gamebreaking is that you can use the blueprint right at early game. The hybrid sight allows you to deal with enemies in both mid-range and close range. The improved foregrip and stock boost its already high accuracy and reduce its recoil significantly. And the laser sight itself can be swapped out for [=FMJ=] ammunition or any other weapon perk, further improving the weapon's effectiveness. Thanks to its sheer flexibility, along with the fact that [[DiscOneNuke the M4A1 is the second assault rifle you can unlock at low level]], allowing you to customize it right at early game, the XRK M4 is going to be one of the best early game weapons, if not the most used weapon for people who have purchased the game digitally. |
| 55 | * Normally, the AK-47 is a decent weapon that can compete with most [=LMGs=]. But by equipping the 5.45x39mm 30-Round Magazine ammo conversion, you have transformed it into a terrifying competitor to the [=M4A1=] in terms of versatility. Its recoil pattern is now even easier to control than before, with virtually no downsides to it in terms of damage and range profiles. Although slower than the [=M4A1=] in terms of mobility, it can potentially kill even faster with the same amount of consistency. |
| 56 | * The RAM-7 (TAR-21) Assault Rifle is widely considered to be the second coming of the pre-patch [=M4A1=]. It is much faster than the [=M4A1=], almost blisteringly so, shredding through enemies in split-seconds. The only downside to it is a very difficult recoil pattern to control, but this can be mitigated with the right attachments. |
| 57 | * The [=MP5=] for a submachine gun example. Unlocked at the semi-early level 12, it is one of those [=SMGs=] that you'd see used against you ''constantly'' in multiplayer, due to its practically non-existent recoil and good damage. While there are other [=SMGs=] that do its job better at either long-range or up close, the [=MP5=] shines the most due to its [[BoringButPractical ease of use]] [[JackOfAllTrades and versatility]]. Unfortunately for those who dislike being killed by it over and over again. While the [=MP5=] has eventually received a damage range nerf, it's still a versatile submachine gun. |
| 58 | * The [=MP7=] is no slouch for a submachine gun either. It was the single best submachine gun in the beta, which resulted in them nerfing it, and it's ''still'' an amazing alternative to the [=MP5=]. While it may lack the simplicity and raw firepower of the [=MP5=], it is extremely versatile and can be kitted for a number of different playstyles to make the most of it. By comparison, it's as much of a glorified bullet hose as the [=P90=], with even more controllable recoil and very fast mobility and handling potential. It's so good at consistently landing shots that it was removed as a common drop weapon in Warzone due to its incredible power in the early stages of a match. It is still a common weapon retrieved in loadout drops simply for just how fast it can mow people down. |
| 59 | * Remember the Olympia from ''Black Ops 1''? Say hello to its nightmarish counterpart: the 725. It's an Olympia...with the range of a pre-patch Model 1887 (from ''Modern Warfare 2'' incarnation) and the damage output of a SPAS-12 (also from ''Modern Warfare 2'' incarnation). Watch in abject horror and despair as you magically get killed in a single shot from 20-30 meters away, by a '''shotgun with no attachments'''. Think you can challenge it at close range with an SMG? Nope! Its spread seems to ALWAYS result in a one-shot kill even at mid-range. Even better? You can put ''Slug rounds'' and a ''Choke'' on this thing, increasing its already-insane range even '''further'''. It quickly became the single most common weapon in the game, alongside the [=M4A1=]. Some people even use BOTH on the same class, thanks to the Overkill perk, turning them into killing machines at every range imaginable. The 725 is so broken, mind-boggling, and rage-inducing that the resulting backlash from the community caused Infinity Ward to tone it down ''thrice''. And it's STILL considered vastly superior to every other shotgun in the game. |
| 60 | ** Despite unlocking at the slightly-mid-game rank 17, the 725 double-barreled shotgun offers a package of obscene damage per shot, [[HitboxDissonance seemingly random]] shot cone that's infuriatingly cheap to be playing against, ''and'' extremely-high accuracy and range. ShortRangeShotgun rules clearly do not apply here, as players wielding it could just zip around the map and hipfire at the first vaguely man-shaped thing they see and still get a kill. Seriously, when you're consistently getting Longshots and Headshots with a shotgun in ''this'' series, against enemies who are on the fringes of your field of view, you're looking at a prime candidate for the {{Nerf}} bat, which did come as part of Patch 1.06. |
| 61 | ** The nerf increased its damage falloff and widened the shot spread, making it a two-shot kill at medium range and virtually peanuts from then on out, though players still find it to be hilariously overtuned and on a good day it's still incredibly easy to chain kills and Longshots with it, thus rendering all of its camos challenges virtually trivial. It's so broken that it was nerfed ''again'' within a week, with Patch 1.08 further reducing its effective range, though it still remains a weapon for campers which, let's be honest, are ''everywhere'' in this game. |
| 62 | ** To drive home how utterly broken the 725 is, a ''third'' nerf was hastily rolled out with a hotfix to Patch 1.08 that ''still'' somehow failed to address its lethality at range. All the nerf seemed to have accomplished is forcing some players to switch back to the default barrel to regain some ranged damage, as the reduction was quite minimal in the grand scope of things. This made it necessary for a ''fourth'' nerf to reduce the damage range of the sawed-off barrel. |
| 63 | * The Model 680 (Remington 870 MCS) was originally considered a decent shotgun, but outclassed by the 725. This changed when a patch introduced ''four'' new ammo conversions to it, and now it is widely considered to be the best shotgun in the game after the 725 got nerfed. How? 3 words: '''Dragon's Breath Rounds'''. Yes, you can now turn your Model 680 into the dreaded MOG-12 from ''Black Ops 4''. If your enemy doesn't have E.O.D equipped, a single scrape from your new incendiary shells will guarantee instant death. On top of this, you can equip a version of the ammo conversion that only permits you 6 rounds, but instead of loading each shot one at a time you get the bonus of having a magazine for quick reload times, and your speed while moving and aiming down your sights is increased dramatically. It is entirely possible to dominate small maps with this gun, more than the 725 ever could. |
| 64 | ** Even if you don't use the Dragon's Breath, the 680 itself is also a powerhouse in its own right as a long range weapon while aiming down the sight. Simply use the XRK 30.0 Sport Barrel and the FSS Marauder suppressor to extend its damage range and you basically get a shotgun with the range of an ''assault rifle'', fully capable of delivering a OneHitKill from a far distance. |
| 65 | * The .357 Magnum revolver gains its game breaker chop with its Snake Shot ammo, basically turning it into a pistol-sized shotgun akin to the Executioner from ''Black Ops 2'' with the power of pre-patch 725. Due to being a revolver, it has more mobility, lighter, and can load 6 rounds. And then there's the option to combine it with the [[GunsAkimbo Akimbo]] weapon perk, which allows you to ''[[FromBadToWorse dual wield]]'' two Snake Shot .357 Magnum revolvers. Even if you don't plan to use the Snake Shot ammo, you can convert it into a SniperPistol thanks to the stock, long barrel and scope attachments it comes with. |
| 66 | ** Akimbo Snake Shot got so bad that the combination ended up being nerfed to the point of borderline worthlessness. Before being patched, Akimbo Snake Shot completely dominated Warzone as the sidearm of choice. There was virtually no need for anything else, not even an RPG, because it was not only fast due to being a pistol, but its damage and accuracy were utterly ridiculous. This thing could beat out every single other weapon at close-to-mid range. |
| 67 | * The Renetti (Beretta [=M9A3=]) pistol introduced in Season 3 has started to become the definitive pistol of choice for many players, outclassing even the .357 Magnum and the .50 GS (Desert Eagle) and even M19 (P320). While it has the damage and range profile of any low caliber pistols like the aforementioned M19, you can convert it into a 3-round burst pistol, essentially turning it into the M93 Raffica from ''Modern Warfare 2''. Attach a larger magazine to it and attachments that increase its aim down sight speed and stability, and you have the pistol equivalent of the FR 5.56 (FAMAS). Even worse? Like all pistols, you can unlock Akimbo for it, and it's even ''more'' accurate and damaging than Akimbo Snake Shot Magnums. The burst mod and Akimbo were both smacked hard by the {{Nerf}} bat during a mid-season patch. Putting on the burst mod reduced the gun's base damage and effective range. Combining the burst mod AND Akimbo together (Akimbo without burst mod is unaltered) dropped the damage and range even further. |
| 68 | * The lethal combination of [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe Riot Shield]], [[BladeEnthusiast Combat Knife]], [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks Throwing Knife]], Double Time, Restock, Shrapnel and Dead Silence can [[LethalJokeCharacter make a melee only class actually viable]], especially in Free For All, where all players fight on their own and most of the fights are 1 vs. 1 fights. Unlike the [=Mw2=] counterpart, bullets don't leave scratches on the shield and blur the user's vision, eliminating one of the greatest weaknesses of the Riot Shield. You can also combine Riot Shield and Throwing Knife to land a surprise range attack, [[OneHitKill killing your enemy in one hit with the throwing knife]]. And thanks to the Restock and Shrapnel perks, you spawn with two knifes by default and it replenishes overtime, eliminating the need of finding and retrieving your throwing knives. Should you want to land a quick melee attack, you can switch to Combat Knife, which also [[OneHitKill kills your enemy in one hit]] and grants you a faster moving speed. Last but not least, while Dead Silence is meant to be used for silencing your footsteps, it also [[SuperSpeed boosts your running speed]]. Combing that with the Combat Knife, and you can now chase after your hapless victims and stab them in the throat. The end result can basically be described as a ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' knight invading the world of ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' and [[RockBeatsLaser single-handedly massacring modern day soldiers with nothing but a sword and shield]]. |
| 69 | ** The Throwing Knife itself also overrides the PistolWhip melee animation into a knifing attack, meaning that as long as you have at least one throwing knife in your inventory, you can still go for a knife melee attack without using the Combat Knife, which works well with lightweight weapons such as submachine guns, handguns and the aforementioned 357 magnum revolver. |
| 70 | ** The Kali Sticks, introduced in Season 4, are a variation of the Combat Knife that don't have the ability to kill in one hit. However, that doesn't matter, because not only can it get kills quickly with only two hits, but the range in which it activates is equivalent to how far the knife lunge went in past games, essentially giving you the Commando perk from ''Modern Warfare 2'' all over again. Run it with the aforementioned Knife loadout, but replace Shrapnel with Tune Up and you can run around virtually uncontested, leaving your enemies very little time to react as you swiftly beat them into the pavement. |
| 71 | * Reverse Boosting, a deliberate act of getting killed and losing matches over and over again for a lower [=K/D=] ratio to abuse the Skilled-Based Matchmaking system (which matches players through [=K/D=] ratio and match records instead of player level) has become a popular strategy for players troubled by being pitted against arbitrarily high-level experienced players even though they're still in early game, especially in Gunfight Tournament, where even [=LV30-40=] players have a high chance to be pitted against [=LV130-150=] players. Reverse Boosting has almost become the only way for low-level players to compete against other players within the same league as them. On the flip side, some high-level players also exploit the system in order to [[CurbStompBattle curbstomp low-level players who truly can't perform well.]] |
| 72 | * The Holger-26 (G36) added in Season One is, for all intents and purposes, an assault rifle with a starting 100-round drum. It being classed as an LMG is merely an afterthought. Furthermore, it's a glorified assault rifle with ''good'' stats and a giant magazine for the player to run about hosing everybody to death, while not being burdened by the lower mobility, firing, reloading, and aiming speed of an actual [=LMG=]. And it can be converted into an actual assault rifle, should the player so choose. Very soon after Season One dropped, it and the [=RAM-7=] became some of the most-used weapons in the game. In fact, it functioning like an Assault Rifle makes a lot of sense when you realize it's actually the [=G36C=], a longtime staple and fan-favorite weapon of the series. |
| 73 | * Cargo Trucks are probably one of the [[CarFu deadliest weapons]] in Warzone. They have tons of health so they're pretty much tanks. Pretty much the only way to counter them is with an RPG or some other explosive. The truck spam got so bad in solos that they were eventually entirely removed from that mode. |
| 74 | * The AUG submachine gun is normally a very strong submachine gun in Multiplayer, but isn't that great in Warzone. The AUG A3 on the other hand, AKA the AUG with the 5.56 NATO ammo conversion, stands alone above all other fully automatic weapons as the best of their kind in Warzone, even outclassing well-rounded weapons like the [=M4A1=]. It turns the gun into an Assault Rifle[=/=]SMG hybrid with amazing range, good accuracy, and manageable recoil for spraying. In addition, the AUG comes with its own special optical attachment: an Integral 3.0x Scope which offers a very clean and clear view in comparison to the standard VLK 3.0x Scope and even the Merc Thermal Scope. Alternatively, the AUG can become a hipfire powerhouse by using the 5mW Laser, Merc Foregrip, Compensator and 5.56 NATO ammo Drum Mag, dominating close-quarters battle by eschewing the need of aiming down the sight while pinning down your enemies with laser-accuracy hipfire before they can aim. |
| 75 | * The Grau 5.56 (SG 552) assault rifle, introduced in Season 2, is a strong weapon in Multiplayer already, but it becomes an absolute terror in Warzone, where it is steadily beginning to overshadow even the common [=M4A1=] as the best fully automatic assault rifle in the mode. While it lacks the damage output of the M4, it more than makes up for it in terms of speed, range, and accuracy. What truly sets the Grau apart from other fully automatic assault rifles is the Archangel barrel. In addition to providing the usual benefits of a long barrel, the Archangel barrel also changes the Grau's iron sights into what are unquestionably the best iron sights in the entire game. The view is so clear that you can both see enemies and potentially pick them off at ridiculous ranges. In a mode where most weapons have to sacrifice either precision or speed, the Grau does not. You can completely forego optics on it in order to round it out completely, all while making enemies think you're literally cheating when you're able to pick them off at distances usually common for 3.0x and up zoomed scopes...with just the iron sights. |
| 76 | * The Bruen [=Mk9=], better known to series veterans as the [=M249=] SAW. If you think the Holger is good, the Bruen is even better. It too is an AR[=/=]LMG hybrid, but unlike the Holger it has an ammo reduction conversion that not only grants it similar advantages, but also a higher ammo count at 60 compared to the Holger's 30. So now you have an assault rifle with not only the damage and range of an LMG, but also the ammo capacity. And it just so happens that the Bruen's damage and range are on par with the PKM. |
| 77 | * The CR-56 AMAX, introduced in Season 4, marks the first instance of a ''Black Ops'' weapon crossing over into the world of ''Modern Warfare'': the fan-favorite Galil, albeit in the modernized ACE form. And it brings all the power it has in those games with it. It's good enough to outclass even the mighty AK-47 and the [=AK-74u=] variation. Armed with damage and range on par with the AK, but even more controllable recoil, it is steadily becoming more and more of a popular choice in both Multiplayer and Warzone to challenge faster assault rifles like the M4 and the Grau. |
| 78 | * Imagine if the [=MP7=] had even faster handling and its fire rate was jacked up almost to the point of the Wildfire Operator Mod for the Spitfire in ''Black Ops 4'', with the ability to massively reduce its recoil. Such a weapon exists, and its name is the Fennec, better known as the KRISS Vector from ''Modern Warfare 2''. This thing melts anyone unlucky enough to be in close quarters, even shotgun wielders. It too is becoming a popular choice in Warzone. Not as a primary, mind you, but as a secondary with Overkill, serving as a replacement for Akimbo Snake Shots and Burst Fire Renettis. |
| 79 | * Just when GRAU was a powerhouse in Warzone, a balancing patch introduced in with Season 5 made the GRAU inferior in comparison: Underbarrel shotgun on FR 5.56. Although this was a result of a glitch[[note]]The FR 5.56 received a major buff to its effective range for Warzone. However a glitch/bug caused that effective range buff to '''also''' apply to the undermount shotgun attachment[[/note]] and was eventually patched, an underbarrel shotgun on FR 5.56 became a meta in recent days due to its sheer damage output and ludicrous range that is just as equal to 725 pre-nerf in multiplayer. If the victim isn't wearing any armor, it is a guaranteed one shot kill even when he or she is 10 meters away. If not, then it is not three, not four, but two shots if enemies are wearing a full armor. |
| 80 | * And now, the new LMG for season 5 immediately won the hearts of many players: the Finn LMG. Modeled after the [=KAC=] LMG, this gun embodies everything special about the GRAU, but with an additional sprinkle of more ammo. With clear iron sight, straight recoil, hard-hitting damage, and acceptable rate of fire, this gun soon replaced the GRAU before nerfs brought it down to something more balanced. |
| 81 | * The AS VAL, introduced in Season 6. In its base form, it's an integrally suppressed assault rifle with a fire rate comparable to the [=P90=] submachine gun, but truly enters this territory when loaded with [=7N9=] SPP rounds. While this locks the weapon into semi-auto mode and restricts the player into using 10 round magazines, the ammo turns the weapon into a powerful semi-auto rifle that can dole out one-shot kills in the head to players out to a decent distance. For a time, a glitch allowed the rounds to ''ignore cover'', punching through any surface that allows for penetration like it doesn't even exist, with absolutely '''no damage drop-off'''. Players quickly began combining it with spotting grenades to effortlessly kill players still in their spawns right at the start of a round. Even after the glitch was patched, it is still very powerful, in both its base form and with the ammo conversion, since you have the option of running a permanently-suppressed assault rifle[=/=]submachine gun hybrid or a version of the FAL that trades ammo capacity for sheer power. |
| 82 | * Season 6 also marks the return of an old friend from ''Call of Duty 4'', and now the most powerful marksman rifle in the whole game: the SP-R 208, better known as the R700. Just like before, it's a bolt-action rifle. Unlike before, where it used to be outclassed in many ways by the more popular [=M40A3=] as a sniper rifle, in this game it is superior in every way to the [=Kar98k=], its main competition in the marksman rifle category. It boasts lightning fast ADS time, greater one-shot kill areas than the other bolt-action rifles, and mods that can increase both damage and rechamber speed. What's even more broken is when the weapon is rechambered from its standard [=.300 WinMag=] ammo for [=.300 Norma Mag=] or [=.338=] Lapua Magnum. These two alternate chamberings not only add more one-hit kill areas, but due to a bug, they ''also make the weapon {{hitscan}} out to exactly 407 meters'', after which the round [[ArbitraryWeaponRange ceases to exist]]. It not only outclasses every other marksman rifle, but also the ''actual'' sniper rifles, including its fellow bolt-action counterparts the HDR and the AX-50, only losing out to them in raw damage (and not by much when modded for maximum damage potential). Even after it was nerfed and its bugs patched, it is still a very viable weapon in both Multiplayer and Warzone. |
| 83 | * A surprising one is the ''Rook'' skin for Roze, which could only be unlocked by reaching the final level of the Season Five paid battle pass. Wearing a straight-up black colored outfit reaching from toe to head, Roze became an exploitation for gamers to use her Rook skin in order to conceal themselves in the dark corner of a room and surprise the enemy thanks to her unintentionally effective camouflage (not helped by an already abysmal visibility in the game). This became one of the biggest cases of ComplacentGamingSyndrome in Warzone that fans petitioned Roze to be entirely removed from Warzone. Unconvinced? [[https://www.reddit.com/r/CODWarzone/comments/kk4lew/roze_is_a_fair_and_balanced_skin/?utm_content=title&utm_medium=post_embed&utm_name=161531f4a6d3497392e5aac2a2d2bf47&utm_source=embedly&utm_term=kk4lew See it for yourself.]] |
| 84 | * The Sykov pistol (Makarov). '''Holy shit.''' This pistol is basically the G18 from Modern Warfare 2 on steroids, and that's putting it lightly. Although the pistol is sub-par in its normal semi-auto form, embrace the powerhouse when you equip the Sorokin 140mm Auto Barrel and '''''80'''-rounds drum''. Not only does it become an automatic pistol, but it becomes one with a rate of fire so high that you will die in 200 milliseconds at point blank range. Furthermore, thanks to an extremely high ammo capacity from the 80-rounds drum, you'll have no problem with having to reload frequently, which is usually how the earlier games balanced machine pistols with high rates of fire like this. Even more absurd is that it can also decimate an enemy 10 meters away, by a '''pistol.''' The pistol became so broken and so ridiculous that people began to disregard all other weapons and use the Sykov exclusively due to its absurdity. And don't get me started on Warzone... |
| 85 | ** Taken up to eleven if Akimbo is also equipped. Not only is the time to kill now around 100 milliseconds, the hipfire spread is still so tight that it could decimate an enemy in medium-range. And in Warzone, the time to kill is still so quick that you can barely react before going down. |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | !!Treyarch |
| 89 | [[folder:Call of Duty: World at War]] |
| 90 | * The Rifle Grenades in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar''. They're pretty much accurate rocket launchers. If one uses them, they will be hated. |
| 91 | * The [=MP40=] was laughably overpowered as well due to all of the [=SMGs=] being balanced to kill in approximately the same amount of time, [[DidntThinkThisThrough without stopping to consider what that would mean when they all had wildly different rates of fire]] - since the [=MP40=] fires so much more slowly than the other weapons of its class, the only way for it to kill in the same amount of time is to deal noticeably more damage per individual shot, enough to kill a close-in enemy in two shots. It's made even worse with the fact that the Stopping Power perk boosts your damage by a percentage rather than a flat increase, so the [=MP40=] benefits more from it than the other [=SMGs=]; coupling that with Dual Mags to double your ammo and Steady Aim to tighten the hipfire crosshair virtually guarantees you'll slaughter the enemy, especially if you aim for the head, where it's the only SMG that can be made to kill in one headshot. What makes this even worse is that it was only fixed on the PC version, so if you can get a game going on consoles you can keep on using the original overpowered version. |
| 92 | [[/folder]] |
| 93 | |
| 94 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Black Ops]] |
| 95 | * Some of the more controversial game-breakers in the series are found in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps''. The Famas and its {{expy}}, the AUG, are both hated and loved for their insane rate of fire (second only to the G11 within its bursts), powerful damage (second only to the Stoner 63 as far as full-auto DPS is concerned), and high accuracy. The AK-74u with the [[MoreDakka Rapid Fire]] attachment also gets a lot of approval and disapproval. Although it gets some extra recoil (countered by the also common Grip attachment), its rate of fire is increased to a rate that competes with the Famas and AUG, essentially making it a lighter but slightly weaker version of them. What makes the Famas, AUG, and AK-74u so controversial is the fact that they're unlocked rather early (14, 17, and 26), so higher level players generally don't have the upper hand just because they're at a higher level, which was considered to be one of the problems with the aforementioned Akimbo Model 1887s. |
| 96 | ** A fun experiment is to go into a game lobby and to examine the statistics of all of the players there, and to count the number of people who the two guns they've been killed the most with are the Famas and AK-74u. Hint: It'll probably be much easier to count the people who ''haven't'' been killed most by those two guns. The AUG usually competes for the third spot with the Galil, which doesn't have quite as fast a rate of fire as it but competes with less recoil and a slightly higher default mag capacity. |
| 97 | * Prior to Black Ops, nothing in the franchise had the tactical ability of the Motion Sensor. Acting as a mini-UAV, the Motion Sensor would give away the position of an enemy if they were close enough, making for easy kills. Combine a motion sensor with the AUG or Famas (or any other overpowered gun, for that matter), and you have a camper's dream machine. The only way to counter the Motion Sensor was if you equipped Hacker Pro, and even then there is no guarantee that the camper won't end up killing you (especially if they use a Famas or another overpowered gun). |
| 98 | [[/folder]] |
| 99 | |
| 100 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Black Ops II]] |
| 101 | * On the perks front, ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII Black Ops II]]'' had Lightweight, a.k.a. "Crackhead Pro", where players moved so fast that they could dart around the corner and kill you before you even saw them. Because of the power of this perk, 3 perks became the go-to class: Lightweight (faster movement and no damage from falls), Toughness (flinch much less when shot) and Dexterity (faster movement over obstacles, recovery from melee, and aiming from a sprint). This combo was so powerful, it became virtually impossible to play well without them, and worst of all, like the game-breaking perks of ''[=MW2=]'' they were all the default perks. |
| 102 | * In terms of Game Breaking weapons in Black Ops 2, the burst-fire [=B23R=] pistol would fit the bill. It's basically the Raffica from ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2'' except with all the good traits cranked up to eleven. This pistol is considered to be the best out of all sidearms due to its high rate of fire (1022 RPM), a decent damage, tight hipfire spread, faster mobility, and somewhat more than an average range for a pistol, not to mention a low level to unlock this pistol (level 19). Soon after the game got released, everybody began using it even more than primary weapons due to its versatility and sheer strength. Obviously, this gun was nerfed dramatically, but still proved itself to be versatile nonetheless. |
| 103 | ** However, the sheer power of the [=B23R=] would further be reinforced when Lightweight and other stamina-related perks are added. Since the [=B23R=] mainly relies on mobility, it is no wonder that running related perks would double its power. |
| 104 | * On the attachments front, the Target Finder became this for many players. It highlighted anyone without Cold-Blooded with a targeting diamond, and was more used than the Thermal Scope because it allowed for an immense amount of peripheral vision, no filter making it difficult to discern the background and players running the perk that countered it, and quicker aiming time, especially with the new Quickdraw attachment. This was most used in tandem with the below two. |
| 105 | * The [=LMGs=] received a massive buff in this game. Not only were the majority of them incredibly accurate, but the ability to use 3 attachments at once allowed for the ever hated Grip/Target Finder/Suppressor LMG combination to keep them steady in long bursts while highlighting enemies and preventing them from easily finding you in return. |
| 106 | * The scorestreak system itself is a gamebreaker, as unlike in previous games, after you acquire your third streak it will wrap back around and let you get them all again without having to die and respawn. This meant that [[UnstableEquilibrium players on a decent streak can get amazing scores, while their opponents won't be able to do anything but die repeatedly to drones, aircraft and remote guns.]] It was all too common to see players get 100+ kills in a game and have a VSAT, Dogs and a Swarm endlessly looping. |
| 107 | [[/folder]] |
| 108 | |
| 109 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Black Ops III]] |
| 110 | * ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsIII Black Ops III]]''[='=]s War Machine, if not already OP in multiplayer, is even more broken in Campaign. Unlocked at Level 15 (about 70% through the Campaign if you are playing on Hardened or above, and that's assuming you're ignoring the Combat Immersion training simulation), it comes as a secondary weapon, with 8 shots in the cylinder and 8 in reserve. Unlike the previous iteration of the War Machine in ''Black Ops 2'', Black Ops 3's War Machine shoots a grenade which, upon hitting a surface, releases three small balls in a large spread that do a small hop and then cause a massive explosion. With the War Machine, all you have to do is find cover, shoot above the cover at varying angles, and in no time everyone on the other side of that cover is dead. What makes it broken, however is its semi-automatic fire rate, and doubled with the fact that it does 3x the damage if your target is in close range. Top it all off with the fact that most boss enemies (like the P.A.W.W.S) can be taken out in ''four shots'', which roughly amounts to about 1.5 seconds. And to end it off, if you have the Copycat tac-rig equipped, have fun getting infinite ammo every 2 seconds. |
| 111 | * The [=BlackCell=] rocket launcher in multiplayer. It comes with four rockets, can lock onto targets (all Scorestreaks and the Safeguard robot) quickly, and due to its quick reload, is able to be spammed repeatedly at targets. Many players have found it frustrating that their high-tier Scorestreaks are destroyed as soon as they enter the battlefield especially if the [=BlackCell=] user is equipped with the Engineer perk, which lets them see enemy scorestreaks on the mini-map. The [=BlackCell=] is also capable of direct-impact killing enemy players caught between the launcher user and ground targets (ground-deployed Scorestreaks and the Safeguard robot). As a result, the launcher's reload speed was nerfed while scorestreak health was increased. |
| 112 | * The "Holy Trinity" of submachine guns in the game, aka the Kuda, VMP and Vesper. Each has their own quirks, but each absolutely dominates the field in their own special way, even against assault rifles. The Kuda is an all around submachine gun that is good at range and in close quarters, with good accuracy and damage. The VMP has a beefy 40 round magazine to start, a high fire rate and excellent damage, meaning it will win in most toe to toe engagements. The Vesper has a 30 round magazine like the Kuda, but has an obscene fire rate, making it unmatched in close quarters. Add in the Fast Mag or Extended Mag attachments, and its nigh unbeatable. It's not unusual to see games dominated by someone using one of these three guns, usually with a 2.00 or more kill/death ratio. As a result, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/blackops3/comments/454zwy/den_kirson_black_ops_iii_update_notes_02092016/ all of the submachine guns were stealth nerfed in a patch]] with the Vesper getting the absolute worst of it. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsPfRLGwbh4 This video sums up the dire situation the submachine gun class is now facing.]] |
| 113 | * The P-06 burst sniper rifle has extremely high penetration power, making it a force to be reckoned with if FMJ is attached. On a more general note, snipers have ZERO penalty from suppressors in this game, in contrast to the range/damage penalty of other games, so you could get shot through a wall and not even know where the shooter came from! |
| 114 | * While the Specialist weapons in general are intentional game breakers [[DifficultButAwesome in the right hands]], some are far and away stronger than the others. |
| 115 | ** The Reaper's Scythe, a [[GatlingGood minigun]] that folds out of his arm. Not only is it insanely accurate and extremely lethal, but this thing can utterly wreck scorestreaks. Even a poor player can easily get quad kills without much trouble when using it and a good player can wreck an entire team twice over. The only balancing factor is that it is the slowest charging special in the game. |
| 116 | ** Firebreak's [[VideoGameFlamethrowersSuck Purifier]] is [[AvertedTrope so insanely overpowered that it's ridiculous]]. Unlike the Scythe where getting a kill requires a few seconds of aiming, a player using the Purifier only has to ''graze'' a player with the flame and it's an automatic kill. It's not unheard of Purifier users to set their sensitivity to insane levels, run into a room filled with enemies, spin around really fast and come out with 7 or 8 kills. Facing a Purifier user at mid-range or closer is absolute suicide, as most of the time the player cannot do enough damage in the time before the flame kills them. Oftentimes, even if you kill them first, the flames will graze you enough for them to pull a TakingYouWithMe. |
| 117 | ** Battery's War Machine, as above, is your average Noob Tube taken up to eleven, being easy to aim, spam, and able to decimate entire rooms with its grenades, whether it's a direct impact or from a split grenade. Flak Jacket only protects against the latter. |
| 118 | ** Ruin's Gravity Spikes comes out fast and has a deceptively large range. It's slightly mitigated by the fact that it can be interrupted by killing the player in midair, as well as the fact that many players telegraph when they're going to use it by boosting as high as they can before they land, in an effort to make themselves harder to hit but leaving them open to attack longer. |
| 119 | ** Spectre's [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Ripper]] is basically Modern Warfare 2's Commando lunge all over again. It also has an insanely fast recharge timer. |
| 120 | ** Prophet's [[LightningGun Tempest]]. You will learn to fear its distinctive zapping sound. Anyone hit with its beam will be instantly killed before you can say "FUCK!" And if there are many players grouped together, that's bad news, since the beam can spread and chain targets. |
| 121 | ** A later update added a 10th specialist to the game, [[FriendInTheBlackMarket Blackjack]]. When he gets a kill, he can obtain the specialist weapon of the person he killed, and swap between different ones. If that's not bad enough, it only takes 5 kills, which means you would have Purifiers dominating a whole entire team on the ''second round'' of a game of Search and Destroy. And if the person who is playing Blackjack is a very good player, he could get a Game-Breaking weapon ''every 45 seconds''. Compare that to other Specialists, which can take up to a couple minutes minimum to acquire their abilities. He is balanced by only having 60 minutes of in-game time to play as him, and the fact that you can only unlock him by using "Blackjack Tokens", which are obtained by doing very difficult weekly challenges. Still, a whole team of Blackjacks can absolutely break the meta. |
| 122 | ** Surely topping the list is the Power Core scorestreak. It will outright destroy all enemy scorestreaks as well as enemy placed equipment like mines, hive pods, etc. ''and'' preventing enemy players from using scorestreaks ''or'' specialist weapons/abilities (though you can keep using already-deployed ones). It also lasts a crazy long time, is incredibly durable, and is immune to EMP grenades. Naturally, this means having a power core out makes working your way up to ''another'' power core ridiculously easy. If you don't have it, you're not beating the guy who does; it's that simple. |
| 123 | [[/folder]] |
| 124 | |
| 125 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Black Ops 4]] |
| 126 | * The Maddox RFB assault rifle in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps4 Black Ops 4]]'' is quickly shaping up to be one of the best weapons in the game. It is highly accurate and has an incredibly fast fire rate, meaning that it completely dominates anywhere from close to mid-range, even beating out sub machine guns. Its real power, however, comes in just how versatile an attachment pool it has. The Maddox has not one, not two, but THREE sets of attachments that have a "II" variation that can stack on top of the original to make it even stronger. The most prominent of these, however, is Quickdraw II. Quickdraw I lets you aim down your sights faster. Quickdraw II decreases that time even further and increases your field of view so you can spot more enemies and target them easier. Quickdraw II with the Gung-Ho perk allows you to aim down your sights ''instantaneously'', meaning you will always be ready for any sort of engagement and have pinpoint accuracy all the time. It's also one of the few assault rifles to have the Stock attachment, which makes you move faster while aiming down your sights. |
| 127 | * The Paladin [=HB50=] sniper rifle has proven itself to be one of the most powerful sniper rifles in ''COD'' history, rivaling the likes of the [=M40A3=] and the Intervention[=/=]S-TAC Aggressor from ''Modern Warfare'' and ''Modern Warfare 2'', respectively. At first, it seems like your standard issue bolt-action sniper rifle...until you level it up and unlock High Caliber II. High Caliber increases your headshot damage and applies it to the shoulders up. High Caliber II applies it to the ''legs'' up. One shot anywhere except the feet results in instant death for any unlucky player caught in the middle of the Paladin's scope. You can also stack the Stabilizer attachment, which reduces your idle sway while scoped. Now, you don't even have to hold your breath while firing. Simply point, click, and watch those heads roll. |
| 128 | * Gung-Ho was originally only somewhat useful in ''Black Ops 3''. In this game, however, it not only reduces your sprint recovery time, but also allows you to aim down your sights significantly faster, essentially breaking the sprint out time. It's practically the only Tier 2 perk worth using in comparison to everything else in that category. |
| 129 | * The specialists make a return, and they've brought brand-new equipment with them that put anything else in ''COD'' history to shame. |
| 130 | ** Ajax is equipped with the 9-Bang, a chargeable grenade that's a hellish fusion of the Concussion and Flashbang. At full charge, it flashes any enemies in its radius 9 times, blinding and stunning them for an absurdly long time, guaranteeing free kills. Not only will enemies be unable to see, but they also cannot shoot, heal, or use equipment until the blindness completely wears off. To make matters worse, his Specialist Weapon is a riot shield combined with a machine pistol. Not only can he fire while holding up his shield, he can also charge up a 9-Bang and throw it as well. |
| 131 | ** Battery and her War Machine return, but this time she comes equipped with the Cluster Grenade, a Semtex that explodes into a bunch of smaller grenades that deal the same amount of damage. |
| 132 | ** Prophet has the Seeker Mine, a small little drone he can toss out that searches for a target and automatically locks on to them. If it touches them, they get electrocuted and cannot move until it runs out of power, or until they pull out the taser cord if they have Tactical Mask equipped. He recharges this ability very fast, and also gains his new and improved Tempest very fast as well if he gets on a good kill streak. The Tempest no longer kills in one shot, but it is ''much'' more accurate now and stuns whatever it shoots at for far longer than the Seeker Mine. And the current still passes on to any nearby enemies. |
| 133 | ** Zero can throw EMP Grenades with a comically large radius. This can completely disable or outright destroy certain hazards, like a Torque's Guardian or Nomad's Mesh Mines. However, her most infuriating aspect is her Specialist Weapon, the Ice Pick. It's the Black Hat from ''Black Ops 2'', but on a much grander scale. Any sort of map hazard or specialist item currently in play immediately switches control to Zero's team. Any and all enemy Scorestreaks switch control to Zero's team. All enemy Specialists can no longer use their equipment or abilities until the effects of Zero's hacking finally wear off. The only way to make this go slightly faster is by having Tactical Mask equipped. |
| 134 | * With the release of the DLC weapons, the base game's weapons became more and more obsolete: |
| 135 | ** The KAP 45 is the best pistol in the game, thanks to its gigantic 20 round mag (only the Garrison can get more than that) and its massive rate of fire. Not to mention with Grip, it has ZERO recoil. |
| 136 | ** The Rampage full auto shotgun is this years Haymaker: low damage high ROF, it was originally billed as an ADS shotgun, until the meta discovered how good it was in conjunction with Gung-Ho. |
| 137 | ** The Argus returns from [=BO3=], and makes the MOG look like a pea shooter. Better one-shot potential, better mag size, mag reload, range and rate of fire. Basically, anything the MOG was good for, the Argus does better. Granted when [=ADSing=] you need to actually ''aim'' but still... |
| 138 | ** The Daemon SMG is one of the most powerful guns in the game, even being a burst weapon, because it has no burst delay. It has an insane ROF, brilliant hipfire and clean ironsights. |
| 139 | ** The Switchblade SMG does what most of the others do, only better. Better accuracy, larger mag, better ROF, the list goes on. Aside from outliers like the Spitfire for ROF and the Cordite for ammo, it is easily the best full auto SMG in the game. |
| 140 | ** The SWAT AR is one of the best all rounders in the game, suitable for short range, long range and anything in between. Its effective range is such that you need a similarly OP weapon just to compete. |
| 141 | ** The Peacekeeper is on par with the Maddox for Rate of Fire, and has a very strong TTK. |
| 142 | ** The Tigershark LMG may have the lowest ammo pool of the [=LMGs=], but it has amazing accuracy and mobility traits to make up for it. Think AR with LMG damage. |
| 143 | ** The Stingray makes the Augur obsolete. ''Period''. The base gun has a faster TTK, has better range and is a 2 shot burst which kills in 3 shots. Combined with great hipfire and it is already a monster. Then add in the Operator Mod, which moves this from OP to '''Godly''', turning the shots into ''explosive rounds'', which kill in 2 shots. Four nerfs later and it is still OP. |
| 144 | ** The [=M16=] returns to the series, still as strong as ever. Clearer irons than the ABR, better fire rate and damage, the only downside is the lack of Mod for it. |
| 145 | ** The Vendetta sniper makes the SDM look like child's play; 3 shot kill, but with automatic 1 hit headshots. And it has the fire rate of classic DMR-class weapons like the FAL. |
| 146 | ** The Locus returns from the prior game, and bests the Paladin in almost all categories. Repeat, the '''Paladin'''. You may weep now. |
| 147 | ** The Havalina [=AA50=] will make you weep. Semi auto, fast fire rate and one shot potential to the nuts with High Cal 2... The only balancing thing is the manual reload of each .50-cal bullet, but a Speed Loader remedies that. A fully kitted [=AA50=] will tear through teams faster than a knife through whipped cream. |
| 148 | [[/folder]] |
| 149 | |
| 150 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War]] |
| 151 | * Reverse Boosting makes a triumphant return in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' as extremely controversial SBMM was also implemented in this game. Just like Modern Warfare, in order to avoid getting curb-stomped by pros, gamers usually make a second account with extremely low KD and join that player to get 25 killstreak easily. As a result, it became common for people to use that method in order to increase their K/D ratio. In addition, considering that some famous Call of Duty {{YouTubers}} are doing it right now, it is not that surprising. Finally, despite Activision addressing the danger and the consequence of SBMM, it likely won't fade away. |
| 152 | * The [=MP5=] once again cements itself as the best submachine gun in the game, just as it was in this game's Infinity Ward counterpart, ''Modern Warfare 2019''. Despite [=SMGs=] being nerfed overall compared to past games and taking a hit to their overall effective ranges and damage output, the [=MP5=] makes up for that with its incredible stability and overall ease of use. Another nerf that [=SMGs=] received in this game is related to a system change introduced in ''Modern Warfare 2019'', wherein all weapons no longer fire HitScan bullets and instead fire actual projectiles, creating a new stat called bullet velocity that helps mitigate the older games' problem of odd hit detection at times. The [=MP5=], compared to most of the others in its category, can potentially boast very good bullet velocity and effective range. It is also highly accurate, as recoil in ''Cold War'' is reduced heavily from ''Modern Warfare 2019''. Even after a nerf to its range, it is still one of the strongest [=SMGs=]. |
| 153 | * The dreaded [=M16=] makes its grand return in this game, and this time it's brought along a friend: the AUG. |
| 154 | ** The [=M16=] boasts a 3-shot kill potential that can be increased dramatically and made much more consistent with the longer barrels that boost range and bullet velocity. With just one click, you can instantly delete people as if you were using Stopping Power from [=COD4=] again. |
| 155 | ** The AUG has gone through many categories throughout its lifespan in ''Call of Duty''. In ''Black Ops 1'', it was a very powerful and reliable assault rifle. In ''Modern Warfare 2019'', it was a submachine gun that could be converted into its old assault rifle variant and even had a Burst function as a weapon perk that could turn it into a DMR. In this game, it starts as a marksman rifle, and what it lacks in accuracy compared to the M16, it makes up for in damage output. For a time, it was even ''better'' than the M16 until it received a nerf... that only made it more even with the M16. |
| 156 | ** The versatility and the power of the AUG was cranked up to eleven in Warzone as the accuracy and the recoil control was extremely godly that it could delete people in long range. In addition, the damage dropoff range was practically non-existent, meaning that it would be able to two burst an enemy in any range, and that's from a fully armored one. While the accuracy is not that good compared to the M16, the extremely low TTK is what sold players to use the AUG and become one of the two biggest cases of ComplacentGamingSyndrome in Warzone. As a result, it had to get a massive nerf on April 6th, 2021 where the recoil has been increased when rapid-firing. |
| 157 | * Ever since a December update, people could use ''Cold War'' weapons in Warzone. However, since the update, there is one weapon that everybody began to use frequently once and that is the DMR 14. Once players began to use it, they discovered the true power of the DMR 14, with its high rate of fire for a semi-automatic rifle, extremely manageable recoil, high damage which can down a fully-armored enemy with just five shots (two shots if not armored) in any range, and a fast bullet velocity that surpasses any assault rifle, including the GRAU and the AMAX. Even worse is how it outclasses even sniper rifles at mid-range as it uses the more common assault rifle ammo and doesn't have scope glint on its sights. As a result, players began using the DMR 14 in Warzone all the time to the point the ''Modern Warfare'' weapons are ignored. The weapon was so overpowered that it had to receive not one but ''two'' separate nerf updates. |
| 158 | * The Season 1 DLC weapons, the Groza and the [=MAC-10=], quickly cemented themselves as these upon release. |
| 159 | ** The Groza is basically ''Cold War's'' version of the Grau 5.56 from ''Modern Warfare 2019''. It is incredibly fast and incredibly accurate, boasting a respectable fire rate on par with [=SMGs=] and a very controllable recoil pattern. It can also be modified for even greater mobility as well as range and bullet velocity like other assault rifles, making it very versatile. |
| 160 | ** The [=MAC-10=], on the other hand, is widely considered by many to be one of the best weapons in the game, the single best [=SMG=] in the game, and one of the most broken weapons that Treyarch has ever created (With many people calling this gun as a combination of Kudas, Vesper, and VMP from Black Ops 3). This small [=SMG=] kicks like a mule, but utterly ''melts'' people up close, boasting the fastest fire rate of any fully automatic weapon in the entire game. Not to mention, it boasts terrifying versatility and can be kitted for both close and medium range at the same time. You can have a build with extended mags, a laser to help you in close quarters situations, attachments that mitigate not only its recoil but also its range problems, and boost its already stellar handling speeds to lightning levels. |
| 161 | * The Diamatti pistol is just the ''Modern Warfare'' Renetti (Beretta [=M9A3=]) in all but name and very specific nerfs (eg. No nerfs to damage and range when going GunsAkimbo, wheras Renetti has reduced damage and range if burst and dual wielding are combined). In standard multiplayer it can down an enemy with just two bursts and has longer range than most pistols, which when combined with Dual Wield, results in a weapon that can delete people in '''less than second''' by burst-firing both guns simultaneously. In Warzone, a single burst deals up to 150 damage, killing all unarmored players and any with less than two full bars of armor, meaning two bursts, again one from each gun, '''insta-kills even full health and armored players''' provided at least 5 out of the 6 shots hit. |
| 162 | * Ever wondered which Assault Rifle would shred enemies from close range? Look no further, because there is one: [=FFAR=]. Basically the [=MAC-10=] from Cold War, but having a longer range, it comes with an extremely fast fire rate in any assault rifle in Warzone. While it is quite decent when picked up from the ground, the loadout version truly shines with the right attachment. While the damage is decent (seven shots to kill a fully armored player), the high fire rate surpasses the cons by allowing the wielder to literally delete him/her close-to-mid-range in just a millisecond thanks to it's low recoil and versatility, it became the biggest ComplacentGamingSyndrome in Warzone in recent date. It also has clear iron sights so As a result, it became extremely rare for people to use several viable guns from Modern Warfare other than [=Kar98k=]. It became so broken that even having two nerfs weren't able to make it balanced. Thankfully, the final nerf was able to make FFAR a viable choice, just not as good as before. |
| 163 | * The Tec-9 is basically a pocket M14 that you can turn full auto, having extremely high damage and speed making incredibly overpowered and able to win against almost every other gun consistently and this is after the many nerfs it got, even now it remains as one of the most blatantly overpowered weapons with players using it near-exclusively not being a rare sight. |
| 164 | * For some inexplicable reason, the War Machine and Hand Cannon were ''buffed'' and hold 12 and 10 shots respectively meaning anyone who gets these can go on insane rampages with no realistic chance to stop them outside of getting lucky which is ''especially egregious'' for the Hand Cannon as while the War Machine at least has the excuse of being based on a real life grenade launcher that holds 12 shots, the Hand Cannon is based on a Desert Eagle which can only hold 7 or 8 shots instead of 10. |
| 165 | * Flak Jacket gives a frankly absurd resistance to explosives to the point of enabling Flak Jacket users to run around around point-blank killing other players instantly with an M79 while taking minimal self-damage from their own point-blank explosion. |
| 166 | * The Marshal shotguns are basically the reincarnation of the Model 1887. Cold War's shotguns suffer from not being able to consistently one-shot without a headshot meanwhile the Marshall can be dual-wielded to instantly fire two shots at once meaning it basically wins by default against any other shotgun as it's the only one that can consistently instantly put down enemies without a bit of luck involved by firing both guns at once. |
| 167 | * Dual-wield in general is extremely powerful as due to gunsmithing, you no longer need to worry about inaccuracy as you can still stick other attachments to increase accuracy on your dual weapons as opposed to it being the only attachment you could use, this makes the dual [=AMP63=],Diamatti and Magnums absurdly overpowered in close range combat as they can do absurd amounts of damage without as much of an accuracy trade-off as past games. |
| 168 | [[/folder]] |
| 169 | |
| 170 | |
| 171 | !!Sledgehammer Games |
| 172 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare]] |
| 173 | * Assault Rifles gained a massive buff over earlier series counterparts in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare Advanced Warfare]]'' due in part to the game's more mobile gameplay. Thus, having six guns with minimal recoil and consistent damage output makes them the go-to weapons in Mulitplayer. |
| 174 | * Snipers were broken for a whole other reason: due to the incredible amount of lag in the opening few weeks of the game's lifespan, two of the guns became so overused to the point entire lobbies of players were using them. The main contenders being the MORS and Atlas 20mm, the former for being a single shot with great handling, the latter for being a OneHitKill almost anywhere at the expense of no hipfire. Except the MORS had an insanely quick ADS time, and the Atlas could break its no-hipfire coding via quickscoping. |
| 175 | * [[RandomDrops Supply Drops]] give both cosmetic rewards and weapon variants. The latter is a major factor, as many of the strongest gun variants, which are the source of the above gamebreaking weapons, are classed in the [[RareRandomDrops Elite]] category. This turns the Supply Drops into a LuckBasedMission to find one of these Elite guns to even stand a chance of competing. |
| 176 | * Prior to its nerf, the [=EM1=] Laser Rifle was also this, thanks to its insane accuracy and rate of fire plus unlimited ammo. The only thing keeping it down is the overheating after firing for some time, but there's an upgrade for that. Adding salt to the wound is the weapon has a fast rate of fire based on the frames per second of the game (Meaning the weapon will fire faster or slower depending on your frame rate) and getting a buff in a patch. Thankfully, its fire rate was lowered. |
| 177 | [[/folder]] |
| 178 | |
| 179 | [[folder:Call of Duty: WWII]] |
| 180 | * ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyWWII WWII]]''[='=]s first big game-breaker is the inclusion of Contracts, time-limited challenges with rewards. Originally, it only rewarded XP, but after the Winter Siege event the majority changed to Rare Supply Drops. The majority of the time, there is one contract that will reward you with a bribe, once per month, while the remainder reset each day. A savvy player can obtain multiple drops a day for easy challenges, adding up to maybe 30 drops a week for minimal effort. |
| 181 | * Originally, the BAR and [=FG42=] were insanely overpowered compared to all other weapons for their sheer killing potential. Both had the fortune of being two-hit headshots with High Caliber, and with the right attachments could utterly destroy opponents out to any conceivable range; great hipfire, making close range a non issue; and mid range was a piece of cake. Both were utterly nerfed into a shadow of their former selves. |
| 182 | [[/folder]] |
| 183 | |
| 184 | [[folder:Call of Duty: Vanguard]] |
| 185 | * Weapons which have a good Time to Kill (TTK) are considered decent weapons. Weapons with great TTK are placed in the meta grouping. Weapons with 1-2 shot potential usually have big downsides attached to them... Right? |
| 186 | ** The Shotguns and Snipers are usually the big OSK machines, but all are plagued with issues - the Shotguns are short range and outperformed by SMG users, while Snipers only excel at long range. Enter the Buckslug attachment for Shotguns. This adds a slug round to the existing buckshot, allowing shotgun users to hit out to middle distance, assuming they ADS. What is insane is that the one shot potential of each shotgun goes up '''massively''' with this one attachment, and including larger magazines ups the lethality even more. |
| 187 | ** On the sniper front, the Three-Line gains a massive amount of lethality from the .30-06 mags, which increase its base damage to 128. In a game that kills at 100, this means it kills '''anywhere''' in one shot, even through cover. And with 20 rounds in the mag, it is a one shot machine. Slap an SVT 3x-6x scope on and you are golden. |
| 188 | ** On the topic of both the SVT and scopes, any scope below 4x magnification will be hidden, while 5x and above have scope glint. The 3x-6x scope offers the largest magnification without scope glint, so opposing snipers can't easily spot you. The SVT proper is a semi-auto marksman rifle, which when kitted out with the combination of the 800mm barrel, Hollow Point Rounds and Vitals proficiency, becomes the single most powerful sniper in the game. All three of the above attachments increase the SVT's already good lethality, by extending its critical hit damage area. For reference, the standard area is the Head, with only snipers gaining additional critical areas. In this game, the same modifier is applied for all critical areas, so in addition to the head, the SVT now hits the Upper Chest and Neck, Arms and Hands, and the Abdomen. Repeat - ''one shot to the balls upwards''. |
| 189 | ** A ton of guns have access to either magazines that push their damage to 50+ per shot, or to barrels that increase their critical damage above 50. Most also have access to the Vital proficiency or the Tight Grip proficiency. Vital, as discussed above, increases the critical area, at the cost of not working with higher calibre ammo. Tight Grip however massively decreases recoil when sustained fire is used. For most weapons, a combination of Vital and high crit damage, or Tight Grip and High Calibre turns the majority of them into 2 shot monsters. The STG, BAR and Owen Gun all get in on the action. |
| 190 | * The combination of Reach and Bayonet on virtually any compatible gun is outrageous. The Commando Lunge has returned![[note]]The 18.11 patch releasing Shipment as a playable map accidentally turned off the 2 hit melee toggle on all guns. This had the unintended side effect of completely breaking bayonets, which now use the knifing animation upon lunging, without actually killing the target.[[/note]] |
| 191 | * The [=MG42=] already has a beefy 125 round magazine, but one of its final unlocks is the ludicrous 250 round extended magazine. With it, a player can lay down suppressive fire down a corridor for 15 straight seconds. Throw in one of the most broken perks ever made, Piercing Vision, as well as FMJ, you can essentially suppress the enemy down a corridor with a veritable laser of a gun for a good chunk of time, and spot anyone brave enough to look in your general direction. Piercing Vision grants the shooter a red haze around 'suppressed' enemies, that is, anyone being shot at by your bullet hose. |
| 192 | * The secondaries aren't much to scoff at either. The Akimbo revolvers can be deadly with the Snakeshot ammunition, the machine pistol has a blistering fire rate and can be paired with both akimbo and a 40 round magazine, and the 1911 has a full-auto upgrade, which does drop its damage down to a four shot kill, but raises its rate of fire to a blistering 870 rpm. The Klauser can become a pocket marksman rifle or a finisher with its .45 ACP rounds, while the Mk 11 launcher is surprisingly effective due to the power perks in slot 1 making players choose between explosive protection, stun protection or Ninja. |
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