Treyarch detailed the weapon changes in a blog post breaking down Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s third Season, and one of the biggest areas to be adjusted is LMGs. Specifically, the Stoner 63 will seemingly be seeing its reign of terror come to an end. Its damage output has been lowered from 42 to 38, and while this may seem significant, the biggest change is its range. Dropped from 38.1 to 21.59 meters, the gun will no longer be dropping players from across the map. Vertical recoil and ADS speed have also been nerfed.

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With the Stoner 63’s previous nerfs lacking and leaving Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War fans unhappy, this change should he welcomed with open arms by the game’s community. The update will also see the other LMGs nerfed, with the RPD seeing an even bigger range decrease than the Stoner. Its ammo capacity has also been lowered from 75 rounds to 50. The M60 rounds out the list of LMG changes, and while its damage remains the same, its range has been lowered from 76.2 to 20.4 meters. Its ADS speed has also been lowered.

Shotguns have also seen some changes, with the one-shot kill potential of the Streetweeper shotgun completely removed. With max damage dropped from 138 to 88, the gun will always be a two-to three-shot kill. The Hauer 77, on the other hand, has seen a small buff to its range. The Gallo SA12 has seen a similar buff, though its damage has been lowered slightly from 118 to 108. Shotguns should be far more balanced now, which each having its own strength.

Assault Rifles and Tactical Rifles make up several more Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War weapon changes, with the FFAR getting several small buffs to recoil, ammo count, ADS speed, and reload speed. The Krig 6 gets its regular damage lowered slightly from 35 to 33, though critical damage has been boosted from a 1.25 to a 1.4 multiplier. The AUG has seen a mix of changes, with slower bursts and reduced range being balanced out by a tiny damage increase. Finally, players will now sprint slower with SMGs, as pistols will now offer the fastest movement.

With the Stoner 63 finally seeing a major nerf, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s previous meta has ended. While one of Season 3’s new weapons could prove overpowered, things are currently looking up when it comes to balanced gunplay.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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Source: Treyarch