How lack of loadout versatility is making Warzone meta incredibly stale

Warzone Season 5 is now live. It is the final season update for the game. The update, Last Stand, has brought many changes and various additions.

However, this update has received mixed reactions from the fans. While they're happy about changes like the lighting in Rebirth Island, many have complained about the new weapons and weapon nerfs.

Warzone is a free-to-play battle royale with Call of Duty's spin. Upon its launch in 2020, the game was an instant success.

Fans of the series loved what the new BR was all about. It introduced fast-paced COD-like gameplay to a large open map.

The game initially launched with a map called Verdansk. It was big, with varied terrains, and allowed different weapons to shine depending on the situation.

The latest update has been criticized by fans concerning variety. Season 5 nerfed many firearms, and with the pattern of nerfs introduced so far in Warzone, users felt that only Assault Rifles and SMGs were viable weapon classes in-game.

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Lack of weapon variety in Warzone

Warzone allows players to experiment with various weapons made available to them. They can design their own plays and strategies to execute a situation.

Having more viable options allows them to approach fights on their own terms. Over time, with the nerfs to different weapon classes such as Shotguns and Snipers, the title moved forward with AR and SMG-centric gameplay.

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Weapon class nerfs

Sniping used to be fun in Warzone back in the day. But this has changed recently, as the sniping experience overall has taken a hit.

This weapon class is not as hard-hitting as it used to be. Except for a sniper rifle or two, the rest aren't fun to use, as reported by users.

Snipers now require high skill as they fell out of favor since SMGs and ARs were buffed and focused on so much in Caldera.

As per WZranked, the most picked sniper rifle (3-Line rifle) in Season 5 has a pick rate of 3.63%, compared to the SMG PPSh-41 (VG), which has a pick rate of 9.57%.

The story remains the same for the shotgun weapon class. With the latest shotgun nerfs, it would now take more shots to take down an enemy.

This makes close-quarter combat with a shotgun essentially pointless. The most picked shotgun (Model 680) has a pick rate of only 0.11%.

Apart from that, much criticism has been received from the community for the nerf of the Crossbow. It is a weapon that only shines in the hands of the skilled.

The weapon has an insanely high reload time. Thus, if players miss with the Crossbow, they are dead by the time they get another arrow loaded.

The Crossbow now only one shot kills enemies if users hit the upper chest, neck, or head. If they hit limbs/lower torso, opponents won't get an armor crack.

As stated by gamers, the nerf was deemed unnecessary as it was only a niche weapon.

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Assault Rifles and SMGs run the show

As of right now, it is the Assault Rifles and SMGs that dominate Warzone. This has reduced variety in the game.

Players feel that every fight now feels quite generic and predictable. The variety that an open-world sandbox is to provide is missing.

This Reddit user goes as far as to claim that it isn't just ARs that are the meta right now. Only low recoil, laser-like ARs are the weapons of choice.

All higher recoil and high damage ARs are not viable options. Despite being in the game, they aren't picked often, so suggesting a weapon balance issue in the game.

The present meta only allows a few weapons to shine, making Warzone a monotonous gaming experience. Players, even if they want to be creative with their plays, won't be able to, as apart from a few ARs and SMGs, all other weapons lack feasibility in Warzone.

This is unlikely to change if this is the last season update the title has received. However, a mid-season update will drop soon, and users expect to see changes to the weapon meta with it.