Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 weapon balancing: ISO Hemlock and Lachmann Sub nerf, BAS-P buff, and more

Season 3 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 is a few hours away. Infinity Ward has revealed the patch notes, with the update just around the corner. It covers all the weapon balance changes, bug fixes, general gameplay improvements, and more. While all of these changes are interesting, the weapon balances this time around have the potential to alter the gameplay entirely. Weapons such as ISO Hemlock, currently considered the meta Assault Rifle, will be nerfed along with several other weapons. On the other hand, weapons that weren't quite popular will now be more viable.

This article will closely examine all such changes in Season 3 of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.

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All weapon changes in Season 3 of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2

This patch focuses heavily on Assault Rifles, SMGs, Battle Rifles, Light Machine Guns, Marksman Rifles, and Handguns. Here are all the changes in Season 3:

Assault Rifles

When it comes to Assault Rifles, the weapons that were affected by the patch are ISO Hemlock, M13B, STB 556, and TAQ 56. The ISO Hemlock has been nerfed. The damage range, along with damage to the lower torso, has been reduced.

M13B has received similar balances. First of all, its headshot damage and upper torso damage are slightly reduced. However, its lower torso damage and mid-range damage distance have increased.

Regarding buffs, the lucky few are the STB 556 and TAQ 56. The STB 556's headshot damage, leg damage, lower torso damage, and mid-range damage distance have been increased. But to balance it, mid-range damage has decreased. TAQ 56's headshot damage has also been improved.

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Battle Rifles

The affected Battle Rifles are FTAC Recon, Lachmann 762, SO-14, and TAQ-V. With the FTAC Recon equipped, the movement speed and semi-auto leg damage, upper torso damage, and minimum armor damage have increased.

Users of Lachmann 762 and SO-14 will also see an increase in movement speed. SO-14 has also received a buff in Warzone 2, allowing the rifle to deal more severe damage against armor.

TAQ-V has also received a movement speed buff and improved damage against shields and lower leg damage in semi-auto mode.

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Handguns

For handguns, the only affected weapon is the Basilisk, whose minimum armor damage has been reduced.

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Light Machin Guns

In the case of LMGs, the weapons affected by this patch are RAAL MG and RPK. The RAAL MG has been nerfed in full-auto mode, reducing its headshot damage. However, its semi-auto mode has received some buffs. In semi-auto mode, headshot and upper and lower torso damage have increased. Moreover, now a minimum damage stat against armor has been added.

For RPK, its close-mid range damage has been slightly reduced.

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Marksman Rifles

As for Marksman Rifles, the only weapon that has received changes is the Tempus Torrent, which was introduced along with the Season 2 Reloaded update of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. It has been nerfed. The damage ranges have been reduced, along with headshot damage.

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Submachine guns

Many SMGs have received changes in Season 3 of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. Starting with the BAS-P, its ADS movement speed and all damage ranges have increased. Like the RAAL MG, a minimum damage stat against armor has been added.

For MX9, the sprint-to-fire speed has been increased with it being equipped. Both VEL 46 and the Vaznev-9K have received nerfs to their headshot damage.

The most affected SMG in this update is the Lachmann Sub. The headshot damage has been reduced. However, the burst-fire mode has received an upgrade. When burst firing, the damage to the legs and torso increases. Moreover, the time between the two bursts has been decreased, making it ideal for fast pace combat.

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These are all the weapon changes in Season 3 of Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2. The patch will be a gamer changer in terms of gunplay and has the potential to alter the current meta completely.

Season 3 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 will go live on April 12, 2023, on PC (via Battle.net and Steam), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.