Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 Reloaded update massively nerfs Riot Shield

The second major update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the first for Warzone 2 dropped on December 16, 2022. It brought various gameplay changes, bug fixes, and a new game mode called Raids. One notable change that caught most players' eyes was the nerf applied to Riot Shields, which wreaked havoc in the multiplayer maps of Modern Warfare 2.

The Riot Shield is a two-in-one weapon that can melee enemies and block all of the bullets shot at you, making it a popular tool. However, it will no longer be as widely used after the Season 1 Reloaded update.

The Riot Shield is the only melee weapon to receive changes in the Season 1 Reloaded update. The nerf will affect both Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 but will be most noticeable in multiplayer maps because of how much it was used by players previously.

Here are the official patch notes related to the Riot Shield:

• Reduced movement speed
• Reduced melee damage to 3 hit kill
• Shield movement animation improvement
• Longer switch time pulling out throwing knife when riot shield is equipped

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Riot Shields in Modern Warfare 2 will not be abused by players as much as before

Players who have the Riot Shield equipped and in hand will now have a much slower movement speed than before. This change applies to both sprint and ADS movements. Players will have more time to react to an enemy with a Riot Shield rushing toward them and fight back accordingly.

The biggest nerf is that it now requires three hits to kill someone with a Riot Shield in Modern Warfare 2. Previously, hitting an enemy with two hits would have eliminated them. This change makes it near impossible for camo grinders to get kills on multiplayer maps, and many players feel this is an unnecessary implementation.

Players coupled the Riot Shield with a throwing knife in lethal equipment, as this was an effective combination. Before the update, they could instantly use their throwing knife on enemies without giving them a chance to react, making it incredibly powerful.

The animation speed has now been drastically reduced so that when a Riot Shield user attempts to use a throwing knife, players have more time to react, shoot, and kill them.

The Riot Shield in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 will be much less prevalent after the changes that have been implemented. However, it is still a viable melee weapon, as the only counters to it in a one-vs-one situation are the Thermite and Semtex grenades.