Warzone’s 2nd Anniversary: The best & worst metas in Warzone history
March 10 marks Call of Duty: Warzone’s two-year anniversary, so we’re taking a look at the best and worst Warzone metas throughout its history.
When a gun is considered ‘meta’ in Warzone, that means it’s the most powerful weapon at the time. Keeping Warzone’s meta as balanced as possible has been a constant battle for devs Raven Software, where they release several updates a month that make major changes to the best and worst weapons.
When the meta is balanced, it means that you don’t necessarily have to use the best weapons to succeed. However, some metas are so game-breaking that you’re forced to use a specific weapon to have a hope of competing.
We’ve looked back on every meta across Warzone’s first two years and picked out the best and worst metas the game has seen, plus we’ve discussed what the meta looks like on Warzone’s second anniversary.
- Call of Duty: Warzone’s best meta
- Call of Duty: Warzone’s worst meta
- How is Warzone’s meta on its second anniversary?
Call of Duty: Warzone’s best meta
While something can be said for Warzone’s M4A1 and Grau 5.56 metas, we believe the Kilo 141 and MP5 meta was the most balanced the game has ever been. While powerful and easy to use, the Kilo 141 and MP5 never felt like they were the be-all and end-all weapons.
There was plenty of room for experimenting with different loadouts, and no weapon felt too dominant. You could still use the Grau, CR-56 AMAX, or M4A1 if you wanted, or you could try out something wacky like the SCAR.
Aside from the AS VAL and SPR-208 being broken for a little while, Warzone’s meta was in a fantastic place during Modern Warfare Season 6, but that all changed when Black Ops Cold War integrated in December 2020.
Call of Duty: Warzone’s worst meta
It will come as no surprise that the DMR-14 was Warzone’s worst meta, with the game being infamously nicknamed DMR-zone during Cold War Season 1.
The AUG/M16 and FFAR 1 meta could be considered just as bad, but the biggest issue was how long the DMR was meta for. It hit a pick rate of almost 30% at the height of its popularity, but it felt much higher than that in-game.
With incredible damage, a fast fire rate, low recoil, and almost infinite range, the DMR-14 wasn’t fun to kill people with, and it certainly wasn’t fun to be killed by. The community was crying out for nerfs, but the first round wasn’t enough. Then, the DMR was finally nerfed and the FFAR 1 and the burst rifles took over.
Luckily, Raven Software dropped a ton of nerfs after Verdansk was nuked and Verdansk ’84 arrived, and even though the Krig 6 and FARA 83 became dominant, nothing has come close to the DMR-zone.
How is Warzone’s meta on its second anniversary?
After some accidental buffs to both Vanguard’s Bren LMG and PPSH-41 were reverted, Warzone Pacific Season 2’s meta is in a pretty good place.
The Bren is still dominant at long-range, but weapons such as Cold War’s AK-47, Vargo 52, Automaton, and Cooper Carbine can all give it a run for its money.
The close-range meta is also fairly balanced, with the MP-40 still remaining a popular choice and many switching over to the Owen Gun. With more weapons set to arrive in each of Vanguard’s upcoming seasons, we’ll likely see plenty of new metas hit the game.
We might not even be playing this version of Warzone for its third anniversary, as Infinity Ward have confirmed that ‘Warzone 2’ is in development and will arrive during Modern Warfare 2‘s lifecycle.
Image Credit: Activision
