Warzone players claim NZ-41 still “absolute meta” after third nerf in a row
Warzone’s NZ-41 Assault Rifle has been the meta ever since May’s Season 3 Reloaded update and even after three nerfs in a row, players claim it’s still the “absolute meta” in Season 4.
Warzone’s meta has been rather one-sided over the past couple of seasons, with the Bren, STG44, and now the NZ-41 dominating medium-long range fights. The devs gave the NZ serious buffs in Season 3 Reloaded, and it’s dominated the meta ever since.
The devs nerfed the weapon in both Season 4 and the June 30 update, but players barely felt a difference and it remained the most popular weapon. Raven then nerfed it once again on July 7, but players still feel it’s the best gun in the game.
Raven Software released an update on July 7, where the headline change was yet another nerf to the NZ-41. This nerf targetted its recoil recovery, making it so that the crosshair will take longer to center after each shot.
The NZ-41 is so popular because of how easy it is to use, and it appears the July 7 update failed to change that. Warzone content creators tested the changes immediately after the update and were quick to report that it’s still the “absolute meta.”
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Quick and dirty NZ41 test.
— Warzone Loadout – CODMunity (@Warzone_Loadout) July 7, 2022
Look at the few seconds after the mag is empty and screen is centering again, this is where the recoil recovery is most visible.
Also between each shots that makes it a little bit more shaky visually.
Damage & recoil untouched = still absolute meta. pic.twitter.com/8mUjNnqPeE
The Warzone Loadout website, which includes the best loadout for every weapon, tried out the new NZ-41 and reported that there’s a little bit more of a visual shake, but the damage and recoil are “untouched.”
YouTuber JGOD asked the community if the NZ-41 was “finally actually nerfed,” and the answer was a resounding no. “The recoil didn’t feel all that different to me,” explained one user. “Still very easy to use.”
Looks like consensus is that it's still meta.
— James – JGOD (@JGODYT) July 7, 2022
Will check it out later. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ https://t.co/sYDI68cLx8
Warzone players claimed that Raven will need to nerf the NZ-41’s damage to actually have an effect, as players have long believed that low-recoil weapons should be traded off by also having low damage.
It’s clear that Raven Software know the NZ-41 is too powerful during Season 4, so expect a much more significant nerf in a future update.
The next major update is set to be Season 4 Reloaded in late July, but there should also be some smaller updates throughout the month.
Image Credit: Activision