MW3 players sick of dying instantly to “obnoxious” Knives

Nathan Warby
MW3 player using knife in Firing Range

Modern Warfare 3 players are calling for changes to the melee weapons in the game, as many feel that being killed instantly by a Knife is “stupid” in a game like Call of Duty.

Modern Warfare 3 features a diverse lineup of weapons for players to choose from, all of which suit different playstyles. Assault Rifles are perfect all-rounders, while LMGs are heavy-duty options that can pick off enemies from a distance.

When building their best loadout they also have the option of running an Overkill Vest to use another primary, but there are plenty of secondary guns available too. Among these secondaries are melee options like the Karambit or Combat Knife, which offer extra mobility in exchange for range.

However, many MW3 players are growing frustrated with the fact that Knives can kill them in one hit, especially on smaller maps.

Reddit user ‘Act_Of_Defiance’ shared a post titled “Different Year, Same Thing,” alongside a clip that showed a stick figure sponging tons of bullets from another character using a gun, before quickly knifing them.

While the video was clearly partly intended as a joke, plenty of layers responded claiming the OP had touched on a real problem with the game.

“If they are in like a 5 foot range of you melee users can be annoying but anything outside of that is a free kill. Balancing melee weapons is always going to be tough because I think they do belong in the games but nobody wants to die instantly,” said one reply.

Knives in MW3 “require no ammunition, can be spammed, make no noise, and make you move faster,” . which is why many felt they “take no skill to use.” They’re also a one-hit kill on any mode, even in Core, which appeared to be the main issue that many fans had with them.

“Dying instantly is way more obnoxious when TTK is this long. It’s the same reason snipers are 10x more annoying than normal in MW3,” said one player, before another added: “One hit melee weapons are just anti-fun mechanics for anyone that isn’t using them.”

Others called out how “unrealistic” melee weapons are in MW3: “Unless I can’t see you there is NO WAY you are killing me with a knife if I have a gun and not dying with me. This s**t is just STUPID though.”

Since melee weapons force players to get up close and personal with enemies, it’s unlikely that their one-shot capabilities will be nerfed anytime soon. However, only time will tell if the devs introduce more penalties for running around with a Knife.

For more on MW3, be sure to check out how to get Penetration Kills, as well as the best Ranked Play loadouts.

About The Author

Nathan is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel. He’s an expert in EA Sports FC, Call of Duty, and Overwatch, as well as superhero games, including Marvel’s Spider-Man. With a master's degree in Magazine Journalism from Nottingham Trent University, he worked as a Trainee Reporter for Derbyshire Live before moving into games media, with bylines at Dexerto, Cultured Vultures, and more. You can contact Nathan by email at [email protected].