Every weapon buff and nerf in Warzone 2 & Modern Warfare 2 Season 3

Nathan Warby
Warzone 2 aiming at parachuting enemy

Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 Season 3 has brought a whole host of weapon buffs and nerfs, shaking up the meta across both titles. Here’s every weapon balancing change in Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 3.

Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 has finally arrived, bringing a ton of new content to both games. Players have got fresh weapons like the Intervention Sniper Rifle, an overhauled Gulag, and even the new BlackCell Battle Pass to get stuck into.

As you’d expect, Season 3 also comes with plenty of weapon balancing changes, designed to create a totally different meta in multiplayer and battle royale. Sniper Rifles have been the main talking point in the lead-up to the update, but other guns have been on the receiving end of buffs and nerfs too.

Here’s every weapon buff and nerf included in Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 3.

Sniper Rifles buffed to one-shot kill in Warzone 2

While Sniper Rifles have remained powerful in Modern Warfare 2, the Warzone 2 Season 3 update finally brings back one-shot Sniper Rifles by equipping certain weapons in this category with deadly Explosive Ammunition and buffing the ammo’s damage.

This buff allows bolt-action Snipers like the MCPR-300 or Victus XMR to down a fully-plated enemy with just one headshot, as long as players are running the right ammo type.

The Intervention Sniper Rifle in Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2.
The Intervention will also be a one-shot kill in Warzone 2 Season 3.

ISO Hemlock nerfed in Warzone 2 & Modern Warfare 2 Season 3

The popular ISO Hemlock has been nerfed in the Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 update, after dominating multiplayer and battle royale since arriving in Season 2.

Going forward, the Hemlock will have reduced range across the board, as well as less damage output with torso shots. Only time will tell how this nerf impacts its place in the Season 3 meta.

All weapon buffs & nerfs in Warzone 2 & MW2 Season 3

Here’s every weapon buff and nerf in Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 3, as detailed in the official patch notes:

» Assault Rifles «

  • ISO Hemlock
    • All Damage Ranges reduced
    • Lower Torso Damage reduced
  • M13B
    • Headshot Damage slightly reduced
    • Lower Torso Damage increased
    • Mid-range Damage distance increased 
    • Upper Torso Damage slightly reduced
  • STB 556
    • Headshot Damage increased
    • Leg Damage increased
    • Lower Torso Damage increased
    • Mid-range Damage distance increased
    • Mid-range Damage reduced 
  • TAQ-56
    • Headshot Damage decreased

» Battle Rifles «

  • FTAC Recon
    • Movement Speed increased
    • Semi-Auto Leg Damage increased
    • Semi-Auto Minimum Armor Damage increased  | Warzone 2.0 Only
    • Semi-Auto Upper Torso Damage increased 
  • Lachmann 762
    • Movement Speed increased
  • SO-14
    • Movement Speed increased
    • Semi-Auto Minimum Armor Damage increased  | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • TAQ-V
    • Minimum Armor Damage increased  | Warzone 2.0 Only
    • Movement Speed increased
    • Semi-Auto Lower Leg Damage increased

» Handguns «

  • Basilisk
    • Minimum Armor Damage reduced  | Warzone 2.0 Only

» Light Machine Guns «

  • RAAL MG
    • Headshot Damage reduced
    • Minimum Armor Damage added to Semi-Auto Firing Mode  | Warzone 2.0 Only
    • Semi-Auto Headshot Damage increased
    • Semi-Auto Upper Torso Damage increased
    • Semi-Auto Lower Torso Damage increased 
  • RPK
    • Close-mid Damage slightly reduced 

» Marksman Rifles «

  • Tempus Torrent
    • All Damage Ranges reduced slightly
    • Close-mid Damage reduced slightly
    • Headshot Damage reduced

» Submachine Guns «

  • Submachine Gun Hip Spread accuracy increased
  • BAS-P
    • ADS Move Speed increased
    • All Damage Ranges increased
    • Minimum Armor Damage added to Semi-Auto Firing Mode  | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • Lachmann Sub
    • Headshot Damage decreased 
    • Burst-Fire Leg Damage increased
    • Burst-Fire time between shots decreased
    • Burt-Fire Torso Damage increased
  • MX9
    • Sprint to Fire Speed increased 
  • Vaznev-9K
    • Headshot Damage decreased
  • VEL 46
    • Headshot Damage decreased

Attachments

Ammunition

  • Basilisk
    • .500 Snakeshot
      • Maximum Armor Damage added  | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • Explosive
    • Bolt-Action Weapons equipped with Explosive Ammunition are now able to down fully armored Players in one shot  | Warzone 2.0 Only
    • Explosive Ammunition has been added to the MCPR-300 progression tree
  • ISO Hemlock
    • .300 Blackout (All Types)
      • Headshot Damage increased
      • Hip Spread accuracy while prone increased
      • Initial Recoil increased slightly
      • Long-range Damage decreased
      • Mid-range Damage increased
      • Minimum Armor Damage added to Semi-Auto Firing Mode  | Warzone 2.0 Only
      • Recoil violence increased 

Barrel, Stock, and Magazine Attachment stats are affected according to how ‘Large’, ‘Small’, ‘Heavy’, ‘Light’, ‘Long’, or ‘Short’ they are relative to other Attachments. In essence, the below changes increase the upsides of most Attachments stats while decreasing their downsides—resulting in an overall increase to Attachment power level.

Barrel

  • Heavy Barrels
    • ADS Speed penalty slightly reduced
  • Light Barrels
    • Muzzle Velocity penalty reduced
  • Short Barrels
    • ADS Speed benefit increased 
    • Damage Range penalty reduced
    • Hip Spread accuracy benefit increased while moving and firing
    • Hip Spread accuracy penalty for Shotguns decreased while moving and firing

Bipod

  • ADS Speed penalty reduced  

Laser

  • Laser brightness increased 

Magazine

  • Large Magazines
    • Light Machine Guns (Global)
      • Handling and Movement penalties reduced 
    • Kastov 545
      • 60 Round Magazine
        • Handling penalty reduced
    • Kastov 762
      • 40 Round Magazine
        • Handling penalty reduced
    • Lachmann Sub
      • 50 Round Drum
        • Handling penalty reduced
    • M13B
      • 60 Round Magazine
        • Handling penalty reduced
    • M16
      • 60 Round Magazine
        • Handling penalty reduced
    • Vaznev-9K
      • 45 Round Magazine
        • Handling penalty reduced 
    • VEL 46
      • 50 Round Magazine
        • Handling penalty reduced
      • 60 Round Magazine
        • Handling penalty reduced

Small Magazines

  • Movement Speed increased 
  • Sprint to Fire Speed increased
  • Fennec 45
    • Fennec Double Tap Mod (Benefits from Small Magazine buffs)
      • Damage increased
      • Damage Ranges reduced
      • Minimum Armor Damage added  | Warzone 2.0 Only
      • Time between bursts reduced
  • STB 556
    • Single Tap Mod (Benefits from Small Magazine buffs)
      • Damage increased
      • Mid-range Damage distances increased
      • Minimum Armor Damage added  | Warzone 2.0 Only
      • Time between shots increased 

Rear Grip

  • Basilisk
    • Akimbo Basilisk
      • Maximum Armor Damage added  | Warzone 2.0 Only  

Stock

  • Heavy Stocks
    • ADS Move Speed penalty reduced
    • Aiming Stability benefit increased
    • Aim Walking Steadiness benefit increased

For more on Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2, be sure to check out our other guides:

Best guns in Warzone 2 | Best Warzone 2 controller settings | Best Warzone 2 PC settings | How to ping enemies in Warzone 2 | How to use Proximity Chat in Warzone 2 | How to get a nuke in Warzone 2 | Best Assault Rifles in Warzone 2 | Best guns in Modern Warfare 2 When is the next Double XP event? | Most popular weapons in Modern Warfare 2

Image credit: Activision

About The Author

Nathan is a Senior Writer for CharlieIntel and Dexerto, primarily covering FIFA and Call of Duty, as well as general gaming news and guides. After leaving university with a degree in Sports Studies and a master's degree in Magazine Journalism, he took on a role as a local news reporter before moving into games media. You can contact Nathan by email at [email protected].