Modern Warfare 2 players claim major Riot Shield nerfs have “missed the point”
The Riot Shield is one of the most controversial weapons in Modern Warfare 2, but players think its nerf in Season 1 Reloaded has focused on the wrong areas.
Modern Warfare 2 is jam-packed with weapons to suit any playstyle. Whether you prefer to pick off enemies from a distance with Sniper Rifles, or get in their faces with SMGs, Infinity Ward has a gun for you.
One of the most controversial weapons in Modern Warfare 2, as it is in most CoD entries, is the Riot Shield. Many matches have been dominated by players running around deflecting any shots that come their way.
Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 Reloaded introduced a number of balancing changes to Riot Shields, including reducing movement speed when using them and nerfing their damage to make them a three-hit kill, down from two at launch.
However, the community feels that these changes have missed the mark when it comes to solving their problems with the weapon. Reddit user Dissociate_ME posted in the MW2 subreddit claiming that Riot Shields are no longer viable options.
“I know y’all hate Riot Shields, but a 3-hit-kill Riot Shield is going to be damn near impossible to get kills with”, the player said.
Many players agreed with the OP and accused Infinity Ward of nerfing the wrong areas of Riot Shields when they should have addressed players wearing a shield on their back while carrying a traditional Assault Rifle or SMG.
The tactic, known as ‘turtling,’ protects enemies from virtually all damage from behind, making them far more difficult to kill unless facing them head-on.
“Hey Infinity Ward, it’s not the shield in combat that’s the problem, it’s the absolutely penalty-free turtle shell people use it as. Can we do something about that?” replied Sniperking187. “Infinity Ward: ‘Say less fam, we’re gonna nerf everything about it except what you asked for.'”
Others even felt that these changes show the devs don’t have a good enough idea of what the community wants.
“It’s honestly incredible how much they missed the point with this one small but fundamental change,” said another player. “They are so out of touch with every decision they make it almost feels like they’re doing it on purpose,” agreed dabeardedhippie.
While Riot Shields will remain a controversial inclusion in Modern Warfare 2, there’s no doubt that many fans want to see Infinity Ward rethink the nerfs and address the bigger problem.
We’ll have to wait and see if any more Riot Shield changes arrive in a future update.
For more on Modern Warfare 2, be sure to check out the new Bounty mode, as well as every map in Season 1 Reloaded.
Image credit: Activision
