Treyarch still has a lot of balancing to do in Black Ops Cold War. After less than a week the most OP weapon in the game was nerfed: the MP5. We explain what made it so strong and what has been changed.
Who would have guessed? The MP5 was once again much too strong in Black Ops Cold War. Even in Modern Warfare and Warzone, the MP5 was considered op for a long time, and even after a year and several nerfs it is still one of the strongest weapons in the game. It's the gun that keeps on giving, at least content-wise.
- READ MORE: CoD Setup Guide: MP5 - Still OP!
The latest addition to the CoD series seems to stick to this principle, as the MP5 was already overly good in both alpha and beta and nothing had changed in this respect by the time of release.
What makes the MP5 so Strong?
The MP5 can do everything - and usually better than any other weapon! It has a high rate of fire, good damage, almost no recoil, with the right attachments a huge magazine, and most important of all, incredible range. In close combat, for which an MP is intended, it shines with its high fire rate, which is perfectly ok. However, due to its high range and the hardly noticeable recoil, it beats even assault rifles at almost any distance. It also has an even bigger magazine than most assault rifles.
For these reasons, until now in BOCW's multiplayer you had to play the MP5 if you wanted to stay competitive.
The ultimate class setup from blackopscoldwar
What was Nerfed?
But Treyarch listened to the complaints of the community and took care of the hated weapon. There are no patch notes, but the developer announced the good news on Twitter:
#BlackOpsColdWar update: We've reduced the base effective damage range by 33% and adjusted the initial recoil for Submachine Gun Alpha. Now get out there and try the other four!
— Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) November 18, 2020
The handle and the attachments of the weapon remain unchanged, only the effective range was reduced by 33%. The hope is that now other MPs will get more attention, as well as assault rifles, will be in the meta again. The MP5 thus remains playable, but should now be limited to the short to medium range typical of submachine guns. Thus, assault rifle players at longer distances should now have a chance against the MP5.
In our opinion, this is a step in the right direction. The next days will show us whether the Nerf was sufficient or whether the MP5 still dominates multiplayer.
More news and updates about Call of Duty, such as our Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Multiplayer Map Guide can be found on EarlyGame.