Season 3 Reloaded arrived a week ago, and I took the time to analyze the weapons, read the patch notes and do some testing. And I have one thing to say. I just hate the new Warzone meta.
Why Do I Hate The Meta?
Let’s take a look at the meta weapons, shall we?
- Assault Rifles – STG, Automaton, Bar, XM4, Vargo and Cooper Carbine.
- SMG’s – Owen Gun, Type 100, MP40, H4 Blixen, Welgun, and PPSH-41.
Can you see what they all have in common? That’s right. They are all Vanguard weapons. Now, I don’t hate Vanguard weapons, don’t get me wrong. I just hate that this game has over 150+ weapons, and we only use the Vanguard ones. I don’t remember the last time I saw a Modern Warfare meta gun. (Maybe Amax, but it was nerfed to the ground before Rebirth had the 300hp change).
We all strive to have an open meta. Being able to pick whatever gun you prefer is the dream. Making the Vanguard weapons OP AND nerfing Modern Warfare and Cold War is unacceptable.
Why Is This Happening?
Basically, Vanguard really underperforms in the sales department. In order to get more sales, they just made the Vanguard weapons better than the rest of the guns. So in turn, we would buy Vanguard so we could unlock them and level them up. Now, I really get that Activision is there for the money. I totally get it. But there are other ways to make Vanguard more appealing, and I am not sure this is the right way.
Meta Doesn't Matter That Much?
Whoever says that, is not telling the truth. Period. Using a non-meta weapon is 100% a disadvantage. In a sweaty game like Warzone, it does matter. Especially if SBMM is really after you and your KD is high. The whole lobby runs Owen Gun. You can’t compete with non-meta weapons. Imagine 1v1 a player, when you have a non-meta SMG like Mw MP5, and he has Type 100. Check this out.
At the 15 meters mark, you literally kill twice as fast. Now tell me you can run with MP5 while everyone runs the Type 100. It is a huge disadvantage.
Another interesting finding by WhosImmortal, one of my favorite Warzone youtubers, is this chart:
These are the 10, highest K/D weapons in Warzone. 9 of them are VG. Don’t let people delude you into thinking that meta doesn’t matter.
How To Fix That?
I am not going to rant without giving my opinion on how to approach this. So, I get that Vanguard sales are important. This is a business, after all. And I have no problem with giving the Vanguard weapons a little edge (Its pretty scummy, but god damn it is capitalism after all). But neglecting completely Modern Warfare and Cold War weapons is a mistake. I would say, we need to rebalance those weapons. Not to make them top tier metas like some VG guns are, but making sure they can compete against them, is a good start. Placing them in the Competitive category and mixing some in the Meta category. So we have an open Meta.
I think they went too far with that Vanguard agenda. The SMG meta was totally ruled by the Vanguard SMG’s, and now that we don’t have any sniper rifles (RIP Kar and Swiss) and meta AR’s, are STG and Bar. They’ve just gone too far.
A Positive Note
I think this will be a good lesson. They are learning from their mistakes and hopefully, Warzone 2 will be much better in terms of weapon balancing. (And in other aspects of course). I am very much looking forward to Warzone 2, and looking to see what can Infinity Ward achieve. Thank you for reading, and I will see you guys next time!
