Call Of Duty: Warzone Finally Addresses Its DMR 14 Problem
The process of maintaining live service games is a difficult task. Developers have to continually add new items and game mechanics without destroying a tenuous balance. Occasionally, something sneaks through the cracks of the quality assurance team, which causes an ocean of headaches for gamers. The solution is usually one patch away, but not every solution goes as planned.
Shortly after Activision united Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone under one banner, problems cropped up. The Rebirth Island rework displeased many gamers, and recently many complained about the DMR 14 tactical rifle. Well, the grievances targeted the tactical rifle line in general, but the DMR 14 was the face of the problems due to its "overpowered ability to snipe players."
Recently, the team at Raven Software announced the latest round of updates for Warzone weapons, and the DMR 14 is at the top of the list. Thanks to the patch, the rifle will deal reduced damage to unprotected brainpans, and each shot fired will shake the weapon more with increased recoil.
The DMR 14 wasn't the only weapon to recently demolish Warzone balance — the Type 63 tactical rifle and Mac-10 SMG were similar points of contention. These weapons were regarded as deadly counters to the DMR 14, and they were also hit with the nerf stick. The Type 63 now deals reduced headshot damage and also suffers from increased recoil, while the Mac-10 received a comparative slap on the wrist with a decreased headshot multiplier. The patch also nerfed dual pistols, since they now suffer from increased bullet spread when fired from the hip, and their range has dropped off.
While some players were pleased with the changes, others have asserted that the DMR 14's core problems made it through the patch unscathed. Even with the diminished headshot damage, the weapon still quickly perforates armor and internal organs. As for the recoil, many claimed the changes are downright negligible.
Even though the dev team addressed the DMR 14-shaped elephant in the room, the general reaction has been less than positive. Raven Software might need to pepper the weapon with a few more patches before it is balanced.