Modern Warfare 3 players are this week questioning why certain sniper rifles can outclass SMGs in short-range engagements, with some calling for immediate nerfs to the archetype to better balance gameplay.
MW3 features 10 different sniper rifles, with options for every type of play style. The Longbow and KV Inhibitor stand out from the rest of the pack, however, because of quick ADS times, fire rates, and large magazine sizes. Community members have an issue with both weapons over-performing in multiplayer and excelling in roles they shouldn’t.
One MW3 community member is fed up with the strength of the weapons and their versatility: “It’s so fucking ridiculous losing a close-range gunfight with an SMG against a sniper despite not missing a shot.”
Sledgehammer Games increased base operator health from 100 to 150 in MW3, which slowed down the time-to-kill speeds compared to those we saw in Modern Warfare 2. It takes longer to take down an enemy in the latest series entry, creating more opportunities for players to fire back if an enemy catches them off guard. However, sniper rifles can still kill enemies with one shot despite the increased health. So, removing the movement penalties involved in using a heavier rifle creates an imbalance as other weapons lose their advantage.
One player responded, “There needs to be some sort of penalty for using a goddamn long-range weapon at arm’s length. If shotguns can barely one shot at close range, why can snipers one shot at any range?” Others argued that the TTK increase only hurt other classes, while sniper rifles escaped unscathed. “Why should one class of weapons be made stronger while everything else essentially gets a nerf due to the higher TTK/health,” a second user questioned.
Players don’t necessarily have an issue with snipers being able to one-shot kill, but they want the weapons to remove significantly slower so they get punished by SMGs up close and personal. We’ll see if the Call of Duty devs make such changes in the coming weeks, with the next likely chance at the end of season one.
