Raven Software finally delivered the long-awaited MTZ Interceptor nerf to Warzone, but the final product isn’t quite what some fans had initially hoped for.
When MW3‘s Warzone iteration first went live, the MTZ Interceptor did 190 damage to the head and neck, allowing players to down a fully armored enemy in two shots. Raven Software decreased the Battle Rifle’s headshot multiplier from two to 1.5 in the Dec. 14 update, making the weapon a three-shot kill instead.
The nerf didn’t do enough to put the beast down for good, as players still dominated long-range engagements with the Battle Rifle equipped. In response, the devs doubled down with another nerf on Jan. 11, but community members again argued that the change failed to deliver.
Warzone players disappointed by promised MTZ Interceptor nerf
When Raven Software teased the weapon balancing update for the MTZ Interceptor a week before it dropped, players expected the nerf hammer to come down hard. Instead, the marksman rifle has had its max damage reduced from 95 to 85 and its minimum damage reduced from 84 to 78.
CoD content creator TrueGameData manually tested the change and concluded that the nerf increased the weapon’s shot-to-kill requirement from three to four in most ranges.
Warzone streamer TeePee showed the changes in action and admonished the devs for failing to properly listen to the community. “This is a PR change where they say that they are technically listening but didn’t actually do anything to change it,” TeeP claimed. “They need to stop being so scared of changing the meta.”
Community members offered their input on how the Battle Rifle should be further nerfed in a future update. Fellow CoD content creator Westie argued “It needs a velocity nerf so players have to lead shots and a rate of fire nerf to stop people slapping you so fast. It’s now just a 4-shot, no recoil laser.”
We expect the MTZ Interceptor to still be a meta weapon in Warzone after the most recent nerf, and near the top of popularity rankings.
