Call Of Duty Pros Ban Black Ops 6's Most Overpowered Guns

By Gabran Gray
Bruce Thomas looking concerned and wearing glasses Activision

We're barely a week out from the release of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6," and the community is already in turmoil. As players are busy arguing about the game's balance, "Call of Duty" pros have already agreed to informally ban two of the most overpowered weapons they've encountered in "Black Ops 6" so far. The problem is that, at least in these early days of the game, assault rifles seem like they might be a bit too good. In particular, the pros have concerns about the Model L, which is reliably deadly even at long distances, and the XM4, which seems to be the strongest weapon in the game by far. Regular players are still enjoying the weapons, but a "gentleman's agreement" among pro players has effectively removed both guns from the competitive scene.

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The weapons aren't the only thing splitting the "Black Ops" community, either. The new campaign came with the single most terrifying level in "Call of Duty" history, and not everyone was thrilled by the developers' decision to include it. Of course, weapon balance in the game's multiplayer mode is a bit more important than a one-off mission in the campaign. Right now players are solving the balance issues themselves, but with a few patches and another couple weeks of playing, the "Black Ops 6" meta will probably look wildly different than it does right now. Read on to learn more about the two guns and other design elements causing such a ruckus in "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6."

There's a reason these guns are banned

Call of Duty operators fighting in a ruined village Activision

When a new multiplayer shooter comes out, there's usually a clear contender for the best weapon early on, and that top-tier weapon typically ends up falling out of favor once players get more familiar with the ins and outs of the game. With that in mind, while it does seem a little early in the "Black Ops 6" life cycle for pros to be banning weapons, content creator and esports analyst Ben Nissim helpfully explained the reasoning behind the agreement during a recent stream.

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Nissim acknowledged that gamers might have mixed feelings about the informal ban, saying, "I know y'all don't like restrictive GAs [gentlemen's agreements], I don't like restrictive GAs, but I also don't think we want to watch a game where everyone is just running the same gun." Nissim said that the pros are trying to find viable assault rifle and submachine gun combos to keep the game competitive and entertaining to watch at the same time. When you see the XM4 and the Model L in action, the informal ban makes a little more sense.

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The XM4 is ridiculously powerful. When you're in close range combat, there just isn't another weapon that can really compete with it.

The Model L is really the sleeper champ, though. It has a slower time-to-kill and doesn't aim as quickly as other guns, but it's also scarily accurate, allowing skilled players to reach multi-dozen kill counts with ease. The results are impressive, but the sheer firepower arguably doesn't leave much room for varied or exciting multiplayer action.

Casual players have other nominees for most cracked gun

Call of Duty Operators exchanging fire amidst a gas explosion Activision

The pros have banned the XM4 and the Model L for now, but we wouldn't be too surprised to see those guns back in rotation in the near future. Remember, the "Black Ops 6" meta is still basically unformed, so we can't really be certain if those two weapons will remain some of the most overpowered guns in all of "Call of Duty" or if they're just riding an early wave of popularity before an inevitable patch. The pros have concerns about them, but other players are finding different overpowered weapons to call out. For instance, sniper rifles seem pretty strong in "Black Ops 6," and the SVD is a current fan-favorite.

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Shotguns always dominate in close-quarters, and fans think the ASG-89 might be one of the best in the franchise's history.

And hey, the pros might still be searching for a viable SMG, but there are already players tearing up the battlefield with the Kompakt 92. 

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In other words, the great gun debate is still raging and likely will be for a while. Even after a recent patch, the "Call of Duty" League doesn't seem to have changed its overall stance on these game's many super-powered weapons. It's also worth noting that beyond the weaponry, there's one other element of "Black Ops 6" that's causing a stir among pro players.

Maps are also a concern

Soldier in firefight on roof Activision

There might be some debates raging about the guns in "Black Ops 6," but don't get confused, the pros still love the game. In fact, most of them agree that this new release is a slam dunk — albeit with a single, glaring problem. "Outside of the maps, everything feels great," Dan "Ghosty" Rothe told Dexerto. Another anonymous esports pro went so far as to say, "this is the worst map pool we've ever had at launch." 

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The game has 16 maps on offer right now, but very few of them have layouts that truly impress the pros. Esports players are currently divided on which maps should actually be used for competitive play when the next "Call of Duty" League season kicks off, though no bans have been issued, informal or otherwise.

The developers are definitely well aware of the issue and are already working on solutions. When "Black Ops 6" Season 1 launches on November 14, it'll include several new maps, but many pros think there's a better way to fix the problem. Specifically, they're hoping that the new game takes a cue from "Modern Warfare 3" and adds some remastered maps from previous games into the mix. "Call of Duty" has a huge back catalog with plenty of maps that are more popular than the ones already in "Black Ops 6," but so far the devs haven't announced any plans to tap into it.  

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As with the game's overpowered and divisive weapons, the struggle with the current map pool is just part of the usual growing pains with a new "COD" title, even one as well-reviewed as "Black Ops 6." Fans are still settling the meta and deciding where "Black Ops 6" falls in the "Call of Duty" game rankings, but that process is (mostly) all part of the fun.

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