Call Of Duty Warzone's DMR Nerf Only Made Things Worse

The most recent chapter in Call of Duty: Warzone's problems came to a close when Raven Software patched the DMR 14 tactical rifle. The studio rolled out an update that reduced the gun's headshot damage and increased its recoil. Problem solved, right? According to legions of Warzone players, the nerf failed to fix the gun's issues; but don't worry, it introduced some new problems. Raven Software struck the DMR 14 down, and it became more powerful than anyone possibly imagined — and it was already overpowered.

At first, players didn't notice much of a change. The headshot damage decrease was imperceptibly small because most DMR 14 users aimed for the torso — and still turned opponents into salty piles of swiss cheese. But then the true horror of the nerf sunk in: Raven Software didn't increase the weapon's recoil, it accidentally decreased the recoil. The DMR 14, which was laser-accurate before the patch, morphed into a recoilless handheld WMD with zero damage dropoff. The weapon now outperforms sniper rifles, yet it only requires assault rifle ammo.

Many players are spreading tales on Twitter and Reddit of being decimated by just three DMR 14 bullets, but that's just the average encounter on the wrong side of the weapon. Several gamers have provided horror stories of their eradication by even fewer bullets. For example, Sillz17Gaming claims they only took two bullets to the shoulder while at full armor, yet that was enough to knock them flat.

The general playerbase reaction is divided into two camps. You currently need a DMR 14 to stand a chance in Warzone (and if you have a full squad decked out in DRM 14s, all the better), or you are better off not playing the game until the gun is nerfed or deleted entirely.

The other subjects of the recent nerf — the Type 63 tactical rifle, Mac-10 SMG, and dual pistols — have mostly escaped criticism. However, as some Reddit users would like to remind players, the DMR 14's current overpowered status is no replacement for skill. An uncoordinated player is still no match against a well-oiled team of elite Warzone veterans, no matter what weapons they use. The DMR 14 is ultimately a crutch; a crutch that is deadlier than any other weapon in the game, but a crutch nonetheless. In other words, Raven Software still has to nerf the weapon, but it isn't a digital Excalibur that magically grants its wielders unassailable power.

Unless Raven Software pulls a few more DMR 14 balance tweaks out of its hat, the number of disgruntled players will probably only snowball from here.