In Season 5 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, many players complained that some weapons were overpowered, forcing all players to use only a few strong weapons, leaving others unused.
The developers listened to player feedback, and in Season 5 Reloaded, game's weapon balance was significantly adjusted. Not only were several overpowered weapons adjusted, but some underperforming weapons were also appropriately buffed.
If you are unsure about these weapon adjustments, you can refer to this guide.
FG42
FG42 is a new assault rifle added to COD: Black Ops 7 in Season 5. Due to its strong performance, many players felt it was almost omnipotent.
However, this power also effectively limited players' choices of assault rifles. Therefore, Season 5 Reloaded nerfed it in several ways.
Damage Range Reduced
The biggest nerf to FG42 is reduction in its attack range. According to player forum analysis, its 4-shot kill range has been reduced from over 20 meters to approximately 15 meters.
This means players must get closer to enemies to unleash its maximum damage potential.
Handling
Besides damage and range, FG42's handling has also worsened. Specifically, its Aim Down Sight Speed, Slide to Fire, and Dive to Fire have all been slowed.
Furthermore, Season 5 Reloaded adds a negative attribute typically seen only on light machine guns: ADS Firing Movement Speed Penalty has increased by 15%.
This forces players to be more cautious in choosing engagement times and positions when using FG42.
Recoil Slightly Increased
However, FG42 isn't entirely unaffected - its recoil has been slightly increased.
While its bullet spread remains relatively controllable, the vertical and horizontal bullet bounce is more pronounced than before.
Overall, these changes transform FG42 from a versatile weapon into a high-skill weapon requiring repeated practice to master.
AN-94
AN-94 was incredibly powerful when it was first released in COD: Black Ops 7, to the point of disrupting the game's weapon balance. While it was later nerfed, a new problem arose: it became too weak.
Season 5 Reloaded attempts to find a balance for this weapon.
New Bonus Damage Zone
The core of this change is introduction of a damage multiplier for AN-94's Neck and Upper Torso. This makes it possible to achieve a 4-shot kill at its maximum range, with extremely fast kill times.
However, this requires at least two of four bullets to hit the aforementioned area. The other two bullets can hit other parts of the body. This design significantly increases weapon's accuracy requirements.
If the player's first two shots miss the aforementioned area, the number of bullets required for a kill increases to five.
Similarly, in the second damage range, three out of four bullets must hit the aforementioned area to achieve a 4-shot kill.
Damage Barrel Adjustments
To complement new bonus damage area, the game has also adjusted related Barrel attachments. It no longer increases headshot multiplier; instead, it increases damage multiplier on the upper torso.
This change is quite clever, providing players with a higher margin for error in the second and third damage ranges, while maintaining its kill efficiency at closest range.
Mammoth
Mammoth is a high-powered light machine gun that players can unlock through an event in Season 5. Renowned for its powerful 2-shot kill capability, it is currently considered one of the strongest weapons in COD: Black Ops 7.
Season 5 Reloaded did not simply reduce its damage; instead, it introduced a conditional mechanism similar to AN-94.
2-Shot Kills Are No Longer Consistent
Previously, Mammoth could almost guarantee a 2-shot kill by hitting any part of enemy's body at any distance.
While Mammoth's Maximum Damage Range has increased from approximately 32 meters to approximately 41 meters, achieving a 2-shot kill at this distance requires both bullets to hit enemy's upper torso or neck; otherwise, a follow-up shot is necessary.
For players with less accurate aim, Mammoth will frequently result in a three-shot kill.
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Others
In addition, Mammoth's Sprint to Fire and Tactical Sprint to Fire times have been slightly increased, and the movement speed penalty while firing has been increased from 20% to 25%.
Other Weapon Adjustments
Besides three weapons mentioned above, COD: Black Ops 7 has also adjusted the following weapons:
EGRT-17
This weapon has received a very slight damage increase within its maximum damage range. While this change doesn't alter the number of bullets required to kill an enemy, it allows players to achieve a four-shot kill with just two headshots.
Gremlin
Gremlin is an Akimbo SMG, its biggest problem being its small magazine capacity and extremely slow reload speed.
In Season 5 Reloaded, its basic reload, quick magazine reload, and extended magazine reload speeds have all been increased, significantly improving Gremlin's usability.
CBRS-3
Previously, CBRS-3 had a bug where canceling the reload animation before it was complete would result in an abnormal bullet status in chamber.
This bug has now been fixed, and temporary reload delay added to mitigate bug has been restored to normal.
In conclusion, the adjustments to these weapons in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Season 5 Reloaded are very reasonable, increasing difficulty of using powerful weapons while optimizing the usability of weaker ones.
However, players who are used to using the aforementioned powerful weapons will need a certain amount of practice to become familiar with their adjusted versions.
