Black Ops 4 Patch Notes, Weapon Balancing (AR Buffs, SMG Nerfs), Specialist Tuning
Black Ops 4 October 30 Update
The first major weapon balancing update is out for Call of Duty Black Ops 4 multiplayer. The main feature of the update is the weapon balancing aspect. Previously majority of players were staying away from the SMGs for the more favorable assault rifles and light machine guns. Another problem was that only one of the 4 snipers was viable in core game play.
Balancing and quality of game improvements:
Assault Rifle Changes:
We’re dialing back some previous buffs to Assault Rifles to help close the gap in effectiveness between ARs and SMGs, allowing SMGs to be more effective at firing on the move.
Slight reduction to ADS move speed for all Assault Rifles.
Slight reduction to ADS-in transition speed for all Assault Rifles.
ICR-7
Reduced headshot damage.
Slight reduction to reload speed.
VAPR-XKG
Reduced close-range headshot damage.
Damage now falls off sooner.
High Caliber: Reduced headshot multiplier, eliminating the possibility of a 3-hit kill.
Sub Machine Gun Changes:
Mobility is the primary strength of SMGs, speeding across the map to engage or disengage quickly. Some of the close-range SMGs were performing quite well, while others struggled to compete with the rest of the category. This week’s balancing pass levels the playing field between SMGs.
MX9
Extended all damage ranges.
High Caliber: Reduced headshot multiplier, eliminating the possibility of a 4-hit kill.
Cordite
Extended all damage ranges.
Belt-Feed Operator Mod: Increased overheat rate.
GKS
Quad Shot Operator Mod: Slight time increase in between bursts.
We’ve buffed the ABR to be more competitive with the other Tactical Rifles, while stepping down its Operator Mod to keep it from becoming a crutch Attachment. The Swordfish received some Attachment adjustments, as well.
ABR 223
Extended maximum damage range.
Repeater Operator Mod: Now takes longer to accelerate fire rate.
High Caliber: Reduced headshot multiplier, eliminating the possibility of a 3-hit kill.
Penta Burst Operator Mod: Reduced extra granted clip-size.
Sniper Rifle Changes:
The other Sniper Rifles needed help to fight King Paladin. We’re giving these rifles reduced idle sway and upping their damage to help finish off wounded targets more consistently.
Removed turn sway when aiming down sights on all Sniper Rifles to better ensure the weapon reticle stays centered when turning.
Paladin HB50
High Caliber II: Hitting the lower torso on a full Tak-5-boosted enemy will no longer be a 1-hit kill.
FMJ II: Improved damage against Scorestreaks.
Stabilizer II: Player can now hold breath sooner after the previous hold breath.
Outlaw
Improved base damage from 110 to 130.
Reduced idle sway.
Increased base movement speed.
Stock: Slight increase in ADS movement speed bonus.
SDM
Increased clip size from 10 to 12.
Reduced idle sway.
Koshka
Improved Damage from 120 to 140.
Stock: Slight increase in ADS movement speed bonus.
Cross Bar Operator Mod: Reduced movement speed and accuracy.
Steady Grip: Improved recoil mitigation.
Shotgun Changes:
This weapon class is close to where we want it, with only a couple of specific Attachments performing better than intended. Shotguns in Black Ops 4 play a different role than in past Call of Duty titles, and those who have practiced cat-and-mouse gameplay can be highly effective with them.
MOG 12
Choked Barrel: 1-hit-kill range reduced.
Dragon’s Breath Operator Mod: Resolved an issue where the Dragon’s Breath occasionally triggered incorrect visual and sound FX on targets.
SG12
Strobe Light Operator Mod: Addressed an issue with the Strobe Light where it would remain on after death.
Live update coming soon to reduce the range at which the Strobe Light interferes with enemy aim.
Attachment Changes (All Weapons):
Grip II
Reduced ADS flinch mitigation.
Suppressor
Reduced damage falloff ranges.
Holographic Sight Optic
Reduced ADS recoil.
Dual Zoom Optic
Reduced ADS recoil.
Recon Optic
Reduced ADS recoil.
ELO Optic
Slightly increased ADS recoil.
Specialist Changes:
Ajax
We’re providing more strategic options to counteract Ballistic Shield, and to help ensure the Shield isn’t activated too often in the same game.
Explosives now apply partial damage to the front of a deployed Ballistic Shield user.
Ballistic Shield now takes longer to earn.
Nomad
We want to encourage Nomad to work more closely with his K9-Unit to maximize effectiveness.
Reduced K9-Unit health by 10%.
Crash
While we’re happy that our Support Specialist is so popular, he was a bit too effective as a Scorestreak farmer.
Reduced “Teammate Used Pack” score event from +50 to +25.
Firebreak
Purifier has been restored to its former glory.
Increased Purifier flame damage to be a guaranteed eventual kill against a player who doesn’t have Tactical Mask equipped.
Recon
Intelligence wins wars, and Recon is living proof. We have intelligence that Recon’s intelligence is too good, so we’re re-classifying some of his sources.
Reduced Sensor Dart duration.
Resolved an issue where voiceover would incorrectly state that the player’s Sensor Dart was destroyed.
Torque
Many in the community have embraced Torque with inventive playstyles, though he’s still struggling on a broader scale. We bolstered the effectiveness of his Barricade to ensure he stays relevant in team compositions.
Increased earn rate for Barricade.
Increased hit points for Barricade.
Addressed an issue that prevented TAACOM from telling the player that their Barricade was taking damage.
Prophet
Prophet’s Tempest needed an upgrade to stand a chance of competing with the rest of the Specialists.
Greatly increased Tempest projectile speed.
Slightly increased Tempest chain distance.
Resolved an issue where being hit by an explosive charge would disable the Tempest charge, preventing further arcing.
Gear Changes:
Stim Shot
Increased time to fully heal the player.
Armor
Resolved an issue where Armor protected from more damage than intended when hitting areas of the body that have damage multipliers, such as the head or upper chest. This primarily affects weapons with chest modifiers, such as Sniper Rifles or weapons with High Caliber II.
Acoustic Sensor
Reduced the range at which sprinting enemies are detected.
Perk Changes:
Dead Silence
Reduced player movement volume and distance that players equipped with Dead Silence can be heard by enemies. The intention for Dead Silence is not to be completely silent, but also not to allow enemies to hear your movement from longer distances.
Engineer
Extraction helicopter in Heist will no longer be highlighted by the Engineer Perk.
Cord
Cord is a full stack web developer by day and gamer by night. Since the early 2000's Cord has been following the competitive FPS gaming community.