In Modern 3 and Warzone, MW2 weapons will perform significantly better after the season three update, thanks to a long-overdue visual effects change.
Modern Warfare 2 weapons suffered from a frustrating combination of muzzle smoke and visual recoil, making it difficult to tell where you were firing. The devs aimed to make weapons realistic, but that came at the cost of satisfying gunplay. Sledgehammer Games listened to community feedback and cut down on the visual effects in MW3. However, when MW2 weapons were brought over as part of the Carry Forward program, they still had the same visual recoil issues.
Sledgehammer Games confirmed, “In MW3 Season 3, we’ve improved clarity while firing MWII Weapons and added Initial Aim Accuracy to heavy bolt Attachments on Snipers.” The devs posted a side-by-side comparison video showing the difference between pre and post-patch. There is noticeably less smoke, and the weapon doesn’t sway as much. Even though visual recoil doesn’t have any real impact on how the gun actually functions, the illusion of sights getting misaligned or the barrel pointing in a different direction caused players to overcorrect and miss more shots as a result.
Weapons should also feel smoother, thanks to the changes made to make ADS idle sway feel more predictable. The devs explained, “In today’s update, we’ve removed variance from aimed down sight idle sway, resulting in a predictable and consistent motion curve. This change raises the skill ceiling and rewards players who take the time to master their favorite Weapons.”
Players will only be punished by idle sway if they look down their sights for too long. If players aim quickly and locate their target, they will be rewarded. Both updates improve the overall feel of weapons and should make a few MW2 guns more viable in multiplayer and Warzone.
