Call of Duty: MW3 players think they’ve spotted a trend: new season weapons tend to be extremely powerful compared to older weapons. This has led to a major discussion on weapon power creep, and community opinions are flocking in.
On June 2, a Reddit post surfaced discussing weapon power creep. The original poster showcased that the SP-R 208 only has an effective damage range of around 13 meters. This is a drastic difference compared to the damage range effectiveness of the new Kar98k, another Marksman Rifle, which is 50.8 meters. However, as one optimistic Reddit commenter on the post pointed out, this range is likely because the SP-R 208 has higher damage overall—which I can confirm is correct.
Balance is always at the forefront in multiplayer games, so it could be seen as unfair to some if older weapons appear to get flung on the back burner whenever a shiny new weapon arrives. The Reddit thread in question is filled with comments like “I can’t compete against this gun (Kar98k),” as one user put it. “It’s especially boring because there is no gunplay, just instant death.” With enough players struggling a lot against those who have their hands on the new Kar98k, the weapon could be in line for a nerf.
This is not to say the developers don’t look into balance regularly; they very likely do. However, striking a perfect balance with over 100 weapons is an immense undertaking. A supportive commenter from the same Reddit post who claimed to have large-scale dev project experience shared the same sentiment. “This would not take a small team 1-2 weeks, it would be much longer than that,” they said.
We all understand, however, how it feels to be battling against something that feels overpowered, especially when you’re using the same class of weapon, but your weapon feels like a pea-shooter in contrast to the person you’re facing, who just seems to have an overall better gun. This is no doubt why so many are picking up on the power creep of this particular new weapon.
For now, players will be waiting for a nerf of some kind to the Kar98k or biding their time until other Marksman Rifles get a little extra boost in damage range. With some luck, power creep could become a thing of the past if players keep sharing constructive thoughts.
