Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War meta shake-up sees M16 and AUG nerfed Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War meta shake-up sees M16 and AUG nerfed Retreat! News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 16 Dec 2020 6 comments Treyarch has, as promised, shaken up the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War meta with its weapon balance update. The developer issued the update for its shooter yesterday, 15th December, but only now has published the patch notes, revealing the extent of the changes. The headline change is a significant nerf to the M16 and AUG tactical rifles, both of which were seen as the two dominant weapons in the game. The M16 has seen its maximum effective range and fire rate reduced. The AUG has seen its headshot multiplier, maximum effective range and fire rate all reduced, while the damage for the 19.8" Task Force barrel attachment has also been reduced. Watch on YouTube Cyberpunk 2077 launch issues and the good and bad of The Game Awards These nerfs should go some way to doing what Treyarch said it would do: shake-up the Black Ops Cold War competitive multiplayer meta in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, both shotguns in the game, the Hauer 77 and the Gallo SA12, have been slapped with nerfs (shotguns are secondary weapons in Black Ops Cold War, which some believe makes them overpowered). As expected, the AK-47 assault rifle has been nerfed slightly. The Krig 6 has had a slight nerf, too. The underpowered FFAR 1 has been buffed. Other buffs hit the Milano, KSP and Bullfrog SMGs to give them more effective damage range, the M60 LMG to give it increased ADS speed and weapon swap speed, the M82 sniper rifle (although sniper rifles have been largely left alone), and the Magnum pistol. It's worth noting the Flak Jacket perk - widely considered essential - has been nerfed to reduce explosive damage mitigation (launchers FTW!). The Spycraft perk now has full immunity to Field Mic detection, and the Ninja perk has removed protection from Field Mic detection. Speaking of the Field Mic, it no longer detects users who are crouch-walking, ADS walking or swimming, which amounts to a significant nerf. My initial impression is this is a decent attempt to level out Black Ops Cold War's meta beyond the tactical rifle dominance we've seen. I'm sure new weapons will emerge as the new meta, as they always do, but for now there's fun to be had experimenting with new weapons in the game. Other changes worth mentioning include adjusted spawns on Nuketown to reduce spawning in longer lines of sight to reduce spawn-trapping, and the addition of spawns in and around mid-map to reduce spawn-trapping. As a big Nuketown fan, these changes are certainly welcome. The patch notes are over on Treyarch's website. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 10 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store