Modern Warfare 3 leak reveals fan-favorite gunsmith feature

Ryan Lemay
m4 assault rifle gunsmith showcase with various attachments available in MW2.

A Modern Warfare 3 leak revealed that the game will feature detailed weapon statistics, as seen in Call of Duty Cold War and Vanguard.

Without content creators or statistic websites like WZ Ranked or TrueGameData, It would be almost impossible to tell what Warzone weapon balancing updates or attachments change. For example, the Season 5 Reloaded update buffed the M13B. In the official patch notes, the devs stated: “All location damage multipliers increased.”

Then, for attachments in MW2, the Tempus GH50 muzzle increases vertical recoil while decreasing ADS speed and aiming stability. Without specifics, players are just going off feel for what’s better. But previously, Activision cut out the middle man for us and described in detail how weapons change.

If you were to dig up an old Warzone Pacific update like the December 9, 2021 update, the devs clearly stated: “Neck damage increased to 250, up from 200” for the Crossbow, or an attachment would clearly state how it impacts a weapon’s stats. That sort of transparency may return in Modern Warfare 3.

Modern Warfare 2 players criticized the game’s loadout customization UI.

Detailed weapon stats rumored to return in Modern Warfare 3

On September 8, Call of Duty leaker bob revealed: “Detailed weapon stats will be returning in Modern Warfare 3.”

As a reference point, the leaker included an image from Black Ops Cold War, and it’s staggering how much information players could sift through.

You can clearly see how a suppressor impacts the XM4’s damage, fire rate, bullet velocity, and other important mobility and reload speeds.

Community members celebrated the rumor but also questioned its impact on the COD content creation landscape.

https://twitter.com/el_bobberto/status/1700186859937173620?s=20

One player asked: “So what are the JGods of the world gonna do if these are accurate stats?”

To counter, TrueGameData argued that build websites will still be important even if stats do make a return: “I feel like just raw stats doesn’t help many people build guns. It’s the comparison tools that help. Unique ways of presenting the data to the user to help them come to conclusions about which options are best.”

Other players questioned why Modern Warfare 2 removed the feature to begin with. A commenter added: “Showing the detailed stats is something that weapon tuning should have shown off.”

As with any leak, it’s important to take this rumor with a grain of salt. For more, make sure to check out the rest of our Modern Warfare 3 coverage.