Warzone May 7 weapon balancing patch notes: AMAX nerf, PPSH buff, attachment changes, more

The Call of Duty: Warzone Season 3 meta is, once again, in flux — as a May 7 update nerfed the AMAX, FARA, Bullfrog, and all Cold War AR mobility while buffing the PPSh, removing the Streetsweeper from ground loot, and fixing map exploits. It’s a big one.

After Season 3 launched, its buffs and nerfs left the CR-56 AMAX to reign supreme on Verdansk as a primary weapon. Meanwhile, the secondary meta became overrun with Cold War assault rifles manipulated into performing like SMGs.

Now, the patch notes’ threat to the AMAX — “No king rules forever” — have been acted upon, as the high-damage AR got nerfed along with various other weapons in the game.

While removing the Streetsweeper from ground loot and fixing map exploits are exciting for frustrated fans, the most interesting changes come to the meta — as Raven Software have not only tweaked a variety of guns but mentioned upcoming changes as well.

Warzone May 7 update weapon balancing: AMAX nerf & other gun changes

The beloved AMAX’s horns are being dulled, as this patch decreases its minimum damage from 32 to 31. This change reduced the fastest minimum TTK for the AMAX by 17%, which could be enough to make other long-range options more viable.

• Read more: Scump & Nadeshot explain why COD 2021 needs to use Warzone engine

Among short-range options, the reign of Cold War ARs may be over. The FARA received two nerfs, one to headshot multiplier and one to ADS move speed, which should decrease its fastest TTK by 16.6%. Similarly, all of the high-mobility Stocks for Cold War weapons were also nerfed — which should make it harder to turn the ARs into high-performing quasi-SMGs.

Interestingly, Raven Software also buffed the PPSh and tweaked the Bullfrog. The PPSh-41’s damage range was increased and its Open Bolt Delay decreased, making it more viable as a quick-to-fire intermediary gun. As for the Bullfrog, its maximum damage got nerfed — but its mobility and damage range both got buffed.

Warzone May 7 update patch notes: Ground loot, map exploits, & future changes

The Streetsweeper essentially got replaced by the Hauer 77 in terms of ground loot, making life a little easier for people hurt by the fat gun’s potency in the early game. That should make the game more comfortable for players, as should fixes for Verdansk’s various map clipping exploits (e.g. Stadium and Train Station cheaters).

• Read more: A stream sniping hacker in Warzone is haunting TimTheTatman’s matches

As far as looking at the Warzone meta moving forward, two interesting notes stick out — much like the Season 3 update’s mention of the AMAX’s status.

For one, the devs claim “we may see a Cold War equivalent to an immensely popular Modern Warfare sniper attachment very soon.” And, for another, “we fully intend on taking a closer look at some of the Modern Warfare weapons that have been struggling.”

If both of these are true, then there’s a chance that a Cold War sniper becomes as viable as the Kar98k or the HDR in the near future. Additionally, it could mean that forgotten Modern Warfare guns like the M4-A1 and MP7 could be getting serious buffs.

Full Warzone May 7 update patch notes

GAMEPLAY

Streetsweeper

• Common variant removed from ground loot
• Uncommon variant removed from ground loot
• Rare variant removed from Supply Boxes
• Epic variant removed from Supply Boxes

Hauer 77

• Common variant added to ground loot
• Uncommon variant added to ground loot
• Rare variant added to Supply Boxes 

BUG FIXES

• Fixed additional map locations in Verdansk that allowed players to reach out-of-bounds areas. This is on top of the locations that we addressed last week.
• Fixed a bug causing Player models to initially load as low resolution at the start of a BR match.
• Fixed a bug with the Cold War AK-47, FARA 83, XM4, and RPD where they were having their ADS Move Speed and Firing Move Speeds decreased with the Tactical and SAS Combat/Spetsnaz Stocks rather than increased.

Weapon buffs & nerfs

ASSAULT RIFLES

CR-56 AMAX

• Minimum Damage decreased from 32 to 31 (Warzone Only)

FARA 83

• Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.5 to 1.35
• Base ADS Move Speed decreased by 7%

SHOTGUNS

Streetsweeper

• Base Hip Spread increased
• Recoil increased slightly
• ADS speed reduced slightly

SMGs

Bullfrog

• Maximum Damage decreased from 34 to 32
• Maximum Damage Range increased by 11%
• Base Move Speed increased by 1%
• Sprint Out Speed increased by 13%

PPSh-41

• Maximum Damage Range increased by 4%
• Open Bolt Delay decreased by 80% 

ATTACHMENTS

Barrels

• Combat Recon (Snipers)
  • Bullet Velocity multiplier increased by 12%
  • ADS Idle Sway multiplier decreased by 33.3%

Optic

• Axial Arms 3x (Cold War AK-47)
  • Optic behavior improved

Stocks

• Raider/KGB Skeletal Stock (Assault Rifles, Light Machine Guns, Shotguns, Snipers)
  • ADS Firing Speed multiplier decreased by 75%
  • ADS Move Speed multiplier decreased by 10%
• Raider/KGB Skeletal Stock (Submachine Guns)
  • ADS Firing Speed multiplier decreased by 50%
  • ADS Move Speed multiplier decreased by 10%
• SAS Combat/Spetsnaz Stock (Assault Rifles, Light Machine Guns, Shotguns, Snipers)
  • ADS Firing Speed multiplier decreased by 75%
  • ADS Move Speed multiplier decreased by 10%
• SAS Combat/Spetsnaz Stock (Submachine Guns)
  • ADS Firing Speed multiplier decreased by 50%
  • ADS Move Speed multiplier decreased by 10%
• Tactical Stock (Assault Rifles, Light Machine Guns, Shotguns, Snipers)
  • ADS Move Speed multiplier decreased by 75%
  • Tactical Stock (Submachine Guns) 
  • ADS Move Speed multiplier decreased by 50%