The Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone developers have released a new update that addresses rumours of RICOCHET Anti-cheat going offline, adjusts limits for Ranked Play Resurgence, and balances many weapons.On February 14, Treyarch announced a strategy to eliminate the “taps” issue in Resurgence Ranked Play, which refers to Call of Duty players having their teammate finish off downed adversaries to receive Skill Rating for assistance. The controversial method drew criticism for unfairly awarding SR to players.
Raven Software responded two days later by nerfing the TAQ Evolvere, after the LMG momentarily dominated the battle royale’s short and long-range meta. Those weapon balancing changes merely touched the surface, with today’s Feb. 21 update adding more tweaks and officially releasing a permanent cure for “taps.”
MW3 and Warzone devs respond to RICOCHET anti-cheat concerns
In response to the community’s claims that RICOCHET anti-cheat was offline over the weekend, the CoD devs have disclosed that only a single telemetry system was taken offline—and it did not interfere with account bans. While some players reported an increase in cheating, CoD developers announced today that “Team RICOCHET was able to identify and ban over 6,000 accounts for cheating and hacking from February 16 to February 20.”
MW3 and Warzone Feb. 21 patch notes
MW3Â weapon balance changes
The MW3 February 21 update corrected the imbalance between other ARs and the MTZ-556 by reducing recoil and gun kick while improving close and mid-damage ranges.
Next, the Haymaker JAK Maglift Kit’s aim down sight dispersion has been reduced by 20%, while pellet damage has been reduced from eight to five. Players will no longer be able to use ammo attachments with this conversion kit.
Finally, the JAK Beholder Rifle Kit’s bullet velocity was reduced by half, or 50%. This third balance modification occurred after multiplayer gamers began employing the Lonbow more frequently in MW3 battles thanks to the JAK Tyrant 762 Kit, although the aftermarket part can no longer be installed with mag, ammo, or bolt attachments.
Warzone weapon changes
Similar to the released MW3 multiplayer updates, the MTZ 556 received February improvements that reduced recoil and gunkick while increasing maximum and minimum damage. The developers have also made sure that the weapon’s damaging range is longer. The Longbow, JHAK Beholder Rifle Kit, and Haymaker adjustments are the same as multiplayer.
MW3Â bug fixes
The February 21 update finally corrected a severe bug that allowed players to seize the third Hardpoint hill on Sub Base from an unexpected location. Although the problem has been resolved, the developers have not provided an update on when the map will be put back to the Ranked Play rotation. The update also fixed a bug in Ranked Play where Cruise Missiles would detonate mid-air if the person operating the missile was killed.Finally, MW3 gamers will no longer have to deal with a bizarre issue that has prevented them from unlocking the JAK Ferocity Carbine Kit at all.
Warzone Ranked Play Resurgence changes
There are now five Redeploy Drones instead of eight on Fortune’s Keep, making it more difficult to rotate around the map. Furthermore, there will be fewer Counter UAVs in ground loot, and Mosquito Drones have been prohibited.In response to the “taps” issue, Resurgence players will only receive credit for a kill or assist if they deal damage to an eliminated player before they are knocked down. Players who did not damage the eliminated opponent before they were downed will instead receive “Squadmate Kill SR” when their teammates down and eliminate an adversary.
