A secret change in Call of Duty: Warzone has increased the recoil of the LMG RPD – yet the weapon performs even better. MeinMMO shows who should give it a try.
Actually, Call of Duty: Warzone had moved past the phase where secret changes to weapons were the order of the day. But who doesn’t occasionally fall back into old patterns – if only briefly.
For the light machine gun RPD, Warzone has once again relied on old patterns, and at some point in the past few weeks, there was a secret change to the LMG: The RPD now has more recoil. However, the recoil can be controlled so well that the LMG plays even better now.
RPD with nearly perfect upward recoil
What has changed? Before the buff/nerf, the RPD was already very stable. However, its recoil pattern could lead to some uncertainties. After a few shots, the weapon essentially had no recoil anymore. This meant that during firing, you had to adjust your work against the recoil.
Now the recoil is constant and this adjustment during sustained fire is no longer necessary. The RPD has more recoil now, but it plays even more easily than before. The recoil almost only goes upward and is very easy to control.
What makes the RPD strong? The simple recoil is also the greatest strength of the LMG. Together with the low rate of fire, the RPD gives you a lot of control and security. As an LMG, it also benefits from a very large magazine.
The range is also strong. With an appropriate setup, the RPD only enters the second damage area at 60 meters.
What can the RPD not do well? In terms of damage, the range rifle lags behind the LMG competition. The good control comes at the cost of a moderate time-to-kill value.
Additionally, the RPD comes with the typical “deficits” of light machine guns – poor mobility and open-bolt delay. This means that you do not fire immediately upon pulling the trigger. There is a short delay.
What would be the alternative? The RPD can currently be best compared to the FiNN LMG. The FiNN also has extremely good control, but offers more damage in the first damage area. At range, the FiNN significantly drops in damage. In the important values of range and “time to aim”, the RPD also wins. Here’s a damage comparison of the LMGs:
- TTK chest shot – range with open bolt delay
- MG82: 648 milliseconds
- Bruen: 705 milliseconds
- PKM: 707 milliseconds
- RPD: 794 milliseconds
- FiNN: 829 milliseconds
- Source: truegamedata.com
Warzone: RPD setup avoids misses
What does a strong setup look like? Ensure maximum range with your attachments and include a grip to slightly increase your aim speed.
Once you feel comfortable with the very vertical recoil, you can pack in a larger magazine instead of an underbarrel – but your mobility will suffer. For even more range, you can also try a larger optic.
- Warzone: RPD setup
- Muzzle: Agency Muzzle Brake
- Barrel: 20.3″ Special Ops
- Optic: Axial Arms 3x
- Underbarrel: Speznas Grip
- Grip: GRU Elastic Wrap
Who is this for? If you are looking for a laser that provides you with secure kills at long distances, then the RPD could become your new best friend in Warzone. The LMG is really very stable and the damage plays a less significant role at long distances.
The YouTuber and Warzone expert “P4wnyhof” hits the nail on the head: “The weapon feels much better than its stats suggest” (via YouTube). The high time-to-kill masks how powerful a stable weapon can be when you feel more confident with it and always hit your opponents.
Because the high damage of the MG82 doesn’t help you if you miss 2, 3 bullets, causing the time-to-kill to rise significantly. But if you focus more on damage, then stay away from the RPD.
The weapons of Warzone are coming closer together and strong damage is no longer everything. The developers continue to sharpen the profiles of the weapons, and advantages like strong damage or easy control are accompanied by sometimes significant disadvantages.
Consider your playstyle and be aware during matches of what kind of weapon you really need. If you like to stay in the second row or prefer a more reserved approach, then try the RPD now. If you are looking for alternatives for different playstyles, check out our list of the best weapons in Warzone.
