The latest update of Call of Duty: Warzone was supposed to nerf the popular (and sometimes hated) rocket launchers. It might have done so – but still, they are all now a good bit stronger than at launch. What’s going on?
This was the “nerf”: In the latest mid-season update of Warzone on May 19, numerous changes and new features were introduced. One of them is a nerf for the rocket launchers in the game, which seem to annoy quite a few players. The official patch notes state:
- Warzone: The radius in which players can be killed by RPGs has been reduced
However, tests by CoD expert and YouTuber TheXclusiveAce have shown that the weapons are still stronger than they were at the launch of Warzone.
Almost all rocket launchers have a higher maximum damage and a larger radius than before – only the radius of the RPG itself (the weapon with that name) was actually reduced by one meter.
Rocket launchers are even stronger than before
How strong are rocket launchers now? Ace has analyzed all rocket launchers in his video. He compared it to his video from April 20, which was quite some time before the latest patch. He concluded that:
- the radius of most rocket launchers is greater than before
- all rocket launchers (except the JOKR) have a higher maximum damage
- the minimum damage was adjusted – 50 for each rocket launcher except the JOKR (150)
- the damage no longer decreases gradually but is divided into fixed hit zones
Before the update on May 19, it was not possible to get a kill with any rocket launcher except the JOKR if players with full armor were not hit directly. Now, a hit near the ground, up to about 5 meters away, is sufficient.
We have embedded Ace’s video here for you to illustrate the changes:
What is the problem? Many players use rocket launchers in their loadouts for Warzone or when they find them in crates. Due to their high damage, they are extremely deadly, and players can carry up to six extra rockets.
Additionally, the reload time of roughly two seconds is relatively low and you can use them even without the perk “Overkill” as a secondary weapon. This makes these “noob tubes” powerful weapons, that even CoD professionals use in their loadouts.
However, many Warzone players are disturbed that all of this is true. They find the rocket launchers too strong, and the spare ammunition allows them to fire rocket after rocket at their opponents without even having to see them. Even behind cover, one is not safe.
Where does this buff come from? There are several explanations for why rocket launchers are now stronger than at launch. One of them is that it is merely a bug, which does not explain the increased damage of all rocket launchers.
Another explanation, and according to Ace the most likely one, is that there was a secret buff before. In one of the updates between the launch and the mid-season update, the rocket launchers must have been strengthened without any corresponding patch notes.
These secret changes keep appearing, most recently with a feature that lets you give weapons to friends. Many players and fans of Warzone and Modern Warfare are now annoyed that changes are introduced in patches that the developers do not communicate.
In contrast, the developers’ Trello board provides a fairly good overview of which issues are officially being worked on. There are currently 20 bugs that are to be fixed in upcoming updates for Modern Warfare and Warzone. However, there is still no fixed date for them. It is possible that rocket launchers will also be added to this list.
