Black Ops 6 dev promises weapon changes as ARs dominate SMGs

Jacob Hale
Black Ops 6 operator wearing gas mask and holding SMG

In the opening days of Black Ops 6, the meta has been heavily dominated by assault rifles, be it the XM4, the AS VAL, or anything in between. This is due to how strong they are in comparison to the SMGs – but that could be set to change soon.

The SMGs have been outclassed by ARs since Black Ops 6 launched, especially with huge damage drop-off at medium and longer ranges that mean you won’t even have a fighting chance.

Pair that with the great mobility on assault rifles and players who love to run-and-gun with a sub have been left scratching their heads.

On November 2, the Associate Director of design at Treyarch, Matt Scronce, spoke on the topic. Replying to someone complaining that the SMGs are “very underpowered,” Scronce admitted that while he didn’t fully agree, there was “tuning incoming” to hopefully address this issue.

While the tuning update hasn’t come yet, these are usually saved for mid-week, so it may be coming very soon (between November 4-7) or, alternatively, it may be part of the Season 1 update on November 14.

Season 1 is also due to bring the newest iteration of COD battle royale to Warzone, integrating the Black Ops 6 movement and gameplay as well as introducing new Resurgence map Area 99.

Treyarch and Warzone devs Raven will likely both want the SMG tuning to be completed before then to make the transition seamless, but for those who have been struggling to get the mastery camos on their submachine guns, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

If you’re still struggling to level up your SMGs quickly, make sure to check out our guide on how to rank up fast in Black Ops 6.

Depending on how the tuning impacts the meta, we might see the weapon tier list in Black Ops 6 shake-up too.