CoD expert reveals huge audio change in Modern Warfare 2 patch
ActivisionBuried in the Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 patch notes, Activision “improved footstep audio,” but CoD expert Xclusive Ace revealed a much different story.
One of the biggest complaints from Modern Warfare 2’s Open Beta was “loud” footstep audio. The community also voiced concerns over Dead Silence’s conversion to a Field Upgrade instead of a loadout perk.
Loud footsteps and the removal of Dead Silence as a perk encouraged camping, as CoD YouTuber JGOD argued in his MW2 review. The Call of Duty guru claimed campers could easily sit and wait out aggressive players more noticeably than other titles.
On September 27, the developers responded, “we have seen your continued feedback on the volume of footsteps and will continue to balance enemy/friendly footstep audio ahead of launch.”
In the Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 update on November 16, Activision patched footstep audio, and CoD expert Xclusive Ace revealed a secret behind the change.
ActivisionMW2 footstep audio increased in Season 1 update
Activision claimed, “the audio team has made significant improvements to the audio system to address this clear area.”
Community members wanted a decrease in footstep volume, but Xclusive Ace analyzed audio peaks and concluded, “it appears footstep volume was increased by roughly 75%.”
He continued, “To be clear, it may not be a 75% increase across the board. And also, as someone pointed out, Db aren’t linear. Either way, it’s very noticeably louder after the update.”
One user argued, “Could this be another unintentional side effect since MW2 and WZ2 share a lot of code and are part of the same app?”
All quality-of-life changes made in MW2 Season 1 carry over to WZ2, so some players believe the developers prioritized Warzone gameplay over Multiplayer.
A second person added, “Hopefully, it’s a glitch because it’s so easy to listen to people trying to be sneaky now.”
We will provide an update if we learn specific details about the latest audio patch.