Mindblowing Jackal PDW stat proves it needs major nerf before Black Ops 6 launches

It’s no surprise that a meta has formed in the Black Ops 6 early access beta, but what has been surprising is how dominant the Jackal PDW SMG has been. Right now, it’s the most powerful gun in Call of Duty by a mile, and the stats prove it must be nerfed before the game launches.

CoD’s multiplayer modes have always struggled with weapon balancing, and over the years plenty of guns have become incredibly dominant. Who can forget the insanely overpowered Akimbo Model 1887s in 2009’s MW2, or the incredible MP40 in World at War?

With the first weekend of the Black Ops 6 multiplayer beta now complete, there’s a new gun we can add to that list, as the Jackal PDW has been the preeminent weapon of choice–and the stats are staggering.

On September 5, the final day of the early access beta, the Jackal PDW was by far the most-used weapon in Black Ops 6. According to WZRanked, 61% of players were using the gun. To break that down into real numbers, six of every 10 players in a match chose the Jackal PDW.

The XM4 was a distant second, with 18.5% of users opting for it. That’s a difference of 42.5%. Even comparing it to other SMGs in BO6 is astounding. The second most-picked gun in that class is the C9, but only has a 3.73% rate despite being the first SMG to be unlocked.

The weapon’s commanding position is even more evident when you compare it to the top guns in Call of Duty’s other active games. The MCW assault rifle is the leading force in Warzone, but only records a 32.5% pick rate, while Modern Warfare 3’s Rival-9 records a similar result at 34.7%. At the end of the day, however, the Jackal’s rate is almost double both of them, showing just how dominant it is.

As for why it’s so popular, the answer is relatively simple. The Jackal PDW may be an SMG, but it deals good damage at long range, while its rate-of-fire is fast enough to make it deadly at close range. It also doesn’t have much in terms of recoil, which means it’s easy to control and aim. With all of these combined, you get an SMG that’s solid at any distance and makes it easy to hit your shots with accuracy.

Some players have complained that if they weren’t using the Jackal, they were essentially putting themselves at a huge disadvantage. When that’s the case, the only option is to nerf it to bring it back in line with the rest of the Black Ops 6 meta.

Thankfully, that looks likely to be the case, with Treyarch confirming they intend to introduce balancing changes before the second beta weekend goes live on September 6. While they haven’t named the Jackal PDW specifically, it’s hard to imagine they won’t treat it like MW3’s Striker, which got a major range nerf when it ruled that game’s beta in 2023.