Modern Warfare breakdown shows how big August 11 gun changes really were

The Modern Warfare and Warzone August 11 patch tweaked four weapons in an all-new balance update, but the true extent of these changes was kept under wraps. Thankfully, a detailed breakdown reveals just how significant these gun adjustments really were.

After a slight tease earlier in the week, Infinity Ward finally pushed a new balancing update live on August 11. The first major set of adjustments since Season 5 began, four key weapons were modified across standard multiplayer and the battle royale experience.

The FAL, the Holger-26, the Bruen MK9, and the M91 were all targeted by the patch. Some were nerfed, others were buffed. However, the developers were quite vague in their wording. Instead of providing proper values, the official patch notes simply labeled these changes “increases” or “reductions” in certain statistics.

Fortunately, the patch has already been dissected by the CoD community and the true extent of these changes has been uncovered. Here’s everything you need to know about the real impact of the August 11 update.

How was the FAL changed?

The FAL Assault Rifle was a powerful semi-automatic weapon prior to the new changes. The August 11 patch notes outlined two key adjustments for the gun. Increased headshot damage along with a reduction in close quarters damage. But how accurate was this description?

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Overall, the maximum potential damage of the weapon has been from a close range has been reduced quite significantly. The FAL used to be able to deal 69 damage from within 20m. That has now dropped a whopping 25% to only 49 damage.

This change doesn’t apply to body multipliers, however. So if you line your first shots at the body and then aim to the dome, the old max damage is still possible.

How was the Holger-26 changed?

Light Machine Guns haven’t been the most popular weapons in either Warzone or Modern Warfare. They’re a niche pick due to how drastically they slow your movement speed. The August 11 Holger-26 buffs looked to make this particular LMG more viable than ever before, however.

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An increase to ADS speed and the maximum damage range was applied in the latest patch. These changes are a little less significant than the aforementioned FAL tweaks. ADS speed was reduced by a mere 8%. Maximum damage range was bumped up to 1,900m, an increase of 12%. And the total possible range for the weapon was upped 6% to 2,800m.

It’s extremely unlikely that you’ll ever be able to control LMG recoil from such insane ranges to begin with. But these subtle buffs should make the weapon a little more effective from afar.

How was the Bruen MK9 changed?

Similar to the Holger-26 adjustments, this LMG had its range tweaked in the August 11 patch. However, this particular gun was on the other end of the changes, having its range reduced instead.

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A huge 36% decrease was applied in the latest patch. Meaning that the Bruen MK9 can only reach its maximum damage up to 1,050m. This is a sizable drop from the original 1,650m that the LMG was capable of.

If you happened to run a loadout with this weapon included, it might be worth swapping out for the newly buffed Holger-26 instead. 

How was the M91 changed?

The M91 received a buff to ADS speed along with close quarters damage, according to the August 11 notes. While this is accurate, it surprisingly comes at a cost for other statistics.

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ADS speed was dropped by 7%, meaning that you’ll be able to lock onto your target quicker than usual with this LMG. However, close quarters damage was increased as the total maximum range took a huge hit.

Maximum damage in total was bumped from 31 to 32, though the total range for the weapon dropped by 600m. If you’re a fan of this LMG, just be wary that damage from afar won’t be anywhere near as effective as it was before.

So that wraps up how all four weapons were truly changed in the August 11 patch. The official notes from Infinity Ward outlined most of the adjustments, but these numbers reveal the full extent of the latest weapon tuning update.