What got buffed and nerfed in Modern Warfare January 22 update?

The massive v1.13 patch update for Modern Warfare included balancing adjustments for some weapons and Field Upgrades – more specifically, Trophy System and Dead Silence.

Modern Warfare’s January 22 update was one of the biggest in recent weeks, introducing the brand new Crossbow, five additional loadout slots, a plethora of bug fixes, and quality-of-life improvements.

Like most major patches, it also contained tuning for certain weapons and items in the game, in order to maintain balance for the performance of certain guns and equipment.

Almost all of the changes were buffs, meaning improvements in effectivity, with the only element getting “nerfed” being Dead Silence in competitive play.

• Read More: How to unlock the Crossbow in Modern Warfare

All that and more are discussed in the full breakdown below, which also includes the specific area of patch notes related to the balancing update.

Weapon buffs and changes

Overall, the v1.13 patch made six changes regarding weapons, three of which were direct buffs to three different guns. The RAM-7, which is available in the Season 1 Battle Pass, had its base magazine capacity increased from 45 to 50.

The bullet penetration of the MK2 Carbine marksman rifle was also increased, while the horizontal recoil of the FN Scar-17 assault rifle was decreased for the “initial bullets.”

• Read More: What to do with bugged ‘rank reset’ message in Modern Warfare

As for the rest of the changes, players using the M4A1 ‘OG’ Blueprint will notice that the ADS position was moved forward so that less of the user’s line of sight is blocked.

In addition, Infinity Ward also changed up the way stats for stocks are displayed in the Gunsmith; the stats are now shown more consistent with other attachments.

• Fixed a bug where the 1mW Laser would not appear equipped on the 1911 pistol while in the Gunsmith menu
• M4A1 Blueprint “OG” ADS position moved forward; the viewmodel or gun’s position relative to the  camera or player’s eye is moved forward more, so it blocks less of the line of sight
• Changing the magazine capacity from 45 to 50 for the RAM-7 extended magazine.
• Increasing the bullet penetration of the MK2 Carbine
• Less horizontal recoil on the initial bullets of the FN Scar-17
• Changed the way stats are displayed for stocks to be more consistent with other attachments (this is for the graphs only, not the actual stats)

Trophy System and Dead Silence changes

Of the two Field Upgrades, Trophy System was focused on a lot more in this update, as it got several nerfs to make it more appealing for players to use. Its protection radius was increased, meaning its anti-throwable effect covers a larger area. The radius and damage taken from nearby Trophy explosions were both decreased.

In addition, in competitive play using the official Call of Duty League ruleset, the Trophy’s charge time is now decreased, which means players can now earn up faster.

• Read More: How to watch CDL Launch Weekend

Speaking of competitive play, the charge time for Dead Silence was also decreased in the CDL format. However, the lightweight boost that the Field Upgrade offers – which speeds up players when it’s activated – has been removed.

Not only are these changes now in effect for custom/private matches with CDL rules, they’re also be implemented in the actual CDL, starting off with the upcoming Launch Weekend.

Trophy System:

• Increased protection radius
• Decreased the radius and the damage taken by trophy explosions
• Fixed a bug where the explosion damage and effects wouldn’t trigger for the third explosion

Call of Duty League:

• Decreased charge time on the Trophy System
• Removed lightweight boost and decreased charge time on Dead Silence

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For more information about the rest of this update, make sure to check out our Modern Warfare v1.13 patch notes page, which includes a full breakdown of all the important parts of the patch.