Why the Grau nerf in Warzone isn’t as big as most players think

[jwplayer br5AuoVJ] The powerful Grau 5.56 assault rifle was finally nerfed in Modern Warfare, but whether or not the changes actually made a lasting impact in Warzone is still under scrutiny.

Since the launch of Warzone, the Grau has been one of, if not the most powerful guns in the battle royale, to the point where a large majority of the player-base was calling for it to be nerfed.

The highly-anticipated Season 4 Reloaded update did just that, which was large a reason why many fans were desperately waiting for that patch – but it seems to have not changed much in the large scheme of things in that, basically, most people are still using it in Verdansk.

What was actually changed?

Prominent Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce decided to run some tests in Warzone and find the exact statistics of the Grau pre- and post-patch, as he’s usually wont to do following a large update such as this one.

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He started off with the “slight increase to high-frequency recoil,” as was listed in the official patch notes, and he discovered there was slightly more recoil in terms of side-to-side sway, but not a significant difference.

The next change he analyzed was the “damage range reduction,” and, it turns out that the difference was only a matter of few meters when it comes to the base version of the weapon.

However, Infinity Ward apparently also nerfed the range for the FSS 20.8” Nexus (from 40% boost to 33%) and Tempus 26.4” Archangel (from 45% to 40%), which means the damage dropoff kicks in at closer distances now.

On top of that, they also apparently reduced the mid-range (five-shot kill) damage of the gun from 23 to 22, which means it could take extra shots to eliminate enemies in Warzone who are fully plated-up. Interestingly enough, TheXclusiveAce was able to discover this despite the fact that it wasn’t in the patch notes.

Last but not least, there’s the “reduced recoil compensation” on the Archangel and Nexus barrels, and this is where things get a bit questionable.

When comparing the pre-patch and post-patch recoil patterns that both of these barrels produce, neither shows any major difference, – at most, a little side-to-side kick, but nothing significant.

In fact, when it comes to the Archangel, the YouTuber suggests that the recoil may be even tighter than before, although admitting that it’s more likely they’re the same.

You can check out TheXclusiveAce’s full video below, as he goes into all of the weapon balancing changes from the recent update and shares what he found out from his in-game tests.

What does this all mean?

It’s easy to drown yourself in stats and damage ranges and recoil patterns, but the big question here is: What do all of these changes amount to? Well, the long and short of it is that, yes, the Grau has been nerfed, and the adjustments are noticeable.

However, that’s not to say the gun is no longer viable in Warzone. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – it’s still plenty good enough and probably will remain as the go-to long-range weapon for most players.

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The truth of it is that while the stats may be worse relative to their pre-patch form, it’s is still extremely powerful and just as good, if not better, than any of the other options. It’s simply gone from being really broken and overpowered gun to only sort-of broken and overpowered.

And that is why, despite all these changes and the anticipation from the community, the Grau will remain a firm part of the meta, and you’re likely to see plenty of it during your adventures in Verdansk.