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Warzone Fans Begged for a Nerf to the RPG Launcher, and it Was Buffed Instead

By Chaz Frazer

Players wishing for a nerf to the RPG within Warzone may have to start praying to the Infinity Ward gods a bit harder
Players wishing for a nerf to the RPG within Warzone may have to start praying to the Infinity Ward gods a bit harder / Photo courtesy of Infinity Ward

The first two months of Warzone have been an incredible success for Infinity Ward and Activision, with weekly tournaments sporting tens of thousands of dollars in prize money and pro players and content creators both logging impressive hours into the game mode - some even claiming that the Battle Royale addition has “saved” the game. One area of contention however was the frustration of players running around with an RPG, and the rocket spam that detracted from the gun play, movement, and skill that Call of Duty is known for - especially in a game mode with limited respawns.

With season 3 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, players were confident that Infinity Ward would address this issue and nerf the damage and other stats of the RPG launcher at some time during the season. With the recent title update on Tuesday, it looks like the developers have done the opposite.

RPG Launcher Buffed in Warzone

While the RPG did receive a small nerf to its damage radius - moving from ten to nine meters, the maximum damage inside of that radius received a huge buff. So much so that it is now possible to get a one-shot-kill on an enemy with full health and three armor plates, something that was not possible before this week’s update.

YouTube content creator and streamer The Xclusive Ace addressed this in a video Thursday highlighting the changes that the RPG as well as other launchers received in the recent update.

RPG Changes

1. Maximum damage radius reduced from 10m -> 9m

Max damage nerf for RPG
Max damage nerf for RPG / Photo courtesy of The Xclusive Ace

2. Maximum damage increased from 150 -> 250

Max damage buff for all launchers
Max damage buff for all launchers / Photo courtesy of The Xclusive Ace

3. Minimum damage increased from 30 -> 50

Min damage buff for RPG
Min damage buff for RPG / Photo courtesy of The Xclusive Ace

The graphs above show that although the maximum damage radius was shortened by one meter, the launcher now does 250 damage inside of the range of 2.5 - 4.5 meters. This damage value is enough to take out an enemy player with full health and armor - the exact opposite of what players have been clamoring for.

Another area of contention from players was the fact that players can carry six reserve rockets for a total of seven shots. This created situations where even if you had time to get behind cover, a player could be spammed to death from the splash damage of the incoming rockets alone. In the update, there was no nerf or reduction to either this ammo capacity or reload time. 

Damage radius visualization of the RPG changes after the May 18 update
Damage radius visualization of the RPG changes after the May 18 update / Photo courtesy of The Xclusive Ace

While the patch notes did reference the nerf to the maximum damage radius, as Infinity Ward is often to do, the patch notes are incomplete and awash with unlisted changes that players have been figuring out for themselves. Unfortunately for Warzone enthusiasts, the RPG nerf everyone has been asking for will have to wait until another time.