Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 3 Weapon Tier List

The long-awaited launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare season 3 has introduced a slew of new content, from changes to Warzone to new maps, weapons, operators, quality of life improvements, and battlepass tiers for Modern Warfare. New maps like Hovec Sawmill fit right into multiplayer matches with eye-catching and fun design, while changes to Warzone shake up its gameplay to make it more balanced, but the most interesting new additions, as always, are the guns.

In an FPS like Modern Warfare, guns are the bottom line. Several balancing changes took place in Season 2, and the VLK Rogue shotgun was added in just before Season 3 introduced the Renetti pistol and SKS DMR. With all of these changes going on, the meta has been shaken up quite considerably since the start of last season. This tier list will rank all of the primary weapons and sidearms in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from D-Tier flops to S-Tier behemoths and everything in-between. Ratings are based on effectiveness, versatility, and all-important fun-factor.

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With that in mind, weapons have very different uses in the various iterations of Call of Duty. Warzone features long sightlines and heavy body armor, making some weapons totally obsolete and others far more powerful than in the base game. Meanwhile, strong meta weapons are far more important in Core playlists than in Hardcore, where much higher damage makes every gun viable to some degree. This list is mostly focused on normal Core gameplay in Modern Warfare, but particular standout guns for Warzone and Hardcore will be noted.

The VLK Rogue shotgun added near the end of Season 2 looks great, but it is downright awful as a primary weapon. There are plenty of bad shotguns in Modern Warfare, but this one is somehow even worse. Its range is dismal, its damage is abysmal, and its ammo capacity makes it downright inconvenient to use. The only thing going for the VLK Rogue is that it can be customized to have better mobility than even the knife sidearm, allowing players to zoom around the map at a staggering clip.

The Uzi is the worst SMG in the game simply because of its annoying shooting characteristics. The slight pause between pulling the trigger and the first bullet firing is realistic for an open bolt SMG, but it is annoying to deal with on a gun with such low DPS. The SA87, M19, Strela-P and EBR 14 are all worst in class, automatically making them D-Tier weapons. The EBR-14 can be modified into an updated version, but it isn't worth leveling up in particular.

Modern Warfare treats its shotguns very poorly. They should have the highest DPS out of any weapon at close range, but instead are unreliable and often lose out to SMGs an ARs at close range. The Model 680 and Origin 12 both belong in C-Tier, and only barely at that. The FAL is a hugely popular weapon in the real world, but in game it just can't compete with other ARs. It sees a bit more use in Hardcore where it dishes out one-shot kills, but otherwise is not competitive.

The Dragunov is easily the worst sniper rifle, but because of its range it doesn't jeopardize its user's life as severely as sub-par close range weapons. The KAR98K is a middling DMR, while the PP19, X16, and PILA all fail to make any strong impression despite being relatively serviceable weapons. Luckily, the new weapons introduced in Season 3 fare far better, and the rest of the list will detail guns with a bit more fun factor.

The HDR sniper rifle excels in Warzone, but in Modern Warfare it is just a solid all-around choice. Meanwhile, the AUG is a decent SMG that is able to crest into B-Tier due to its wealth of modification options, but it can't compete with other weapons in its own class. The JOKR and 1911 also sit squarely in the mid-tiers, neither excellent nor terrible. With a recent buff, the 1911 call deal quite a bit of close range damage at least.

The Striker 45 introduced in last season's battlepass is a good SMG for modifying into a longer-range option, but its recoil and handling make it a little tougher to use than it perhaps should be. The riot shield has its uses, but is largely a gimmick weapon, while the Kilo-141 does admirably well as the first AR in the game, but can't compare to some of the beasts that occupy its class. The FAMAS is extremely fun to use, but because it has burst-fire only it isn't competitive outside of Harcore. In Warzone though, the FAMAS's range makes it a contender. Closing off B-Tier, the .357 revolver is a terrible sidearm, but with the option of adding shotgun rounds it can become a very trusty pocket companion.

A-Tier weapons are either very fun or very useful, but usually have at least one drawback that keeps them out of the very top tier. The new SKS in the Season 3 battlepass is likely the best DMR in the game, with a very rapid fire rate, great customization options, and solid damage. It sits right beside the MK2 Carbine as a respectable choice in the DMR class, although the MK2 excels because of its one-shot potential rather than all-around capability like the SKS.

The FN SCAR 17, Oden, and GRAU 5.56 are all very reliable weapons with high damage output. However, the SCAR and Oden fall behind the other slow-firing, high damage AR, the AK-47, in customization options. Unfortunately for the GRAU 5.56, its customization options are myriad but don't work to its strengths even though the gun itself is plenty capable. The P90 is a great SMG because of its ammo capacity and rate of fire, but outside of Hardcore mode it just doesn't do enough damage per shot to be worthwhile.

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The Holger-26 has the handling of an AR with the ammo capacity of an LMG, making it a very viable choice in a wide variety of gamemodes. Added in Season 1, it is still one of the most competitive weapons in the game despite its slightly lower than average damage numbers. It sits right beside the M91 and MG34 as a respectable LMG outshone only by the PKM. The RPG-7 is great for taking out killstreaks and clustered players alike, making it one of the better launchers in the game.

As far as shotguns go, the R9-O is easily the best one in the game, despite its slightly odd handling characteristics. The 725 can also vie for the position of best shotgun because of its range, damage output, and fun factor. Now that it has been successfully nerfed, racking up kills two barrels at a time is consistent, but still satisfyingly challenging. The 725 was just added to Warzone as well, although it may not be as viable there. Just a few other ineffective weapons reach A-Tier simply because of their fun factor: the Combat Knife, Throwing Knife, and Crossbow. These are all extremely difficult to use, but offer the unparalleled joy of pulling off a tricky one-shot kill.

S-Tier weapons are not only extremely powerful, but also very versatile and fun to use. The new Renetti pistol is OP because of its customization options, and on top of that it is a joy to use. With three-round burst enabled, the Renetti has almost zero recoil and can shred opponents even at a respectable distance. It just barely tops the Desert Eagle though, which still resides comfortably in S-Tier. The PKM and AX-50 both belong in S-Tier as well as the best options in each of their respective classes.

The AK-47 is a phenomenal weapon with a satisfying feel and great damage numbers, but it is also one of the most versatile weapons in the game, able to transform into entirely new guns with the right attachments. The M13 is on the other end of the spectrum from the AK. It has extremely rapid rate of fire and low damage per bullet, but it has a massive headshot multiplier and can shred enemies when used correctly. The M13 may have the highest potential of any weapon in the game, but the skill it takes to reach that potential makes it a fun challenge to master as well.

The M4A1 deserves a full breakdown on its own, but suffice it to say that it is one of the most effective, consistent, and reliable weapons in the game. The RAM-7 beats it out in pure numbers, especially in mid- to close range, but the predictable recoil pattern of the M4A1 still makes it one of the easiest weapons to do well with. Lastly, the MP5 and MP7 still dominate the SMG class, with little sign of being topped any time soon.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Season 3 is out now.

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