With nearly two decades under its belt, the Call of Duty franchise has featured some fairly memorable guns over the years, but those weapons have not always been perfectly balanced. Some of Call of Duty's most unforgettable moments come from either the absolute fun or frustration of having completely overpowered weapons disrupting the game's multiplayer. From shotguns that acted like snipers to assault rifles with laser-beam precision, some of Call of Duty's weapons had no right to be so good. Here we look back and break down some of the most ridiculously overpowered and popular weapons to ever be featured in a Call of Duty game.
Our list includes guns from as far back as 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, ranking weapons so wildly powerful they could be deemed "broken" guns, and others that were just so powerful and easy-to-handle, a player might feel at a disadvantage for wielding any other weapon in the game. Of course, this weapon list is subjective, so some might disagree and view other unlisted weapons as more or equally overpowered. Here's hoping Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 don't demand additions to the list later this year.
Image credits: Ahoy, Ozerec, Fortunate, and Hectorlo on YouTube.
10. Black Ops 1's Famas
Image: Ahoy on YouTube
The Famas is a weapon that has surfaced in several Call of Duty titles, but the most powerful version was Black Ops 1's full-auto Famas assault rifle. The weapon boasted an extremely fast time-to-kill, and it was deadly at all ranges. Eventually, Treyarch nerfed the Famas to give extra recoil, but the recoil was still so manageable that the gun remained the most popular and powerful weapon to use in Black Ops 1's multiplayer.
9. Modern Warfare 3's MP7
Image: Ozerec on YouTube
The MP7 is a submachine gun featured in several Call of Duty titles, but the most powerful version of the gun comes from Modern Warfare 3. Normally, submachine guns have limits and work best in close-quarters situations, but the MP7 was one of the most powerful and versatile guns in the game. Modern Warfare 3's MP7 boasted a high rate of fire with very little recoil, and it could challenge enemies at greater range than any submachine should.
8. Black Ops 4's S6 Stingray
The S6 Stingray was a two-round burst tactical rifle with high damage and a fast time-to-kill. The gun also boasted impressive accuracy and handling that made using the S6 Stingray feel effortless. As if the base stats weren't beefy enough, there was also an Operator Mod for the weapon that granted powerful explosive rounds that were difficult to counter. The overpowered stats of this weapon were made even more controversial by the S6 Stingray being a DLC gun locked behind Black Ops 4's loot boxes.
The S6 Stingray was one of several weapons added to the Days of Summer event in Black Ops 4, which were DLC guns only found in "Reserve Crate" loot boxes. Though the crates could be earned for free through completing challenges and leveling the game's battle pass-style "Contraband" tiers, these loot boxes gave a random item. Chances of getting a weapon was slim, and it could easily feel like pressure to keep buying additional loot boxes to increase the odds of getting a powerful DLC gun. Many players struggled to get their hands on the S6 Stingray, making this weapon feel like a pay-to-win gun. Treyarch eventually nerfed the weapon to be a little more fair, but the tactical rifle remained powerful and hard to obtain.
7. Infinite Warfare's NV4
The NV4 assault rifle was one of the most commonly used weapons in Infinite Warfare, which is due to the gun being so versatile and easy to handle. Infinite Warfare also featured stat-based weapon variants, and while some of them were just gimmicky perks, the legendary Flatline variant of the NV4 provided the already-powerful assault rifle with unlimited range. Players could lay down in the spawn and kill their opponents across the map with laser-beam precision.
6. Advanced Warfare's BAL-27
Image: Ozerec on YouTube
The BAL-27 assault rifle was an overpowered nuisance in Advanced Warfare's multiplayer. The base version of the weapon was powerful, with a high fire rate and fast time-to-kill, but the gun was even more frustratingly effective with Advanced Warfare's stat-based weapon variants, which players could only hope to obtain from loot boxes.
Advanced Warfare not only introduced advanced movement to Call of Duty, but also created the temporary trend of having DLC locked behind the random luck of loot boxes. The game's "Supply Drop" loot boxes could be earned simply by playing the game, but additional Supply Drops could also be purchased as single loot boxes or even in bulk for $40 or more. The extra power behind the variants of BAL-27 could easily make players feel like they need to spend money to level the playing field.
The Obsidian Steed variant gave an additional damage boost to an already-overpowered weapon, and the Inferno variant increased the fire rate and hip-fire accuracy, making the assault rifle a melt machine at close-to-medium ranges. Not only was it easy to feel at a disadvantage for not using at least the base version of BAL-27, it felt even more frustrating for those unlucky players who were unable to get these high-rarity variants of the gun from supply drops.
5. Black Ops 3's 205 Brecci
The 205 Brecci was a semi-automatic shotgun in Black Ops 3, which could guarantee players a two-hit kill, and the shots were consistent no matter if the gun was hip-fired or while aiming down sights. The 205 Brecci also had a pretty large magazine, making the shotgun a very spammy and overpowered weapon that never received a proper nerf by Treyarch.
4. Modern Warfare 2's ACR
Image: Hectorlo on YouTube
The ACR was Modern Warfare 2's most-popular assault rifle, which was mostly due to the weapon's efficient damage range and lack of recoil. This was such an easy-to-handle assault rifle, and when paired with the red dot attachment, players were beaming each other across the map with the ACR. This is definitely one of Call of Duty's most effortless assault rifles of all time.
3. World at War's MP40
Image: Fortunate on YouTube
There have been several iterations of the MP40 submachine gun over the years, but Call of Duty: World at War's version still stands out as the most overpowered version of this World War II-era gun. The gun was unlocked for everyone at a very early level, giving players access to a submachine gun with an impressive damage range that felt viable at any range. The SMG became even more powerful with the 64-round drum attachment and the Steady Aim perk.
2. Modern Warfare 2007's M16A4
Image: Hectorlo on YouTube
The M16A4 burst-fire assault rifle from the original Modern Warfare game was a powerful weapon to use, as the gun featured little-to-no recoil and an impressive damage range. Even when Modern Warfare was remastered in 2016, the M16A4 was an absolute menace in multiplayer.
1. Modern Warfare 2's Akimbo Model 1887
Image: Hectorlo on YouTube
When thinking of overpowered guns, longtime Call of Duty players will most likely recall the reign of terror caused by the Akimbo Model 1887 shotguns from 2009's Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare 2 was one of the most unbalanced Call of Duty multiplayer experiences of all time, but nothing ever felt as broken as these dual-wielded shotguns with the fancy, Terminator 2-style twirling reload animation. The Akimbo Model 1887 shotguns arrived with the power and damage range to quite literally snipe players across the map, and even after a nerf to the damage range, these shotguns remained an overpowered menace that required players to keep their distance.
Honorable mention
Image: Hectorlo on YouTube
Modern Warfare 2's "Noob tubes." While not a gun itself, an honorable mention must be given to Modern Warfare 2's grenade launcher attachment. A grenade launcher could be equipped to any gun in the game's assault rifle class. Players could rack up kills immediately upon spawning with very little effort, and the ammo was unlimited when paired with the game's One Man Army Pro perk.
This isn't to say that there haven't been other powerful guns in Call of Duty's history. Certainly no one has forgotten the sheer power behind Modern Warfare 2019's AS VAL or Infinite Warfare's OSA assault rifle. Thankfully, developers are catching overpowered weapons and nerfing them before they can wreak havoc for too long, but the earlier days of Call of Duty will forever be remembered for having some of the most overpowered and unbalanced guns of all time.
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