Knives have slipped into the cracks of MW3’s Ranked Play, but rather than remove them, the developers have opted to nerf them instead.
As with any CoD title, MW3‘s been at the certain of various criticism since its launch back in November. Many of the criticisms have been fair, such as spawn logic, while others have been divisive, such as the gun cocking animation.
In all fairness, the developers have been proactive in adjusting criticisms as they arrive. Spawns will never be perfect, but new patches introduce potential fixes, and a surprise update removed the gun cocking animation from smaller map playlists.
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However, the Knife melee is a hot topic of discussion, now more than ever, with the arrival of Ranked Play.
MW3 players discuss Knife nerf in Ranked Play
Ranked Play is CoD’s competitive mode, providing players a chance to play with the ruleset, map pool, and regulations of the Call of Duty League. Part of the ruleset and regulations includes mirroring what the pros use in-game, although, in MW3, the Knife isn’t banned from play like it is in the CDL.
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This omission left players upset since the Knife is controversial in its own ways, mostly because of its one-hit-kill nature and the speed boost it provides. Rather than remove it from Ranked Play entirely, Treyarch opted to nerf its one-hit potential, meaning it now requires two hits to kill someone.
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Initial reaction have been somewhat mixed, with players applauding how quickly Treyarch took action on the changes. They feel as if this nerf is a healthy compromise: “I like the change. Keeps that fast movement option, but someone with snappy aim can still take you down between swings,” claimed one player.
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Others feel as if the knife is now purely good for the bonus movement speed, acting in a similar fashion to something like Counter-Strike’s knife.
That said, with Ranked Play supposed to mirror the CDL, some fans would’ve preferred the developers ban it altogether or just apply this nerf to every level of play rather than just ranked.
Given Ranked Play has just arrived, it’s safe to say expect more changes to come through as seasons progress.
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