The Maddox RFB has been running Call of Duty: Warzonelobbies for long enough. The March 24 patch notes confirm that the dominant assault rifle has finally taken a meaningful hit, with damage range reductions applied across Battle Royale, Resurgence, and Black Ops Royale simultaneously. That kind of across-the-board nerf signals that the developers saw the Maddox as a genuine problem, not just a minor outlier.
The patch doesn't just punish one weapon though. The same update pushes several underused guns into legitimate contention, giving players real alternatives heading into the final weeks of Season 2 Reloaded.
The Maddox RFB takes its hardest hit yet
Developers were direct about the reasoning: the Maddox RFB's combination of ease of use and strong damage output made it the obvious pick in the AR slot, crowding out everything else. The fix is a damage range reduction across all modes, which means the gun loses effectiveness at the mid-to-long distances where it was most oppressive.
The Peacekeeper Mk1 also gets an indirect nerf. The Monolithic Suppressor attachment in BR and Resurgence now provides reduced bullet velocity and damage range bonuses, trimming the Peacekeeper's reach without touching the base weapon stats directly.
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If your current loadout relies on the Maddox RFB or a Monolithic Suppressor-equipped Peacekeeper Mk1, both setups are weaker after this patch. Time to rebuild.
EGRT-17 and Swordfish A1 move up the tier list
The EGRT-17 is the clearest winner here. The AR receives reduced horizontal recoil and tighter recoil deviation in BR and Resurgence, making it more forgiving and more consistent at medium-to-long range. Two attachments also got upgraded alongside the base weapon: the EAM Tatter Stock and Frigate Control Stock now offer better recoil control, meaning a well-built EGRT-17 loadout compounds these improvements.
The Swordfish A1 marksman rifle picks up a set of changes that address its main weaknesses. Minimum and maximum damage ranges have both been extended, aim-down-sight speed is faster, and the burst fire interval delay has been shortened. The result is a weapon that feels snappier and stays competitive at the distances where marksman rifles are supposed to thrive.
Swordfish A1 range extended
XM325 and Dravec 45 round out the buffs
The XM325 LMG gets a meaningful upgrade: increased damage range across all modes, a bump in bullet velocity, and reductions to both horizontal recoil and recoil deviation in BR and Resurgence. For a weapon class that often struggles to justify its slot, these changes push the XM325 into more serious consideration.
The Dravec 45 SMG gets a rework rather than a straight buff. Damage has been increased, but fire rate has been reduced to keep the time-to-kill balanced. The key here is that the Dravec 45 is being repositioned to better fit its intended role, rather than simply being made stronger across the board.
Black Ops Royale gets quality-of-life attention
Beyond weapons, the patch makes several adjustments to Black Ops Royale. Wingsuit controls for keyboard and mouse players have been updated when jumping from ledges, requiring intermittent forward inputs to maintain altitude. Developers noted that further wingsuit refinements are planned for Season 3.
Redeploy Towers have been tweaked to be more viable in late-game circles, while supply boxes now have a slightly higher chance of containing Armor Satchels. Activity spawns have also been adjusted: Strongbox Crack events start with more strongboxes, Surprise Shipment includes more shipments and a higher drop rate for Safecracker USBs, and Surveillance Drones appear more frequently early in matches with their own Safecracker USB drop rate boosted.
With Season 3 approaching, these changes feel like the developers tidying up the current meta before a larger reset. You'll want to browse the latest gaming news to stay ahead of whatever the next season brings to the weapon pool. Make sure to check out more:
