MW3 and Warzone finally improves precision and responsiveness of aiming while using a mouse

Sledgehammer Games listened to community feedback and addressed an issue impacting aiming stability on mouse and keyboard (MnK) in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.

For years, there has been an ongoing debate in the Call of Duty community between MnK and controller users. MnK players argue that they are at a distinct disadvantage without the help of aim assist, which guides a controller user’s crosshair on enemies by slowing down their aim when on target to compensate for a thumbstick’s lack of precise control.

CoD YouTuber TrueGameData embarked on a mission to uncover why a segment of the player base felt unfairly punished, and discovered a glitch that made MnK players miss their shots more frequently. Sledgehammer Games listened to that feedback and responded accordingly.

Aiming idle sway and hipfire crosshair sway improved in MW3 and Warzone season 2

In the season two update, Sledgehammer Games made changes to ADS idle sway and hipfire crosshair sway. The patch applies to all input devices, but it will be more noticeable on MnK, as it finally resolves the issue revealed by TrueGameData.

The MW3 devs shared a before and after video showing what the improvements did. Previously, when you aimed down sight with an optic while using MnK, the reticle zoomed into a random point away from the target, making it nearly impossible to have any consistency while aiming at an enemy. TrueGameData proved this by going into the firing range. He lined up a shot directly on the head of the test dummy, but after aiming down sights, the reticle was in a different location.

ADS idle sway was the culprit behind this strange mechanic, and now it initiates shortly after aiming down sight, rather than immediately. ADS idle sway will still be present, but it will gradually increase over a three second period rather than starting at full speed after aiming down sights.

Previously, a weapon’s hip-fire crosshair moved with the movement of the weapon, causing the firing direction to deviate from the center. The update ensures the hipfire crosshair will no longer sway from the center of the screen, even if the camera moves.