Rejoice, Call of Duty fans: Modern Warfare 3’s season one update will be bringing much-needed changes to one of the most annoying “weapons” in all of CoD—the Riot Shield.
Popular CoD creators were invited to a summit hosted by the developers to test the game’s new features in the lead-up to season one’s huge launch, which is slated for Dec. 6. One of the attending creators, TheXclusiveAce, revealed many of the impending updates, including the Riot Shield changes. Those who choose to wield the ungainly melee weapon will now have their movement speed heavily reduced even while it is stowed.
The Riot Shield has become incredibly popular over the past few iterations of CoD, with its primary use to protect its user from bullet damage while the player runs around the map. As the weapon doesn’t break (unlike its ancestor from CoD titles in the early 2010s) players are all but invulnerable to bullet damage from behind while its stowed. As such, those who picked up the shield would move around the map at ridiculous speeds while surviving many, many shots.
Now, they’ll need to decide whether the shield is worth the cost in MW3 with movement penalties restricting the speed at which players can dodge and weave. “No more turtling and still zipping around the map like a madman—you are going to be noticeably slowed down,” TheXclusiveAce said in his review of the change.
Fear not though, Riot Shielders, as the Sledgehammer developers aren’t totally nerfing the iconic protective weapon to oblivion. You will now be able to two-hit enemy players with the shield’s basic attack. Previously, it would take three hits with the shield for an elimination. This change is designed to encourage players to wield the shield as a weapon and front-facing protection, as opposed to equipping it on their back instead.
We won’t need to wait long to see the effects of these changes; MW3 season one and its new maps, weapons, and huge update for Warzone will be landing on Dec. 6.
Published: Dec 4, 2023 10:57 pm