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Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War dev says upcoming patch will shake-up the meta

Changing mags.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War developer Treyarch has said it's "time to shake the meta up" in advance of a significant gameplay tuning pass.

The launch of Season One, set for 16th December, includes gameplay changes for weapons and more, Treyarch game designer Tony Flame confirmed on Twitter.

"After all, it's been nearly a month since launch," he said. "Time to shake the meta up for the holidays."

News of a significant meta shakeup will be welcomed by some Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players who feel some of the guns could do with a nerf. It's felt two of the burst rifles - the M16 and AUG - are particularly powerful right now, and able to kill in the blink of an eye at a range of distances. The AK-47 may also be in-line for a nerf.

Some feel the shotguns, which in this game are a secondary weapon, could do with a nerf, but I've seen some players argue against a change.

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Of particular interest is the sniper rifles, which have sparked a debate. Some feel they're overpowered in Black Ops Cold War because of the aim assist and lack of flinch. In previous Call of Duty games, including last year's Modern Warfare, when you take damage you suffer damage flinch. That is, your crosshair moves up slightly as bullets hit you.

This damage flinch effect has proved controversial among the Call of Duty competitive multiplayer community, with many saying they'd prefer to play without having their aim disrupted by being shot. In this respect, Treyarch gave the people what they wanted - in Black Ops Cold War, flinch is primarily a mechanism for helping players understand they're taking damage without affecting the aim position of their weapon. This means your weapon doesn't move with your screen to stay on target, and eradicates flinch headshots.

However, some say Black Ops Cold War's sniper rifles could do with a buff, because, they say, it takes too long to aim down sights.

This week, Treyarch revealed everything that's coming to Black Ops Cold War with season one. Expect Prop Hunt, Nuketown Holiday and 2v2 Gunfight.

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