Long-awaited Call of Duty: WW2 patch nerfs the best gun in the game

Sledgehammer has revealed a big patch for Call of Duty: WW2 which makes some much-needed changes to the game.

Perhaps the headline change is a nerf to the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, otherwise known as the BAR. Most players agree the BAR is one of, if not the best weapons in the game. The video below from YouTube Drift0r goes into detail on the BAR's qualities. In short, it's powerful (it's one of the few fully automatic assault rifles that can kill in three or four shots), has decent range and is super accurate. Well, it was super accurate.

Today's patch brings with it a nerf to the BAR that increases the recoil, which makes it less accurate and in turn less deadly. Now, the BAR isn't all of a sudden a terrible weapon, but it's perhaps not quite so overpowered.

Elsewhere, Sledgehammer has finally addressed the lonely Headquarters issue. The developer had made Call of Duty: WW2's 48-player social space default to solo after widespread server issues. With this patch, you can select HQ from the multiplayer menu and get the core HQ experience, which means you'll be able to compete with other players in the shooting range, earn rewards tied to the social system and connect with friends.

One notable absentee is an adjustment to flinch (the movement of your weapon as you're being shot). Most Call of Duty: WW2 players believe the flinch in this game is too much. Sledgehammer has said a fix for this is coming, but it looks like it'll have to wait for a future patch.

Curiously, Sledgehammer has nerfed the Primed Basic Training. This level 32 unlock was widely considered an essential Training pick as it's the only true flinch counter in the game.

Why would the developers nerf Primed without nerfing flinch across the board? Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey took to Twitter to address this, saying it would have been "irresponsible" to tweak both flinch and Primed at the same time.