Over the years, annual Call of Duty installments have featured different weapons of different strengths. Some are perpetually weak but others are at the opposite end of the scale: so strong they can be considered overpowered. Here, we’re taking a trip down memory lane and picking the top 10 most overpowered weapons in Call of Duty history.
For this list, we’re trying to ignore good weapons and focus on those that were so strong, at least for a period of time, they qualified as OP. Not all were dominant for months, with the respective devs generally quick to nerf standout guns. However, some were at the height of their powers for inexplicably long periods so, without further ado, here are our picks.
Honorable Mentions
It wouldn’t be a top ten list without some honorable mentions first. These weapons were all overpowered at some point, but pale in comparison to the other weapons that made the final list.
- Vesper (Black Ops 3)
- Akimbo FMG9s (Modern Warfare 3 2011)
- ACR (Modern Warfare 2 2009)
- Bal-27 (Advanced Warfare)
- UMP-45 (Modern Warfare 2 2009)
- ASM1 (Advanced Warfare)
- AK-74U (Black Ops Cold War)
10. MP7 (Modern Warfare 3 2011)
The MP7 is a weapon that’s featured multiple times throughout CoD history, returning in MW2 as the VEL 46.It’s been strong in other titles, like Black Ops II, but never stronger than in 2011’s Modern Warfare 3.
High fire-rate, large magazines and unerring accuracy made it an outstanding weapon and one that wasn’t really nerfed for the game’s entire life-cycle. Here’s hoping 2023’s MW3 won’t feature the same standout variant, if indeed the MP7 does make a return.
9. M16A4 (Modern Warfare 2007, Modern Warfare Remastered)
Another weapon that also features in the 2022 CoD installment, the M16A4 has never been stronger than in the original Modern Warfare, one of the most innovative and memorable FPS games there’s ever been.
It could drop enemies devastatingly quickly, with one three-bullet burst more than sufficient to take down an enemy. All you needed was a red dot sight for improved accuracy and there was no realistic counter.
8. NV4 (Infinite Warfare)
The NV4 was a standout assault rifle across Infinite Warfare. Snappy ADS was accompanied by high damage and non-existent recoil, making a long-distance AR that somehow also thrived at close and medium ranges.
For the overpowered weapons moniker, we’re thinking especially of the Flatline variant, which came with increased accuracy and infinite damage range, making long range kills even easier. The Fallout was another strong variant but, for the most OP, we’re nodding to the Flatline.
7. Famas (Black Ops)
The Famas has featured across many CoDs and under many different titles, but it’s never been better than in the original Black Ops iteration. It ditched the full capitalization and burst-fire mechanic, becoming one of the most formidable fully automatic ARs CoD has ever seen.
A breathtaking fire-rate was matched by damage to make a weapon that excelled at medium ranges. Despite the strong weapon pool it was part of, there was never a weapon that could take its top spot – or come particularly close.
6. 205 Brecci (Black Ops 3)
We’re sure the guns prior to the Brecci have caused ample frustration and acrimony. It’s probably fair to say that few will have infuriated an entire game’s player base for an entire year in the same way as the Brecci did.
A semi-automatic shotgun that could two-hit at almost any range, the Brecci was the original ‘duf duf’ and made the KV Broadside look like a child’s toy. Throw on extended mags and fast mags and this thing could be hipfire-spammed to the user’s content (and everyone else’s malcontent).
5. Marshal 16 (Black Ops 3)
Another from Treyarch’s 2015 installment, the Marshal 16 was a shotgun-pistol hybrid that was supposed to be a homage to Black Ops II’s Executioner. Where that gun stank, the Marshal 16 didn’t. It was a comfortable one-hit at all shotgun ranges and, to make matters worse, could be used akimbo and give players double the fire power (if slightly less range).
It was made even more egregious as a supply drop only weapon, meaning it was pure random chance who got hold of it and who didn’t. Thankfully, Treyarch were pretty quick to nerf it. For a matter of months though, a flash of a Marshal probably meant an incoming respawn.
4. 725 (Modern Warfare 2019)
Another shotgun, the 725 will probably strike fear into the hearts of any readers who played the first in the rebooted Modern Warfare series. A double-barreled weapon, players might have been lulled into a false sense of security by the fact it could only fire two shots before a reload.
That quickly became a moot point when the 725 started one-hitting people at assault rifle ranges. Throw a decent player and Fast Hands into the mix and it was genuinely unplayable for a short time. Maps like Shoot House became 6x 725s vs 6x 725s. After a few weeks, Infinity Ward nerfed the 725 in a big way (thank goodness).
3. Grenade Launchers (Modern Warfare 2 2009)
We know this is technically not a weapon and more of an attachment. But given the ‘noob tube’ moniker lives on nearly 15 years after the original MW2 was in its prime, we’re throwing these into the bronze medal position without hesitation.
It was way too easy to load a grenade, launch it blindly at an enemy and come back with a quad feed. Pair that with the ability to cross-map enemies at the beginning of any match (and then switch classes with One Man Army Pro) and you had a recipe for disaster. MW2 is among the most fondly remembered CoDs of all time and, thinking about this weapon specifically, we’re struggling to work out why.
2. MP40 (World at War)
Most of the recent installments have been overpowered guns that were promptly nerfed. The World at War version of the MP40, outside of sounding incredible, was never nerfed. Back in the older CoDs, regular balancing patches and post-launch seasonal updates just weren’t a thing.
As a result, a strong gun was always a strong gun. A crazy SMG with incredible range and round drums that tripled its magazine capacity was always a crazy SMG with incredible range and round drums that tripled its magazine capacity. That’s exactly what the MP40 was. It’s returned many times since the 2008 title but, thankfully, has never been nearly as overpowered. No other weapon in WaW came close.
1. Model 1887s (Modern Warfare 2 2009)
Any veteran CoD fan probably expected this. If you didn’t play 2009’s MW2, let us educate you. The Model 1887 was a lever-action shotgun, meaning it already outperformed the usual range of pellet shotguns. Throw in Stopping Power to drastically increase its damage and range, then throw in a laser-like hipfire accuracy and, finally, throw in two of them in akimbo form and you get to the Model 1887s from the original Modern Warfare 2.
They were absolutely as insane as they sound, with users able to flick onto opponents, fire and let the weapons do the rest. They’re arguably the point where overpowered morphs into broken and, for that reason, they take our gold medal spot.
Those are the top 10 most overpowered weapons in Call of Duty history! We hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and, if you didn’t, console yourself with the fact that you’ll likely never have to deal with them again.