Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 players thought the assault rifle was destroyed, but whether they were stupid is debatable

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been out for about a week, and some of the best and brightest players are weighing in on which guns have been seized. These initial posts and speculative comments were crucial to the formation of the game’s early meta, but certain opinions divided the community. Are assault rifles too good? Or do people need to calm down and let the game simmer before making such big statements?

First, let’s take a look at assault rifles and why people think they are so good. Guns like the XM4 and Model L are very popular right now, and it’s easy to see why. As assault rifles, they excel at a variety of ranges, and with the right attachments, they’re easy to control. The result of putting guns in the hands of great players is that they turn into laser beams that can take out players quickly without having to put in a huge effort. You can even apply extended mags to them, and killstreaks become common. A quick look at social media or Twitch shows this.

This resulted in a gentlemen’s agreement between the pro players taking effect in the competitive lobby, which would ban the XM4 and Model L. This isn’t a specific ban, as there’s no official body to do it and the game isn’t yet on the professional scene, as Black Ops 6 has only been out for a week. But, despite this, some of the best players already think these guns are unfair. Hey, I’m a real sucker for Black Ops 6, so who am I to judge the opinions of people who are far better than me.

Your Honor, may I introduce the naysayers: While some think the assault rifle option needs to be put on hold, others think it’s a silly and somewhat weak response to the game’s burgeoning meta. Take Clayster, for example, who is an excellent CoD World Champion player. In response to a gentleman’s agreement, he tweeted the following: “As always, get to worst available AR until all subs figure out routes/nades/teamwork, then by mid-game, every sub All dominate.” 8 XM4 “Yeah, no one knows about this game.”

He was not wrong. If you spent any time around Call of Duty at launch, you’d notice that the guns that were beloved in the first week became obsolete once people started getting to know the game. Where the player is on the map, which equipment is best in the competitive space, at what angle to hold it, etc. Especially in Black Ops 6, with its omnidirectional movement system, who’s to say where a fast-paced run-and-gun game will win? Sure, SMGS may not be the most popular gun type right now, but maybe in a month, those talented players who are addicted to this game will be diving around AR.

The central issue with the debate over the inclusion of assault rifles in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is that such a decision happened so early in the game’s life cycle. Yes, some talented people are really crunching the numbers, figuring out the fastest gun times, and determining the best gun construction to squeeze as much value out of each weapon as possible. However, such research is only part of the CoD competitive scene. What really needs to happen, and this happens in other games, is that there needs to be some competitive play before a specific decision is made on which guns need to be banned. They also need to play for a while. If you’re still seeing halls full of XM4s in two months, then talk of a ban will make sense.

Let’s also not forget that we haven’t even had time to get an official patch from Activision Blizzard yet. Yes, pro players have a unique perspective on playing at a high level, and as a developer it’s sometimes hard to see that when looking at community-wide statistics. However, internal statistics will certainly be collected, as will early experience gained from playing the first Tianyuan.

But what do you think? Are the assault rifles in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 too powerful? Let us know below!