With over 50 main and side weapons, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 offers a decent selection of different shooting irons, which we also list in our overview. Ideally, of course, the models differ in their own strengths and weaknesses.
But it looks like a classic and fan favorite is falling here, viz the M16 assault rifle negative on. Some players describe it as awful
inconsistent and vote it the worst weapon in the game. But what exactly makes the burst assault rifle so bad?
By the way, if you are looking for the best weapons of Modern Warfare 2, we can also help you:
CoD Modern Warfare 2
The 5 best weapons for multiplayer
The worst weapon in the game?
Fire salvos instead of constant fire: First of all, it should be noted that the M16 is inherently a rather unusual and for some harder to play assault rifle with its burst fire. With a click of the mouse you can fire off three shots in rapid succession. While these are fired fairly quickly, the weapon has a fairly low rate of fire overall due to the delay before the next burst of fire.
In most previous CoD titles, this weakness was offset by relatively high damage. It was usually possible to kill opponents with just one burst of fire, or even just two out of three shots. However, the slow rate of fire made it essential to hit as many shots as possible in order not to be defeated by the faster, fully automatic weapons.
Here’s Modern Warfare 2’s M16 in all its glory and supposed uselessness.
However, the M16 in Modern Warfare 2 is now widely criticized for inheriting the weaknesses of previous versions but lacking in strengths. Specifically, one complains about:
- Damage too low: It is currently hardly possible to eliminate enemies with a burst of fire. This makes the weapon’s greatest weakness, its low overall rate of fire, all the more significant.
- Unreliability: Players often complain that the performance of the weapon varies greatly. So it is sometimes possible to kill opponents from a greater distance with just a few shots. In other cases, however, three bursts of fire from the shortest distance would not let the opponent fall out of their shoes.
- Too much recoil: According to its description, the M16 is primarily suitable for medium and long-range combat. However, the weapon’s recoil is comparatively high, making it particularly difficult to hit multiple shots of the burst at longer ranges. Especially without the recoil-reducing modifications, the assault rifle is probably very difficult to control, which is why the initial play is often perceived as torture.
But even equipping weapons with many modifications does not always seem to help in Modern Warfare 2, since their disadvantages are often clearly noticeable:
CoD Modern Warfare 2
Are guns without attachments better? Our build guide
The nostalgia factor
Whether the M16 is really the worst weapon in Modern Warfare 2 is not so easy to say. Playing with the assault rifle is probably a challenge for many. However, some players also note that they are quite good with the gunalthough not outstanding.
The fact that some players nostalgically think back to the M16 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which was able to knock down opponents with just two shots, certainly also plays a role in the discussion. At that time the weapon was extremely popular, but is almost considered too strong. Compared to these good old times
the M16 from Modern Warfare 2 can seem quite weak.
What is the best way to use the M16?
If you really want to try out or level up the M16 despite its weaknesses, you can use a few tricks that are exchanged in the community:
- Switch to single fire: Especially at longer distances, the assault rifle can be better controlled in single fire, and the effective rate of fire even increases when the trigger is pulled as quickly as possible.
- Install mods: It is also often recommended to install recoil-reducing modifications. In this way, one of the biggest weaknesses, the strong recoil, can at least be reduced. However, this is usually at the expense of the time you need to aim through an optic.
- Underbarrel Shotgun: If you just want to level up your M16 but are struggling with kills, you can also install an underbarrel shotgun. With this it is quite easy to dust off kills, which are then counted towards the weapon progress, especially on small maps.
Our guide on the subject tells you how to level up your weapons quickly in general and simply increase your player level:
CoD Modern Warfare 2
This is how you level your weapons and quickly reach Max Level
More exciting information about Modern Warfare 2
If you need a break from gun-grinding in multiplayer, check out the story campaign. It’s pretty fun – except for one mission:
13:08
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Story Campaign Test Video
We have also collected a lot of useful information and overviews of the game for you. We briefly introduce you to all of the multiplayer maps, or list perks and killstreaks in full. You can find all of our guides and tips here.
Have you tried the M16 yet and what do you think of the assault rifle? Do you also not enjoy it at all and can you confirm the listed weaknesses? Or have you not tried the weapon at all and now you have been warned? Feel free to write your opinion in the comments!
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