While it currently doesn’t have a starting date yet, competitiveCall of Dutyplayers are prepping themselves for the next season of the Call of Duty League, which had its inaugural season last year. And since the 2021 season will includeCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War,the newest entry in the series that came out in November (in fact, the leagueestablished new CDL rulesshortly after it released), the community is trying to work out its “meta” in preparation.
For starters, the community has elected that theAK-47 assault rifle weapon, which has made frequent appearances throughout theCall of Dutyseries since its debut in the originalModern Warfaregame, is too powerful and should not be used competitively.
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This doesn’t mean the CDL has issued an official rule preventing its use. Technically, there’s nothing stopping aCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warplayer from using it in competitive play. However, professional players have essentially entered a Gentlemen’s Agreement to not use it, choosing to play by the honor system.
Gentlemen’s Agreements are nothing new for the competitiveCall of Dutyscene. In the past, competitors have agreed to not use specific weapons, equipment, and/or perks in an attempt to keep matches fair and balanced. This is becauseCall of Dutygames aren’t designed for competitive use and have always been designed for casual players.
It’s too soon to tell what sort of impact the weapon’s absence will have on competitive play, though developer Treyarch is open to working with the playerbase to establish the best possible ruleset, meaning it’s always possible for the AK-47 to later be officially banned from league use.
One professional player, Matthew ‘KiSMET’ Tinsley, recently played a match without the AK-47 and says that the game plays much better and that it allows better players to thrive.
Perhaps this will eventually lead to the weapon being nerfed. Treyarch and Activision certainly aren’t above tweaking overpowered weapons post-launch. TheDRM inCall of Duty: Warzone, for example, is arguably in dire need of adjusting, as players are reportedly calling the game unplayable due to how easy it is to rack up kills with the weapon.
This is also a result of thesuddenWarzone/Black Ops Cold Warintegrationthat has left players who strictly playWarzonefeeling completely outmatched byCold Warplayers. What’s more, it’s believed that the focus on said integration means Activision is overlooking bugs and glitches.
One rather nasty glitch making the rounds is one thatrenders players invisible, which isn’t as advantageous as it sounds. Hopefully, this and any other glitches that could severely hamper gameplay will be ironed out before the CDL kicks off.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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