• DS20 Mirage (Assault Rifle): Notable buff to damage range.
  • 17.1' Abdicator Barrel: Recoil penalty reduced for the DS20 Mirage.
  • Sniper Rifles & LMGs: Targeted weapon balancing and tuning.
  • Attachment Overhaul: Adjustments made to specific weapon attachments across the board.
  • Game Modes: Changes applied to Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone.

Treyarch Finally Delivers the Missing Season 2 Balance Pass

When Season 2 went live on February 5, we were left scratching our heads. Typically, a seasonal launch is the prime time for Treyarch to shake up the meta, but the weapon balancing pass was noticeably absent from the initial notes. It turns out the studio was just holding their cards. The February 13 update finally brings the heat, delivering the tuning we expected last week to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone.

Our take? This mid-week drop is a calculated move to stabilize the meta now that the Season 2 content has had a few days to settle. By delaying these adjustments, the dev team likely gathered more granular data on how the new maps and modes were playing out before tweaking the hardware.

The DS20 Mirage: A New Mid-Range Contender?

Damage and Recoil Tweaks

The clear winner of this update is the DS20 Mirage assault rifle. In both Multiplayer and Zombies, this weapon is getting a significant glow-up. The damage range increase is a game-changer for players who felt the DS20 was falling off too early in mid-to-long-range gunfights.

Perhaps more importantly for the min-maxers in our community, the 17.1' Abdicator Barrel has been overhauled. Previously, the recoil penalty on this attachment made it a tough sell for anyone wanting a laser-accurate build. With the penalty now reduced, we believe the DS20 Mirage could easily creep into the "A-Tier" or even "S-Tier" for Warzone loadouts where recoil control is king.

Class-Wide Adjustments: Snipers and LMGs

While the DS20 Mirage is stealing the headlines, Treyarch hasn't ignored the heavy hitters. The update includes specific tuning for the Sniper Rifle and LMG classes. While the source doesn't provide every specific stat change, the focus on these two classes suggests the devs are looking to balance the high-stakes precision of snipers against the sustained suppressive fire of LMGs.

We've seen the meta lean heavily toward specific attachments lately, and this update aims to address that by tuning specific gun attachments. If your "go-to" build feels slightly different today, it’s likely because Treyarch is trying to force more variety into the Gunsmith.

Impact on Zombies and Warzone

It’s rare to see balancing hit every corner of the Call of Duty ecosystem at once, but this patch covers it all. The DS20 Mirage buff will be felt immediately in Zombies, where damage range is vital for keeping the horde at bay during high-round extractions. In Warzone, these changes are critical for maintaining a healthy variety of viable builds. We'll be keeping a close eye on how these Sniper and LMG adjustments shift the long-range engagement meta in the coming days.