Modern Warfare 4 Tier List: Best Weapons After Launch Tuning
Infinity Ward's first Modern Warfare 4 balance pass buffed every launch SMG and two ARs while nerfing Oden, APOC-338 and FiNN LMG — here is the new tier list.
Infinity Ward shipped its first broad weapon tuning pass for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on October 28, six days after launch, and the official patch notes name exact pre- and post-patch numbers for every weapon that moved. That is rare enough to build a tier list directly from the developer's own change log instead of guesswork, so that is what this ranks: not the full 40-plus gun roster, but every weapon this specific patch actually touched, sorted by how much better or worse it plays today.
This is opinion, not a lab test — the reasoning below comes straight from the verified pre/post values in the patch notes, not from invented TTK math or claimed play-testing. Where a weapon got no mention in the October 28 notes, it is not ranked here; its performance has not changed since launch.
01What Changed in the October 28 Weapon Tuning Pass
Infinity Ward frames this update as a normalization pass more than a pure buff-or-nerf sweep. The headline change: upper and lower arm, and hand, damage multipliers on five Submachine Guns were restored from 0.95 to a full 1.0 — a quiet fix that had been silently shaving 5% off every limb hit on ISO Nightshade, PPSh-41, VEL 46, Wz.55 Striga, and X-58 Nyx since launch. Outside of that shared fix, the patch also adjusted individual Assault Rifles, LMGs, and one Shotgun's ammunition type. A global movement change is in here too: dive velocity after a sprint jump is down 23%, closing an exploit that let players chain a boosted dive for extra speed.
| Weapon | Class | Key Change (Pre → Post) |
|---|---|---|
| Kastov 762 | Assault Rifle | Max Damage Range 950 → 1050 (+11%) |
| X-58 Nyx | SMG | Limb multipliers to 1.0; Head Multiplier 1.25 → 1.3 (+4%) |
| Wz.55 Striga | SMG | Limb multipliers to 1.0; Max Range 440 → 470 (+7%) |
| M4 | Assault Rifle | Max Damage Range 990 → 1020 (+3%) |
| Oden | Assault Rifle | Neck/Torso multipliers down to 1.0–1.1 (-8% to -9%) |
| FiNN LMG | LMG | Mid Damage Range 1720 → 1620 (-6%) |
| APOC-338 | LMG | Mid Damage, Mid Range, and Min Damage all down 3-6% |
| Warlord (Slug Rounds) | Shotgun | Mid Damage Range 2 900 → 810 (-10%) |
Read the full table in the official Modern Warfare 4 launch patch notes before you respec a loadout around any single line below — attachment-specific changes (like the Oden's Sentinel Apex or the X-58 Nyx's Void Apex) only apply when that exact attachment is equipped.
02S Tier: The Best Guns Right Now
Kastov 762 got the cleanest buff in the patch: an 11% increase to Max Damage Range with no offsetting nerf anywhere on the weapon. That is a straightforward expansion of the range where it still deals top damage, and nothing about its recoil or handling moved to compensate, so it is a clear step up from where it sat at launch.
X-58 Nyx and Wz.55 Striga share the SMG-wide limb damage fix, and both stack an extra buff on top of it. X-58 Nyx's Head Damage Multiplier rose from 1.25 to 1.3, and its Void Apex attachment gained range on both its max and mid damage bands. Wz.55 Striga's own Max Damage Range and Mid Damage Range both increased alongside the limb fix. Of the five SMGs touched by the limb normalization, these two are the only ones that got a second, independent buff layered on top — that combination makes them the strongest close-range picks this patch.
03A Tier: Strong, Reliable Picks
M4 picked up a smaller, cleaner buff than Kastov 762 — a 3% Max Damage Range increase with no downside — enough to keep it among the best all-around rifles without fundamentally changing how it plays.
ISO Nightshade and VEL 46 both get the same limb damage restoration as X-58 Nyx and Wz.55 Striga, but without a second buff stacked on top. That is still a real improvement in close-quarters trades — full damage on arm and hand hits instead of a quiet 5% shortfall — just not the standout jump the top SMGs got.
PPSh-41 is the most interesting case: beyond the shared limb fix, it also got faster ADS in-speed (300ms down to 280ms, a 7% cut) along with small gains to strafe, crouch, hipfire, movement, and sprint speed. None of those numbers are individually huge, but stacked together they make it noticeably snappier to flick onto a target, which matters more in practice than the raw damage change for most SMG duels.
Patriot XMR did not get a damage change, but two of its attachments — the EXP Haste 80L 14" barrel and the FJX Fury IV rear grip — had their Recoil Control Penalty cut by 20-25%. If you were close to running either of those parts already, the gun is meaningfully easier to hold on target now.
04B Tier: Solid But Situational
Han 86 is a wash rather than a win. Max Damage Range climbed 7%, which is a genuine upgrade to its effective engagement distance, but Neck and Upper Torso Damage Multipliers both dropped from 1.1 to 1.0 — a 9% cut to how much a torso or neck hit deals. In practice that trades a longer effective range for a slightly longer time-to-kill on center-mass hits, which roughly cancels out for most players rather than making the gun clearly better or worse.
Type 73 only moved on its Assault Apex attachment, where Min Damage ticked up from 19 to 20 — a 5% change that is real but small enough that it will not move the gun's standing on its own.
05C Tier: Underwhelming for Now
Oden took the broadest nerf in the patch. Base Neck, Upper Torso, and Lower Torso multipliers all dropped (down 8-9% each), and if you run the Sentinel Apex attachment specifically, its Max Damage Range and Mid Damage Range also fell (-6% and -4%) along with a reduced muzzle velocity. Stack those together and the gun is slower to kill at every range band the patch touched, with no compensating buff anywhere on its sheet.
FiNN LMG lost 6% off its Mid Damage Range and had its Upper Arm Damage Multiplier cut from 1.1 to 1.0 (-9%) on both sides. That is a straightforward reduction in both its effective range and its reliability against players strafing with their arms exposed — a real step down for an LMG whose whole appeal is holding a lane at distance.
APOC-338 is the other LMG nerf, and it is the more thorough one: Mid Damage, Mid Damage Range, and Min Damage all dropped (3-6% each). Nothing on the gun moved in the other direction, so it is a clean, if moderate, nerf across the board.
06D Tier: Hard to Recommend
Warlord running 12G Slug Rounds lost 10% off its Mid Damage Range 2, cutting into the one ammo type that gave the shotgun any reach beyond point-blank. Slugs were already the niche pick on Warlord for players trying to extend its range past a typical shotgun duel; this patch narrows that window further without touching the buckshot loads most players actually run.
What To Do About the October 28 Tuning Pass
- 1The arm and hand damage multiplier fix applies to ISO Nightshade, PPSh-41, VEL 46, Wz.55 Striga, and X-58 Nyx. If one felt inconsistent in close-quarters trades before October 28, give it another look now that limb hits deal full damage.3 min
- 2ADS in-speed dropped from 300ms to 280ms alongside small movement speed gains. Your old flick timing will feel slightly behind the gun now.2 min
- 3An 11% increase to Max Damage Range with no offsetting nerf makes this the cleanest buff in the patch — worth a loadout slot even if you had written it off at launch.2 min
- 4Recoil Control Penalty on the EXP Haste 80L 14" barrel and FJX Fury IV rear grip both dropped 20-25%. If you swapped either off for a different part, it is worth testing again.2 min
- 5Neck and Upper Torso multipliers both fell, and the Sentinel Apex attachment lost range and muzzle velocity on top of that. The gun still works, but not as a precision pick right now.1 min
- 6Both lost Mid Damage Range along with other damage stats, cutting into the distance where an LMG is supposed to earn its keep.1 min
- 7Season 1 brings new Multiplayer maps, the DMZ X01 Black Site, and Warzone integration — a natural point for Infinity Ward to revisit weapons this patch only partially addressed.1 min
07What This Means Before Season 1
Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 goes live November 6, and Infinity Ward's own season announcement confirms it brings new Multiplayer maps and modes, the DMZ X01 Black Site, and Warzone integration through two new maps. None of that is covered by the October 28 notes above — this was explicitly a Multiplayer and DMZ pass, with no Warzone balance mentioned, because Warzone integration had not launched yet when this patch went out.
Treat this tier list as a snapshot of the pre-Season-1 meta rather than a permanent ranking. A season launch is a near-certain trigger for another tuning pass, and anything riding a narrow, single-stat buff here — Type 73's Assault Apex Min Damage change is the clearest example — is the kind of adjustment that gets revisited quickly once Infinity Ward has a full season of data to work from.
FAQ
When did this Modern Warfare 4 weapon tuning patch go live?
October 28, 2026, six days after the game's October 22 launch. Infinity Ward calls it the first broad weapon tuning pass of Modern Warfare 4, confirmed in the official patch notes.
Which weapons were nerfed in the October 28 patch?
Oden (base multipliers and its Sentinel Apex attachment), FiNN LMG, APOC-338, and Warlord running 12G Slug Rounds all took straight nerfs. Han 86 took a partial nerf to its neck and upper torso multipliers alongside a range buff.
Which weapons were buffed?
Kastov 762 and M4 got range buffs. All five launch SMGs — ISO Nightshade, PPSh-41, VEL 46, Wz.55 Striga, and X-58 Nyx — had their arm and hand damage multipliers restored to full. Wz.55 Striga, X-58 Nyx, Patriot XMR, and Type 73 also picked up extra, weapon-specific buffs.
Does this patch change Warzone balance too?
No. The October 28 notes cover Multiplayer and DMZ only. Warzone integration with Modern Warfare 4 does not begin until Season 1 on November 6, so there is no Warzone weapon data in this patch to verify yet.
When is the next Modern Warfare 4 balance update likely?
Not officially dated, but Season 1 launches November 6 with new Multiplayer and DMZ content, and season launches are the most common trigger for a follow-up tuning pass in recent Call of Duty titles.
Official resources
Kai edits the video tutorials and tier lists. Rankings are built from hands-on play on the current version and the developer's own balance notes, and every list states the patch it was made for so you know when it is out of date.
