Warzone Season 3: BOCW Optics Just Got A Huge Buff

Warzoneoptics changes
BOCW 'No Glint' Snipers take a nerf, while the assault rifles get a big long-range buff. (Credit: Activision Blizzard)

Raven Software are hoping to buff the mid to long-range weapons from BOCW. They don't want to raise the TTK or change how the weapons behave. Instead, they are buffing the optics. We've got all the details, including how this could affect your game, right here.

Warzone Season 3 is well underway, and Raven have been continuing their efforts to try and create a good weapon balance and increase the TTK. They think that BOCW weapons deserve to be more competitive in the mid to long-range though. If you think about the meta, people are still using the AMAX, the Kar98k, and the HDR more than any of the new Tactical Rifles, so they have a point. In a patch on May 27, they outlined changes they're making to optics to try and buff the BOCW automatic long-range options.

What Changes Have Been Made To BOCW Optics In Warzone?

The Axial Arms 3x, Royal Kross 4x and the SUSAT optics were redesigned to have cleaner crosshairs and to generally try and replicate the style of the VLK 3x from Modern Warfare. This is a great buff for BOCW optics in Warzone - the VLK 3x was beloved for good reason. The zoom level is closer to the VLK too, so less intense, to prevent players from using these scopes on Snipers and thus bypassing glint - this is a nerf to the snipers using such optics, but it's really more like fixing an exploit.

Although this decreased zoom hurts snipers it will actually hugely boost long-range assault rifles. When excessively zoomed in, and firing fully automatic, players will feel more effective recoil. They will have to make more adjustments to correct their aim for follow-up shots. By decreasing the zoom of these BOCW optics, they're actually going to make them a more attractive choice to challenge the AMAX within the mid-long range.

If you want to keep up to speed with all things Warzone then you should consider joining MyEarlyGame, here's just a taste of our work keeping players up to speed with the meta:

How Will These Optics Changes Affect Warzone?

Expect to see a lot of BOCW weapons spoken about as the potential new meta in these coming weeks. Especially because we know Raven still has their sights on the AMAX, they described it as being the 'undisputed king' of long-range automatic fire. Which, heavily implies it needs dethroning. People are looking for the next big thing.

What BOCW Weapons Might Replace The AMAX?

  • FARA 83: The obvious choice. I's already top–tier, but didn't have the optics to beat out the AMAX over range. We strongly suggest you begin leveling the FARA if you have a copy of BOCW.
  • AK47: The AK was always more of a long-range assault rifle anyhow. It'll be looking even stronger now, though. However, it's now sat in the perfect 'almost top–tier / A–tier' position alongside the M4A1, and developers won't want to disrupt that. Ideally, every weapon would be in this category.
  • Tactical Rifle Charlie: A surprising one to be sure, but the Tactical Rifle Charlie, or AUG, was recently buffed. Clearly, the devs want to see it get more play, and if they can continue to buff its handling, it might see action as a main. If not, it will always require a close-range switch-out weapon to go alongside, and at that point, you're forced to take something else.
  • M16: The M16 isn't the king it was at launch, and it's unlikely Raven will make it so again. That said, it's still a hugely reliable weapon and exactly the kind of weapon that will benefit from these optics changes.

If you like one of these, and you need to level it, we suggest you do so in the next few weeks, because Raven will try and make these increasingly effective to longer ranges.

Are you going to pick up a FARA and try to rock the Axial Arms sight? We're going to give it the full rundown, and we might report back in a few more days if these changes weren't enough, or were even too much. Please let us know you're own experience with them on Facebook or Twitter and don't forget, if you want a personalized news experience then MyEarlyGame is the site for you, with all the latest news and the hottest leaks.

Jon Ramuz

Jon has a BA and an MA in English Literature, and as Content Lead for EarlyGame has written over 1,500 articles. He focuses on shooters, but also writes about entertainment and gaming in general....