Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Update Makes Major Changes to Gameplay

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 patch notes for the Season 2 update just dropped on February 7nd, and as Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games teased previously, this update included two key gameplay changes that’ll affect everyone in the game’s multiplayer mode. Those changes deal with how weapons sway about when players are aiming as well as how fast combatants will regenerate health after they’ve sustained injuries. The update in question kicks off Modern Warfare 3‘s second season of content, and it’s live across all platforms now.

Prior to the patch notes for Modern Warfare 3‘s Season 2 update being released, Sledgehammer Games previewed on social media what, exactly, these changes to aiming and health regeneration would look like. More on those changes can be seen below in excerpts from the full patch notes alongside visuals to show how the systems are changing.

Modern Warfare 3‘s Weapon Sway Changes

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ADS Idle Sway

• While a player is aimed down sight, idle sway is active. This mechanic discourages players from holding their sights for an extended period of time with a constant, subtle motion that introduces slight inaccuracy.
• ADS idle sway now initiates shortly after aiming down sight, rather than immediately, introducing a delay to the sway curve that is generally 5ms long but varies by weapon.
• Note: Sniper Rifles are not included in this change.
• After the initial delay, ADS idle sway now gradually increases over a 3s period before reaching peak speed, rather than beginning at full speed upon aiming down sights.
• Note: Sniper Rifles are not included in this change.
• ADS idle sway now consistently begins from the position of the player’s hipfire crosshair, rather than along the sway curve.
• These changes ensure that players with fast reflexes and precise aim aren’t disadvantaged the moment they aim down sights.

Hipfire Crosshair Sway

• The trajectory of weapon bullets is represented by the hipfire crosshair position on the player’s screen. Previously, the crosshair was influenced by the direction of the weapon, causing the firing direction to deviate from the center of the screen. Today’s changes eliminate the resulting compromise to accuracy without sacrificing the weight and reactivity this motion added.
• Hipfire crosshair will no longer sway from the center of the screen while the player moves or rotates the camera.
• Note: We’re aware that certain Stock Attachments may re-introduce this behavior. This is unintentional, and we’ll correct these artifacts in future game updates.
• Weapon bullet trajectory is now truly aligned with the hipfire crosshair, and thus, the center of the player’s screen.

Health Regeneration

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“We’ve adjusted health regeneration to better match the pace of gameplay. Now, for example, it’ll only take ~5s to heal from 1 to 150 health, down from the previous ~7.7s. These changes aim to enhance the intensity and satisfaction of gunfights.”

• Decreased delay before health regeneration begins from 4s to 3s (-25%).
• Increased health regeneration rate from 40hp/s to 75hp/s (+88%).

The full patch notes for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Season 2 update can be seen here.