Developer Sledgehammer Games has surprised fans and released one final update for its 2023 shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The unexpected patch, which includes some big weapon changes, is available to download now on all supported platforms and comes just hours after both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Modern Warfare 2 were separated from the Call of Duty HQ app.

Although its multiplayer was heavily praised by the Call of Duty community, Modern Warfare 3 reviews were largely negative when it launched in 2023, mainly due to its lackluster single-player campaign. It is now one of the worst-reviewed Call of Duty titles in history, as fans blasted the game's incredibly short campaign, with some even labeling it as a "DLC" for its predecessor, 2022's Modern Warfare 2. With that being said, Modern Warfare 3 was praised by fans for its fast-paced movement updates, including the return of slide-canceling, iconic map remasters from the original Modern Warfare 2, longer time-to-kill, and more.

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On July 29, Activision confirmed it would be removing both Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 from the Call of Duty HQ app. Fans were hoping that this was the beginning of the end for the controversial feature, but it looks like the publisher is merely freeing up space for the launch of Black Ops 7 later this year. The good news, however, is that Modern Warfare 3's removal from the HQ app has been accompanied by a surprise final update. According to the patch notes, which can be found further down this article, the update makes some big changes to the Reclaimer 18 Shotgun, the Rival-9 Submachine Gun, and more.

While Black Ops 7 is on the horizon, Modern Warfare 3 still has an active community that jumps into the game's multiplayer on a regular basis. So, fans will be pleased to know that a handful of popular weapons have now received some fresh adjustments. Modern Warfare 3's Reclaimer 18 Shotgun, which has dominated lobbies for a long time with its JAK Devestator Kit, has received a big nerf, decreasing its maximum damage from 80 to just 25, its near-medium damage from 51 to 15, and more. The JAK Headhunter Kit for the Rival-9 Submachine Gun has also received a substantial nerf, with decreases to its medium damage, minimum damage, and headshot damage multiplier.

According to the official patch notes, Sledgehammer Games will also be adding new Armory Unlock challenges to the game in the coming days. This means numerous different weapons, such as the DTIR 30-06 Battle Rifle and Kastov LSW Light Machine Gun, and a handful of Conversion Kits, will all receive new challenges within the Armory Unlock. For those who might be unaware, weapons and Conversion Kits that were once available in seasonal Battle Passes are eventually moved to the Armory Unlock, where players must complete challenges to unlock them.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Final Update Patch Notes

Reclaimer 18 (Shotgun)

JAK Devastator (Conversion Kit)

  • Decreased maximum damage from 80 to 25
  • Decreased near-medium damage from 51 to 15
  • Decreased minimum damage from 25 to 10
  • Decreased rate of fire by 21%
  • Decreased sprint-to-fire time by 8%
  • Increased hipfire spread by 12%

Rival-9 (Submachine Gun)

JAK Headhunter (Conversion Kit)

  • Decreased headshot damage multiplier from 2x to 1.45x
  • Decreased medium damage 30 to 28
  • Decreased minimum damage from 28 to 24
  • Increased burst-fire delay from 66ms to 90ms

Armory Unlocks

Lastly, new Challenges will become available in the coming days.

  • DTIR 30-06 (Battle Rifle)
  • Kastov LSW (Light Machine Gun)
  • JAK Lance (MX Guardian Conversion Kit)
  • JAK Voltstorm (Stormender Conversion Kit)
  • JAK Salvo (KATT-AMR Conversion Kit)
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Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) Tag Page Cover Art
6 /10

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III
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First-Person Shooter
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 58 /100 Critics Rec: 14%
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Released
November 10, 2023
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
Developer(s)
Sledgehammer Games
Publisher(s)
Activision
Engine
iw 9.0
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Genre(s)
First-Person Shooter