New MW3 melee weapon is perfect Riot Shield counter
ActivisionA new Soulrender melee weapon arrived in the MW3 and Warzone Season 2 Reloaded update, and it actually comes with a special counter to Riot Shields that players initially thought was a bug.
Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 2 Reloaded is officially underway, bringing the Bunker Buster Killstreak and PDS to the battle royale, while multiplayer fans have been treated to the return of Das Haus and another Dune crossover event.
As always, the marquee additions are the new weapons that have been added to the arsenal. While the SOA Subverter stole the attention to begin with, the midseason update also introduced the new Soulrender melee weapon.
Now, although players were initially skeptical about it, it turns out that the new sword is actually the perfect counter to Riot Shields.
Warzone & MW3 Soulrender has built-in Riot Shield counter
After the patch went live, fans soon realized that the Soulrender could kill players using Riot Shields, even if they’re facing them head-on. Usually, this would block incoming damage and protect the user, but instead, a quick animation plays as the holder is struck down.
Initially, most Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone players assumed this was a bug that would patched out in a future update. However, the devs soon responded to clarify that this is a deliberate feature to give them more ways to get around Riot Shields.
“Not a bug! The Soulrender’s heavy attack, much like the JAK Limb Ripper and JAK Purifier, is an intentional counter to Riot Shields,” said the devs, responding to the clip that was circulating on X (formerly Twitter).
Riot Shields have often been a controversial weapon in Call of Duty games, as some players feel they require plenty of skill to use, while others argue that they’re frustrating to come up against and should be removed.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that there was a mix of responses about this new Soulrender counter, with one happy fan replying: “HELL YEAH THANK YOU SLEDGE.”
Meanwhile, Riot Shield users were less thrilled: “Then what is the counter to the Soulrender for riot shields? Twice already I’ve gotten first hit with the riot shield only to have some jackoff take out this sword before I get the second hit in core. Absolutely ridiculous.”
The devs clearly feel that adding a Riot Shield counter makes the Soulrender a more viable pick in Warzone and MW3. Most players tend to stick to knives that allow for better mobility, so we’ll have to see if this extra bonus makes a more popular pick going forward.