JGOD reveals Warzone snipers that could replace Kar98k & Swiss meta in Season 3

Liam Mackay
JGOD and Ghost using AZ-50 in warzone

Snipers Rifles are set to be nerfed in Warzone Pacific Season 3, and meta expert JGOD has revealed the snipers he expects will replace the Kar98k and Swiss K31 meta.

Sniping has always been an extremely powerful playstyle in Call of Duty, and once Modern Warfare’s Kar98k solidified itself in the meta, it never left. Cold War’s Swiss K31 joined it later, with the two speedy snipers remaining in the top 10 most popular weapons for well over a year.

That might all change with April 27’s Season 3 update, as Senior Creative Director Ted Timmins confirmed there will be a “weapon shift” for snipers. YouTuber JGOD has put forward the weapons he expects to dominate if the Kar98k and Swiss are no longer meta.

Ghost with AX-50 in cod warzone

Like any time the most dominant weapons are nerfed, other weapons come and take their place. JGOD expects Modern Warfare’s HDR and AX-50, as well as Cold War’s ZRG 20mm to become the dominant snipers after Warzone’s meta shifts following the Season 3 update.

Anyone who played Warzone at launch back in March 2020 will remember how popular the HDR and AX-50 were, especially when fitted with the thermal scopes. While the AX-50 has fallen down the ranks, the HDR remained a powerful choice for those looking for long-range sniping.

The ZRG has been praised by YouTubers like JGOD and TrueGameData, but never really broke its way into the meta, having only a 0.13% pick rate according to WZRanked. Players didn’t want to move away from their trusty Swiss K31 and Kar98k, but its popularity might rise after these sniper changes come in.

Of course, it all depends on exactly how Raven Software choose to balance Sniper Rifles. Vanguard Sniper Rifles have never received the same love that Modern Warfare and Cold War snipers have, but that might if they receive a major buff going into Season 3.


Warzone Pacific Season 3 also brings King Kong and Godzilla to Caldera, so stay tuned for the full patch notes and everything you need to know about Operation Monarch.

Image Credit: Activision / JGOD

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About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor who focuses on Call of Duty but also plays lots of fantasy RPGs or anything else in his massive gaming backlog. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam freelanced in games journalism before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].