Vanguard weapons still dominating Warzone despite major Modern Warfare buffs

There are only a few weeks left before Warzone moves on to Modern Warfare 2’s Warzone 2.0 and even though Raven Software have been buffing Modern Warfare weapons, Vanguard weapons are still dominating Season 5 Reloaded.

Despite Warzone featuring almost 200 weapons from the past three Call of Duty games, 2019’s Modern Warfare weapons continue to be fan favorites. Players have a ton of nostalgia for early Verdansk and its metas, and praise Infinity Ward’s attention to detail in their weapon design.

But, ever since Vanguard weapons hit the scene in December 2021, they’ve been dominating the game. With Warzone 2.0 bringing the end of Warzone as we know it, devs Raven Software have been bringing Modern Warfare weapons back to the meta. However, it’s still Vanguard weapons that remain on top.

While some classic Modern Warfare weapons such as the Grau 5.56, M4A1, Kilo, and HDR have made the top 10 most popular, there’s still a massive gap between the games’ overall pick rates.

According to the website WZ Ranked, despite Season 5 Reloaded’s buffs and nerfs, Vanguard weapons make up over 60% of player choices. To compare, Modern Warfare guns are picked less than 30% of the time, and Cold War weapons less than 20%.

It usually takes the player base time to fully adopt a new meta, but Vanguard’s Armagurra 43, Cooper Carbine, and MP40 still make up the top three most popular guns, boasting high pick rates and win rates.

While a select few Modern Warfare guns have reasonably high pick rates, they’re let down by low kill-to-death ratios and win rates. Despite the open meta, it appears that Vanguard guns are still bringing players more success, so are the go-to choice for those looking to grab a few more wins before Warzone 2.0 and the DMZ mode arrive on November 16.

Image Credit: Activision / WZ Ranked