The Gunsmith in Modern Warfare 2 allows us to screw with our own equipment with many parts. A good idea, but some aspects cause criticism

A few tweaks turn our well-balanced standard assault rifle into a true melee beast that lets us move faster, fire more accurately from the hip and do more damage at close range. The Weaponsmith in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 lets us tweak weapons at will and extensively to suit our preferences.

In theory, this sounds great, which is why our shooter expert Phil was excited when the feature was announced. The finished feature also offers some advantages, (Criticism still comes up though). What weakens the good idea of the weaponsmith for the release of the game, we summarise here

Untraceable release

Less of a criticism of the armourer himself, but still related, the unlock requirements for some weapon modifications cause incomprehension. For example, some scopes, grips or the like are unlocked when we level up completely different weapons. Then we have to play shotguns for a submachine gun modification, for example, or act as a sniper for an assault rifle sight.

This is perhaps only meant as a well-intentioned incentive to try out other weapons, but for some players it is mainly a nuisance. So maybe not everyone wants to play precision rifles or shotguns, and feels more comfortable with automatic weapons, but is forced into another weapon genre to unlock a certain modification. Especially if you are not comfortable with this, it can quickly cause frustration.

Missing Information

The armourer is also criticised in other places. For example, when new parts are installed, they show a detailed list of the advantages and disadvantages that sights, barrels and other things bring with them. However, there is no precise information on how much the aiming speed is improved or how much accuracy is reduced. In the weapon statistics at the bottom left, only a small green or red section tells us what effect our modifications have:

Given the number of modifications that make players spend longer time in the armourer, more accurate statistics would be appropriate to better compare the different parts.

Confusing flood of statistics

While Modern Warfare 2 is so stingy with information on the one hand, it slays us with countless weapon values on the other hand, which have to be taken into account and distinguished. Especially in the area of recoil, it quickly becomes confusing for laymen. We have to distinguish between recoil control, vertical, horizontal and hip fire, stabilisation of recoil, recoil stability, recoil absorption, etc.

These distinctions make sense but seem overwhelming at first glance. All these recoil types are then also summarised in the weapon statistics under recoil. Because no exact values are displayed for individual modifications, we cannot see exactly what is actually happening to our weapon.

A diamond in the rough

The Weaponsmith remains an exciting and still useful feature despite its weaknesses. Balanced advantages and disadvantages keep the modifications at a fair level and specialise the weapons rather than improve them.

It is also possible without expert knowledge to adapt the weapon to one”s own preferences and obtain a satisfactory result relatively quickly. However, if you want to delve deeper into the matter, you will have to face many a headache.

To make it easier for you to get started in Modern Warfare 2, we have already collected some useful information and tips. We explain all the game modes and playlists, and show you how to unlock gold camouflage or weapon camos.

How do you like the weaponsmith? Do you also miss the functions mentioned and do you find the many values somewhat confusing? Or can you understand the criticism less? Feel free to write your opinion in the comments!