Call Of Duty Warzone: How To Reduce Recoil On Controller

Compared to the majority of FPS games on the market, Call Of Duty Warzone weapons have moderate recoil patterns. Some weapons are more difficult to master than others, but with a few settings and strategies, everyone can learn to control recoil at all ranges. With how competitive Warzone has become, hitting that extra shot on an enemy is the difference between winning and losing a one on one gunfight.

Recoil control is a combination of the proper settings, skill, and setup. This guide will focus on all three of those elements to help players that are having trouble keeping their shots on target.

Updated December 9, 2021 by Payton Lott: With the release of the new Caldera map in Warzone, players have a completely new type of terrain to learn and master. Likewise, gamers need to familiarize themselves with the recoil patterns on all of the Vanguard weapons.

Not only are these weapons new to Warzone, but they also have considerably more kick than many of the guns in Verdansk. As a result, recoil control will be more of a struggle, especially for those playing on console. This updated guide will give people a few more tips and tricks to reduce recoil on controllers in Warzone.

Settings That Reduce Recoil

There are a few specific settings that all players need to change that will have an immense impact on recoil control. These are aim response curve, ADS sensitivity, general sensitivity, and deadzone. Each of these settings can instantly improve one's ability to keep the gun centered while firing. Those that do not need an explanation will find the best settings below:

Aim Response Curve Type: Dynamic
Horizontal And Vertical Stick Sensitivity: 5-10
ADS Sensitivity Multiplier Low Zoom: 0.80
ADS Sensitivity Multiplier High Zoom: 1.00
Deadzone: 0.4-0.10
Controller Vibration: Off
Aim Assist: Standard

Aim Response Curve Type

This setting should be set to dynamic. There are still thousands of people that have no idea what the dynamic curve is and how it reduced recoil. The description states that it provides reverse S-curve mapping. In practice, pressing down on the right stick allows for a slightly less responsive, but forgiving input. The response curve will have a huge impact on fine adjustments at longer ranges. All of the pros have this setting on, which should be reason enough to at least try it out.

Horizontal And Vertical Sensitivity

High sensitivity makes swiveling faster but at the cost of accuracy. Ultimately, everyone has a different preference, but when it comes to aim and recoil, lower settings provide the most consistency. Somewhere between 5 and 10 will work for the majority of gamers. Those that are around the 1.0 K/D range will need more hip-fire sensitivity to keep up with M+K players.

ADS Sensitivity Multiplier Low/High Zoom

This setting applies to aiming down sight with iron sights and low zoom optics vs high zoom optics. Low zoom will need to be slightly lower because the target will be further away, and the opposite applies to high zoom optics. The figures noted above may seem low, but low sensitivity allows for precision control when looking down the sight of a gun. Small movements in the stick will result in more accurate reticle movement.

Deadzone

Controller deadzone varies from controller to controller. Even brand new standard controllers have different optimal deadzones. People need to find a balance between responsiveness and control, which can take some experimentation. Next-gen console controllers need higher deadzones because of how they were designed. In general, between a .4 and .10 will be satisfactory. Removing controller vibration will help, but some prefer to keep the setting on. Likewise, standard aim assist is superior to the other options.

Understanding Weapon Recoil Plots

To effectively reduce recoil in Warzone, gamers will need to understand how each gun operates. Some guns have little to no recoil, and others are seemingly impossible to control. Every weapon will have vertical recoil, so the main thing every user must do is pull down slightly on the right stick. From there, fully auto weapons kick right, left, or in an S shape. Most of the weapons in the game kick up and to the right, but there are outliers. For example, the RAM-7 goes up and to the left, and the FFAR goes in an S shape. See below for a few examples:

Up And To The Right: M4A1, AK-47 (MW), Grau
S Shape (Up And To The Right, Then Up And To The Left): FFAR, FARA 63, Groza
Up And To The Left: RAM-7, Kilo 141

It is obvious that practice plays a role in recoil control and overall skill. When experimenting with new weapons, knowing the pattern and practicing control will make a big difference. Gamers can practice in a private match against bots, or hop into Plunder.

Muscle memory is not developed overnight, so it will take some time to pull of the shots that many of the professionals and streamers do. Shooting a tree or wall and trying to keep the aim in the same location is a great way for new players to understand how much they need to press down on the right stick to keep shots on target.

Controlling Recoil With Vanguard Weapons

Vanguard's WWII weapons have a lot more recoil and for good reason. The Vanguard weapons are at least 80 years older than the Modern Warfare guns from 2019. Controlling recoil will be key when fighting on the new Caldera map. With automatic weapons, aiming at the stomach is a great way to hit more shots. All of the weapons will kick up naturally, making the final shots drift up to the chest and head areas. Tap-firing will be more effective than holding down the trigger at longer ranges. Allow the reticle to re-center before firing another shot to improve accuracy. It doesn't matter how many shots are fired if they don't connect with the intended target.

If a FOV slider is ever implemented for consoles, turning that setting to at least 100 will help with visual recoil in Vanguard. The weapons on Caldera have a ton of visual recoil. With less reticle movement, it will be much easier to connect with enemies. Just like the scopes on the old weapons, the longer the scope is, the more visual recoil it will have. This is not true in all cases, but it is something to keep in mind when choosing how much zoom to use on a particular weapon.

Controller And Screen Lag

As controllers wear with age, the right stick will become looser. A loose right stick can be unreliable and alter the responsiveness of input. If none of the above tips work, it may be time to find a new controller. Elite and Scuff controllers are longer-lasting options for those that do not mind spending a few extra dollars.

There are a few other controllers that can actually be programmed according to user preference. For those that really want to hone in on their aim, getting a top-tier controller will help to some extent. Some people like to use thumbstick grips, which have proven to prevent wear and tear, as well as accuracy in-game.

Screen lag is another common reason why console gamers struggle with aim. It is essentially a millisecond delay between controller input and the action being performed on screen. There are a few ways to fix the issue. Most TVs made within the last few years have a game setting to reduce input delay. Smaller screens are almost always more responsive as well. Changing the settings or switching to a smaller display is worth the effort to improve reactions in-game. For the best setup look for the features listed below: