Highlights

  • Sniper rifles have been banned in Ranked Play for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
  • Sniping can be a powerful strategy in certain scenarios, but the move to ban sniper rifles is not surprising considering their potential impact.
  • Ranked Play already removed many other weapon categories, which has disappointed some fans, who now have an even more limited selection of weapons to choose from.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has banned all sniper rifles in Ranked Play. This is in line with how the professional scene plays Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, as the pro players agreed to ban the weapon category shortly after the game launched.

In the right hands, Modern Warfare 3's sniper rifles can be a game-altering tool on certain maps and modes. Before the new update, Ranked Play users were probably familiar with being sniped at the beginning of a match on Highrise or at the beginning of a Search and Destroy round on Terminal. Sniper rifles like the KATT-AMR are usually one-shot kills and have good handling, allowing for skilled snipers to dominate a map in certain scenarios. While sniping is a unique and iconic expression of skill within the Call of Duty community, Modern Warfare 3 recently made a somewhat unsurprising move.

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Following Call of Duty's recent update, players are no longer able to equip sniper rifles in Ranked Play. Some fans have expressed their disappointment with this move, as Ranked Play has already removed the majority of weapons available in Modern Warfare 3. In addition to sniper rifles, Ranked Play previously removed all battle rifles, LMGs, shotguns, marksman rifles, launchers, three pistols, two SMGs, and seven assault rifles. To be fair, the vast majority of these weapons were removed for good reason due to them being overpowered or uncompetitive in nature. However, Ranked Play fans now have an even more limited selection of weapons, with guns like the MCW and Rival-9 feeling like a mandatory choice for many players.

Banned Weapons in Modern Warfare 3 Ranked Play

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  • All snipers
  • All LMGs
  • All battle rifles
  • All shotguns
  • All marksman rifles
  • All launchers
  • One melee weapon (Riot Shield)
  • Three pistols (COR-45, TYR, and WSP Stinger)
  • Two SMGs (HRM-9 and RAM-9)
  • Seven assault rifles (FR 5.56, DG-58, Holger 556, MTZ 556, SVA-545, BP50, and RAM-7)
  • All Modern Warfare 2 weapons

Fortunately, Call of Duty's recent update significantly buffed the Striker 9, which was previously not considered to be one of Modern Warfare 3's best SMGs. Some high-level Ranked players are reporting that the gun has joined the Rival-9 in being a perfectly viable SMG in Ranked Play, which could help offset the mode's limited selection of weapons. It might be helpful to remember that the Striker 9 is a separate weapon from the Striker.

As for future Ranked Play updates, Call of Duty's Season 2 roadmap made no mention of additions coming to the mode later in the season. However, it's possible that some of Season 2's new maps, such as Vista or Departures, may be added at some point in the future, especially seeing that a Season 1 DLC map was recently added to Ranked Play.