Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies is far better than many fans expected, with players still grinding for schematics weeks after its release and looking forward to Season 1 additions like the VR-11 and the Dark Aether rifts. However, even though the mode has been a major success for Treyarch and Activision, it is not without its flaws, something that the developer has already started to address. Though Treyarch’s solution to the overpowered mercenary argument has gone over better than its changes to Modern Warfare 3 Zombies’ exfils, it missed a better fix for the problem.

To be clear, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies’ mercenaries absolutely needed changes, as they were shredding armor before players even had a chance to fight back. However, the latest update has made them laughably easy, to the point where Mercenary-related Contracts are now easier than those involving the undead. While a second balancing pass could aim for a middle ground between the laser-accurate mercenaries of old and the current mercenaries that hardly fight back, Treyarch could have avoided any issues in the first place by making mercenaries worth fighting through better loot.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies’ Mercenaries Should Be a Threat Worth Facing

Good Loot, Not Easy Fights, Should Define MWZ’s Mercenaries

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies’ human enemies were always going to feel strange and a bit out of place when seeing them for the first time, but surprisingly, they work fairly well in terms of gameplay. Breaking up the monotony of just fighting the undead, hellhounds, and mini-bosses in the open-world, these foes used to be something to fear when coming too close to a camp. Now, though, they are an afterthought, becoming so easy that they are not worth fighting. This should not be the case, as Treyarch should have focused on tuning their loot instead of their difficulty. When the mercenaries are so easy that they can just be steamrolled without a thought, players no longer need to make tough choices about things like avoiding a convoy or engaging.

Prior to their nerf, players used to have to strategize to kill mercenaries, and this would not have been a big deal had they dropped better gear. However, they really only dropped ammo, white weapons, and a single armor piece. An ideal solution would have been to have them drop green weapons or higher, with normal enemies dropping green guns and elites like riot shield enemies dropping blue guns while having a small chance to drop purples. Additionally, they could have a chance to drop perk cans they scavenged when out in the field as well as streaks. A mercenary-exclusive schematic to grind for like a Scorcher Wonder Weapon blueprint could have been a great touch, too, but right now they are too simple to justify high quality loot drops.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies Can Still Improve Mercenaries

Fortunately, since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies is going to be regularly supported by Treyarch, the studio will have plenty of opportunities to refine the Mercenaries, potentially moving toward this suggested style in future updates. While many have breathed a sigh of relief that Mercenaries are not as overbearing following the balancing pass, there likely would not have been as many complaints had it felt like they were worth fighting from the beginning. Hopefully, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies’ future maps, Mercenaries get a bit tougher to fight in exchange for better loot drops, with a healthy balance struck between their current and original forms.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

Released in November of 2023, Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) continues Captain Price's story from the 2019 and 2022 games.