User blog:Didikins/My opinions on weapon classes in Black Ops 3

Hey guys, Didi here, and I'll be talking about my opinions on Black Ops 3's weapon classes. Black Ops 3's weaponry has had quite some interesting impressions on me, and as such, I thought I'd do this again.

These are my opinions, and feel free to express your own, or question mine.

For this blog, I'll state what I prefer, what I don't prefer, and what I can't make up my mind on.

My winners
The best assault rifles, in my opinion, are the Man-O-War, ICR-1, XR-2, the Sheiva, and the M8A7. The Man-O-War is a heavy hitter of an Assault rifle that will make you feel at home if you liked the Black Ops 2 SCAR-H. The recoil is entirely vertical, making it simple to counteract, and your damage per shot is fucking beautiful. The ICR-1 is your go-to if you want something that can work anywhere. The ICR-1 is your jack-of-all-trades, a trait that Assault Rifles often excel at supplying, with a huge accuracy bonus. The XR-2 is another good assault rifle for long range, as it hits pretty damn hard, is relatively accurate, and its fire rate isn't half bad for an Assault Rifle. The Sheiva is a flat out monster in terms of bullet damage, and at medium range, few will manage to kill you if you land that first shot. The M8A7 is basically an XR-2 better outfitted for medium range and not long range. If you're a crackshot, have fun killing people at medium range, because the M8A7 will just melt if you play the cards right.

My losers (but still good)
I didn't really like the KN-44 or the HVK-30 all too much, but they're still very good options. I'd use the KN-44 a lot more if it weren't for its humongous idle sway, and the HVK-30 will be lacking at long range combat. Both weapons can be very good, but they aren't ones that I'd gravitate towards immediately. If it weren't for them being the immediate options in terms of Assault Rifles, I'd say to avoid them, but because of their early unlocks and being not half bad, I'd say to try them out before forgetting them.

My winners
My winning SMG's are the Kuda, the VMP, the Vesper, and the Pharo. The Kuda packs the extra punch to make it very reliable at medium range combat and anywhere shorter. The VMP works like any typical SMG would, making it the best option if you want a true to roots SMG. The Vesper is just a close range monster that can easily lay the hurt on opponents if your magazine doesn't run dry, and the Pharo, while lacking a bit in terms of fire rate, has good accuracy and doesn't fall off in damage too much, making a Suppressor not half bad of a choice, and making the Pharo have a chance at medium to even long range combat.

My losers
My losers are the Weevil and the Razorback. The Weevil has a piss poor damage output, meaning that you better play smart or fear getting outgunned. The Razorback is an SMG I'd avoid due to how it doesn't play like a traditional SMG. If you want a true to roots SMG, which is what I always want, the Razorback is an SMG to ignore. However, its traits might suit you best.

My winners
My winners are the Argus and the 205 Brecci. The Argus' power makes it quite an attractive option if you want that one shot kill as much as possible, and the 205 Brecci, while lacking quite a bit in power, is quite good in the sense that it can handle serial engagements much better.

On the brink
For me, the Haymaker 12 is a shotgun that's difficult for me to judge. Its power is flat out awful, but it has a shit ton of ammo and fires pretty quickly, not to mention that it's pretty accurate. I was able to put the Haymaker 12 to good use, but its weaknesses for a shotgun are grave. Try it out for yourself, that's all I can say.

The loser
My loser is the KRM-262. You may call it bad luck, but I've had horrible experiences with this shotgun. Its one-shot kill potential is too weak in relation to its fire rate, in my opinion. I was constantly let down by this shotgun, and I just flat out avoided it afterwards. I do not recommend this over the Argus, that's for sure. I just don't see any point to the KRM once you unlock the Argus.

The winners
The winners are the BRM, the 48 Dredge, and the Gorgon. The BRM pretty much has all you need in an LMG: good accuracy, great power, and a good belt capacity. If you want a true to roots LMG, the BRM is likely the LMG for you. The 48 Dredge combines a lot of the other LMG's attributes into one to make it quite powerful: it has power in between the Dingo and the BRM, but also has high RPM leaning towards the Dingo. With a six round burst configuration, the 48 Dredge, for the most part, should be the most reliable weapon available for one burst kills. The Gorgon is one of the most popular weapons online, and for good reason: its power is mind-boggling. It gets two shot kills like figuring out 1 + 1 (unless you use a Suppressor, of course), so if you're a crack shot, most other players don't stand a chance. However, its RPM is pitiful, and most Call of Duty veterans will instantly be reminded of the BAR when using this weapon. Simply put, the Gorgon is a weird LMG with tons of power.

The loser...?
The loser, by the process of elimination, is the Dingo. Its power simply isn't enough for me to recommend it for an LMG role. In hardcore game modes, the Dingo is one of the best LMG's out there, but strictly in Core game modes, the Dingo will leave quite a bit to be desired with its damage per bullet, and elevated recoil in comparison to the other LMG's, which are very accurate. It's still good, but the others just outshine it.

The clear-cut winners
The clear-cut winners are the SVG-100 and the Locus, for me. Their instant source of power makes them very useful for going either defensive or aggressive, respectfully. Both of these sniper rifles will impress players, and behave in fashions that one would expect from a sniper rifle.

The one you need to keep an eye on
The P-06 is one you just have to try for yourself. It's hard to evaluate this sniper rifle simply due to how unique it really is. If you want a traditional sniper rifle, the P-06 will likely be your worst bet, but give it a go. You might have your personal favorite sniper rifle.

The loser by a couple milliseconds
It's the Drakon, and even then, the Drakon has some shine. Simply put, the Drakon is not good for being a traditional sniper thanks to its very small one shot kill area. However, for certain situations, the Drakon is just incredible. In Hardcore, this is your sniper rifle of choice 99% of the time, where that smaller one shot kill zone almost never matters. The Drakon can also be used like a marksman rifle if you get tired of using the Sheiva. Don't let the Drakon's very low power fool you, because this sniper has some power to it.

The winners
My winners are the RK5 and the L-CAR 9. Both of these machine pistols offer great, immediate close range power, something you'll need if you have a poor CQC weapon. These pistols are basically your ticket of defense against SMG and shotgun users when all other options are gone.

A cut below winner
I'm not a big fan of the MR6 simply because of the other options. The MR6 has many unique merits, being good damage per shot up close, a fast reload, and a 20 round magazine that isn't depleted as fast as the others. The MR6 is a very good pistol in its own right, but I'd say to try the other pistols out. Then again, that's just me.

The winners
Honestly, both of these launchers are very good. Both the XM-53 and the Blackcell are extremely powerful in their own rights, and I'd just say pick what you want. I personally prefer the Blackcell for taking down scorestreaks and extra ammo, but the XM-53 is much more versatile, but lacking ammunition. Pick whichever launcher suits you better. I'll make two distinct recommendations:

1. If you have a weapon that's very specialized in a certain role, or if you're in a game mode where big scorestreaks are rare, pick the XM-53.

2. If you have a weapon that's more versatile or if you're playing a game mode where players get big scorestreaks, use the Blackcell.

The XM-53 will add some versatility onto classes that lack it. You can either hunt down killstreaks for easy XP, or hunt enemies for kills. The XM-53 can be used to pressure objective points or camping locales alike. As well, when you don't need the Blackcell for scorestreaks, it's effectively useless, while the XM-53 is still an option.

The Blackcell simply adds support in terms of killing big game scorestreaks. When you don't need the extra firepower against enemies, pack the extra firepower against scorestreaks. If you're against a bunch of players that just got some big game scorestreaks, or if they keep pestering you with a lot of small scorestreaks like UAV's and Hellstorm's (which can be destroyed by launcher), the Blackcell will not only help your whole team stay alive, but provide you a stream of XP that could potentially net you some scorestreak of your own.

The Combat Knife
Ah, the Combat Knife. Back again, are we? To be frank, this really is your call. The Combat Knife has strengths and weaknesses so self-defining that I really can't say whether to avoid it or use it. If you're using a knife only class with Spectre, you should probably have this as your secondary weapon. Outside of that, it's hard to argue against or for the knife, at least to me. Try it out for yourself, see if you like it.

The end
That's my take on the whole ordeal. I apologize for lacking experience with some of the weaponry, as I'm recommending some of these based off of guesswork due to a low rank in Multiplayer. What do you love using in Multiplayer? What works better or worse for you? Let me know!