The Maddox assault rifle has been 'shadow nerfed.' Here's what you need to know.
Last month saw the release of Season 2: Heavy Metal for Call of Duty: Mobile, which introduced, among other things, the Maddox assault rifle.
First seen in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, the Maddox is a bullpup, which quickly earned fans because of its fast fire rate and low recoil, making it great in conventional multiplayer and battle royale modes.
However, those fans may find that the gun performs slightly differently as of today (March 2), with reports claiming it has been 'shadow nerfed.'
The Maddox Has Been Shadow Nerfed
This information comes courtesy of Leakers On Duty, a team of COD: Mobile fanatics who regularly dive into the nitty gritty details of the game's weaponry.
According to them, the changes affect the gun's base damage and Echo Fire mod - an attachment only available for the Maddox.
Maddox Shadow Nerf detailsThe damage nerf in initial range doesnt affect the performance in MP but it will increase the STK in BR by 1. The Echo barrel nerf affects the consistency which means you will have to hit upper body shots and hitting leg shots will be punishing.#CODm pic.twitter.com/D0C9NVMBEE
— Stats On Duty (@StatsOnDuty) March 2, 2023
In regards to damage, there are changes in both multiplayer and battle royale modes, which should see the gun less viable at long ranges.
The Maddox's base damage is now:
- MP: 30-25-23-18 to 28-25-23-18
- BR: 30-25-23-21 to 28-25-23-21
When it comes to the Echo Fire mod, which is a muzzle attachment that increases the gun's effective fire rate, its damage multiplier has been reduced.
In both game modes, the following multipliers have been nerfed:
- Leg shot multiplier: 1x to 0.9x
- Upper arm shot multiplier: 1.1x to 1x
As noted by the leakers, these changes will affect the Maddox's performance in the battle royale mode more than in multiplayer, with the gun's shots-to-kill increasing by one in the former.
These shadow nerfs - named as such because the developers don't publically announce it - are now live in the game.
These changes to the Maddox are unlikely to affect its overall viability, especially in the game's multiplayer modes where it saw the most playtime. The gun still offers above-average mobility and recoil control, making it particularly effective in the sort of close-quarter fighting witnessed in smaller maps.
Leakers On Duty have also noted another change in this minor update, claiming that the buffs promised to the AK117 in the Season 2 weapon balance changes never made it into the game - that's no longer the case.
If you have yet to get your hands on the Maddox, check out our unlocking and best loadout guide.
For more COD: Mobile news and guides, check out:
- Best MK2 Peacekeeper Loadout For COD Mobile Season 2 (2023)
- Best Weapons In Call of Duty Mobile Season 2 (2023)
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