All perks, field upgrades, & killstreak changes in MW3 launch update

The arrival of the Modern Warfare 3 launch update marks the implementation of numerous balance changes to weapons, perks, field upgrades, and killstreaks. Activision has stated that today’s launch is only the beginning, and they look forward to providing a consistent stream of content updates.

MW3 launch update perks, field upgrades, & killstreak changes explained

Perks

• Demolition Vest
  • Battle Rage (Tactical) will now only restock up to 1 use.
• Tactical Pads (Boots)
  • Increased slide velocity, replacing the slide distance advantage.
    • Note: Perk description will reflect this change in a future update.
• Tac Mask (Gear)
  • Added immunity to Flash Grandes (Tactical) thrown by the player’s self.

Inarguably, the perks changes in the Modern Warfare 3 launch update are reasonable. For instance, Demolition Vest reduces the explosive spam by limiting the Battle Rage tactical to one use.

Similarly, Tactical Pads make the slide movement faster but riskier, affecting the timing and positioning of slide kills and executions. On the other hand, Tac Mask enhances the flash resistance and prevents self-flashing, making it a more viable gear option.

Field Upgrades

• Trophy System
  • Mosquito Drone (Killstreak) will no longer be targeted and destroyed.
• Med Box
  • Updated description to better reflect functionality.
    • Deploy a box of medical supplies for you and your teammates to reduce healing delay.

During the beta testing, the Trophy system was pretty helpful in destroying incoming tactical and lethal equipment. However, this field upgrade has received a minor nerf in the recent launch update. As a result, it will no longer target and destroy the Mosquito Drone, meaning your location will be revealed to the enemy players even if you activate the Trophy System field upgrade.

Related: How to unlock all new operators in MW3

Killstreaks

• Enemy Killstreak activations will now invoke announcer voicelines as expected.
• Guardian-SC
  • Decreased volume of Guardian-SC’s owned by teammates.
  • Increased environmental audio occlusion.
  • Addressed an issue that caused a player’s HUD to disappear until respawn after being stunned.
• Counter UAV
  • Players within interior areas will no longer receive a “Not enough space to call in” error upon activation.
• Juggernaut Recon
  • Decreased magazine capacity from 20 rounds to 8 rounds (-60%).

The MW3 launch update changes include some minor but welcome improvements, such as adding announcer voice lines for enemy killstreaks, reducing the volume of friendly Guardian-SCs, and removing the error message for indoor Counter UAVs. However, it also introduces a significant nerf to the Juggernaut Recon, which may make it less appealing and viable in some modes.

Vehicles

• NSTV
  • Increased traction to improve handling on slippery surfaces.

Stay tuned to Pro Game Guides for more Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 content. In the meantime, head over to our article on What is the Tactical Stance in MW3?