Funny fact: Battlefield 4 has a lot of guns. You wouldn't think that were the case in multiplayer, as the majority of BF4 players have tended to prefer a few all-around beastly weapons —the Assault's M4A1 or the Engineer's MTAR-21, as examples—that sadly diminishes the chances of seeing more specialized firepower during a match. In a Battlefield Blog post today, DICE outlines some of the upcoming changes to foot soldier weapons as an effort to boost the variance of gun popularity and choice for players.
The post breaks down the planned weapon balances by type as shown:
Pump Action Shotguns
- Increased the accuracy of pump action shotguns (870 MCS, HAWK 12g, SPAS-12, and UTS 15) while on the move and aiming. The accuracy has been approximately doubled. These weapons did not have any available barrels or grips that would allow a player to enhance their aimed accuracy. This change should make the use of pump action weapons with slugs much more viable at medium and close range by allowing more accurate fire.
Carbines
- Reduced the long range damage of the MTAR to bring it in line with the rest of the Carbines.
General
- Adjusted the way inaccuracy is handled when transitioning from Hip fire to Aimed fire. Previously, if a player began firing before aiming, he would keep his hip inaccuracy while aimed, until he stopped firing. This was especially obvious with LMGs on the move. Players will now only be subject to the maximum aimed inaccuracy after the transition. While still terribly inaccurate, this allows for substantially more accurate fire than the old method and should allow players with LMGs to panic fire in close quarters, provided they are aiming.
- The Heavy Barrel's Accuracy bonus now also applies on the move, at a reduced bonus. This should give the Heavy Barrel a wider role for players who desire accuracy while aimed in all situations.
- Synchronized the timing of the aim down the sights animation of sniper rifles with their ability to fire with full accuracy. Players no longer need to wait for additional time after the aiming animation plays to get accurate shots. There is still a delay to achieve full accuracy, so Quick Scoping is still not possible.
The Heavy Barrel and LMG accuracy changes will be most welcome, I suspect. The barrel's steep recoil penalty didn't fare well against alternative attachments such as the compensator and muzzle brake, but these changes should turn the Heavy Barrel into a viable choice for those who prefer mobile, patient plinking at range. LMGs getting a little love is good news all around—their massive magazines and high rates of fire are already attractive for close quarters play, and shrinking down bullet spread while aiming will definitely make things interesting for chaotic maps like Operation Locker.
Unfortunately, the Battlefield blog doesn't give a specific date for these adjustments, stating only that the changes will go live in a "future update." DICE also recently announced a month-long Player Appreciation event to provide players bonus Battle Packs and XP boosts as it focuses on fixing any remaining major issues .
