Over the last few weeks, we’ve been running a Massive Weapon Poll in the General Discussion board. Now, we’d like to officially bring you the results of this poll, in the form of some lovely tables and charts with numbers on them. For each weapon class (Assault, SMG, etc.) we’ve got a pie chart of the final poll results, then a breakdown of what weapon our voters preferred by level.
Assault Rifles
As you can see, two weapons are favoured above all others in the Assault rifle category, the SCAR-H and the ACR. That SCAR is favoured because of its combination of good stopping power, excellent iron sights and good accuracy. The ACR, on the other hand, is the most accurate fully automatic assault rifle, making it excellent at range. Looking at the level breakdown below, we can see that as the SCAR is unlocked so early – level 9 – the M4′s run at the top is quite insignificant. The big loser overall is the F2000, with only one vote.
Submachine Guns
Submachine Guns represent an even more heavily weighted field – the UMP45 is preferred above any other SMG, and as it is unlocked immediately it never loses that top spot. In the breakdown below, we can see that as new guns are unlocked, the UMP loses a small share each time, but remains dominant all the way to the end. The least popular gun is the final unlock, the Mini Uzi.
Light Machine Guns
The Light Machine Gun category is another fairly simple one; from the start the best gun is the RPD, and it holds onto this title until level 32, where the wide favourite AUG HBAR is unlocked. My theory for the AUG’s success is that it’s the most assault-rifle-like LMG, allowing better accuracy in motion than other LMGs, but significantly more spraying time than Assault Rifles – a worthy victor. The least popular gun is the MG4.
Sniper Rifles
The Sniper Rifle category, like the SMG category, is dominated by one weapon unlocked from the beginning – the bolt-action Intervention. The Intervention is one of the two weapons to give a one hit kill in non-hardcore servers, so its selection makes sense. It’s quieter and more accurate than its competitor the .50 cal, and doesn’t shoot that much slower. It benefits from Sleight of Hand between every shot too, making it a clear winner for repeated firing while maintaining accuracy. The rest of the pie is split fairly evenly between the remaining contenders.
Machine Pistols
The Machine Pistol category is split fairly evenly, with the fully automatic G18 holding a small lead over its rivals. Looking at the level breakdown, we can see that for the first third of the game, the PP2000 is the only gun in town, but even after the G18 is introduced 41% prefer it. The M93 Raffica is a strong contender, probably prevented from achieving victory by its relatively high level requirement. In my experience of Hardcore mode, the M93 seems to be more popular than the G18. The big loser is the TMP, producing nothing we haven’t seen before at an outrageous level 58.
Shotguns
The Shotgun category is ruled by the SPAS-12 until level 67, where the (then over-powered) 1887 is introduced. The 1887 remains popular as it now has a reputation of domination, combined with a very small kill requirement to gain Akimbo. The least popular shotgun is the also akimbo-able Ranger, probably because of its small range and clip size.
Handguns
Handguns are a mixed bag, with one big winner and two close runners-up. The big winner is the .44 Magnum pistol, which combines good stopping power with manageable recoil. Coming behind are COD4 favourites USP .45 and the Desert Eagle, showing in the Deagle’s case that carrying around a Deagle is cool, even if the weapon itself has recoil problems to the extreme. The big loser is the M9, perhaps not overcoming the stigma of being one of the first unlocks in COD4, and remaining the default Last Stand weapon.
Launchers
The Launcher category is dominated by two weapons, the Stinger and the Javelin. Overall, the Javelin has a small edge due to its area lock-on abilities, but is only available from level 50. Sadly neglected are the direct fire weapons, the AT4-HS and the RPG-7, who in my mind deserve more than last place.
So that’s it then, the Massive Weapon Poll! Please note that numbers in the tables have been rounded, are based on only 113 responses, and may be biased towards lower-level weapons because at the time of the poll not everyone was at level 70.
Thanks to everyone that voted, and be sure to check out our new Hardcore Massive Weapon Poll!
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