Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warplayers have recently voiced concerns regarding the balancing of various weapons of the game, with everything from snipers to SMGs being discussed. In response, Treyarch’s lead game designer Tony Flame has explained the process behind deciding whichCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warweapons will be nerfed and buffed.

WithCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warweapons likethe MP5 already being nerfed, Flame took to Twitter to justify major weapon adjustments so early in the newCall of Duty’s life cycle. Flame’s “insight into the core of ‘buff’ or ‘nerf’ decisions” ultimately came down to one thing: time-to-kill. WithBlack Ops Cold Warfeaturing a longer TTK than games likeModern Warfare, weapons should take a certain amount of time to kill so that they fit the system.

RELATED:Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Data Reveals Best Weapons and Attachments

WhileBlack Ops Cold War’s TTK has caused controversy, Flame’s logic regarding weapon balancing holds up in any system, regardless of whether enemies die quickly or take a few extra bullets. Per flame, “it’s paramount to preserve the best TTK experience across weapons over time,” and if a weapon exceeds or falls below a certain baseline by too much, nerds and buffs will follow. With a few weapons already meeting that criteria, Treyarch has started to make adjustments.

Black Ops Cold War’s version of the FAMAS, the FFAR, recently saw a nerf because of this belief regarding TTK. Due to the weapon having too fast of a killing speed at range, the FFAR saw its recoil raised dramatically, making the weapon far less reliable in long-distance gunfights. While some comments on Flame’s post pleaded with the developer to adjust the weapons stats and make it “usable” once again, Treyarch’s data may show that the weapon is now behaving properly.

While Tony Flame’s logic being the idea that “TTK is king” certainly makes sense, it does not solve every issue regarding weapon balance in aCall of Dutygame. After all, one example regarding damage not being an issue is seen in the community’s demands regarding sniper rifles. With manyBlack Ops Cold Warplayers requesting a sniper buffso that the weapons can be aimed faster, allowing for easier quickscoping and aim speeds that resembleModern Warfare, there are aspects of weapon balancing to address that is not directly tied to TTK.

Still, withBlack Ops Cold Wargetting abalance pass ahead of Season 1’s launch, hopefully, player issues regarding many of the game’s weapons are solved. If a fan favorite weapon gets changed, though, players now know that it is likely due to the gun’s time-to-kill.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

MORE:Future Call of Duty Campaigns Need To Include These Black Ops Cold War Features