Battlefield 4 dev balancing weapons in future patch

Battlefield 4 developer EA DICE detailed a set of changes to the way the game's weapons work today, with the list of alterations including tweaks to specific firearms and general weapon behavior.

"We're balancing a number of weapons to highlight their intended roles," said DICE in a blog post.

The studio is making a couple of changes to the DMR weapons: Damage is being increased at all ranges, particularly long range, and the accuracy penalty for sustained fire is being reduced. Pump-action shotguns will be about twice as accurate as they are now, and the MTAR's long-range damage is being lowered so it's more in line with the rest of the game's carbines.

"We're balancing a number of weapons to highlight their intended roles"

DICE is also changing the way accuracy works when you begin firing from the hip and then begin aiming down the sights. If you do that right now, your weapon will retain its hip inaccuracy even after you've started aiming it. In the future, your weapon will only be subject to the maximum inaccuracy while aimed. In addition, the accuracy bonus conferred by the heavy barrel modification will apply in reduced fashion while you're moving, and the accuracy of a sniper rifle will correspond to the aiming-down-the-sights animation.

According to DICE, the aforementioned changes are based on feedback from Battlefield 4 players. However, these modifications are different from the proposed tweaks for which the studio began soliciting fan votes last week.

"These changes are all slotted to go live in a future game update," said DICE. It's unclear if the next patch, which is scheduled to be released by the "beginning of February," will include the tweaks announced today. DICE said the next patch is aimed at fixing some of the game's ongoing problems; for more on those issues, check out our StoryStream.