MW4 Meta Report: The Cronen Osprey Goes Straight to S Tier

Season 1 shook up the top of the MW4 meta this week. The new Cronen Osprey went straight into S tier, the VEL 46 and Hyeon Burst are still the guns to beat, and the M4 and Axion have slipped a rung after almost everything around them got buffed. If you haven’t touched your classes since launch week, now is the time.

What changed

The Season 1 update on 6 November brought the biggest tuning pass so far. Nearly every change was a buff, aimed at guns that had been sitting under the Hyeon Burst and Han 86. Only the APOC-338 was nerfed outright, losing a point of minimum damage and some of its head multiplier. The full list is in our Season 1 patch notes breakdown.

The changes that matter most for the meta:

• VEL 46: slightly shorter damage ranges but higher minimum damage, so it trades a little reach for less falloff. It’s still the fastest-killing SMG up close.
• Hyeon Burst: a small mid-range damage bump. The Hyperburst Apex was reworked to hit softer but further, which makes it a different gun rather than a straight upgrade.
• M4, Han 86 and Type 73: head multipliers up to 1.3, and the M4 gets a bit more max-damage range.
• Wz.55 Striga, ISO Nightshade, PPSh-41 and X-58 Nyx: more damage at range across the board.
• Oris 8.6 and Mosin-Nagant: longer max-damage ranges.

Two new guns arrived with the Battle Pass. The Cronen Osprey rifle unlocks free at tier 16 and has gone straight to the top. The CSG-35 akimbo SMG at tier 36 sits in C tier for now. Outside of guns, Crossfire lost half its bullet damage, and Claymores and Proximity Mines now arm in 0.75 seconds, so watch the doorways in objective modes.

On our tier list, the M4 and Axion dropped from S to A because the rest of the field caught up. The Oris 8.6 and Mosin-Nagant fell to B, leaving the KG-7 as the clear pick for one-shot kills. The Han 86 stays in B: the head multiplier buff helps, but it hasn’t undone the late-October torso nerf.

Best guns right now

• VEL 46: 252ms up close and a 12% pick rate, the most-used SMG in the game. Shorter ranges after the patch, so keep fights tight.
• Hyeon Burst: 144ms up close when the whole burst lands, and a 15.2% pick rate, the highest of any gun. Missed bursts still cost you the fight.
• Cronen Osprey: 272ms close and 392ms at range, around 880rpm, already on 4.4% of classes in its first days. Level it to tier 16 and run it.
• ISO Nightshade: 260ms up close, 7.6% pick rate. Easier to control than the VEL 46, and the buff to its minimum damage helps it hold on past ten metres.
• KG-7 Vulcan: the default sniper is still the best one, 4.4% pick rate. Head and upper chest are one-shot kills.

Loadouts to run

• Cronen Osprey Suppressed: the new rifle on a suppressed 60-round build with Ghost, Blood Rush and Battle Hardened. It handles every range in 6v6, and the big mag covers multi-kills.
• VEL 46 Shredder: for small maps and Shipment. Ghost keeps you off enemy UAVs while you push.
• ISO Hill Rush: our Hardpoint class. Quick Fix heals you on every capture and kill, and Blood Rush gets you to the next hill first.
• Solo M4 + ISO: the DMZ solo kit. The rifle handles outdoor fights and the SMG clears interiors. Bring inhalers for UAV towers.

Sleepers and fallers

• Rising: the Cronen Osprey, which went straight to S tier. The Wz.55 Striga got one of the bigger buffs in the patch, with more damage at every range and a 1.4 head multiplier. It’s still B tier on our list, but it’s worth another look if you like run-and-gun SMGs.
• Falling: the M4 and Axion. Neither was nerfed, but they no longer stand out from a pack that got stronger. Both are still solid A-tier picks. The APOC-338 took the only nerf and sits in D.

DMZ this week

X01, the underground facility under Hajin, opened with Season 1. It brings new areas, threats and Orders, and the FOB now has a 3D Printer and a Vendor that sells weapons and gear for DMZ Cash. Possum needs enemies 2.5 times further away before it kicks in, and Supplied Drops now works on Dynamic Operations crates, with a 50% chance of an extra container. Our X01 coverage grows as we confirm locations.