Call of Duty: Vanguard players grow irritable as news of weapon bloom mechanic spreads

Through the looking glass: If there's one thing that can be counted on, it's that the CoD community will be vocal any time they disagree with an element of the franchise. Vanguard has been relatively well received since release, with players giving credit to its multiplayer functions but giving less than stellar reviews for the game's solo campaign. However, a recent finding may have the potential to once again light a fire across the game's population.

CoD statistics provider TrueGameData recently published several tweets revealing a previously unknown gameplay mechanic referred to as weapon bloom. The mechanic causes a player's bullet to travel in any of a number of random directions within a defined area while aiming down the sights. This behavior is a departure from previous CoD titles, where shots would typically land according to a weapon's ADS reticle placement.

According TrueGameData's findings, the effect is more pronounced with certain weapon types and can be reduced or negated by using more accurate weapons, specific attachments, etc.

Typically more realistic shooters, such as Battlefield, are known to use the bloom effect to mimic the intricacies of accurately firing a weapon. The effect has also been a hot topic in the Fortnite community for several years, where the degree of severity is affected by everything from weapon selection to player position and movement when firing.

Support for the mechanic is mixed across the player base. Some see it as an unfair variable that makes shots more random and less skill-based. Others see it as a positive addition that adds an element of realism and requires players to more precisely place their shots.

One potential reason for the addition is Vanguard's increased weapon attachment slots. With the ability to use up to 10 weapon attachments, some of which can reduce the bloom effect, attachment choice will play a much larger role in determining weapon efficacy.

Regardless of where CoD players stand on the topic, one thing is for certain. If weapon bloom is an intentional Vanguard mechanic and not a bug, the topic won't be going away any time soon.