One day before Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's North American release, Activision has revealed that the game will feature notable changes to aim assist. This announcement comes from the Black Ops 7 launch patch notes, which detail several interesting changes to movement, multiplayer, and progression mechanics.
Though it's often included as a yes-or-no toggle in a game's settings, aim assist isn't usually a one-mechanic affair. Rather, there are several ways that a game can incorporate aim assist, from aim slowdown and bullet magnetism to right-stick acceleration, and many AAA games use several of these elements simultaneously to create a smoother overall experience for controller users. The type of aim assist covered in the Black Ops 7 patch notes is rotational aim assist, which makes automatic microadjustments to a player's aim when they are tracking a moving target. In practice, this often translates to better movement tracking at close range, as a player's reticle will stick to their target to an extent, especially while moving.
Activision Announces Big Change to Rotational Aim Assist in Black Ops 7
In an effort to further level the playing field between controller and KBM Black Ops 7 players, rotational aim assist has been altered to "increase the range at which full Rotational Aim Assist strength is achieved." This means that players will have to keep their crosshairs more closely fixed to their target to receive the full rotational aim assist advantage, and that the beneficial microadjustments will be weaker the further the crosshairs are positioned from their target.
Additionally, the patch will introduce "slightly increased Rotational Aim Assist strength at very long ranges," and a new right-stick requirement: "the player's right stick movement must be tracking an enemy target for Rotational Aim Assist to activate at full strength." This is perhaps the most significant change to aim assist in Black Ops 7, since rotational aim assist is traditionally meant to de-emphasize right-stick movement.
Note
Like with the changes to rotational aim assist range, the right-stick requirement is dynamic rather than binary: the effect of rotational aim assist will be reduced if not using the right stick, not negated altogether.
As one might expect, there has already been a good deal of discussion about these changes, with some players calling it a buff and others labeling it a nerf. It depends on how one looks at it, of course, but the improved rotational assist at long range could be helpful for certain playstyles. A sniper, for instance, may have a much easier time following these changes, whereas a close-range player will have to be more diligent about their enemy-tracking, especially when compared to the relatively strong aim assist present in Black Ops 6.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
