Black Ops 3 was a weird time for Call of Duty, but honestly, it was probably the peak of the "jetpack" era. Between the wall-running and the specialists, the actual weaponry had to be perfectly balanced to keep the game from falling apart. If you look at the list of guns in Black Ops 3, it’s a mix of futuristic prototypes and spiritual successors to classics we loved in Black Ops 2. Some were absolute lasers. Others were basically confetti cannons unless you had the right attachments.
It’s been years since 2015, yet people still argue about the VMP vs. the M8A7. That's because Treyarch did something risky. They introduced a "Pick 10" system that actually felt like it had stakes, and then they threw in Supply Drop weapons that made everyone lose their minds.
The Assault Rifles: Precision in a High-Flying World
The ARs were the backbone. You couldn't just spray and pray while wall-running on Evac; you needed something that could snap to a target.
The KN-44 was your starting point. It’s basically the AK-47’s great-grandchild. It had a slower fire rate but hit like a truck at medium range. Most people slept on it once they unlocked the HVK-30, which felt more like an SMG/AR hybrid. But the real king of the hill? That was the M8A7.
If you played Arena mode or watched the CWL back then, you know the M8A7 was the professional's choice. It’s a four-round burst rifle. If you hit your shots, it was a one-burst kill. If you missed? Well, you were probably dead before the second burst finished cycling. It rewarded high-skill players who could track movement through the air. Then you had the Man-O-War. It felt heavy. It sounded like a jackhammer. Slow fire rate, sure, but the three-shot kill range was disgusting.
Then there’s the Sheiva. It’s a semi-auto. Most players hated it because it required a trigger finger and actual aim. However, if you slapped High Caliber on that thing, a single headshot was often enough to end someone's killstreak. It was the ultimate "get off my lane" gun.
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The SMG Meta and Why the VMP Ruined Friendships
The list of guns in Black Ops 3 is incomplete without acknowledging that for about 90% of the game’s life cycle, the SMGs dominated the map flow.
- The VMP. It was everywhere. It had a massive magazine, a vertical recoil pattern that was easy to learn, and a fire rate that melted people. Even after multiple nerfs, it stayed at the top of the food chain.
- The Kuda. This was the reliable workhorse. It felt like the MP5 from older games. It didn't do anything "best," but it did everything well.
- The Pharo. Another burst weapon, but this time an SMG. It was inconsistent as hell, but in the right hands, it was terrifyingly fast.
- The Vesper. At launch, this gun was broken. It fired so fast it sounded like a buzzsaw. Treyarch eventually nerfed the recoil so hard it felt like holding a fire hose, but for a few months, you couldn't enter a building without getting shredded by a Vesper.
The Weevil was the odd one out. It had a huge magazine—fifty rounds—but it felt like it was shooting spitballs compared to the VMP. You’d get five hitmarkers and still get turned on. It was frustrating.
LMGs and Shotguns: The "Troll" Tier
Let's talk about the Dingo. It’s an LMG that thinks it’s an assault rifle. Fast fire rate, manageable recoil, and enough bullets to wipe an entire team without reloading. On maps like Combine, a Dingo user sitting in the back was a nightmare. Then you had the 48 Dredge. Six-round burst. Absolute overkill.
Shotguns in BO3 were... polarizing. The KRM-262 was your standard pump-action. Reliable. But the Argus? That was a sniper rifle disguised as a shotgun. When you aimed down sights, the pellet spread tightened into a single slug. If you were accurate, you could cross-map people. If you missed by an inch, you were toast. And we can't forget the Brecci. The 205 Brecci is arguably the most hated gun in Call of Duty history. Semi-auto, huge spread, and it caused a flinch that made it impossible to shoot back. If someone was spamming a Brecci with Gung-Ho, the lobby was basically over.
The Controversy of Supply Drop Weapons
We have to address the elephant in the room. The list of guns in Black Ops 3 eventually expanded through the Black Market. This is where things got messy.
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Treyarch started dropping "ranged weapons" into supply drops. The XMC was basically a buffed version of the MSMC from Black Ops 2, and it was significantly better than the base SMGs. The Marshal 16 was a secondary pistol that functioned like a handheld shotgun. It was broken. The fact that these were locked behind RNG (luck) meant that some players had a literal competitive advantage just because they got lucky with a crate or spent hundreds of dollars.
The NX ShadowClaw (a literal crossbow) and the D13 Sector (which shot bouncing sawblades) were fun, but they changed the DNA of the game. They turned a tactical-ish shooter into something closer to a chaotic hero shooter.
Snipers: No Aim Assist, No Problem?
Black Ops 3 removed aim assist for snipers on consoles. This was a massive change.
The Locus was the fan favorite. It had a beautiful bolt-action animation and a satisfying "crack" when it fired. The SVG-100 had a larger one-hit kill zone but felt like you were carrying a piece of industrial machinery. Then there was the P-06. It was a charge-up sniper. You’d pull the trigger, wait a fraction of a second, and it would fire a three-round burst. It was bizarre, but in the hands of a keyboard and mouse player or a very skilled controller player, it was the best gun in the game. Period.
Why This Specific Weapon Sandbox Worked
Despite the jetpacks and the specialist weapons like the Gravity Spikes or the Scythe, the gunplay felt "sticky" in a good way. The time-to-kill (TTK) was slow enough that you could react if someone shot you from behind, but fast enough that a skilled player could still pull off a 1v3.
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The list of guns in Black Ops 3 worked because every gun had a distinct "feel." The audio design was top-tier. You knew exactly what was shooting at you just by the rhythm of the gunfire. The Man-O-War’s heavy thuds were distinct from the HVK’s rapid ticking.
Actionable Takeaways for Modern Players
If you’re heading back into Black Ops 3 today—and surprisingly, the servers are still somewhat active on certain platforms—there are a few things you should know to survive the remaining sweats.
- Stick to the Classics: If you don't have DLC weapons, don't sweat it. The Kuda and KN-44 are still top-tier. You don't need the Black Market stuff to win.
- High Caliber is Key: On Assault Rifles, High Caliber changes the math. It reduces the number of shots to kill if you land a headshot. In a game with this much verticality, you’ll be hitting headshots more often than you think.
- The "Blast Suppressor" Tax: If you’re playing multiplayer, you basically have to use the Blast Suppressor perk. Without it, every time you jump or wall-run, you show up on the enemy minimap. It’s a non-negotiable.
- Counter the Brecci: If you run into someone spamming the Brecci, stop trying to out-gun them at close range. Switch to a long-range AR or an LMG and hold a line of sight. They want you to panic-jump; don't give them the satisfaction.
Black Ops 3 represents a specific era of design where movement was king, but the guns still had soul. Whether you were a casual player grinding for Dark Matter or a competitive fan watching Karma or Scump dominate with the M8, those weapons defined hundreds of hours of gameplay. The balance wasn't always perfect, and the loot boxes were a stain on the experience, but the core mechanics remain some of the tightest in the franchise.
To truly master the current state of the game, focus on perfecting your "Bumper Jumper" or "Stick and Move" button layouts. Being able to aim while jumping is what separates the people who just look at the list of guns in Black Ops 3 from the people who actually know how to use them. Reach for the Long Barrel attachment on SMGs to extend your three-shot kill range, and always keep a launcher like the XM-53 in your back pocket to take down the inevitable UAV spam. Speed and map knowledge will always outclass a "meta" gun in this specific Call of Duty entry.