Black Ops 2 weapons chart tracks damage spread, accuracy, effective ranges

Behind every bullet-bordered brawl in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 lies a rich mosaic of data, data that governs weapon behavior. Like an Oompa-Loompa sniper with Ghost Pro, the calculations putter quietly in the background unnoticed—until now. Strapping on their math goggles, brothers Pwnsweet and Corpsecreate (what strange nicknames siblings think up for each other these days) set out (via Reddit) to chart and break down gun performance based on frame counts, deductive reasoning, and presumably lots of airholed corpses.

The duo spent nearly a week “tirelessly counting frame values and testing with 99 percent accuracy in our results” to achieve the obsessive organizer’s dream come true pictured above. The chart shows a rather balanced arsenal of SMGs, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and others often trading magazine size for power or reload speed for range amid similar quid-pro-quos.

“An interesting observation: Damage dropoff in this game isn’t linear,” Pwnsweet wrote on FPS mechanics forum Hey, A Message Board. “Rather, dropoffs occur at discrete intervals.”

The Black Ops Bros—yes, that’s what we’re calling them now—also crafted a video demonstrating field-tested applications of their findings, revealing a surprising amount of accuracy retained while going rock ‘n roll on the trigger. Take a look below.