A streak that somehow slipped through

Call of Duty players usually treat a seasonal update like a long-awaited cleanup job. The assumption is simple: if something has been dominating matches, the next patch will probably tone it down. In Black Ops 7, Season 3 arrived on March 31 and did exactly that for several standout threats, including the Voyak KT-3, Kogot-7, Ryden 45K, and the always-problematic Swordfish A1.

But one of the game’s most frustrating scorestreaks did not make the nerf list. The Deadeye drone stayed untouched, and plenty of players think that was a generous mistake.

Why players are still angry about Deadeye

The Deadeye does have counters, at least on paper. Players can bring in the Hunter Bot or use the Blackhat tactical to deal with it. In practice, though, many say those answers do not make the streak feel any less oppressive.

Reddit user LeagueNaive laid out the complaint bluntly: “How did this streak not get a nerf in the Season 3 update? Why is it still giving 100 score per kill? And why is it so low score to obtain?” They also pointed out that it can rack up “10 kills per use if used correctly,” which means players can chain it repeatedly with Looper.

That Looper interaction is a big part of why people are annoyed. Another player, Joker2981, argued that the Deadeye setup is “10x worse than the swordfish lol,” adding that someone had just posted an 80-kill game while getting 10 kills from the streak alone. Not exactly the kind of contribution that makes everyone feel better about the match.

Other comments were less subtle:

  • “Needs nerfed ASAP,” one player wrote.
  • “Remove this streak plz,” another added.

For reference, the Deadeye only costs 575 score, which is a pretty friendly price tag for something that can potentially swing a match so hard.

Players suggest easier counters

Some players believe the issue is not just the streak itself, but how much effort it takes to shut it down. One commenter said a drone should go down with “a round or two” instead of “a whole freaking clip.” Another suggested EMP grenades with increased radius are a better answer in practice.

Treyarch has been willing to adjust overpowered content before, especially when complaints become impossible to ignore. Over the past few months, the studio has made several balance changes when things drifted too far.

That includes the Swordfish nerf, which arrived after some below-average Call of Duty players claimed it was turning them into “good players” with minimal effort. So yes, the bar for intervention is not exactly mysterious. Whether Deadeye gets the same treatment next is the part players are watching now.