The Day 1 patch for Black Ops 7 is officially live, and among the changes coming to the game since the beta, aim assist is going to feel pretty different when you load in for the first time – and it might be a bit of a struggle.

Aim assist has long been a contentious topic in Call of Duty, as the system has evolved over time to incorporate various types of aim assist, including dynamic and linear, as well as the introduction of rotational aim assist.

Gunfights now look vastly different from what they looked like in the games that came before Modern Warfare (2019), but developer Treyarch has started dialling back on some of those changes with Black Ops 7, which could really accentuate the skill gap between players.

How was Aim Assist Nerfed?

In the game’s day 1 patch notes, ahead of its launch on November 14, Treyarch revealed the following changes to aim assist:

• In Black Ops 7, we are increasing the range before full Rotational Aim Assist strength is achieved.
• Additionally, we have slightly increased Rotational Aim Assist strength at very long ranges.
• A new right stick aiming requirement has also been added to Rotational Aim Assist

This means that short-range gunfights of around 10 meters or less will not have full rotational aim assist strength, requiring players to be more accurate with their shots.

However, rotational aim assist strength has been buffed at very long ranges to maintain better accuracy at distance.

As for the right stick aiming requirement, it used to be the case that players could use their left stick to strafe and achieve rotational aim assist that way. Now, it has been altered so that the right stick must be making an effort to track the player to achieve the desired accuracy.

More Aim Assist Changes Coming?

The early response has been a mixed one. Some players are happy to see that skill gap widen, while others, like three-time world champion Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, have said that the change is “insane in a bad way.”

Shotzzy on the aim assist nerf in BO7:

“It feels insane like in a bad way… I feel like I have no aim assist I’m not even trolling.” 🗣️
pic.twitter.com/hoLD7g0TSV

— CoD Clipped (@CoDClipped) November 13, 2025

The one group of people that are all celebrating this change are mouse & keyboard players, who have long complained about the prominence of aim assist in Call of Duty, especially as rotational made it significantly easier to shoot straight.

Time will tell whether these changes resonate well with the player base, as moves like these are often criticized early on.

However, Treyarch did signal that this might not be the end of aim assist changes in the game. They added: “We look forward to hearing your feedback on these changes, and we will be gathering more data to continue our push for a level and competitive playing field in Black Ops 7.”

The real test will be to see whether other developers implement it in their titles, such as the usually more casual-friendly Infinity Ward with Modern Warfare 4 in 2026.