Black Ops 7 devs confirm aim assist & SMG buffs coming soon

Treyarch have announced a number of big changes coming to Black Ops 7, including buffs to aim assist and the SMG category.

Although Black Ops 7’s campaign has come under fire, multiplayer has been mostly well-received by players. However, there have been a few issues that the community has been debating since launch, with aim assist being one of the hottest topics.

The feature was nerfed in the day once patch, after mouse and keyboard players argued it was too strong. Naturally, this upset a number of controller users, who felt it was now too difficult to land shots consistently.

Now, the devs have confirmed that aim assist will be buffed in the coming days or weeks.

BO7 aim assist increased after nerf in day one patch

In a Dev Talk video, Treyarch Design Director Matt Scronce explained that they were “fairly happy” with how aim assist was performing, but revealed they will roll out some “nuanced changes” before the Season 1 update goes live.

While he didn’t go into specifics, he did mention that aim assist will be “slightly” increased at longer distances, to give controller players more support in those long-range fights.

While we don’t have an exact date for Black Ops 7 Season 1 just yet, it’s expected to arrive in early or mid-December, so it shouldn’t be too long before these changes take effect.

Our first post-launch Dev Talk is here with a lot to cover:

✅ Unlocking Endgame
✅ Weapon balancing
✅ Aim Assist update
✅ Spawn tuning
✅ Equipment buffs
✅ Drone Pod nerfs
✅ Mini-Map range increase
✅ Zombies boss fight nerfs
✅ Relic updates
✅ Cursed in Survival?
+ more pic.twitter.com/Qoc6UOoR1U

— Treyarch (@Treyarch) November 20, 2025

All SMGs getting buffed in Black Ops 7

Scronce also touched on weapon balancing, where he revealed that the SMG category will be getting some adjustments, after many fans complained they were too weak.

“First up, we’re going to be targeting a buff across the board for all SMGs, and then looking at specific attachments that target recoil and range,” Scronce said.

He also mentioned they were monitoring the performance of Sniper and Marksman Rifles, as they want them to be “a bit more present without being too dominant,” as well as Shotguns, to ensure they’re not becoming too overpowered.

The devs didn’t give a timeline for when these balancing changes would arrive, but it likely won’t be too much longer.