Sleight of Hand perk might be weaker than Warzone players originally thought

Sleight of Hand fans get a harsh dose of reality.

Warzone arsenal
Image via Activision

Warzone players widely consider Sleight of Hand as one of the best perks in the battle royale mode, but CoD content creator JGOD recently explained why it might actually be overrated.

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JGOD tested the most popular weapons in Warzone to uncover how much of a difference Sleight of Hand makes. The perk improves reload speed, but improvement values depend on the weapon used. Based on the YouTuber’s findings, the CoD perk improves reload speeds on the HRM, RAM-9, MTZ 556, and Holger 26 by 35 percent or higher. Fans of the TAQ Evolvere, SVA 545, and Bruen 9K 60 Round Mag should also consider the perk, but that’s not the case for every meta Warzone weapon.

covert exfil in Warzone
Sleight of Hand doesn’t do what you think it does. Image via Activision

Sleight of Hand only makes a negligible difference on the WSP-9, BP50, SOA Subverter, and RAM-7, and doesn’t offer enough improvement to warrant wasting a slot on the perk. Instead, we recommend pairing Double Time with Mountaineer, which reduces fall damage. JGOD tested the perk and discovered players can fall from 27 meters or closer without dying while using Mountaineer.

Raven Software also indirectly nerfed Sleight of Hand when the new battle royale installment first launched. Previously, the perk improved reload times and weapon swap speed, but in MW3’s Warzone iteration, faster weapon swap speeds come as a default. Losing that added benefit coupled with the varying percentages removes some of the shine from Sleight of Hand.

Plenty of instances exist where players will want to use Sleight of Hand, but gamers should be more cognizant based on their weapons. A good rule of thumb to remember is slower weapons, such as LMGs and most ARs, will always benefit more from having better reload times. The HRM is a rare exception of an SMG that benefits from the perk, but most close-range meta weapons won’t benefit too much from Sleight of Hand as they already have impressive reload times.

Author
Image of Ryan Lemay
Ryan Lemay
Ryan graduated from Ithaca College in 2021 with a sports media degree and a journalism minor. He gained experience as a writer with the Morning Times newspaper and then Dexerto as a games writer. He mainly writes about first-person shooters, including Call of Duty and Battlefield, but he is also a big FIFA fan. You can contact him at ryanlemay@dotesports.com.