Players and pros debate if COD aim assist goes too far

The ongoing outrage over Call of Duty’s aim response curve, often labeled as “aim assist,” is nothing new. But with the conversation around it getting headlines again as top names comment on it, is aim assist really the villain some make it out to be?

While aim assist has been a staple in COD since the mid-2000s, Treyarch has iteratively refined it over time. With modern additions like aim response curve and finer tuning being made avaailable, many fans now argue the game practically “aims for you,” at least when you’re using a controller. Comparisons to newer shooters, such as Battlefield 6, have players demanding that Treyarch dial back these assist mechanics.

Recently, former COD pro and streamer Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag called for a player-wide agreement to ban “dynamic aim assist” from the Call of Duty League, the top spot for the game’s pro players and teams. The statement immediately split the community. Some controller players insist it’s merely a response curve setting, and not really an aim assist at all. In contrast, some mouse-and-keyboard players claim it gives an unfair tracking advantage in close fights.

Nadeshot calls for GA ban on dynamic aim assist. Credit @Nadeshot on X

Whether the response curve will ever be nerfed or removed is unknown, but Treyarch has made it clear that its aware of the ongoing aim assist concerns among its players.

The development studio believes the real issue lies with rotational aim assist, not the response curve itself. According to the new blog post, the game’s rotational aim assist that will be more balanced across all input devices in Black Ops 7. Whether those adjustments will carry over to other COD titles remains unclear, but anyone expecting major changes to the response curve itself should probably temper those beliefs.

Explaining aim response curve in COD

Nadeshot’s post calls for a ban on dynamic aim assist, but the community response has been chiefly players calling him out for mislabeling what is actually an aim response curve. The two aren’t exactly the same, but the dynamic response curve can enhance how aim assist feels in COD, leading to the confusion.

The aim response curve type in COD determines how your controller’s analog stick input translates into camera or crosshair movement. In simple terms, it defines the “feel” of your aim, depending on how far you push the stick. This feature isn’t available for MNK players because it controls how analog sticks respond to input, which is only applicable to a controller.

There are three main types of aim response curve: Standard, Linear, and Dynamic.

In Standard, movement starts slower and gradually accelerates as you push the stick further, making it easier to fine-tune aim at close range. Linear gives a one-to-one response, meaning your aim speed directly matches your stick movement. This is harder to master, and also the type most popular among PC players.

Dynamic accelerates quickly at first but then slows near the edge, offering greater accuracy. This curve doesn’t technically alter aim assist, but it does change how aim assist feels because the game’s aiming reticle movement interacts differently with the game’s slowdown and rotational tracking.

Essentially, the aim response curve is a sensitivity behavior setting, not an aim-assist modifier, though the two systems naturally overlap during gunfights.

COD players call for dynamic aim assist nerf

It’s not just Nadeshot who has called for a ban on dynamic aim assist. Pro player and streamer Jordan “HusKerrs” Thomas recently stepped away from Warzone altogether, insinuating that the game doesn’t feel the same for MNK players. Many share the opinion that aim assist has become too OP, tilting the game’s balance toward controller input.

Huskerrs steps away from Warzone. Image credit @Huskerrs on X.

The discussion is primarily focused on the aim response curve, which is a setting that determines how stick input is mapped to rotation speed. It’s not the same thing as rotational aim assist, which can subtly nudge your reticle toward an enemy even when you’re not pushing the stick fully in that direction. The controversy stems from how response curves interact with rotational aim assist. A well-tuned response curve, combined with rotational assist, may actually reduce the mechanical skill required to excel in the game.

When the two systems overlap, it can feel like the game is doing too much of the aiming for players. For this reason, even newer players may find it easy to adapt to COD, leading to the reduced skill gap Nadeshot mentions in his post.

A linear response curve, on the other hand, is generally considered the “classic COD way.” Most pro players prefer it because it offers the most consistent and predictable input-to-output ratio. Because the curve applies no acceleration or deceleration, every move always results in the same rotation speed.

In its current state, the response curve is not the overpowered “soft aimbot” some claim it to be, though stronger rotational settings can make fights feel uneven across platforms and control methods.

But at the pro level, the difference becomes far more noticeable. The shrinking skill gap caused by strong aim assist, which slightly pulls the crosshair toward moving targets, can make mechanical aiming feel less rewarding for players who rely on raw aim to beat out their opposition. Especially when compared with newer titles like Battlefield 6, which also features rotational aim assist, COD’s aim assist can make some players feel like the game is doing most of the heavy lifting.

Featured image credit: Treyarch