The Battlefield series has long been known for its sprawling maps, chaotic firefights, and an arsenal that lets players tackle objectives in wildly different ways. But right now, one particular gadget has become the butt of jokes in the community—the underbarrel grenade launcher. Across Reddit threads, Discord chats, and gaming forums, players are calling it “basically dead weight,” a far cry from its once-feared reputation. Some frustrated fans, especially those grinding through tedious weapon challenges, have even looked into services like Battlefield 6 Boosting just to skip the pain of using it.

What’s driving the backlash is pretty straightforward: the thing just doesn’t hit hard enough. People keep pointing out that its blast radius is tiny and the damage feels like a bad joke. In older games, you could flush enemies out of cover or clear a cramped room with a single well-placed shot. Now, unless you land a perfect direct hit—which isn’t easy with its slow, looping trajectory—you’re more likely to just annoy your target than take them out. It’s supposed to be an area-control tool, but in practice it’s acting more like a clumsy, situational gimmick that’s often worse than just sticking with your rifle.

For players who remember the M320 from Battlefield 3 or the similar launchers in Battlefield 4, the difference is jarring. Those versions were tactical game-changers—perfect for breaking stalemates or forcing campers to move. I saw one veteran on a forum describe it as “the ultimate problem solver” back then. Now, the current model feels like a watered-down prop, missing the punch that made it a go-to choice. That gap has left a noticeable hole in the game’s tactical options, especially in modes where breaking entrenched defenses quickly can decide the match.

The knock-on effect is easy to spot in the current meta. Since the launcher isn’t pulling its weight, players are leaning more on C5, frag grenades, or other explosives that actually get the job done. That shift narrows the range of viable loadouts and makes fights play out in more predictable ways. The whole point of having varied gadgets is to give squads multiple ways to attack a problem, but when one tool is this underwhelming, it quietly pushes everyone toward the same few solutions—slowing down the pace and creativity of matches.

Some folks think DICE deliberately nerfed it to avoid the “noob tube” stigma that haunted earlier games, where grenade launchers were accused of cheap, spammy kills. If that’s true, it feels like they might have overcorrected. Sure, nobody wants to relive the days of explosive spam, but right now the balance has tipped so far that the gadget is barely worth equipping. The community’s been throwing out ideas—slightly bigger splash damage, a more forgiving hitbox, tweaks to make it threatening without being oppressive. Whether DICE takes that on board is anyone’s guess, but until then, most players will keep swapping it out for something more reliable, and a few will even keep hunting for a Battlefield 6 Boosting for sale just to get past its grind.