Covert Sneakers are widely considered the best Boots in Modern Warfare 3, so Sledgehammer Games responded in Season 4 by decreasing the volume of enemy footsteps to devalue using the perk.
As part of the Season 4 update, all enemies have quieter footsteps. Since Covert Sneakers eliminates footstep audio, it’s rendered redundant, considering everyone makes less noise. This comes after Sledgehammer Games already attempted to overhaul the Boots category in Season 3 Reloaded.
The developer removed Climbing Boots and introduced All-Terrain Boots, which offer significantly increased movement speed at the cost of tactical sprinting. In addition, Running Sneakers received a buff to improve sprint to fire time by 25 percent while tactical sprinting, and Stalker Boots were buffed to increase strafe speed and decreased the bounciness of aiming down sight. Those changes didn’t do enough to satisfy the development team.
“Last season, we made several adjustments to Perks to distribute usage in the Boots category more evenly,” Sledgehammer Games said. “Despite these changes, the pick rate of Covert Sneakers remains far ahead of other Boots.”
After this Season 4 change and the buffs from a previous update, there are plenty of compelling options worth considering. Taking everything into consideration, the best Boots option is now Stalker Boots as they give you faster strafing and ADS speed. Running Sneakers are also a viable choice as they increase tactical sprinting duration and reduce the refresh time.
The indirect nerf to Covert Sneakers will also impact the Call of Duty League. Reports suggest that Major 4 will be played on the latest patch, meaning we could see pro players experiment with other perks. Either way, the next time you load into a match, don’t be afraid to try out a new Boots option.
