# Axion vs ISO Nightshade in MW4

URL: https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/axion-vs-iso-nightshade/
Updated: 2026-11-04

ISO Nightshade is ahead on 10 of the 12 key stats that both weapons report; Axion is ahead on 0, and 2 stats are tied. ISO Nightshade's biggest lead is sprint to fire speed (110 ms against 210 ms). Fire rate and magazine size are Activision's numbers; the other key stats are community-reported by CODMunity, read November 4, 2026.

[Open both in the compare tool](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/?w=axion,iso-nightshade) [Build with Axion](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/?w=axion) [Build with ISO Nightshade](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/?w=iso-nightshade)

Assault Rifle SMG

Axion is an assault rifle and ISO Nightshade is an SMG. This pair has a page because both are among the 12 weapons with the highest Multiplayer pick rate in CODMunity's list.

## Official numbers

*Official numbers for Axion and ISO Nightshade, from Activision's launch weapon sheets*

| Stat | [Axion](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/axion/) | [ISO Nightshade](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/iso-nightshade/) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fire rate (higher is better) | 705 RPM | 923 RPM Ahead |
| Magazine size (higher is better) | 30 rounds Tie | 30 rounds Tie |
| Reserve rounds (higher is better) | 90 rounds Tie | 90 rounds Tie |
| Total rounds (higher is better) Magazine plus reserve | 120 rounds Tie | 120 rounds Tie |
| Unlock level | Player Level 52 | Player Level 4 |
| Weapon levels | 69 | 64 |
| Apex Attachment | Axion Clearcut | ISO Trace |
| Apex blocks | Optic, Laser, Underbarrel, Stock and Rear Grip | Optic and Ammunition |

From Activision's launch weapon sheets. A damage table and time to kill are not published.

## About Axion and ISO Nightshade

### Axion

Subsonic rifle with a slower rate of fire and strong stopping power at most ranges; subsonic rounds hide enemy skulls on kills.

Apex Attachment, Axion Clearcut: Chainsaw-style rear grip with a handlebar foregrip, hip laser and canted aiming for mobile, hip-fire play. It blocks optic, laser, underbarrel, stock, and rear grip attachments.

### ISO Nightshade

Full-auto SMG with a fast rate of fire that balances controllability, mobility and close-range stopping power.

Apex Attachment, ISO Trace: RFID ammunition tags targets on impact and shows their movement and direction as a red dot on the optic display. It blocks optic and ammunition attachments.

## Community-reported stats

Community-reported Base values with nothing attached, read from [CODMunity](https://codmunity.gg/weapon-stats/mw4) on November 4, 2026. Unverified.

Across the 31 rows with a direction, Axion is ahead on 4 and ISO Nightshade on 18; 9 rows are tied and 0 rows are not compared because a weapon has no value.

- Official numbers: ISO Nightshade is ahead on fire rate (wide); Axion leads no row of this group. Level on magazine size, reserve rounds, and total rounds.
- Mobility: ISO Nightshade is ahead on ADS movement speed (wide), firing movement speed (narrow), movement speed (narrow), tactical sprint speed (narrow), strafe speed (narrow), sprint speed (narrow), and crouch movement speed (narrow); Axion leads no row of this group.
- Handling: ISO Nightshade is ahead on sprint to fire speed (very wide), drop speed (wide), ADS speed (moderate), ADS out speed (moderate), raise speed (moderate), and reload time (tiny); Axion leads no row of this group.
- Recoil: Axion is ahead on vertical gun kick (very wide), horizontal gun kick (very wide), and ADS idle sway (wide), and ISO Nightshade is ahead on vertical recoil (clear) and horizontal recoil (narrow). Level on ADS gun bob.
- Range and bullets: ISO Nightshade is ahead on bullet velocity (wide); Axion leads no row of this group. Level on damage range and bullet penetration.
- Hip fire and flinch: Axion is ahead on hip idle sway (clear), and ISO Nightshade is ahead on flinch received (wide). Level on hip gun bob and hip turn sway.
- Fire rate and ammo: no row has a leader. Level on headshot multiplier.

Brackets give the size of the gap as a share of the larger value: tiny under 2%, narrow under 5%, moderate under 10%, clear under 20%, wide under 40%, very wide above.

The widest gaps across both tables are vertical gun kick (Axion 17.6 against 36.5), horizontal gun kick (Axion 2.8 against 5.6), and sprint to fire speed (ISO Nightshade 110 ms against 210 ms).

Axion Clearcut, community-reported effects from CODMunity: Horizontal gun kick +179% (worse), Hip idle sway −50% (better), Vertical gun kick −27% (better), and Movement speed −16% (worse).

CODMunity lists no stat change for the ISO Trace.

### Attachment effects reported for Axion

The community-reported attachments for Axion with the largest change to a key stat, according to CODMunity.

- [100 Round Drum](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/100-round-drum/) (magazine): Magazine size +233% (better).
- [20 Round Mag](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/20-round-mag/) (magazine): Reload time −41% (better).
- [40 Round Mag](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/40-round-mag/) (magazine): Magazine size +33% (better).
- [Locus PX3 Canted](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/locus-px3-canted/) (optic): Vertical recoil −30% (better).

### Attachment effects reported for ISO Nightshade

The community-reported attachments for ISO Nightshade with the largest change to a key stat, according to CODMunity.

- [50 Round Drum Mag](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/50-round-drum-mag/) (magazine): Magazine size +67% (better).
- [40 Round Mag](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/40-round-mag/) (magazine): Magazine size +33% (better).
- [No Stock](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/no-stock/) (stock): Vertical recoil +30% (worse).
- [212 LC40 Comp](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/attachments/212-lc40-comp/) (muzzle): Horizontal recoil −25% (better).

*Community-reported base stats of Axion and ISO Nightshade from CODMunity, row by row*

| Stat | [Axion](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/axion/) | [ISO Nightshade](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/iso-nightshade/) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobility |  |  |
| Movement speed (higher is better) | 4.62 m/s | 4.80 m/s Ahead |
| ADS movement speed (higher is better) | 2.41 m/s | 3.20 m/s Ahead |
| Sprint speed (higher is better) | 6.11 m/s | 6.33 m/s Ahead |
| Tactical sprint speed (higher is better) | 7.16 m/s | 7.43 m/s Ahead |
| Crouch movement speed (higher is better) | 2.16 m/s | 2.23 m/s Ahead |
| Strafe speed (higher is better) | 3.54 m/s | 3.67 m/s Ahead |
| Firing movement speed (higher is better) | 4.05 m/s | 4.26 m/s Ahead |
| Handling |  |  |
| ADS speed (lower is better) | 260 ms | 240 ms Ahead |
| ADS out speed (lower is better) | 325 ms | 300 ms Ahead |
| Sprint to fire speed (lower is better) | 210 ms | 110 ms Ahead |
| Reload time (lower is better) | 3333 ms | 3267 ms Ahead |
| Raise speed (lower is better) | 1033 ms | 967 ms Ahead |
| Drop speed (lower is better) | 700 ms | 500 ms Ahead |
| Recoil |  |  |
| Vertical recoil (lower is better) | 48.9 | 40.9 Ahead |
| Horizontal recoil (lower is better) | 13.7 | 13.3 Ahead |
| Vertical gun kick (lower is better) | 17.6 Ahead | 36.5 |
| Horizontal gun kick (lower is better) | 2.8 Ahead | 5.6 |
| ADS idle sway (lower is better) | 0.40° Ahead | 0.54° |
| ADS gun bob (lower is better) | 0.09° Tie | 0.09° Tie |
| Range and bullets |  |  |
| Bullet velocity (higher is better) | 400 m/s | 530 m/s Ahead |
| Damage range (higher is better) An index: 100 is the weapon's own damage range, and attachments scale it | 100% Tie | 100% Tie |
| Bullet penetration (higher is better) | 9.0 in Tie | 9.0 in Tie |
| Hip fire and flinch |  |  |
| Hip idle sway (lower is better) | 1.31° Ahead | 1.63° |
| Hip gun bob (lower is better) | 1.09° Tie | 1.09° Tie |
| Hip turn sway (lower is better) | 20.9° Tie | 20.9° Tie |
| Flinch received (lower is better) | 0.29x | 0.22x Ahead |
| Fire rate and ammo |  |  |
| Headshot multiplier (higher is better) | 1.30x Tie | 1.30x Tie |

"Ahead" marks the better value of a row; "not reported" means no value, not zero.

## Pick rates and tiers

Community-reported Other sites' own figures and opinions about Axion and ISO Nightshade, not Activision data.

*Community pick rates, tiers and builds for Axion and ISO Nightshade*

| Figure | Axion | ISO Nightshade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Multiplayer pick rate (CODMunity) | 5.2% | 6.2% |
| ggranked tier | Tier A, 853 ms time to kill | Tier S, 761 ms time to kill |
| DMZ Radar tier | Tier B | Tier S |
| Community builds listed | 3 Multiplayer and 2 DMZ | 2 Multiplayer and 1 DMZ |

## Latest official changes

The newest patch notes that change Axion or ISO Nightshade, as listed on this site.

No change to Axion is listed in the patch notes tracked on this site.

### ISO Nightshade: First weapon tuning update, October 28, 2026

- Left Lower Arm Damage Multiplier changed from 0.95 to 1 (+5.3%).
- Left Upper Arm Damage Multiplier changed from 0.95 to 1 (+5.3%).
- Left Hand Damage Multiplier changed from 0.95 to 1 (+5.3%).
- Right Lower Arm Damage Multiplier changed from 0.95 to 1 (+5.3%).
- Right Upper Arm Damage Multiplier changed from 0.95 to 1 (+5.3%).
- Right Hand Damage Multiplier changed from 0.95 to 1 (+5.3%).

[Patch notes of October 28, 2026](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/patch-notes/2026-10-28/)

## Weapon pages, builds and tools

- [Axion: stats, attachments and Apex Attachment](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/axion/)
- [ISO Nightshade: stats, attachments and Apex Attachment](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/iso-nightshade/)
- [Best build for Axion](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/axion/best-build/)
- [Best build for ISO Nightshade](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/weapons/iso-nightshade/best-build/)
- [Open Axion in the class builder](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/?w=axion)
- [Open ISO Nightshade in the class builder](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/?w=iso-nightshade)

## More weapon comparisons

### Other pair pages with Axion

- [Axion vs Hyeon Burst](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/axion-vs-hyeon-burst/)
- [Axion vs Han 86](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/axion-vs-han-86/)
- [Axion vs M4](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/axion-vs-m4/)
- [Axion vs Kastov 762](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/axion-vs-kastov-762/)

### Other pair pages with ISO Nightshade

- [ISO Nightshade vs VEL 46](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/iso-nightshade-vs-vel-46/)
- [ISO Nightshade vs Wz.55 Striga](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/iso-nightshade-vs-wz-55-striga/)
- [ISO Nightshade vs X-58 Nyx](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/iso-nightshade-vs-x-58-nyx/)
- [ISO Nightshade vs PPSh-41](https://codloadout.gitlab.io/mw4/compare/iso-nightshade-vs-ppsh-41/)

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: What do the Apex Attachments of Axion and ISO Nightshade do?**

A: Axion Clearcut (Axion): Chainsaw-style rear grip with a handlebar foregrip, hip laser and canted aiming for mobile, hip-fire play. It blocks optic, laser, underbarrel, stock, and rear grip attachments. ISO Trace (ISO Nightshade): RFID ammunition tags targets on impact and shows their movement and direction as a red dot on the optic display. It blocks optic and ammunition attachments.

**Q: Where is Axion ahead of ISO Nightshade, and where is ISO Nightshade ahead?**

A: On CODMunity's base values (community-reported, read November 4, 2026): Axion is ahead on vertical gun kick (very wide), horizontal gun kick (very wide), ADS idle sway (wide), and hip idle sway (clear). ISO Nightshade is ahead on sprint to fire speed (very wide), drop speed (wide), ADS movement speed (wide), bullet velocity (wide), flinch received (wide), fire rate (wide), and 12 other rows.

**Q: How often are Axion and ISO Nightshade picked, and what tiers do they have?**

A: CODMunity's Multiplayer pick rate is 5.2% for Axion and 6.2% for ISO Nightshade, so ISO Nightshade is picked about 1.2 times as often. ggranked places Axion in tier A and ISO Nightshade in tier S. ggranked gives a time to kill of 853 ms for Axion and 761 ms for ISO Nightshade; that is the site's own calculation, not a published value. DMZ Radar places Axion in tier B and ISO Nightshade in tier S. These are community figures, not Activision data: CODMunity and the tier lists, read November 4, 2026.

Community-reported values: CODMunity, read November 4, 2026. Official numbers: Activision launch posts, updated October 24, 2026. Unofficial fan site; see Data and assumptions for every source and gap.