In week two of the beta, snipers are out in full force thanks to a game-changing Modern Warfare 2 flaw that allows players with scopes to see through smoke. 

Players on all platforms are participating in the Modern Warfare 2 Beta, which is currently in its final week. While there were some flaws with the initial PlayStation-only test, some of which developers have already tried to fix, it seems that more are already cropping up in week two. 

Many people in the community have consistently complained about visibility and demanded significant adjustments in that area. Players have reported having trouble seeing in front of them due to the effects of smoke grenades and killstreaks. Although Infinity Ward is aware of the problem, it now appears to be getting worse. Players have observed that snipers are startlingly able to see through smoke as if it weren't there in the second week of the beta. 

A sniper scope with down sights on totally eliminates all smoke effects from the map, according to information that was first provided on Reddit by 'GT-Ranz' and then spread by CharlieIntel. On the Mercado Las Almas map, the player couldn't see through gates while unscoped. They quickly focused, clearing the region of any smoke so they could see straight through to the other side. 

Obviously, the ability of some players to completely disregard smoke offers a significant advantage. Historically, only thermal scopes with a custom class were made to be able to view enemies through such effects. But in the Modern Warfare 2 Beta, standard sniper scopes seem to be effective. Unfortunately, such a game-breaking problem has started to become more common in new Call of Duty games. Weeks after its debut, a similar glitch in Modern Warfare 2019 ruined matches. Smoke issues plagued Black Ops Cold War as well, and they were so bad that snipers were banned from competitive play for a full year. 

There is a potential that this fresh incidence of the bug will be patched before launch given that Modern Warfare 2 is only recently out of Beta. However, considering the history of the series, it's as conceivable that it takes some time to correct.