is the update worth getting if i don't have a vip code?

Get the update. Dice is almost constantly tweaking the various weapon stats, trying to get balance. I wouldn't say they nerfed anything. Certain weapons were seeming a bit OP at release, and they've adjusted them several times. Some weapons seemed not so great, and they boosted those.

As Snooze noted, without the update, you won't be able to play with a lot of folks. Not sure what a VIP code goes for these days, but if you're interested in playing online, I'd strongly consider it - particularly because it's difficult to find full matches, you'll wish you could follow a good match to the next map . . . .

Finally, the DP codes still work to get you the SPECACT gear. Any DP with an EA code (usually the 20 ozs) will let you use that code to get the gear.