All Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 Patch Notes

Season 0 is over, and Season 1 brings back an old friend. Here are all the Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 patch notes.

Modern Warfare 3: All Season 1 Patch Notes

As you will see, although the official changes for the Season 1 update encompass global changes and Warzone changes, the majority of them revolve around the latter. After all, this update aims to breathe new life into the Warzone game mode that was pretty much dead (Warzone 2 is dead officially). Without further ado, here are all the Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 patch notes, released on December 6, 2023.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 Patch Notes

New Maps

Look for the Meat 24/7 Playlist to debut during the first week of Season 1, with other exciting Playlists expected in the weeks ahead. Another all-new 6v6 map, Rio, is expected to launch as well.

• Greece
  • Test your mettle in a once-idyllic coastal town, where waters at the shore lap at the hull of a burning yacht, signaling disaster.
• Meat
  • Deploy to the West Coast for some fast-paced butchery, in a compact map centered around the East Bay Meats slaughterhouse.
• Training Facility (Gunfight)
  • Challenge another duo within the remains of an old warehouse, now repurposed as part of Konni Group’s training facilities.

New Killstreaks

Do you have what it takes? Two all-new Killstreaks are available to dominate the battlefield in Season 1.

• EMP
  • Electromagnetic pulse to disrupt enemy killstreaks and equipment.
  • Earned via 13 Kills, 1,625 Score, or Care Packages.
• Swarm
  • Deploys a large number of mosquito drones to provide blanket coverage over the entire area.
  • Earned via 15 Kills, 1,875 Score, or Care Packages.

New Perk

The Assassin Vest is a powerful new addition to Loadouts in Season 1, but be wary, each Vest comes equipped with critical tradeoffs.

• Assassin Vest
  • Kills don’t display skulls. Immune to UAV and enemy radar effects (including while stationary).

New Modes

Two fan-favorite Modes return at the start of Season 1! Gunfight is even equipped with its own selection of new and Carry-Forward Maps. Look for additional Modes throughout the Season.

• All or Nothing
  • Players start with Throwing Knives and an empty Pistol. Perks are earned by eliminating other players and staying alive.
• Gunfight
  • Small team, multi-round cage matches. First team to reach the round limit wins.

Global

New Weapons

The following Weapons are new to the entirety of the Modern Warfare III offering as of Season 1.

• RAM-7 (Assault Rifle)
  • Exceptionally compact, this bullpup assault rifle sports a lightweight, polymer frame and is chambered in versatile 5.56.
  • Unlockable via Sector A7 of the Season 1 Battle Pass
• XRK Stalker (Sniper Rifle)
  • Stalk your prey and lay them out with this tactical sniper rifle chambered in .50 Cal.
  • Unlockable via Sector A4 of the Season 1 Battle Pass
• Stormender (Launcher)
  • This state-of-the-art weapon system fires a localized EMP on a slight delay. Destroys tactical and lethal equipment and temporarily disables other electronic devices.
  • Unlockable via Sector A12 of the Season 1 Battle Pass

New Aftermarket Parts

In addition to new weaponry, players will see brand new Aftermarket Parts earned via the Battle Pass, Armory Unlocks, and Weekly Challenges.

• JAK Purifier
  • An underbarrel flamethrower. What more needs to be said? Burn it all down.
  • Compatible with: MTZ-556, Holger 556, DG-56, SVA 545, RAM-7, MTZ-762, BAS-B, Sidewinder, Riveter 
• JAK Ettin Double Barrel Kit
  • This kit creates two stacked barrels that fire simultaneously. This offers twice as much down-range damage at the cost of some accuracy. 
  • Compatible with: AMR9 (Submachine Gun)
• JAK Thunder LMG Kit
  • Dominate lanes and hold objectives with this LMG conversion kit that brings a large capacity magazine and ramps in fire rate the longer you hold down the trigger.
  • Compatible with: Sidewinder (Battle Rifle)
• JAK BRB
  • This compensator borders on excessive, offering a phenomenal reduction to recoil while significantly increasing muzzle report, resulting in an extended red dot on enemy radars.
  • Compatible with: Many Assault Rifles, Submachine Guns, Battle Rifles, Marksman Rifles, and Sniper Rifles. 
• JAK Bullseye
  • Very low-profile dot Optic. Limited interference from framework offers an exceptionally clear sight picture. 
  • Compatible with: Most weapon categories
• JAK Glassless Optic
  • This small, glassless reflex Optic offers a crisp and clear sight picture for snappy target acquisition. 
  • Compatible with: Most weapon categories
• JAK Signal Burst
  • A conversion kit designed for accuracy and controllability with four-round bursts.
  • Compatible with: Holger 556 (AR)
• JAK Beholder Rifle Kit
  • A long and heavy barrel that offers the best increase to range. Improves recoil control and damage range, converting this Handgun into a single-shot Rifle. 
  • Compatible with: TYR (Handgun)
• JAK Headhunter Carbine Conversion
  • Rival Assault Rifles with this three-round burst conversion kit that excels at mid range combat. 
  • Compatible with: Rival-9 (Submachine Gun)

New Operators

Nolan and Dokkaebi, two KorTac Operators, lead the charge in the Season 1 offering… But a mysterious force, known only as Abolisher, looms in the background.

• Abolisher BlackCell (SpecGru)
  • [Redacted]
• Dokkaebi (KorTac)
  • Ari was born in South Korea to a family of gifted engineers. Tired of hiding from North Korean agents, she hacked into the South Korean Military’s private contacts and found the global Kortac Faction.
• Nolan (KorTac)
  • Recently anointed as Vladimir Makarov’s right hand man, Captain Andrei Nolan executes both plans and enemies with ferocious precision in the name of igniting a long-awaited war between East and West.

New Events

We’ll be talking about what Zombie Santa is bringing to town in patch notes that will release closer to when the event launches over the holidays. Stay tuned!

New Battle Pass

A brand new Battle Pass arrives with Season 1, bringing a variety of Operator Skins, Weapon Blueprints, and more.

For more information about the full Battle Pass offering and Black Cell Bundle, check out the full breakdown on the official Call of Duty blog here.

New PC Features

GeForce RTX gamers can activate pre-game full ray tracing, also known as path tracing in pre-game lobbies, enabling you to see your characters, skins, vehicles, and weapons in an entirely new light.

All GeForce RTX gamers can activate Path Tracing via the Video options menu, and doing so will automatically enable NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 with DLSS Ray Reconstruction.

Multiplayer

UIX

• New Features & Quality of Life
  • Player health and stamina are now represented by dynamic bars on the HUD.
    • Note: This feature is only available in Multiplayer and Zombies.
  • Faction assignment will now appear as a splash at the start of each match.
  • Added Upper Legs Damage and Empty Reload Quickness statistics to the Details widget in the Gunsmith.
  • Increased decimal precision of the Flinch Resistance stat in the Details widget in the Gunsmith.
  • Added icons in the Gunsmith to represent which title an Attachment originates from.
  • Reduced volume of the Multi-Kill and Medal splash sound effects.
• Bug Fixes
  • In Search and Destroy, hovering a bombsite on the Tac-Map will no longer reveal when a player is actively defusing.
  • Addressed multiple issues in Private Matches that caused players to be kicked back to the Main Menu.
  • Hovering an equipped Killstreak will no longer kick the player back to the Multiplayer menu.
  • Resolved a font rendering issue that caused text to be improperly displayed.
  • Improved performance of Social features for players with large Friend counts.
  • Resolved an issue in which the incorrect Weapon would be featured in the overlay of Killcams.
  • Kill Counter will now properly function with streaks beyond 120 Kills.
  • Reduced hitching that infrequently occurred while transitioning between menus.
  • Addressed an issue that caused the application to freeze while editing a Loadout.
  • Resolved a crash that could occur prior to viewing an After Action Report.
  • Addressed an issue that caused a crash while reporting a player.
  • Lockpick (Operator) can now be equipped, where available, without using the Quick Equip option.
  • Scrolling menus while in splitscreen will no long result in the cursor appearing off-screen.
  • Improved readability of the timer below the Event tab.

GAMEPLAY

• Movement
  • Added a delay following multiple rapid stance transitions to prevent exploitable repetition.
    • Crouch to Stand: 150ms
    • Prone to Stand: 600ms
• Spawns
  • Improved spawn protection against enemy Equipment and Killstreaks.
  • In Hardpoint, several adjustments have been made to improve the flow of combat and increase control of team-owned areas.

We’ve introduced a delay to stance transitions to combat a movement exploit commonly referred to by players as “snaking.” We’ll monitor the impact of these changes and continue to address feedback where appropriate.

WEAPONS & ATTACHMENTS

• Decreased hipfire spread penalty incurred while firing/moving for all Submachine Guns.

» Assault Rifles «

• MTZ-556
  • Increased maximum hipfire spread while standing by 10%.
  • Increased maximum hipfire spread while crouched by 6%.
  • Increased hipfire spread penalty incurred while firing by 10%.
  • Increased hipfire spread penalty incurred while moving by 4%.
  • MTZ Natter Heavy Short (Barrel)
    • Decreased hipfire spread benefit by 5%.
  • Bruen Thunder V9 (Stock)
    • Decreased hipfire spread benefit by 6%.

» Battle Rifles «

• BAS-B
  • Increased damage multipliers in semi-auto fire type to intended values.
    • Lower-Torso: 1x to 1.2x
    • Arm & Hand: 1x to 1.35x
• Sidewinder
  • Decreased aim down sights time from 280ms to 265ms (-5%).
  • Tempus Predator Precision (Barrel)
    • Increased gun kick control benefit by 5%.
  • Huntsman Series-R Integrated Suppressor (Barrel)
    • Increased gun kick control benefit by 7%.
  • RB Borealis Grip (Rear Grip)
    • Increased gun kick control benefit by 5%.

» Submachine Guns «

• Striker
  • Decreased sprint to fire time from 110ms to 100ms (-9%).
  • Decreased aim down sights time from 230ms to 215ms (-7%).
  • Striker Stubby (Barrel)
    • Added 9% aim down sights time benefit.
• WSP Swarm
  • Decreased sprint to fire time from 110ms to 88ms (-20%).
  • Decreased aim down sights time from 190ms to 175ms (-8%).
• Striker 9
  • Decreased sprint to fire time from 110ms to 100ms (-9%).
  • Decreased aim down sights time from 225ms to 205ms (-9%).
  • Striker Stubby (Barrel)
    • Added 9% aim down sights time benefit.

» Shotguns «

• Lockwood 680
  • Tac-Stance will no longer reduce damage pellet count.

» Marksman Rifles «

• MCW 6.8
  • Equipping the Full-Auto Conversion Kit and 60rnd Drum Magazine will no longer result in a broken aim down sights animation.

» Melee «

• Riot Shield
  • Increased melee damage from 50 to 75 (+50%).
  • Added a 10% movement speed penalty while stowed.

» Attachments «

• S-37C DL Breacher Device (Muzzle)
  • Decreased hipfire spread benefit by 14%.
  • Resolved an issue that prevented one-hit melee kills in round-based Modes.
• Bruen Tactical Vertical Grip (Underbarrel)
  • Decreased hipfire spread benefit by 8%.
• Hollowpoint (Ammunition)
  • Decreased inflicted sprint penalty time from 800ms to 200ms (-75%).

Modern Warfare II (Carry-Forward)

• Increased reserve ammunition for all Weapons to MWIII standards.
• Decreased hipfire spread benefit of Underbarrel vertical grips by 5-12%.
• Decreased hipfire spread benefit of applicable Lasers by 2-5%.

» Assault Rifles «

• M4
  • Increased maximum damage from 28 to 35 (+25%).
  • Decreased head and neck damage multipliers from 1.37x 1.1x (-20%).

» Battle Rifles «

• TAQ-V
  • Increased lower-torso, leg, and foot damage multipliers from 0.8x to 1.1x (+38%).

» Submachine Guns «

• Vaznev-9K
  • Increased near-medium damage from 29 to 30 (+3%).
• ISO 45
  • Increased maximum damage from 30 to 33 (+10%).

» Shotguns «

• KV Broadside
  • Increased far-medium damage range from 9m to 10m (+8%).
  • Decreased aim down sights spread slightly.

» Light Machine Guns «

• RAAL MG
  • Decreased aim down sights time from 470ms to 390ms (-17%).
  • Decreased sprint to fire time from 375ms to 320ms (-15%).
  • Decreased tactical sprint to fire time from 496ms to 416ms (-16%).
• 556 Icarus
  • Increased maximum damage from 28 to 34 (+21%).
  • Decreased head damage multiplier from 1.4x to 1.1x (-21%).

» Marksman Rifles «

• SP-R 208
  • Increased maximum damage range from 15m to 20m (+28%).
  • Decreased aim down sights time from 370ms to 340ms (-8%).

» Handguns «

• Basilisk
  • Increased maximum damage range from 5m to 7m (+35%).
  • Increased near-medium damage range from 6m to 15m (+140%).
  • Increased far-medium damage range from 17m to 23m (+32%).

PROGRESSION

• Corrected unlock requirement descriptions for multiple Weapon Attachments.
• Revised conditions for multiple unlocks that caused Attachments to be unavailable at the expected Weapon level.
• Associated weaponry will now be properly included in the Camo unlock splashes.
• Player Rank
  • Increased Level cap from 55 to 250, enabling players to reach Prestige 5.
    • At each Prestige, a new animated icon is unlocked.

CUSTOMIZATION

• Increased animation rate of the Priceless and Interstellar Completionist Camos.

MAPS

• Derail
  • Swapped Attacker and Defender initial spawn positions in Control.
• Estate
  • Improved bullet penetration through the staircase in the Lodge.
  • Adjusted collision to prevent players can accessing an unintended location near the Front Entrance of the Lodge.
• Highrise
  • Improved ambient audio reverberation in the Mechanical Room.
  • Deprioritized spawn points distant from the objective in Hardpoint.
• Karachi
  • Players will now spawn on the correct side of the map assigned to their team in Cutthroat.
• Quarry
  • Added collision near the Offices to prevent players from reaching unintended locations.
  • Addressed an issue that caused players to spawn in unfavorable conditions in the Hardpoint game mode.
• Skidrow
  • Enemy player nameplates are no longer visible through certain surfaces in the Apartments.
• Terminal
  • Added additional spawn points in Free-for-All mode to improve player experience.
  • Improved ability to gauge spawn selection quality in all Modes.
  • Relocated a spawn point that placed players outside of the playable area.
• Scrapyard
  • Reviewed objective capture points to prevent players from capturing from unintended locations in Hardpoint and Control modes.
  • Added additional spawn points in Free-for-All mode to improve player experience.
• Sub Base
  • Improved ambient audio reverberation in the Power Station.
  • Swapped Attacker and Defender initial spawn positions in Control.
• Orlov Military Base (Ground War)
  • Improved AI Bot ability to navigate the environment in Invasion mode.
• Operation Spearhead (War)
  • Added collision near the Hotel to prevent players from exiting the playable area.
  • Added collision near the Corner Shop to protect players in their spawn area.
  • Addressed an exploit involving environmental turrets that allowed players to reach unintended locations.

MODES

• Ground War
  • Pre-game lobby countdown timer will no longer reset when a player leaves.
• Search and Destroy
  • Increased Player XP earned for several score events.
    • Kill: 500 XP
    • Assist: 200 XP
    • Shield Assist: 400 XP
    • Headshot: 1,000 XP
    • Plant: 1,000 XP
    • Defuse: 1,000 XP (+ 250 XP for Last Alive)
    • Ninja Defuse: 1,250 XP (+ 250 XP for Last Alive)
• War
  • Players who join an in-progress match can no longer be placed on a full team.
  • Decreased tank escort phase time limit from 6m to 5m.
  • Joining an in-progress match during the ending cinematic sequence is no longer possible.

EQUIPMENT

• Throwing Star (Lethal)
  • Addressed an issue that allowed one-hit kills without a Headshot.
• EMD Grenade (Tactical)
  • Prompt to remove tracker will no longer persist after death.

FIELD UPGRADES

• Deployable Cover
  • Previous deployments will now be destroyed upon new deployment as the maximum has been limited to 1.
• Trophy System
  • Mosquito Drone (Killstreak) will no longer be targeted.

KILLSTREAKS

• Juggernaut Recon
  • Addressed an exploit that allowed players to fire Loadout Weapons with unlimited ammo.
• Precision Airstrike
  • Players will now properly look through the binoculars in third-person view.
• Remote Turret
  • Implemented safeguard measures to prevent players from becoming stuck with the tablet in hand.

VEHICLES

• NSTV
  • Increased traction control to improve handling on muddy surfaces.
• Razor Tank
  • Decreased maximum forward speed by 14%.
  • Increased maximum reverse speed by 20% to match forward speed.
  • Increased turn speed by 40% to allow for tighter turns.
  • Increased ability to accelerate on sloped surfaces.

ZOMBIES

SEASON 1 CONTENT

Story Act and Mission

• Act IV and a new Story Mission are immediately available for all players at the start of Season 1.
• A massive gateway has appeared in the Exclusion Zone. Investigate the area and engage in new end-game content.

Dark Aether Rifts

• Dark Aether Rifts bring rewards to those who brave their challenges.
  • These otherworldly labyrinths are located inside the Dark Aether, where players and their squad have a limited time to complete a series of increasingly chaotic objectives to earn exceptional rewards. Find Sigils to enter the Dark Aether Rifts and face a new level of challenge!
• Dark Aether Rifts are unlocked by solving a hidden quest, which activates after completing the new Season 1 Story Mission.

Wonder Weapon: V-R11

• The V-R11 has been added to Modern Warfare Zombies.
  • Shoot zombies and transform them into humans, or blast humans to mutate them into friendly zombies.
  • Players receive a buff when shot.
  • The V-R11 has been added to the Mystery Box in Modern Warfare Zombies.
  • V-R11 Weapon Cases are now available via loot.

Acquisitions and Schematics

• Dog Bone
  • Consume the Dog Bone to summon the strongest friendly Hell Hound companion. The pet Hellhound will follow you and attack nearby threats until its health runs out.
• Golden Armor Plate
  • Consuming the new Golden Armor Plate replaces the Armor Carrier with Plates that automatically repair over time, in addition to providing the user additional damage resistances.
• Aether Blade
  • The Aether Blade is a special Throwing Knife with infinite ammo and a boomerang-like combat style. After striking an enemy, the Aether Blade locates the next nearest enemy to hit before returning to its Operator.

Prestige Challenges

• Season 1 allows you to level up past Rank 55 into Prestige Ranks that persist across seasons. 
• Beginning in Season 1, reaching Rank 56 will unlock Prestige 1. Achieving this unlocks rewards and a set of challenges in Modern Warfare Zombies — complete those challenges to unlock multiple exclusive Calling Cards.
• For more details on Prestige Challenges, visit the Challenges and Seasonal Progression section of the Season 1 Announcement Blog.

Season 1 Battle Pass Weapons

• The XRK Stalker, RAM-7, and Stormender are available in Modern Warfare Zombies loadouts once unlocked via the Season 1 Battle Pass.

Global Changes

• Season 1 updates are not limited to just Zombies! Please reference the Global Section above for weapon balancing changes and more.

MAPS

Urzikstan

• Various visual map fixes.

WEAPONS

» Wonder Weapons «

• The Scorcher
  • The Scorcher’s launch ability will automatically fire when a player reaches their maximum charge under low ammo conditions.

» Assault «

• DG-58
  • Addressed an issue that prevented camos from applying in the customization tab in loadout menus.

» Weapon Cases «

• All Weapon Cases
  • Closed a duplication exploit.

MISSIONS

Hostile Takeover

• Addressed an issue that prevented some safes from progressing this Mission.
• Adjusted the description of this Mission in the Mission Select menu to state that Greene wants Players to hit “Terminus” instead of “Deadbolt.”

Merc Cleanup

• Mercenaries killed from long distances inside Merc Camps will now progress this mission.

Shocked

• This Mission now requires players to shock five separate Special zombies instead of shocking the same Special zombie multiple times.

Storm the Castle

• The required mission item will always drop when the Warlord is killed.

GAMEPLAY

Contracts

• Defend Ground Station
  • Addressed an issue that prevented the timer for the Defend Ground Station contract from appearing if players previously completed the same contract in a single session.
  • Mercenaries will now continue to fight Players after completing the Defend Ground Station contract.
• Eliminate Bounty Target
  • HVTs lured far away from their original spawn location in an attempt to exploit their behavior will now return faster to their spawn and heal more.
• Outlast
  • Enemies no longer spawn if players are not progressing the contract.
• Raid Weapon Stash
  • Enemies no longer spawn if players are not progressing the contract.
• Spore Control
  • Adjusted Spores to prevent them from spawning on a player, resulting in an instant death.

Acquisitions

• General
  • Addressed an issue where players could store more Acquisitions in the stash than intended.
• Aether Tools
  • Addressed an issue that prevented Aether Tools from applying if a player was driving a vehicle.
• Ammo Mods
  • Addressed an issue that prevented Ammo Mods from applying if a player was driving a vehicle.
• Perk-A-Colas
  • Tombstone Soda
    • Addressed an issue where Tombstones could spawn under the map.
    • Addressed an issue where Tombstones could spawn in the center of the map instead of where a player previously died. 
    • Addressed an issue where sometimes players would not obtain their essence when interacting with a Tombstone.
    • Closed various duplication exploits associated with Tombstone Soda.
• Ammo Mods
  • Brain Rot
    • Players will now receive essence when a Brain Rotted Zombie kills other Zombies or dies.

Looting

• Various fixes for locations on the map where players could not loot items.

Exfil

• Launch
  • More formidable enemies have been added to the Exfil experience in all zones.
  • Addressed a rare issue that prevented the Hilltop Exfil helicopter from landing.
• In-Season
  • All exfils will increase the number of enemies spawned, with the Final Exfil receiving a significant boost to enemy count and enemy types.

General

• Ammo Caches will now always fully refill applicable player ammo reserves.
• Addressed an issue that allowed players to die instantly if they ran and slid into a Dog House.
• Players will no longer be able to hide inside a Dog House.
• Closed an out-of-bounds location that allowed players to stay alive outside the playable space.
• Addressed an issue where Player selected Operator skins would change upon entering a vehicle.

ENEMIES

Zombies

• Disciples
  • General
    • Addressed multiple issues that allowed Disciples to behave erratically, such as becoming stuck high in the air or on objects.
  • The Stormcaller
    • Addressed an issue that allowed The Stormcaller to die instantly from the Blood Burner’s Aether Pulse.
• Hell Hounds
  • Hell Hound flame particles will disappear if a Hell Hound does not spawn.
• Zombies
  • General
    • Adjusted spawns to prevent Zombies from spawning on top of fences.
    • Adjusted pathing to address exploits or incorrect pathing.
  • Light Armored Zombies
    • Addressed an issue that allowed Light Armored Zombies to receive more headshot damage than intended.

EQUIPMENT

Lethal Equipment

• Experimental Gas Grenade
  • Damage against Aether Worms has been reduced.

Tactical Equipment

• Decoy Grenades
  • Reduced the number of Decoy Grenades that can be stacked or equipped  from 3 to 2.
  • Reduced Decoy Grenade duration from 8 seconds to 6.

KILLSTREAKS

Juggernaut

• Addressed an issue where players could destroy an Exfil helicopter by calling in a Juggernaut suit crate on top of it.

Sentry Turret

• Players can no longer kill themselves or others when placing down a Sentry Turret.

CUSTOMIZATION

Camos

• Borealis (MWIII) and Bioluminescent (MWII) Update.
  • Increased the animation rate of the Borealis and Bioluminescent Completionist Camos

UIX

• Player health and stamina are now represented by dynamic bars on the HUD.
• Addressed an issue that prevented pings on looted items in caches from disappearing automatically.
• Addressed an issue where players who attempted to equip a Mission Reward in the Gear tab would sometimes equip the wrong item.
• Addressed an issue where objective titles would occasionally not display while loading into a match.
• Addressed an issue where objective text would occasionally display outside its panel while loading into a match.
• Addressed an issue where players would be returned to the lobby screen when selecting “Activate Armory Unlock” on a locked Tactical or Lethal equipment item.

PROGRESSION

Achievements

• The First Step
  • Players can now unlock “The First Step” for reaching level 55 in Modern Warfare Zombies. Previously, players would need to enter the Multiplayer menu to obtain the achievement.

Camos

• Completionist Camos
  • Golden Enigma (MWIII) & Golden Ivory (MWII) Update
    • We’ve released a fix that allows Players to complete the Golden Enigma and Golden Ivory Completionist Camos with Blueprint weapons and Custom Mods.

AUDIO

Battle Chatter

• “Friendly Fire” Operator chatter will play less frequently.

STABILITY

• Adjustments have been made to better ensure players keep their loadout and rucksack inventory if they do not successfully deploy into a match.
• Added various crash and stability fixes.

CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE SEASON 1 PATCH NOTES

EVENTS

We’ll be talking about what Zombie Santa is bringing to town in patch notes that will be released closer to when the event launches over the holidays. Stay tuned!

BATTLE PASS

A brand new Battle Pass arrives with the Season 1 bringing a variety of Operator Skins, Weapon Blueprints, and more.

For more information about the full Battle Pass offering and Black Cell Bundle, check out the full breakdown on the official Call of Duty blog here.

WEAPONS

New Weapons

The following Weapons are new to the entirety of the Modern Warfare III offering as of Season 1.

» Assault Rifles «

• RAM-7
  • Exceptionally compact, this bullpup assault rifle sports a lightweight, polymer frame and is chambered in versatile 5.56.
  • Unlockable via Sector A7 of the Season 1 Battle Pass

» Sniper Rifles «

• XRK Stalker
  • Stalk your prey and lay them out with this tactical sniper rifle chambered in .50 Cal. 
  • Unlockable via Sector A4 of the Season 1 Battle Pass

» Launchers «

• Stormender
  • This state-of-the-art weapon system fires a localized EMP on a slight delay. Destroys tactical and lethal equipment and temporarily disables other electronic devices. 
  • Unlockable via Sector A12 of the Season 1 Battle Pass

ATTACHMENTS

In addition to the abundance of Modern Warfare 3 Attachments coming alongside the Weapons list above, Players will see a brand new type of Attachment called Aftermarket Parts. These are unique Attachments that are typically linked to a specific Weapon or class of Weapon, as detailed below:

• JAK Purifier
  • Equip an underbarrel flamethrower. ?
  • Compatible with: MTZ-556, Holger 556, DG-56, SVA 545, RAM-7, MTZ-762, BAS-B, Sidewinder, Riveter 
• JAK Ettin Double Barrel Kit
  • This kit creates two stacked barrels that fire simultaneously. This offers twice as much down-range damage at the cost of some accuracy. 
  • Compatible with: AMR9
• JAK Thunder LMG Kit
  • Dominate lanes and hold objectives with this LMG conversion kit that brings a large capacity magazine and ramps in fire rate the longer you hold down the trigger. 
  • Compatible with: Sidewinder (BR) 
• JAK BRB
  • This compensator borders on excessive, offering a phenomenal reduction to recoil while significantly increasing muzzle report, resulting in an extended red dot on enemy radars.
  • Compatible with: Many Assault Rifles, Submachine Guns, Battle Rifles, Marksman Rifles, and Sniper Rifles. 
• JAK Bullseye
  • Very low-profile dot Optic. Limited interference from framework offers an exceptionally clear sight picture. 
  • Compatible with: Most weapon categories
• JAK Glassless Optic
  • This small, glassless reflex Optic offers a crisp and clear sight picture for snappy target acquisition. 
  • Compatible with: Most weapon categories
• JAK Signal Burst
  • A conversion kit designed for accuracy and controllability with four-round bursts.
  • Compatible with: Holger 556 (AR)
• JAK Beholder Rifle Kit
  • A long and heavy barrel that offers the best increase to range. Improves recoil control and damage range, converting this Handgun into a single-shot Rifle. 
  • Compatible with: TYR (Handgun)
• JAK Headhunter Carbine Conversion
  • Rival Assault Rifles with this three-round burst conversion kit that excels at mid range combat. 
  • Compatible with: Rival-9 (SMG)

The unique attachments listed above will be rolling out to players over the course of Season 1. Keep an eye out on Raven Software and Sledgehammer Game official channels for updates.

WARZONE

The content covered in the following section pertains primarily to Call of Duty Warzone.

MAPS

Urzikstan New Large Map

Positioned in Western Asia, nestled on the eastern border of the Black Sea and bordering Al Mazrah, Urzikstan is steeped in rich, turbulent history and only recently emerged from the oppressive rule of dictator Roman Barkov. Our map design acknowledges this history, weaving it into the landscape that now faces the looming threats from the Allegiance and the ultranationalist forces led by Viktor Zakhaev.

Central to our design philosophy is a deep respect for our community, as we focus on a balanced, fluid, and dynamic gameplay experience that harmonizes the intensity of dense urban warfare with the strategic openness of rural battlegrounds. With enhanced mobility being another key pillar of our design, Urzikstan is interspersed with a variety of new and returning traversal options, including vertical ascenders, horizontal ziplines, redeploy drones, and even a mobile point of interest – the driveable train.

Urzikstan is a testament to our commitment to our players, strategic balance, and innovative design, set against the backdrop of a region emerging from its tumultuous past, only to face brand new challenges.

Drivable Train New Mobile Point of Interest

• Take control of Warzone’s first controllable mobile POI, Urzikstan’s new drivable train, complete with forward and backward engine controls, a horn, and a handbrake in the caboose (rear carriage) for tactical braking.
• The new Drivable Train also includes individual carriages that contain a Buy Station, a UAV Tower, an Ammo Depot, and a guaranteed Legendary Supply Crate.
• The Drivable Train will also start at different points along the train track in each match.
• Since Call of Duty: Next, further improvements have been made to the vaulting and hop up points to provide easier access to mantle onto the train and the cart roofs. 

Ziplines New Traversal Mechanic

• In addition to the vertical ascenders, expect ziplines to allow rapid horizontal navigation across Urzikstan. Look for ziplines across the map, often allowing faster travel across otherwise more challenging topography, like water or tall structures.
• If you watched Call of Duty: Next, Quality of Life improvements have already been made to this system enabling easier on/off access for the Operator using either type of transport line.

Major Points of Interest

• Hadiqa Farms
  • Traits
    • Fewer buildings
    • Wide open fields
    • River access
    • Little verticality
    • Long range advantage
  • Minor POIs
    • Hamza Bazaar
    • Zohoor Ranch

• Levin Resort
  • Traits
    • Abandoned tourist site
    • High ground advantage
    • Multiple vantage points
    • Inspired by Hardhat
  • Minor POIs
    • Rostova Shops
    • Kotovo Blocks

• Low Town
  • Traits
    • Run down shacks
    • Close to water
    • Central to the map
    • Short range advantage
  • Minor POIs
    • Abtal Academy
    • Al-Sada Village
    • Old Al-Sada

• Old Town
  • Traits
    • Dilapidated buildings
    • Stunning interiors in Bathhouse
    • Central to the map
    • Inspired by Seatown
  • Minor POIs
    • Seatown
    • Opal Palace
    • Nahr Bathhouse

• Orlov Military Base
  • Traits
    • Missile silos, bunkers, and facilities
    • Built into mountainous terrain
    • Scattered barricades
    • PMC Military presence
    • Inspired by Countdown
  • Minor POIs
    • Drezna Sub Base
    • Kadurin Silo
    • Zlatyev Array

• Popov ^Pop-off Power
  • Traits
    • Cooling towers, containment structures, industrial buildings
    • Large interior spaces
    • Highway and River access
  • Minor POIs
    • Sorokin Industrial

• Seaport District
  • Traits
    • Docks, shoreline, and maritime buildings
    • Vantage points by land or by sea
    • Easy rotation opportunities
  • Minor POIs
    • Al-Abboud Condos

• Shahin Manor
  • Traits
    • Isolated location
    • Multiple floors
    • Abundant loot
    • Focused on close-quarters-combat
  • Minor POIs
    • Raaha Island

• Urzikstan Cargo
  • Traits
    • Waterways and cargo containers
    • Vantage points via tall cranes
    • Hot drop potential
  • Minor POIs
    • Talanov Outpost

• Zaravan City
  • Traits
    • Heavy urban setting
    • Maze of streets and seemingly endless vantage points
    • Safer looting opportunities
    • Interiors prone to engagement
  • Minor POIs
    • Amara Riverside
    • Ghalia Seaside
    • Haifa Apartment Complex
    • Quadri Shopping Center
    • Tishrin Parkway
    • Urzikstan Community Center
    • Urzikstan University

• Zaravan Suburbs
  • Traits
    • Rooftop gardens, concert hall, community center
    • Access to downtown without crossing water
    • Dense Roadway access
  • Minor POIs
    • Al-dahr Estates
    • Shorok Opera House
    • Souk Nuri

For an exhaustive look at Urzikstan, check out the new Tac Map Atlas.

Gulag New Map

This brand new 1v1 Gulag named “Silo” is characterized by its stark, symmetrical layout that lends to both striking visuals and balanced engagements. This symmetry not only enhances player immersion but ensures equal opportunities for both contestants to redeploy to the field. This new arena is also rich in loot, strategically placed to encourage exploration and adding an additional layer of resource management and strategy. 

Here is a series of new features that elevate this Gulag in various ways:

• Map Variants New Location Modifiers
  • Players now have a chance to encounter one of three possible Gulag map variants.
  • Each map variant offers 3 clear lanes allowing for simple 1v1 gameplay.
  • The overall gameplay of each map variant will remain similar but sight-lines and visuals will change match to match. 
  • Map variants include:
    • A boxed center with various cover and pathways in. Crates and corners riddle the layout making it dangerous to rush without a plan.
    • An open layout with light cover and a circularly enclosed center with limited access.
    • A fairly open center with a boxed out area making the threshold from spawn to center very fast but providing rotational opportunity.
       
• Public Events New Dynamic Events
  • A series of new Public Events have been introduced including:
    • Go Again
      • Get another chance if you lose your fight.
    • Cash Grab
      • More cash on the ground with a larger stack in the middle of the arena.
    • Locked & Loaded
      • Start with full armor and two upgraded guns.
         
• Overtime Ascender New Win Condition
  • When Overtime kicks in, rather than vying for control of a Flag point, Players will now have to outplay their opponents for a chance to use the vertical Ascender that spawns in the center of the map.
     
• Post Victory Looting New Gameplay
  • Upon eliminating their opponent, Players will be allowed to continue roaming and looting the Gulag until the moment they are redeployed to the field.

It’s important that the Gulag is as fun and varied in your 1000th Gulag fight as it was in your very 1st Gulag fight. With the Public Events system now coming to the Gulag, this gives Players extra second chance and regain opportunities, especially so with the extra cash of “Cash Drop” or the extra weaponry provided in “Locked & Loaded”.

MODES

Battle Royale

• Battle Royale Returning Mode
  • This is the Battle Royale experience that Players have become ever so familiar with since Warzone’s launch in 2020. Players infil, scavenge for weapons, equipment, and other resources while preparing for the impending conflict. The map’s playable area gradually shrinks over time, forcing survivors into closer proximity – upping the ante. The ultimate objective? To be the very last squad standing when the smoke clears. It’ll take a combination of skill, strategic planning, and sometimes a bit of luck, to exfil with that victory.
  • New Map:
    • Urzikstan 
  • Player Count: 
    • 100
  • Match Length: 
    • ~20 Minutes

The pacing of a Battle Royale match is critical to the experience and needs to represent the rhythm of a heartbeat: where the peaks and troughs are consistent and healthy throughout the game. Battle Royale is a game with distinct phases, this includes landing off infil and looting, then acquiring a loadout, all the way through to the final battles before exfil – but also importantly having a mid-game that doesn’t suffer a slump and is continuous in its engagements. 

Historically Warzone has always had large player counts in its larger maps but as we have added additional respawn mechanics and changed circle sizes and timings we have found it impacted the time-to-action pacing of the game.

With the new Urzikstan map there are a number of considerations the team have made for the player count:

– New map size of Urzikstan, around 20% smaller than Al Mazrah.
– Faster match time at 20 minutes.
– New Gas Circle timers and sizing.
– More ‘second chance’ redeploy mechanics.
– Unsuppressed red dots revealing engagement locations.
– The Return of the “Big Game Bounty” Contracts Advanced UAV reward
– Updated “Bounty” Contract rewarding one UAV ping as a reward.
– New Gulag Public Event, “Go Again”, enabling more players to redeploy.
– The stability and performance of the game.

To summarize, regardless of the number of players, the time-to-action is one of our most important variables. Based on all of the above, we will be monitoring the time between engagements in Battle Royale throughout Season 1 and make pacing changes where necessary in future seasons.

Resurgence

• Resurgence Returning Mode
  • A fan favorite, this Mode is a spin on the Battle Royale formula that emphasizes a faster-paced, more aggressive playstyle on smaller maps. Rather than being thrown into the Gulag, Players that are eliminated will redeploy after a short respawn timer – that is, as long as they have teammates that are still alive. This redeploy mechanic allows players to relinquish discretion and encourages taking greater risks, resulting in more frequent engagements. And true to the original experience, earning points will reduce this timer. 
  • Returning Maps:
    • Ashika Island
    • Vondel
  • Player Count:
    • Ashika
      • Solos – 52
      • Duos – 52
      • Trios – 51
      • Quads – 52
    • Vondel
      • Solos – 72
      • Duos – 72
      • Trios – 72
      • Quads – 72

• Urzikstan Resurgence New Limited-Time Mode
  • While Resurgence is hosted on entire Maps, this mode will adhere to the same ruleset while exclusively emphasizing several critical Points of Interest located throughout Urzikstan. These locations have been carefully handcrafted to accommodate the high-paced, loot-hungry playstyle that we’ve all come to expect from Resurgence.
  • Locations:
    • Urzikstan Points of Interest
      • Orlov Military Base
      • Popov Power
      • Zaravan Suburbs
  • Player Count: 
    • Solos – 44
    • Duos – 44
    • Trios – 45
    • Quads – 44

• Rotation Resurgence Returning Mode
  • With the wealth of maps on offer in Resurgence, Rotation Resurgence allows Players to drop into one of several possible locations that are carouseled on a fixed time interval displayed on the menu.
  • Rotation Interval:
    • 15 minutes
  • Returning Maps:
    • Ashika Island
    • Vondel
  • New Locations:
    • Urzikstan Points-of-Interest
      • Orlov Military Base
      • Popov Power
      • Zaravan Suburbs

Plunder

• Plunder Returning Mode
  • Battle to earn the most cash in this returning game mode now set in Urzikstan. In Plunder, players loot cash from the map, complete contracts, and battle opponents to be the first team to earn $2 million. Reaching that cash threshold triggers a 3-minute overtime where cash values double. Be the top earning squad when time expires to win.
  • Respawn is enabled in Plunder, and players always deploy with their selected loadout. This makes Plunder ideal for leveling up weapons and exploring the map without the looming threat of an enclosing circle of gas. The free-form nature also makes for a variety of viable strategies.
  • New Map: 
    • Urzikstan
  • Player Count: 
    • 100
  • Match Length: 
    • ~15 minutes

Lockdown

• Lockdown Returning Mode | In-Season
  • Inspired by the Multiplayer mode Hardpoint, Lockdown will task multiple Quads with capturing and holding zones throughout Vondel. This primary objective replaces the traditional Battle Royale last-squad-standing.
  • This Mode is perfect for those who want to level up their weapons in a high-pace, objective-based mode. Lockdown allows for Custom Loadouts right at the start of the match. 
  • Lockdown will be added to the Playlist rotation during Season 1.
  • Map:
    • Vondel
  • Player Count:
    • 36

PLAYLIST

For information about upcoming Playlists, XP events, and more, please check out the dedicated Warzone Trello Board.

WEAPONS

As many players have already experienced, MW3 offers several dozen weapons that cover a diverse range of options spanning various categories. It’s important to remember that Warzone won’t suddenly shift overnight to favor only DMRs and Shotguns. Instead, our hope is to witness a more balanced ecosystem where additional categories, such as Battle Rifles, become viable choices thanks to the new offering of weapons. In essence, MW3 weapons aim to be user-friendly, offering versatility across various damage ranges and maintaining a high level of mobility. While we acknowledge the importance of MW2 Weapons retaining their viability, there are specific cases where further updates may be required to ensure a fair and exciting gameplay experience for all. 

New Weapons

The following Weapons launched with Modern Warfare III and are new to Warzone as of Season 1 launch.
 

» Assault Rifles «

• SVA 545
  • This weapon system fires the first two rounds nearly at the same time, making this an incredibly lethal weapon in careful hands.
• MTZ-556
  • Boasting an exceptional fire rate for a 5.56 weapon, this close-quarters assault rifle excels at close and mid-range.
• Holger 556
  • Chambered in 5.56, this AR offers exceptional range and reliability for most engagements.
• MCW
  • This remarkably adaptable assault rifle features phenomenal recoil control and versatility from a lightweight frame chambered in 5.56.
• DG-56
  • With excellent recoil control and three-round burst fire, this bullpup AR dominates at mid- to long range.
• FR 5.56
  • A three round burst bullpup AR. A well-placed burst can be extremely deadly at intermittent ranges.
     

» Battle Rifles «

• BAS-P
  • A highly controllable and powerful Battle Rifle chambered in .277 Fury designed for all-round reliability and performance.
• Sidewinder
  • A highly adaptable Battle Rifle chambered in .450 that delivers high damage at close to mid-range.
• MTZ-762
  • A fully automatic Battle Rifle designed to send hard-hitting 7.62 rounds downrange at high velocity.

» SMGs «

• Striker
  • A hard-hitting and controllable submachine gun chambered in .45 Auto. Reliable at close to mid-range.
• WSP Swarm
  • Ultra combat and maneuverable, this 9mm SMG overwhelms targets with a fast fire rate.
• AMR9
  • A fully automatic SMG chambered in 9mm, the AMR9 is a go-to for Operators who prefer to shred the competition from close to mid-range.
• WSP-9
  • A fully automatic SMG featuring a slow rate of fire balanced by high damage, control, and mobility.
• Rival-9
  • The Rival-9 is a lightweight, 9mm submachine gun built for agility and quick room clearing.
• Striker 9
  • This compact SMG handles like a carbine while taking advantage of the low recoil and versatility of 9mm rounds.

» Shotguns «

• Lockwood 680
  • This highly effective and versatile 12-gauge pump shotgun can be modified to excel in most scenarios.
• Haymaker
  • Highly effective at close range, this mag-fed combat shotgun will clear rooms with rounds to spare.
• Riveter
  • A full-auto, .410 shotgun built around an assault rifle receiver, the Riveter is a hole-punching machine.

» LMGs «

• Pulemyot 762
  • Chambered in 7.62, this belt-fed heavy machine gun provides excellent suppressive fire, dealing a massive amount of damage at long ranges.
• DG-58 LSW
  • A lightweight squad weapon for controlling zones and laying down suppressive 5.8x42mm fire.
• TAQ Eradicator
  • Fully automatic LMG that utilizes a prototype firing method going from a closed to open bolt systems starting out at a blazingly fast rate of fire before quickly slowing down and becoming more accurate.
• Holger 26
  • A highly modular light machine gun that can be adapted to most combat scenarios. Chambered in versatile 5.56 ammunition.
• Bruen MK9
  • The Bruen Mk9 is a fully automatic, air-cooled light machine gun chambered in 5.56. Support your team and pin down the enemy with a high fire rate and overwhelming covering fire.

» Marksman Rifles «

• KVD Enforcer
  • A Marksman Rifle chambered in 7.62. Lightweight construction results in excellent recoil control for rapid follow-up shots.
• MCW 6.8
  • Chambered in 6.8, this highly modular Marksman Rifle features exceptional damage and reliability.
• DM56
  • A titan of ballistic ingenuity, this Marksman Rifle boasts best-in-class rate of fire and exceptional controllability.
• MTZ Interceptor
  • A high-powered Marksman Rifle chambered in 7.62. Control mid to long distances with this semi-auto weapon.

» Sniper Rifles «

• Katt-AMR
  • This devastating .50 cal bolt-action sniper rifle delivers massive damage downrange with every shot.
• Longbow
  • A lightweight, heavily modified sniper rifle designed for precision shooting and repeat shots thanks to recoil control and magazine capacity.
• KV Inhibitor
  • This semi-auto sniper rifle chambered in .338 offers undeniable recoil control and stability for the discerning operator.

» Handguns «

• COR-45
  • Semi-automatic ballistic pistol chambered in .45 Auto. Delivers excellent handling and recoil control.
• Renetti
  • A burst-fire pistol with a staggering fire rate and controllability in the right hands.
• TYR
  • This deadly revolver chambered in devastating 12.7x55mm hits like a cannon and leaves no survivors.
• WSP Stinger
  • Keep your enemies close with this highly effective, room-clearing SMG with a blazing fire rate.

» Launchers «

• RGL-80
  • An infantry-carried, revolving grenade launcher that fires 40mm projectiles that explode on impact.

» Melee «

• Gutter Knife
  • Standard issue combat knife. Great for quick stealth takedowns.
• Karambit
  • A small, curved talon-style blade. Extremely sharp and discreet for fast and deadly melee attacks.

General Adjustments

• Backup Pistol Quality of Life
  • When you don’t have a handgun equipped in your loadout you’ll unholster a base attachment COR-45 while performing the following actions:
    • Ledge hanging
    • Climbing a ladder
    • Swimming underwater
  • If you do have a handgun or melee weapon equipped, you’ll use that instead.

We want players to always be able to fight back, no matter their situation. The Backup Pistol addition to the game means that whether you are swimming or climbing, you can engage with enemy opponents at all times. As an important note, a fully equipped loadout Handgun will remain the preferred choice in these circumstances.

• Locational Damage Modifiers
  • Locational damage multipliers have been flattened to provide a more consistent time to kill. Headshot multipliers are broadly decreased and arms now match the torso. 

In the past, arms have often had differing damage multipliers than the chest. This could often end up with an inconsistent time to kill when firing directly at a player aiming at you (since you were hitting arms, instead of their chest). By standardizing the multipliers to be more consistent with the “Bottom to Top Philosophy” shots landing in the same area will result in a more reliable experience.

• Sniper Damage
  • KATT AMR will one shot to the head at any distance. 
• Riot Shield
  • The Riot shield slows movement when it is equipped as the player’s Secondary and is on their back.
• Weapon Tuning
  • With the additional statistical knowledge you’re able to receive while swapping between modifications, providing an impressive amount of incremental weapon meta building, Weapon Tuning has been removed, a feature that appeared in Modern Warfare II. This change to Weapon Tuning applies to both MWII and MWIII weapons that utilize modifications.
• Launcher Damage
  • All launchers have been adjusted in regards to their damage and interaction with vehicles. This includes:
    • Most launchers will destroy lighter vehicles in one shot.
    • The RPG-7, PILA, and STRELA-P will destroy most medium sized vehicles in two shots.
    • The JOKR will destroy almost all vehicles in one shot.
    • The RGL-80 and the STRELA-P will not cause most vehicles to immediately explode.
    • The PILA will not cause most medium and larger vehicles to immediately explode.
    • The RPG-7 and the JOKR will cause most vehicles to explode immediately.

We want to make sure that launchers have an impactful but fair application to countering vehicles in Warzone. Based on several variables such as projectile speed, time to fire, and reload speed we have tuned launchers to better meet the expectation on how it should behave when damaging vehicles.

GAMEPLAY

New Features

All Modes

• Classic Red Dots
  • Firing unsuppressed weapons causes Operators to momentarily appear as a red dot on the minimap.

Red dots have returned to Warzone – those wishing to stay off the map when firing should consider equipping a suppressor to the weapons in their Loadout.

• Reload Cancel / Segmented Reloads
  • You can now reload cancel if there are bullets in the magazine. When performing an empty reload it will utilize reload checkpoints to give the best of both worlds. 
• Improved Water Combat
  • Alongside the dedicated Backup Pistol, improvements have been made to water visibility such that it is now easier to see targets both when in and out of the water.

Battle Royale

• Redeploy Weapons
  • Being bought back now grants a weapon that changes based on the current circle number, with the weapon improving with later circles.

This is a similar approach to the one found in Resurgence already. Gone are the days of being bought back in the end game with only a pistol.

Adjusted Features

All Modes

• Loot 
  • Ground & Supply Box Pool
    • Loot found throughout our maps will now include a mix of MW2 and MW3 weapons, equipment, perk packs, and more.
  • Rarity Quality of Life
    • Weapons, equipment, killstreaks, and more will now appear with a color-coded tooltip to indicate the value and rarity of the item, as well as if a weapon is from a “Custom Loadout”.
    • Rarity breakdown:
      • Legendary = Orange
      • Epic = Purple
      • Rare = Blue
      • Uncommon = Green
      • Common = White
  • Ground Spread Quality of Life
    • Players will now notice that the loot distribution and spread when opening a Supply Box or eliminating an enemy has received significant improvements to minimize loot overlap and facilitate loot identification.
  • Revive Pistol
    • The Revive Pistol has been removed from the loot pool but may make a return in a future season.
  • Legendary Audio Quality of Life
    • Guitar celebration returns when finding legendary loot because it just didn’t feel right without some iconic riffs!

We have balanced loot so that most everything can be found in general looting, with enough time. However, we have tried to make rewards from activities like strongholds, contracts, public events, and locations on the map (like hospitals, car garages, police stations, etc) targetable for a specific, desirable item or a type of item, like Plate Carriers. 

So if your team is in need of a specific item, there is likely a place or activity you can go to have a higher chance of getting it. Some high tier items will be exclusive to general looting to encourage players to continue looting to find them. General gear and supplies should be plentiful, and players should have basic gear and a preferable weapon no more than 60 seconds into the match.

• Backpack
  • Layout Quality of Life
    • Adjusted the backpack and in-game loadout layout. Weapons are now right aligned, underneath the newly added dedicated ammo. Gas Mask and Armor Plates are first on the list for rapid access to two areas highly interacted with. 
  • Navigation Wrapping Quality of Life
    • The backpack and loadout will now navigate wrap when moving all the way to one side.
  • Dedicated Ammo Slots Quality of Life
    • Specific new Backpack slots cater to ammo, allowing quick and easy access. These slots will be automatically filled as Players find ammo. Additional ammo can still be stored in the all-purpose Backpack slots. 
  • Gulag Entry Kit Quality of Life
    • The Gulag Entry Kit can be stowed, enabling “pickup to share” for team-coordination.
  • Identical Killstreak Auto Equip Quality of Life
    • Certain items will automatically equip from the Backpack into the active Loadout when a matching item is used.
      • i.g. If the player uses a UAV and they have another in their Backpack, it will auto-equip the UAV into their active Loadout.
  • Gulag and Redeploy TrackerQuality of Life
    • Backpack now displays if you have a Gulag Entry Kit or a Redeploy Pack available to use.
      • Not applicable in Plunder or Resurgence.
• Navigation Pings Quality of Life
  • The ability to ping doors with a specific yellow warning ping has been removed to alleviate frustrations when trying to place navigation pings.
• Killcam Pings Quality of Life
  • Players will now be able to observe all enemy pings while watching kill cam replays.
  • Important: This will be live shortly after launch and will be communicated accordingly.

No more wondering “How did they know I was there?!” when you had a giant red ping above your head.

• Buy Station
  • Interact Distance
    • The interaction distance for Buy Stations within the Gas has been extended to 30 meters, up previously from 10 meters.
  • Icon Visibility Quality of Life 
    • When a Buy Station is still accessible in the Gas, its icon will remain visible on the minimap and Tac Map. Upon being in the Gas for too long, the icon will then fade away once the Buy Station is no longer active.
    • The above notes apply to both stationary Buy Stations as well as Deployable Buy Stations.

Buy Station accessibility is important, so not only do we want to allow for more advanced and interesting Gas plays – we also want to make sure that players know if they can execute a Gas play before they attempt it with the newly improved UI.

• Loadouts
  • Purchase Price
    • Buy Station cost has been reduced:
      • Solos: $7,500, down from $8,000
      • Duos: $10,000, down from $12,000
      • Trios: $12,500, down from $16,000
      • Quads: $15,000, down from $20,000
    • The purchase price will now scale based on the active Squad Size in the match, rather than the base Playlist Squad Size.
  • Squad Outline Quality of Life
    • The distinctive white visual design of the Loadout crate from 2020 makes its return!
      • Loadouts now have a colored outline that is unique to your squad, which serves two purposes: 1) It helps players identify which crate belongs to their squad, 2) and it disappears per player after player has interacted with it.
    • The outline refreshes when respawning indicating that players can use it again.

With several changes to the economy, increasing the amount of cash earned from contracts and introducing a new perk that multiplies that even further, we’re doubling down on easier access to your loadouts and the custom weapons found within. These prices will also scale dynamically should you lose a player, or be trying to solo v quads your way to victory. 

• Gas Mask
  • Manual Gas Mask Quality of Life
    • You can now manually choose when to equip the Gas Mask. When looking at a Gas Mask on the ground, Players are presented with two options:
      • Equip
        • Equipping the Gas Mask will begin the equip animation of putting it onto their face.
      • Stow
        • Stowing the Gas Mask will place it in the Backpack for Players to manually equip at a later time. 
    • As a result of the above, the animation will no longer interrupt gameplay, and importantly Players will only hear the heavy breathing sound effect while in the Gas. 
  • Gas Mask Overlay Quality of Life
    • Adjusted Gas Mask overlay to provide a clearer field of view to the action.
    • Decreased the intensity of the “cracked” state when near broken.

The forced Gas Mask animation of putting on and removing has been a common frustration shared from players and developers alike. We’re removing the automatic animations from the equation and putting the player choice entirely behind a manual “equipped or not” approach. 

• Gas 
  • Circle Pacing
    • We’ve adjusted the overall possible centering of the first circle to encompass more play area than previously experienced. This will ensure that more of the map will be accessible to players at the start of each match to better allow for the all important looting phase.
    • Below is a summary of the adjustments made to gas circle timings:
      • Circle 1: 
        • Circle close time reduced to 160 seconds, down from 215 seconds
      • Circle 2
        • Circle close time reduced to 140 seconds, down from 220
      • Circle 3
        • Circle close time reduced to 130 seconds, down from 170
      • Circle 4
        • Circle close time increased to 125 seconds, down from 110
      • Circle 5
        • Circle close time increased to 90 seconds, down from 70
      • All other circle timings remain unchanged.
      • Total Reduction
        • 140 seconds
      • Total Time Until Match End
        • 20 minutes and 20 seconds
  • Gas Damage
    • Increased to 10 damage per tick, up from 9.

With the introduction of the Irradiated perk there’s room to increase the base tick-damage as there’s ways to bring this much lower with the perk. This means about 15 seconds in the gas is possible without a mask.

• Redeploy Drone
  • Redeploy Drones will now remain stationary in the gas for up to 45 seconds.
    • Each circle will reduce this time by 5 seconds to a minimum of 30 seconds.
  • Drones will now move slightly faster when repositioning.
  • Drones will begin to leave after circle 5 as they are too deep in the gas and there is limited room to reposition to.
  • The Redeploy Drone’s catapult distance has been increased so Players can now traverse greater distances.

The Redeploy Drones have been a fantastic addition to the game but we felt that it was unclear when they were about to change position, and would frequently move when you were running to use them. With this change, the goal now is that if you can see a Redeploy Drone in a playable part of the map – it will be accessible to use.

• Death’s Door (Low Player Health)
  • This refers to the audible and visual notification that the player is low on health and at risk of being downed.
  • Activation
    • The visual overlay when low on health now triggers at 40% Health, down from 55%.
  • Visibility Quality of Life
    • Increased transparency of the overlay, to be less obtrusive when at low health. 
• Parachutes
  • Operators from MWIII will now deploy into the Warzone with a new default Parachute texture, inspired by the urban nature of the new big map Urzikstan. This Parachute texture will be overridden if the player has customized their Parachute.
• Spawn Protection Timer
  • The duration of spawn protection has been reduced to 2.5 seconds, down from 10 seconds
  • This applies to all modes except for Resurgence.

We’ve made this change in order to better create a sense of fairness, both for the redeploying player but also for those already on the ground.

Battle Royale

• Infil Height
  • The height at which Players deploy to the field during Infil has been decreased to 402 meters, down from 483 meters.

Infil closer to the ground for faster time-to-action. In addition, redeployment heights throughout the match will be further decreased each circle so endgame hovering is less effective.

• Second Chance Mechanics
  • The spawn rate for Gulag Entry Kits and Redeploy Packs has been increased.
• Strongholds
  • Strongholds are no longer a guaranteed spawn each match, rather they have been linked to a new Public Event.
    • For details, see the Public Event section below.

In order to make each match unique, Strongholds have been moved to the public event system where there is a percentage chance of them becoming accessible during infil. We recognize that strongholds being present in every match leads to a clear golden path and not a unique experience from match to match. We are working towards additional features to make Strongholds fairer to contest and control, and will have more to announce in future.

• Black Sites
  • A single Black Site will spawn at random at the beginning of each match.
  • The location will not be revealed on the map until your squad finds a Black Site key or it has been unlocked by another squad.
  • The Black Site boss will now drop a guaranteed Deployable Buy Station. The Advanced UAV is now one of several possible killstreaks that will drop.
  • Players may find Black Site keys via ground loot allowing you the opportunity to open a Black Site in any match.

Plunder

• UAV Towers
  • UAV Towers are now in Plunder.
• Cash Balance
  • We’ll be closely monitoring the balance of the cash economy in Urzikstan and will likely make adjustments to ensure a variety of strategies remain viable for winning.

PERKS

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The Perk system currently in Warzone continues, with Operators choosing from either a pre-set or a Custom Perk Package consisting of four Perks which become active once your Loadout is claimed. Perk Packs can also be found in ground loot, whether dropped by an eliminated Player or found in Supply Boxes. 

In addition, a number of the Perks that exist in Multiplayer have been implemented as default movement behaviors in Warzone – without requiring any specific equipment. This will be further detailed in the section titled Movement below.

New Perks

• Shrouded
  • Automatically drops a Smoke Grenade when entering the downed state.
• Flex
  • Delay triggered explosives while sprinting, warns of nearby enemy equipment, and reduces combat noise.
  • Due to a known issue, this Perk currently appears as “Faculty” in the menu.
• Resolute
  • When taking damage from gunfire, it grants a short bonus to movement speed.
  • When shooting at an enemy with Resolute equipped, players will see a small icon to indicate that the player has Resolute.
• Stalker
  • Increased strafe and aim down sight movement speed.
• Payout
  • Contracts pay out more in cash and the cost of UAV Towers is discounted.
• Escapist
  • Increased downed, prone, and crouch speed.
• Primed
  • Accuracy and time to aim down sight is improved while jumping.
• Irradiated
  • While under the effects of the gas circle you move faster and take reduced gas damage.
• Shrapnel
  • Explosive damage delays enemy health regeneration, slows enemy movement, and briefly disables tactical sprint.
• Mountaineer
  • Reduces fall damage.
• Mechanic
  • Reduced vehicle repair time, increased fueling speed, and reduced fuel consumption while driving non-aircraft vehicles.

General Adjustments

• Overkill
  • This Perk has been removed entirely and replaced with a new a default behavior: 
  • Players now have the option to equip two Primary Weapons at all times without requiring a Perk.

By eliminating overkill we have removed a long-standing friction where players needed to buy their “overkill” loadout, or buy multiple weapons from the buystation. With overkill on by default always  – any loadout you create can be with the perks and weapons you desire. Your freedom of choice.

• Perk Unlocks
  • All Warzone Perks are unlocked via player progression. 
  • Perks used for Custom Perk Packages must be unlocked via the 1-55 level player XP progression path.
  • Perks unlocked by default at level 1 include:
    • Scavenger
    • Battle Hardened
    • Payout
    • Flex (Faculty)

We’ve taken a deep look at perks available in Warzone. This includes rebalancing or redesigning existing perks, creating new ones that are re-introduced to Call of Duty through MW3 and creating new ones bespoke to Warzone to give players more agency and choice over their playstyle.

Adjusted Perks

• Ghost
  • Blocks detection by UAV, enemy radar sources, and Heartbeat Sensors – now updated to require movement to activate.
  • Can be acquired via loot as a Stealth Plate Carrier.
• Birdseye
  • Your UAV Killstreak, Portable Radar, or UAV Tower shows the heading of the enemy for your squad. 
  • In addition, enemy unsuppressed gunshots will show headings.
  • Detects Ghosted Players.Can be acquired via loot as a Comms Plate Carrier.
• Survivor
  • Faster revive speed, reduced health regeneration delay, reduced cash lost on death, and enemies that down you are automatically pinged. 
  • Decreases Health Regeneration time to 4 seconds, down from 7. 
  • Can be acquired via loot as a Medic Plate Carrier.

Survivor and the Medic Plate Carrier make for an extremely powerful defensive option that competes with Tempered – depending on which you value most (health or armor). 

• Cold Blooded
  • This will negate the mark from Combat Scout.
• Battle Hardened
  • Now reduces the effects of Frangible bullets and abilities.
• Double Time
  • Increases Tac Sprint duration and reduces refresh time.
  • No longer increases prone and crouch speeds.
• Scavenger
  • Once again provides an additional armor plate and cash in the scavenger bag.

New & Returning Plate Carriers

• Plate Carrier Perks
  • Plate Carriers, previously referred to as Vests, found throughout the match will now be associated with one of the following four Perks:
    • Tempered Plate Carrier
      • Includes effects of the Tempered Perk.
    • Medic Plate Carrier
      • Includes effects of the Survivor Perk.
    • Comms Plate Carrier
      • Provides the player with effects of the Birdseye Perk.
    • Stealth Plate Carrier
      • Provides the player with effects of the Ghost Perk.

Previously, some Plate Carriers shared some common features with a corresponding Perk, but not all. We’ve cleaned up this interaction so that a Plate Carrier does exactly what a Perk does, and nothing else.

MOVEMENT

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Movement and rotation opportunities on Urzikstan have been key focuses of its design. In the new chapter of Warzone, Players will find themselves with several Multiplayer Perks that are simply enabled by default at all times:

• Tac Pads: Improves slide distance and allows for full ADS while sliding, along with increased stance transition speeds.
• Commando Gloves: Enables reloading while running.
• Quick-Grip Gloves: Increases your weapon swap speed.
• Climbing Boots (Partial): Increases climbing and mantling speed aspect.

The above provides the foundation of baseline movement in Warzone, this can be taken further by layering on perks that amplify movement even more. As a reminder, the gear is equipped at all times and never lost.

New Movement

• Tactical Stance
  • A weapon stance that can be Toggled into, grants faster mobility at the cost of accuracy. 

Returning Movement

• ADS While Sliding
  • Players can now aim down sights and shoot while sliding as a default behavior.
  • As an improvement, players can optionally toggle tac stance while sliding.

Adjusted Movement

• Jump Changes
  • Jump higher, faster and jump ADS quicker. Reduced the slow-down when landing from the first jump and reduced the sprint-out delay after jumping. 
• Slide Cancel
  • Players can cancel a slide by jumping, sprinting or crouching again. Does not reset tactical sprint and briefly pauses stamina regeneration.
• Slide Distance
  • The distance that Players travel while sliding is now impacted by the incline of the surface.

CONTRACTS

Returning Contracts

• Big Game Bounty
  • Players can activate this contract to place a bounty on a Player from one of the highest performing squads in the match. 
  • Eliminating the target player will reward your squad with an instantly activated, 20-second long Advanced UAV. 
  • This new contract will reveal itself after the second circle. 
• Scavenger
  • Pick up this contract and you will be directed to open 3 special scavenger caches. You will be given the location of these caches 1 at a time. These caches contain additional loot, a heightened chance for the supply sweep killstreak and Plate Carriers, with the final chest dropping a randomly selected Plate Carrier 100% of the time.

General Adjustments

• Activation Laptop Quality of Life
  • Players will now activate Contracts by interacting with larger, more easily identifiable laptops found throughout the map.
  • Activating a contract is done instantly with no delay or animation.
• Updated Contract Spawning
  • Increased the amounts of contracts spawned later into a match.
• New Icons Quality of Life
  • Contract icons have been updated to be more legible and shield-like in appearance.
  • For better accessibility, icons are now colored yellow, previously green.

Adjusted Contracts

• Bounty Contract
  • Bounty now gives a single UAV ping around the bounty target when the hunter team kills them.

Players engaging with Bounty Contracts are always at risk of being third-partied, so with that risk should come added reward for pushing a squad.

• Intel Contract
  • The speed at which the point is captured will now increase for each additional squad member present.
• Most Wanted Contract
  • Surviving this contract will spawn a High Value Supply Crate which will always include a Gulag Entry Kit.

Again with risk should come rewards, our goal here being that whether you are the Most Wanted target or you are pushing a Most Wanted target – the Supply Crate that drops on success is rewarding to all teams. This guaranteed Gulag Entry Kit also matches our philosophy of Contracts having clearly defined rewards that players know they can acquire. 

• Signals Intelligence Contract Vondel Exclusive
  • The passive income per player is now 10 payments of $750 for a total of $7,500 over 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
    • The previous total amounted to $5,000 per player

PUBLIC EVENTS

New Public Events

• Restock Supply Sweep
  • Restock now starts a personal supply sweep for every player when activated.
• Fly Buy
  • A new Public Event has flown into Urzikstan. At certain points in a match, there is a chance  multiple Drones fly-in to drop additional Buy Stations into the Warzone. 
  • When a Fly Buy public event is triggered, 5 or 6 drones carrying portable buy stations fly from the gas to random points inside the current circle where they drop a portable buy station. 
  • The drones are neutral and can be shot down early, which drops the Buy Stations immediately. 
  • The portable buy stations sell items identical to a typical buy station. 
  • The public event will also have a chance of spawning in late game spawn circles after the Gulag has closed or Resurgence has ended, giving players a final opportunity to buy back teammates.
• Strongholds
  • Strongholds now have a chance to appear as one of several possible events at the start of the match.
    • Black Sites and Abandoned Caches will remain in each match.
  • When this event triggers, 4 Strongholds will spawn, down from 5.
  • The time to capture a Stronghold has been reduced to 30 seconds, down from 90.
  • The original crate in strongholds that players captured and claimed their loadout has been updated and split into two parts.
    • UAV Station: Now when players enter a stronghold they will see a box with a laptop and satellite dish which now acts as the capture point. 
    • Loadout Locker: The loadout crate has been replaced with a loadout locker. The locker can be found in the same space as the UAV station and will be positioned against a wall of the room.
  • Vacating the Stronghold will cause it to automatically neutralize the UAV after 30 seconds. 
  • The Loadout Crate will be available only for the squad that currently controls the Stronghold.

Adjusted Public Events

• Firesale
  • Item discount increased to 50%, up from 30%.

We felt that doing the mental gymnastics of trying to calculate 30% of a discount of $3,000 (Spoiler: it’s $2,100) could be simplified by simply updating to a 50% reduction (simply $1,500) which also gives additional value in rotating to a Buy Station.

EQUIPMENT

New Equipment

• Breacher Drone Lethal Equipment
  • Explosive drone that explodes on proximity to an enemy or on impact.

• Thermobaric Grenade Lethal Equipment
  • Cookable grenade. Creates a large explosion that stuns, leaves a fiery residue, and increases lethality of explosives for a period of time.

• EMD Grenade Tactical Equipment
  • Applies a tracking device to enemies hit, revealing them on your team’s minimap.

• Scatter Mine Tactical Equipment
  • Throw a field of mines across a wide area that detonates when enemies come within range.

Adjusted Equipment

» Lethal Equipment «

• Drill Charge
  • Through Wall max damage increased to 160, up from 140.
  • Stick Max Damage increased to 200, up from 140.
• Claymore
  • Max damage increased to 170, up from 100.
  • There is a known issue where Claymores will deal less damage than intended.
• Frag Grenade
  • Close damage increased to 251, up from 140.
  • Mid range damage increased to 150, up from 105.
• Semtex Grenade
  • Close damage increased to 200, up from 140.
  • Far damage increased to  105, up from 69.
• Thermite
  • Tick damage increased to 37, up from 15.

» Tactical Equipment «

• Smoke Grenade
  • Duration reduced to 7.14 seconds, down from 9.25.
• Stim
  • Stim now grants a slight boost of movement speed on activation (7%).
• Experimental Gas (Tear Gas) 
  • This will now deal continuous damage to anyone standing in the gas cloud.
    • Deals 5 damage per second, 3 damage to those with resistance to gas damage.
  • If the player is wearing a gas mask it will instead do damage to the equipped mask, masks in their backpack, or any masks on the ground.. 
  • Since the damage caused by this tactical is gas, it can be countered with an equipped Gas Mask. 

There’s been a long-standing disconnect between the Gas Mask and Tear GasGrenade having no interaction. We’ve pivoted this so that there’s one consistent language – GAS IS GAS. This means you can use a gas mask to avoid the effects, but if you’re without you’ll take tick damage as if you’re standing outside the circle. The Warzone version of the grenade is renamed to Experimental Gas to reflect the unknown nature of the deadly gas players encounter each game.

• Shock Stick
  • Damage increased to 8 per tick, up from 6.
  • Radius increased to 4.1 meters, up from 3.1 meters.
• Snapshot Grenade
  • Highlight Duration increased to 1.65s up from 1.25s.
• Battle Rage
  • Now also mitigates 10% of damage taken while under the effects.
  • The regen portion of the buff can be canceled early by taking damage. The damage reduction effects will remain for the duration.
• Flash Grenade
  • Now only flashes targets looking at the device at the time of it exploding.

FIELD UPGRADES

New Field Upgrades

• Heartbeat Sensor
  • Now categorized as a Field Upgrade
  • Pulse every 2.5 seconds, down from 3 seconds. (Faster!)
  • Range increased to 55 meters up from 49. 

With Heartbeat sensor moving to the field equipment slot we’ve given it an increased range and faster ping rate – This move puts it, and the newly enhanced Portable Radar as effective recon devices, while still allowing you to use your tactical slots for the active engagement.

Adjusted Field Upgrades

• Portable Radar
  • Radar Pulse increased to 76.3 meters radius, up from 38.1 meters. 
• Armor & Ammunition Boxes
  • The delay on equipment boxes has been removed – they will now be interactable as soon as they are deployed.

KILLSTREAKS

New Equipment

• Guardian
  • A stationary turret that projects sound to disrupt and stun players in a line. Lasts for 50 seconds. 

• Mosquito Drone
  • An automated drone that hovers in an area before descending on a target dealing damage. 
  • Will show up on the map with an icon and can be shot down.

VEHICLES

New Vehicle

• Coyote
  • Available in Urzikstan during Battle Royale and Plunder modes is an impressive, lightly-armored new off road vehicle, known as the Coyote. This is an open-air and agile desert vehicle designed to grip the dunes and move quickly. The mounted machine gun is more than enough to take out the opposition in your path. 
• General Adjustments

• Vehicle Start Time
  • The input delay when entering a vehicle has been decreased by 50%.
• Helicopter Collision
  • The damage profile on helicopters has been updated to better reflect the perceived collision while close to other objects.

UI/UX

• Combat Record 
  • Players will launch Season 1 with a fresh Combat Record, which will immediately begin showing statistics for Battle Royale.
  • The Combat Records will roll out in the following phases:
    • Season 1 – Battle Royale
    • Season 2 – Resurgence
    • Season 3 – Plunder
  • Please note that statistics for all modes will begin tracking on Season 1 launch and will be retroactively reflected when the Combat Records go live.
• Icon Fade Quality of Life
  • All in-world icons will now fade away when the Player aims down sights for better visibility during engagements.
• Improved Headshot Hitmarker Quality of Life
  • Headshot hitmarkers have been improved for better readability.
  • This includes a new sound effect.
• Updated Icons Quality of Life
  • The entirety of the Tac Map has been updated to better serve you, with a variety of easily distinguishable new icons.
• XP / Score Events Quality of Life
  • All Score events are now yellow
• Supply Box Visuals Quality of Life
  • All Supply Boxes have received a visual adjustment to convey value more clearly.
    • Common – Military Green and Black
    • Legendary – Orange and Black
    • Reusable – Navy Blue 
    • Favorite – Custom Weapon Color Magenta
• Armor Plate Color Quality of Life
  • The color of Armor Plates, both on the HUD and hit markers is now blue unless affected by the Tempered Perk, in which case it will appear as orange.
• Nameplates
  • Allied nameplates have had their visibility improved with a clearer outline of the players name.
    • This change mirrors the improvements made in MW3 Multiplayer at launch.
• Perk Package Icons Quality of Life
  • Perk Packages whether equipped or stowed now display the icons of the included Perks in the package for quick readability.

Related: Is there a split screen in Modern Warfare 3?

KNOWN ISSUES

Below is a list of issues that we are aware players will encounter at the launch of Season 1.

• The new Perk called Flex currently appears as “Faculty” in the menu.
• Resurgence Rotation map visual is not appearing in the UI to show what map is currently active.
  • Players can temporarily work around this by seeing the active map in the matchmaking screen.
• The AAR will show the default Calling Card instead of the Calling Cards equipped by the Player.
• A Player detonating a bomb drone may encounter an error in some instances. 
• Although detailed in the patch notes above, Killcam pings will not be active until later into launch week.
• If a player crashes out of Private Match and is given the option to rejoin, they will not connect. 

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