Modern Warfare 2 And Warzone 2 Season 3 Patch Notes Detail Weapon Balancing, One-Shot Sniper Changes

Ahead of the Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2 Season 3 launch, Activision has released some patch notes for the upcoming season. The patch notes dive deeply into weapon balancing, with a slew of buffs and nerfs across the board.

Notably, the ISO Hemlock, which dominated the meta in recent weeks, has been nerfed in Warzone 2. Likewise, the RAAL MG, RPK, Tempus Torrent, and Basilisk have all received nerfs.

Warzone 2 will get a slew of changes including Bomb Drone balancing, the addition of a Tempered Plate Carrier, the return of the heavy chopper, and, of course, the all-new Massive Resurgence mode. This new respawn mode will take place on Al Mazrah and players will be able to rejoin the fight as long as any teammates remain alive. Activision has added new ways to reduce the respawn timer in this mode, such as by earning headshots or being on the move.

Season 3 will also mark the return of one-shot snipers in Warzone 2. Now, bolt-action rifles can down a fully-plated player in one shot with Explosive Rounds. Activision says it will keep an eye on the weapons to “ensure fair, fun, and strategically rich gameplay.”

The beloved 2v2 Gunfight mode is coming to Modern Warfare II Multiplayer during Season 3 with four maps available right away. Likewise, the Cranked mode is being added, along with two new 6v6 maps and two additional Battle maps. On the Multiplayer side of things, Activision is addressing round-ending kills in single-life modes, and will also squash numerous bugs across many maps.

The full list of Season 3 patch notes is listed below, as shared by the Activision blog post.

GLOBAL

A new season has arrived, and with it – new content and gameplay updates spanning Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0. Fan favorites Alejandro and Valeria have returned to settle the score. New modes including Massive Resurgence, Gunfight and Cranked are here, along with new multiplayer maps. Season 03 is anyone’s game!

For the latest live issues tracking please refer to our official Trello board.

RICOCHET ANTI-CHEAT

• Earlier this month, the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat™ team revealed new detections and tools in the fight against cheaters, including in Ranked Play. See the full details in the official blog here.

BATTLE PASS

BlackCell

• BlackCell is a Battle Pass Bundle and Pro Pack combined with even more items. BlackCell is a premium offering that provides incredible value – to be used across both games. For more details, see the BlackCell blog.

Automatic Spend

• For Players looking for an alternative to manual Battle Pass token spending, we’ve added an automatic spend option. Players can also choose to manually earn Battle Token Tier Skips and spend them as they did in prior seasons.

There is still the option to unlock Battle Pass sectors manually, and players can switch between Automatic and Manual pathing at any time during the season, which is great for those who don’t mind what other rewards they earn after they get their favorites.

For more details, visit the Season 03 Battle Pass blog.

EVENTS

• Trophy Hunt New Limited-Time Event
  • Players and enemy combatants will drop Trophies when eliminated. Trophies can also be found via loot. Trophies must be collected and secured at an Upload Station to add them to your bank.
    • Multiplayer
      • Trophies drop from each unique player killed. Collect Trophies and finish the match to add them to your bank.
    • Battle Royale
      • Operators and AI Combatants drop Trophies when eliminated
      • Trophies can also be found by looting.
      • Trophies are extracted from the match via the following methods:
        • Secured at an Upload Station
        • Match victory
    • DMZ
      • Operators and Agents drop trophies when killed. Trophies can also be found in loot. Trophies must be collected and secured at an Upload Station, or extracted to add them to your bank.
  • Once extracted, these trophies can be exchanged for items shown in the Events tab, including:
    • Weapon Blueprints
    • Vehicle Skins
    • Battle Pass Token Tier Skips
  • Those who redeem enough items will also unlock some exclusive Operator Skins for their efforts.

PROGRESSION

Progression has been updated for Season 03:

• Prestige 10: Unlocked at Level 500
• Prestige 11: Unlocked at Level 550
• Prestige 12: Unlocked at Level 600
• Prestige 13: Unlocked at Level 650

CHALLENGES

• New Weapon Unlock Challenges for Season 02 Battle Pass weapons:
  • ISO Hemlock – Get 20 Longshot kills with Assault Rifles
  • KV Broadside – Get 10 one-shot kills with Shotguns
  • Dual Kodachis – Get 20 kills with Melee weapons

• New Camo and Mastery Challenges for the Cronen Squall and FJX Imperium
• New set of Prestige Stickerbook Challenges

WEAPONS

New Weapons

• FJX Imperium Sniper Rifle
  • Engineered destruction at its finest, this anti-personnel, bolt-action Sniper Rifle intervenes in tense situations with hard-hitting .408 rounds.

• Cronen Squall Battle Rifle
  • A bullpup, semi-automatic rifle chambered in 6.8 Wrath and designed for distance shooting and exceptional damage output.

WEAPON BALANCING

Season 03’s changes add more responsiveness to movement and the fluidity of combat including a reduction to the intensity of damage feedback (e.g., camera shake and HUD overlays). We have also decreased the magnitude on some of the more punitive Attachment cons. We feel this will result in an expansion in Attachment viability that will enable a broader spectrum of playstyles to excel—Including a change to Explosive Ammo, which allows Bolt-Action Sniper Rifles to down players in one shot. As we head into Season 03 Reloaded, we will be keeping a close eye on Weapons, Equipment, Killstreaks—among other mechanics, to ensure fair, fun, and strategically rich gameplay.

NOTE: Updates listed below that have certain impacts listed for Armor are only present in Warzone 2 and are indicated with: “Warzone 2.0 Only”

In the context of the below changes—when a Minimum Armor Damage value is added to a Weapon or Attachment, it is an increase to effectiveness. When a Maximum Armor Damage value is added, it is a decrease to effectiveness.

» Assault Rifles «

• ISO Hemlock
  • All Damage Ranges reduced
  • Lower Torso Damage reduced

• M13B
  • Headshot Damage slightly reduced
  • Lower Torso Damage increased
  • Mid-range Damage distance increased
  • Upper Torso Damage slightly reduced

• STB 556
  • Headshot Damage increased
  • Leg Damage increased
  • Lower Torso Damage increased
  • Mid-range Damage distance increased
  • Mid-range Damage reduced

• TAQ-56
  • Headshot Damage Increased

» Battle Rifles «

• FTAC Recon
  • Movement Speed increased
  • Semi-Auto Leg Damage increased
  • Semi-Auto Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • Semi-Auto Upper Torso Damage increased

• SO-14
  • Movement Speed increased
  • Semi-Auto Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only

• TAQ-V
  • Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • Movement Speed increased
  • Semi-Auto Lower Leg Damage increased

» Handguns «

• Basilisk
  • Minimum Armor Damage reduced | Warzone 2.0 Only

» Light Machine Guns «

• RAAL MG
  • Headshot Damage reduced
  • Minimum Armor Damage added to Semi-Auto Firing Mode | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • Semi-Auto Headshot Damage increased
  • Semi-Auto Upper Torso Damage increased
  • Semi-Auto Lower Torso Damage increased

• RPK
  • Close-mid Damage slightly reduced

» Marksman Rifles «

• Tempus Torrent
  • All Damage Ranges reduced slightly
  • Close-mid Damage reduced slightly
  • Headshot Damage reduced

» Submachine Guns «

• Submachine Gun Hip Spread accuracy increased

• BAS-P
  • ADS Move Speed increased
  • All Damage Ranges increased
  • Minimum Armor Damage added to Semi-Auto Firing Mode | Warzone 2.0 Only

• Lachmann Sub
  • Headshot Damage decreased
  • Burst-Fire Leg Damage increased
  • Burst-Fire time between shots decreased
  • Burt-Fire Torso Damage increased

• MX9
  • Sprint to Fire Speed increased

• Vaznev-9K
  • Headshot Damage decreased

• VEL 46
  • Headshot Damage decreased

ATTACHMENTS

Ammunition

• Basilisk
  • .500 Snakeshot
    • Maximum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only
• Explosive
  • Bolt-Action Weapons equipped with Explosive Ammunition are now able to down fully armored Players in one shot | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • Explosive Ammunition has been added to the MCPR-300 progression tree
• ISO Hemlock
  • .300 Blackout (All Types)
    • Headshot Damage increased
    • Hip Spread accuracy while prone increased
    • Initial Recoil increased slightly
    • Long-range Damage decreased
    • Mid-range Damage increased
    • Minimum Armor Damage added to Semi-Auto Firing Mode | Warzone 2.0 Only
    • Recoil violence increased

Barrel, Stock, and Magazine Attachment stats are affected according to how ‘Large’, ‘Small’, ‘Heavy’, ‘Light’, ‘Long’, or ‘Short’ they are relative to other Attachments. In essence, the below changes increase the upsides of most Attachments stats while decreasing their downsides—resulting in an overall increase to Attachment power level.

Barrel

• Heavy Barrels
  • ADS Speed penalty slightly reduced
• Light Barrels
  • Muzzle Velocity penalty reduced

• Short Barrels
  • ADS Speed benefit increased
  • Damage Range penalty reduced
  • Hip Spread accuracy benefit increased while moving and firing
  • Hip Spread accuracy penalty for Shotguns decreased while moving and firing

Bipod

• ADS Speed penalty reduced

Laser

• Laser brightness increased

Magazine

• Large Magazines
  • Light Machine Guns (Global)
    • Handling and Movement penalties reduced
  • Kastov 545
  • Kastov 762
  • Lachmann Sub
  • M13B
  • M16
  • Vaznev-9K
  • VEL 46
    • 50 Round Magazine
    • 60 Round Magazine

Small Magazines

• Sprint to Fire Speed increased

• Fennec 45
  • Fennec Double Tap Mod (Benefits from Small Magazine buffs)
    • Damage increased
    • Damage Ranges reduced
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only
    • Time between bursts reduced
• STB 556
  • Single Tap Mod (Benefits from Small Magazine buffs)
    • Damage increased
    • Mid-range Damage distances increased
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only
    • Time between shots increased

Rear Grip

• Basilisk
  • Akimbo Basilisk
    • Maximum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only

Stock

• Heavy Stocks
  • ADS Move Speed penalty reduced
  • Aiming Stability benefit increased
  • Aim Walking Steadiness benefit increased

GENERAL

• Blueprints
  • Pro-Tuning is no longer removed from all Attachments when altering a Pro-Tuned Blueprint

• Bomb Squad
  • Explosive Damage mitigation now also applies to Armor | Warzone 2.0 Only

• Damage Feedback
  • Visual feedback adjusted to increase visibility when taking damage

• Death Effects
  • Death Effects are now visible when killing AI

• Dive
  • Diving fire delay reduced

• Slide
  • Sliding speed slightly increased

FIELD UPGRADES

Adjustments

• Added Thermal Vision to the Tactical Camera for Night Map Modes

EQUIPMENT

• Gas Grenades should no longer detonate enemy explosives
• Claymore | Warzone 2.0 Only

• Flash Grenade
  • Flash effect duration reduced

• Frag Grenade | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • One hit kill radius against fully armored Players reduced

• Proximity Mine | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • Armor damage reduced
  • Armor damage reduced against crouched or prone Players

• Semtex
  • Now kills downed Players when stuck

KILLSTREAKS

• Players watching a Killcam after getting killed by a Cruise Missile will no longer be looking downwards when they respawn
• Reduced the range of screen shakes for Precision Airstrike explosions
• Juggernaut should now be able to see the tablet screen when planting or defusing a bomb

• Bomb Drone | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • Can no longer down fully armored Players

• Cluster Mine | Warzone 2.0 Only

VEHICLES

• Vehicle windows can now be destroyed by melee attacks
• Vehicle tires can now be popped with knives

AUDIO

• Added a new cinematic music slider to the front end, which will allow Players to control UI music, game intros/outros, and cinematic sequences separately from music that happens during gameplay
• Various refinements to footstep and occlusion mixes

SOCIAL

• Groups Request Manager
  • Quality of life improvements for requests to join groups in the Social menu.

• Recruit a Friend
  • Know someone who has yet to experience Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0? You and your friends can get rewarded through the new Recruit a Friend program.
  • Recruits and recruiters can then earn rewards for completing challenges together
    • NOTE: This Program is not available in Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, and the Philippines.

UI/UX

• Player names now appear in the squad lists of a Private Battle Royale Match
• Added the ability to preview tracers and death effects that come with weapon Blueprints
• New front end/pre-game lobby scene

GLOBAL BUG FIXES

Weapons Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that disallowed Tuning on the Assault-60 Stock Factory for the FSS Hurricane, FTAC Recon, and Tempus Torrent
• Fixed incorrect ammo names on the SPW 40mm HE and KL40-M2 Underbarrel Grenade Launchers
• Fixed numerous Blueprints that were unable to be brought into DMZ
• Fixed Underbarrel Launcher and Underbarrel Shotgun Attachment compatibility issues
• Fixed .50 GS Barrels that were not equipping properly
• Fixed P890 Triggers that were not equipping properly
• Fixed Attachment descriptions for unlocks on the KV Broadside progression tree
• Fixed an incorrect unlock level description on the SP-X 80 progression tree
• Fixed an issue with the progression of .50 GS and KV Broadside camo challenges
• Fixed an issue where the UI would sometimes incorrectly display 6 out of 5 attachments

Vehicles Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue preventing tires on the Armored Truck from being popped
• Fixed the minimap icon of the neutral LTV with a turret not having a turret
• Fixed an issue that makes the Player getting stuck in vehicles much less likely
• Fixed an issue where roof-exiting on an ATV could push the Player through collision objects
• Fixed an issue that allowed Players to exit a vehicle and leave Maps in certain areas
• Fixed an issue causing vehicles to sometime become disabled when one of their tires was still on land

• Fixed an issue that allowed helicopters to fly through objects after deploying AI
• Fixed an issue causing flares on the Heavy Chopper to deploy too high
• Fixed an issue causing War Tracks to not clear from Players in the turrets of the Armored Patrol Boat if the driver dies

Killstreaks Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue causing Crossbow bolts to not damage Recon Drones and Bomb Drones
• Fixed an issue causing Explosive Crossbow bolts to not damage the Wheelson
• Fixed a handful of issues that prevented Cluster Mines from being damaged correctly by different sources
• Fixed a small number of out of bounds issues that could impact piloting a Drone

Field Upgrades Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that prevented Armor from being used while DDoS was active

Equipment Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that would sometimes prevent Players using the Riot Shield from being killed by Drill Charges

UI/UX Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where Players could spam invites to other Players as a form of griefing
• Fixed an issue allowing Players to whisper, toggle mute, report or block Players, and add friends from the Leaderboard at the end of a match
• Fixed an issue causing misaligned stats in the Scoreboard in Multiplayer
• Fixed an issue affecting Double Kill Challenge tracking in the UI
• Fixed an issue where the Basilisk, .50 GS and LA-B 330 weapons had incorrectly set weapon camo challenges
• Fixed an issue allowing custom Perk Packages to be edited while in-game

PC SETTINGS

• Keybind Presets
  • Keybind Preset allows Players to use a pre-determined set of keybinds very easily if you want to change all your keybinds with a single click. Several presets are available: Default, which is the Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone 2 default, Classic which is inspired by Warzone 1 initial keybinds and Simplified, which allows to reduce the amount of keybinds and can be useful for Accessibility. Keybind Preset can be found in KBM, at the top of the Keybinds tab.

• Gyro Ratcheting
  
  • Gyro Ratcheting is a new setting that allows the player to disable the gyro to reposition the controller by pressing a specific key, without impacting the key’s original behavior. Several actions can be used to disable for Gyro and reposition the controller. This setting was requested by the community to improve the Gyro Aiming experience. Gyro Ratcheting can be found in Controller, in the Advanced tab with all the settings dedicated to Gyro.

SPECIAL OPS

ATOMGRAD RAID

• Added ping icons for platforms in Episode 02
• Increased the difficulty of the escape sequence in Episode 02
• If a Player is downed when the final airlock sequence starts in Episode 02, they will now be revived and placed in a safe spot

ATOMGRAD RAID BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue where the red buttons to the first number puzzle would disappear after being interacted with in Episode 01
• Fixed an exploit where Players could leave the Map in Episode 01
• Fixed an issue preventing the spectator camera from working as intended during the final sequence in Episode 02
• Fixed an issue causing the Raid Rewards screen to display in an incorrect aspect ratio

COOPERATIVE

• Loadouts can now be used in all non-modified Cooperative content
  • Added a unique Loadout configuration option

COOPERATIVE BUG FIXES

• Fixed a bug where the “kill enemies with throwing knives” Challenge was not tracking properly
• Fixed a bug where defusing a Claymore while wearing an Assault Suit would cause the Player to lose the Assault Suit
• Fixed a weapon exploit using Kit/Role Select crate

MULTIPLAYER

PLAYLIST

Modes

• Gunfight
  • Gunfight is here with 4 maps at Season 03 launch, and new maps coming in future seasons. This iconic 2v2 mode is sure to make for high-octane moments of combat.

• Cranked
  • Cranked takes Team Deathmatch and amps up the intensity by putting a countdown on any Operator who earns an elimination. If they cannot earn another elimination before the timer hits zero, they meet an untimely explosive death.

Maps

• Core (6v6)
• Gunfight Maps (2v2)
  • Alley
  • Blacksite
  • Exhibit
  • Shipment

• Battle Maps (Ground War and Invasion)
  • Rohan Oil
  • Sattiq Cave Complex

GENERAL

Gameplay Updates

• Round ending kills in single life Modes will now properly track on the scoreboard
• Free-for-All style games that result in a tie will now display as a tie for all Players who achieved the top score. Previously, only the first three Players would receive the tie, and any remaining Players would receive a loss
• Added a black fader when spectating teammates in Core Multiplayer to avoid gaining Map information in areas of the Map outside of alive teammate locations

MULTIPLAYER BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue where Players could get into stacked crates on El Asilo
• Fixed general issues with Player collision, Equipment collision, and bullet collision on Al Malik International, Dome, Taraq, Embassy, Zarqwa Hydroelectric, Al Bagra Fortress, Sarrif Bay, Sa’id, and Zaya Observatory
• Fixed an issue where some UI elements were not appearing correctly on Ground War Maps
• Fixed an issue that could result in a game crash when using the Combat Knife or Riot Shield to melee a Wheelson
• Fixed a handful of out of bounds trigger issues

RANKED PLAY

Ranked Play continues in Season 03, featuring NEW Seasonal Rewards! So whether you’re jumping into your first Ranked Play match or continuing your Season 02 Grind, there’s plenty to unlock and lots of competition to face. Here are the important details to keep in mind for new players. For returning players, consider this a refresher:

Competitive Game Modes, Maps, and Settings

• Ranked Play continues in Season 03! Play competitive, 4v4 matches using the same maps, modes, and settings used in the Call of Duty League 2023 ruleset.
• Select Weapons, Attachments, Equipment, Perks, Field Upgrades, and Streaks are restricted based on official CDL Competitive rules.
  • Updated Restrictions
    • The following have been restricted in Ranked Play to match active Call of Duty League rules:
      • Cronen Squall Battle Rifle
• Updated Game Modes and Maps:
  • CDL Search and Destroy
    • Al Bagra Fortress
    • Breenburgh Hotel
    • El Asilo
    • Embassy
    • Mercado Las Almas
  • CDL Hardpoint
    • Al Bagra Fortress
    • Breenburgh Hotel
    • Embassy
    • Mercado Las Almas
    • Zarqwa Hydroelectric
  • CDL Control
    • Breenburgh Hotel
    • El Asilo
    • Himmelmatt Expo

SR (Skill Rating)

Test yourself against your peers and track that progress with a visible SR (Skill Rating) that determines your place across 8 Skill Divisions.

• All new Ranked Play players begin their journey in Bronze I with 0 SR.
• Players increase their SR by winning matches and lose SR whenever they lose matches.
• Both individual and team performance will impact how much SR you gain or lose per match. In higher Skill Divisions, team performance has a bigger impact on SR gained or lost so that all winning playstyles are more consistently rewarded.
• Players can progress through eight Skill Divisions by reaching SR milestones:
  • Bronze – Starting Division
  • Silver – 900 SR
  • Gold – 2,100 SR
  • Platinum – 3,600 SR
  • Diamond – 5,400 SR
  • Crimson – 7,500 SR
  • Iridescent – 10,000 SR
  • Top 250 – 10,000+ SR
• End of Season Skill Setback: At the end of each Season, your ending Skill Division will determine where you start the following season:
  • Bronze through Crimson players will start one Skill Division below where they finish, starting in Tier I of that new Division.
    • For example, a player who finishes the Season in Platinum II will be dropped back to Gold I at the start of the next Season.
    • Players who end the current season in Bronze will start at Bronze I in the next Season.
  • The highest starting position each Season is Diamond I.
  • Players who participated in Season 02 will experience the above at the start of Season 03.

Ranks & Rewards

• MWII Ranked Play is the most rewarding competitive Call of Duty experience ever, with a variety of valuable rewards available to players at launch and Season after Season.
• Unlocked Rewards can be used in Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0. Unlock what the mode has to offer to show off your Rank and Skill wherever you play.
• Ranked Play now features brand new Season 03 Rewards!
• Ranks and Rank Rewards
  • Separate from the player’s SR and Skill Division is Rank. Rank persists across Seasons to celebrate the player’s lifetime win total across their Ranked Play career.
  • All players start at Rank 1 and can progress to Rank 50.
  • Players increase their Rank by winning matches to earn Stars. Each win grants one (1) Star. Win enough matches and you’ll earn enough Stars to reach the next Rank.
  • Every 5 Ranks players will progress their Rank icon and unlock a set of Rank rewards:
    • Rank 5: Ranked Competitor Skin for use with both CDL Male & Female Operators on both Factions.
    • Rank 10: ‘Press F’ Emblem
    • Rank 15: Pro Issue X12 Weapon Blueprint
    • Rank 20: ‘Ace’ Weapon Charm
    • Rank 25: ‘Turn It Up’ Emblem
    • Rank 30: ‘Ranked Win Tracker’ Gun Screen that displays the player’s lifetime Ranked Play win total.
    • Rank 35: ‘I’m Cracked’ Large Weapon Decal
    • Rank 40: Pro Issue Combat Knife Weapon Blueprint
    • Rank 45: ‘Sweep’ Weapon Charm
    • Rank 50: Ranked Veteran Emblem & Skin for use with both CDL Male & Female Operators on both Factions.
  • Each Rank Milestone also unlocks a Calling Card that represents the player’s achieved Rank.
• Season 03 Rewards
  • In addition to Rank Rewards, each Ranked Play Season will give players the opportunity to earn exclusive limited-time rewards.
  • Throughout the Season 03, players can earn the following rewards:
    • 5 Wins: ‘Season 03 Competitor’ Weapon Sticker
    • 10 Wins: Pro Issue TAQ-56 Weapon Blueprint
    • 25 Wins: ‘I’m That Dawg’ Weapon Charm
    • 50 Wins: ‘Tippable’ Large Weapon Decal
    • 75 Wins: ‘Ranked Play Season 03’ Loading Screen
    • 100 Wins: ‘Season 03 Ranked Veteran’ Weapon Camo
• End of Season Division Rewards
  • At the end of each Season, players will be awarded Skill Division rewards that represent their highest attained Division that Season.
    • Division Skins:
      • Earn a Skill Division Skin for use with both CDL Male & Female Operators on both Factions to represent your highest Skill Division. Once the Skins from one Skill Division have been unlocked they can be permanently used in following Seasons and anywhere you play:
        • Top 250: Unlock the ‘Top 250 Competitor’ Skin by finishing a Season in the Top 250 Skill Division. Players must be in the Division at the end of the Season to qualify for this reward.
        • Gold – Iridescent: Earn the applicable ‘Gold Competitor’, ‘Platinum Competitor’, ‘Diamond Competitor’, ‘Crimson Competitor’, or ‘Iridescent Competitor’ Skin based on your highest Skill Division reached over the course of the Season.
    • Seasonal Division Rewards
      • Each Ranked Play Season features a unique set of Division Rewards awarded at the end of the Season to celebrate the player’s highest Skill Division reached that Season.
      • The Season 03 rewards are as follows:
        • Top 250: ‘Season 03 Top 250’ Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
        • Iridescent: ‘Season 03 Iridescent’ Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
        • Crimson: ‘Season 03 Crimson’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
        • Diamond: ‘Season 03 Diamond’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
        • Platinum: ‘Season 03 Platinum’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
        • Gold: ‘Season 03 Gold’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
        • Silver: Emblem
        • Bronze: Emblem
    • Ranked Play First Place: The player who finishes Season 03 in the #1 position on the Top 250 Leaderboard will receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Calling Card and Emblem for the ultimate bragging rights.

Competitive Integrity Features

• From Start to Finish: Players who disconnect or quit matches will receive SR penalties as well as temporary suspensions, with escalating penalties for repeat offenders.
• SR Forgiveness: If a player disconnects or quits in the middle of the match, all team members outside of that player’s party will not lose ANY SR.
  • It is still possible to earn SR if players can overcome their disadvantage, but a loss at a numerical disadvantage will not yield SR loss for players outside of the leaving player’s party.
• Fair Fights, Even Teams: If a player quits or disconnects before the start of a match, the match will be canceled and will not count. The remaining players will be returned to the main menu.
• Professional Conduct Only: Friendly Fire is enabled in Ranked Play per CDL rules. Repeated Friendly Fire will result in players being kicked from games and receiving penalties and suspensions.
• Demotion Protection: After advancing to a higher Skill Division, players will be granted temporary Demotion Protection and will not lose any SR within the first three games in the new Division. Following that initial protection, if players were to lose enough SR to be demoted, they will first be dropped to the minimum threshold of their current Skill Division instead of being demoted. Losing their next match will result in a demotion.
  • Demotion Protection is also applied for the player’s first 3 games of each Ranked Play Season.
• Party SR Restrictions: To ensure competitive fairness and balance of matches in higher Skill Divisions, players in certain Divisions can only party up with players around their current SR. The player with the highest Skill Division in the party determines which Party SR Restrictions are used:
  • Iridescent (Including Top 250) & Crimson: Can party with players within 1 Skill Division
  • Diamond: Can party within 2 Skill Divisions
  • Bronze – Platinum: Can party up without any restrictions

Bug Fixes

• Addressed incorrect messaging when a player disconnects from the other team at the beginning of a match.
• Addressed incorrect penalty messaging when a player disconnects and receives their first suspension.

WARZONE 2.0

The patch notes detailed in the section below affect all Warzone 2.0 content across both Battle Royale and DMZ.

MAPS

Map Updates

Ashika Island

• A Cargo Ship and several Submarines are now present outside of the Port.

GAMEPLAY

All Maps | All Modes

• Tempered Plate Carrier
  • Upgrades the Player’s Armor Plate Carrier to improve armor plate efficiency.
  • Details:
    • Player now equips 2 stronger armor plates, down from 3
    • Each armor plate counts for 75
    • Can be found in strongholds and loot

• Bomb Drone Balancing
  • Reduced the damage of the Bomb Drone so it will no longer one-hit-kill or down a fully armored player.

• Heavy Chopper
  • Re-enabled this vehicle in the following modes:
  • Added new Heavy Chopper gas cans unique to this vehicle that are required for initial takeoff.
    • Spawn locations of these gas cans will differ between Battle Royale and DMZ.
    • Battle Royale:
      • One of five possible spawn locations will spawn Heavy Gas gas cans each match.
      • One Heavy Chopper gas can is included as a guaranteed Stronghold mission reward.
  • Subsequent refuelings can be done via Gas Stations or other Heavy Chopper gas cans
  • This vehicle is now more vulnerable to explosive damage

• Gas Mask
  • The gas mask has been given a slight buffer when the player delays it from being put on or taken off. This should help catch situations where further delay is desired immediately after it was dropped.

• Interrogation
  • Decreased the time it takes to perform an interrogation to 3 seconds, down from 5
  • Added a grace period if the downed Player is immediately eliminated after a successful interrogation.
    • This guarantees that the enemy squad will be pinged at least once, up to three times during the grace period.
    • Reminder: Keeping the interrogated Player alive will further extend the effect

QUALITY OF LIFE

• Mantle Assist Improvements
  • Improved the system that would allow players to mantle over or through objects such as windows.

• Advanced UAV Improvements
  • Enemy Players and AI Combatants will now appear differently while using an Advanced UAV

• Killstreak Banner Positioning
  • The position of the Killstreak banner that appears on screen has been moved to no longer overlap with the player’s reticle.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue that allowed Players to clip inside the Sentry Gun.

• Fixed several issues with placing a Sentry Gun on the train.

• Fixed issue where Mortar Strikes were not doing enough damage against AI targets, making it hard to kill them.

• Recon/Bomb Drones will now die if the player goes into last stand.

• Added item persistence to Stim Pistol / Rebreather. Now Stim pistol / Rebreather can be dropped after it has been activated.

• Fixed several issues caused by Players having both a Self Revive and Stim Pistol equipped.

• Fixed an issue with the Assimilation UI that could cause some squad members’ names or numbers to appear incorrectly.

BATTLE ROYALE

The patch notes detailed in the section below are exclusive to Battle Royale, which includes but is not limited to standard Battle Royale, Resurgence, Mini Royale, Unhinged, and more.

PLAYLIST

Battle Royale

Al Mazrah

• Standard
  • Duos
    • Max Players: 150
    • Assimilation: Refill
  • Trios
    • Max Players: 150
    • Assimilation: Refill
  • Quads
    • Max Players: 152
    • Assimilation: Refill

• Massive Resurgence NEW
  • Trios
    • Max Players: 150
    • Assimilation: Off
  • Quads
    • Max Players: 152
    • Assimilation: Off

Ashika Island

• Resurgence
  • Solos
    • Max Players: 52
    • Assimilation: Off
  • Duos
    • Max Players: 52
    • Assimilation: Off
  • Quads
    • Max Players: 52
    • Assimilation: Off

For regular updates about the Playlist and other Scheduled Events, check out the dedicated Warzone Trello Board.

MODES

New Modes

Al Mazrah

• Massive Resurgence Launch
  • Resurgence makes its Al Mazrah debut! Prepare to take on dozens of other squads in a much larger version of this fan favorite mode.
    • How does it work?
      • When eliminated, Players enter a spectating state and must wait for the Resurgence timer to tick down. Squad members can shorten the timer by completing Contracts, looting, and eliminating enemy Players. Respawns are disabled on the fourth circle, so keep an eye on the clock
    • Hunt & Track Mechanic
      • At any point during a match, eliminating an enemy Player will display their Squad members for a few seconds on the minimap.
      • Specific to Solos, eliminating an enemy Player will display their location upon redeployment for 10 seconds.
    • Score Events
      • As a reminder, we recently added quite a few new ways to shorten the respawn timer for Squad members:
        • Headshot
          • Eliminating an enemy Player via Headshot
        • On The Move
          • If you move more than 25 meters while your teammate is dead
        • Hunt
          • You eliminated a Player while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic
        • Hunter Double
          • You eliminated two Players in a row while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic
        • Hunter Spree
          • You eliminated more than three Players while they were tracked by the Hunt mechanic
        • Armor Break
          • You broke all of a Player’s active Armor Plates
        • Audacious Elimination
          • You got an elimination while a Squad member was down
        • Fearless Elimination
          • You got an elimination while being the last living member of your Squad
    • Loadouts
      • Players can acquire their Loadouts via two different methods in Resurgence. Towards the end of the first circle there is a Public Event that drops a Loadout crate for your Squad. Loadout Dop Markers are also available for purchase via Buy Stations, using the same price scaling as standard Battle Royale.
    • Additional Information
      • Strongholds are disabled
      • Weapons found via ground loot always have attachments
      • Blue Resurgence Supply Boxes restock after 90 seconds

• World Series of Warzone In-Season
  • Grab your two sweatiest friends and start warming up now Stage 1 of the upcoming WSOW 2023 Season.
  • A limited-time playlist will go live on April 27th called WSOW Trios for squads to practice for the In-Game Open.
    • This is a new WSOW ruleset, which is a variation of a standard match of Battle Royale. This includes changes such as:
      • No turreted vehicles
      • No Heavy chopper
      • No assimilation
      • No Fire sales, Jailbreaks, Restocks or Champion’s Quest
  • While the public Playlist will be available throughout this weekend for practice, the actual competition — and opportunity for official scoring for WSOW Stage I — will take place on April 28 through April 30 from 10 AM to 2 PM PT each day.
  • Full details for the WSOW 2023 Season are available on the official blog here.

GENERAL

• Resurgence Private Matches
  • Ashika Island Resurgence (Solos, Duos, Trios, and Quads) has been enabled in Private Matches.

• Private Match Spectating
  • Spectating has been enabled for all available maps/modes including:
    • Al Mazrah
      • Standard Battle Royale
        • Solos, Duos, Trios, Quads
      • Mini Royale
    • Ashika Island
      • Resurgence
        • Solos, Duos, Trios, Quads

• After Action Report (AAR)
  • All Players in a squad that complete a match will see the After Action Report.

• Birdseye Perk
  • This Perk has been reenabled.
  • Adjustments:
    • Now activates when Player uses a UAV Killstreak
    • Enemy UAVs no longer trigger Birdseye
    • UAVs activated by the Player using Birdseye will provide enemy headings
    • UAV pings activated by the Player using Birdseye are slightly larger

GAMEPLAY

Al Mazrah | Standard Battle Royale

• Blacksite New Gulag
  • This roughly rectangular, asymmetrical map has several interior spaces and long external routes. Those who want to redeploy will have to prove their worth on this new yet familiar ground.

GAMEPLAY

New Gameplay Features

All Maps | All Modes

• UAV Towers
  • First seen in DMZ, UAV Towers can be activated during a match to provide intel on enemy positioning in the form of several circular UAV sweeps from the tower’s fixed location.
  • Details:
    • An audible notification is broadcasted when one is activated
    • The icon for active towers will be visible in red on the Tac Map and overworld
    • Lasts 20 seconds per activation
    • Costs $2000 per activation
    • Able to be activated by another squad even if you have activated them already
    • Those activated by an opposing squad show detection radius on the map

Al Mazrah | All Modes

• Redeploy Drones
  • Redeploy Drones have been added to Al Mazrah. Utilize these for quick repositioning.
  • Details:
    • Can be shot down
    • Will reposition when in the gas
    • Will begin leaving the field around the 4th circle

Al Mazrah | Standard Battle Royale

• Stronghold “Hold Positions” Operation
  • Locate and defend a position inside the stronghold from enemies. The stronghold will be attacked by continuous reinforcements until the operation is complete.

• Black Sites New Stronghold Objective
  • An additional black site has been added to Al Mazrah near Rohan Oil, in the Northern sector of the map.

• Champion’s Quest
  • New Weapon Blueprint Reward
    • Go find out – if you can!

• Gas Circle Pacing Improvements
  • Decreased the time paused between gas circle movements. This will increase overall pacing across a match.
  • Mirroring a pacing change to Caldera last year, we’ve evaluated the delay time between when the circle stops and the start of the next movement. By making an adjustment here we expect to see a more dynamic mid-game. This does not increase the speed of the gas itself in any way.

Gameplay Adjustments

All Maps | All Modes

• Most Wanted Contract
  • The Most Wanted Supply Drop now drops on every successful completion
    • This will no longer deactivate upon Resurgence being disabled in Ashika Island.
  • In Plunder, it drops money and different power items
  • Supply drop icon has been updated
  • Every team can now see the crate’s icon on the tac map

• Stronghold Rewards
  • Reduced the number of white Stronghold Supply Boxes that spawn to 1, down from 2
  • Increased loot found in a white Stronghold Supply Box

Al Mazrah | All Modes

• Intel Contract
  • The number of spawn locations for the upload point has been increased
  • The upload point will now drop loot upon completion
  • The upload point occupation time requirement has been increased to 17 seconds, up from 10
  • The “search for the laptop” phase of this contract has been removed

We felt that the initial search circle that contained the laptop was too inconsistent with the time it took players to find the laptop on average. This time was very heavily dependent on the location of the laptop. This change aims to counteract that concern.

• Buy Stations
  • The following items will be available at every Buy Station with unlimited stock:
  • We’ve also made some tweaks to item prices. See below for details:
    • Armor Plates
      • Increased to $500, up from $400
    • Gas Mask
      • Increased to $2000, up from $1650
    • Durable Gas Mask
      • Increased to $3500, up from $2900
    • C4
      • Increased to $850, up from $700
    • Frag Grenade
      • Increased to $600, up from $500
    • Smoke Grenade
      • Increased to $400, up from $250
    • Snapshot Grenade
      • Increased to $600, up from $400
    • Revive Pistol
      • Increased to $4000, up from $800
    • Cluster Mine
      • Increased to $6000, up from $3300
    • Precision Airstrike
      • Decreased to $2000, down from $4000
    • Counter-UAV
      • Decreased to $2000, down from $4000
    • Bomb Drone
      • Decreased to $3500, down from $4000
    • Armor Box
      • Increased to $3500, up from $2000
    • Battle Rage
      • Increased to $3500, up from $2900
    • Dead Silence
      • Decreased to $2500, down from $2900
    • Portable Radar
      • Increased to $2500, up from $1400
    • Suppression Mine
      • Increased to $3500, up from $2000
    • Tactical Camera
      • Decreased to $1500, down from $1650
    • Deployable Cover
      • Decreased to $1500, down from $1650
    • Trophy System
      • Decreased to $1500, down from $1650
    • Recon Drone
      • Increased to $3000, up from $2000
    • Firesale UAV
      • Increased to $5000, up from $4000
    • Future updates will see a continuous evaluation of prices as we regularly review the live data of Buy Station usage, equipment power and more.
  • Item placement in the menu has been revised in order to keep relevant selections next to one another.
  • Changed positioning of the Loadout Drop Marker on the menu to facilitate navigation
    • Press down once on directional controller when opening the Buy Station menu
  • Spawn locations have been updated and increased to 42, up from 31

We’re making significant improvements to how we determine the spawn location of Buy Stations, this change not only increases the amount available in a match but more appropriately spaces out their locations. The goal being to address negative space and to reduce frequency of buys being in too close of a proximity. Buy stations will remain static in Al Mazrah Battle Royale so that learned behavior can be relied on.

• Ammo Caches
  • Additional locations for Ammo Caches have been added across the map

We’ve identified a number of regions on the map that would benefit from an Ammo Cache to assist with either regain potential, or just keeping an active engagement going longer. As with Buy Stations, we’re evaluating much of our spawn philosophy and will be making additional changes in other areas over the course of the chapter.

Ashika Island | Resurgence

• Rebalanced Rewards
  • We have adjusted the rewards for the following:
    • Data Heist Public Event
    • Sea Treasure Machine
    • Sea Lion Statue side quests

QUALITY OF LIFE

• Minimap Ping Anchoring
  • Coordinates and map elements that have been pinged will now anchor the icon along the borders of the minimap even when they are outside of the visible area on the minimap.

• Spawn Protection Timeout
  
  • Spawn protection will now expire on players who remain airborne for more than 10 seconds
  • This is in addition to the current x that remove spawn protection when they are x meters from the ground
  • We’ll evaluate the effectiveness of Spawn Protection and if necessary make adjustments on a per mode basis.

• Blacksite Key Visibility
  
  • Blacksite Key dropped will now be visible on the Tac Map to all squads

• Loadout Drop Visuals
  
  • Adjusted the visual representation of Loadout Drops to help Players better distinguish between their own and those that belong to other Players.
  • New color coding:
    • Squad Loadout Drop = Blue
    • Contested Loadout Drop = Yellow

• Gulag Item HUD
  
  • Items that a Player picks up during a Gulag round will be briefly indicated next to the crosshair before fading away.

• Object Elevation Arrows
  
  • Buy Stations, Contracts, and Loot items now have a small up/down arrow on the tac map and minimap to better indicate elevation.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue where Quick Fix did not activate after plating in Resurgence modes.

• Fixed an issue causing the Intel Contract world icon to persist despite having failed to complete the objective.

• Fixed an issue causing Battle Royale victories to not update properly in the Combat Records.

• Fixed an issue causing the Play Again buttons to no longer work after assigning a new party leader.

• Fixed an issue causing items to disappear when attempting to stow them away in the backpack.

• Fixed an issue causing Players using the Birdseye Perk to receive UAV pings when an enemy activated a UAV.

DMZ

The patch notes detailed in the section below are exclusive to DMZ.

In Season 02 we focused on refreshing and resetting DMZ, but Season 03 is all about new game mechanics.

NEW FOR SEASON 03

New Faction

• [ REDACTED ] has arrived with new Faction Missions coming throughout Season 03.

Barter

• We are introducing Barter for Players to have another way to gear-up during deployment. Barter can be found at Buy Stations and offers exchange of certain items for useful equipment. Remembering these “Recipes” will be a useful tool for acquiring specific items. Barter is not Player-to-Player.

Workbench

• The Workbench has arrived in DMZ and allows players to customize Contraband Weapons during deployment – this includes any equipped weapon that may be insured or looted. Players will be able to add or remove attachments based on their weapon progression. Craft the perfect build or add the right attachment for an advantage in situational combat.

Active Duty Operator Slots

• Individual Operators now go on “Active Duty” when used by the Player. Only one Active Duty slot can be equipped at a time, but all Players will start with 3 slots.
  • Active Duty Operators have their own persistent items: Exfil Streak, Dog Tag Rarity, Backpack Type, Killstreak, Gas Mask and Self Revive.
  • When failing to exfil, only that individual Operator will have its gear, streak, and Dog Tag rarity reset. All other Operators will not be affected.
• Along with Persistent Operators being added into DMZ, we are adding certain Bundles to the Store that have additional Active Duty Operator Slots included.

Private Exfil

• Campers got you down? Private exfil will be available at Buy Stations to trigger an exfil chopper to land at an exfil point that is inactive for other Players during that match. It doesn’t mean you won’t be spotted by an enemy squad, but there may be less heat than one of the public points visible on the Tac Map.
• As mentioned above the Heavy Chopper will be in DMZ and Battle Royale. Find fuel around the map to utilize this new vehicle. Flying it out of bounds will automatically trigger exfiltration.

New Contract

• Supply Run
  • Similar to Safecracker, Operators will need to locate and loot 3 crates

New Equipment/Items

• Rebreather – new Field Upgrade that allows Players to breathe underwater
• Skeleton Key – this key can unlock any locked space in place of a specific key
• 4 New Plate Carriers
  • Tempered – 2 stronger armor plates vs. 3 plate (same as BR)
  • Comms – audio alert when an enemy Player or squad is nearby and increased duration of all UAVs and UAV Towers
  • Medic – faster teammate revives and self-revives
  • Stealth – will not appear on enemy radars (Ghost Perk)
• 2 New Backpacks
  • Secure – items are kept to that Active Duty Soldier if they are eliminated in an Extraction Zone and are not consumed for XP upon successful exfil
  • Scavenger – maximum item slots at the cost of the third weapon slot

For more details on all things Season 03 of DMZ, check out our dedicated blog here.

UI/UX

• Reworked the Factions tab for better ease of use. Revamped Faction Mission menu layout for better ease of use
  • Missions are now shown in a vertical list with new mission buttons
• Shortened description panel so that selected Missions can be viewed on the right side
• Added a new section to the Challenge menu that tracks the Player’s current progress for Weapons Cases and the awards they have, or are trying to achieve

GAMEPLAY

• “Out of the Deep” mission is now easier to complete
  • First step no longer requires killing Operators
  • Second step can be completed with kills from the surface of water
• Reduced range requirements for the M4 Weapons Testing and Lachmann Weapons Testing Missions
• Changed “Non-Discriminatory” mission to require killing cartel soldiers instead of Shadow Company soldiers
• The details of a Story Mission are now hidden until the Player unlocks the Story Mission by completing 5 of the 6 missions in the tier
• The Secure Intel Contract now reveals the closest commander to the Upload Station instead of a random one
• Upon failing to exfil from a deployment, a Player’s selected Lethal, Tactical, and Field Upgrade will now default to what was previously selected, rather than having to reselect those slots
• Increased overall amount of loot found in world
• Toolboxes now spawn more Field Upgrades, gun oil, and blow torches
• Military containers, rifle cases, and weapon lockers all spawn more items overall
  • Spawn rates of Plate Carriers, medical items, gun oil, documents, and food rations have been increased
• New potential spawn location for Weapons Case on Al Mazrah

BUG FIXES

• Fixed a handful of issues that prevented certain areas from spawning more context-specific loot (Example: Industrial buildings spawning industrial items)
• Fixed M4 Weapons Testing not tracking kills for the Tempus Torrent
• Fixed Kastov Weapons Testing not tracking kills for the KV Broadside
• Fixed an issue where stowing a weapon from an enemy’s Backpack wouldn’t count it as an enemy Operator’s weapon
• Fixed an issue where using an exploding barrel to kill enemies wouldn’t count towards some mission progress
• Fixed a number of issues causing some missions to not track progress for taking an item if you Infiled with that item in your inventory
• Fixed an issue that caused Revive Pistols to be counted as a weapon for the purposes of missions that require Players to Infil without weapons
• Fixed an issue with “The Pound” mission where progress wasn’t given if a weapon was in the Backpack’s weapon slot
• Fixed an issue causing some weapon cosmetic customizations to be lost upon exfilling a weapon
• Fixed an issue where exfilling with a Gas Mask would sometimes turn it into a Durable Gas Mask
• Fixed an issue where the HUD wouldn’t update Armor values when Assimilating to a new team
• Fixed an issue where Contract UI wouldn’t properly clear when Assimilating to a new team

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0 Season 3 goes live today at 10am PT / 1pm ET.