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Activision and Raven Software have just dropped the full patch notes for Call of Duty: Warzone Season 3, ahead of the update rolling out later this week. After Black Ops 6 Season 3 launches on April 2, Warzone is set to follow on April 3 with a host of new features, improvements, and—most excitingly—the return of Verdansk.

Because of the massive update, Activision has confirmed that Warzone will be offline for 24 hours to make way for Verdansk’s comeback. But there’s a silver lining: during Warzone’s downtime, Black Ops 6 Season 3 will be free-to-play. This means players can jump in early to explore the new multiplayer maps, modes, and other features, and even level up the returning Modern Warfare weapons before Warzone’s update goes live on April 3.

In addition to Black Ops 6’s patch notes, the full change log for Warzone Season 3 is now available. The notes detail everything from quality-of-life improvements—like a new death recap widget that shows how you were taken out—to a major focus on bringing back features from the original Warzone that debuted in 2020.

Cheating has been a big concern in the community, and Activision is addressing that head-on. In a detailed blog post, they outlined updates to Warzone’s Ricochet anti-cheat system. The team has been hard at work, taking down over twenty cheat makers and many cheat resellers since Black Ops 6 launched in October 2024. For Season 3, Ricochet is getting an extra layer of protection, including a brand-new system aimed at better detecting aim bots and other cheats.

But the real headline for Season 3 is the return of Verdansk. The iconic map is being rebuilt from scratch by Beenox, the Call of Duty support studio. While it will stay true to the original 2020 design, fans can expect a host of improvements: more detail, better lighting, upgraded textures, a new high-resolution sky, and plenty of other tweaks that make the map feel fresh while keeping its classic charm.

Overall, Season 3 is packed with new changes and returning favorites, giving die-hard fans a lot to look forward to in both Warzone and Black Ops 6.

Call of Duty: Warzone Season 3 Patch Notes

RICOCHET ANTI-CHEAT

This season, the focus remains on our commitment to taking down cheat makers, banning bad actors, and ensuring a great player experience. Our roadmap for anti-cheat extends beyond this season, but in the latest Progress Report we’ll focus on recent results and security-focused updates coming in Season 03.

Check out the Season 03 RICOCHET Anti-Cheat Update here.

BATTLE PASS

Memories are a powerful tool, and even the departed can change the course of history. The road back to Verdansk involves unlocking some core memories, as well as some unforgettable weaponry and new Operators. A flashback to agent Jason Hudson, bringing echoes of his frontline savvy, Hudson is unlockable by progressing within the Battle Pass. Joining him is Mace, the metal-faced mercenary, who will bring the war anywhere, anytime, for anyone, unlocked instantly upon Battle Pass purchase.

The Season 03 Battle Pass includes over 110 pieces of unlockable content (excluding BlackCell) including free, earnable armaments; two new Base Weapons, the Monolithic Suppressor Attachment, and more.

In Season 03, we’re giving console players more granular options by separating the MP Ranked Play and Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play settings and adding a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches.

Each of these three settings (Multiplayer Ranked Play, Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play, and Multiplayer Unranked) will include the following options:

• On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in the selected playlists.
• On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in selected playlists.
  • May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
• Off: Restricts matchmaking to your current gaming platform only in selected playlists.
  • Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.

Additional details on how these settings interact with party members who are on different platforms.

• Players in a party who all belong to the same console platform will matchmake with the party leader’s preferred cross-play settings.
• Players who have selected “Cross-Play Off” and create a mixed platform party that includes a different console platform will have their cross-play settings temporarily adjusted to “Cross-Play On (Consoles Only)” to enable matchmaking. This temporary adjustment enables matchmaking for the duration of the mixed platform party, and disbanding this party will result in preferred matchmaking settings being restored.
• Players who have selected “Cross-Play Off” and create a mixed platform party with a PC player will have their cross-play settings temporarily adjusted to “Cross-Play On.” This enables matchmaking for the duration of the mixed platform party, and disbanding this party will result in preferred matchmaking settings being restored.

UI/UX/TECH

• Pre-Loading Shaders
  • Improved menu framerate stability while compiling shaders.
    • The Pre-Loading Shaders warning has been split per game mode.
      • Significantly reduced the time required to compile shaders before launching a match.
  • A new menu widget was added in the lobby to indicate the progress of Pre-Loading Shaders to let you know when you are ready to play!
• PC Benchmark
  • ICYMI: The PC Benchmark remains a useful tool to optimize your gaming experience.
  • Located in the Graphics Settings menu of Black Ops 6 Multiplayer, it simulates a multiplayer match to help you fine-tune your graphics for optimal performance and higher framerates.

CUSTOMIZATION

• Weapon & Blueprint Customization
  • You’re now able to customize any Black Ops 6 base weapon or Weapon Blueprint with a skin you’ve unlocked or purchased, across Multiplayer, Zombies, and Call of Duty: Warzone.
    • For Base Weapons, you can only change the skin of the Base Weapon, not any Attachments.
    • For Blueprints, you can customize the skins with other existing Attachments.

CHALLENGES

• BlackCell Daily Challenge
  • BlackCell owners can now complete an additional Daily Challenge in Multiplayer, Zombies, and Call of Duty: Warzone for an added 7,500 XP each. The BlackCell Daily Challenge counts toward the 3 challenges needed to earn the Daily Challenge Bonus XP.

EVENTS

Return to Verdansk

Welcome back to Verdansk!

Open safes in various locations to secure rewards, such as the exclusive “Trail Blazer” Operator Skin for Caine. You may even get especially lucky during your search!

Be sure to log in to instantly unlock the Kilo 141 and two Operator Skins. Original Verdansk veterans also get bonus items: the “Blue Legacy” Contrails, “Coming Home” Parachute, and “Like We Never Left” Gun Screen.

Visit the Return to Verdansk Blog for full details.

MAPS

Classic

• Verdansk
  • Welcome Home: Verdansk has returned! The map that started it all in Call of Duty: Warzone – including a breadth of classic and memorable features that naturally come with it.
  • Below is a recap of some of the improvements made to Verdansk that players can expect to see – as outlined in the Return to Verdansk blog:
    • Trees slightly repositioned from the original map.
    • Non-drivable vehicles clearly marked as smoldering wreckage.
    • Swimming now possible – southern coastline expanded into Kastovian Sea (not critical to gameplay).
    • Improved traversal in steep areas – new “goat trails” added.
    • Shorter telephone/electrical poles for easier parachute landings.
    • Additional ladders and adjusted paths to rooftops for better accessibility.
    • Doors now double-hinged, allowing barging, shooting, or blowing open/closed.
    • Ascenders returning mid-season, already available in Plunder mode; updated to faster “L” shape design for increased fluidity and speed when getting on and off
    • Enhanced exterior lighting, improved visibility, and reduced glare.
    • Interior lighting adjusted to reduce hiding spots, especially against dark corners.
    • Added detail enhancements, such as extra debris and scenery around Fire Stations and riverbanks.
    • And for console players, the ability to view Verdansk in up to 120 FOV for the first time.
• Gulag Showers
  • The original Gulag from 2020 is back, with all three variants included.
• Gulag Overtime: Capture the Flag (CTF)
  • When Gulag match-ups don’t resolve fast enough, a flag will spawn in the middle of the arena. The winning player is the one that either dispatches their rival as normal or captures the flag within the time limit.
• Rebirth Island
  • Rebirth Island, which is currently live, will remain part of our Season 03 offering. Resurgence Quads will be added to the playlist shortly after the launch of Season 03, with the remaining squad sizes coming later into the season.

MODES

New

• Battle Royale Casual At Launch
  • The Battle Royale experience is branching out with the introduction of a new mode featuring bot players. This is designed as a stepping stone for players to go from the Warzone Bootcamp tutorial mode to an experience closer to our traditional, player-only, experience. Players can learn the game and hone their skills in a lower-stress environment while still embracing the core survival challenge of being the last squad standing among 148 players.
  • Map:
    • Verdansk
  • Player Count:
    • 28 Players
    • 120 Bots
• High TripIn-Season

• Battle Royale At Launch
  • Our core experience, Battle Royale challenges players to scavenge, survive, and outlast their opponents as the map shrinks, with the ultimate goal of being the last squad standing.
  • Map:
    • Verdansk
  • Player Count:
    • Solos, Duos, Trios → 150
    • Quads → 152
• PlunderAt Launch
  • Plunder returns to Verdansk, challenging players to loot, complete contracts, and battle to earn $2 million, with respawn enabled and loadouts intact—ideal for leveling weapons, exploring the map, and experimenting with strategies.
  • Map:
    • Verdansk
  • Player Count:
    • 100
• Warzone Bootcamp At Launch
  • Call of Duty: Warzone Bootcamp is a training mode with up to 20 players and 24 bots, offering mode-specific matchmaking to help players practice skills, learn basic strategies without affecting their stats.
  • Map:
    • Verdansk
  • Player Count:
    • 20 Players
    • 24 Bots
• ResurgenceLaunch Window
  • This mode offers a faster-paced, aggressive take on Battle Royale, with respawn timers allowing eliminated players to redeploy as long as teammates survive, encouraging riskier play and frequent engagements.
  • The playlist will be updated to include Resurgence Quads shortly after the launch of Season 03. Other squad sizes for Resurgence will be included later into the season.
  • Map:
    • Rebirth Island
  • Player Count:
    • 44

PLAYLIST

For information about upcoming Playlists, please check out the dedicated Call of Duty: Warzone Trello Board.

RANKED PLAY

We plan to bring Ranked Play back online with the Season 03 Reloaded update. Upon its return, all player ranks will undergo a full reset to Bronze, offering everyone equal footing and the excitement to climb back up through the ranks. When Season 04 arrives, we’ll resume the standard soft reset, pulling players back by only a few ranks.

Thank you for your patience during this transition period – now go drop into Verdansk and have fun!

GENERAL

Classic

• 150 Players
  • The number of players in a Battle Royale match has been increased to 150 players, up from 120.
  • There are 152 players in the Quads playlist.

We tipped our hat at this by running it in Season 02 Reloaded, however it was all to serve a greater purpose. We’re officially coming home with a mix of 150 of your friends and enemies.

• Freefall Shooting
  • Players can shoot while freefalling (also known as skydiving) using their secondary weapon. If no secondary weapon is equipped, they will default to their backup pistol.

We’re restoring some of the early game intensity that keeps you on your toes immediately leaving the infil plane, and enables more of a response during a freefall.

• 360-Degree Revive Rotation
• End-Game Circle Pacing
  • The gas circle pacing is faithful to the original timings of the gas closing as well as the circle size and movement.This means that Battle Royale matches will run longer to create a more well-defined initial looting phase.

We’ve some good memories of games ending in the woods above Quarry, or in the deep forests on the East or West of Verdansk, and this change to circle logic brings back those possible end games. Be warned! This does mean that the circle can move very quickly if you are caught deep outside when the gas starts to move. Respect the circle, and you’ll stay alive.

• Map Assets
  • Many models and textures found across Verdansk now feature classic aesthetics including but not limited to Armor Plates, Armor Satchels, Buy Stations, and Contracts.

GAMEPLAY

Classic

• Ascenders on VerdanskBattle Royale
  • To bring back the classic feel of Verdansk, external ascenders have been disabled at launch but are scheduled to return in the mid-season.
  • Internal ascenders within elevator shafts remain operational.
• Gulag Loadouts
  • Loadouts within the Gulag has been reworked to improve variety and balancing.
  • These loadouts will change as the game progresses, allowing players that return to the field victorious to do so with a competitive weapon in hand for a better chance at recovery.
• Infil & Backup Pistol
  • Players will now infil and spawn with the 9mm PM, replacing the GS45.
• Late-Game Redeploy
• Player Respawn Angles Quality of Life
  • Players will now respawn looking approximately 30 degrees downward instead of directly at the horizon, providing a clearer view of potential landing areas.
  • This adjustment aligns with natural player behavior when scouting landing spots.
• Unsuppressed Red Dot Distance
  • The distance at which unsuppressed weapons display a red dot has been reduced in Resurgence to better align to the map size:
    • Reduced to 112.5 meters on Rebirth Island, down from 250

Unsuppressed Red Dots are core to the Call of Duty: Warzone experience, and while developing Verdansk we took great care in evaluating the strength of red dots on each map – which previously was a static value regardless of play-space. While reviewing these values, we felt that given the vastly smaller map size of Rebirth Island, the Red Dots should be better aligned to the small-map experience. These adjustments are based on both player feedback and our design goals, ensuring that visibility of unsuppressed gunfire matches the intended combat dynamics for each map.

LOOT & ECONOMY

Classic

• Floating Loot
  • Loot found on the ground will once again float in the air for better visibility and interactability.

The return of floating loot is the foundation of many improvements we’re making to loot interaction this season. Floating loot by itself will improve your ability to pick up, or simply notice important items when at a distance.

The return to Verdansk comes with some refinements to Battle Royale’s loot philosophy that brings us back to its roots: life is valuable, adaptability is key, great loot must be earned, and contracts are central to earning cash.

In order to create more intentionality around looting, the various sources of loot have been adjusted to be more reminiscent of the classic Verdansk days, with some improvements.

• Ground Loot Refresh
  • Common to Epic weapons now sport a selection of random attachments that align with the weapon’s natural strengths.
  • Legendary weapons come with a variety of fixed builds tailored to specific roles, that are randomly selected match over match.
  • This change aims to maintain the excitement of random loot while preserving the reliability of weapon performance.

Looting in recent years has become a little too static- a blue (rare) tier weapon often providing the most valuable attachments and devaluing an epic or legendary find. This change aims to bring some different outcomes in the more commonly found weapons, and makes legendary weapons (or loadouts) highly sought after.

• High Value Loot Zones
  • This season, HVLZs remain consistent every match, allowing players to reliably identify Hospital, Military Base, and Superstore as Points of Interest (POIs) with enhanced ground loot and an increased number of Supply Boxes.
• Supply Boxes
  • Basic
    • These boxes provide consistent cash rewards and average to high-quality weapons, occasionally offering premium equipment such as legendary weapons, killstreaks, and gas masks.
  • Legendary
    • Legendary Supply Boxes have received significant upgrades for a more rewarding experience. These boxes guarantee top-tier weapons and some of the best loot available, with increased chances of obtaining substantial cash.
  • Reusable
    • These boxes replenish every 90 seconds, serving as an ideal means for players to regain strength in the mid-to-late stages of a match, particularly after returning from the Gulag or redeployment. They supply players with a viable weapon, an armor plate, and some cash to quickly return to combat readiness.
• Duffel Bags, Medical Cabinets, & Weapon Lockers
  • These sources of loot have been removed to better service the classic feeling of Verdansk.
• Second Chance Mechanics
  • The following items have been removed from loot:
    • Gulag Tokens
    • Reinforcement Flares
    • Redeploy Tokens
  • The only available methods to return after death are:
    • Gulag Victories
    • Buy Station Buybacks
    • Jail Break Public Events
• Self-Revive Kit
  • Self-revives can only be acquired via the following sources:
    • Legendary Supply Boxes → Random drop
    • Scavenger Contract → Random drop
    • Buy Station → $4,000
    • Fire Sale → Free

• Death Tax
  • Cash dropped upon death has been adjusted to assist players returning from the Gulag, providing them with a larger portion of their previous cash balance for mid-to-late game recovery:
    • 50% of the cash balance will drop on the ground
    • 50% will remain with the eliminated player, up from 20%
    • Previously, 50% of the cash balance dropped on the ground, with players keeping 20% and 30% being entirely removed from the economy.

After months of playtesting we noted that regain in the mid-to-late game was almost impossible, so the design intent of this is to better allow players to redeploy with a little more cash to give them a slight leg-up when it comes to getting back into the flow of the game.

• Loot AngleQuality of Life
  • Interactions now require more precise aiming to reduce accidental item pickups, resolving most unintended looting situations, such as inadvertently picking up items during reloads.
• Rarity Outlines
  • Rarity outlines now gradually fade into view only when players are within a logical proximity, rather than remaining visible at all distances.
• Loot Card Positioning
  • Loot cards are now centered over items to improve readability, particularly when combined with floating loot.
  • Loot cards remain at a fixed height rather than moving with the player’s view.
  • Loot cards are hidden when players sprint, dive, slide, or use lethals, tacticals, and field upgrades.

Loot cards now have contextual prompts. For example if the player has an empty weapon slot, a weapon loot card prompt will display “Equip”, but if the player has two weapons equipped, the prompt will display “Swap”.

BUY STATIONS

• Vertical Redesign
  • The vertical list is back! The Buy Station interface has been streamlined, returning to a vertical list layout to more clearly display purchasable items and teammates eligible for redeployment.
  • The left side of the Buy Station now clearly shows all gear available for purchase, including equipment, killstreaks, and field upgrades.
  • The right side of the interface will display teammates who have been eliminated and are eligible for buyback, provided they are not currently awaiting a Gulag battle.
  • Importantly, controller players can still press ‘Up’ to access the ‘Loadout Drop Marker’ in one button press as we wanted to retain the carousel interface to allow for quick access to items further down the list.
  • To enhance navigation efficiency and emphasize loadout acquisition, individual weapon purchases have been removed.

Our aim is to recapture the classic Battle Royale feel reminiscent of playing on Verdansk five years ago. Adjustments to the Buy Station reflect this vision, featuring a reduced selection of purchasable items and updated prices aligned with the game’s new economic balance. We intend for players to experience an economy more akin to Call of Duty: Warzone in 2020, where strategic cash management becomes essential to gameplay decisions.

• Redeploy All ButtonQuality of Life
  • We have introduced a single-button shortcut at Buy Stations, allowing players to redeploy all teammates simultaneously.
  • Although the Redeploy All button is executed with one button press, individual flares and sound effects will trigger for each teammate redeployed, alerting nearby enemies to the total number of returning players.
  • In scenarios where insufficient funds prevent buying back the entire squad, the Redeploy All feature will prioritize teammates carrying the highest cash amounts.

We recognize the urgency of quickly redeploying teammates under pressure, especially when attempting hero plays amidst heavy combat. After careful consideration, we determined that prioritizing teammates with the highest cash aligns most closely with the most prominent behavior that we’ve observed.

• Item IconsQuality of Life
  • Each entry in the vertical buy station now shows the icon of its respective item, as we found that this vastly sped up the at-a-glance navigation in playtesting.
• Item Count Quality of Life
  • Players can easily see how many of an item they already own while in the Buy Station before making a decision on what to purchase.
• Category Subheaders Quality of Life
  • We appreciate that for new players, being able to see the equipment category like “Killstreak” or “Field Upgrade” is helpful to know what item slot will be equipped or swapped when an item is purchased.

Adjustments

• Spawn Locations
  • Buy Stations will spawn in the same exact 30 static locations across every match.
• Inventory Pricing
  • We have updated the prices of the various items in the buy station as follows:
    • Armor Plate: $300
    • Cluster Strike: $3,000
    • Precision Airstrike: $5,000
    • UAV: $6,000
    • Gas Mask: $3,000
    • Self Revive: $4,000
    • Munitions Box: $2,500
    • Armor Box: $4,000
    • Loadout Marker:
      • Solos: $6,000
      • Duos, Trios, Quads: $10,000
• Interact Angle
  • The Buy Station can now be accessed from any angle, including behind it, providing increased flexibility during tense engagements.

MOVEMENT

Adjustments

The introduction of Black Ops 6’s omni-movement system revolutionized gameplay and has become the foundation of player movement in Call of Duty: Warzone. While the system launched with multiplayer-inspired values, we’ve recognized the need for adjustments to better align movement dynamics with the unique demands of Call of Duty: Warzone’s limited-life modes.

Season 03 focuses on fine-tuning the Black Ops 6 player movement by ensuring a balance between fluidity and responsiveness. The adjustments to the movement mechanics are as follows:

• Movement Speed
  • Crouch Movement Speed reduced by 10%
  • Crouch-to-Stand Speed increased by 15%
  • Crouch-to-Stand Speed While ADS increased by 39%
  • Prone Movement Speed reduced by 5%
  • Sprint Movement Speed reduced by 4.9%
  • Directional Sprint Animation Blend Speeds increased for improved fluidity

These values bring Call of Duty: Warzone’s movement speeds closer to the spirit of the original experience while still preserving the fluidity of Black Ops 6. We encourage players to go hands-on with these fine-tuned changes, as they can be hard to express in a patch note. The proof is in the pudding!

• Jump Cooldown
  • Reduced the cooldown by 40% for improved responsiveness during repeated jumps.
• Omni-sprint Side & Back Speed Scaling
• Slide Friction
  • Increased by 4% to reduce overly slippery engagements.

These adjustments address the dominant power of strafe engagements while maintaining fluidity for mechanics such as sprinting, strafe reloading, and general navigation. Responsiveness across movement systems has been improved to ensure smoother gameplay while striking a better balance for Call of Duty: Warzone’s fast-paced encounters. This will bring back the feeling of a classic Warzone experience that we all know and love.

CONTRACTS

Classic

• Recon Contract
  • Replacing the Intel contract, the Recon Contract provides players with a 4-minute timeframe to capture a designated domination point.
  • Rewards for completion include cash and a preview of the next circle.
• Supply Run
  • The much-loved “Supply Run” Contract returns! Players have 2 minutes to reach a designated Buy Station to earn rewards, which include cash and a single-item Fire Sale for each squad member at the targeted Buy Station.
  • Supply Run contracts will not appear on the map until the first circle has fully collapsed.

• Contract Multiplier
  • Returning from the Verdansk era, the contract multiplier enhances cash rewards as players complete more contracts.
  • Each contract completed now grants a +30% cash bonus, stacking up to a maximum of +150% additional cash rewards in both Battle Royale and Resurgence modes.

Stacking up on completed Contracts in the early game is a great way to improve your chances if you need a mid-to-late game regain, as the multiplier will carry throughout the entire game to give greater financial rewards later on.

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• Tablet Models
  • All contracts have reverted to their original tablet models, providing players with a nostalgic experience.

Adjustments

Enabled:

• Bounty
• Most Wanted
• Recon
• Scavanger
• Supply Run

Disabled:

• Big Game Bounty
• Signal Intelligence
• Spy Drones
• Spawn Rebalancing
  • Contract spawn rates have been adjusted throughout base Battle Royale to enhance distribution and improve overall gameplay balance.
• Payout Updates
  • Contract payouts have been updated to align more closely with values reminiscent of the Verdansk era, although not exactly matching them.
  • Supply Run and Recon contract payouts are now standardized to match the Scavenger contract values in both Battle Royale and Resurgence modes.
  • Completing a Most Wanted contract no longer results in a supply cache drop.
  • Plunder-specific contract payouts have been adjusted for consistency across modes.
• Recon Contract ProgressQuality of Life
  • Added upward arrows indicating how much faster a Recon contract is being captured by your team depending on how many players are on the target location assisting with the capture.

Adjustments

Enabled:

• Fire Sale
• Jail Break
• Loadout Drop
• Restock

Disabled:

• Fly Buy
• Cash Drop
• Contractor
• Rogue Signal
• Runaway Train
• Recon Flyover

EQUIPMENT

Classic

• Thermite
  • In Season 03, Thermite returns as a specialized anti-vehicle and area denial tool, echoing its original use in Verdansk.
  • Unlike previous versions, Thermite no longer guarantees a kill upon sticking an opponent. It will, however, deal sufficient damage to down players with two armor plates or fewer.
  • Thermite now instantly explodes vehicles if their health reaches zero from its damage ticks, similar to C4.
  • Unlockable via the Black Ops Tribute event.

Adjustments

The following is an outline of the full arsenal of Lethal & Tactical equipment – including how to acquire them across a match in Battle Royale on Verdansk:

Available via Map Loot

Lethals:

• C4
• Frag Grenade
• Molotov
• Semtex Grenade
• Spring Mine
• Thermite
• Throwing Knife

Tacticals:

• Concussion Grenade
• Decoy Grenade
• Experimental Gas
• Flashbang
• Smoke Grenade
• Snapshot Grenade
• Stim Shot

Only Available via Customizable Loadout

Lethals:

• Blast Trap
• Combat Axe
• Drill Charge
• Impact Grenade
• Thermo Grenade

Tacticals:

• Neurogas Mine
• Prox Alarm
• Shock Charge
• Spy Camera

SATCHELS

• Available Satchels
  • Armor Satchel
  • Munitions Satchel
    • Available via Bandolier Wildcard

ARMOR

Adjustments

• Maximum Armor Plates
  • Default maximum capacity reduced from 6 to 5 to match the classic experience.
• Armor Satchel Capacity
• Armor Drops
  • Eliminated players will consistently drop at least 1 armor plate in Battle Royale and Resurgence matches.
  • This does not apply to bots in Bootcamp and Battle Royale Casual.

Armor is your first line of defense and gauges how freely you’ll take engagements. Recently armor supplies have been so plentiful that enemies are able to reinforce armor several times in the middle of a fight and the notion of “downtime” or the need to resupply has been lost. This massively affects the pace of the game and also changes how you’ll rotate to the next safe zone.

To maintain balanced gameplay, armor has become less abundant, ensuring players experience meaningful downtime and strategic decisions between engagements. This returns the gameplay feel to a more classic experience, emphasizing the value of armor resupply.

• Gulag Armor Removed in Unranked
  • In unranked Battle Royale modes, the Gulag now features health-only combat, placing greater emphasis on precision and tactical movement, reminiscent of the classic Gulag experience.
• Armor Plate Color Improvements Quality of Life
  • The Armor Plate color has received an improvement where the color hue will be darker if the player doesn’t have full plates. The color will remain the familiar bright color hue when the players are full. This will better indicate to players when they have almost full plates.

FIELD UPGRADES

New

• Field Upgrades in Squad WidgetQuality of Life

Adjustments

The following is an outline of the full arsenal of Field Upgrades in a match of Battle Royale on Verdansk:

Field Upgrades

Enabled:

• Armor Box
• Deployable Cover
• Heartbeat Sensor
• Munitions Box
• Recon Drone
• Trophy System
• Utility Box *Available via Battle Ready Wildcard

Disabled:

• Deployable Buy Station
• Portable Decontamination Station
• Portable Radar
• Portable Redeploy Drone
• Redeploy Drone Beacon
• Reinforcement Flare
• Scrambler
• War Cry
• Heartbeat Sensor
  • Increased battery life from 60 to 120 seconds.

We can’t return home properly without welcoming back the Heartbeat sensor. While not infinite like its great predecessor, we understand that a minute of battery time is simply not enough to utilize effectively.

• Reclaimable Field Upgrade IconQuality of Life
  • An interactable icon (white dot) now appears on reclaimable Field Upgrades to better highlight that they can be re-equipped.

KILLSTREAKS

Adjustments

Enabled:

• Advanced UAV *Available via activating three consecutive UAVs in a row
• Cluster Strike
• Precision Airstrike
• Supply UAV * Available via Battle Ready Wildcard
• UAV

Disabled:

• Bunker Buster
• Care Package
• Counter UAV
• Foresight
• Napalm Strike
• SAM Turret
• Sentry Turret
• Precision Airstrike Indicator
  • To return to the classic feeling of Verdansk, the Precision Air Strike Mini-Map notification that was added last year has been removed.

• Crowded Airspace Notification Quality of Life
  • The “Airspace too crowded” message will now appear when a player attempts to pick up or aim down sights (ADS) with a killstreak in an area where too many aerial killstreaks are currently active.
  • This removes uncertainty about killstreak usability upon looting.

PERKS

Adjustments

• Lootable Perks
  • All lootable perks have been removed from Battle Royale as we return to the classic feeling of Verdansk.
  • These may return in a future update depending on feedback.

WEAPONS

Reflecting on our 5th Anniversary, it’s important to acknowledge our journey and current state, including in regards to combat. This milestone presents an opportunity to celebrate our successes and critically assess our shortcomings. The game has continuously evolved through the addition of new features, systemic enhancements, economic adjustments, and philosophical shifts in balancing. These improvements help us better understand what is effective and where further refinements are needed.

Call of Duty: Warzone was designed to deliver the essence of a Call of Duty Battle Royale, combining exceptional, precise gunplay within a strategic and intense “limited life” scenario. While this core principle remains intact, certain distractions have at times impacted the intended pacing and intensity of gameplay.

Our goal with these changes is to increase the lethality of every encounter, reinvigorate overlooked weapon classes, and encourage players to adopt a more thoughtful and deliberate strategy in preparation for engagements.

Classic Weapons

• Kilo 141 Assault Rifle
  • Fully automatic assault rifle with an ergonomic design that improves handling, and a steady fire rate helps stay on target.
  • Available via Call of Duty: Warzone Login Reward
• CR-56 AMAX Assault Rifle
  • This lightweight 7.62 x 39mm full-auto assault rifle is compact and powerful. Built exclusively for military use, the standard issue rifle is deadly at mid-range combat and easily configured for a variety of assault tactics.
  • Available via Battle Pass Page 6 HVT Tier Reward, Completion Page Battle Pass Blueprint
• HDR Sniper Rifle
  • Anti-material bolt action sniper rifle chambered in 12.7 x 108mm ammunition. Bullets have a lower muzzle velocity but remain devastating even at very long ranges.
  • This weapon is able to one-shot headshot enemy players from any distance.
  • Available via Battle Pass Page 3 HVT Tier Reward, Page 11 Battle Pass Blueprint
• Kali Sticks Melee
  • Four-hit kill. Extremely fast attack speed. Short range.
  • Available via Event Reward

New Conversion Kits

• SWAT 5.56 GRAUConversion Kit

New Attachments

• MonolithicSuppressor
  • Monolithic Core provides superior sound suppression and increased range. Moderate weight increase affects agility. The ideal attachment for extending your damage range on big maps like Verdansk while retaining the concealment provided by a suppressor.
  • Available via Battle Pass Page 7 Reward

General Adjustments

• Default Loadouts
  • Default Loadouts available via Loadout Crates during a match have been updated with more competitive options.

This season, we have updated the Default Loadouts with a new selection of weapons and equipment. Our goal is to provide viable options that cater to both new and returning players. To ensure these loadouts remain competitive, we are committed to making frequent adjustments.

WEAPON ADJUSTMENTS

Please visit the Call of Duty website for details on the Warzone Season 3 weapon adjustments.

VEHCILES

Classic

• Heli
• Cargo Truck
• Polaris
• LTV
• ATV

Adjustments

With the return of Verdansk we are looking to capture the original essence of vehicles in Warzone. In collaboration with our friends at Treyarch, we have tuned movement, health, damage resistance, and equipment interactions to feel much closer to the original vision.

• Pinging Near Vehicles Quality of Life
  • Made improvements to the accuracy of pings to loot near a vehicle to avoid the ping to ‘snap’ to vehicles.

UI/UX

Classic

• Victory Screen
  • The iconic Warzone Victory screen returns to the classic Victory animation.
• Tac Map & Compass Icons
  • The Tac Map has the circular cursor from the classic Call of Duty: Warzone experience.
  • All Map icons are also spiritually faithful to the color pallet from Verdansk with some improvements to help better identify certain items at a glance.
• Ping Visuals
  • The Ping Shape has been reverted from the triangle shape to a lollipop shape that featured in classic Verdansk
  • “Go To” pings now also have classic visuals, improving legibility.
• Score Feed Colors
  • Standard score events now appear yellow for that classic look.
  • Special score events are highlighted in white for better distinction.

New

• Weapon Inspect to View AttachmentsQuality of Life
  • Inspecting a weapon now displays all its attachments on-screen, allowing players to see exactly how the gun is configured.
  • This can be disabled with the “Weapon Inspect Attachment Info” option.

• Detailed Death Recap Quality of Life
  • We’ve expanded the Death Recap Widget to provide more detailed information about how you were eliminated. In addition to showing attacker count and damage dealt, the widget now highlights key conditions that contributed to your death:
    • Affected by Live Ping: Indicates if the enemy had you pinged.
    • Affected by UAV: Indicates if you were revealed on the minimap by a UAV, UAV Tower, or Advanced UAV.
    • Affected by Unsuppressed Weapon: Indicates if firing an unsuppressed weapon exposes your position to nearby enemies.
      • For the first few days of the new season, players will notice “Unsuppressed Weapon” saying “Weapon Ping” while the team works to get the wording updated.

We’re excited to introduce this update as part of ongoing efforts to improve clarity and address concerns around unfair deaths. This is just the beginning — we’ll continue expanding the Death Recap Widget with future patches. Our goal is to create a helpful tool that allows players to better understand what led to their death, recognize enemy advantages, and ultimately improve their gameplay. While we’re committed to adding meaningful insights, we’ll ensure the widget remains clean and informative without overwhelming players.

We’re eager to hear your feedback as we refine this feature further.

• Prioritize Favorite Loadout in GunsmithQuality of Life
• Mission Items in Squad Widget Quality of Life
  • A new slot has been added to the Squad Widget to show each squad member’s most recent mission item icon for improved coordination.
    • A mission item refers to things like Keycards or easter-egg items that might require some coordination with allies.

Adjustments

• Death Skull IconQuality of Life
  • The size of the Death Skull Icon has increased to make it easier for players to locate their previous death location based on feedback that it was difficult to spot.
• Navigation Pings
  • Updated to provide clearer, more intuitive iconography, with a design that may feel familiar to veteran players.
• Player Icons
  • Mini-map and Tac map player icons have been enhanced to visually differentiate between:
    • Talking
    • Firing a weapon
    • Staying quiet
    • Ghost perk on / off
• Leaving Match Confirmation Quality of Life
  • Players attempting to leave a match while a teammate is still alive will now receive a confirmation prompt to prevent accidental exits.
• Ping Distance Text on Map Quality of Life
  • Added dark backing to pings on map to improve readability of the distance text on the map.
• Ping Duration SettingQuality of Life
• Tacmap Centering OptionsQuality of Life
  • New setting, “Map Assist”, provides a few different options to enable players to have more agency over their experience:
    • Auto Zoom & Center: Upon opening the map, it will auto zoom and auto center on the player each time
    • Auto Center: Upon opening the map, it will auto center on the player each time
    • Zoom & Center Once: Upon opening the map, it will auto zoom and auto center on the player one time per match
    • Center Once: Upon opening the map, it will auto center on the player one time per match
    • Off: Upon opening the map, it will be showing the last location the tacmap was closed on. This means players will need to manually adjust the map each time they open it.

We’re excited to provide more options to players to adjust the map to their preference. We will continue to monitor feedback about this improvement as players get to experiment with it.

AUDIO

Classic

• Cinematics
  • Infil, Gulag, and Exfil
• Music
• Announcer
  • Re-recorded by original announcer Julian Stone (2020)
• Hit Markers
• Including Armor and Armor Breaks
• Death’s Door
• Footstep Recordings
• Loot Chests
• Buy Stations
• Contracts
• UI Sounds
  • Pings, Splashes, and Progression

Adjustments

• Occlusion & Reverb
  • Transitioned from older ray-casted occlusion system to Microsoft Triton acoustics audio middleware, providing realistic audio occlusion, obstruction, and reverberation.
  • Improved sound behavior around corners and surfaces.
  • Custom-tuned data specifically optimized for Call of Duty: Warzone.
• Sound Modifiers
• Footsteps & Ladders
  • Unique tuning for Call of Duty: Warzone footsteps separate from premium titles (introduced with MWIII).
  • Friendly teammates’ footsteps reduced when positioned behind the player.
  • Footstep loudness dynamically scales with entity speed.
  • Footstep pitch changes based on player elevation (above vs. below).
  • Ladder sounds amplified and adjusted based on player movement speed.
  • Boosted audio cues for jumping, landing, and distinctive ceiling footsteps to clearly indicate players running overhead.
• Cloth/Gear & Mantling
  • Cloth & Gear sounds are now distinctively tuned for Call of Duty: Warzone, separate from premium titles.
  • Increased clarity and volume of mantling and melee sounds, differentiating friendly and enemy movements.
  • Enhanced mantling audio to resemble footsteps for greater situational awareness.
• Loot Supply Boxes
  • Audio pitch now dynamically adjusts based on vertical elevation, providing clearer vertical positional feedback.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue that caused the Death Recap Widget to register bleed damage while in last stand.
• Fixed an issue where Bomb Squad incorrectly allowed fuse resets; this functionality is exclusive to Reflexes.
• Fixed an issue causing players to be eliminated when mantling onto care packages.
• Fixed an issue where players were eliminated upon interacting with the Most Wanted reward crate.
• Fixed an issue causing a UI error preventing players from creating new loadouts.
• Fixed an issue causing a Dev Error when exiting private matches.
• Fixed an issue where the Corvus Masterkey Underbarrel occasionally caused instant downs at any range.
• Fixed an issue preventing the Quartermaster Suppressor from unlocking properly.
• Fixed an issue causing certain equipment to duplicate upon redeployment.
• Fixed an issue where players would teleport across the map when using an ascender in the pre-game lobby.
• Fixed an issue with the incorrect display of full ATVI IDs.
• Fixed an issue where players lost control after Jailbreak revivals.
• Fixed an issue with the gas mask overlay not aligning properly with screen boundaries.
• Fixed an issue preventing restocking of Gulag lethals and tacticals from ammo caches or munitions boxes.
• Fixed an issue allowing infinite submissions of Biometrics Keycards.
• Fixed an issue causing loss of player control when interacting with a loadout after redeploying from the Gulag.
• Fixed an issue causing incorrect cash displays for spectating players.
• Fixed an issue causing loss of field upgrade deployment ability after using a loadout.
• Fixed an issue with MW2 and MW3 camo descriptions not clearly stating weapon-level requirements.
• Fixed an issue preventing immediate weapon fire after cutting a parachute without re-pressing the fire button.
• Fixed an issue causing obituary messages to overlap with the squad widget in the HUD.
• Fixed an issue with contract icons incorrectly displaying elevation information.
• Fixed an issue where Bunker Buster gas damage bypassed gas masks if equipped within the gas.
• Fixed numerous legacy weapon descriptions and statistics.
• Fixed an issue preventing MW2 and MW3 weapons from appearing correctly in the loot feed.

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