Call of Duty's Season 1 Reloaded update arrives in Black Ops 6 and Warzone on December 5, and the patch notes reveal changes to multiplayer's Ranked Play, as well as some weapon balancing and killstreak changes for Warzone.

Additionally, Season 1 Reloaded includes new multiplayer maps, three more weapons to unlock, and Ranked Play for Warzone. The midseason patch is also packed with map festivities and limited-time events themed around the upcoming holidays. You can find more of the season's highlights here, including more details on the new Citadelle des Morts Zombies map.

More colorful bundles also hit the shop, including a stoner amphibian operator skin and the upcoming Squid Game collaboration.

Controller sensitivity options are changing

According to the patch notes, the developer has made a change to the controller stick sensitivity settings across Black Ops 6 and Warzone.

The controller stick sensitivity sliders system changed from a 1-20 scale to a 0.10-4.00 range. The developer says this will give players "finer control over their sensitivity values and more transparency on the effect of their changes." However, previously set sensitivity settings will be maintained.

Multiplayer weapon balancing changes will arrive later

The developer says weapon balancing is planned to arrive shortly after the launch of Season 1 Reloaded, and the patch will address some community feedback.

This list includes the following:

• Headshot damage improvements on full-auto weapons
• Full removal of idle sway at the start of ADS on sniper rifles
• Reductions to visual recoil, sway, and bob

Several Theater mode improvements

The Season 1 Reloaded update addresses multiple issues in Black Ops 6's Theater mode. This includes crashes, an issue that caused a black screen to be present when trying to view a file, and several issues related to effects or killstreaks not showing properly in the theater.

Additionally, it adjusts the mode's Free Cam movement bindings for controller input. This changes the buttons from Up/Down to L1/R1.

Multiplayer Ranked Play changes and new restrictions

Season 1 Reloaded brings new restrictions to multiplayer's Ranked Play mode, which are made to align the rules with the official Call of Duty League.

This update bans the following guns:

• Krig C assault rifle
• Model L assault rifle
• XM4 assault rifle
• Saug submachine gun
• All sniper rifles

Additionally, the pros have also banned smoke grenades and all magazine attachments for assault rifles and submachine guns.

The popular Hacienda map returns in Season 1 Reloaded. This was a competitive map for the Black Ops 4 season of Call of Duty's pro league, so it's no surprise to see the pros have decided to add the map into the competitive map rotation for Black Ops 6.

Hacienda is added as a CDL map for Hardpoint, Control, and Search and Destroy. The map will replace Rewind in the map pool for Control.

Major quality-of-life changes for Zombies

The big update brings major quality-of-life changes for Zombies, with the major highlights being changes to Mangler spawns and special rounds.

Previously, late-game matches of Zombies would be overrun with Manglers, making high-round attempts very frustrating. Treyarch says the update reduces Mangler spawns at mid-to-high rounds, and it has implemented a maximum cap on the amount of active Manglers in the game.

For special rounds of Vermin or Parasites, the developer says it "significantly reduced" the length of special rounds by reducing the number of spawns and adjusting the spawn delay rate for those enemies.

Warzone Ranked Play arrives

Call of Duty's competitive Ranked Play mode returns to Warzone. The developer says the mode will launch on December 5, but the arrival will be shortly after the Season 1 Reloaded update.

Ranked Play is a trios mode for standard battle on Urzikstan. To access the mode, players must first place in the Top 15 in battle royale or the Top 6 in Resurgence across a total of 30 matches. Placements from Season 1 count toward this requirement.

Weapon restrictions for Warzone Ranked Play

Warzone carries over the weapon pool from MW2 and MW3, but Modern Warfare weapons are restricted for this year's Ranked Play.

Other loadout restrictions include thermal optics, underbarrel attachments, rapid fire mod, Dragon's Breath mod, and the Reinforcement Flare. The Birdseye, Alertness, Specialist perks are also banned.

Bunker Buster killstreak adjustment

Season 1 Reloaded makes adjustments to Warzone's Bunker Buster killstreak. This increases the maximum damage from 237 to 300, while decreasing the minimum damage from 112 down to 50.

Additionally, a change was made so that when a trophy system intercepts the Bunker Buster, it will deal slightly less damage in the area to account for the increased maximum damage.

Treyarch explains this change by saying, "There is now an emphasis on being accurate with the delivery to maximize the damage. In instances where the trophy system does not intercept, players can now expect better results for accurate hits and a significant falloff when inaccurate."

Buffs for assault rifles in Warzone

The update increases the velocity of all Black Ops 6 assault rifles to help with engagements at range.

It also buffs some assault rifles that had underperforming damage ranges. This includes the AK-74, AS-Val, and the Krig C assault rifle.

Buffs for BO6 marksman rifles

All Black Ops 6 marksman rifles are buffed for Warzone with better velocity and a 12% increase to reload speeds. Treyarch explains this change by saying, "We want marksman rifles to be better at longer ranges and in order to help achieve this goal we are increasing the velocity of Black Ops 6 marksman rifles."

The full patch notes and more detailed weapon changes can be found below for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, as shared by Activision.

Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded patch notes

New Multiplayer Maps

• Hacienda (6v6)
  • Last seen in Black Ops 4, the iconic competitive map returns, sending Operators back to the infamous vineyard estate. Battle within the open-air, two-story mansion with surrounding views of the pristine courtyard below. From the grand foyer past the lion statue, head toward the showroom garage or move out to the garden to keep the fight outside. On the other end of the estate, marvel at the built-in aquarium above the vault.
• Racket (2v2, 6v6)
  • Time to crack open the heart of the Luttazzi money laundering operation and hit them where it really hurts. Breach the premises in this small-sized underground bank vault, a line of broken tiles marking the path of the center bulldozer placed before the vault of golden bars. Defaced pieces of art and the crossed-out emblem of the Luttazzi family indicate not just greed but malicious intent. In combat, however, leave that all to the side — keep your senses sharp and your head on a swivel while navigating the map’s many tight corners and enclosed spaces.
• Nuketown Holiday (6v6)
  • Nuketown gets a festive makeover for the holidays. Put on your winter gear and grab some snowballs!

New Limited-Time Multiplayer Modes

• Ran-Snack (December 12)
  • • Trade gold for sweets in this festive LTM that challenges teams to gather and deposit the most cookies. Grab cookies from the rotating crate and fallen Operators and bring them back to your stash. Impede the enemy's progress by eating their cookies directly from their cookie box. In honor of the season of giving, your Operator also earns buffs for depositing cookies, including a speed boost, faster reload, and faster health regen. The first team to reach the Score Limit or have the best score when the Time Limit expires wins.
• Infectious Holiday (December 12)
  • • Even the undead are getting into the holiday spirit as zombies and fallen Operators don festive clothing in this festive twist on the fan-favorite Infected mode.

New Weapons

• Maelstrom - Shotgun (Merry Mayhem Event Reward)
  • Clear rooms with this fast firing full-auto Shotgun that overwhelms enemies with a hail of lead. The perfect weapon for the new Racket Strike map and in any confined area, the Maelstrom requires getting up close, its heavy recoil and large hip spread quickly losing effectiveness at range. If you can close the distance first, they’re toast.
• AMR Mod 4 - Sniper Rifle (Archie’s Festival Frenzy Event Reward)
  • Down enemies fast with this powerful Sniper Rifle providing a one-shot elimination across the upper body not accounting for armor. Its high damage is balanced by slow aim speed and heavy recoil, though these drawbacks can be alleviated with the right attachments. However you customize it, this thing is guaranteed to hit hard.
• Cleaver - Melee (Event Reward)
  • Go ham with the close-quarters Cleaver Melee weapon. Chop and slice with a mix of heavy and light attacks. Equally useful for enemy Operators and the undead.

New Attachments

• 3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (Merry Mayhem Event Reward)
  • Convert the XM4 Assault Rifle’s primary firing mode into a three-round burst, conserving ammo and supporting a steadier aim through sustained combat.
• 3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (Archie's Festive Frenzy Event Reward)
  • Add some control to the rapid-fire Kompakt 92 SMG with a three-round burst primary firing mode. Each burst cycles quickly to the next, allowing you to still pump out damage when it’s needed most.

New Multiplayer Perk & Wildcard

• New Perk - Season Launch Window
  • Shrapnel Radar - Recon
    • Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event
    • Blast damage dealt from area-of-effect Lethals, Tacticals and Field Upgrades mark the injured target on your minimap.
• New Wildcard - Unlocked In-Season
  • High Roller
    • Equip a fourth Scorestreak for use in Core 6v6 Multiplayer matches. Pairs well with Assassin, Dispatcher, and Bankroll.

New Zombies Map

• Citadelle des Morts
  • One of Avalon’s oldest landmarks, the Citadel is shunned by locals both for its sinister history and because it is a base of operations for the crime family known as the French Syndicate. The castle was established in the 1100s on the site of a leper colony, and construction was completed a century later. In the 1300s, the renegade knight Guy de Saint Michel and his four enforcers took over the fortress and instituted a criminal reign of terror that birthed the Syndicate.

New Zombies Enemy

• Doppelghast (Citadelle des Morts)
  • Serving as the next stage in the evolutionary chain of Dark Aether metamorphosis, Doppelghasts are violent and display erratic and unsettling movement, as if each head is independently fighting for control of its body. It lurches, randomly knots itself up to perform fast and unexpected maneuvers and tends to outrun its lesser brethren using its powerful, elongated feet.

New Zombies Perk-A-Cola

• Vulture Aid
  • Available for the first time since Black Ops II, consume a can of Vulture Aid Elixir once you find the monstrous avian sculpture of a Perk-A-Cola machine, and you’ll discover an increase in the variety of loot dropped from enemies. Additional loot takes the form of Essence Vials and small Ammo drops. This is only available (and visible) to the player with Vulture Aid active. Then unlock the full power of the Perk by ensuring Augments are added!
    • Vulture Aid is available on Citadelle des Morts, along with the eight previously accessible Zombies Perks. Note that some of these eight Perks are only available via a Der Wunderfizz machine.
    • Vulture Aid is available on Liberty Falls and Terminus maps via the Der Wunderfizz machine.
    • Vulture Aid: Major Augments
      • Fetid Upgr-aid
        • On death, zombies have a chance to create a gas cloud that charges your Field Upgrade.
      • Smell of Death
        • On death, zombies have a chance to create a gas cloud that conceals you while standing in it.
      • Parting Gift
        • Vulture Aid ammo drops give more ammo to Wonder Weapons.
    • Vulture Aid: Minor Augments
      • Condor’s Reach
        • Auto-pickup loot from farther away.
      • Carrion Luggage
        • Critical kills have a chance to drop extra Salvage.
      • Picky Eater
        • On death, zombies have a higher chance of dropping your current equipment.

New Zombies Ammo Mod

• Light Mend
  • Bullets deal Light (i.e. elemental) damage. Each bullet has a chance to transform a normal or Special enemy’s health into a healing glyph that moves to nearby injured allies.
    • This Ammo Mod can be used in all three Zombies maps along with the previously accessible Ammo Mods, assuming it is chosen at an Arsenal Machine.
  • Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
  • Light Mend: Major Augments
    • Antibiotic
      • The healing glyph now damages enemies that touch it, but its lifetime is reduced.
    • Big Game
      • Light Mend can activate on Elite enemies, dropping three more healing glyphs.
    • Dual Action
      • Consuming a healing glyph will temporarily allow you to heal faster.
  • Light Mend: Minor Augments
    • Longer Life
      • The healing glyph’s lifetime is increased.
    • Extra Strength
      • The healing glyph replenishes more health when consumed.
    • Express Remedy
      • Increase the range that the glyph will move to an ally.

New Zombies Field Upgrade

• Tesla Storm
  • For 10 seconds, lightning connects to other players, stunning and damaging normal enemies.
    • This Field Upgrade can be used in all three Zombies maps along with the previously accessible Field Upgrades, assuming it is chosen as part of your Loadout, or swapped via the menu during a game.
  • Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
  • Tesla Storm: Major Augments
    • Transformer
      • The field’s damage is increased by the number of allies that are connected.
    • Shockwave
      • On activation, stun and damage all nearby enemies.
    • Static Discharge
      • On activation, create a lethal surge of electricity around you.
  • Tesla Storm: Minor Augments
    • Power Grid
      • Increase the range the electric tether can connect to allies.
    • Overclocked
      • Your movement speed is increased during Tesla Storm.
    • Lithium Charged
      • Increase Tesla Storm duration.

New GobbleGums

• Power Keg (Rare): Spawns a Full Power Power-up.
  • Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
• Time Out (Ultra): Lasts three minutes. Clear all Normal and Special enemies and end the Round. Normal spawning will not resume during this time.
  • Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
• Holiday Cheer (Whimsical): Zombies have festive decorations.
  • Primarily unlocked in the Jingle Hells Limited Time Event, potentially whenever you earn GobbleGums by playing. Also unlocked randomly from a successful Exfil. Once acquired, Holiday Cheer GobbleGums can be kept (they do not expire) and used in any of the three available maps. Expect these to be earned even after the Holiday Season.

New Zombies Training Course

• Coming in Season 01 at Reloaded Launch, the Zombies Training Course allows you to learn the basics if you’re a new or casual player or refresh your knowledge if you’re a more seasoned player.
• Polish your favorite armament and drop into Liberty Falls where the gruff Arsenal Machine Drill Sergeant gives you tough love as you maneuver to a sequence of different “Station” flags dotted around the map. If you’re unsure how to play this game mode, visit the following stations and learn (and perform) a different aspect of the game.
  • Killing Zombies: Learn how to kill zombies and replenish resources.
  • Map Progression: Learn how to navigate the world and progress rounds.
  • Powering Up Players: Buff your strength and survivability with Perks and Armor.
  • Powering Up Weapons: Increase your lethality with weapon upgrades.
  • Getting New Weapons: Discover methods to acquire new weapons.
  • GobbleGums: Learn how to use GobbleGums for unique power-ups.
  • Exfil: Learn how to exit a match.

New Limited-Time Zombies Modes

• Jingle Hells (December 17)
  • Deck the Falls with boughs of holly, as the Jingle Hells festive Limited Time Mode returns! Last seen in Black Ops Cold War, Jingle Hells drops you in what could optimistically be called a winter wonderland, as the entirety of the Liberty Falls map is festooned with wreaths, ribbons, twinkling lights, Christmas trees, garlands of fir tree bunting, and a thin blanket of snow. Although, something feels a bit off… not least the melting piles of slush stained with bloody entrails…

GLOBAL

Camos

• CDL, Ranked Play, and Incentive Camos can now be equipped to any Weapon, regardless of whether all 9 Military Camos have been unlocked for that Weapon in one mode

Settings

• Controllers
  • Stick Sensitivity
    • The controller stick sensitivity sliders system changed from a 1-20 scale to a 0.10-4.00. This will give players finer control over their sensitivity values and more transparency on the effect of their changes. Previously set sensitivity settings will be maintained.

MULTIPLAYER

Maps

• New
  • Hacienda (6v6)
  • Racket (2v2, 6v6)
  • Nuketown Holiday (6v6)
• Adjustments
  • Lowtown
    • Addressed an issue where players could get outside of the intended playspace.
  • Protocol
    • Adjusted Search & Destroy A Bombsite location

Modes

• Adjustments
  • Hardpoint
    • Resolved an issue where zone markers could sometimes disappear when contesting a hardpoint location.
  • CDL Modes (CDL Hardpoint, CDL Search and Destroy, CDL Control)
    • Dynamic Map Elements are now disabled by default in CDL game modes.
      • Secret paths (Skyline bookcase, Hacienda panic room) will be open by default.

Weapons

We will be releasing a large weapon balancing patch shortly after the launch of Season 1 Reloaded. The patch will address some common pieces of community feedback that we have been seeing. Here are just a few of the high level changes, with detailed notes coming later.

• Headshot damage improvements on full-auto weapons
• Full removal of idle sway at the start of ADS on Sniper Rifles
• Reductions to visual recoil, sway, and bob

Gunsmith

• Addressed an issue that displayed incorrect movement speed values on some weapons in Detailed Weapon Stats.

Theater Mode

• Addressed an issue where HUD effects from a previously spectated player would be shown when in Free Cam in Theater.
• Addressed an issue where the Hellstorm intro would not be displayed in Theater.
• Addressed an issue where Free Cam would zoom in and out if the last spectated player is ADS.
• Addressed an issue where Smoke Grenade VFX were not properly displayed in Theater.
• Addressed an issue where a black screen would be present when viewing a file in Theater.
• Addressed a crash that could occur when attempting to open a Theater file when another has already been opened.
• Free Cam movement bindings for up/down on controllers have been adjusted to L1/R1.

Perks

• Recon Combat Specialty bonus of the HUD edge indicator will now only display when an enemy is ADS
• Improved Auto-Ping from Tracker in Free For All modes.

Equipment

• Resolve an issue where flash and concussion assists could be awarded when hitting teammates in modes with friendly fire enabled

Scorestreaks

• Addressed issues where static overlays from various Scorestreaks could persist in the Winner’s Circle.
• Sentry Turret will now target enemies in last stand.
• Resolved an issue where players firing an unsuppressed weapon with the Ghost perk equipped could be seen by an enemy Scout Pulse.
• Addressed an issue where the Archangel Launcher and Hand Cannon would be stowed when performing a high mantle.
• Addressed an issue where the player would be unable to use a second Archangel Launcher in one life when obtained by points and a Care Package.

Lobby Vote

• Fixed an issue with the Classified vote option that was causing it to frequently select the same map(s) in some playlists. The Classified vote option will now randomly select one of the map (or mode) selections not shown in the 2 visible Lobby Vote options.

UI

• Social
  • Addressed an issue where friends were not showing online when resuming from sleep on consoles.
  • Addressed an issue where offline players could show as Online Friends in Social.

Challenges

• Calling Card Challenges
  • Fixed an issue that was preventing the “Merciless Killer” Challenge from progressing if any of the 10 Kills required were achieved with a Scorestreak Weapon (Archangel Launcher or Hand Cannon)
• Daily Challenges
  • Reduced the amount of progress needed to complete various Multiplayer Daily Challenges
• Camo Challenges
  • Launcher Gold & Dark Spine Camo Challenges now also award progress when destroying enemy Equipment and Field Upgrades in one match, in addition to destroying enemy Scorestreaks
  • Addressed an issue where the final kill of the match was final kills of a match were not consistently being counted toward Camo Challenges.

Ranked Play

• New
  • Updated Restrictions
    • The following items are now restricted in Ranked Play to match the latest CDL pro GAs:
      • Assault Rifles:
        • Krig
        • Model L
        • XM4
      • SMGs
        • Saug
      • Snipers
        • All Snipers (All Modes)
    • Attachments:
      • All Assault Rifle and SMG Magazine Attachments
    • Equipment:
      • Smoke Grenades (All Modes)
        • Players who have the above items equipped to their Ranked Play Loadouts will want to manually swap them out for unrestricted items and Attachments. If players select a Loadout with restricted content the restricted items will be automatically removed when the player spawns in-game.
  • Hacienda
    • With the return of the competitive staple Hacienda in Season 01 Reloaded, the map will be added to the Ranked map pool for all 3 Ranked modes prior to it being added to the official CDL map pool later in December:
      • Hacienda Hardpoint
      • Hacienda Control
      • Hacienda Search & Destroy
    • Rewind Control will be removed with the addition of Hacienda Control
  • Ranked Play Bug Fixes
    • Fixed an issue that was preventing SR Loss Forgiveness from applying correctly after the player’s first Loss of the Day
  • CDL Modes Update (CDL Hardpoint, CDL Search and Destroy, CDL Control)
    • Dynamic Map Elements are now disabled by default in CDL game modes.
      • Secret paths (Skyline bookcase, Hacienda panic room) will be open by default

Stability

• Various stability fixes.

ZOMBIES

General Gameplay Updates

• General Updates
  • Reduced the number of Mangler spawns at mid-to-high Rounds.
  • Implemented a maximum cap on active Manglers in the game, ramping up until the cap is released at Round 100.
  • Reduced the Mangler’s arm cannon health.
  • Significantly reduced the length of Special Rounds by reducing the number of spawns and adjusting the spawn delay rate for Special Rounds.
  • Scaled Parasite damage between Rounds 31-91.
  • Slightly increased damage scaling for base zombies at Round 150-400.
  • Addressed an issue that would prevent zombies from spawning normally after loading a save.
  • Addressed an issue where rarely all players would be downed without a way to revive and have to wait to bleed out before the match would end.
  • Addressed an issue in splitscreen where Player 1 would not spawn with the correct loadout.
• Terminus
  • Addressed an issue where the AFK timer was not present on Terminus Directed Mode.
  • Addressed an issue that caused additional Amalgam’s to spawn in when loading a save.
  • Addressed an issue where using the Beamsmasher alternate fire mode on a camera would display “Immune” text.
  • Addressed an issue that sometimes caused incorrect iconography on the minimap during the Boat Race.
• Liberty Falls
  • Addressed an issue where an Abomination could spawn outside the Exfil zone during an Exful attempt.
  • Addressed an issue where Parasites could spawn in Liberty Falls.
  • Addressed an issue where Vermin could end up on the roof when attacking the player in some locations.
  • Addressed an issue where Zombies could get underneath the Forecourt.

Weapons

• Added the Krig C, Saug, Sirin 9mm and Power Drill to the Mystery Box and Vault/Armory.
• Addressed an issue where the AK-74 would have downward recoil.
• Addressed an issue where some weapons would have the wrong rarity displayed.

Wonder Weapons

• Thrustodyne M23
  • Addressed an issue where the alternate fire could be used without a cooldown.

Perks

• Jugger-Nog
  • Addressed an issue where the Reactive Armor augment would stun Brainrot charmed zombies.
  • Improved the lighting on the perk machine.
• Der Wunderfizz Machine
  • Der Wunderfizz will now appear on the map when loading a save past Round 25 without needing to progress to the next round.

Field Upgrades

• Tesla Storm
  • Unlocked reward as part of the Merry Mayhem Event.
• Dark Flare
  • Addressed an issue where Dark Flare could be activated without being fully charged.
• Quick Revive
  • Addressed an issue that caused Dying Wish not to account for armor mitigation.
• Aether Shroud
  • Closed an exploit that allowed players to go through doors and barriers without unlocking them with the Burst Dash augment.

GobbleGums

• Power Keg
  • Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
• Time Out
  • Unlocked reward as part of the GobbleGum Mania Event.
• Free Fire
  • Addressed an issue where Underbarrel Grenate Launchers and PaP’d GS45 Pistols would not have unlimited ammo.
  • Addressed an issue where the player would be unable to use GobbleGums while having a Sentry Turret active.

Scorestreaks

• Hand Cannon
  • Unlock available through the Armory for players that did not already unlock it with The Hit List Event.

Power-Ups

• Max Armor Power-Up will now also fill the player’s reserve plates.

Loot

• Addressed an issue where picking up a weapon off the ground could swap it with your secondary weapon instead of the held weapon.

Activities

• S.A.M. Trials
  • Addressed an issue where original scorestreaks were sometimes not returned to the player after the trial.

Challenges

• Calling Card Challenges
  • Fixed issues that were preventing the following Zombies Calling Card Challenges from tracking correctly:
    • “Endless Barrage” Prestige 1 Challenge
    • “Madness” Career Challenge
    • “Kunoichi” Dark Ops Challenge
    • “Sticks n’ Stones” Dark Ops Challenge
    • “Splash Damage” Trophy Hunter Challenge
    • “Liberated” Dark Ops Challenge
    • “Gumption” Kitted Out Challenge
    • “Hide & Seek” Fresh Meat Challenge
• Daily Challenges
  • Reduced the amount of progress needed to complete various Zombies Daily Challenges
• Medals
  • Addressed an issue that was preventing the Monkey Business Medal from tracking correctly.

UI

• Addressed an issue where playlists would sometimes appear locked.
• Updated the text below Directed Mode rewards to “Charm reward will also be awarded for completing Standard Mode” to accurately reflect what will be additionally awarded from Standard mode.
• Addressed an issue where sometimes the previous GobbleGum name was shown when scrolling through GobbleGum packs in the store.
• Addressed an issue in splitscreen where the GobbleGum UI from the previous match would be present at the start of a new match preventing the player from seeing what Gums they have.
• Addressed an issue where the Scoreboard would be missing in splitscreen.
• Addressed an issue where the Center Dot crosshair would disappear in 3rd person.
• Updated the ping icon for the Krig C.
• Addressed some text inconsistencies.

Stability

• Various stability fixes.

WARZONE

GAME UPDATE

Thank you for dropping in to join us for the first Season of the new Warzone experience. Following launch in November, we have been working through your feedback as well as our internal data. Season 01 Reloaded brings exciting changes and improvements with more to come in the future.

The Season 01 Reloaded update focuses on a number of bug fixes, several Quality of Life changes, server performance improvements - and more.

We thank you for sharing your experiences so far and we look forward to hearing more from our community.

MODES

• Holiday Rush Limited-Time Mode
  • Deck the halls of Area 99. Join the festivities in this fast-paced resurgence mode as players compete over valuable presents. Keep an eye to the sky for a special guest and watch out for yellow snowballs!
  • Player Count: 40
  • Squad Size: Quads
  • Map: Area 99

• Slay Ride Resurgence Limited-Time Mode
  • Undead Santa returns to Urzikstan! Battle against players, defeat Undead Santa and his zombie henchmen, capture Codmas trees for powerful loot, and race to control the Urzikstan train in this festive, action-packed game mode.
  • Player Count: 56
  • Squad Size: Quads
  • Map: Urzikstan

PLAYLIST

For information about upcoming Playlists, please check out the dedicated Warzone Trello Board.

RANKED PLAY

Unlocking Ranked Play

Warzone Ranked Play: Battle Royale makes its triumphant return on December 5th, 2024. The playlist update will go live shortly after the Season 01 Reloaded update deploys.

In order to access this mode, players must place amongst the top squads in at least 30 matches to be eligible to queue up and begin climbing the ranks.

In this case, "Top Placement" is defined as finishing among the Top 6 teams in Resurgence or the Top 15 teams in Battle Royale.

Competitive Settings

Select Weapons, Attachments, Equipment, Perks, Field Upgrades, and Streaks are restricted based on competitiveness, and player feedback.

Weapon Restrictions

Modern Warfare Weapons

• All

Launchers

• All

Attachment Restrictions

Thermal Optics

• All

Underbarrel Launchers

• All

Barrels

• CHF Barrel

Fire Mods

• Rapid Fire
• Dragon’s Breath

Other Restrictions

Field Upgrades

• Reinforcement Flare

Scorestreaks

• Foresight
• Sentry Turret

Perks

• Birdseye
• Alertness
• Specialist

Vehicles

• Cargo Truck
• Triumph TF 250-X

Contracts

• Big Game Bounty
• Elite Contracts

Miscellaneous

• Proximity Chat
• Text to Chat
• Emotes
• Gulag Events

This year features a tighter ecosystem of weapons to choose from, particularly those only from Black Ops 6. This enables a finer look at a balanced ecosystem and allows us to be more responsive to competitive issues.

Global Weapon Builds

Any Global Weapon Build you create in Ranked Play can easily be used across Loadouts in Multiplayer, Zombies, and Call of Duty: Warzone – just like any other Weapon Build in Black Ops 6. Conversely, you can bring any Builds you’ve created outside Ranked Play into Ranked (restrictions permitting).

Rank & Skill Rating

The 1-50 Rank and Skill Division system from previous versions of Ranked Play has been streamlined to focus on what matters most in Warzone Ranked Play: Skill.

• In Warzone, your Rank now represents what was previously your Skill Division and Tier.
• The Progressive Rank and Victory Stars system has been removed to focus entirely on skill and simplify the experience.
• All players begin their first Competitive Season at Bronze I Rank with 0 SR (Skill Rating).

How SR Works:

• Gain SR by winning matches and eliminating players.
• For players above Silver Rank, a deployment fee is paid upfront.
• There is no SR penalty for deaths.
• Both individual and team performance impact how much SR you gain or lose per match.
• New this year: SR gained from eliminations depends on the rank difference (delta) between you and the eliminated player, as well as the number of teams remaining.

Rank Tiers & SR Requirements

Players progress through eight Ranks by reaching SR milestones. All Ranks (except Iridescent) have three tiers to progress through as well: Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III. Each Rank will feature a unique icon and color scheme, along with your Tier displayed in the center of the Rank icon.

Seasonal SR Setback

The End-of-Season SR Setback has been adjusted to reduce the impact for players early in their Rank journey.

Seasonal SR Setback

Rank at End of SeasonStarting Rank Next Season

Bronze or Silver

No SR deduction; continue as-is.

Gold

Start at Gold I.

Platinum

Start at Platinum I.

Diamond or Higher

Start at Diamond I.

Top 250 & Leaderboard

The Top 250 Rank returns, ranking the top players globally on an in-game Leaderboard accessible from the Ranked Play lobby.

• Players will qualify for the Top 250 and appear on the Leaderboard as they surpass 10,000+ SR.
• The top 250 players with the highest SR above 10,000 will remain on the board and compete for 1st place over the remainder of the Season.
• The player who ends the season as the #1 Ranked Player will receive unique rewards:
  • Exclusive, one-of-a-kind Calling Card.
  • Top 250 Champion Skin, available only to players who finish #1 in a Season.
• Additional Rank and Seasonal Rewards for achieving milestones throughout the Season.

Elimination Rank Delta

New this year, Eliminations now factor in the difference in skill between you and the victim. This more accurately rewards overcoming a high ranked player, and lessens the impact if the skill delta is too wide (via players being brought into a match with friends, or otherwise).

This skill delta reward changes depending on if they are + / - 3 ranks from your own.

Additionally, a Maximum Elimination SR Cap is in place at 150 SR. This means you have a known target to try to achieve before the end of the match. Hit your elimination cap, win the game for the maximum yield.

Previous versions of Warzone Ranked Play had an uncapped system which led to balancing issues and unintentionally invited bad-actors to exploit this for unrealistic gains. We’ll be monitoring the effectiveness of the cap and may make additional changes here as the data comes in.

Rewards

Ranked Play offers a variety of valuable rewards that can be earned exclusively through gameplay. These rewards let you showcase your skill across all game modes.

» Ways to Earn Rewards «

• Top Placement Challenges
  • Available at launch and earnable in any season.
  • Complete top placement milestones throughout your Ranked Play career to unlock exclusive rewards.

• Rank Operator Skins
  • Available at launch and earnable in any season.
  • A Ranked Competitor Skin is awarded immediately upon making top placement in 10 matches over your Ranked Play career.
  • Gold through Iridescent Rank Operator Skins are awarded immediately upon reaching the respective Rank.
  • Top 250 Rewards are awarded at the end of the Season.

• Season Rewards
  • Introduced at the start of each Season and only available during that Season.
  • Includes:
    • Season Win & Elimination Challenges.
    • Gold through Iridescent Rank Rewards, awarded immediately.
    • Top 250 Rank Rewards, awarded at the end of the Season.

• “Flex” Reward Items
  • Seasonal rewards that change with each new season.
  • In Season 01, players earn:
    • An Emblem, Calling Card, and Large Decal representing their highest attained Rank starting in Silver.
    • Future Seasons will introduce new types of “Flex” Rank Reward items.

This structured reward system ensures that players are constantly rewarded for their efforts while keeping seasonal content fresh and exciting. Keep climbing the ranks and completing challenges to unlock these unique prizes!

Competitive Integrity Features

» Penalties & Suspensions «

• Players who disconnect or quit matches will face SR penalties and temporary suspensions. Repeat offenders will receive escalating penalties.

» SR Forgiveness «

Players will not lose SR under the following circumstances:

• A matchmade player disconnects or leaves the game midway through a match.
  • Players can still earn SR if they overcome the disadvantage. However, if they lose at a numerical disadvantage, no SR will be deducted from players outside the leaving player’s party.
• The player loses their first match of the day.
  • Each player’s first loss of the day will be forgiven, regardless of their Rank, and no SR will be deducted. This forgiveness does not stack.
• The player currently has Demotion Protection.

» Match Cancel «

• If enough players disconnect before a match starts, the match will be canceled and will not count. Remaining players will be returned to the main menu.

» Demotion Protection «

• After advancing to a higher Rank, players receive temporary Demotion Protection for the first three games in their new Rank. During this time, no SR will be lost.
• After the initial protection, if players lose enough SR to be demoted, they will first be dropped to the minimum threshold of their current Rank. Losing their next match will result in demotion.
• Demotion Protection also applies to a player’s first three games of each Ranked Play Season.

» Party Skill Restrictions «

• Full parties of three can now play together in Ranked Play, regardless of individual Ranks. Skill Matchmaking will be based on the highest Rank in the party.
• Party Skill Restrictions for two- or three-player parties are as follows:
  • Bronze - Platinum: No restrictions.
  • Diamond: Can party within 2 Ranks.
  • Iridescent (including Top 250) & Crimson: Can party within 1 Rank.

Additional Social Features

» Hot Streaks «

• Win three Ranked Play games in a row within a short period to earn Victory Streak Flames. These flames will appear behind your Rank Icon in the lobby and in-game.
• Extend your win streak to enhance the flames. Victory Streak Flames expire after a loss or if you go 72 hours without playing a Ranked Play match.
• More Hot Streak levels have been added in Black Ops 6. Go on a roll to see how high you can climb and show the competition that the heat is on. Stay spicy!

» Social Profile «

• Rank Play icons will be added to your Social profile, showcasing your Ranked Play Rank wherever your profile is viewed across Black Ops 6 and Warzone.

PERFORMANCE

• Server Performance Enhancements
  • We've implemented several updates designed to boost server performance, ensuring a smoother and more reliable experience.

BUY STATIONS

Adjustments

• Specialist Discount
  • Firesale’s discount for Specialist has increased to 50%, up from 30% to be inline with other items.

PERKS

New

Reflexes

• Triggered explosives detonate on a delay when sprinting past them.

• Unlocked via Season 01 Reloaded - Holiday Event Reward

KILLSTREAKS

New

• Bunker Buster
  • Increased Maximum damage from 237 to 300.
  • Decreased the min damage from 112 to 50.
  • When the trophy system intercepts the bunker buster it will deal slightly less damage in the area to account for the increased maximum damage.

With the adjustments to how the Trophy System will cause the Bunker Buster to detonate we wanted to make sure that it remained competitive. There is now an emphasis on being accurate with the delivery to maximize the damage. In instances where the Trophy System does not intercept, players can now expect better results for accurate hits and a significant falloff when inaccurate.

WEAPONS

New Weapons

• AMR Mod 4 Sniper Rifle (In-Season)
  • Semi-auto sniper rifle. One-shot kill to torso, arms, hands, and upper legs. Very high recoil and slow rate of fire. You can steady your aim while ADSing.
  • Acquirable via Event Reward

• Maelstrom Shotgun (In-Season)
  • Fully automatic shotgun. Good range and handling. High recoil and large hip spread.
  • Acquirable via Event Reward

• Cleaver Melee Weapon (In-Season)
  • One-hit kill. Short-medium range. Medium attack speed.
  • Acquirable via Event Reward

New Attachments

• XM4 3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (In-Season)
  • Convert the XM4 Assault Rifle’s primary firing mode into a three-round burst, conserving ammo and supporting a steadier aim through sustained combat.
  • Acquirable via Event Reward

• Kompakt 92 3-Round Burst Mod Conversion (In-Season)
  • Add some control to the rapid-fire Kompakt 92 SMG with a three-round burst primary firing mode. Each burst cycles quickly to the next, allowing you to still pump out damage when it’s needed most.
  • Acquirable via Event Reward

Weapon Adjustments

» Assault Rifles «

We want ARs to remain competitive long range options, so we are increasing the velocity of all Black Ops 6 ARs to help with engagements at range. Along with buffing some ARs damage ranges that were underperforming. We will continue to evaluate and adjust as needed.

» Submachine Guns «

• All Black Ops 6 SMGs have had their reload speeds increased by 10%

» Light Machine Guns «

The goal of these ADS Speed adjustments is to bring LMG handling more in line with our intended base line values. The location modifier changes make engagements feel more consistent and less punishing if you hit a few lower torso shots mixed in with upper torso. We will continue to monitor how LMGs are fitting into engagements and adjust accordingly.

» Marksman Rifles «

• All Black Ops 6 Marksman Rifles have had their reload speeds increased by 12%

We want Marksman Rifles to be better at longer ranges and in order to help achieve this goal we are increasing the velocity of Black Ops 6 Marksman Rifles.

» Shotguns «

• All Black Ops 6 Shotguns have had their reload speeds increased by 8%

LOOT

Adjustments

• Lootable SMGs
  • Updated SMG magazine sizes to be larger than 30 rounds.

UI/UX

Adjustments

• Custom Loadout Colors Quality of Life
  • Weapons that players infil with or respawn will no longer show as a single custom loadout color. Rather, they will now have a weapon rarity color based on the number of attachments.

AUDIO

Adjustments

• Reduced reverb effect volume on Urzikstan.

BUG FIXES

» Perks «

• Fixed an issue with Custom Perk Packs where the pack was named “Custom” when it should be named “Custom Perk Pack”.

• Fixed an issue with Custom Perk Packs where the pack was showing as “legendary” rarity when it should show as “Loadout” rarity.

• Fixed an issue with Scavenger description where it did not call out that it provides cash.
  • The perk will provide 1500 cash from the packs that drop from enemies.

• Fixed an issue with Grenadier description where it made reference to players “removing shrapnel”.
  • The perk applies a debuff when enemies are damaged by explosives but they are not expected to remove shrapnel.

• Fixed an issue with Quick Fix where health was not regenerating on plating and kills.

• Fixed an issue with Quick Fix where inserting an armor plate, downing a player, or killing a downed player now correctly starts health regen.

• Fixed an issue where the default perk “Quick Swap” was not being applied in Pre-match. This is still applied correctly in a regular match.

• Fixed an issue causing the Specialist perk package to be discounted 30% instead of 50% during a Fire Sale.

» Field Upgrades «

• Fixed an issue with the Deployable Buy Station Field Upgrade that showed the incorrect icons in some situations.

• Fixed an issue preventing the Loadout Drop Field Upgrade icon from appearing in the lower right hand of the screen when players have one equipped.

» Camos «

• Fixed an issue with challenges that required tracking kills while under an enemy UAV.
  • Previously, this only tracked if a player eliminated the enemy who initially activated the UAV, which was not the intended functionality. This affected the Unique Camos for the Tanto, the Bat, and the XM4, as well as the Prestige 10 Calling Card Challenge, "Going Loud." Now, it correctly tracks eliminations on any player while the attacker is under a UAV activated by any enemy player. After all, the only thing better than taking down enemy operators is doing it while you're on everyone's radar.

» Firing Range «

• Fixed issue that caused firing range dummies to not trigger armor break sounds when being hit with a headshot as the armor breaks.

• Fixed issue that unintentionally caused snipers to not one-shot headshot in some scenarios in the firing range.

• Fixed issue that prevented movable dummy from properly moving to the intended weapon damage ranges.

» Gulag «

• Fixed an issue causing players to appear to take damage when entering the Gulag.

• Fixed an issue causing Gulag events to spawn more cash than intended.

» Other «

• Fixed an issue where players would receive incorrect hitmarker visual feedback when viewing killcams.

• Fixed an issue that unintentionally made players swap the wrong gun when switching weapons and picking up a weapon at the same time.

• Fixed an issue preventing players from leaving the match during exfil.

• Fixed an issue causing players to get stuck in a plating animation.

• Fixed an issue where players would not be able to use multiple UAVs.

• Fixed an issue where the buy station was showing the incorrect icon.

• Fixed an issue allowing players to duplicate payouts completing the Signal Intelligence contract.

• Fixed an issue with the Ammo Depot Cache’s missing on Rebirth Island.

• Fixed issue that prevented players from properly attaching mid air to long ziplines in Urzikstan.

• Fixed numerous descriptions on weapon attachments in the gunsmith after the muzzle and underbarrel refactor.

• Fixed an issue where the icon for certain public events were flashing repeatedly

• Fixed an issue where the Score Feed would persist on the HUD through death and respawn.

• Fixed an issue where the attachment swap pop-up will show incorrectly under certain conditions.

• Fixed an issue where the “Airspace is too Crowded” message and information would not display correctly when using certain Killstreaks.

• Fixed an issue where Tutorial messages and popups would appear even when disabled.

• Fixed missing sound when your Squad is wiped.

• Fixed an issue with the Plunder scoreboard causing the Cash Banked to display incorrectly.

• Fixed an issue that prevented a player from shooting after opening a Loadout Crate when they were previously eliminated from going out of bounds.

• Fixed an issue causing the Bounty Contest widget to flash and play sound repeatedly.

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