Season 1 Reloaded patch notes detail a slate of changes for Call of Duty: MW3 and Warzone

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By Cole Martin
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The update is packed with weapon adjustments, the new Night Vision Gulag event, and Ranked play

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 1 Reloaded content reveal
(Image credit: Activision)
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What you need to know

  • Call of Duty's Season 1 Reloaded update is now available to download on all platforms.
  • The update includes bug fixes, weapon balances, and new content for Warzone and Modern Warfare 3.
  • The update has led to some new bugs, including a Fetching Data loop error and a bugged state for players attempting to open loadouts, which Raven Software is actively investigating.
  • Ranked play, covert exfils, and the Champion's Quest for Warzone have all been delayed during the S1R launch window.

Activision and the dev teams behind Call of Duty have released a massive new update today to mark the start of Season 1 Reloaded. Modern Warfare 3 players can look forward to a new 6v6 map, playlist rotation, and some new modes, which we explained in detail in our MW3 Season 1 Reloaded explainer. 

Call of Duty: Warzone was expected to receive new win conditions for the battle royale modes with today's update. However, fan reaction was overwhelmingly negative, leading Raven Software to exclude the Covert Exfil conditions from the January 17 patch. Raven Software also posted to social media that the studio was dissatisfied with the quality of the Champion's Quest for Warzone and would be disabling it until it could be re-evaluated. Ranked play, developed by Treyarch for Modern Warfare 3, has also seen a launch delay and is not immediately available with Season 1 Reloaded. 

Even without covert exfils, Ranked play, and Champion's quests, there are still plenty of changes in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone that were shared today via the Call of Duty Blog, starting with weapon buffs and nerfs.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 Reloaded weapon balance

Weapon balancing

Assault rifles

  • SVA 545 : Increased maximum damage from 29 to 30 (+3%).
  • Holger 556: Increased sprint to fire time from 231ms to 252ms (+9%).
  • DG-56: Decreased maximum damage range from 35.6m to 20.3m (-43%). Decreased medium damage range from 44.5m to 30.5 (-31%).
  • FR 5.56: Increased medium damage from 36 to 40 (+11%).
  • MCW: Increased sprint to fire time from 220ms to 241ms (+10%).
  • 16.5" MCW Cyclone Long Barrel: Decreased damage range benefit by 6%. Decreased bullet velocity benefit by 7%. Increased sprint to fire time penalty by 1%. Decreased hipfire spread penalty by 5%. Decreased tactical stance spread penalty by 5%.
  • RB Regal Heavy Stock: Decreased gun kick control benefit by 11%. Decreased horizontal recoil control benefit by 5%. Decreased vertical recoil control benefit by 5%. Increased sprint speed penalty by 3%. Increased tactical sprint speed penalty by 3%. Increased sprint to fire speed penalty by 1%.
  • JAK Raven Kit: Increased arm damage multiplier from 1x to 1.1x (+10%). Increased hand damage multiplier from 1x to 1.1x (+10%).
  • STB-556 (MWII): Increased maximum damage range from 15.2m to 30.5m (+100%). Increased near-medium damage range from 29.5m to 39.4m (+34%). Increased medium damage range from 47m to 54.6m (+16%).
  • Kastov 762 (MWII): Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 0.96x to 1.1x (+15%). Increased leg damage multiplier from 0.96x to 1.1x (+15%). Increased foot damage multiplier from 0.96x to 1.1x (+15%).
  • Chimera (MWII): Increased near-medium damage from 28 to 29 (+4%).
  • Tempus Razorback (MWII): Increased maximum damage from 28 to 29 (+4%). Increased maximum damage range from 12.7m to 22.9m (+80%). Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 1x to 1.1x (+10%).
  • FR Avancer (MWII): Increased maximum damage from 25 to 29 (+16%). Decreased maximum damage range from 34.9m to 24.8m (-29%).
  • M16 (MWII): Decreased upper-torso damage multiplier from 1.2x to 1x (-17%). Decreased arm damage multiplier from 1.2x to 1x (-17%). Decreased hand damage multiplier from 1.2x to 1x (-17%). Decreased sprint to fire time from 210ms to 189ms (-10%). Decreased aim down sight time from 290ms to 240ms (-17%).
  • Kastov-74u (MWII): Increased minimum damage from 19 to 22 (+16%). Increased near-medium damage range from 22.9m to 30.5m (+33%). Increased medium damage range from 36.8m to 47m (+28%). 
  • Kastov 545 (MWII): Increased maximum damage from 32 to 34 (+6%). Decreased maximum damage range from 24.9m to 15.2m (-39%). Decreased aim down sight time from 240ms to 225ms (-6%).

(Image credit: Activision)

Battle rifles

  • Sidewinder: Decreased recoil and gun kick while firing.
  • Lachmann-762 (MWII): Increased maximum damage from 44 to 52 (+18%).
  • Full-Auto Fire Type: Decreased upper-torso damage multiplier from 0.95x to 0.9x (-5%). Decreased lower-torso damage multiplier from 0.95x to 0.9x (-5%). Increased arm damage multiplier from 0.75x to 0.9x (+20%). Increased hand damage multiplier from 0.75x to 0.9x (+20%).
  • Cronen Squall (MWII): Increased maximum damage from 31 to 32 (+3%).
  • FTAC Recon (MWII): Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 1x to 1.3x (+30%). Decreased aim down sight time from 270ms to 250ms (-7%). Full-Auto Fire Type: Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 0.9x to 1x (+11%). Increased arm damage multiplier from 0.85x to 1x (+18%). Increased hand damage multiplier from 0.85x to 1x (+18%). Increased leg damage multiplier from 0.85x to 1x (+18%). Increased foot damage multiplier from 0.85x to 1x (+18%).
  • SO-14 (MWII): Increased maximum damage from 41 to 46 (+12%). Full-Auto Fire Type: Decreased neck damage multiplier from 0.85x to 0.8x (-6%). Decreased upper-torso damage multiplier from 0.85x to 0.8x (-6%). Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 0.74x to 0.8x (+8%). Increased arm damage multiplier from 0.63x to 0.8x (+27%). Increased hand damage multiplier from 0.63x to 0.8x (+27%). Increased leg damage multiplier from 0.59x to 0.8x (+36%). Increased foot damage multiplier from 0.59x to 0.8x (+36%). 

Submachine guns

  • WSP Swarm: Increased maximum damage range from 4.6m to 6.6m (+50%). Increased near-medium damage range from 7.9m to 11.7m (+48%).
  • Rival-9: Decreased horizontal recoil slightly.
  • MTZ Marauder Stock: Decreased firing aim stability benefit by 5%.
  • Striker 9: Increased maximum damage from 27 to 29 (+7%).
  • Lachmann Shroud (MWII): Increased maximum damage from 30 to 38 (+27%). Increased near-medium damage from 28 to 32 (+14%). Decreased maximum damage range from 12.2m to 10.7m (-13%). Decreased headshot damage multiplier from 1.4x to 1.2x (-14%). Decreased neck damage multiplier from 1.2x to 1.02x (-15%). Decreased upper-torso damage multiplier from 1.2x to 1.02x (-15%). Decreased arm damage multiplier from 1.2x to 1.02x (-15%). Decreased hand damage multiplier from 1.2x to 1.02x (-15%).
  • ISO 9mm (MWII): Incompatible Underbarrel Attachments can no longer be equipped.
  • Fennec 45 (MWII): Increased maximum damage range from 10.7m to 12.7m (+19%). Increased leg damage multiplier from 1x to 1.1x (+10%). Increased foot damage multiplier from 1x to 1.1x (+10%). Decreased aim down sight time from 200ms to 190ms (-6%). Decreased sprint to fire time from 110ms to 99ms (-10%).
  • BAS-P (MWII): Decreased maximum damage range from 18.8m to 16.3m (-14%). Increased leg damage multiplier from 0.95x to 1x (+5%). Increased foot damage multiplier from 0.95x to 1x (+5%). 
  • Lachmann Sub (MWII): Increased near-medium damage from 28 to 29 (+4%). Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 1x to 1.1x (+10%). 
  • MX9 (MWII): Increased upper-leg damage multiplier from 0.9x to 1.04x (+16%). Increased foot damage multiplier from 0.9x to 1.04x (+16%). Decreased aim down sights time from 220ms to 200ms (-9%). Decreased sprint to fire time from 110ms to 88ms (-20%).

Shotguns

  • Lockwood 680: Increased sprint to fire time from 184ms to 200ms (+9%).
  • Sawed Off Mod Stock: Decreased movement speed benefit by 2%. Decreased sprint to fire time benefit by 5%. Decreased aim down sight time benefit by 3%. Decreased recoil control penalties by 10%. Decreased hipfire spread benefits by 6%.
  • Lockwood 300 (MWII): 12 Gauge Slug Ammunition Decreased minimum damage from 75 to 57 (-24%). Maelstrom Dual Trigger Action Decreased maximum damage range from 3m to 2.3m (-25%). Decreased near-medium damage range from 6.4m to 5.3m (-16%).
  • Expedite 12 (MWII): Increased medium damage range from 10.4m to 12.4m (+20%). Decreased pellet spread while aiming down sight by 20%.
  • Bryson 800 (MWII): Decreased sprint to fire time from 182ms to 145ms (-20%). Decreased aim down sight time from 350ms to 300ms (-14%).
  • Bryson 890 (MWII): Increased rate of fire from 150rpm to 164rpm (+9%).

Light machine guns

  • Holger 26: Increased minimum damage from 25 to 29 (+16%).
  • DG-58 LSW: Decreased sprint to fire time from 294ms to 231ms (-21%). Decreased aim down sight time from 370ms to 320ms (-14%).
  • Bruen Mk9: Incompatible Underbarrel Attachments can no longer be equipped.
  • Sakin MG38 (MWII): Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 1x to 1.15x (+15%). Decreased aim down sight time from 430ms to 410ms (-5%).
  • HCR 56 (MWII): Decreased sprint to fire time from 250ms to 225ms (-10%). Decreased aim down sight time from 390ms to 310ms (-21%).

(Image credit: Activision)

Marksman rifles

  • DM56: Increased sprint to fire time from 168ms to 199ms (+19%).
  • MTZ Interceptor: Decreased head damage multiplier from 2x to 1.62x (-19%). Decreased neck damage multiplier from 2x to 1.62x (-19%).
  • EBR-14 (MWII): Decreased sprint to fire time from 270ms to 216ms (-20%). Decreased aim down sight time from 255ms to 240ms (-6%).
  • Lockwood Mk2 (MWII): Incompatible Underbarrel Attachments can no longer be equipped. Decreased aim down sight time from 250ms to 240ms (-4%). Decreased hipfire spread while standing by 10%.
  • Tempus Torrent (MWII): Increased leg damage multiplier from 0.95x to 1x (+5%). Increased foot damage multiplier from 0.95x to 1x (+5%).
  • Crossbow (MWII): Increased minimum damage from 100 to 125 (+25%).
  • Brightblaze 20” Bolts: Increased maximum damage from 85 to 105 (+24%). Increased upper-torso damage multiplier from 0.98x to 1.2x (+22%). Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 0.95x to 1.2x (+26%). Increased arm damage multiplier from 0.95x to 1.2x (+26%). Increased hand damage multiplier from 0.95x to 1.2x (+26%). Increased leg damage multiplier from 0.9x to 1.2x (+33%). Increased foot damage multiplier from 0.9x to 1.2x (+33%).
  • LM-S (MWII): Decreased sprint to fire time from 210ms to 189ms (-10%). Decreased aim down sight time from 270ms to 245ms (-9%).

Sniper rifles

  • KATT-AMR: Zang-34 Barrel Decreased damage range benefit by 9%. Decreased bullet velocity benefit by 8%.
  • KV Inhibitor: Added medium damage at 129 to 61m. Decreased minimum damage from 129 to 99 (-23%). Decreased maximum damage range from 38.1m to 30.5m (-20%). Decreased near-medium damage from 58.4m to 48.3m (-17%).
  • Victus XMR (MWII): Increased lower-torso damage multiplier from 1.05x to 1.5x (+43%). 
  • Carrack .300 (MWII): Increased recoil center speed by 100%.

Handguns

  • Renetti: JAK Ferocity Carbine Kit View will no longer be obstructed while aiming down sight with certain Optic Attachments equipped.
  • TYR: Increased near-medium damage from 90 to 100 (+11%). Increased minimum damage from 70 to 75 (+7%). Decreased near-medium damage range from 15.2m to 11.4m (-25%). Increased upper-torso damage multiplier from 1.3x to 1.5x (+15%). Decreased lower-torso damage multiplier from 1.3x to 1x (-23%). Decreased arm damage multiplier from 1.3x to 1x (-23%). Decreased hand damage multiplier from 1.3x to 1x (-23%). Decreased trigger action delay from 150ms to 90ms (-40%). Incompatible Chrios Holo Optic Attachment can no longer be equipped. Ullr's Fury Trigger Action: Decreased trigger action delay from 70ms to 60ms (-14%). Odin's Judgement Trigger Action Decreased trigger action delay from 210ms to 150ms (-29%).
  • 9mm Daemon (MWII): Added far-medium damage at 26 to 31m. Increased maximum damage from 34 to 40 (+18%). Increased near-medium damage from 30 to 34 (+13%). Increased medium damage from 26 to 30 (+15%). Decreased maximum damage range from 9.4m to 7.4m (-22%). Decreased near-medium damage range from 20.6m to 11.4m (-44%). Decreased medium damage range from 31m to 20.6m (-34%).

Launchers

  • Stormender: EMP effects will now disable and/or destroy the following items: Drill Charge (Lethal); Smoke Airdrop (Field Upgrade); Inflatable Decoy (Field Upgrade); Swarm (Killstreak)

(Image credit: Activision)

Attachment and equipment balancing

Attachments

  • Corvus Torch Underbarrel Attachment is now available to equip on many Assault Rifles and Battle Rifles.
  • Resolved an issue in which Lasers and Underbarrels would visibly overlap. 
  • View is no longer obstructed in Tac-Stance while the KR Intlas LSJ-3 Optic Attachment is equipped.
  • SL Razorhawk Laser Light: Increased aim down sight speed benefit by 5%. Increased sprint to fire speed benefit by 7%.
  • FSS OLE-V Laser: Decreased aim down sight speed benefit by 2%. Decreased sprint to fire speed benefit by 4%.
  • FTAC Grimline Laser: Decreased sprint to fire speed benefit by 7%.
  • Verdant Hook Box Laser: Increased sprint to fire speed benefit by 3%.
  • .50 Cal Spire Point Rounds Ammunition: Increased damage range benefit by 2%. Decreased bullet velocity benefit by 19%.
  • XRK Nightfall Suppressor XL: Decreased damage range benefit by 6%. Decreased bullet velocity benefit by 8%. Decreased recoil control benefit by 3%. Increased aim down sight speed penalty by 7%. Increased sprint to fire speed penalty by 3%.
  • Round Nose Ammunition: Revised description to accurately reflect its true effects. Dramatically reduces bullet range while increasing flinch.

Perks

  • Tac Mask (Gear): Added immunity to enemy EMP effects from the Stormender (Launcher).
  • Bone Conduction Headset (Gear): Revised description to better reflect its existing effects. Reduces player combat and environmental sounds to allow improved focus on hearing other footsteps. 
  • Signal Jammer (Gear): Addressed an issue that prevented proper functionality while equipped with the Engineer Vest.

Equipment and field upgrades

  • Thermobaric Grenade (Lethal): Increased minimum explosive damage from 25 to 75 (+200%).
  • Trophy System: Enemy Cruise Missile (Killstreak) will no longer be targetted and destroyed.
  • A.C.S.: Addressed an issue that prevented objectives from being captured in Hardcore game modes.
  • Suppression Mine: Visual effects are no longer activated for the player who deployed the mine.

Killstreaks

  • SAM Turret: Decreased lock-on delay from 3s to 2s (-33%). Increased cooldown between missiles from 1.25s to 1.75s (+40%). Adjusted number of missiles required to destroy multiple Killstreaks. VTOL Jet: 4 missiles, up from 3; Gunship: 5 missiles, up from 3; Chopper Gunner: 4 missiles, up from 3. Advanced UAV (Killstreak) will no longer be targeted and destroyed.
  • Remote Turret: Dying while attempting to control the turret will no longer prevent the player from controlling it upon subsequent attempts.
  • Overwatch Helo: 100 XP and 75 Score are now awarded upon destruction.
  • EMP: Announcer voiceline will now play upon enemy usage. Destroyed Equipment and Killstreaks will no longer grant Killstreak progress.
  • Swarm: Announcer voiceline will now play upon enemy usage.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Ranked Play launch

(Image credit: Activision)

If you're waiting anxiously for Ranked play to go live, you will need to wait just a bit longer. While Season 1 Reloaded is officially live, the rollout for Ranked play will lag behind. Players who want to hop into Ranked will need to hit level 55 in Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer before they may do so. Ranked play utilizes CDL agreements and restrictions for the available playlists. 

Ranked play maps and modes

CDL Search and Destroy

  • Highrise
  • Invasion
  • Karachi
  • Skidrow
  • Terminal

CDL Control

  • Highrise
  • Invasion
  • Karachi

CDL Hardpoint

  • Invasion
  • Karachi
  • Skidrow
  • Sub Base
  • Terminal

Weapon restrictions (MW3)

  • Assault Rifles
    • Holger 556
    • DG-58
    • FR 5.56
    • MTZ 556
  • Battle Rifles
    • All
  • Shotguns
    • All
  • Marksman Rifles
    • All
  • LMGs
    • All
  • Sniper Rifles
    • Longbow
    • KV Inhibitor
  • Launchers
    • All
  • Melee
    • Riot Shield
  • Pistols
    • WSP Stinger
    • COR-45
    • TYR

All MW2 weapons will be restricted from Ranked play in Modern Warfare 3.

Attachment restrictions

  • Muzzle
  • All Suppressors
  • All Melee Damage Muzzles
  • Barrels
    • All Silencers
    • Lasers
    • All
    • Optics
    • All Thermal Optics
      • All Night Vision Optics
    • Ammunition
      • All
      • Underbarrels
      • All Launcher and Shotgun Underbarrels
      • Trigger Action
      • All Fire Rate Triggers
      • Grip
      • All Akimbo Grips
      • Aftermarket Parts
      • All

All MW2 attachments will be restricted from Modern Warfare 3 Ranked play.

Equipment, gear, and killstreak restrictions

  • Lethal
  • Proximity Mine
  • Molotov Cocktail
  • C4
  • Claymore
  • Thermite
  • Throwing Knife
  • Drill Charge
  • Thermobaric
  • Throwing Star
  • Breacher Drone
  • Tactical
    • Shock Stick
    • Decoy Grenade
    • Stim
    • Snapshot Grenade
    • Tear Gas
    • Flash Grenade
    • EMD Grenade
    • Battle Rage
    • Scatter Mine
    • Smokes (Hardpoint and Control Only)
  • Field Upgrades
    • Tactical Camera
    • Inflatable Decoy
    • DDOS
    • Deployable Cover
    • Munitions Box
    • Loadout Drop
    • Portable Radar
    • Tactical Insertion
    • Recon Drone
    • Smoke Airdrop
    • Suppression Mine
    • Anti-Armor Rounds
    • Heartbeat Sensor
    • Comm Scrambler
    • Med Box
    • A.C.S.
  • Vests
    • Engineer Vest
    • Demolition Vest
    • CCT Comms Vest
    • Overkill Vest
    • Gunner Vest
  • Gloves
    • Scavenger Gloves
  • Gear
    • Control Comlink
    • Bone Conduction
    • Blacklight Flashlight
    • L/R Detector
    • Threat Identification
    • Data Jacker
    • Signal Jammer
    • Hijacked IFF Strobe
    • Ghost T/V Camo
  • Killstreak Restrictions
    • UAV
    • Mosquito Drone
    • Sam Turret
    • Bomb Drone
    • Care Package
    • Guardian-SC
    • Counter UAV
    • Cluster Mine
    • Precision Airstrike
    • SAE
    • Mortar Strike
    • Overwatch Helo
    • Juggernaut Recon
    • Wheelson-HS
    • VTOL Jet
    • Emergency Airdrop
    • Advanced UAV
    • Chopper Gunner
    • Gunship
    • Carpet Bomb
    • Remote Turret
    • SAE

(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 Reloaded UIX and Gameplay fixes

In a first-person shooter, weapon balancing is essential. But a good weapon balance doesn't mean a thing if the game is buggy and has bad UI. Sledgehammer Games and the support studios behind Modern Warfare 3 have heard the players' feedback during the pre-season and first half of Season 1, meaning there are some changes and bug fixes to look forward to as part of this update.

UIX

  • Faction emblems are now displayed while viewing the Scoreboard.
  • Minor visual adjustments to the Prestige animation in the After Action Report.
  • Corrected inaccurate Pros and Cons displayed for several Attachments.
  • Revised several Attachment descriptions to better reflect their true effects.
  • Addressed multiple issues with equipping a Conversion Kit that resulted in incompatible Attachment combinations.
  • Resolved issues causing the player to be unexpectedly kicked back to the menu in multiple scenarios, such as:
  • Viewing Daily Challenges.
  • Reporting a player in another group.
  • Resetting to default Settings.
  • Completing a Mastery Camo Challenge for the Pickaxe (Melee) will no longer cause the Loadout menu to unexpectedly appear.
  • The Accessibility preset to enlarge text will now work as intended when option is set to Largest.
  • Inspecting dual-wield Melee Weapons will no longer cause one arm to remain still.
  • Addressed an exploit that allowed Weapons to be fired faster than intended while set to Semi-Auto fire type.
  • Teammates will no longer play enemy sound effects upon sliding and landing from a fall.
  • Improved footstep audio for players walking on puddle surfaces.
  • Resolved issues with audio during the infiltration sequence on multiple Maps.
  • Enemy Remote Turret, Wheelson-HS, and Chopper Gunner Killstreaks will now disable nearby spawn points.

Spectating in the third-person is no longer allowed in the following modes:

  • Control
  • Cutthroat
  • Search and Destroy
  • War
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Progression

  • Fixed issues that prevented progression of several Challenges.
  • Resolved a bug in which players would not receive Prestige Emblems upon reaching the requirements.
  • Corrected unlock requirements displayed for several Weapons and Attachments.
  • One Shot, One Kill score event is no longer awarded when an elimination is achieved with two Handguns.
  • Added missing Mastery Emblems for the MTZ-762 (Battle Rifle).

Maps

Estate

  • Kitchen Control capture point can no longer be contested from the Main Room.

Derail

  • Addressed exploits that allowed players to access unintended locations.

Highrise

  • Garbage bins near the Elevators will no longer open and obstruct the line of sight.
  • Players in the Actibase Tunnel will no longer take damage from explosives on the surface above.
  • Railings on the Helipad staircases can now be mounted by players.

Skidrow

  • Improved collision to prevent the Recon Drone (Field Upgrade) from accessing unintended locations near the Back Alley and Playground.

Sub Base

  • Addressed exploits that allowed players to access unintended locations.

Terminal

  • Addressed multiple exploits that allowed players to access unintended locations.

Underpass

  • Addressed exploits that allowed players to access unintended locations.

The following maps have had capture point locations, sizes, and spawn points adjusted for the Hardpoint mode.

  • Highrise
  • Invasion
  • Karachi
  • Scrapyard
  • Sub Base
  • Terminal
  • Underpass

Operation Spearhead (War)

  • Players can no longer exit the playable area using a Deployable Cover near the Police Office.

Modes

If you've been playing Infected, you may have noticed that using a field upgrade would disable it from becoming available for the remainder of the match. That has now been patched. Deployable cover field upgrades will also now properly deploy upon placement.  Search & Destroy fans get a much requested change, as well, as sliding while planting or defusing the bomb no longer puts the player in a standing position at the end of the slide. Instead, the player will remain crouched once the slide has ended.

Call of Duty Warzone S1 Reloaded weapon balancing

Keeping Warzone's weapons balanced is a constant challenge, especially with players discovering new metas around the clock. Season 1 has led to some problems with players creating loadouts centered around the MTZ Interceptor and WSP Swarm. While there are balances, buffs, and nerfs included for Warzone with the Season 1 Reloaded patch, these two common weapons will continue to receive additional balancing adjustments in future updates.

Weapon balancing

Assault rifles

  • Holger 556 (MWIII)
    • Max Damage increased to 35, up from 32
  • M13B (MWII)
    • Max Damage reduced to 23, down from 25
    • Near-Mid Damage reduced to 21, down from 24
    • Min Damage reduced to 19, down from 22
  • MCW (MWIII)
    • Max Damage increased to 28, up from 24
    • Near-Mid Damage increased to 24, up from 20
    • 16.5” MCW Cyclone Long Barrel
      • Damage range benefits reduced by 6%
      • Velocity benefits reduced by 7%
      • Hip fire and tac-stance penalty reduced by 5%
      • Sprint to Fire penalty increased by 1%
    • RB Regal Heavy Stock
      • Gun kick benefit reduced by 11%
      • Horizontal and vertical benefit reduced by 5%
      • Mobility penalties increased by 3%
      • Sprint to Fire penalty increased by 1%

Battle rifles

  • MTZ 762 (MWIII) 
    • Max Damage reduced to 42, down from 45
    • Near-Mid Damage reduced to 38, down from 42
    • Min Damage reduced to 34, down from 37

(Image credit: Activision)

Light machine guns

  • Bruen MK9 (MWIII)
    • Max Damage reduced to 28, down from 32
    • Min Damage reduced to 26, down from 28
  • DG LSW (MWIII)
    • Max Damage reduced to 29, down from 33
    • Min Damage reduced to 27, down from 29
  • Pulemyot 762 (MWIII)
    • JAK Annihilator Bullpup Kit
      • Max Damage reduced to 38, down from 40
      • Min Damage reduced to 34, down from 36
  • TAQ Eradicator (MWIII)
    • Max Damage reduced to 28, down from 33
    • Min Damage reduced to 24, down from 25

Submachine guns

  • AMR9 (MWIII)
    • Max Damage increased to 31, up from 28
    • Near-Mid Damage increased to 27, up from 25
    • Min Damage increased to 25, up from 23
  • ISO 9mm (MWII)
    • Max Damage reduced to 21, down from 24
    • Near-Mid Damage reduced to 17, down from 19
    • Mid Damage reduced to 15, down from 16
    • Far-Mid Damage reduced to 12, down from 13
  • Rival-9 (MWIII)
    • Slight reduction in horizontal recoil
    • MTZ Marauder Stock
      • Fire aim stability benefit reduced by 5%
  • Striker 9 (MWIII)
    • Near-Mid Damage increased to 27, up from 25
    • Min Damage increased to 23, up from 20

Sniper rifles

  • KATT-AMR (MWIII)
    • ZANG-34 Barrel
      • Damage Range Benefits reduced by 9%
      • Velocity Benefit reduced by 8%

Attachment balancing

  •  .50 Cal Spire Point Rounds:  Damage Range Benefit increased by 2%. Velocity Benefit reduced by 19%.
  • .410 Gauge Dragon's Breath: Near-Mid Damage Range reduced by 12%. Mid Damage Range reduced by 10%.
  • 12 Gauge Dragon's Breath: Near-Mid Damage Range reduced by 8%. Mid Damage Range reduced by 10%.
  •  SL Razorhawk Laser Light: Increased ADS Speed Benefit by 4.5%. Increased Sprint to Fire Benefit by 7%.
  • FSS OLE-V Laser: Reduced the ADS Speed Benefit by 2%. Reduced the Sprint to Fire Benefit by 4%.
  • FTAC Grimline Laser: Reduced the Sprint to Fire Benefit by 7%. 
  • Verdant Hook Box Laser: Increased the Sprint to Fire Benefit by 3%.
  •  XRK Nightfall Supressor: Damage Range Benefit reduced by 5.5%. Velocity Benefit reduced by 8%. Recoil Benefit reduced by 3%. ADS Penalty increased by 7%. Sprint to Fire Penalty increased by 3%.

(Image credit: Activision)

Warzone gameplay patches

Warzone was expected to receive some of the biggest changes during Season 1 reloaded, but sadly many of these changes have had to be rolled back or delayed as a result of player backlash and feedback.  Covert exfils have been removed until they can be reconsidered, and the Champion's Quest is currently disabled, as well.  Here are the changes that did make it to Warzone with today's update:

  • Audio Occlusion
    • Improvements have been made to audio occlusion on Urzikstan.
  • Plane Audio
    • Adjustments have been made to the audio on the Infil/Exfil airplane.
  • Music Channels
    • Adjusted cinematic music so that it is no longer entirely on gameplay channels, rather than cine.
  • Allied Sounds
    • Reduced the volume of friendly Slides, Jumps and Lands to better distinguish between friendly and enemy behavior.
  • Altitude Arrow Improvements Quality of Life
    • We’ve made improvements to the way that altitude arrows appear above and below icons on the mini map and tac map to help players better navigate their way towards objectives.
  • Deployable Buy Stations
    • Loot underneath a Deployed Buystation will be removed to prevent overlap and difficulties interacting with the device. The radius of this removal is slightly larger than the device itself.
  • Black Sites
    • We’ve updated the spawn behavior of Black Sites so that they’re more focused towards the center of a circle.
    • By proxy, this should fix an issue where Black Sites would shut down too fast by being in the Gas earlier than intended.
  • Ziplines
    • Improved the ability to interact and attach to Ziplines. 
    • Changed interaction behavior to allow Players to loot items on the ground near a Zipline.
  • Tracker Grenade
    • Fixed an issue with the Tracker Grenade incorrectly showing up as a Snapshot grenade on the loot card.
  • Underwater Rebreather
    • Fixed an issue with the rebreather that would make using it more difficult. The item should now have all 4 of its charges available from the start.
  • Vehicle Respawn
    • Vehicles will now respawn after being destroyed.

Bug fixes

(Image credit: Activision)
  • Fixed an issue that allowed Players to clip through geometry while using a Ziplines or Ascender.
  • Fixed an issue causing a player to get stuck in a loop and preventing them from being revived if they were downed while plating.
  • Fixed an issue preventing equipped Gulag tokens from awarding cash when the Gulag closes.
  • Fixed an issue that allowed Loadout duplication if a player left a match.
  • Fixed an issue preventing Bomb Drones from appearing on the mini map or tac map.
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the squad widget from updating correctly when a player leaves.
  • Fixed an issue causing the train and cash drop icons to be missing from the tac map in Urzikstan Resurgence.
  • Fixed an issue where players matchmaking in uneven party sizes would not see each other in the squad widget.
  • Fixed an issue causing player statistics to not track properly if they left a match prior to the end of the Exfil sequence.
  • Fixed an issue causing active players to be kicked out of Plunder matches for wrongly being flagged as AFK.
  • Fixed an issue causing inconsistent behavior when dropping ammo types from inventory.
  • Fixed an issue causing a delay for the loot crate markers to appear after picking up a Scavenger Contract.
  • Fixed an issue with Scavenger caches causing the mission to select cache locations too close to one another.
  • Fixed an issue causing incorrect descriptions to appear for some Perks.
  • Fixed an issue preventing vehicles from respawning in a match.
  • Fixed an issue preventing the maps in the rotation playlist from appearing on the menu.
  • Fixed various issues causing players to encounter dev errors or unspecified client crashes while attempting to play Battle Royale modes.
  • Fixed an issue causing doors on certain buildings to behave erratically.
  • Fixed an issue causing Black Site keys to spawn in unintended modes.
  • Fixed an issue causing Stronghold loot caches to spawn in unintended locations.
  • Fixed an issue preventing Faculty from causing a delay to Cluster Mine and Suppression Mine activation.
  • Fixed an issue preventing players from choosing to stow select items while the Backpack was full.
  • Fixed an issue causing an incorrect number of equipped and reserve Armor Plates to appear while spectating a player.
  • Fixed an issue preventing Elimination Bounty targets from appearing on the Mini Map.
  • Fixed an issue preventing the party leader from joining a match despite the rest of the party successfully doing so.
  • Fixed an issue with Backpack navigation and management while it was full.
  • Fixed an issue causing players to spawn into a match with a loadout different from the one selected in the live lobby.
  • Fixed an issue causing players to be redeployed under the map in Resurgence Modes.
  • Fixed an issue causing some weapon models to disappear while aiming down sights.
  • Fixed an issue with the number of available charges after deploying the Rebreather Field Upgrade.
  • Fixed an issue causing all Voice Chat to be disabled even if the player has it enabled. 
  • Fixed an issue causing squad widget information icons to overlap with the health bar.
  • Fixed an issue that was wrongly awarding players the Pacifist accolade.
  • Fixed an issue allowing players to skip animations while using the Portable Redeploy Drone.
  • Fixed an issue causing Ping markers on the compass at the top of the player screen to appear under the compass text.
  • Fixed an issue allowing the Heartbeat Sensor to be used after the battery is depleted.
  • Fixed an issue with text overlap on the menu for challenges and tokens.
  • Fixed an issue causing the Gas Mask HUD effect to remain on screen after stowing or unequipping the Gas Mask.
  • Fixed an issue that caused players to lose the Gulag match despite successfully using the vertical ascender during overtime.
  • Fixed an issue causing playlist buttons to queue a player for modes other than the intended one.
  • Fixed an issue preventing the countdown sound and text from appearing in the live lobby.
  • Fixed an issue causing a dev error when attempting to rejoin a Private Match.
  • Fixed an issue causing incorrect player levels to appear on Calling Cards after having been eliminated.
  • Fixed an issue causing Field Upgrades to disappear while looted during an active DDOS.
  • Fixed an issue causing missing or incorrect Mode names in the Private Match menu.
  • Fixed several issues causing clipping or improper placement of weapon parts while in an Operator's hands.
  • Fixed several issues with improper texture or model behavior for various Operators and Vehicles.
  • Fixed an issue causing improper floating loot card overlap.
  • Fixed several issues with weapon Blueprint textures and lighting.
  • Fixed an issue causing incorrect or missing text while sending whispers via the social menu.
  • Fixed an issue in the leaderboard causing “Highest Winstreak” to appear as “Highest Killstreak”.
  • Fixed an issue preventing the progress bar from appearing during a Data Heist Public Event.
  • Fixed an issue causing the menu to perform poorly or occasionally black screen.
  • Fixed an issue that would kick the player back to the main menu while navigating Operator selection.
  • Fixed an issue causing assimilation options to appear on the ping wheel while a player was downed.
  • Fixed an issue causing extended respawn times in the live lobby following multiple deaths.
  • Fixed an issue causing weapon reserve ammunition to appear on the Gunsmith menu.
  • Fixed an issue that would cause unintended behavior during infil if a player was previously tethered to an ascender.
  • Fixed an issue causing Plate Carriers to appear in game as Armor Vests.
  • Map polish
  • Fixed over 50 mantle spots
  • Fixed over 50 mounting spots
  • Fixed over 150 areas affected by clipping
  • Fixed over 20 known, exploitable areas
  • Improved lighting in 43 buildings

With any new update comes new bugs, but the Season 1 Reloaded update for Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone has been a particularly rough launch. Between negative player feedback and newly introduced bugs, you will probably expect plenty of hotfixes and small patches to be released over the next few days as the teams work out the kinks. 

Cole Martin
Cole Martin
Writer

Cole is the resident Call of Duty know-it-all and indie game enthusiast for Windows Central. She's a lifelong artist with two decades of experience in digital painting, and she will happily talk your ear off about budget pen displays.