Black Ops 6 Warzone patch notes – Season 1 brings killer gameplay upgrade and one-shot snipers

Ahead of the launch of the new Warzone, Activision has confirmed the patch notes for the Black Ops 6 iteration of the battle royale mode, and there's a host of upgrades and changes you need to know.

It's almost time to parachute into the new , with 's Warzone set to launch as part of the huge which launches Thursday, November 14. The fourth new edition of 's battle royale title will undergo major surgery compared to 's iteration, with confirming the full Black Ops 6 Warzone patch notes, which include upgrades to anti-cheat, movement, weapons, vehicles, UI and much more.

Arguably the biggest change of them all is the introduction of the gameplay feature introduced for Black Ops 6, which allows players to run, walk, jump and dive in every direction, as well as the ability to Supine Prone (lie on your back), which should be the perfect antidote to the stodgy movement we've all had to experience over the past few years. The Black Ops 6 Warzone patch notes also confirm that one-shot snipers are returning in Season 1, with Activision stating that "all bolt-action snipers and pump-action shotguns (while aiming down sights) from Modern Warfare2, Modern Warfare 3, and Black Ops 6 will have a one-shot headshot potential within their respective max damage ranges", which is a hugely welcomed change!

Here's the Black Ops 6 Warzone patch notes for Season 1, with the key information summarised below, so if you want to get really into the weeds and look at changes to perks and specific weapon buffs, check out the for the full set.

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Black Ops 6 Warzone Season 1 patch notes Ricochet Anti-Cheat

Treyarch has delivered several updates to combat disruptive behavior, including:

• Enhanced AFK detections to battle against account boosting
• Adjusting ping thresholds to require players play matches in their region to cut down on VPN abuse

To unlock Ranked Play in Black Ops 6, players will need to win 50 match-made multiplayer matches:

• This ensures that players are experienced with multiplayer before they enter the mode and gives #TeamRICOCHET a historical match history to examine before an account enters Ranked Play
• #TeamRICOCHET also utilizes its Replay Investigation Tool to monitor replays of top players as part of the investigation process
• Detection systems initially deployed at launch from #TeamRICOCHET to collect data to test for effectiveness will be activated to help flag accounts for action beginning with Season 01.

The security system updates listed above will also be active for Ranked Play in Call of Duty: Warzone, which launches at mid-season.

Events The Hit List (Launch Window)

Who’s next? Keep up your luxurious – but slightly corrupt – lifestyle during the Hit List Event. You’re offered up a take-no-prisoners mission: kill or be killed. The Hit List Limited Event gives players a board of contracts with one goal – take them all out. Cross off the entire list and earn some exclusive loot for hire.

Battle Pass

An all-new Battle Pass System grants you the opportunity to earn 100+ rewards, including free base weapons, numerous Weapon Blueprints, Equipment Skins, Operator Skins, and much more. There are three ways to obtain some or all of this content:

• Earn 20+ free rewards, including cosmetic content and base weapons.
• Purchase the premium Battle Pass and earn up to 1,100 COD Points as you progress through the Battle Pass Pages.
• Or purchase BlackCell for the ultimate seasonal experience, including a variety of molten hot Operator Skins, Weapon Blueprints, COD points, and other rewards.

For a full breakdown of the Season 01 Battle Pass and the breadth of content that it has to offer, check out the official blog here.

New Map Area 99

Season 01 introduces Area 99, a new Warzone map designed by Treyarch and inspired by Nuketown's high-paced gameplay. This map is set in the Nevada desert at the Echo Ridge Weapons Station — a hidden 1950s government site abandoned after a reactor leak. The map offers intense, tactical combat through desert roadways, open trenches, and pipework around a central Reactor “bullseye,” anticipated as the hottest drop zone. Another key point of interest is a massive crane suspending a Nuketown house in the Loading Bay, adding to the map's unique and dynamic environment.

Points of Interest

• Reactor
• Bunker
• Test Site
• Mannequin Assembly
• Cooling Towers
• Nuketown Shipping
• Loading Bay
• Warehouse
• Manufacturing
• Pods

Returning Maps Urzikstan

The 'big map' returns to its early days featuring familiar landmarks from before the destruction of Popov Power Plant and the arrival of the Atlas Superstore.

Enhanced with Black Ops 6 innovations, Urzikstan is the staging ground for a fierce Ranked Play Battle Royale later when Season 01's Mid-Season launches.

Rebirth Island

The infamous prison island returns during Season 01's playlist with Resurgence Modes, enhanced by Omnimovement, Black Ops 6 weaponry, and Killstreaks for added tactical intensity.

Map Adjustments Urzikstan, Rebirth Island Vehicles

• All new vehicles with improved handling, detailed further below.
• Brand new dirtbike for quick rotation.

Loot

• All new Black Ops 6 ground loot including weapons and equipment.

Visuals

• Lighting and visual improvements to the map with Black Ops 6 technology.

Sound

• Audio improvements to in-game sound effects including footsteps balance tuning.

Rebirth Island: Submarine

• The Submarine POI introduced earlier this year now appears 100% of the time.

Rebirth Island: Redeploy Drones

• Increased Redeploy Drone count and spawn rate for balancing later circles.

Biometric Scanner & Weapon Trade Station

• Rewards for the Biometric Scanner and Weapon Trade Station have been rebalanced and updated to Black Ops 6 loot.

Returning Modes Rebirth Island

This mode offers the classic Warzone experience, centered around high-risk, high-reward gameplay. You and your squad have only but a few attempts to survive – and the match concludes with one ultimate winner.

• Player Count: 120 (Solos, Duos, Trios, Quads)
• Map: Urzikstan

Resurgence

This mode offers a bit more forgiveness and a whole lot more action. As long as one squad member remains alive, others can redeploy after a countdown. However, once the resurgence window expires, free redeployment is no longer possible for the remainder of the game.

• Player Count: 44 (Solos, Duos, Quads), 45 (Trios)
• Map: Area 99, Rebirth Island

Plunder

This mode is a squad-based mode where accumulating Cash is the main objective. The squad that gathers the most Cash by the end of a timed period – extended into overtime once a squad reaches $2 million – claims victory. Cash can be earned by eliminating players and collecting their valuables, searching ground loot and Supply Boxes, and completing Contracts and in-game events. Operators can start with a custom Loadout and redeploy after each elimination throughout the entire match.

• Player Count: 120
• Map: Urzikstan

Bootcamp

This mode is a Quads-only training mode, allowing players to experience Warzone with up to 20 players and 24 bots. XP progression is limited, and the mode does not contribute to Daily/Weekly Challenges or include public events or advanced contracts.

• Player Count: 44
• Map: Urzikstan

Mode Adjustments Resurgence

• Players will receive an additional 25% discount in the Buy Station on 'Redeploy Squadmate' while the Resurgence timer is still active.

Additional Note: To celebrate the new Area 99 map, it is the exclusive Resurgence map during the first weekend of launch, with Rebirth Island then returning to the playlist.

Ranked Play

An all-new Ranked Play experience will come to Battle Royale on Urzikstan for the first time with Season 01 Reloaded. Keep an eye open for more intel later this year.

General Carry-Forward

Weapons, blueprints, operators and skins, and vast majority of the cosmetics from Modern Warfare 2 and 3 will be available to players in the Black Ops 6 era of Warzone.

AFK Detection

We have updated the detection logic to determine if a player is AFK during an active match.

Leaderboards

To accommodate and track the new statistics coming with the Black Ops 6 integration, the Warzone Leaderboard stats will be reset at launch.

Armory

The Black Ops 6 Armory (BETA) is a repository that provides access to previously missed Loadout content from prior titles including Modern Warfare 2 and 3. Players can look for and activate an item in the Armory to start earning XP toward unlocking it.

The Armory is unlocked at Player Level 24 and is added to the Level Unlock Menu. This menu serves as a platform to browse items that otherwise cannot be earned through normal weapon progression.

Please note that certain legacy attachments will be missing from the armory at the launch of Season 01. New players seeking to unlock these items can do so by playing the respective legacy title until they are implemented in Black Ops 6 in a future update. Players that have already unlocked this content in previous games are not impacted.

Progression

Season 01 introduces an extensive progression and Prestige system, with 55 levels of unlocks, 10 Prestige levels, and a final Prestige Mastery tier with 1,000 additional levels. Players unlock weapons, equipment, killstreaks, and perks through progression, with exclusive Calling Cards, animated 'Dark Ops' cards, and 10 reticle unlocks per optic. Weapon camos include 9 Military Camos per weapon, 2 Special Camos sharable across modes, and 4 Mastery Camos, including animated designs like Gold Tiger and Abyss. Some rewards are exclusive to Black Ops 6 but can be earned retroactively.

Gameplay and combat New Combat Body Shield

• Sneak up behind an unsuspecting enemy and double-tap the melee button to pull them close as your personal shield against incoming fire.
• Once they’ve served their purpose, gracefully deliver the coup de grâce.
• Body Shield is the spiritual successor to the previous Interrogation mechanic.

Dedicated Melee Weapon

• All player loadouts will have a dedicated melee weapon by default, in addition to their primary and secondary weapon slots.
• Players can swap to their dedicated melee weapon by holding down the melee button.
• Players holding a melee weapon will benefit from unlimited tac sprint.

Shootable Doors

• Doors can now be shot open allowing for new tactics and strategy.

Primary Weapon

• The Loadout inventory is returning to the classic Warzone experience where players can only equip one Primary weapon.
• There is a Wildcard detailed further below that allows for two Primary weapons to be equipped.

Self-Revive Auto Pickup

• While downed, players will now be able to automatically loot Self-Revive kits that are within close proximity.

Live Ping Duration

• The duration of live pings has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2 in order to bring more balance to a combat engagement.

Armor Plate Replacement Speed

• The speed at which players can replace broken or missing armor plates has been increased by 8% to match the fluidity of Black Ops 6 Omnimovement.

Abandon Timer

• The time players must wait to give up has been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds due to the previous Interrogation mechanic being replaced.

Deaths Door

• The health at which players will enter the death’s door state has been reduced from 50% to 35%.
• The health at which the death’s door state will end has been reduced from 70% to 55%.
• This change is due to us wanting to enable Players to better hear and see their surroundings when under threat by an enemy.

Movement Omnimovement

• The movement and combat innovations from Black Ops 6 are fully integrated into Warzone. This allows players to Sprint, Slide, and Dive in any direction, perform 180-degree Combat Dives, and execute advanced moves like the Combat Supine and Omni-Sprint for dynamic tactical play.

Combat Supine

• Drop to a prone position, then rotate your Operator for a complete 360-degree view of your surroundings. Then fire to eliminate the enemy quickly as they appear, all the while staying in the supine position.

Intelligent Movement

• Players can now customize elements of how they traverse landscape and navigate combat.
• Available in the Keyboard & Mouse or Controller Options under 'Movement,' players will find the following features:
• Sprint Assist: Choose whether to manually or automatically sprint, tactically sprint, how much of a delay before sprinting begins, and if the assist occurs while sprinting sideways or backwards.
• Mantle Assist: Customize how and when to automatically mantle over obstacles.
• Crouch Assist: This enables crouching and sliding when the intent is to move through a valid opening.
• Corner Slice: Allows the act of inclining weapons (and camera) when adjacent to or moving around a corner. This doesn’t affect aim. Default is 'on.'

Unlimited Tac Sprint

• Players will have access to unlimited tac sprint via the Sprinter Perk or by holding their dedicated melee weapon.

Mantle Protection

• Players will now climb onto thin or high ledges rather than over them to prevent untimely deaths.

Movement Adjustments Tac Sprint Duration

• We heard feedback around default tac sprint duration, so it has been increased from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.

Landing Tuning

• The duration of the shock effect when falling from a near-death height has been reduced to 2.1 seconds from 3 seconds.
• The minimum fall damage required before the shock effect from landing is now 55%, up from 50% allowing for slightly higher jumps with less punishment.
• This change is made to better enable the movement opportunities that the Black Ops 6 integration allows.

Vertical Ascenders & Horizontal Zipline Improvements Quality of Life

• Interacting with the Ascenders and Ziplines lines has been improved, making it easier to attach to the line from an angle or while free falling to increase fluidity.

Redeploy Drones

• Redeploy Drones are fixed in place for the duration of a match.
• Once a Redeploy Drone has been consumed by the gas, it will leave the map rather than relocating to give a more consistent experience.

Inventory Streamlined Inventory

• At the start of Season 01, we're streamlining the inventory system by removing the “Backpack” and returning to a classic inventory layout, organized by sections for cash, gas mask, armor plates, killstreaks, field upgrades, weapons, ammo and perks.

Perks

Perks in Warzone are now streamlined, allowing players to choose three Perks (one from each color-coded slot) in the Loadouts Menu. Most Pick-3 Perks unlock as you level up but re-lock upon Prestiging. Black Ops 6 player levels carry over to Warzone, unlocking corresponding Perks.

Lootable Perks

• Lootable Perks return! Each season, players will encounter a number of perks via Ground Loot and Supply Boxes. These perk effects stack on top of the original Pick-3 Perks players have selected in their loadout.
• When a player is eliminated, their Pick-3 Perks will drop on the ground as a 'Custom Perk Pack' to be recovered or stolen by another player, while any looted perks will disappear.
• The Lootable Perks players can find include a mix of perks from the 18 possible Pick-3 Perks, in addition to two perks that are unique to ground loot; Shrouded and Irradiated
• Players will recognize their Pick-3 Perks when they are equipped in the bottom right of the HUD, while lootable perks can be viewed in the Inventory.

Specialist Perk Package

• Found as a rare loot drop or Care Package reward, Specialist grants every Perk including all 18 Pick-3 Perks, as well as both Ground Loot exclusive Perks – Irradiated and Shrouded.
  
• If you're eliminated, the Specialist Perk package will disappear.
• Can be acquired in Buy Stations in limited quantities for $30,000.

Pre-Match Perks Quality of Life

• Perks can now be edited in the pre-match lobby.

Weapons

We've expanded the Warzone arsenal to include weapons from the launch of Black Ops 6 in October 2024, giving players even more options to customize their loadouts. Dive into Warzone with these powerful additions, now available alongside fan favorites from previous titles.

At launch, Black Ops 6 weapons in Warzone will share similar values to their Multiplayer counterparts such as ADS speed, sprint to fire, and recoil. However, damage profiles for a number of weapons have been modified to establish a baseline for Warzone. We encourage new and returning players to study their favorite weapon’s details in the Gunsmith.

With the integration of Black Ops 6, we also now have new tuning options for weapons that weren’t previously available, allowing us to adjust aspects like handling (ADS speed and sprint to fire), magazine sizes, recoil, and more. For instance, while the AS VAL has a default magazine size of 20 in Multiplayer, we’ve set it to 30 for Warzone.

Our goal is to make weapon adjustments faster to keep the available selection dynamic and engaging, without making any weapons feel obsolete. With these new tuning options, we aim to refine each weapon’s identity and role specific to their use in Warzone, such as emphasizing Assault Rifles as strong long-range options.

Additionally, all bolt-action snipers and pump-action shotguns (while aiming down sights) from Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, and Black Ops 6 will have a one-shot headshot potential within their respective max damage ranges. Additionally, in order to incentivize intentional aim, all shotguns will fire 5 pellets while ADSing versus 4 when fired from the hip.

We want players to feel that weapons from Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 continue to remain solid, viable choices in Warzone. Our goal is to create a unified combat system that makes each gun enjoyable to use, regardless of its origin. We’ll continue to improve legacy weapons and attachments throughout the coming year to further support this vision.

New Weapons

These weapons are new to Season 01 and were not part of the original launch of Black Ops 6 Multiplayer in October 2024.

Krig C: Assault Rifle

• Full-auto assault rifle. High damage and average handling. Recoil pattern starts very controllable before ramping up.
• Unlockable via Battle Pass Page 3 HVT Tier Reward OR Page 14 Battle Pass Blueprint

SAUG: Submachine Gun

• Fully automatic submachine gun. Excellent mobility and good handling. Great rate of fire. High recoil.
• Unlockable via Battle Pass Page 3 HVT Tier Reward OR Page 11 Battle Pass Blueprint

Sirin 9mm: Special Weapon (In-Season)

• Fully automatic specialty weapon. Offers SMG characteristics as a secondary weapon. Slow rate of fire.
• Unlockable via Event Reward

Power Drill: Melee Weapon (In-Season)

• Two-hit kill. Very short range. Very fast attack speed.
• Unlockable via Event Reward

New Attachments

These attachments are new to Season 01 and were not part of the original launch of Black Ops 6 in October 2024.

12 Gauge Dragon’s Breath

• Add some heat to your Shotgun blasts with incendiary rounds comprised of magnesium sparks that stick to and burn enemies over time. Equipping the 12 Gauge Dragon’s Breath Fire Mod prevents using Barrel Attachments, but the tradeoff is well worth it when seeking a fiery finish.
• Compatible with Shotguns
• Acquired via Battle Pass Page 7 Reward

Buffer Weight Stock (In-Season)

• The heavier Buffer Weight Stock provides significantly smoother action through the additional resistance met by the bolt carrier group. The improvement results in more manageable recoil through sustained fire, ideal for staying on target though at the expense of ADS Speed and Aim Walk Movement Speed.
• Compatible with XM4 Assault Rifle, XMG LMG, DM-10 Marksman Rifle
• Acquired via Event Reward

Burst Fire Conversion (In-Season)

• Convert the XM4 Assault Rifle’s primary firing mode into a three-round burst to help conserve ammo and stay on target. There’s an impressive lack of recoil too, so it’s still possible to pump out consistent damage when facing heavy threats.
• Compatible with XM4 Assault Rifle
• Acquired via Event Reward

Burst Fire Conversion (In-Season)

• Convert the Kompakt 92 SMG’s primary firing mode into an exceptionally rapid three-round burst. Equipping the Burst Fire Conversion Fire Mod locks the Underbarrel and Barrel Attachment slots. When you need to fire quickly in close quarters, hold down the trigger to automatically cycle through burst shots.
• Compatible with Kompakt 92 SMG
• Acquired via Event Reward

Exfil Winner's Circle

• The winning squad in a match receives their own Winners’ Circle showcase, with some of their statistical competence on display for all to see. This is also a location where you can celebrate your prowess more individually by employing a favorite Emote, too!

End-of-Game Flow

• The exfil sequence duration has been reduced with a larger focus on the winning squad.
• Players can now swap between their own squad and the winning squad showing off accolades & player stats.
• There is a new progression overview screen, focused on player choice experience.

UI/UX

The upcoming Season 01 update for Call of Duty: Warzone introduces a revamped, fully integrated user interface. The primary game tiles on the Home tab will feature Black Ops 6 and Warzone, allowing for instant access to gameplay. The Store and Battle Pass tabs will direct players to their respective sections in either Black Ops 6 or Warzone, depending on what is installed. Warzone will also get its own unique UI with enhancements similar to Black Ops 6.

Customize Menu

The customize menu now includes a legacy tab to equip your unlocked MW2 and MW3 Calling Cards, Emblems, and Loading Screens.

Legacy Content Filtering

Similarly, brand new quick filtering for Black Ops 6 and other legacy titles helps filter content organized by game in the gunsmith, operator select, and barracks.

Tac Map Icon Layout

Cleaner Interface: We've streamlined the interface by hiding the icon prompts on the right side of the screen.

Reorganized Contracts: Contracts have been moved to the left side of the map for easier access and a more intuitive layout.

Minimap Type Quality of Life

Added the ability to change minimap type and compass type without impacting your Multiplayer settings.

Munitions Satchel Ammo Count Quality of Life

Added an icon next to your ammo count when a munitions satchel is equipped to indicate if your weapon has room to carry more ammo.

Classic Squad Widget

We brought back many elements from Warzone's original release including equipment icons, the shape of armor plate icons and more.

Loot Cards

Loot cards have been updated with overall layout treatment for improved visuals.

Squad Wipe Kill Feed

The messaging that appears in the kill feed when a squad is wiped has been updated as follows:

Battle Royale: the message will now display “Sent to Gulag” if the defeated team has one or more members going to the Gulag.

Plunder: the message has now been reworded to “Squad Repositioning”.

Kill Feed Calling Cards

Eliminating an enemy player now displays their calling card in the bottom center of the UI.

Aim Assist Settings

• Numerous aim assist settings have been changed including but not limited to the addition of:
• Minimum aim assist distance
• Max turn clamp speed

Loot Ping Distance

• Loot can no longer be pinged from more than 40 meters away for improved legibility during combat.

Live Ping Visibility Quality of Life

• Live Pings and Danger Pings have received position and scaling adjustments to prevent blocking or covering enemies upper bodies.

In-Game Splash Frequency Quality of Life

• We have reduced the overall clutter of in-game splashes by reducing frequency and associated noise.

Weapon Attachment HUD Quality of Life

• The weapon attachments show on the HUD with a blue color for better visibility and clarity on which part of the weapon has an attachment attached.

Playlist Navigation

• The menu for playlists have been improved – it now includes a vertical list with sub menus for each squad size and a map preview window for a complimentary view of maps offered for each game mode.

Buy Station Redeploy Ping Quality of Life

• An eliminated Player who pings a Buy Station for a Redeploy, will show a unique Redeploy icon on the Buy Station to better inform their Squad of the buy-back request.

Audio Enhanced Headphone Mode

• We’re excited to introduce our best-in-class audio experience to Warzone with the introduction of HRTF (Head-Related Transfer Function) via Universal Profile in Enhanced Headphone Mode, which is available to all players for free.

Armor Plate Break Audio

• New audio has been added to indicate that armor plates have been destroyed.

Proximity Chat

• Proximity chat radius has been reduced from 55 meters to 45.

Stacking Hit Markers & Sound Effects Quality of Life

• Enables displaying both a wall bang, hitting a player in water and pairing of new audio per marker.

Bounty Contract Sound Cues Quality of Life

• Added sound cues for when the bounty threat level increases or decreases.

And that's all the major changes to Warzone for the Black Ops 6 edition. Excited? Get in line! See you in the Warzone.