Modern Warfare Season 3 patch notes: Warzone squads, new maps, more

Activision and Infinity Ward have unveiled Season 3 for Modern Warfare, which is set to inject a plethora of new content for both multiplayer and the Warzone battle royale.

There’s been a lot of anticipation for Modern Warfare Season 3 – maybe even more so than the previous two, due to the fact that it’s the first one following the launch of Warzone.

The official trailer for the new season was released on April 7, which you can find below, along with everything else you need to know about what the update contains.

Modern Warfare Season 3 trailer

When is the Modern Warfare Season 3 update?

According to Infinity Ward, the new season’s launch update will be released on Wednesday, April 8, and the expected launch time is 11 PM PT (April 7) / 2 AM ET / 7 AM BST.

Modern Warfare Season 3 Roadmap

Infinity Ward also released the official roadmap for Season 3, which specifies exactly what will be released during the launch week and the new content that will be saved for the weeks that follow.

New multiplayer maps

Season 3 will introduce three maps into multiplayer: Talisk Backlot, Hovec Sawmill, and Aniyah Incursion. Talisk Backlot, as the name suggests, is a remake of the iconic setting from Call of Duty 4, the original Modern Warfare title, and will be the fifth remastered map from the series following Shipment, Vacant, Crash, and Rust.

• Read More: 10 classic CoD maps that would be perfect for Warzone

Hovec Sawmill, on the other hand, is a brand new map and not a remake of Village from MW2, contrary to what was being leaked leading up to this update. Last but not least, there’s Aniyah Incursion, which is basically a section-off area of the already-existing Aniyah Palace map in order to make it small enough to play 6v6.

TALISK BACKLOT:

HOVEC SAWMILL:

ANIYAH INCURSION:

There will also be two new maps released at some point during the season – Hardhat, which will be a remake of the small multiplayer map from MW3, and Aisle 9 for the 2v2 Gunfight mode.

New weapons

As was the case for Seasons 1 and 2, this third chapter will add two new weapons into the mix – the Renetti pistol and semi-automatic SKS marksman rifle. Here are the in-game descriptions, according to leaks:

SKS – Lightweight, semi-auto carbine chambered in 7.62x39mm rounds. This hard hitting and agile Soviet-style marksman rifle focuses on utility over accuracy, which has helped it stand the test of time. It flaunts a faster fire rate than other weapons in its class, but a carefully placed round will eliminate the need for follow up shots entirely. 

Renetti – a well-rounded semi-auto 9mm pistol with an alternative three-round burst attachment. Unassuming, yet deadly, this sidearm excels in close-range combat, but can be kitted for a variety of situations.

As always, both of these weapons will be free for players to unlock by leveling up the non-paid version of the Battle Pass, each one having a designated tier that will need to be reached.

Furthermore, it appears that both guns will also be added to the default loot pool in Warzone, so people will have the chance to pick them up from the floor or find them in chests.

That’s not all, either, as the Roadmap above has also teased another new weapon that will be released at some point during the season, and, judging by the image, it looks to be an LMG.

• Read More: CoD leaker claims MW2 MP remastered is coming

What’s new in Warzone?

Most Call of Duty players will inevitably be interested in what Season 3 will bring to Warzone, which has been the talk of the town within the online gaming world since it’s release in March.

The biggest news is that a new squads playlist, also known as Quads, is being added, which means players will now be able to queue into matches with teams of four. Additionally, the price of Loadout Drops has increased once again. The new cost has been set to $10,000.

In addition, new cosmetic wraps/skins will be added for vehicles, likely to be made available via the Battle Pass and in-game store.

Infinity Ward will also be making some changes to the ground loot in the battle royale, including the addition of silenced and non-silenced variants of each weapon type.

There will also be more playlists added that “change the loot pool to specific weapon types,” as well as new modes like ‘Scopes and Scatter Guns,’ which features only sniper rifles and shotguns.

• Read More: CDL announces new online schedule and format

Season 3 Battle Pass and new Operators

As expected, Season 3 will feature a brand new Battle Pass with over 150 “unique” items for players to unlock. The price will once again be set at 1,000 CoD Points, but players will have the option of purchasing the bundle for 2,400 CP, which will include 20 Tier Skips at a 40% discount.

As for what’s included, players will be able to earn back 1,300 CP if they max out the Pass, as well as unlock Legendary and Epic Operator skins, Legendary, Epic, and Rare weapon blueprints, XP tokens, watches, vehicle skins, gun charms, and more.

Those who do not wish to purchase the Pass can still take advantage of the 20 free tiers that will be available, which will include the new Renetti and SKS guns, as well as several weapon blueprints, 300 CP, and more.

Bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements

No major Modern Warfare update would be complete without fixes for the bugs and issues currently plaguing the game, and there seem to be several lined up for this next patch.

MULTIPLAYER

• Fixed Regiments causing error 13-71

WARZONE

• Fixed issue causing players to see full screen black corruption when naturally progressing through the map.
• Fixed issue causing smoke grenade from the Underbarrel 40mm smokescreen launcher to not emit any smoke from the grenade.
• The animation from the player’s characters equipping a gas mask will no longer interrupt and block player from deploying their parachute.
• Weapons that have been switched to Single-fire Mode can now be dropped/swapped for another weapon without having to switch back to full auto.
• Fixed issue causing players to be unable to revive a teammate in the poppy garden north of the Airport.
• Fixed issue where players were unable to use self-revive when playing BR solos.
• Players will no longer be killed before the ATV (and other vehicles) actually impact the player.

Joe Cecot, Co-Design Director of Multiplayer at Infinity Ward, also revealed some more fixes and changes that will be implemented, in addition to the ones listed above.

The full Season 3 patch notes can be found below:

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GENERAL FIXES:

• Lowered the max amount of XP and score given for Decoy Grenade assists
• Backend fixes to help Memory Error 13-71 issues. If you’re still experiencing this error, please reach out to Activision Customer Support
• Fixed a bug where more than one dog would be present in the squad walk in the main multiplayer menu
• As an owner of a regiment, players could sometimes see an error when selecting another player in their regiment. This has been fixed
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to skip cutscenes in the campaign while using keyboard and mouse controls
• Fixed a bug where players were sometimes unable to see Clan Tags for other players in the Social Menu after restarting app, or going through a power cycle
• Fixed an issue where some players could encounter graphical corruptions, causing their screen to have a black ‘shadow’ that followed them. This has been fixed
• Fix for an area on St. Petrograd that lacked collision and allowed the Recon Drone to fly out of bounds
• Fixed a bug that made clan tags appear twice
• Fixed a bug that could prevent players from speaking to their team in a custom match if they switched teams after the match has started

AUDIO:

• Lowered the volume of the plane audio during infil
• Lowered the audio once you enter the Gulag
• Reduced the volume of occluded far and distant weapons
• Some footstep sounds while ADS and crouched were cut short on the distance you could hear them, depending on the surface type

WEAPONS:

• Fixed an issue where “The Line Breaker” variant of the EBR could out perform the base version of the same weapon
• Players with the “Cherry Blossom” variant of the Akimbo handguns could have broken animations while ADS on ladders. This has been fixed
• Firing a smoke grenade with the under barrel 40mm smokescreen launcher did not emit any smoke from the grenade. This has been fixed
• Attaching the Sniper Scope to the MK2 Carbine while in the Gunsmith would show a white, opaque lens. This has been fixed.
• Tightened the pellet spread on the Slug 6-R Mags for the Model 680
• Akimbo weapons now start with 2 extra magazines of ammunition instead of 1
• Tightened up the hip spread on the VLK Rogue Shotgun
• Decreased ADS spread for shotgun slugs
• Added descriptions to slugs noting that longer barrels and chokes improve ADS accuracy
• Updating names of weapons to match weapon logos
  • 725: “FTAC Equilibrium” renamed to “Cronen Equilibrium”
  • SA87: “FSS SA87 Heavy Stock Pro” renamed to “XRK SA87 Heavy Stock Pro”
  • RAM-7: “XRK Ranger” renamed to “FSS Ranger
  • Grau 5.56: “FSS 26.4″ Archangel” renamed to “Tempus 26.4″ Archangel”

SPECIAL OPERATIONS:

• Added on screen text to call out when a player’s vehicle is damaged
• Operation Headhunter: Fix for an error that could occur after launching the drone
• Operation Headhunter: Fixed a bug where the minimap could overlap the Objectives on screen
• Fall damage is now the same in Co-Op as it is in Warzone

WARZONE:

• We now tell you how far away you are from your teammates while in a match
• Fix for the gas mask animation interrupting and blocking players from deploying their parachute
• Various exploit fixes
• Fix for a bug where players were unable to revive teammates after getting interrupted during the initial revive animation
• Fixed a bug where players could be killed by vehicles without being near the player
• Fixed an issue that could display the incorrect rank on screen after the player’s game application had been suspended and reopened
• Fixed an issue where deploying a Recon Drone would use the VO lines for a Personal Radar. That VO was also heard by all players on the map. This has been fixed
• Fix for a bug where players could become invincible if they become downed while switching seats in a Tac Rover
• While spectating a player in the Gulag, the option to redeploy your teammate would appear on screen, even though they cannot be redeployed. This has been fixed
• If a player spectates the winning team of a BR match, the After-Action Report will display the winning team’s score in the scoreboard tab. This has been fixed.
• Fixed a bug where placing a Shield Turret on a teammate could kill them

PLUNDER:

• Fixed a bug where players couldn’t swap out the M13 for any other weapon in the Plunder tutorial

BATTLE ROYALE:

• Fix for players unable to self-revive in Solos
• Increased price of Loadout Drop within the Buy Station to $10,000
• Removed Blood Splatter and Screen Shake when being punched in the Gulag waiting area
• Removed Loss Column from BR Leaderboard and replaced with Top 10s
• Fixed issue with final circles occurring out of bounds or in undesirable areas
• Fixed issue with Armor plates and Killstreaks being unusable under certain conditions

PC:

• Several fixes to prevent crashes and improve stability