MW3 November 17 update patch notes: Tac-sprint delay decrease, armory unlock changes, more

Ryan Lemay
Hellhounds in MW3

The latest MW3 update addresses community concerns about the tac-sprint delay, armory unlocks, and camo challenges not working in Zombies.

Community members celebrated Modern Warfare 3, bringing back slide canceling, but it came with a caveat. The movement mechanic no longer resets a tactical sprint, making it much slower than what we remember from Modern Warfare 2019.

Sledgehammer Games responded during the beta by decreasing the delay caused by slide canceling. However, COD content creator Xclusive Ace did his own testing and concluded that the devs reverted that change when the full game launched.

Some players feared that the revision was a design choice by the devs rather than just a simple glitch. However, the devs assured players that a change was on the way. And that fix is finally here, so let’s see what’s different.

MW3 multiplayer gameplay

Tac Sprint refresh delay and armory unlock changes

The Nomber 17 update, Decreases Tac Sprint refresh delay after sliding by 75%, and sprint delay after sliding by 53%

Additionally, the new Tac Sprint refresh time matches that of the Infantry Vest and Running Sneakers.

In the official blog post, Sledgehammer Games explained: “At Launch, we introduced a delay after sliding to the Tac Sprint refresh time. A review prompted by Player feedback determined that the previous delay was too aggressive. Today’s updates aim to improve movement fluidity without making slide and Tac Sprint repetition the only viable choice for Players.”

Players also pleaded for the “horrendous” armory unlock system to be removed, as it locks new items behind daily challenges and win requirements. The devs wouldn’t go as far as removing the system, but the latest update makes it so players no longer need to complete every daily challenge before wins count toward armory unlocks.

MW3 November 17 update patch notes

Here are the full MW3 November 17 update patch notes

Multiplayer

UI

  • New Features
    • Added the ability to preview Weapon Camos and Aftermarket Parts earned via Weekly Challenges.
    • Weekly Challenges will now display the associated base Weapon for Aftermarket Part rewards.
  • Bug Fixes
    • Addressed an issue that allowed Players to select Modes that are not supported in Private Matches.
    • Players will no longer be stuck in an “Activating Token” state after consuming an XP Token.
    • Addressed an exploit that allowed Players to equip Aftermarket Parts without meeting the minimum requirements.

Gameplay

  • Movement
    • Decreased Tac Sprint refresh delay after sliding by 75%.
    • Decreased Tac Sprint refresh time to match the Infantry Vest/Running Sneakers.
    • Decreased sprint delay after sliding by 53%.

Progression

  • Weapons
    • Corrected Attachment unlock requirements for several MWII Weapons.
  • Challenges
    • Corrected unlock challenge tracking conditions for BBQ (Operator).
    • Addressed an issue that prevented the progression of the Priceless Camo challenge for the DM58 (Marksman Rifle).
  • Armory Unlocks
    • Wins will now progress Armory Unlocks without first completing Daily Challenges.
      • Look for UI modifications in a future game update to better reflect this change.

Maps

  • Estate
    • Increased brightness in low-light areas to improve Player visibility.
  • Underpass
    • Adjusted a spawn point in the Parking Lot to prevent Players from dying upon respawn.

Killstreaks

  • Remote Turret
    • Addressed an exploit that allowed Players to become invisible.

“We are investigating reports of further exploits with the Remote Turret. It will be re-enabled for use once we’ve deemed it is safe.”

Zombies

Gameplay

  • Addressed an issue that allowed Players who are eligible for a Story Mission to be automatically queued into one if a different squad completes a Story Mission exfil.
  • Addressed an exfil timing issue that allowed Players to fall from the exfil helicopter at the edge of the map when departing from the Sub Pen.
  • Closed an exploit that permitted duplication of a Player’s weapon.
  • Closed an exploit that permitted duplication of scorestreaks.

Enemies

  • Mega Abomination
    • Addressed an issue that could prevent the Mega Abomination from ignoring Players in the High Difficulty zone.

Stability

  • Addressed an issue that prevented Players from entering the Modern Warfare Zombies menu due to “Timed out waiting for instance inventory.”
  • Reduced the number of Zombies that spawn at exfil locations to improve stability.
  • Various stability and map fixes.

Progression

  • General
    • Addressed an issue where weapon names were replaced with placeholder text when completing a camo unlock challenge in the AAR.
  • Battle Pass
    • Addressed an issue that prevented Players from earning Battle Pass XP in Modern Warfare Zombies.
  • Camo Challenges
    • Weapons
      • FR 5.56
        • Addressed an issue where the Digital Wildwood camo completion criteria was incorrect.
    • Completionist Camos
      • Golden Enigma (MW3) & Golden Ivory (MW2) Update
        • We’ve released a fix that allows Players to complete the Golden Enigma and Golden Ivory Completionist Camos with non-blueprint weapons.

Our teams continue investigating this Completionist Camo issue and are committed to releasing a fix that allows blueprint weapons to be completed. We thank everyone for your patience and the messages we received regarding weapon configurations while we continue investigating.

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About The Author

Ryan is a former games writer for Dexerto. Ryan graduated from Ithaca College in 2021 with a sports media degree and a journalism minor. He gained experience as a writer for the Morning Times newspaper before joining Dexerto as a games writer. He mainly writes about first-person shooters, including Call of Duty and Battlefield, but he is also a big FIFA fan.