Warzone Season 3 Reloaded update patch notes: Reduced lobby size, Stim nerfs, Vanguard AR buffs
ActivisionWarzone Season 3 Reloaded is officially upon us, bringing some major changes to the Call of Duty battle royale. Here are the full patch notes and some of the key features and changes coming to the game.
The mid-season ‘Reloaded’ updates aren’t typically as game-changing as the main Season launches in Warzone, but Season 3 Reloaded definitely doesn’t follow that trend. As well as the usual changes, with new weapons and some tuning, Season 3 Reloaded might present one of the biggest updates yet.
With a drop in player counts in the BR, changes to redeployment and buy backs, and a stim nerf confirmed to finally be arriving in the game, here are the key changes and full patch notes.
Contents
Warzone Season 3 Reloaded update
ActivisionThe Season 3 Reloaded update is an absolute game-changer for Warzone, with the game set to look very different going forwards. Here are the main changes.
BR Player Count reduction
While many players have called for an increase from 150 to 200 players in Caldera due to the sheer scale of the map, Season 3 Reloaded is actually implementing a reduced player count down to 120.
- Read More: Full Warzone 2 map leaked with all POIs
This change might not be permanent, though, with developers Raven Software reviewing the change and addressing player feedback.
Huge redeployment changes
ActivisionThere are a number of changes coming that affect how players redeploy. They’re bringing in Gulag and Redeployment tokens to allow players easier ways of getting back into the action, as well as reducing Death Tax (how much money you drop after dying) from an 80/20 split to 50/50.
Not only that, but Buy Backs at the Buy Station will now only cost $3000 instead of $4000, making it that much easier to pool the squad’s money together to bring a friend back into the fold.
Stim Shot nerf (In-Season)
Stim Shots have become hugely divisive in Warzone, granting players a huge movement boost, with more speed and agility than ever before.
After months of complaints, Raven have finally confirmed that a nerf to Stims will be arriving at some point in Season 3.
Full Warzone Season 3 Reloaded patch notes
Below are the full patch notes for Season 3 Reloaded:
Counterplay
- New Perk “Serpentine”
- Reduces incoming damage if the Player is sprinting.
- New Lootable Perks |
- Serpentine
- Tune Up
- Tracker
- Hardline
- Kill Chain
- E.O.D.
- New Field Upgrade “Radar Jammer” |
- Players can deploy this Field Upgrade to scramble the Tac Map of enemy Players and prevent airborne Killstreaks from being used in the localized area.
- Has an effective radius of 125 meters
- Effect lasts for 45 seconds
- Susceptible to being hacked by a Player with an Engineer Perk
- Can be attached to vehicles to become mobile
- New Lootable Loadout Drop Markers |
- Ground loot now includes a rare chance to spawn a Loadout Drop Marker
Movement
- High Value Loot Zones |
- These zones are represented on the Tac Map by a very appropriate “$” sign and will provide the best looting opportunities.
- New Underground Transit System |
- New fast travel system with 14 access points, indicated on the Tac Map and minimap by a silver “vault door” symbol.
- A lighting system will provide intel and help navigate Player decisions.
- New Lootable “Speed Boost” Power-Up |
- Grants Players a considerable increase in movement speed.
We’ve added the Speed Boost Power-Up from Clash into core Battle Royale, as we liked the advanced movement plays that it enables. Just like in Clash, this powerup is activated immediately on pickup so use this temporary speed boost wisely.
- New “Occupation Scan” Public Event |
- Any Players standing or crouching while the scan takes place will have their location exposed on the Tac Map for all to see. Players will be informed to go prone prior to the sweep.
Movement represents an opportunity for memorable engagements and encounters. With “Occupation Scan”, we wanted to develop a Public Event where movement – or lack thereof – is core to the experience. This Public Event really brings Lethals and Tacticals like Gas Grenades and Molotovs into consideration – you can use them to flush enemies out of hiding to expose them on the Map.
- Stim Adjustments ||
- Slide modifier has been reduced
- Added a Weapon damage (received) interruption effect
- Slide modifier has been reduced
We have enjoyed watching the recent shift in the use of Tacticals where Stims have become more commonplace and offer new, high-skill plays. That said, the above are two areas where we have felt it necessary to finetune the balance.
Playtime
- New Lootable “Gulag Entry” Token |
- This new lootable token allows Players to reenter the Gulag upon death.
- When the Gulag closes, Players will be rewarded with cash if they still hold a token.
- Per the normal Battle Royale rules, Players will still start each match with a single Gulag Entry token in their inventory.
- Players can only carry one of these tokens at a time.
We’ve really enjoyed seeing the response to our recent “infinite Gulag” LTM’s and wanted to bring an element of this across to core Battle Royale.
- New Lootable “Redeploy Extraction” Token |
- This item allows a Player, upon death, to skip the Gulag and redeploy after a short countdown.
- If the Player still has their original Gulag Entry from the match start, they will retain it.
- When the Gulag closes, Players will be rewarded with cash if they still hold a token.
- Players below a redeploying enemy will be notified.
- Players can only carry one of these tokens at a time.
Similarly to the “Gulag Entry” token, we felt there was an opportunity for an additional rare item that allows redeployment on death – and that’s the role that the new ground loot item, “Redeploy Extraction” fills.
- Increased Lootable Self-Revives |
- The spawn rate of lootable Self-Revive tokens has been increased.
Upon review we felt that Self-Revives were too rare in ground loot for something so easily and readily available in Buy Stations so their chance of ground loot availability has been increased.
- Player Count Adjustment |
- Reduced total Player count per match to 120
With the addition of new second-chance mechanics, we are very conscious of making sure the mid-game doesn’t feel unfairly claustrophobic compared to the current Battle Royale pacing. We will therefore be trialing a slightly reduced Player count across all core Battle Royale squad sizes. We will be carefully reviewing sentiment and data to make sure that the engagement pacing remains more or less in line with the current experience and that Players can still pursue new personal records.
- Increased Downed Movement Speed |
- Increased the speed at which a Player moves while in the downed state.
We felt the downed movement speed needed a review, primarily to allow Players who get downed a chance to get themselves to a safer space to allow for a revive. This is a small change on the surface that has allowed for more interesting outcomes during internal playtests.
- Decreased Buyback Cost |
- Decreased Buyback cost to $3,000, down from $4,000
We want to support Players being able to get back into the game. We felt that $4,000 was an often unattainable cost, especially at $12,000 for a full squad in Quads. This slight reduction should provide more chances for Players to more readily get back to a full squad.
- Death Tax Adjustment |
- Adjusted the tax upon death from 80:20 to 50:50
Upon review, the death tax felt overly punishing, as well as making it tougher for Players to track how much cash they’d still have when returning from the Gulag. We are going to trial this new 50:50 split and carefully monitor the impact it has on the global cash economy.
Quality of Life improvements
- Expanded Squad HUD
- New HUD elements include:
- Total Squad Cash
- An icon will appear if a Squad can afford a Loadout Drop
- An icon will appear when Player Buyback costs are met
- Armor Plate counter for each Squad member
- Possession icons for:
- Gas Mask
- Kill Streak
- Self-Revive
- Keycards
- Gulag Entry Token
- Redeploy Extraction Token
- Improved Footstep Audio
- The team has completed a reprioritization pass of NPC footstep audio relative to other crucial gameplay sounds to prevent voice culling of NPC footsteps.
- Ranged Weapon Melee Damage Reduced
- Gunbutting now requires 4 successive hits to eliminate a target, up from 3.
- Pistols require 4 hits on a target with 250 health.
- Slide Camera Lock
- We have addressed the horizontal camera locking that would occasionally happen if a Player was sliding while navigating a slope or stairs.
- Incoming Killstreak Warning Banner
- Moved the banner to appear below the Weapon reticule to prevent visual obstruction.
- Menu Browsing Interruption
- Players will no longer be brought back to the front end lobby when the party host queues into matchmaking.
- Buyback Player Prioritization
- The Buy Station interface will prioritize dead Squad members by listing them first.
- Weapon Trade Station Updated
- Perk Satchels added to Epic, Legendary, and Fire Sale trades
- “Ghost” Perk Adjustment
- Reduced Player movement speed threshold required to trigger the Perk.
- Spawn Protection Value Adjustment
- Players with a visible shield will take 25% reduced damage
- Armored Truck Adjusted |
- Decreased Health
- Decreased Turret Damage
- Associated Sabotage Contracts are no longer available in Solo game modes
Other adjustments
- Lethals
- Frag Grenade
- Damage increased by 24.5%
- Throwing Knife
- Damage increased by 20%
- Hits to the upper torso and head will one-shot down
- Claymore
- Damage increased by 20%
- Proximity Mine
- Damage increased by 24.5%
- Semtex
- Damage increased by 5%
- Frag Grenade
With each update we continue to tune and balance across the board. With health increasing we have taken the opportunity to adjust the damage on most lethals to keep them in a space where they cannot be ignored.
- Health Increase |
- Player core Health has been increased from 100 to 150 across all modes, including Private Matches (totaling 300 when factoring in Armor Plates).
We’ve seen the positive reception to the increased Player health in Battle Royale and we are now rolling this out globally across all game modes. Having a consistent core Health experience is important so that Players can develop trust in both their Weapons and their engagements as they play different modes and we are happy to now be rolling this out globally. Thank you for your feedback, which informed this change.
- Ground Loot |
- Adjusted to accommodate new Weapons and new builds
- Common and Uncommon Weapons have been upgraded to feature more Attachments to enable more early game confidence in Weapons you acquire:
- Common (white) rarity items now have 3 Attachments, up from 2
- Uncommon (green) rarity items now have 5 Attachments, up from 4
- Gulag Loadouts |
- Loadouts have been refreshed!
Each Weapon features more Attachments, enabling you to return to the field with a Weapon equal to a rare ground loot configuration which should help when recovering from an unfavorable position.
BUG FIXES
- Fixed an issue that was preventing 120Hz support on Xbox Series consoles.
- Fixed an issue which caused a client crash when using FMJ and Dismantle on the same Weapon.
- Fixed an issue that would occasionally cause a sliding Player to get stuck in the Buy Station interface.
- Fixed an issue that would occasionally cause a crouched Player adjacent a wall to get stuck in the Buy Station interface.
- Fixed an issue which caused the Loadout Menu to randomly appear when playing a match.
- Fixed an issue causing the Welgun (VG) to not have the Frangible ammunition Attachment.
- Fixed an issue which caused the 3-Line Rifle (VG) to fire slightly to the left.
- Fixed an issue which caused the Kong Finishing Move to not throw enemies the correct distance.
- Fixed an issue which caused Calling Card names to display placeholder text.
- Fixed an issue which caused Tracers in the Poison Sky Mastercraft Bundle to not appear correctly.
- Fixed an issue which caused some Weapon Attachments to appear misaligned in their Dynamic Icons
- Fixed an issue where the “Perks of the Job” Mission named the incorrect Perk required.
- Fixed an issue which caused the Unlock Mission for the “Weaver” Operator to say “Coming Soon.”
- Fixed an issue which caused the TEC-9 (BOCW) to not display the 36 Rnd Speed Mag during gameplay.
- Fixed an issue which caused the Player’s view to be obstructed when ADS-ing with the Adler “Tortured and Rescued” Operator Skin.
- Fixed an issue which caused flickering textures on Heavy Weapon Drop Crates.
- Fixed an issue which caused several Vanguard Melee Weapons to display the same codename
- Fixed an issue which caused the UGR (BOCW) to experience unintended damage reduction when the EOD Perk and Explosive Rounds Magazine Attachment were equipped.
KNOWN ISSUES
For a list of other known Warzone issues, please check out our dedicated Trello Board.
Weapons
New weapon
- H4 Blixen: Submachine Gun (VG)
- This hard-hitting SMG offers mobility and accuracy in medium range engagements.
- Unlock Challenge: Get 3 Slide Kills in a single match 15 times.
Weapon adjustments
Assault Rifles
- AK-47 (BOCW)
- Neck Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.15, down from 1.2
- 20″ Spetsnaz RPK Barrel
- Reduce Recoil Control from +8.5 to 7.5%
- AS44 (VG)
- Initial Recoil slightly decreased
- Bullet Velocity increased by 3.56%
- Now has a functioning On-Hand perk
- Assault Rifle Charlie (VG)
- Headshot Damage Multiplier increased to 1.85, up from 1.5
- .30-06 20 Round Fast Mags
- Magazine Capacity increased to 30, up from 20
- 8mm Klauser 30 Round Mags
- Magazine Capacity increased to 40, up from 30
- .50 BMG 30 Round Mags
- Magazine Capacity increased to 40, up from 30
- Bullet Velocity scale from 1.1 to 1.2
- .50 BMG 40 Round Mags
- Magazine Capacity increased to 60, up from 40
- Fire Rate Multiplier decreased to -15% down from -10%
- .30-06 20 Round Fast Mags
- Headshot Damage Multiplier increased to 1.85, up from 1.5
- Cooper Carbine (VG)
- Bullet Velocity increased by 4.55%
- C58 (BOCW)
- Neck Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.1, down from 1.2
- CR-56 AMAX (MW)
- Max Damage decreased to 31, down from 35
- Min Damage decreased to 24, down from 31
- FARA 83 (BOCW)
- Min Damage decreased to 22, down from 23
- Nikita AVT (VG)
- Adjusted recoil pattern for ease of use
- Sprint to Fire time increased increased by 10%
- Assault Rifle Bravo (VG)
- Headshot Multiplier increased to 1.6, up from 1.5
- .303 British 36 Round Mags
- Movement Speed scaler increased to 1.02, up from 1.01
- Damage Range increased to -10%, up from -20%
- .303 British 36 Round Mags
- Headshot Multiplier increased to 1.6, up from 1.5
- NZ-41 (VG)
- Adjusted recoil pattern and intensity when used in fully automatic.
- Orbweaver 360mm BC Barrel
- Horizontal Recoil control now increased by 10%
- Bullet Velocity now increased by 40%
- Sakura 50 Round Mags
- Fire Rate Multiplier decreased to 12%, down from 22%
- Damage Range increased to -12%, up from -22%
- Bullet Velocity increased to -15%, up from -30%
- 8mm Klauser 40 Round Mags
- Bullet Velocity increased to -10%, up from -20%
- Fire Rate Multiplier decreased to 12%, down from 16%
- Damage decreased to -3.6%, down from -12%
- Orbweaver Custom
- Bullet Velocity now increased by 20%
- Damage Range now increased by 20%
- LOR Mk1 Burst
- Bullet Velocity now increased by 30%
- Damage Range now increased by 20%
- Ravenwood 480mm No.2
- Damage Range penalty removed
- Bullet Velocity penalty removed
- Orbweaver 360mm BC Barrel
- Adjusted recoil pattern and intensity when used in fully automatic.
- Vargo 52 (BOCW)
- Min Damage increased to 24, up from 23
- Headshot Damage Multiplier increased to 1.53, up from 1.5
- Volkssturmgewehr (VG)
- Headshot Damage Multiplier increased to 1.55, up from 1.5
- Neck Damage Multiplier increased to 1.25, up from 1.2
- ADS Movement Speed decreased by 5%
- Reisdorf 22V Adjustable
- ADS Movement Speed reduced to 25%, down from 30%
- Reisdorf 22V Adjustable
- XM4 (BOCW)
- Max Damage decreased to 28, down from 29
- Max Damage Range decreased to 20.3 meters, down from 22.3 meters
- Neck Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.3, down from 1.33
Marksman Rifles
- SVT-40 (VG)
- Max Damage increased to 60, up from 57
- Min Damage increased to 50, up from 49
- Bullet velocity increased by 8.54%
- M1916 (VG)
- Max Damage increased to 55, up from 53
- Max Damage Range increased to 58 meters, up from 45 meters
- Bullet velocity increased by 7.89%
- M1 Garand (VG)
- Headshot Damage Multiplier increased to 1.59, up from 1.5
- Bullet velocity increased by 6.67%
Sniper Rifles
- HDR (MW)
- Bullet Drop-off increased
- Pelington 703 (BOCW)
- Damage Range decreased to 43.2 meters, down from 48.3 meters
- ZRG 20mm (BOCW)
- Upper Torso Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.5, down from 1.7
- 43.9″ Combat Recon Barre
- Bullet Velocity decreased to 38%, down from 43%
- Sniper Rifle Charlie (MW)
- Bullet velocity decreased by 5.13%
- 3-Line Rifle (VG)
- Bullet velocity increased by 6.76%
- Bullet drop-off decreased
- Sprint to Fire Scaler increased to 1.0, up from 0.99
- Re-aligned the 3-line reticles to be properly screen center
- 500mm MN Custom
- Bullet Velocity increased to 25%, up from 20%
- Empress 514mm F01
- Bullet Velocity increased to 20%, up from 16%
- Empress 700mm TN02
- Bullet Velocity increased to 35%, up from 30%
- Kovalevskaya 700mm
- Bullet Velocity increased to 20%, up from 15%
- Neck damage increased to 1.3, up from 1.1
- Kovalevskaya 820mm
- Bullet Velocity increased to 45%, up from 35%
- .30-06 20 Round Mags
- Bullet Velocity increased to 20%, up from 10%
- .303 British 5 Round Mags
- Damage Penalty has been removed.
- Damage Range increased to -20%, up from -30%
- Sniper Rifle Alpha (MW)
- Max Damage range increased to 1600, up from 1375
- Rytec AMR (MW)
- Now one-shots to the head within max damage range
- Max Damage increased to 125, up from 102
- Max Damage Range decreased to 59.1 meters, down from 67.3 meters
- Headshot Damage Multiplier increased to 2.4, up from 2.1
- Neck Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.75, down from 2.1
- Sniper Rifle Charlie (BOCW)
- Now one-shots to the head within max damage range
- Max Damage increased to 125, up from 102
- Headshot Damage Multiplier increased to 2.4, up from 2.1
- Neck Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.75, down from 2.1
- Type 99 (VG)
- 5.6mm 8 Round Mags
- Damage Range increased to -20%, up from -25%
- 8mm Klauser 5 Round Mags
- Bullet Velocity scalar increased to 20%, up from 10%
- Sakura 776mm Barrel
- Bullet Velocity scalar increased to 40%, up from 30%
- Shiraishi 712mm Sniper
- Upper Torso Damage Multiplier decreased to 1.6, down from 1.81
- 5.6mm 8 Round Mags
- Gorenko (VG)
- Bullet Drop-off decreased
- 420mm Empress
- Bullet Velocity increased to 40%, up from 11%
- ADS Time Scaler increased to 0.943, up from 0.9
- Reinforced Stock
- ADS Time Scaler increased to 1.05, up from 1.04
- 13mm AM 10 Round Mags
- ADS Time Scaler increased to 0.955, up from 0.94
- Kar98k (VG)
- Added Frenzy Weapon Perk
- Max Damage range increased to 48.9 meters, up from 47 meters
- K98 Scout 10.0x Telescopic
- ADS speed increased to 0.75, up from 0.65
- VDD RE02K
- Damage Range now increased by 20%
- 8mm Klauser 3 Round Mag
- ADS Time Scaler increased to 1.06, up from 1.05
- Krausnick Padded
- ADS Time Scaler increased to 0.945, up from 0.934
- Movespeed Scale increased to 0.95, up from 0.94
Shotguns
- Damage decreased by 20% for the following Shotguns:
- Streetsweeper
- Gallo SA12
- JAK-1
- Origin 12
- R9-0
- Gracey Auto
With the change to health pools, automatic and semi-auto shotguns were hitting a breakpoint where the time-to-kill remained the same as it did previously. This change brings these Weapons in line.
- Combat Shotgun (VG)
- Movespeed Scale increased to 0.87, up from 0.865
- ADS Move Speed Scale increased to 1.49, up from 1.46
- Framble 18″ Precision
- Bullet Velocity now increased to 48%, up from 34%
- Damage Range increased to 20%, up from 10%
- Framble No. 3
- Bullet Velocity now increased by 10%
- Chariot 16″ Short
- Damage range penalty increased to -20%, up from -30%
- Sawed-Off
- Damage Bonus increased to 20%, up from 15%
- Move Speed Scaler increased to 5%, up from from 4%
Submachine Guns
- Milano 821 (BOCW)
- Max Damage Range decreased to 12 meters, down from 17.8 meters
- Mid Damage added at 33
- Mid Damage Range added at 17.8 meters
- Min Damage decreased to 27, down from 30
- LAPA (BOCW)
- Max Damage decreased to 27, down from 31
- Max Damage Range increased to 12.7 meters, up from 10.1 meters
- Mid Damage decreased to 25, down from 28
- Mid Damage Range increased to 20 meters, up from 17.8 meters
- Min Damage decreased to 21, down from 26
- OTs 9 (BOCW)
- Max Damage decreased to 29, down from 30
- Armaguerra 43 (VG)
- Slight reduction to initial recoil
- Botti 315mm CII
- Vertical Recoil Multiplier decreased to 40%, down from 50%
- .30 Russian Short 34 Round Mags
- Damage Penalty decreased to -4%, up from -5%
- Visual Recoil decreased
- Owen Gun (VG)
- Upper Extremities Damage Multiplier decreased 1, down from 1.45
- Lower Extremities Damage Multiplier decreased to 0.9, down from 1.0
- Max Damage Range decreased to 15.2 meters, down from 17.1 meters
- Mid Damage Range decreased to 19.7 meters, down from 20 meters
- 7.62 Gorenko 33 Round Mags
- Fire Rate decreased to 14.5%, down from 15%
- 7.62 Gorenko 72 Round Drums
- Fire Rate decreased to 14.5%, down from 15%
- Submachine Gun Alpha (MW)
- 5.56 NATO 30-Round Mags
- Max Damage decreased to 37, down from 38
- Mid Damage decreased to 27, down from 28
- Mid Damage Range decreased to 30.5 meters, down from 40 meters
- 5.56 NATO 60-Round Drums
- Max Damage decreased to 37, down from 38
- Mid Damage decreased to 27, down from 28
- Mid Damage Range decreased to 30.5 meters, down from 40 meters
- 5.56 NATO 30-Round Mags
- Welgun (VG)
- Added Frangible Weapon Perk
- 120mm Gawain Short
- Fire Rate decreased to 6%, down from 10%
- Removed Damage Range Penalty
- UGR (BOCW)
- Magazine Capacity increased to 40, up from 30
Pistols
- Pistol melee attacks now require three successive hits to initiate a finisher on the target. This is up from 3.
- 1911 (VG)
- ACP 18 Round Mags
- Magazine Capacity increased to 24, up from 18.
- Min Damage increased to 24, up from 20
- ACP 18 Round Mags
- Klauser (VG)
- Max Damage increased to 50, up from 46
- Mid Damage increased to 42, up from 40
- Min Damage increased to 37, up from 30
- RATT (VG)
- Mid Damage increased to 26, up from 22
- Min Damage increased to 22, up from 20
- Neck Damage Multiplier increased to 1.4, up from 1.2
- Handgun Charlie (BOCW)
- Max Damage decreased to 35, down from 40
- Mid Damage decreased to 29, down from 33
- Machine Pistol (VG)
- Max Damage increased to 20, up from 19
- Mid Damage increased to 16, up from 15
- Min Damage increased to 13, up from 12
- Significant Reduction of Base Recoil Control
- 7.62 Gorenko 40 Round Mags
- Fire Rate Multiplier decreased to 5%, down from 7%
- Recoil Control penalty decreased to -18%, down from -27%
- 8mm Nambu 20 Round Mags
- Recoil Control penalty decreased to -22%, down from -30%
- Fire Rate Multiplier decreased to 5%, down from 7%
- Rapid Barrel
- Fire Rate Multiplier decreased to 5%, down from 20%
Launchers
- Panzerfaust (VG)
- ADS Transition out time decreased to 0.48, down from 0.5
- Base Movespeed Scale increased to 0.8, up from 0.79
- ADS Movement Speed Scale increased to 0.85, up from 0.8
Attachments
- Akimbo Perk
- Akimbo for Pistols now reduces damage by 10%.
- MX Silencer
- Bullet Velocity increased to 15%, up from 10%
- F8 Stabilizer
- Damage Range increased to 15%, up from 10%
Operators
- Roze Skin Adjustment
- We have made a 70% adjustment to increase the brightness of the infamous Roze outfit. With the recent lighting improvements to Caldera, it once again made her outfit out of balance with the rest of the Operator options available to Players.
