Season 4 goes live in Black Ops 7 and Warzone on June 4, and the developer’s patch notes reveal all the major changes for Call of Duty’s various modes. These adjustments include a nerf for the powerful SG-12 shotgun, a new self-revive kit for Warzone, and map improvements for Zombies.
Content-wise, Season 4 of Black Ops 7 and Warzone adds a new battle pass, another operator for the Guild faction, more guns, and additional maps. New seasons of Ranked Play arrive for both multiplayer and Warzone. Treyarch also introduces a “classic” multiplayer moshpit playlist inspired by Black Ops 2’s movement and gameplay, which will remove the game’s omnimovement, sliding, and wall-jump abilities.
In other news, hype is already building for this year’s new Call of Duty release. Activision officially revealed Modern Warfare 4 last week, and the game will include a campaign, multiplayer, and DMZ extraction mode.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 preorders are live, and Activision has also confirmed a “Loyalty” discount that allows players to get 10% off the game’s Vault edition.
The Season 4 patch notes for both Black Ops 7 and Warzone can be found below, as shared by Activision.
New anti-cheat measures are live
As previously announced, Call of Duty’s new security checks are now in effect for players on PC. Microsoft Azure Attestation (MAA) checks will place PC players into a separate matchmaking pool. To access all playlists, players must successfully complete the MAA process. Because the pool of players who haven’t passed our attestation checks is small, access is limited to a select set of playlists to help maintain healthy matchmaking.
Players who do not complete the required checks will be limited to Nuketown 24/7 in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and the Battle Royale Casual playlist inWarzone. This requirement helps protect the integrity of the game and the experience of the broader community.
More detailed instructions for how to make a PC compliant can be found on Activision’s blog.
SG-12 shotgun nerf in multiplayer
The only multiplayer weapon tuning for Season 4’s launch is a nerf to the overpowered SG-12 shotgun when using the 12 Gauge Dragon’s Breath attachment. This reduces the damage range with this ammo type, as well as how many pellets are fired per shot.
The developer says this should put the power of this attachment more in line with the base ammo type.
Weapon tuning for Endgame
Endgame doesn’t normally receive the same weapon tuning as multiplayer and Warzone, but the developer says it wanted to improve some of the more specialized and challenging weapons to use.
Notably, this includes a massive buff to the M34 Novaline marksman rifle with a 50% damage boost, which Treyarch says should help it feel more powerful as a slower, precision weapon.
Headshot damage was increased by 33% for the Strider 300, Hawker HX, and VS Recon sniper rifles. The Shadow SK was previously the weakest of the snipers in Endgame, but it received several buffs to make it more viable. These improvements include the following:
- Headshot damage increased by 13%
- Upper Torso damage increased by 85%
- Lower Torso damage increased by 97%
For launchers, the most popular choice was the Arrow 109, but Treyarch has made reductions to the weapon’s direct impact damage and the inner explosion damage, while improving the weaker A.R.C. M1 launcher to have higher direct impact damage and reduced charge time.
The Siren special weapon has a 50% damage increase, and the NX Ravager crossbow damage is increased by 26%.
Zombies Totenreich map improvements
Season 4 brings several improvements for the Totenreich map, including fixes for several issues affecting the map’s Wonder Weapon and main questline. The patch notes detail fixes for an issue that previously caused the boss’s weak points to not take critical damage. It also addresses an issue where the Jotunn Star Wonder Weapon would only swing at normal speed when using the Melee Macchiato perk with the Expresso Major Augment equipped.
Additionally, it corrects an issue where the Jotunn Star Wonder Weapon control UI would not appear correctly after reloading a save.
Warzone Ranked Play map pool changes
The Fortune’s Keep map returns to Warzone along with a new season of Ranked Play. Season 4 adds Fortune’s Keep into the Ranked Play Resurgence map pool, allowing players to compete across Rebirth Island, Haven’s Hollow, and Fortune’s Keep.
Increased Buy Stations for battle royale
Buy Station locations have been greatly increased across Avalon and Verdansk for standard battle royale. Buy Station locations are increased from 49 to 64 on Avalon and from 49 to 51 on Verdansk. The developer says this change was based on player feedback, asking for more consistent access and map coverage.
As with previous seasonal updates, the Buy Station placements have also been refreshed for the maps.
New “advanced self-revive” for Resurgence modes
Season 4 adds a new “advanced self-revive” item to Resurgence. The patch notes describe this as a rare variant of the Self-Revive Kit, which in addition to reviving the player, will also grant them temporary active camo.
Active Camo activates while the player is self reviving, and successfully completing a self revive will maintain the Active Camo for an additional two seconds or until the player makes an aggressive action.
Regular self-revives can also still be found in matches, but they share the same inventory slot, so a player is only able to carry one of either type.
Warzone weapon adjustments
Weapon tuning arrives for Warzone to specially adjust the weapon builds found as ground loot across various modes.
All Black Ops 7 assault rifles equipped with a suppressor attachment now have a 10% damage range benefit, and the recoil suppressor velocity penalty has been removed.
In all modes, including the Black Ops Royale, the horizontal shake and recoil of the AK-27 assault rifle builds has been reduced when firing the gun.
All Black Ops 7 light machine guns equipped with a suppressor attachment now have an 8% damage range benefit, and the recoil suppressor velocity penalty has been removed.
The Season 4 patch notes for both Black Ops 7 and Warzone can be found below, as shared by Activision.
WELCOME TO SEASON 04
Season 04 introduces another massive season of content. Take on Operation Wall Breaker in Endgame, deploy across five new and remastered Multiplayer Maps, fight off the horde in the new Rogue Run game mode in Zombies, and much more arriving tomorrow, June 4th!
The Story So Far
After David Mason is captured by The Guild and Specter Two goes on the offense with their own man on the inside, Karma’s Guild-killing virus is finally ready to deploy… but Dorne has one last card to play. A collision of forces at JSOC’s secret jungle hideout will determine the shape of the future.
New and Returning Maps
Liminal (6v6, 2v2)
- Descend into a live Guild procedure mid-test, where the patient’s response to the experiment actively rewrites the center of the map. When the subject is calm, a red pillar stands intact on a raised platform; when agitation spikes, it fractures and slams into a crater, throwing up fresh cover and new angles around the impact zone.
Primetime (6v6)
- Let no obstacle stand in your way on Primetime, a new 6v6 Multiplayer map themed around a Japanese game show obstacle course. Battle over speed tracks, Wall Jump across bound pads, and rack up points on the board as Operators weave between supersized crates.
Vertigo (6v6)
- First introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Vertigo returns fully remastered and ready for action in Black Ops 7. The map features a new Japanese setting, though the layout will be familiar to veterans of the original.
New Weapons
KRS-7.62 (Marksman Rifle, Battle Pass)
- Semi-auto marksman rifle. High damage and great mobility, limited by significant first shot recoil.
- Strong and steady, the KRS-7.62 offers a reliable two-hit elimination against unarmored enemies up to 25 meters out, an easy double tap when fighting up close, with a third shot required for more distant targets.
CBRS-3 (SMG, Battle Pass)
- Full-auto submachine gun with a high-capacity, rechambering magazine. Well-rounded with excellent range and recoil.
- With 60 rounds in the base model, the CBRS-3 features the largest magazine in its weapon class, capable of reaching 75 rounds with the Redwell Sprocket Mag.
Grimhawk (Special, Weekly Challenge Reward)
- Full-auto specialized rifle. Fires low-velocity homing rounds that lock onto targets.
- Make the enemy pay for opening fire on your position with this Special Weapon that fires rounds with light homing capabilities against targets shooting their weapons.
VX Compact (Assault Rifle, Event Reward)
- Full-auto assault rifle. Best-in-class rate of fire and excellent handling, offset by lower range and ammo capacity.
- What the VX Compact lacks in damage per shot, it makes up for with a blistering fire rate. At 25 rounds in the base magazine, this weapon chews through its supply fast, though its manageable recoil and minimal muzzle flare make tracking targets seamless.
New Attachments
LTI Stentorian Brake (Most Weapons, Battle Pass)
- Heavy muzzle device to improve Horizontal Recoil and Bullet Deviation with a slight fire rate improvement. Firing with this attachment reveals your position and direction on the mini-map in real time.
M10 Breacher Argus Lever (M10 Breacher, Weekly Challenge Reward)
- Lever-action conversion for the M10 Breacher. Faster fire rate with an improved starting pellet spread that becomes deadly accurate while ADS. Removes weapon charging.
New Scorestreak
Iron Rain (In-Season, Weekly Challenge Reward)
- A high-altitude, player-controlled aircraft that provides a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield, allowing tracking and eliminating enemies from above.
- Enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the action below while using this new medium-cost Scorestreak designed to pummel enemy forces from above. When called in by the enemy, reach for your Launcher or run for cover.
- Overclock Abilities
- Active Camo: Keeps aircraft hidden. Attacking or taking damage temporarily breaks camouflage.
- Tactical Radar: Reveals and pings nearby enemies to allies. Grants bonus Score when marked enemies are eliminated.
New and Returning Multiplayer Modes
Black Ops Classic (Launch)
- Wind back the clock in Black Ops Classic, a new throwback mode inspired by classic Black Ops gameplay. With simplified movement and streamlined Loadouts, this mode focuses on tactical positioning and classic multiplayer fundamentals built on the modern foundation of Black Ops 7. Jump into iconic throwback maps and core modes including Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint and Kill Confirmed.
- Restrictions: No Overclock Abilities. No Perk Combat Specialty bonus.
- Limited Selection: Scorestreaks, Perks, Lethal, Tactical, Wildcards, Melee Weapon, Field Upgrades.
Blueprint Gun Game (In-Season)
- Every plan needs a good outline. Blueprint Gun Game returns for its Black Ops 7 debut, challenging players to advance through a lineup of Weapon Blueprints. There are no Scorestreaks or Loadouts involved here, just plain old gun skill. Eliminate players with your weapons to advance to the next weapon.
6v6 Gunfight (In-Season)
- Get ready to up the ante as Gunfight returns with a 6v6 spin. Players begin each round with the same predetermined Loadout that changes every two rounds. Health regeneration and respawns are disabled, so make your shots count. If neither team is wiped out in the specified time, the Overtime Flag will spawn; capture it to secure the round win.
Multiplayer Ranked Play: Ranking System Update
Black Ops 7 Ranked Play is getting clearer in Season 04. The SR (Skill Rating) System has been completely overhauled to remove hidden MMR and instead provide full transparency over every single point of earned or lost SR. In Season 04, your SR gains and losses are driven entirely by your visible Rank and your performance relative to the Rank and performance of other players in the match. Outperform players in your Rank or above you and you’ll continue to climb, but struggle to beat players at your Rank or below you, and big SR gains will be harder to come by.
SR Gains after Wins
The following can be awarded after a Ranked Play win:
