Cold War Mid-Season 2 update patch notes: weapon balancing, new features, more

❘ Published: 2021-03-29T17:15:00

The next major update for Black Ops Cold War, Season 2 Reloaded, goes live on March 29 at 9PM PT. This is version 1.14.

Season 2 has brought a plethora of new content to Black Ops Cold War. New maps, weapons, and Operators have arrived in Call of Duty, and Zombies have begun to overrun both Verdansk and the Ural Mountains.

However, there are plenty of features from the official roadmap that have not yet arrived in the game.

The official release for the mid-Season update for Black Ops Cold War is March 29 at 9PM PT / March 30 at 12AM ET with the following size for each paltform:

PlayStation 5: 12.2 GB
PlayStation 4: 7.4 GB
Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S: 14.18 GB
Xbox One: 9.13 GB
PC: 8.1 GB

What’s New

MULTIPLAYER

Miami Strike (6v6)

First up, Miami Strike comes to 6v6 this week with a streamlined map layout featuring an entirely new waterside path that opens up new close-quarters opportunities. This sun-drenched take on the original South Beach MP locale sees a vintage car show taking over the streets, with the road past the Paramour Hotel now sealed off for fast-paced action.

Jump into the new Miami Strike 24/7 playlist this week to get your 6v6 fix, featuring a mix of TDM, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint modes. And for those already looking forward to the next batch of 6v6 maps: Season Three will be here before you know it, when we’ll be dropping even more MP maps to enjoy.

Mansion (2v2, 3v3)

Our Gunfight and Face Off modes been hugely popular this season, and we’re delivering a new small-scale battleground this week with the launch of Mansion for 2v2 and 3v3. Take the fight to an opulent Cuban compound and choose between head-on conflicts in the center courtyard, or high-visibility power positions from above.

Golova (Multi-Team)

This abandoned Russian village hides an insidious secret as Nikita Dragovich’s testing ground for the expansion of the Numbers Program. This week, Golova joins the map rotation in Black Ops Cold War’s biggest Multiplayer battles to date. Squad up and drop into our new Multi-Team playlists, including the all-new 40-player Hardpoint.

Multi-Team Hardpoint

You’ve never played the OBJ like this before. Our new large-scale Multi-Team Hardpoint mode drops ten teams of four into the biggest maps in the game to fight for control of multiple Hardpoints at a time.

Each set of Hardpoints lasts 120 seconds before rotating to the next locations, and unlike 6v6 and 12v12 Hardpoint, your team will earn 1 point each second for all teammates inside the Hardpoint. The first squad to reach 1,000 points wins the match!

New Prop Hunt Maps + Props

Prop Hunt returns this week with two additional maps joining the rotation: Miami Strike and Satellite! We’ve also refreshed the prop selection for the majority of our existing maps to help keep those Hunters on their toes. Squad up and jump into the updated Prop Hunt playlist this week.

LEAGUE PLAY

With the new additions of Apocalypse Hardpoint and Express S&D to the League Play rotation, we’re constantly working on more ways to improve the competitive experience. We’ve heard the recent feedback on Wildcard selection and agree: we want players to commit to a playstyle in League Play.

Starting with Season Two Reloaded, the Law Breaker Wildcard will no longer allow any weapon to be put into either weapon slot in League Play. Players will only be able to use a primary and secondary weapon, so if you want to run two primary weapons in League Play, you’ll need to pick one up from the ground.

Law Breaker will now only allow players to equip multiple Perks from the same Perk category. In addition, the Perk Greed Wildcard will now be restricted completely in League Play. Note: this only affects League Play, not Custom Games or CDL.

We’ve also added new Match Suspension penalties for players who quit mid-match or engage in friendly fire to ensure a better competitive experience for all players. These penalties will escalate with multiple offenses, so play nice or pay the price.

ZOMBIES

We couldn’t have asked for a better response to Outbreak’s launch from the Zombies community. Since its introduction, more players have played Black Ops Cold War Zombies than ever before, including at launch… and that’s a lot of zombie killers. We’re immensely thankful for the reception from the community so far, and we’re just getting started.

New Outbreak Content

Rather than introducing a single Zombies locale in Season Two, the team launched Outbreak with three massive regions to explore across the sprawling Ural Mountains in Russia. This week, we’re expanding our biggest Zombies experience yet with the massive new nighttime Sanatorium region, along with the new Secure Objective, new in-game Intel, new Dirt Bike vehicle, and even more secrets for players to discover.

Between our traditional round-based maps, the new large-scale experiences of Outbreak, and the co-op insanity of Dead Ops Arcade 3 and Onslaught, we’ve never offered so many ways for the community to enjoy Zombies – and we’re going to keep pushing the envelope in 2021. Looking ahead, the Dark Aether story will continue in Outbreak in Season Three, teeing up the events that will unfold throughout Black Ops Cold War Zombies in the seasons to come. Stay tuned.

Dead Ops Arcade 3 Updates

If you’ve been looking for even more reasons to jump into Dead Ops Arcade, this is the update you’ve been waiting for. Starting with Season Two Reloaded, players will now earn player XP and Battle Pass XP in Dead Ops Arcade 3, so you’ll always make progress toward Prestige Master and Battle Pass Tiers as you take on the dreaded Mamaback.

We’ve also added a new Silverback Slideways bonus map to the mix, as well as a ton of new gameplay updates, bug fixes, and stability improvements. Check out the patch notes below for the full list of changes, and get ready to squad up in Dead Ops!

New Onslaught LTM + Content (PS4/PS5)

Zombies fans on PlayStation can take on the new Containment limited-time mode in Onslaught for an intense new experience on the game’s Gunfight maps, along with a new Blueprint Challenge to earn the exclusive “Jungle Fighter” tactical rifle Blueprint.

Onslaught also receives a slew of new item drops, including Level 2 and Level 3 Armor, Ammo Mods and Aether Tool drops to upgrade your weapons, and new Bronze, Silver, and Gold Chalice drops that will Pack-a-Punch your weapon for the first time in Onslaught.

Blueprint Support, Stability & Bug Fixes + More

Players will now be able to apply any Weapon Blueprint they own to their weapon in the Pause menu in Zombies, including any weapon picked up or purchased from a Wall Buy! This update also includes a slate of stability fixes, gameplay improvements, and bug fixes across Outbreak, “Firebase Z,” “Die Maschine,” Dead Ops Arcade 3, and Onslaught – read on below for patch notes to see what’s new.

WEAPON TUNING UPDATE

We take weapon balancing seriously and make tuning decisions based on time-to-kill (TTK) data as each new weapon is introduced to the meta. As a rule of thumb, if it’s been a while since we’ve needed to implement large-scale tuning changes, that’s a good sign that the meta is generally well-balanced.

We want to thank our invested community for all the great feedback and gameplay data that we need to drive balance changes. We see how you play, and with billions of gameplay interactions at our fingertips, we’ve taken a fresh tuning pass across the Black Ops Cold War arsenal to ensure each weapon plays to its strengths without emerging as a clear frontrunner in its class.

New Tuning Changes

In Season Two Reloaded, we’ve implemented tuning to make the Krig 6, FFAR 1, and Groza more competitive in the assault rifle class, while adjusting the Milano 821, KSP 45, LC10, MAC-10, and AK-74u in the SMG class. We’ve also made specific performance tuning to the RPG-7, 1911, Magnum, and more.

These changes include complete tuning passes on Muzzle and Underbarrel attachments that affect Recoil on assault rifles and SMGs, increasing damage for rockets against enemies with Flak Jacket in Hardcore, and removing glint from sniper rifles with Iron Sights. Check out the full list of patch notes below for all the details.

Please note that these changes are only for Black Ops Cold War, and are not reflected in Warzone. For details on what’s coming in Warzone, be sure to follow @RavenSoftware on Twitter.

MORE TO COME

Later in the season, look for the introduction of Gunsmith Customs to create your own custom Blueprints, the launch of Gunfight Tournaments, and our sixth new weapon of the season: the devastating ZRG 20mm sniper rifle. As always, you can find more info on everything coming in Season Two Reloaded at the Call of Duty Blog.

Without further ado, here’s what’s coming at the launch of Season Two Reloaded in Black Ops Cold War, starting at 9PM PT tonight, March 29th / 12AM ET Tuesday, March 30th:

Patch Notes

Weapons

Assault Rifles
- Krig 6
  - Improved visibility while firing in ADS.
  - Complete tuning pass on weapon accuracy, weapon movement, and visual clarity while firing with any Optic attachment.
  - Addressed instances of the weapon feeling “floaty” when firing for a prolonged amount of time.
- FFAR 1
  - Increased ballistic speed by 12.8%.
- Groza
  - Increased maximum damage range by 40%.
- Attachments
  - Complete tuning pass on Muzzle and Underbarrel attachments that affect Recoil on assault rifles.
Submachine Guns
- Milano 821
  - Increased mid-range damage by 10%.
  - Increased mid-range damage range by 33%.
  - Increased sprint out speed by 14.2%.
  - Increased raise speed by 11%.
  - Slightly increased ADS-in speed.
- KSP 45
  - Increased ballistic speed by 32.5%.
  - Reduced burst delay by 20%.
- AK-74u
  - Reduced accuracy with prolonged firing.
  - Reduced muzzle velocity by 23.4%.
- LC10
  - Reduced max damage range by 41%.
  - Slightly reduced mid-range damage.
- MAC-10
  - Modified bullet pattern to add slightly more horizontal trajectories.
- Attachments
  - Complete tuning pass on Muzzle and Underbarrel attachments that affect Recoil on SMGs.
Light Machine Guns
- Light Machine Gun Alpha
  - Reduced maximum damage range by 25%.
Sniper Rifles
- Disabled glint effect on sniper rifles with Iron Sights equipped.
Pistols
- 1911
  - Increased ADS speed by 11%.
- Magnum
  - Slightly decreased hip-fire accuracy.
  - Dual Wield: Bullet trajectories are now more varied when firing both guns simultaneously.
  - Redesigned the 4.7” Takedown Barrel attachment into a “Tight Snub” Barrel. This attachment now adds damage to both enemies and vehicles.
Launchers
- RPG-7
  - Slightly increased blast radius.
  - Greatly increased length of straight rocket flight path.
- General
  - Rockets now inflict more damage to enemies with Flak Jacket in Hardcore. Still requires a direct hit for a 1-hit kill.
Attachments
- Infantry V-Choke
  - Updated attachment description to clarify pros and cons.
Weapon Progression
- Players can now earn Weapon XP and Challenge progress by using any weapon, even if they do not currently own it (for example, using another player’s weapon picked up from the ground that the player does not currently own).

Movement

Slightly reduced speed of changing stances from stand, crouch, and prone. Additional adjustments to come to address remaining disparity between 1st-person and 3rd-person perspectives.

Combat Record

Added Vehicles section.
Addressed an issue with the “Killed By” stat not tracking properly.

Maps

Miami Strike (6v6)
- Miami Strike added to 6v6 rotation in Multiplayer modes.
- Miami Strike will replace the original Miami map in all core modes with the exception of Combined Arms, Search & Destroy, and VIP Escort.
- Miami Strike 24/7 playlist also available at launch.
Mansion (2v2, 3v3)
- Mansion added to rotation in Gunfight and Face Off.
Golova (Multi-Team)
- Golova added to rotation in Multi-Team modes.
Apocalypse
- Hardpoint: Addressed an issue that allowed players to capture P3 Hardpoint outside of the intended boundary.
The Pines
- Control: Adjusted Zone B to allow capturing against the pizza counter.
Raid
- Hardpoint: Adjusted distance of spawns from P1 to each side of the map to reduce chances of spawning beside or behind enemy team.
Garrison
- Control: Extended Zone A up to the platform outside of “green” room.
- Control: Conditional Attacker spawns added to reduce travel time to Zone A.
- Hardpoint: Removed spawns that were too close to P2 and P5.
- Hardpoint: Added a larger spread of spawns for P1, P2, and P3 to reduce chances of spawning behind enemy team.
Miami (Original)
- Scaled down bullet collision on the Miami Patrol van.

Modes

Multi-Team Hardpoint
- New Multiplayer mode added to Multi-Team.
- 10 squads of four fight for multiple Hardpoints at a time. Each set of Hardpoints lasts 120 seconds before rotating to the next locations.
- Teams will earn 1 point every second for all teammates inside of a Hardpoint.
- The first squad to reach 1,000 points wins the match.
Prop Hunt
- Miami Strike and Satellite added to map rotation.
- Refreshed prop rotation for several existing maps.
- Addressed an issue where the Best Play prop camera could appear underground.
Control
- New Custom Game Options added:
  - Time Per Segment: The amount of time added onto the current round time limit when a zone segment is captured.
  - Overtime Rules: Determines whether Overtime Defense is given to the team with the most kills or the most zone segments captured during the previous rounds.
Gunfight
- Added Gunfight mode-specific Medals.
- Battle Chatter now disabled in Gunfight and Gunfight variants.
VIP Escort
- Addressed an issue where the player could hear incorrect VO lines when beginning a round as the VIP.
Multi-Team
- Addressed an issue where teammates could spawn on top of one another after a team wipe respawn.
General
- Enemy red dots will now be prioritized on top of objective icons on the mini-map.

Featured Playlists

Miami Strike 24/7 [NEW]
Multi-Team Hardpoint – Golova [NEW]
Multi-Team Moshpit [NEW]
- Moshpit of Multi-Team modes, including 40-Player Hardpoint on Ruka, Alpine, Sanatorium, and Golova.
Prop Hunt [NEW]
Snipers Only Moshpit
Nuketown 24/7
Gunfight
Face Off

Challenges

General
- Flashbang/Stunned Challenges are now easier to complete.
Fog of War
- Addressed inconsistencies with the Smoke Grenade Cover Assists combat stat.
- Addressed issues with “Fog of War” Challenge and “Sight Unseen” Medal not tracking properly with the Danger Close Wildcard equipped.
- Updated Challenge description for clarity.

General

Gestures
- Gestures can now be used before the round starts.
Social
- Updated messaging when a player is kicked from the party.
Turrets
- Addressed and issue where players on Mounted Turrets could be immune to Dirt Bike vehicles.
Audio
- Addressed an issue where VO would say “No Targets Destroyed” if the Attack Helicopter was destroyed with a Cruise Missile.

Wildcards

Law Breaker
- Law Breaker in League Play will no longer allow any weapon to be put into either weapon slot. Players will only be able to use a Primary and Secondary weapon.
- Law Breaker will now only allow players to equip multiple Perks from the same Perk category.
Perk Greed
- Perk Greed is now restricted completely.

Match Suspensions

Players who quit out of active matches or are kicked for friendly fire will now be issued a matchmaking suspension for a period of time.
Penalties will escalate if the player continues to quit out of matches or is consistently kicked for friendly fire.

Extended placement bracket to include Top 25 and Top 50.
Updated gem representation in Rank Progression screen.
Updated Ladder Event Complete screen with new gem celebration animation.
Added location to the top of the League Play Ladder to showcase current placement gems.

Outbreak

New Region
- Sanatorium (Night) region added to Outbreak.
New Objective
- Secure Objective added to Outbreak.
New Vehicle
- Dirt Bike vehicle added to Outbreak.
New Intel
- New Audio Logs and Radio Transmissions added for players to discover in the Ural Mountains.
Stability
- Added fixes for various crashes related to Objectives, Trials, the RAI-K 84, and the Frost Blast Field Upgrade.
Gameplay
- Addressed various issues where players could fall out of the map on Alpine.
- Addressed an issue where players could get stuck in a planter on Golova.
- Addressed an issue where the Golden Chest could push vehicles under the map.
- Addressed an issue where kills with vehicles were not always contributing to the Dragon Relic.
- Players will now take damage from the Dragon Relic rocket thrusters when it takes off. Look out below!
Objectives
- Holdout
  - Reduced duration of Holdout Objective by 30 seconds.
  - Added Ammo Cache to the Holdout Objective space in Alpine.
  - Cleaned up areas that were interfering with barricading and shooting out of windows in the Golova Holdout Objective.
- Defend
  - The Defend console now takes more damage from Hellhounds.
  - Addressed an issue where picking up the specimen head while prone could prevent the player from being able to deposit it during the Defend Objective.
- Retrieve
  - Addressed an issue where the progress bar for depositing the canister could break during the Retrieve Objective.
- Escort
  - Enemies will no longer de-spawn when the Payload teleports.
Enemies
- Addressed various zombie pathing issues in Ruka, Alpine, and Golova.
- Addressed an issue where Manglers could still use their arm cannons and Krasny Soldats could still use their jet packs after they were destroyed by Energy Mines.
- Addressed an issue where damage from the Tempest was not mitigated by Armor.
- Addressed an issue where zombies would ignore players when another player deployed a Cymbal Monkey and left the match.
Field Upgrades
- Addressed an issue where Field Upgrades could be reset after switching classes and warping to another region.
- Addressed an issue where Field Upgrade charge was not reset when changing classes.
Challenges
- Addressed an issue where Elites were not being counted toward the Outbreak Eliminations challenge.
Trials
- Addressed an issue where Trials challenges were duplicating earlier than intended.
Pack-a-Punch
- Addressed an issue where players were unable to re-roll attachments on some weapons after upgrading them at the Pack-a-Punch machine.
- Closed an exploit that allowed duplication of the Ray Gun or RAI-K 84 using the Pack-a-Punch machine.
Equipment
- Addressed an issue where players with a full stack of Equipment had the option to pick up that same Equipment and drop their stack.
Support
- Support weapons that use ammo will no longer be refilled when warping to another region.

Round-Based Maps

Firebase Z
- Addressed an issue where cross-platform players were unable to load into a Private match.
- Closed an exploit in the Village where zombies were unable to attack the player.
- Closed an exploit that allowed players to leave the map in Rocky Defense.
- Closed an exploit that allowed accessing the Teleporter before purchasing the first door.
Die Maschine
- Addressed an issue where the D.I.E. Shockwave could be obtained through the door to its location.
Stability
- Added various crash fixes related to side quests.

Dead Ops Arcade 3

Progression
- Players now earn player XP and Battle Pass progression in all Dead Ops Arcade modes (subject to additional tuning).
Bonus Maps
- New Silverback Slideways bonus map added to rotation.
Gameplay
- Increased Key spawn rates and added additional Key locations.
- Tuned the number of hits a player can absorb in The Wild before dying.
- Tuned life donation rewards.
- Added fixes for various shield-type pickups not properly crediting their owner with kills.
- Addressed an issue where spinning Chickens could potentially kill the player with sawblades.
- Addressed an issue where players were sometimes unable to leave the Deadly Dungeon when collecting the ladder.
- Addressed an issue where players could be left behind when the Dungeon was triggered.
- Addressed an issue where the Flogger Trap could cause unintentional player deaths.
- Added various exploit fixes.
Enemies
- Boss / Underboss level enemies will now kill in one shot regardless of whether the player is in First Person.
- Reduced explosive damage range of Meatballs when they die.
- Addressed an issue that could result in spawning invisible enemies.
- Addressed an issue where the Spider could launch the player’s vehicle out of the map.
Visuals
- Addressed an issue where bodies could disappear in certain graphical modes.
- Addressed an issue where some particle effects were not playing on enemies.
- Addressed an issue where special particle effects could remain on-screen instead of being cleaned up.
Controls
- Addressed an issue where selecting the Flip Bumper controller setting could create a conflict when switching from First Person mode to classic mode.
Stability
- Added various crash fixes.
General
- Players are now able to immediately quit the match after a host migration occurs in Dead Ops Arcade 3.

Onslaught (PS4/PS5)**

Modes
- Containment
  - Battle to contain the forces of the Dark Aether and survive an intense new experience on close-quarters Gunfight maps.
Blueprint Challenge
- Complete the latest Blueprint Challenge unlock the exclusive “Jungle Fighter” tactical rifle Weapon Blueprint.
New Item Drops
- Level 2 and Level 3 Armor drops now available.
- Ammo Mod drops now available that apply a random alternate ammo type to your weapon.
- Aether Tool drops now available that upgrade your weapon.
- Bronze, Silver, and Gold Chalice drops now available that will Pack-a-Punch your weapon, once earned.
Server Pause
- Server pause now available in Private Onslaught matches.

Featured Playlists

Outbreak
Firebase Z
Die Maschine
Dead Ops Arcade: First Person
Dead Ops Arcade
Onslaught (PS4/PS5)
Onslaught Containment [NEW] (PS4/PS5)
Onslaught Nuketown (PS4/PS5)
Onslaught Apocalypse (PS4/PS5)

Features

Apply Blueprint
- Players can now apply any Weapon Blueprint they own to their weapon in the Pause menu, including any weapon picked up or acquired from a Wall Buy.

Ammo Mods

Dead Wire
- Dead Wire Tier V now correctly spreads to 3 targets instead of 5.
- Addressed an issue where Dead Wire was doing the same amount of tick damage to zombies and special enemies.

Perks

Elemental Pop
- Tuned down intensity of FX on Tier V electric discharge for Elemental Pop.

General

Addressed an issue where some players could get stuck at the Pause screen in Zombies.
Addressed instances where players were not put into the same party after accepting an invite.

Gameplay