A new patch is now available for Call of Duty: Warzone, introducing new bug fixes, balance changes, and overall improvements for the popular battle royale game. The patch arrived today, March 3.
Starting with bug fixes, the patch remedies an issue that could cause placeholder text to appear in some cases. It also fixes a problem that could prevent the right popup icon to appear for certain game settings like Brightness and Audio Mix, among others.
The March 3 update also addresses an issue that could stop the Helicopter from being able to take off properly and an issue with field upgrades failing to work correctly in some scenarios.
In terms of balance changes and other tweaks, Vanguard Royale’s UAVs are now available at Buy Stations fo a lower amount, $6000, instead of the $9000 that was originally proposed.
The Rebirth Iron Trials mode also returns as part of the update, with some changes like no more free loadout drops and new limits on the type of available vehicles. Additionally, the available item pool for Supply Boxes and items found on the ground has been “significantly altered,” while Killstreak drop rates have been reduced.
There are weapon balance changes, too, including a nerf to sniper rifles so that a single headshot will only down an enemy if they are within 30 meters, while stun grenades now have their effect duration decreased by 50%.
This is just a sampling of the changes in Warzone today–check out the full patch notes below to learn more.
In other Call of Duty news, Treyarch just announced Black Ops Cold War’s Year 2 content, and it includes the return of a fan-favorite multiplayer map.
Call Of Duty: Warzone March 3 Patch Notes
MODES
Vanguard Royale
The adjustments detailed in our March 2nd patch notes will be going live today with the Playlist update at Noon PST.
That said, we’ve made one final change:
- UAV’s are now available in Buy Stations for $6,000
Upon further discussion, our team has decided to reintroduce UAVs at the lower price point of $6,000 to monitor match pacing closer to the original design. Once we’ve gathered enough data, we’ll make the subsequent decision as to whether or not we follow through with the proposed increase to $9,000.
Providing Players with a fun and consistent long-term experience can sometimes take a little bit of short-term experimentation!
Rebirth Iron Trials
The Iron Trials make a glorious return today as part of the March 3rd Playlist update – this time to Rebirth Island!
At its core, Rebirth Iron Trials is a Battle Royale game mode — the last team standing wins, the Circle Collapse shrinks the playable area to promote engagements, and those who die earlier in the game have a chance to respawn if they win a duel in the Rebirth Island Gulag.
However, Iron Trials brings numerous fundamental changes to this traditional Battle Royale formula. All of them are meant to give players the chance to prove themselves as truly elite Operators — here’s what they are specifically:
General
- Match Duration & Circle Collapse
- Round Timers have been adjusted to reflect the scale of the Rebirth Island map and increased for the pacing of the game.
- Loadouts
- No free Loadout Drops — those who want to use their custom-built weaponry and gain access to Perks will need to purchase one at a premium.
- Vehicles
- Buy Stations
- Elite Operators are known to be high rollers. The Buy Station increased their prices accordingly:
- Armor Bundle
- Gas Mask
- Cluster Strike
- Precision Strike
- Self Revive
- UAV
- Loadout Drop Marker
- $7,500 to $10,000 in Rebirth Island
- Specialist Token
- Cash
- The amount of Cash retained on death has been increased from 20% to 30%. Players will keep more of their hard-earned Cash.
- Melee
- Melee Finisher Damage has been removed. Settle the score with lead.
Operator
- Base Health
- Compared to a normal match, all players’ base health is increased from 100 to 250.
- Health Regeneration
- The regen delay timer has been increased from 5 to 7 seconds and regen per second has been decreased from 120 per second to 40. It may be wise for players to reconsider preferred Perks and Equipment.
- Starting Equipment
- Players drop in with a Top Break (VG) & Sawtooth (VG).
Loot
- Overall
- The item pool for Supply Boxes and items found on the ground have been significantly altered from that seen in standard play.
- Basic Attachments
- Common Weapons will start with an Attachment – mostly to provide their max magazine size.
- Rarity Spawn Rates
- Epic and Legendary weapons are now harder to find. Players will have to open a few more boxes than usual to find what they’re looking for.
- Killstreaks
- Drop rates have been reduced. Time to stop spamming UAVs and to start putting those senses to the test.
- Cash Spawns
- Larger piles of cash are rarer. Players will have to stay on top of scavenging for cash if they plan to afford a Loadout.
- Field Upgrades
- No Dead Silence. No Stopping Power Rounds. Period.
Equipment
- Sniper Rifles
- A single headshot from a Sniper Rifle will only down an enemy if they are within 30 meters. This gives time for those on the receiving end of a longshot to react – the most elite snipers will be able to adjust their strategies accordingly and still dish out lethal damage at long range with precise follow-up shots.
- Stun Grenades
- Stun effect duration decreased by 50%.
- Medical Syringes
- Health regeneration rate decreased by 50%. Upon taking non-Incendiary, direct damage from another Player (Tactical Equipment splash damage does not count), the Medical Syringe’s increased health regeneration effects will be canceled and standard health regeneration will begin–which can be interrupted by any source of damage. Additionally, the movement speed bonus gained when using a Medical Syringe has been decreased from 8% to 3%.
When Iron Trials was last with us, Medical Syringes were the go-to Tactical Equipment. We would like to experiment with reducing their effectiveness to see how this impacts gameplay and Equipment viability in the hands of Rebirth Island’s most seasoned veterans. We will be monitoring this change closely to ensure it does not have a net negative impact on the gameplay experience Trials Players have come to expect.
Gulag
- Loadouts
- No akimbo. No semi-auto or fully auto Shotguns. Limited selection of Tactical Equipment. It’s down to the bare essentials and the will to survive.
- Redeployment
- If players happen to survive their Gulag match, they’ll redeploy with whatever equipment is leftover from that fight. Be mindful of those resources.
Squad Size
- Duos
- We want players to really feel the impact of the increased Time-to-Kill. You only get to pick one squadmate… so choose wisely and watch each other’s backs.
Unique Animated Calling Card Reward
For Rebirth Iron Trials victors, there’s an exclusive new Animated Calling Card to flex your prowess in winning the trial.
For tips and tricks on how to improve your chances of winning, check out the official Call of Duty Iron Trials Guide!
BUG FIXES
- Fixed an issue causing the Unlock Criteria progress bar for some Weapon Attachments and Camos to display placeholder text.
- Fixed an issue preventing the popup icon for certain game settings to not appear in the menu.
- Affected settings include Brightness, Colorblind Type, Audio Mix, Hit Marker Sound Effects, Button Layout, and Stick Layout Preset
- Fixed an issue causing the total Cash collected on the Player scoreboard to appear misaligned.
- Fixed an issue in private matches preventing the Helicopter on top of Peak from being able to take off properly.
- Fixed an issue causing placeholder descriptions to appear on various Calling Cards.
- Fixed the rarity label on various Blueprints and Calling Cards.
- Fixed an issue preventing Field Upgrades from working correctly while holding a Gasoline Can.
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