Black Ops 4 May 21 update patch notes – Hot Pursuit, new rewards, and more

Call of Duty developers Treyarch have released a new update for Black Ops 4, and we’re here to make sure you’re caught up on everything there is to know.

Although the May 21 update in Black Ops 4 wasn’t a major patch by any means, it still including noteworthy changes and additions, especially to the Black Ops Pass.

Below, you can find a breakdown of all of the major aspects of this update, including the full official patch notes, as provided by Treyarch. 

Article continues after ad

Black Ops Pass changes + new rewards

As part of this update, all those who own the Black Ops Pass season pass will now be able to instantly grant access to all of the exclusive Multiplayer maps to their squadmates, while they’re all playing in a party.

Furthermore, all pass-holders will receive five bonus Reserve Crates, which is a total of 15 Reserve items, as well as 2X Tiers boost for themselves and squadmates through May 28. 

TreyarchBlack Ops Pass holders can now share perks with their squadmates.

Hot Pursuit returns

This update saw the return of the fan-favorite Hot Pursuit mode in Blackout battle royale. Players will now be able to enjoy chasing around each other in police vehicles and muscle cars in this awesome and unique mode.

Article continues after ad

In addition, Treyarch also revealed that they plan on making further changes to the Ambush mode, and that the highly-anticipated Ground War will soon be making its debut in Blackout.

TreyarchThe fan-favorite Hot Pursuit mode has returned in Blackout.

Black Ops 4 May 21 patch notes

Party Up With Black Ops Pass + New Rewards for Pass Holders

Today, we’re excited to announce new rewards for Black Ops Pass owners (and their friends) as we prepare to kick off the second half of Operation Spectre Rising in early June, which will deliver new ways for all Black Ops 4 players to earn in-game rewards.

Article continues after ad

Starting today, Black Ops Pass holders instantly grant access to all Black Ops Pass MP maps to their squadmates while playing in a party. Pass holders also now receive a bonus of 5 Reserve Crates (containing 15 Reserve items), plus a one-week bonus of 2X Tiers for themselves and their party members now through May 28th!

With these new rewards, Black Ops Pass holders now get access to:

  • 12 Multiplayer maps
  • 5 Zombies experiences
  • 4 unique Blackout characters
  • 5 Reserve Crates (one-time bonus)
  • 1,000 COD Points (one-time bonus)
  • 300 Nebulium Plasma (one-time bonus)
  • Access to all Black Ops Pass MP maps for party members
  • 2X Tier Boost for owners and their party members through May 28th

Check out the official trailer for details, and watch for more intel later this week on what’s in store for our next major update for all Black Ops 4 players.

Article continues after ad

Hot Pursuit Returns to Blackout

Hot Pursuit is back in Blackout this week on all platforms! Time to squad up and drop in again… and again and again. If you’re enjoying Hot Pursuit, let us know what you like most about the mode in the comments below – we’re always working on ways we can improve with the next revision.

Speaking of which, we’ve heard your feedback on the inclusion of shotguns in our latest version of Ambush, and we’ll be making some changes behind the scenes for its next release. While we heard from plenty of players who enjoyed getting the jump on their enemies with their favorite 12-gauge, we can definitely appreciate the beauty of snipers-and-knives gameplay. Watch out for the return of Ambush later this summer after Ground War makes its debut during the second half of Operation Spectre Rising.

Article continues after ad

Featured Playlist Updates and Improvements

We’ve also extended Prop Hunt’s placement in the Featured Playlist category as it quickly became our 2nd-most played MP game mode as of May 16th on PS4. Finally, we’ve included some improvements in Blackout and MP since our last update, including a fix for exploitable areas in Blackout’s main map and paintjobs showing up unexpectedly on weapons, as well as improvements for Prop Hunt and Control.

Here’s what’s new:

Article continues after ad

GLOBAL

  • Black Ops Pass
    • Black Ops Pass holders now grant access to all Black Ops Pass Multiplayer maps to their squadmates while playing in a party.
    • Black Ops Pass holders now receive a one-time bonus of 5 Reserve Crates (15 Reserve items).
    • 2X Tiers now live for Black Ops Pass holders and their party members through 10AM PT Tuesday, May 28.

MULTIPLAYER

  • Featured Playlists (May 17-24)
    • PS4/Xbox One
      • Barebones Deathmatch Moshpit
      • Prop Hunt
      • Infected
      • Deathmatch Domination
      • Mercenary Deathmatch Moshpit
    • PC
      • Barebones Deathmatch Moshpit
      • Prop Hunt
      • Deathmatch Domination
  • Game Modes
    • Prop Hunt
      • Improved HUD visuals during Best Play.
    • Controls
      • Removed an unnecessary delay at the end of Control rounds.

BLACKOUT

  • Featured Playlists (May 21-28)
    • PS4/Xbox One
      • Hot Pursuit
      • Alcatraz
      • Solo
      • Duos
      • Quads
    • PC
      • Hot Pursuit
      • Alcatraz
      • Solo
  • Miscellaneous
    • Addressed a bug that allowed paintjobs to erroneously appear on weapons in Blackout.
    • Closed some exploitable locations in the main map.

-Treyarch