Warzone 2 Season 4 patch notes: Cronen nerf, Health increase, AI & Stronghold changes, more

Activision leaned on community feedback and delivered a few long-awaited gameplay changes in Warzone 2 Season 4. Here is everything you need to know about the highly anticipated seasonal update, including the full Season 4 patch notes.

Warzone Season 3 Reloaded finally added Ranked Play and made TTK and movement changes. Despite fans praising Ranked Play, Warzone’s player count actually suffered, with tensions rising over the game’s current state.

Infinity Ward’s attempt to slow down the battle royale’s close-range TTK speed also saw pushback, as TrueGameData argued the update didn’t do enough to make a difference.

A first glance at Season 4 reignited optimism from community members, and IceManIsaac even labeled the update “awesome.”

Let’s jump right into what is in the Warzone 2 Season 4 patch notes.

Activision

When does Warzone Season 4 start?

 Warzone 2 Season 4 starts on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST.

This is the date that the Season 3 Battle Pass will expire according to the in-game timer, which lines up with Activision’s confirmed date.

Warzone Season 4 adds new Resurgence map

Season 4 introduces Vondel to Warzone’s map rotation. Set in the Netherlands, the small-scale urban environment features 70 player lobbies. Players will be able to explore the city’s buildings or use multiple waterways to escape gunfights.

CharlieIntel reported that the new environment will launch with Resurgence support but will also add a standard battle royale mode in the future. The COD insider also expects Vondel to support DMZ at some point.

This would be the first time in Warzone history with a rotation of two standard battle royale maps.

Warzone maximum health increased by 50

Activision Blizzard

Player health is being increased from 100 to 150, bringing maximum health up to 300 for a player that is fully armored. IceManIsaac claimed that this change will slow TTK speed by roughly 20%, allowing players to escape more gunfights.

This change will also force players to land more of their shots, as it will take longer to eliminate enemies. We won’t know for sure how much of a difference the change makes until the update goes live.

AI removed from Strongholds in Warzone Season 4

The Season 4 update removes AI enemies from Strongholds. Players will still have to fight bots at Blacksite locations, but they will no longer have to worry about the pesky enemies while capturing Strongholds.

The update also makes it possible for squads to recapture Strongholds throughout a match.

Lockdown LTM mode coming to Vondel

Lockdown is a new limited-time mode arriving in Warzone 2 Season 4 for the new map, Vondel. The new LTM, Lockdown, is “inspired by the Multiplayer mode Hardpoint,” as it sees teams of four capturing and holding down zones around Vondel to win the game rather than being the last squad standing.

It’s important to note that custom loadouts will be available from the start of matches.

Warzone 2 Season 4 patch notes

• Assault on Vondel Limited-Time
  • The Assault of Vondel will be the first community event in which players can secure (and restore) the city by earning medals through completing challenges. 
  • Completing a community challenge will unlock the following:
    • Taxi Boat and Trams
    • Reinforcement Flare
    • Favorite Supply Box
    • New Melee Weapon – Tonfa 
  • On top of that, securing medals also contribute to your standard Challenges which can unlock several types of rewards including Weapon Blueprints.

MAPS

New Map

• Vondel
  • Developed by Beenox, the new Vondel map offers 15 distinct points of interest and a dynamic blend of urban streets, canals, and expansive structures to explore. It presents a unique topography centered around an intricate canal system, allowing Players to navigate through water using watercraft and the new Tactical Amphibious Vehicle (TAV). Additionally, the map features verticality and strategic opportunities to counter those who seek to take the upper hand.

• The primary Points of Interest that Players will be able to explore include:
  • Castle
  • Central Station
  • City Hall
  • Cruise Terminal
  • Exhibit
  • Fire Department
  • Floating District
  • Graveyard
  • Mall
  • Market
  • Museum
  • Police Station
  • Stadium
  • University
  • Zoo

Al Mazrah

• Sandstorm
  • The sandstorm in Al Mazrah has subsided.
  • Al Mazrah City now has several sand banks to climb upon, which offer new and creative ways to approach some of the city’s prominent buildings. Specifically, expect a massive sand dune up the side of the TV tower, the Embassy, and the “Highrise” building. The dunes also piled up across some roadways, including covering parts of the highway system, and nearly flooded entire small structures in the main downtown area. There is also some partial destruction that will offer new approaches to maneuvering in, within, and out of the city.
• Landscape 
  • Added vibrancy to vegetation throughout the map.

MODES

• Lockdown Vondel | Limited-Time | In-Season
  • Inspired by the Multiplayer mode Hardpoint — Lockdown will task teams with capturing and holding zones around Vondel rather than being the last Squad standing. The first team to reach the score limit wins.
  • Key highlights:
    • Objective-based gameplay
    • Allows for Custom Loadouts right at the start of the match
    • Frequent engagements

GAMEPLAY

All Maps | All Modes

• Player Health
  • The base Player Health pool has been increased to 150, up from 100.
  • With full Armor Plates, the combined total will equal 300.
  • Regen Delay increased to 7 seconds, up from 5.
  • Note: The above changes apply across all Modes in Warzone including Ranked Play and DMZ.

We’ve extended the number of bullets required for the down, while increasing the time to regenerate full health enabling Players to capitalize on damage done and providing increased value to the stim tactical. 

• Armor Plates Quality of Life
  • Players will automatically pick up 9 Armor Plates – 3 in the active Loadout slot and 2 full stacks in the Backpack. Players will have to manually pick up Armor Plates beyond that threshold to create more stacks in their Backpack.
• Armor Box Quality of Life
  • Players will now receive a fixed number of 6 Armor Plates from Armor Boxes regardless of how many they already have.
• Munitions Box Quality of Life
  • Players will now receive a fixed stack of Weapon ammo from Munitions Boxes regardless of how much they already have.
  • To clarify, Lethal and Tactical Equipment will still only Refill to the maximum the Player can hold in their active Loadout slots.

Both of the above Quality of Life improvements for the Armor Box and Munitions Box are designed to improve the gameplay loop, where previously you would have to remember to drop your Armor Plates and Ammo in order to fill them, whereas now you are awarded the maximum amount regardless as to your current number.

• Vehicle Fuel
  • Gas Cans will now drain a percentage of total Gas while refueling a Vehicle.
  • You can now siphon Gas out of a Vehicle using a Gas Can.
  • Rather than catching fire when out of fuel, the Heavy Chopper will now drop out of the air.

WEAPONS

Activision

Tempus Razor Back: Assault Rifle

• A masterclass in exceptional manufacturing, this Tempus Armament assault rifle features a bullpup design and frame-vibration control, resulting in a smooth and controllable full-auto 5.56 weapon.
  • Unlock in Battle Pass Sector D13

ISO 45: Submachine Gun

• The ISO Platform’s answer to room clearing. This SMG dominates with a high fire rate and the stopping power of .45 Auto rounds.
  • Unlock in Battle Pass Sector D19

Tonfa: Melee

• This hard-polymer, edgeless melee weapon delivers blunt trauma without risk of dulling or breaking. Versatile, comfortable, and lethal in the right hands.
  • Unlock via Assault on Vondel Event

• Shotgun
  • Pellets now use damage priority
    • If more than four pellets hit a target, the highest damage among those hit pellets will be used 
• Melee
  • Fist Lunge Range decreased 
  • Gunbutt Lunge Range decreased
  • Gunbutt Damage decreased | Warzone Only 

WEAPON BALANCING

These changes to Player Health and the application of Armor Damage ultimately result in the Time to Kill feeling slower, more consistent, and more reactable at every engagement distance.

While a select few Weapons are listed below, it is important to note that most Weapons will see their effectiveness altered as a result of the change to Armor Damage. For now, we will be retiring the term “Armor Damage” and any future changes that are Warzone specific will be followed by “Warzone Only.”

» Battle Rifles « 

• Cronen Squall 
  • Full-Auto
    • Bullets to Kill increased by 2 | Warzone Only
    • Maximum Damage increased | Warzone Only
    • Minimum Damage added | Warzone Only
  • Semi-Auto
    • Bullets to Kill increased by 1 | Warzone Only
    • Maximum Damage decreased | Warzone Only
    • Minimum Damage increased | Warzone Only

» Shotguns « 

• Bryson 800 
  • Minimum Damage decreased | Warzone Only
  • Head Multiplier increased 
  • Neck Multiplier increased 
  • Upper Torso Multiplier increased 
  • Arm Multipliers increased 
  • Leg Multipliers increased 

• Bryson 890 
  • Minimum Damage decreased | Warzone Only
  • Head Multiplier increased 
  • Neck Multiplier increased 
  • Upper Torso Multiplier increased 
  • Arm Multipliers increased 
  • Leg Multipliers increased 

• Expedite 12 
  • Minimum Damage added | Warzone Only 
  • Leg Multipliers increased 

• KV Broadside 
  • Mid Damage decreased 

• Lockwood 300 
  • Minimum Damage decreased | Warzone Only
  • Head Multiplier increased 
  • Neck Multiplier increased 
  • Upper Torso Multiplier increased 
  • Arm Multipliers increased 
  • Leg Multipliers increased 
  • Hip to ADS Spread transition speed increased
    • Becomes accurate faster after aiming down sights 
  • Mid Damage Ranges increased 
  • Mid Damage decreased slightly 

» Submachine Guns « 

• Fennec 45 
  • Bullets to Kill decreased by 1 | Warzone Only 

• FTAC Siege 
  • Akimbo FTAC Siege (NEW)
    • Unlock through in-game Challenge: 25 Hip Fire Operator kills with the FTAC Siege
• Kastov-74u 
  • KSTV-17 Barrel (NEW)
    • Added to Kastov-74u progression, replaces 5.45 Tracer at Level 9
      • Players who have progressed beyond this level will have it retroactively granted to their account following the launch of Season 4 
• KV Broadside 
  • 12 Gauge Dragon’s Breath
    • Close-range Damage increased slightly 

• Fixed an issue with the SZ Aggressor-IR Optic where its ADS penalty was higher than intended 
• Fixed an issue with 12-Gauge Dragon’s Breath residual damage where it would be counted as a headshot for scoring 
• Fixed an issue that caused Death Effects to intermittently occur on incorrect bodies 
• Fixed numerous incorrect Attachment unlock criteria
• Fixed an issue where the in-game challenge completed overlay for the KL40-M2 Drill underbarrel Attachment showed a placeholder name
• Fixed an issue causing the .300 BLK Overpressured +P ammunition to remain locked without unlock requirements, despite the Weapon being at max level
• Fixed an issue where Bipod Attachments were not blocked on some Weapons when using the canted iron sights

BATTLE ROYALE, RESURGENCE, PLUNDER, & MORE

PLAYLIST

As a reminder, we will continue to rotate modes in and out of the Playlist on a weekly basis. And for those wondering, Ashika Island will return! 

For regular updates about the Playlist and other Scheduled Events, check out the dedicated Warzone Trello Board.

GENERAL

• Rejoin (BETA)
  • Players that experience a client crash on their device will be able to reconnect to their match within 4 minutes.
  • Criteria:
    • Players must have at least 1 Squad member remaining alive.
      • This does not apply to Solo Playlists.
    • There must be at least 5 Squads remaining in the match.
  • Note:
    • Playlist updates that go live during a match in progress will prevent Players from using the Rejoin feature.
  • Known Issues:
    • Last remaining teammate disconnecting may result in an undesirable spectator experience while the final teammate attempts to reconnect. 
    • Rejoining while still in the Driver seat of a vehicle will remove the player’s hands. Can be resolved by switching weapons.
    • The functionality of Rejoin in Ranked Play is detailed in the Ranked Play section below.

• Gulag Killcam
  • The killcam has been enabled in the Gulag.
• Pre-Match Lobby Audio Quality of Life
  • Proximity Voice Chat has been disabled in the pre-match lobby.
• Exfil Sequence Quality of Life
  • Players are now able to skip the Exfil sequence animation.

GAMEPLAY

Please note that the Vondel features outlined below will come to other Maps and Modes in later updates.

Vondel | All Modes

• TAV (Tactical Amphibious Vehicle) New Vehicle
  • Amphibious vehicle that is able to traverse land and water
  • Accommodates 1 driver, 1 passenger and 4 players in the back
  • Mid range armor vehicle
• Dynamic Fog System New Environmental System
  • Though typically sunny, Players will encounter a varying degree of fog as they play through matches on Vondel.
  • Billboards found around the map will serve as a way for Players to plan around the weather forecast.
  • Note: The visual obfuscation caused by fog is reduced in Resurgence compared to DMZ.

Vondel | Resurgence

• High Stakes New Public Event
  • During this event, Players will be prompted to capture any of several crates that are dropped from the sky. Capturing one of these will provide Players with some very useful loot such as a Portable Buy Station, Armor and/or Munitions Box, alongside some Cash. 
  • In addition, a successful capture will grant Players with Double Weapon & Player XP for the duration of the match.
  • Note: This multiplier stacks with active XP tokens.
• Reinforcement Flare New Field Upgrade
  • This Field Upgrade will redeploy an eliminated Squad member that is randomly selected.
• Favorite Supply Box New Supply Box Type
  • This is a rare Supply Box that arms Players with their 2 favorite Weapons.
    • Players are able to dictate their favorite Weapons in the front-end menu by navigating to Custom Loadouts and using the “Set to Favorite” option by either right-clicking or pressing LS/L3.

All Maps | All Modes

• Loot Update
  • Loot found on the ground and via Supply Boxes has been updated to include:
    • New Season 04 Weapons
    • Revised Attachments for most Weapons
• Armor Box
  • Buystation price increased to $2,500, up from $2,000.
• Munitions Box
  • Buystation price increased to $2,500, up from $2,000.
• Backpack Inventory Quality of Life
  • While attempting to loot an item that a Player already has in an active Loadout slot, they will be presented with the option to stow the duplicate in their Backpack.
• Marker Smoke Effects Quality of Life
  • Differentiated the color of the smoke produced by various markers for easier at-a-glance legibility:
    • Loadout Drops = Red
    • Deployable Buy Stations = Green
    • Smoke Grenades = Grey
• Resupply Perk
  • The time to recharge equipment has been increased to 50 seconds, up from 30.
• Redeploy Drone Destruction Damage
  • The explosion damage caused by a Redeploy Drone when it impacts the ground has been adjusted.
    • Minimum damage increased to 50, up from 10.
    • Maximum damage increased to 150, up from 50.
• Bounty Contract Quality of Life
  • The Bounty Contract will prioritize selecting a target that is on the ground and within close proximity of the Player.
• Most Wanted ContractQuality of Life
  • The Most Wanted target Player will now carry a flag on the back of their Operator for the duration of the Contract to better help enemy Players track the target.
• Data Heist Public Event Quality of Life
  • Players will now receive a Circle Peek reward of the upcoming circle when they complete the Data Heist Public Event on Ashika Island.
• Gas Circle Finale Behavior
  • The number of “Moving Circles” in the final phase of a match has been decreased to 2, down from 4. 
  • These circles move and collapse in size slower than before.

The “pull” is an interesting peak in the climax of combat, however it has often decided the finale due to a lucky pull in a squads favor. This change keeps the need to reposition but enables a wider, slower rotation to take a more even fight.

• Gulag
  • The time to capture the overtime flag has been increased to 4 seconds, up from 3 seconds.
• Vehicle Fuel
  • The Heavy Chopper no longer catches fire when it runs out of fuel. Instead, it will now drop out of the air, surviving if close enough to the ground
  • Gas Cans now spawn with a fill percentage of 100%
  • Filling a vehicle now drains a portion of the total gas in the can, depending on how much the vehicle needed
  • You can now siphon gas out of a vehicle and into your gas can

All Maps | Battle Royale, Resurgence

• Gas Damage
  • Reduced Gas damage to 6 while not wearing a Gas Mask, down from 9.
  • During the first 4 Circles, reduced Gas damage while wearing Gas Mask to 5, down from 6.

Al Mazrah | Battle Royale

• Armor Plates
  • The number of Armor Plates that Players spawn with in the Gulag has been decreased to 1, down from 2.
    • Players will continue to spawn with a full 3 Armor Plates in Warzone Ranked Play.
• Gulag Overtime
  • The time it takes to capture the domination point in the Gulag has been increased to 4 seconds, up from 3.
• Strongholds
  • Inactive Strongholds have been renamed to Abandoned Supply Caches.
  • Active Strongholds and Abandoned Supply Caches are now enabled from the moment the match starts during Infil.
  • Active Strongholds and Abandoned Supply Caches now have floating POI indicators that can be seen from above in the world space during Infil.
  • White Supply Boxes have been removed from active Strongholds.
    • We’re putting the focus of strongholds on the loadout acquisition and UAV benefits for owning the structure. Abandoned supply caches are intended to be fruitful loot locations worthy of a visit.
  • Enemy NPC Combatants have been removed from active Strongholds.
    • Players will now be prompted with the “Hold the Line” capture objective.
  • The “Bomb Defuse” objective has been removed from active Strongholds.
    • With Strongholds activating at the start of each match, we are balancing the rewards to reflect the challenge.
  • Completing an active stronghold will only reward the black site key upon first capture. The loadout is awarded when the stronghold is captured and can only be acquired once per squad.
  • Players are now able to recapture a stronghold that has been captured by another squad.
  • Subsequent captures will only reward Players with access to the custom Loadout crate and the Stronghold UAV effect.The UAV effect from completing a Stronghold will now be shown to enemy Players on the Tac Map.
  • The mission tracker widget on the UI while progressing through Stronghold and Black Site completion has been removed for a cleaner interface.

• Black Sites
  • The UAV effect from completing a Black Site will now be shown to enemy Players on the Tac Map.
  • The potency of enemy NPC Combatants in Black Sites has been reduced.

All Maps | Resurgence

• Dynamic Resurgence
  • The Resurgence Countdown Timer is now dynamic and will adapt based on the current number of Players in your Squad. 
  • To clarify, a Solo Player that queues into a Quads Playlist will play with Solo Countdown Timer rules.
• Vengeance Icon
  • When a Squad member pings an enemy that recently eliminated a friendly Player,  they will now observe an icon above the enemy to indicate that said Player will reduce the Resurgence Countdown Timer more than others.
• Tracked Squad Indicator
  • Squads will receive a HUD warning similar to the one used for the Interrogation mechanic when a Squad member has been eliminated and the enemy Squad is able to see the position of remaining Squad members.
• Redeployment Loadouts
  • Players will now encounter more variety in the Loadouts that they redeploy with as we’ve added Submachine Guns to the pool of Weapons for the third circle onwards.
    • First Circle = Handgun without Attachments
    • Second Circle = Handgun with Attachments
    • Third Circle and Beyond = Either Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, or Submachine Gun without Attachments and Handgun with Attachments
• Interrogation
  • This feature, which allows a Player to interrogate a downed enemy Player to reveal their Squad’s position, has been enabled in Resurgence.

Al Mazrah | Plunder

• Strongholds
  • Active Strongholds has been disabled in this mode.
  • Abandoned Supply Caches will now be enabled from the moment the match starts during Infil.

UI/UX

• Perk Package Name Quality of Life
  • Players will now be able to see the name of their equipped Perk Package in various areas of the interface.
• Buy Station PingsQuality of Life
  • A floating icon will now appear above a Buy Station to indicate an item that a Player has pinged for purchase.
• Scoreboard in Gulag
  • Players are now able to view the scoreboard while in an active Gulag match or in the holding pen.

Ranked Play

• Text ChatQuality of Life
  • Players are now able to disable Global Text Chat while leaving Team Text Chat enabled.

WZ RANKED PLAY

Warzone Ranked Play continues with its first FULL Season and introduces new rewards to earn during Season 04. Whether you’re jumping into your first Warzone Ranked Play match or continuing your grind, there’s more to unlock and fierce competition to face. Below are the Season 04 specific details to keep in mind for returning competitors and further below is a full refresher for all players.

Here are the highlights for returning Season 03 competitors.

Global Battle Royale Changes

Restricted Weapons & Equipment

• Items
  • Gas Cans

SR (Skill Rating) & Divisions

• Deployment Fee Update
  • Iridescent: -110 SR + 10 SR every 500 SR above 10,000, up to a max Deployment Fee of -230 SR.
    • [Updated] Max Fee increased from -210 to -230
• End of Season Skill Setback Update: At the end of each Season, your ending Skill Division will determine where you start the following season:
  • Bronze through Crimson I players are set back three Tiers below where they finished in the previous season.
    • Example: A player ending Season 03 in Gold III will begin Season 04 in Silver III.
  • Players Crimson II and above will start Season 04 in Diamond I. 

Season 04 Rewards

• Season 04 Challenge Rewards
  • Throughout the Season 04, players can earn the following rewards:
    • Placement Challenges
      • Finish ‘Top 15’ 25 Times: ‘Cash Out’ Large Decal
        • Finish ‘Top 5’ 25 Times: Pro Issue Lachman Sub Blueprint
          • Finish 1st Place: ‘Team Wipe’ Weapon Charm
    • Kill & Assist Challenges
      • Get 25 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Season 04 Competitor’ Sticker
        • Get 250 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Ranked Play Season 04’ Loading Screen
          • Get 1000 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Season 04 Ranked Veteran’ Camo
• End of Season Division Rewards
  • At the end of each Season, players will be awarded Skill Division rewards that represent their highest attained Division that Season. 
  • Seasonal Division Rewards
    • Each Ranked Play Season will have a unique set of Division Rewards awarded at the end of the Season to celebrate the player’s highest Skill Division reached that Season. 
    • The Season 04 rewards are as follows:
      • Top 250: ‘WZ Season 04 Top 250’ Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
        • Iridescent: ‘WZ Season 04 Iridescent’ Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
          • Crimson: ‘WZ Season 04 Crimson’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
          • Diamond: ‘WZ Season 04 Diamond’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
          • Platinum: ‘WZ Season 04 Platinum’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
          • Gold: ‘WZ Season 04 Gold’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
          • Silver: Emblem
          • Bronze: Emblem
    • Ranked Play First Place: The player who finishes Season 04 in the #1 position on the Top 250 Leaderboard will receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Calling Card and Emblem for the ultimate bragging rights.

Here’s a complete overview of Warzone Ranked Play for new Season 04 players!

Match Ruleset

• Play competitive 150 Player Battle Royale Trios matches using competitive settings developed by Treyarch, Raven Software, and Infinity Ward. Moving forward, Players can expect 1:1 synchronized settings between Ranked Play and World Series of Warzone.
• Map
  • Al Mazrah
• Mode
  • Battle Royale
• Squad Size
  • Trios
• Max Player Count
  • 150

Gameplay Adjustments

• Spawn Protection
  • Reduced to 2.5 seconds, down from 10 seconds in standard Battle Royale
• Assist Timer
  • The minimum assist time has been increased to 10 seconds, up from 2 in standard Battle Royale
    • This is the minimum amount of time a player will remain on a defenders “Attacker List” – meaning that we more accurately capture assists in the middle of an engagement. 

Warzone Ranked Play Restrictions

• Gameplay
  • Gulag Entry Kit
  • Redeploy Pack
  • Squad Assimilation
  • Multi-Circles
• Weapons
  • Riot Shield
• Attachments
  • Specific Thermal Optics
  • SZ Holotherm
  • VX350 Thermal Optic
  • Teplo-op3 Scope
  • Thermo-Optic X9
  • Teplo Clear Shot
  • Drexsom Prime-90
• Killstreaks
  • Cluster Mine
  • Bomb Drone
• Items
  • [New] Gas Cans
• Events
  • Fire Sale
  • Jailbreak
  • Restock
• Vehicles
  • Turreted Land Vehicles
  • Turreted Water Vehicles
  • Heavy Chopper
• Social Features
  • Global Text Chat
  • Proximity Voice Chat

SR (Skill Rating) & Divisions

Test yourself against your peers and track that progress with a visible SR (Skill Rating) that determines your place across 8 Skill Divisions.

• All players begin our first Competitive Season in Bronze I with 0 SR.
• Players earn SR based on match performance, with SR awarded for Kills and Assists, being alive when their Squadmates earn Kills, and outlasting other Squads. 

Breakdown: Earning SR

• Kills and Assists
  • Players gain SR over the course of each match each time they get a Kill or assist, with Kills and assists being treated equally to encourage teamwork between Squadmates. 
  • Players will also receive some SR if they are alive when their Squadmates get a Kill that they didn’t contribute to. 
  • To reward high-stakes Kills late in the game, SR increases over the course of each match based on the number of Squads left alive:
    • 21+ Squads Remaining: +5 SR per Kill/Assist, +2 SR per Squadmate Kill
    • 3 – 20 Squads Remaining: +7 SR per Kill/Assist, +3 SR per Squadmate Kill
    • 1-3 Squads Remaining: +15 SR per Kill/Assist, +7 SR per Squadmate Kill
• Final Placements
  • Additionally, players earn SR based on final placement at the end of the match:
    • Top 40: +10 SR
      • Top 30: +20 SR
      • Top 20: +30 SR
      • Top 10: +40 SR
      • Top 5: +50 SR
      • 3rd: +60 SR
      • 2nd: +80 SR
      • 1st: +100 SR
  • Player’s will see this SR added throughout a match. Reach Top 40 and you’ll gain 10 SR. Reach Top 30 and you will see another 10 SR for a total of 20 SR
• SR Tracker
  • Players will be able to see and track SR earned via Kills, Asists, Unassisted Squadmate Kills, and Placements on a visible tracker in-game.
    • The SR Tracker will be visible while alive or spectating a Squadmate and will always display your own SR for the current match.
    • If your team is eliminated, the SR Tracker will be hidden when spectating an Enemy Squad, and your final earned SR will be shown in the After Action Report.

Breakdown: Deployment Fees

• At the beginning of each match, a Deployment Fee is deducted from each player’s current SR total.
• The higher the player’s Skill Division & Tier, the higher the Deployment Fee. This ensures that each division has increasing performance expectations and player’s must exceed those expectations to progress. 
• Players must earn this amount of SR in the following game if they wish to advance towards the next Skill Division or Tier. Failing to earn back the Deployment Fee will result in players losing SR for the match.
  • Bronze I-III: No Deployment Fee
  • Silver I: -10 SR
  • Silver II: -14 SR
  • Silver III: -18 SR
  • Gold I: -23 SR
  • Gold II: -28 SR
  • Gold III: -33 SR
  • Platinum I: -39 SR
  • Platinum II: -45 SR
  • Platinum III: -51 SR
  • Diamond I: -58 SR
  • Diamond II: -65 SR
  • Diamond III: -72 SR
  • Crimson I: -80 SR
  • Crimson II: -90 SR
  • Crimson III: -100 SR
  • Iridescent: -110 SR + 10 SR every 500 SR above 10,000, up to a max Deployment Fee of -230 SR.
    • [Updated] Max Fee increased from -210 to -230
• Players can progress through eight Skill Divisions by reaching SR milestones:
  • Bronze – Starting Division
  • Silver – 900 SR 
  • Gold – 2,100 SR 
  • Platinum – 3,600 SR 
  • Diamond – 5,400 SR 
  • Crimson – 7,500 SR 
  • Iridescent – 10,000 SR 
  • Top 250 – 10,000+ SR
• Division Tiers: All Divisions except for Iridescent and Top 250 have 3 Tiers – Tier I, Tier II & Tier III. Climb into higher Tiers as you advance your way through each Division. 
• Show Off Your Skill: It’s easy to see which Division someone is in in Warzone Ranked Play. Your entire Rank Icon will change color and material depending on your current Skill Division. Your current Tier is also prominently shown in the center of your Rank icon.
• End of Season Skill Setback Update: At the end of each Season, your ending Skill Division will determine where you start the following season:
  • Bronze through Crimson I players are set back three Tiers below where they finished in the previous season.
    • Example: A player ending Season 03 in Gold III will begin Season 04 in Silver III.
  • Players Crimson II and above will start Season 04 in Diamond I.

Top 250 Leaderboard & Division

• The Top 250 Division drops into Warzone, ranking the top 250 Ranked Play players in the world on an in-game Leaderboard that all players can view from within the Warzone Ranked Play lobby.
  • The Top 250 will be active from Day 1 of each Season. 
  • Players will qualify for the Top 250 and appear on the Leaderboard as they surpass 10,000+ SR. The top 250 players with the highest SR above 10,000 will remain on the board and compete for 1st place over the remainder of the Season.
• Ultimate Bragging Rights: In addition to new Rank and Seasonal Rewards in Warzone, the #1 Ranked Play player will receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Calling Card and Emblem at the end of each Season.

Ranks & Rewards

• Warzone Ranked Play joins Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Ranked Play to deliver the most rewarding competitive Call of Duty experience ever, with a variety of valuable rewards available to players at launch and Season after Season.
• Unlocked Rewards can be used in Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0. Unlock what the mode has to offer to show off your Rank and Skill wherever you play.
• Ranks & Rank Rewards
  • Separate from the player’s SR and Skill Division is Rank. Rank persists across Seasons to celebrate the player’s journey across their Ranked Play career. 
  • All players start at Rank 1 and can progress to Rank 50.
  • Players increase their Rank by earning Stars. Each match has the ability to award three (3) Stars dependent on match placement. Earn enough Stars to reach the next Rank.
    • Stars awarded by Placement:
      • Top 25: 1 Star
      • Top 10: 2 Stars
      • 1st Place: 3 Stars
  • Every 5 Ranks players will progress their Rank icon and unlock a set of Rank rewards:
    • Rank 5: ‘Ranked and Reckless’ Vehicle Skin for use with the GMC Hummer EV.
    • Rank 10: ‘Good Sweat’ Emblem 
    • Rank 15: ‘Lost Full’ Sticker
    • Rank 20: ‘Bot Collector’ Weapon Charm
    • Rank 25: ‘Hot Drop’ Animated Emblem
    • Rank 30: ‘Ranked Play Win Tracker’ Gun Screen that displays the player’s lifetime Warzone Ranked Play win total. 
    • Rank 35: ‘Bot Patrol’ Sticker 
    • Rank 40: ‘Ranked Demon’ Large Decal
    • Rank 45: ‘Frying’ Weapon Charm
    • Rank 50: ‘Ranked Veteran’ Emblem & Skin for use with both CDL Male & Female Operators on both Factions.
  • Each Rank Milestone also unlocks a Calling Card that represents the player’s achieved Rank. 
• Season 04 Challenge Rewards
  • In addition to Rank Rewards, each Ranked Play Season will give players the opportunity to earn exclusive limited-time rewards. 
  • Throughout the Season 04, players can earn the following rewards:
    • Placement Challenges
      • Finish ‘Top 15’ 25 Times: ‘Cash Out’ Large Decal
      • Finish ‘Top 5’ 25 Times: Pro Issue Lachman Sub Blueprint
      • Finish 1st Place: ‘Team Wipe’ Weapon Charm
    • Kill & AssistChallenges
      • Get 25 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Season 04 Competitor’ Sticker
      • Get 250 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Ranked Play Season 04’ Loading Screen
      • Get 1000 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Season 04 Ranked Veteran’ Camo
• End of Season Division Rewards
• At the end of each Season, players will be awarded Skill Division rewards that represent their highest attained Division that Season.
  • Seasonal Division Rewards
    • Each Ranked Play Season will have a unique set of Division Rewards awarded at the end of the Season to celebrate the player’s highest Skill Division reached that Season. 
    • The Season 04 rewards are as follows:
      • Top 250: ‘WZ Season 04 Top 250’ Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
      • Iridescent: ‘WZ Season 04 Iridescent’ Weapon Charm, Emblem, and Calling Card
      • Crimson: ‘WZ Season 04 Crimson’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
      • Diamond: ‘WZ Season 04 Diamond’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
      • Platinum: ‘WZ Season 04 Platinum’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
      • Gold: ‘WZ Season 04 Gold’ Weapon Charm and Emblem
      • Silver: Emblem
      • Bronze: Emblem
    • Ranked Play First Place: The player who finishes Season 04 in the #1 position on the Top 250 Leaderboard will receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Calling Card and Emblem for the ultimate bragging rights.

Competitive Integrity Features

• Rejoin: Players that unintendedly disconnect from a match will be able to reconnect to the match within 4 minutes.
  • In order to uphold the Competitive Integrity of Ranked Play, certain criteria must be met in order to rejoin a match:
    • Players must have at least 1 Squad member remaining.
    • There must be at least 5 Squads remaining in the match.
    • Players can only rejoin the same match once.
    • To protect against abuse, players can have their ability to Rejoin temporarily limited if they repeatedly disconnect from matches.
  • Callouts:
    • Players that have been eliminated for over 3 minutes and intentionally disconnect via ‘Leave Match’ will not be presented with the option to Rejoin.
    • Players that disconnect while operating a vehicle will be ejected from the driver’s seat.
• Squad Backout / Match Cancel: If you lose a matchmade teammate before the match begins, your squad will be taken back to the lobby so you don’t start the match shorthanded. If too many squads get backed out before the match begins, we will return everyone to the lobby to find a better match.
• Suspensions & Penalties: Disconnecting from matches early and not rejoining will result in SR Penalties and Matchmaking Suspensions. Repeated disconnects will result in higher SR Penalties and longer Suspensions.
  • Note: Players that have been eliminated for over three minutes can disconnect from the match via “Leave Match” without penalties.
• SR Forgiveness: If a matchmade teammate disconnects during a game and does not rejoin, you won’t lose any SR for the match. You’ll still be able to gain SR if you manage to gain more than your Deployment Fee. 
• Demotion Protection and Division Stickiness: Everytime you are promoted to a new Division, you’ll gain 3 games of Demotion Protection where you won’t lose any SR. Once those games have passed, if you happen to lose enough SR where you would normally get demoted, we will set you at the Division SR floor (Gold would be 2100 SR for example) to give you one more chance before getting demoted.
• Party SR Restrictions: To ensure competitive fairness and balance of matches in higher Skill Divisions, players in certain Divisions can only party up with players around their current SR. The player with the highest Skill Division in the party determines which Party SR Restrictions are used:
  • Iridescent (Including Top 250) & Crimson: Can party with players within 1 Skill Division
  • Diamond: Can party within 2 Skill Divisions
  • Bronze – Platinum: Can party up without any restrictions

Additional Features

• Find A Party: Warzone Ranked Play players can utilize the ‘Find a Party’ feature to find Squadmates of similar Skill before searching for a match.
  • This feature includes the following preference filters:
  • In-Game Communication Style: No Preference, Voice, Ping Only, and Text
  • Main Language: Select up to 3 language preferences: English (EN), French (FR), German (DE), Italian (IT), or Spanish (EU) (ES)
• Playstyle: Competitive has been pre-selected and will remain locked for Party Finder.
• Hot Streaks: Win a Ranked Play game to earn Victory Streak Flames that appear behind your Rank Icon in the lobby and in-game. Extend your win streak to progress the flames. Victory Streak Flames expire when you are eliminated or after 72 hours without playing a Ranked Play match. Go on a roll and the competition will know the heat is coming.
• Social Profile: Your WZ Ranked Play Rank icon will be added to your Social profile anywhere your profile is viewed across Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue that prevented the Apply All Plates setting from taking into consideration any new Armor Plates that were looted while plating.
• Fixed an issue that prevented spectators from hearing Proximity Voice Chat.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Deployable Buy Station icon on the Tac Map to remain white during Fire Sale Public Events.
• Fixed an issue that caused an elimination to not count if the target Player disconnected in the middle of an execution animation.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Player Buyback cost in the Squad widget to not properly reflect the Firesale Public Event discount.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Players from being able to pick up ground loot while in a Weapon reload animation.
• Fixed an issue that caused Players to receive 100% of Progression XP as Weapon XP when completing Contracts, which has now been appropriately reduced to 20% as originally intended.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Players returning from the Gulag from seeing Most Wanted Contract target icons on the Tac Map.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Deployable Buy Station Tac Map icon to remain white during Fire Sale Public Events.
• Fixed an issue causing an equipped heartbeat sensor to drop with 1% battery life after equipping a loadout. The heartbeat sensor will now drop with the correct remaining battery percentage.
• Fixed an issue causing the gas to do less damage to the Players health during the first three circles. 
• Fixed an issue that prevented Players from receiving a Killstreak warning when the backpack UI was open. 
• Fixed an issue that caused the Plunder scoreboard to not display completed Contract total and Supply Box total. 
• Fixed an issue in Battle Royale that caused inactive Contracts to disappear from the Tac Map if Players picked up an active Contract. 
• Fixed an issue where Perk Packages were impossible to pick up on the train.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Train to unintendedly eliminate Players within close proximity while not in motion.
• Fixed an issue that was causing Players to resist more Gas damage than intended with Gas Masks during the first 4 Circles.
• Fixed a number of incorrect Buy Station spawn locations across Al Mazrah.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Birdseye Perk to not function properly in Battle Royale.
• Fixed an issue causing missing UI elements for the Champion’s Quest objective.