Andor Season 2 leads directly into the final chapter in Cassian Andor's storyline, told in true Star Wars fashion through an interquel in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Season 2 introduces characters from that feature film such as K-S20 and Krennic, and star Diego Luna has said it turns Rogue One into a completely different film.

IGN's Andor: Season 1 review returned a 9/10. We said: "Andor is one of the very best TV shows of the year and as good as Star Wars has been in a long, long time."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

One specific area Treyarch took aim at with its Black Ops 6 Season 1 update revolves around what it calls “disruptive behavior.” The team has adjusted ping thresholds to tackle VPN abuse and enhanced AFK detection in hopes of extinguishing boosting in lobbies. These are changes that should help ward off the use of popular exploits like bot lobbies, with additional tweaks to the anti-cheat measures sure to come as more updates arrive. Players will also be required to win 50 match-made Multiplayer matches before they’re allowed to dive into Ranked mode.

It's all about making every aspect of the Black Ops 6 experience authentic, so it’s not shocking to see a bevy of weapon tweaks coming to Multiplayer in Season 1, too. While assault rifles like the XM4, GPR 91, and AMES 85 received general damage buffs across the board, their headshot multipliers have also been reduced. Shotguns users were handed some changes, too, including increased damage multipliers and even more general damage improvements for the Marine SP and ASG-89.

Omnimovement comes to Warzone

Black Ops 6 Season 1 alone comes with a long list of additions that will surely only change more as more content rolls out. Warzone, meanwhile, is an entirely different beast, but the team as Raven Software made sure to go over all of the details in its own post on the Call of Duty website. While things like Area 99 and omnimovement are sure to give fans of the long-running battle royale mode an entirely new hill to climb, there are plenty of other smaller changes here to help iron out the mode, too.

Those same Ricochet anti-cheat measures from Multiplayer will be carried into Warzone, for example. Warzone UI is also getting a massive facelift, which includes a legacy tab for previously unlocked Modern Warfare 2 and 3 customization options, an option to change your mini-map type, and a legacy content filtering system. Treyarch says it also brough back some original Warzone elements, such as equipment icons and armor plate shape.

More Multiplayer maps, modes, skins, and much, much more are coming with Season 1 when it arrives tomorrow. For a breakdown of the highlights, you can check out Treyarch’s roadmap here. You can also learn about some of the wacky Operator bundles, which include shark and racoon cosmetics, that will be available to purchase in the coming weeks.

Finally, you can see the full Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone Season 1 patch notes below.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 Patch Notes

WELCOME TO SEASON 01

Season 01 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is imminent! Tomorrow you’ll get your chance to wreak some havoc when Sevati “Sev” Dumas brings home a deal to take down the remaining Pantheon rats.

Until then, check out our Patch Notes for details on New Season 01 Content and the latest balance adjustments, gameplay improvements, bug fixes, and more.

Looking for Warzone Patch Notes? The team at Raven Software has you covered right here.

• Season Launch
  • Hideout (6v6)
    • Sharpen your combat skills in this mid-sized Multiplayer map featuring an extensive training site including target practice, an obstacle course, and a lifelike recreation of a vault and security room to help plan for the next mission to hit the Luttazzi crime family.
  • Heirloom (6v6, 2v2)
    • Crash a private showing of Luttazzi family art to create a diversion for the other Rogue Black Ops team as they execute the real job.
  • Extraction (6v6)
    • All hell has broken loose in the aftermath of a Crimson One ambush when the attack on the Luttazzis goes sideways.

• Season Launch
  • Ransack
    • Ransack sees you looting gold bars from crates dotted around the area of operations on 6v6 maps. Once gathered, secure your loot by bringing it back to your team’s stash.
• In-Season
  • Prop Hunt
    • Prepare for an infamous game of hide-and-seek, as the fan-favorite Black Ops party mode is back! Drop into a Multiplayer map as a Prop or Hunter.

• Season Launch
  • Krig C – Assault Rifle (Battle Pass)
    • For a hard-hitting, versatile Assault Rifle that performs well across multiple ranges, look no further than the Krig C.
  • Saug – SMG - Battle Pass (Battle Pass)
    • Pepper your enemies with a hailstorm of lead using this rapid-fire SMG that’s perfect for breaching and clearing small spaces.
• In-Season
  • Sirin 9mm – Special Weapon (Special Event Reward)
    • Take your game to the next level with this foldable Special category weapon offering full-auto fire with a slow and steady fire rate to help you stay on target up to the mid-range.
  • Power Drill – Melee Weapon (Event Reward)
    • There’s no better tool for the job than the Power Drill, offering a rapid attack speed for quick follow-up hits to get the job done.

• Season Launch
  • 12 Gauge Dragon’s Breath (Battle Pass)
    • Add some heat to your Shotgun blasts with incendiary rounds comprised of magnesium sparks that stick to and burn enemies over time.
• In-Season
  • Buffer Weight Stock (Event Reward)
    • The heavier Buffer Weight Stock provides significantly smoother action through the additional resistance met by the bolt carrier group for the XM4 Assault Rifle, XMG LMG, and DM-10 Marksman Rifle.
  • XM4 Burst Fire Conversion (Event Reward)
    • Convert the XM4 Assault Rifle’s primary firing mode into a three-round burst to help conserve ammo and stay on target.
  • Kompakt 92 Burst Fire Conversion (Event Reward)
    • Convert the Kompakt 92 SMG’s primary firing mode into an exceptionally rapid three-round burst.

• Season Launch Window
  • Shadow – Strategist
    • Undetectable to enemy traps and mines.

• Hand Cannon
  • Available as an Event Reward in the Season Launch Window, this mid-level Scorestreak allows players to equip a massively powerful handgun for a finite amount of time.
  • The Hand Cannon can also be accessed in Zombies at the Crafting Table under Support.

New Operators (Multiplayer & Zombies)

• Goliath (BlackCell, Rogue Black Ops, Launch)
  • Solidify your fiery combat mastery as the molten man of fire himself, Goliath! All biographical information for this Operator has been redacted.
• Sevati “Sev” Dumas (Battle Pass, Rogue Black Ops, Launch)
  • A main player in the Rogue Team after the conclusion of the Campaign, Sev is ready to make a deal with the untrustworthy French Syndicate and is gearing up to take down the rival Luttazzi family to prove it.
• The Replacer (Bundle, Rogue Black Ops, In-Season)
  • There’s no substitute for greatness. The Replacer has concluded his whirlwind Black Ops 6 takeover tour and has freed up some time to appear in-game, available as a Store Bundle shortly after Launch.
• Competitor CDL Home and Away Operators
  • Two new Operators arrive just in time for the 2025 Call of Duty League® season, and both are available (along with a host of other content including a Weapon Camo) in the CDL Store Bundle. The first available Bundle includes the “2025 CDL Home” “Competitor” Operator (Rogue Black Ops), and the “2025 CDL Away” “Competitor” Operator (Crimson One).
  • Access either of the Competitor Operators to find the location where a variety of incoming Operator Skins will become available, once earned. Expect the following as Season 01 progresses:
    • CDL Team Packs for the Atlanta Faze, Boston Breach, Carolina Royal Ravens, Los Angeles Guerrillas, Los Angeles Thieves, Miami Heretics, Minnesota Rokkr, Cloud9 New York, Vancouver Surge, Optic Texas, Toronto Ultra, and Vegas Falcons.
    • Skins unlocked during Multiplayer Ranked Play for Challenge Wins, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson, Iridescent, Top 250, and Seasonal World Champion.
    • Skins unlocked during Warzone Ranked Play for Challenge Wins, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson, Iridescent, Top 250, and Seasonal World Champion.

New Events

• The Hit List (In-Season)
  • Who’s next? Keep up your luxurious – but slightly corrupt – lifestyle during the Hit List Event. You’re offered up a take-no-prisoners mission: kill or be killed. The Hit List Limited Event gives players a board of contracts with one goal – take them all out. Cross off the entire list and earn some exclusive loot for hire.

• Liberty Falls and Terminus
  • For those players looking to witness the Zombies story with a guided experience to complete the objectives of the Main Quests in Liberty Falls and Terminus, Directed Mode is available at launch.
    • Directed Mode offers direct assistance in completing the Main Quest with objectives listed on-screen.
    • All Side Quests, S.A.M. Trials, and the Rampage Inducer are disabled in this mode.
    • Rounds are capped based on certain steps in the Main Quest progression, with a maximum of Round 15.
    • The chance to earn unique Calling Card rewards for completing the Main Quests for Liberty Falls or Terminus before Directed Mode goes live will expire when Season 01 launches.

GLOBAL

Here is a message from our partners at Team Ricochet:Treyarch has delivered several updates to combat disruptive behavior, including:

• Enhanced AFK detections to battle against account boosting
• Adjusting ping thresholds to require players play matches in their region to cut down on VPN abuse

To unlock Ranked Play in Black Ops 6, players will need to win 50 match-made multiplayer matches:

• This ensures that players are experienced with multiplayer before they enter the mode and gives #TeamRICOCHET a historical match history to examine before an account enters Ranked Play
• #TeamRICOCHET also utilizes its Replay Investigation Tool to monitor replays of top players as part of the investigation process

Detection systems initially deployed at launch from #TeamRICOCHET to collect data to test for effectiveness will be activated to help flag accounts for action beginning with Season 01.

The security system updates listed above will also be active for Ranked Play in Call of Duty®: Warzone™, which launches at mid-season.

• The Armory will go live in Black Ops 6 in S01 Reloaded when post-Event content is available to unlock.
• In Warzone, the Armory will be available to unlock at Player Level 24 at Season 01 launch. For more details, check out the Warzone Season 01 patch notes here.

CAMPAIGN

• Made improvements to mission intro sequence animations.

• Updated text for a number of languages localizations.
• Addressed various issues that resulted in infrequent game crashes.
• Addressed a memory error that was forcing players to restart their game.
• Addressed visual fidelity issues with water effects.
• Addressed an issue causing the High Contrast setting to be on by default.
• Addressed an issue where players would be mistakenly shown an out-of-bounds warning while navigating a mission.
• Addressed an issue that would prevent players from completing a mission due to the untimely passing of Gladney.

MULTIPLAYER

• Lowtown
  • Addressed an issue where the water would flicker for some players.
• Protocol
  • Adressed an issue where the water would flicker for some players.
  • Adjusted the A S&D bombsite to prevent line of sight from artillery above.
• Red Card
  • Addressed an issue where players could get outside of the intended playspace.
• Vault
  • Adjusted the A S&D bombsite to reduce line of sights from start spawn area.

• Spawn logic updates across several maps to reduce the chances of spawning near enemies.
• Adjusted start spawns in Subsonic to prevent damaging opposing enemy team at match start.

• Addressed an issue across several maps where Hardpoint zones could be captured outside of the intended boundaries.
• Addressed an issue where incorrect icons could display on the Next Hardpoint lock icon.
• Addressed an issue where the bomb in Search & Destroy could not be retrieved if dropped on a destroyed vehicle.
• Addressed an issue where the “Time is almost up” line would play too frequently in Gunfight.

• Addressed an issue where some players were unable to hear each other during Intermission (between rounds) and in Post-Game voice chat.

Throughout the pre-season we have seen a steady and healthy variety of weapon usage. Most weapons sit quite closely in both performance and pick rate, with no weapons dominating in both areas. As such our first round of Season 01 tuning changes will not be introducing any major shifts to the current state of weapon balance, and instead focus on elevating some of the weapons at the bottom of the pack. We are also addressing feedback regarding Assault Rifle damage in Hardcore and completing our adjustments to the shotgun slug attachment.

Reminder: We're using a new Weapon Damage Adjustments tables to identify post-patch damage changes when possible. Need an explainer? Click here!

• Adjusted weapon motion while moving and changing stances to improve aiming feel and centering (especially with optics).
• Hold Breath focus state will now be maintained while firing if applicable.
• Improved Weapon depth of field settings when performing a Weapon Inspect.

We are increasing the damage values for some of our Assault Rifles to ensure that they kill in just one bullet in Hardcore modes. The headshot multiplier changes have either kept the bullets to kill with headshots the same or even improved them at some Min Damage Ranges.

Strelok Laser Attachment Adjustments

• Increased the time it takes to reach ADS spread from 20% of Aim Down Sight Speed to 70% of Aim Down Sight Speed

Slug Attachment Adjustments

• Slugs allow players to run shotguns as mid-range precision weapons. As a tradeoff, they have limited short range effectiveness if you are not carefully hitting headshots

We are adjusting handling stats on the burst rifles so that they fit more squarely into their intended roles. The Swat 5.56 has a slower fire rate within each burst and more recoil, making it better suited for mid-range engagements. Meanwhile the AEK-973 has better stability and precision, but a longer burst delay makes it a riskier pick when playing aggressively. We are also significantly reducing the power of the AEK-973 Rapid Fire, which was too strong not to take.

We have been monitoring feedback on Sniper Rifles and are making some changes to promote more build diversity and improve the sniping experience before gaining access to a complete attachment set. We are lowering the baseline flinch on all Snipers and reducing the Flinch Resistance given by stock attachments. The resulting received flinch values are much lower up front and just a bit lower overall after equipping the stocks. We are also increasing Aim Walking Movement Speed bonuses on stock attachments to make those choices more valuable.

Lastly, we are improving the ADS Idle Sway delay by default on all Snipers, meaning that on average there will be less deviation from your point of aim when entering ADS. Our goal is to support the various sniping playstyles you all enjoy through several viable weapon builds. We will continue to monitor weapon and attachment data as well as your feedback to ensure that all sniping playstyles are fun and rewarding in Black Ops 6.

Sniper Rifle Class Adjustments

• All snipers now have 1 second of 50% Idle Sway scaling at the beginning of Aim Down Sight
• All snipers have had base Flinch Resistance improved by 17%

• Various updates to weapon descriptions.
• Addressed an issue where stickers would appear in the Decal slot.

• Slight reduction to Ninja footstep volume.
  • Additionally we’ve made a slight reduction to default footstep volume.
• Addressed an issue that prevented Gearhead from being able to booby-trap enemy Care Packages.
• Addressed an issue that prevented Equipment from replenishing with the Scavenger Perk.

• Archangel
  • Addressed an issue where the rocket would sometimes explode immediately when firing near a wall.

• Addressed an issue where some Daily Challenges were not tracking properly.

• Addressed a bug causing player to be slowed when shot while mantling.

• Added Nuketown and Private Match recordings.
• Addressed various stability issues when viewing matches.

• Closed an exploit that allowed players to equip Operators they had not unlocked.
• Addressed an issue where the AAR could close when entering the Scoreboard tab.
• Addressed an issue earned and unearned medals would not display correctly in Collections.
• Addressed an issue where the option to select an attachment skin would not be visible for some players.

• Addressed an issue where some weapon effects would persist on the character after changing weapons.

• Added numerous stability fixes.

ZOMBIES

• Terminus
  • Addressed an issue where defuse progress was sometimes not saved if the player stopped defusing during the Apocalypse Protocol Main Quest step.
  • Addressed an issue where entering a Kazimir after completing the Main Quest would teleport the player to the boss arena and down them.
  • Addressed an issue where loading into a saved game after unlocking the Pack-A-Punch machine could cause some doors to have inconsistent collision.
  • Addressed an issue during the Main Quest where connecting both Node Connectors at the same time would cause overlapping voice lines.
  • Changed the location of the Ammo Cache on the Seaside Path.
• Liberty Falls
  • Updated the first Mangler whose arm is blown off to always drop a Mangler Cannon instead of only the first Mangler that spawns.
  • Resolved an issue where Blanchard would not be present during some dialogue.

The recent changes to Assault Rifles in Zombies were an unintended carryover from a global weapon tuning pass. We do not intend to inherit all MP weapon tuning without looking at how it affects Zombies tuning as well.

We have corrected this in this update, while also making a pass on increasing the damage performance of ARs in Zombies. All ARs have had their Pack-a-Punched base damage and overall critical damage increased. While you may see the word "decreased" in a few places, the performance for these weapons is still increased overall!

Additionally, the HE-1 Launcher has gotten a buff to become more useful at stopping hordes of zombies. When Pack-a-Punched, it will now have more stock ammo and a larger explosion with more overall damage.

• Addressed an issue where camos were not being applied to Zombie Builds.
• Closed an exploit that allowed players to have 3 weapons.
• Addressed an issue where Wallbuy rarity would reset when loading into a save.
• Addressed an issue where yellow damage numbers would appear when hitting a critical spot with the Ray Gun.

• Quick Revive
  • Dying Wish Augment
    • Addressed an issue where Dying Wish could activate when diving from large heights while protected from fall damage.
• Elemental Pop
  • Addressed an issue where Elemental Pop would prevent normal Ammo Mod activations.
• Jugger-nog
  • Turtle Shell Augment
    • Turtle Shell will now apply damage mitigation when being grabbed by an Amalgam.
• PHD Flopper
  • Addressed an issue where diving onto an elevated or inclined surface, such as stairs or up a hill, would not activate the perk.

• Addressed an issue that prevented players revived by Near Death Experience from keeping all their Perks.

• Adjusted the description for the Energy Mine to no longer say it deals Electrical damage to accurately reflect the damage type.
• Increased Dark Flare damage from 25% to 40% of the base zombie max health per tick.
• Addressed an issue where an extra charge on Field Upgrades would be lost when loading a save.

Support

• Addressed an issue that could cause the Mutant Injection to end early when near water.
• Addressed an issue that allowed the player to pick up a Sentry Turret while using Mutant Injection.
• Reduced self-damage from the LDBR.

• Closed an exploit that allowed keeping a save file after it had already been loaded.

• Addressed an issue where zombies charmed by Brain Rot could prevent the player from completing an exfil.
• Addressed an issue where loading a save would disable the rampage inducer if it was active.
• Addressed an issue where zombies would throw guts at the end camera if the player leaves the match to end the game.
• Terminus
  • Addressed an issue where rarely the round would not end after killing all zombies.
  • Addressed an issue where the Amalgam could grab the player while slowed.
  • Addressed an issue where the Amalgam could pull players into walls causing them to get stuck.
  • Addressed an issue where diving while being hit by knockback from Patient 13 could push the player further than intended.
• Liberty Falls
  • Addressed an issue that prevented the Abomination from spawning inside Fuller’s Liberty Lanes.
  • Addressed an issue where the Abomination could fire off a beam attack before leaving a spawn closet.

• Addressed an issue that would prevent one elite from spawning consistently during exfil from rounds 16 onward
• Updated S.A.M. Trials that required the player to not take damage to display a progress bar instead of a timer.
• Terminus.
  • Addressed an issue where players would be able to use Equipment, Scorestreaks, and fire weapons during the Boat Race awards sequence.

• Addressed an issue where XP was being awarded to all weapons being used in an assist instead of just the last one.
  • If two weapons were used in an assist only the last one used by the players getting the assist will be awarded XP.

• Addressed an issue where Wall Buys would not progress the Prestige 8 Challenge Value Town.
• Addressed an issue where Legendary GobbleGums would progress the Ultra Prestige 8 Challenge Full Power instead of Ultra GobbleGums.
• Addressed an issue where the Liberated Challenge could be completed by saving and quitting before starting the final encounter.
• Addressed an issue that would complete the Social Distancing and Invincible Challenges by joining a game in progress.
• Addressed an issue that would complete the Harbinger of Doom Challenge when loading into a saved game and using a Scorestreak.
• Addressed an issue where the Prestige 5 Challenge Fire & Forget would mention needing a Bombing Run medal instead a Lethality medal.
• Addressed an issue where the player would not complete Outrageous Challenge until Round 16 instead of Round 15.
• Addressed an issue where loading a save past Round 25 would complete the Sticks N’ Stones Challenge.
• Addressed an issue where the Dark Journey Challenge could show as not complete when unlocking Nebula on 33 weapons and being awarded the Calling Card.

• We have updated the detection logic to determine if a player is AFK during an active match.
  • This should reduce the amount of false positive AFK kicks in Zombies.
• Added AFK Kick warning UI to ZM

• Updated visuals on all GobbleGums to improve readability.
• Addressed an issue where the Boat UI would overlap with the Map with the Central Command HUD preset.
• Addressed an issue where the Drop Node Connecter prompt during the Terminus Main Quest would overlap with the Map with the Central Command HUD preset.
• Addressed an issue where the Round number would initially be displayed incorrectly when loading a save.
• Addressed an issue where the Weapon Stats on the AAR would show the loadout players started with instead of the loadout they ended with.
• Addressed an issue where some items would show the wrong text on the Tac Map when pinged.
• Removed Multiplayer information from Melee Weapon descriptions.
• Added a Highest Round icon to the AAR when reaching a new personal highest round.
• Added a timer to the scoreboard.
• Added a notification when picking up Intel.

• Addressed an issue on PS4 where some effects would stop rendering at higher rounds.
• Addressed an issue where some effects for the Mutant Injection were not working when Sprinting.
• Addressed an issue where the character effects from Brutus would be present during Mutant Injection.
• Liberty Falls
  • Addressed an issue where some damaged vehicles would not have smoke effects.

• Addressed an issue where the game could crash when attempting to start a solo match after playing in splitscreen.
• Addressed an issue where sometimes the player would be unable to Save & Quit with the error "The game failed to save for an unknown reason. Try again later."
• Added numerous stability fixes.

Call of Duty: Warzone Patch Notes

Season 01 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is imminent! Tomorrow, you’ll get your chance to wreak some havoc when Sevati “Sev” Dumas brings home a deal to take down the remaining Pantheon rats.

Until then, check out our Patch Notes for details on New Season 01 Content and the latest balance adjustments, gameplay improvements, bug fixes, and more.

Looking for Multiplayer or Zombies Patch Notes? The team at Treyarch has you covered right here.

RICOCHET ANTI-CHEAT

Treyarch has delivered several updates to combat disruptive behavior, including:

• Enhanced AFK detections to battle against account boosting
• Adjusting ping thresholds to require players play matches in their region to cut down on VPN abuse

To unlock Ranked Play in Black Ops 6, players will need to win 50 match-made multiplayer matches:

• This ensures that players are experienced with multiplayer before they enter the mode and gives #TeamRICOCHET a historical match history to examine before an account enters Ranked Play
• #TeamRICOCHET also utilizes its Replay Investigation Tool to monitor replays of top players as part of the investigation process

Detection systems initially deployed at launch from #TeamRICOCHET to collect data to test for effectiveness will be activated to help flag accounts for action beginning with Season 01.

The security system updates listed above will also be active for Ranked Play in Call of Duty®: Warzone™, which launches at mid-season.

EVENTS

Who’s next? Keep up your luxurious – but slightly corrupt – lifestyle during the Hit List Event. You’re offered up a take-no-prisoners mission: kill or be killed. The Hit List Limited Event gives players a board of contracts with one goal – take them all out. Cross off the entire list and earn some exclusive loot for hire.

BATTLE PASS

An all-new Battle Pass System grants you the opportunity to earn 100+ rewards, including free base weapons, numerous Weapon Blueprints, Equipment Skins, Operator Skins, and much more. There are three ways to obtain some or all of this content:

• Earn 20+ free rewards, including cosmetic content and base weapons.
• Purchase the premium Battle Pass and earn up to 1,100 COD Points as you progress through the Battle Pass Pages.
• Or purchase BlackCell for the ultimate seasonal experience, including a variety of molten hot Operator Skins, Weapon Blueprints, COD points, and other rewards.

For a full breakdown of the Season 01 Battle Pass and the breadth of content that it has to offer, check out the official blog here.

WARZONE

MAPS

New Map

Season 01 introduces Area 99, a new Warzone map designed by Treyarch and inspired by Nuketown's high-paced gameplay. This map is set in the Nevada desert at the Echo Ridge Weapons Station — a hidden 1950s government site abandoned after a reactor leak. The map offers intense, tactical combat through desert roadways, open trenches, and pipework around a central Reactor “bullseye,” anticipated as the hottest drop zone. Another key point of interest is a massive crane suspending a Nuketown house in the Loading Bay, adding to the map's unique and dynamic environment.

• Points of Interest
  • Reactor
  • Bunker
  • Test Site
  • Mannequin Assembly
  • Cooling Towers
  • Nuketown Shipping
  • Loading Bay
  • Warehouse
  • Manufacturing
  • Pods

Returning Maps

The "big map" returns to its early days featuring familiar landmarks from before the destruction of Popov Power Plant and the arrival of the Atlas Superstore.

Enhanced with Black Ops 6 innovations, Urzikstan is the staging ground for a fierce Ranked Play Battle Royale later when Season 01's Mid-Season launches.

The infamous prison island returns during Season 01's playlist with Resurgence Modes, enhanced by Omnimovement, Black Ops 6 weaponry, and Killstreaks for added tactical intensity.

Map Adjustments

• Vehicles
  • All new vehicles with improved handling, detailed further below.
  • Brand new dirtbike for quick rotation.

• Loot
  • All new Black Ops 6 ground loot including weapons and equipment.

• Visuals
  • Lighting and visual improvements to the map with Black Ops 6 technology.

• Sound
  • Audio improvements to in-game sound effects including footsteps balance tuning.

• Submarine
  • The Submarine POI introduced earlier this year now appears 100% of the time.

• Redeploy Drones
  • Increased Redeploy Drone count and spawn rate for balancing later circles.

• Biometric Scanner & Weapon Trade Station
  • Rewards for the Biometric Scanner and Weapon Trade Station have been rebalanced and updated to Black Ops 6 loot.

MODES

Returning Modes

This mode offers the classic Warzone experience, centered around high-risk, high-reward gameplay. You and your squad have only but a few attempts to survive - and the match concludes with one ultimate winner.

• Player Count: 120 (Solos, Duos, Trios, Quads)

• Map: Urzikstan

This mode offers a bit more forgiveness and a whole lot more action. As long as one squad member remains alive, others can redeploy after a countdown. However, once the resurgence window expires, free redeployment is no longer possible for the remainder of the game.

• Player Count: 44 (Solos, Duos, Quads), 45 (Trios)

• Map: Area 99, Rebirth Island

This mode is a squad-based mode where accumulating Cash is the main objective. The squad that gathers the most Cash by the end of a timed period - extended into overtime once a squad reaches $2 million - claims victory. Cash can be earned by eliminating players and collecting their valuables, searching ground loot and Supply Boxes, and completing Contracts and in-game events. Operators can start with a custom Loadout and redeploy after each elimination throughout the entire match.

• Player Count: 120

• Map: Urzikstan

This mode is a Quads-only training mode, allowing players to experience Warzone with up to 20 players and 24 bots. XP progression is limited, and the mode does not contribute to Daily/Weekly Challenges or include public events or advanced contracts.

• Player Count: 44

• Map: Urzikstan

Mode Adjustments

• Resurgence
  • Players will receive an additional 25% discount in the Buy Station on "Redeploy Squadmate" while the Resurgence timer is still active.

PLAYLIST

Additional Note: To celebrate the new Area 99 map, it is the exclusive Resurgence map during the first weekend of launch, with Rebirth Island then returning to the playlist.

For information about upcoming Playlists, please check out the dedicated Warzone Trello Board.

RANKED PLAY

An all-new Ranked Play experience will come to Battle Royale on Urzikstan for the first time with Season 01 Reloaded. Keep an eye open for more intel later this year.

GENERAL

• Carry-Forward
  • Weapons, blueprints, operators and skins, and vast majority of the cosmetics from Modern Warfare II and III will be available to players in the Black Ops 6 era of Warzone.

• AFK Detection
  • We have updated the detection logic to determine if a player is AFK during an active match.

• Leaderboards
  • To accommodate and track the new statistics coming with the Black Ops 6 integration, the Warzone Leaderboard stats will be reset at launch.

ARMORY

The Black Ops 6 Armory (BETA) is a repository that provides access to previously missed Loadout content from prior titles including Modern Warfare II and III. Players can look for and activate an item in the Armory to start earning XP toward unlocking it.

The Armory is unlocked at Player Level 24 and is added to the Level Unlock Menu. This menu serves as a platform to browse items that otherwise cannot be earned through normal weapon progression.

Please note that certain legacy attachments will be missing from the armory at the launch of Season 01. New players seeking to unlock these items can do so by playing the respective legacy title until they are implemented in Black Ops 6 in a future update. Players that have already unlocked this content in previous games are not impacted.

PROGRESSION

Season 01 introduces an extensive progression and Prestige system, with 55 levels of unlocks, 10 Prestige levels, and a final Prestige Mastery tier with 1,000 additional levels. Players unlock weapons, equipment, killstreaks, and perks through progression, with exclusive Calling Cards, animated "Dark Ops" cards, and 10 reticle unlocks per optic. Weapon camos include 9 Military Camos per weapon, 2 Special Camos sharable across modes, and 4 Mastery Camos, including animated designs like Gold Tiger and Abyss. Some rewards are exclusive to Black Ops 6 but can be earned retroactively.

For a deep dive on Progression in Call of Duty Black Ops 6, check out the dedicated blog here.

CAMOS

Weapon Mastery Camos NEW

The Weapon Camo grind has been overhauled in Black Ops 6 and is bigger than ever. You’ll be progressing through Camos on the quest to earn the first ever Call of Duty: Warzone Mastery Camo: Abyss (Season 01).

For a more detailed look at Progression in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone, check out the Launch Comms: Progression Systems blog here.

COMBAT

New Combat

• Body Shield
  • Sneak up behind an unsuspecting enemy and double-tap the melee button to pull them close as your personal shield against incoming fire.
  • Once they’ve served their purpose, gracefully deliver the coup de grâce.
  • Body Shield is the spiritual successor to the previous Interrogation mechanic.

• Dedicated Melee Weapon
  • All player loadouts will have a dedicated melee weapon by default, in addition to their primary and secondary weapon slots.
  • Players can swap to their dedicated melee weapon by holding down the melee button.
  • Players holding a melee weapon will benefit from unlimited tac sprint.

• Shootable Doors
  • Doors can now be shot open allowing for new tactics and strategy.

Combat Adjustments

• Primary Weapon
  • The Loadout inventory is returning to the classic Warzone experience where players can only equip one Primary weapon.
  • There is a Wildcard detailed further below that allows for two Primary weapons to be equipped.

• Self-Revive Auto Pickup
  • While downed, players will now be able to automatically loot Self-Revive kits that are within close proximity.

• Live Ping Duration
  • The duration of live pings has been reduced from 3 seconds to 2 in order to bring more balance to a combat engagement.

• Armor Plate Replacement Speed
  • The speed at which players can replace broken or missing armor plates has been increased by 8% to match the fluidity of Black Ops 6 Omnimovement.

• Abandon Timer
  • The time players must wait to give up has been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds due to the previous Interrogation mechanic being replaced.

• Deaths Door
  • The health at which players will enter the death’s door state has been reduced from 50% to 35%.
  • The health at which the death’s door state will end has been reduced from 70% to 55%.
  • This change is due to us wanting to enable Players to better hear and see their surroundings when under threat by an enemy.

MOVEMENT

New Movement

• Omnimovement
  • The movement and combat innovations from Black Ops 6 are fully integrated into Warzone. This allows players to Sprint, Slide, and Dive in any direction, perform 180-degree Combat Dives, and execute advanced moves like the Combat Supine and Omni-Sprint for dynamic tactical play.

• Combat Supine
  • Drop to a prone position, then rotate your Operator for a complete 360-degree view of your surroundings. Then fire to eliminate the enemy quickly as they appear, all the while staying in the supine position.

• Intelligent Movement
  • Players can now customize elements of how they traverse landscape and navigate combat.
  • Available in the Keyboard & Mouse or Controller Options under “Movement,” players will find the following features:
    • Sprint Assist: Choose whether to manually or automatically sprint, tactically sprint, how much of a delay before sprinting begins, and if the assist occurs while sprinting sideways or backwards.
    • Mantle Assist: Customize how and when to automatically mantle over obstacles.
    • Crouch Assist: This enables crouching and sliding when the intent is to move through a valid opening.
    • Corner Slice: Allows the act of inclining weapons (and camera) when adjacent to or moving around a corner. This doesn’t affect aim. Default is “on.”

• Unlimited Tac Sprint
  • Players will have access to unlimited tac sprint via the Sprinter Perk or by holding their dedicated melee weapon.

• Mantle Protection
  • Players will now climb onto thin or high ledges rather than over them to prevent untimely deaths.

Movement Adjustments

• Tac Sprint Duration
  • We heard feedback around default tac sprint duration, so it has been increased from 2 seconds to 4 seconds.

• Landing Tuning
  • The duration of the shock effect when falling from a near-death height has been reduced to 2.1 seconds from 3 seconds.
  • The minimum fall damage required before the shock effect from landing is now 55%, up from 50% allowing for slightly higher jumps with less punishment.
  • This change is made to better enable the movement opportunities that the Black Ops 6 integration allows.

• Vertical Ascenders & Horizontal Zipline Improvements Quality of Life
  • Interacting with the Ascenders and Ziplines lines has been improved, making it easier to attach to the line from an angle or while free falling to increase fluidity.

• Redeploy Drones
  • Redeploy Drones are fixed in place for the duration of a match.
  • Once a Redeploy Drone has been consumed by the gas, it will leave the map rather than relocating to give a more consistent experience.

INVENTORY

• Streamlined Inventory
  • At the start of Season 01, we're streamlining the inventory system by removing the “Backpack” and returning to a classic inventory layout, organized by sections for cash, gas mask, armor plates, killstreaks, field upgrades, weapons, ammo and perks.

PERKS

Perks in Warzone are now streamlined, allowing players to choose three Perks (one from each color-coded slot) in the Loadouts Menu. Most Pick-3 Perks unlock as you level up but re-lock upon Prestiging. Black Ops 6 player levels carry over to Warzone, unlocking corresponding Perks.

General

• Lootable Perks
  • Lootable Perks return! Each season, players will encounter a number of perks via Ground Loot and Supply Boxes. These perk effects stack on top of the original Pick-3 Perks players have selected in their loadout.
  • When a player is eliminated, their Pick-3 Perks will drop on the ground as a “Custom Perk Pack” to be recovered or stolen by another player, while any looted perks will disappear.
  • The Lootable Perks players can find include a mix of perks from the 18 possible Pick-3 Perks, in addition to two perks that are unique to ground loot;
    • Shrouded
    • Irradiated
  • Players will recognize their Pick-3 Perks when they are equipped in the bottom right of the HUD, while lootable perks can be viewed in the Inventory.

• Specialist Perk Package
  • Found as a rare loot drop or Care Package reward, Specialist grants every Perk including all 18 Pick-3 Perks, as well as both Ground Loot exclusive Perks - Irradiated and Shrouded.
  • If you're eliminated, the Specialist Perk package will disappear.
  • Can be acquired in Buy Stations in limited quantities for $30,000.

• Pre-Match Perks Quality of Life
  • Perks can now be edited in the pre-match lobby.

Available Perks

• Reduce the negative effects of some enemy equipment.
  • Immunity to Grenadier.
  • Immunity to Snapshots.
  • Resistant to Flash, Gas, Movement, and Shock negative effects.
• While aiming down sights reduce flinching and extend Hold Breath duration.
• Unlocked via Season 01 - The Hit List Event Reward

• Explosive damage slows enemy health regeneration and movement speed.
• Throw equipment farther and see a previous of the trajectory.
• Throw distance reduced to 15% from 25%.
• Increased the delay for enemy health to regen to 10 seconds from 5 seconds.
• Unlocked at player level 1

• Reduced weapon motion while jumping, sliding, and diving.
• Take less fall damage.
• Unlocked at player level 20

• Start equipped with maximum reserve ammo for your primary weapon.
  • Extra ammunition from Loadout acquisition only.
• Resupply ammo, equipment, plates, and extra cash from dead enemies.
• Unlocked at player level 26

• Start regenerating health more quickly.
  • Health regen begins after 3 seconds.
• Your allies revive you faster when you’re downed.
• The passive ability to ping enemies that down you has been moved to Tracker.
• Removed reviving allies faster.
• Removed the death tax reduction.
• Unlocked at player level 47

• Recharge equipment over time (50 seconds).
• Unlocked at player level 1

• Reduces incoming explosive and fire damage.
  • Does not reduce Killstreaks damage.
• Spot enemy equipment and Killstreaks through walls.
  • Can hack enemy equipment.
  • ADS to highlight equipment for your squad.
• Unlocked at player level 8

• Track enemy footsteps, bullets you fire briefly mark an enemy on contact for you and your squad.
  • Hitting the enemy from farther away increases the time they are marked.
• Enemies that down you are automatically pinged.
• Unlocked at player level 29

• Can Tactical Sprint indefinitely.
• Unlocked at player level 32

• Undetectable by AI targeting and thermal optics.
• Prevents some enemy recon Perks and effects.
  • Immunity to EMP and Scrambling.
  • Immunity to Tracker.
  • Will not trigger Alertness.
• Unlocked at player level 41

• Killing enemies or inserting armor plates immediately starts health regeneration.
  • Health regeneration triggers on gun, melee, and throwing knife kills.
• Players can now insert amor plates one-handed enabling them to still hold onto a weapon and hip fire.
• Unlocked at player level 50

• Reduced movement penalties when reloading or using equipment.
• Reload while Tac Sprinting.
• Unlocked at player level 1

• Taking damage from gunfire provides a boost to movement speed for a short duration.
  • 15% movement speed bonus, an increase from 5%.
• Unlocked at player level 5

• Undetectable by enemy Radar Pings while moving.
• Cannot be detected by some devices.
  • Immunity to Heartbeat Sensor and Proxy Alarm.
• Unlocked at player level 17

• UAVs you call in are 25% larger and show the heading of the enemy for your squad.
  • Increase applies to UAV Killstreaks, UAV Towers, and Portable Radar.
• Detects players who have the Ghost effect.
  • Players with Ghost do not show a heading.
• Will no longer increase sweep speed or duration of UAVs.
• Unlocked at player level 23

• Refill armor plates to full with two plates instead of three.
• Unlocked at player level 35

• Sense when enemies are nearby with on-screen information.
  • Sense at a 30m radius.
• Your vision pulses when you are being aimed at by the enemy.
• Unlocked at player level 44

• Drop a Smoke Grenade when entering the downed state.
• Available via ground loot

• While under the effects of the gas circle or equipment you will move faster, take reduced gas damage, and can insert armor plates.
• Available via ground loot

WILDCARDS

First introduced in Black Ops Cold War, Wildcards come to Warzone with 4 options that act as special, single-use perks for each loadout. These loadout modifiers allow players to equip more gear, weapons, or attachments, adding unique customization and variety to gameplay.

Available Wildcards

Bandolier

- Your loadout provides a Munitions Satchel.

- This Wildcard is only available in Warzone.

- Unlocked at player level 15

Overkill

- Equip two Primary or Secondary weapons.

- Unlocked at player level 24

Gunfighter

- Get 3 extra attachment points for your Primary weapon.

- This only applies to Black Ops 6 weapons.

- Unlocked at player level 33

Battle Ready

- Your loadout provides a UAV and Utility Box.

- This Wildcard is only available in Warzone.

- Unlocked at player level 38

SATCHELS

Satchels are new loot items that expand storage for inventory slots, allowing players to carry more of an item type and improve efficiency. Each Satchel type can be equipped simultaneously and are dropped upon elimination.

Available Satchels

Armor Satchel

- This substantially increases your Armor Plate carrying capacity from 6 to 12.

Munitions Satchel

- This increases the Ammunition capacity for all weapon types.

- Increases Equipment capacity by 2 to 4.

EQUIPMENT

Warzone continues to provide an extensive selection of lethal and tactical equipment, allowing players a range of options to suit their combat style. With the release of Black Ops 6, players can explore new additions to the equipment lineup, some of which we suspect may become fan favorites. We’ve also made several visual and balance adjustments to classic equipment, ensuring a diverse arsenal to choose from.

Available Equipment

• Cookable fragmentation grenade.
• Unlocked at player level 1

• Proximity-triggered explosive that launches in the air and deals heavy damage to the surrounding area.
• Unlocked at player level 1

• Reliable sticky grenade with a timed fuse.
• Unlocked at player level 9

• Sticky explosive with large damage radius.
• Unlocked at player level 14

• Creates a large fuel-air cloud that explodes after a duration.
• Updated to the Black Ops 6 version of the Thermobaric.
• Unlocked at player level 21

• Precision grenade that explodes on impact.
• Unlocked at player level 26

• Thrown incendiary weapon that creates a patch of flames.
• Unlocked at player level 32

• Retrievable knife that is lethal on impact to unarmored targets or the head.
• Unlocked at player level 36

• Planted explosive device that detonates when enemies come near.
• Unlocked at player level 41

• Explosive charge that burrows into a surface and explodes, damaging enemies on the other side.
• Unlocked at player level 50

• Retrievable axe that is lethal on impact to unarmored targets and bounces off surfaces.
• Unlocked at player level 53

• Thrown sticky alarm that rings and flashes when an enemy is nearby. Tripped alarms show on allied minimaps.
• The alarm will outline enemies within the tripped area. This cannot be seen through walls.
• Available via ground loot

• Grenade that slows enemy movement and aiming.
• Unlocked at player level 1

• Grenade that blinds enemies for a duration.
• Unlocked at player level 6

• Provides a momentary glimpse of enemies within the blast radius for your squad.
• Unlocked at player level 11

• Quickly mark enemies and hostile Equipment for your team.
• Unlocked at player level 12

• Deploys a smoke screen that blocks vision and automated targeting systems.
• Unlocked at player level 17

• Grenade that releases a lingering cloud of gas that causes slowed movement, blurred vision, coughing, and light damage.
• Unlocked at player level 27

• Combat stim that heals wounds, provides an immediate burst of movement speed, and refreshes tac sprint.
• Unlocked at player level 30

• Grenade that simulates footsteps and gunfire to confuse enemies. Sticks to surfaces.
• Unlocked at player level 35

• Electrical trap that sticks to surfaces and electrocutes enemies, stunning them.
• Unlocked at player level 42

• Deployed trap which emits a neurotoxic gas cloud, causing severe hallucinations, disorienting, and damaging enemies.
• Unlocked at player level 48

Equipment Adjustments

With the Black Ops 6 integration, we have adjusted a number of the Lethal and Tactical equipment to offer a new and fresh arsenal of choices.

• Maximum Deployed Equipment
  • The maximum number of lethal and tactical equipment that can be planted at the same time has been increased to 3 up from 2.
  • We aligned Warzone with the changes to Multiplayer. This enables some of the new traps to be better utilized and function better with other adjustments like the Munitions Vest and Bomb Squad.

• Frag
  • Outer damage decreased to 65 from 110.
  • Middle damage increased to 170 from 155.
  • Inner damage decreased to 260 from 275.
  • Frag Cooking Indicator Quality of Life
    • Players will now notice a UI indicator to better determine the time remaining until a frag detonates.

• Semtex
  • Explosion radius decreased to 5m from 6.5m.
  • Outer damage decreased to 45 from 110.
  • Inner damage decreased to 180 from 200.

• Throwing Knife
  • Damage decreased to 180 from 200.

• Drill Charge
  • Outer damage decreased to 39 from 110.

• Molotov
  • Burn stage damage was reduced to 10,15,25 from 15, 25, 30.

• Smoke
  • VFX updated to be at parity with Black Ops 6.

• Experimental Gas
  • Will now deal 10 damage per tick.

• Snapshot Grenade
  • Radius increased to 15m from 10m.
  • Will now put a mark over a successfully “snapped” target which lasts for 5 seconds.

KILLSTREAKS

Killstreaks in Warzone, much like Multiplayer’s Scorestreaks, are game-changing tools that players can find via ground loot, Supply Boxes, or as rewards from contracts and events. Many of these Killstreaks are lethal, unleashing devastating airstrikes and explosions that can decimate enemy squads from above. Others are tactical, offering valuable intel on enemy positions or on ideal positioning for upcoming fights. With Black Ops 6, a few new Killstreaks have been introduced designed to give players a real advantage in the heat of battle.

Available Killstreaks

• Call in a care package that will provide several random items including killstreaks, legendary or greater weapons, lootable perks, and field upgrades.

• Launch a targeted carpet bomb strike of explosive napalm.

• An automated turret that scans for and attacks enemy aerial vehicles within range.

• Automated turret that scans for and attacks nearby enemies in a forward-facing cone.

• UAV recon that reveals enemy locations in a large area.

• An advanced version of the UAV that reveals the enemies across the entire map.

• Designate a missile strike that pierces a building, detonating on impact and deploying gas several stories downward.

• Launch a missile bombardment in a targeted area for a duration.

• Launch a drone that scrambles enemy mini maps.

• Shows all future Gas circles on the map.

• Call in twin jets for a precision strike along the best available path.

• Radar sweeps that show Supply Box locations on the map.

Killstreak Adjustments

• Bunker Buster
  • The trophy system will now counter the bunker buster.

FIELD UPGRADES

Available Field Upgrades

• Creates an area that disrupts enemy equipment, field upgrades, killstreaks, and minimaps.

• Rally your team, improving nearby allies' movement speed and health regen speed for a duration.

• Drop a box of armor for you and your squad.

• Drop a box of ammo and equipment for you and your teammates.

• Deployable autonomous neutralizing agent that disperses the toxic gas cloud to enable breathing in it. Lasts for a limited time and is very fragile.

• Marks a location and calls in a Deployable Buy Station by drone.
• The drone can be shot down as it flies in, enabling you to change the drop location.

• Portable, rapidly deployable ballistic cover.

• A limited use tablet that displays rough information about nearby enemies.

• Marks a location and deploys a Loadout Drop Crate, allowing your team to pick-up their loadout, including weapons, perks, lethals and tacticals.

• Emits a periodic radar ping to detect nearby enemies.

• A portable drone used for fast repositioning.

• Player controlled drone that can be parked. Targets in the reticle of the drone for a time will be marked for the squad.

• A compact redeployment system for fast team repositioning.

• Flare gun that brings a squad mate back.

• Deployable autonomous defense system that destroys up to three nearby pieces of equipment and projectiles.

• Deploy a box of ammo, equipment, and armor plates for you and your teammates.

Field Upgrade Adjustments

• Heartbeat Sensor
  • The warning display now highlights in red when enemies are within 15 meters, up from 7.
  • The time between pings has been reduced to 1.5 seconds, down from 2.5 seconds.

• Munitions Box
  • The munitions crate now grants 3 clips of every ammo type, rather than only refilling your primary and secondary weapon ammo types.
  • With this change players are enabled to make pivots in their weapon choices. A focus on breadth rather than depth of ammo.

• Portable Radar
  • The duration of the portable radar pulse has been increased from 25 seconds to 30.

• Personal Redeploy Drone
  • Deploys 50% faster.
  • No longer prohibits firing while in use.
  • Standardized height across the different maps.

• Reinforcement Flare
  • 30% faster to use.

• Trophy System
  • Counter charges increased from 3 to 5.

WEAPONS

Introduction

We've expanded the Warzone arsenal to include weapons from the launch of Black Ops 6 in October 2024, giving players even more options to customize their loadouts. Dive into Warzone with these powerful additions, now available alongside fan favorites from previous titles.

At launch, Black Ops 6 weapons in Warzone will share similar values to their Multiplayer counterparts such as ADS speed, sprint to fire, and recoil. However, damage profiles for a number of weapons have been modified to establish a baseline for Warzone. We encourage new and returning players to study their favorite weapon’s details in the Gunsmith.

With the integration of Black Ops 6, we also now have new tuning options for weapons that weren’t previously available, allowing us to adjust aspects like handling (ADS speed and sprint to fire), magazine sizes, recoil, and more. For instance, while the AS VAL has a default magazine size of 20 in Multiplayer, we’ve set it to 30 for Warzone.

Our goal is to make weapon adjustments faster to keep the available selection dynamic and engaging, without making any weapons feel obsolete. With these new tuning options, we aim to refine each weapon’s identity and role specific to their use in Warzone, such as emphasizing Assault Rifles as strong long-range options.

Additionally, all bolt-action snipers and pump-action shotguns (while aiming down sights) from Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III, and Black Ops 6 will have a one-shot headshot potential within their respective max damage ranges. Additionally, in order to incentivize intentional aim, all shotguns will fire 5 pellets while ADSing versus 4 when fired from the hip.

We want players to feel that weapons from Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III continue to remain solid, viable choices in Warzone. Our goal is to create a unified combat system that makes each gun enjoyable to use, regardless of its origin. We’ll continue to improve legacy weapons and attachments throughout the coming year to further support this vision.

Black Ops 6 Weapons

Black Ops 6 weapons have a unique Warzone damage profile, which includes specific base damage, range, and location-based modifiers.

We’ve adjusted several Black Ops 6 attachments to function differently in Warzone:

• CHF Barrel
  • For Assault Rifles, LMGs, DMRs, SMGs, and Pistols: This now grants an increased neck multiplier rather than a head multiplier.
  • For Sniper Rifles and Shotguns: This now provides increased leg modifiers instead of arm modifiers.

• Flip Magazine
  • The magazine capacity penalty from Multiplayer has been removed. In Warzone, flip mags match the base weapon's ammo capacity.

• Rapid Fire
  • This attachment now applies a base damage penalty in Warzone, along with greater penalties to bullet velocity and range.

Modern Warfare II & III Weapons

A visual recoil reduction pass has been applied to Modern Warfare II weapons, enhancing their feel and control while shooting.

Barrel and stock attachments from Modern Warfare II have also had their penalties reduced. Additionally, a significant balancing pass has been completed for underbarrel and muzzle attachments from both Modern Warfare II and III. All cons have been removed from these attachments, meaning they now only provide stat boosts, with each subcategory of underbarrels and muzzles functioning identically except for cosmetic differences. AMP attachments in these slots, however, retain their unique functionality and balancing.

• Muzzle Enhancements
  • Suppressors: Boost velocity and damage range.
  • Comps: Improve recoil control.
  • Flash Hiders: Increase damage range and firing aim stability.
  • Breacher: Enhance melee damage and recoil control.

• Underbarrel Enhancements
  • Angled Grip: Increases hipfire and tacstance accuracy and aim walking steadiness.
  • Handstop: Improves sprint-to-fire and ADS speed.
  • Vert Grip: Enhances recoil control and firing aim stability.

Furthermore, Modern Warfare II and III weapons now have corner-slicing functionality, adding an extra tactical edge.

Global Weapon Builds

Seamlessly access a custom weapon build you've created across Black Ops 6 Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone. This time-saving feature lets you adjust any Build or Blueprint in one game, with changes automatically applied wherever that weapon is equipped. To create a build, select a base weapon or Blueprint, add attachments and cosmetics in the Gunsmith, and return to the Custom Loadout screen to save it. The build, with all selected customizations, will then appear in other modes under the same weapon type.

New Weapons

These weapons are new to Season 01 and were not part of the original launch of Black Ops 6 Multiplayer in October 2024.

• Krig C Assault Rifle
  • Full-auto assault rifle. High damage and average handling. Recoil pattern starts very controllable before ramping up.
  • Unlockable via Battle Pass Page 3 HVT Tier Reward OR Page 14 Battle Pass Blueprint

• SAUG Submachine Gun
  • Fully automatic submachine gun. Excellent mobility and good handling. Great rate of fire. High recoil.
  • Unlockable via Battle Pass Page 3 HVT Tier Reward OR Page 11 Battle Pass Blueprint

• Sirin 9mm Special Weapon (In-Season)
  • Fully automatic specialty weapon. Offers SMG characteristics as a secondary weapon. Slow rate of fire.
  • Unlockable via Event Reward

• Power Drill Melee Weapon (In-Season)
  • Two-hit kill. Very short range. Very fast attack speed.
  • Unlockable via Event Reward

New Attachments

These attachments are new to Season 01 and were not part of the original launch of Black Ops 6 in October 2024.

• 12 Gauge Dragon’s Breath
  • Add some heat to your Shotgun blasts with incendiary rounds comprised of magnesium sparks that stick to and burn enemies over time. Equipping the 12 Gauge Dragon’s Breath Fire Mod prevents using Barrel Attachments, but the tradeoff is well worth it when seeking a fiery finish.
  • Compatible with Shotguns
  • Acquired via Battle Pass Page 7 Reward

• Buffer Weight Stock (In-Season)
  • The heavier Buffer Weight Stock provides significantly smoother action through the additional resistance met by the bolt carrier group. The improvement results in more manageable recoil through sustained fire, ideal for staying on target though at the expense of ADS Speed and Aim Walk Movement Speed.
  • Compatible with XM4 Assault Rifle, XMG LMG, DM-10 Marksman Rifle
  • Acquired via Event Reward

• Burst Fire Conversion (In-Season)
  • Convert the XM4 Assault Rifle’s primary firing mode into a three-round burst to help conserve ammo and stay on target. There’s an impressive lack of recoil too, so it’s still possible to pump out consistent damage when facing heavy threats.
  • Compatible with XM4 Assault Rifle
  • Acquired via Event Reward

• Burst Fire Conversion (In-Season)
  • Convert the Kompakt 92 SMG’s primary firing mode into an exceptionally rapid three-round burst. Equipping the Burst Fire Conversion Fire Mod locks the Underbarrel and Barrel Attachment slots. When you need to fire quickly in close quarters, hold down the trigger to automatically cycle through burst shots.
  • Compatible with Kompakt 92 SMG
  • Acquired via Event Reward

Weapon Adjustments

The following weapon adjustments are strictly limited to Modern Warfare II and III weapons. It's a lot.

Future patch notes for Black Ops 6 weapons will follow the table format introduced with the launch of Black Ops 6.

CLICK HERE TO SHOW/HIDE INFO

LOOT

• Ground & Supply Box Loot
  • Added Black Ops 6 items including:
    • Weapons
    • Field Equipment: War Cry, Scrambler
    • Killstreaks: Napalm Strike, Sentry Gun, SAM Turret, Care Package
    • Lethals: Throwing Axe, Blast Trap, Impact Grenade, Spring Mine
    • Tacticals: Neurogas Mine, Prox Alarm, Spy Camera
    • Perks: Grenadier, Combat Tracker, Dexterity, Cold-Blooded, Irradiated, Shrouded
    • Satchels: Armor Satchel, Munitions Satchel
  • Removal of the following:
    • Killstreaks: Cluster Mine, Mosquito Drone, Guardian, Bomb Drone
    • Lethals: Proxy Mine, Claymore, Thermite, Breacher Drone
    • Tacticals: Tracker Grenade, Scatter Mine
    • Redeploy tokens

• Loot Distribution
  • The loot distribution system will now create further space for larger items as they are dropped to the ground to avoid overlapping loot.
  • The loot distribution system will now purposely avoid dropping items near objects in close proximity such as Buy Stations.

• Medical Cabinets Quality of Life
  • Loot that drops out of medical cabinets now drops within closer proximity of its origin.

• Buy Stations
  • Buy Station inventory and prices have had slight adjustments with the Black Ops 6 integration.

• Weapon Outlines Quality of Life
  • Weapons now have rarity outlines to help players better evaluate the options at their disposal throughout a match.

CONTRACTS

Available Contracts

Below is a summary of each contract type to help both new and returning players quickly grasp how each one functions with the integration of Black Ops 6. These summaries cover key objectives, mechanics, and rewards, making it easier for players to jump in and engage with contracts confidently.

When you pick up a Bounty contract, a nearby player will be selected as your target. A circle will appear on your tac map, periodically updating to show the target’s location. The target will be somewhere within this circle each time it updates, and the circle gradually shrinks as you move closer. The target can also see an indicator on their HUD showing how close the closest player from your hunting team is; this is displayed as a three-level "threat indicator." Completing the contract by killing the target rewards cash, XP, and a singular ping from the bounty target’s body. If another team kills the target, your contract ends with a "poached" outcome, offering a lesser reward. Allowing the timer to run out or losing your team will fail the contract.

This contract works similarly to the base Bounty but with a few twists. It only spawns after Circle 2 closes and prioritizes teams with the highest cumulative kills, provided they’re not already bounty targets. If you complete this contract by eliminating the target, you’ll earn an immediate advanced UAV ping along with extra cash and XP, offering greater rewards than a standard Bounty.

Upon picking up a Scavenger contract, three scavenger caches will spawn near the pickup spot. You’ll be directed to each cache one at a time, with the next cache revealed only after you open the previous one. Opening a cache adds 45 seconds to the contract timer. These caches contain slightly better loot than usual, and each will drop a lootable perk. Opening the third and final cache completes the contract, rewarding your team with cash, XP, and an armor satchel from the last cache. Failing to open all caches before time runs out, or having your team wiped, will fail the contract.

When you accept an Intel contract, a nearby upload station will be marked for your team to upload sensitive intel. Reaching the station and interacting with it initiates an "upload" phase where one team member must remain near the station until the upload is complete. If multiple players are in this radius, the upload speed can increase by up to 200%. Completing the upload rewards cash, XP, and a peek at the next circle’s location. Failure occurs if the timer expires or if your team is wiped.

By picking up the Most Wanted contract, you or the team member who picked it up becomes visible on the map for all players. Opponents who kill the Most Wanted target receive cash and XP, while the Most Wanted team can reduce their contract time by obtaining kills and opening loot caches (10-second reduction per cache, 25-second reduction per kill). If the Most Wanted target survives the full contract duration, the contract is completed, and the team earns cash, XP, and revives any dead squad members. Whether the contract ends in success or failure, a "VIP reward crate" appears near the VIP’s location, containing ammo, plates, a killstreak, a weapon, a Gulag token, and cash.

This contract directs your team to hack nearby contracts for rewards. The nearest contract will be marked for hacking, although you can hack any contract. The number of contracts required depends on team size: solos and duos hack one, while trios and quads hack two. Hacking all required contracts completes the mission, rewarding your team with XP and ten periodic cash payments. Letting time run out or losing your team results in failure.

This contract spawns multiple drones in a circle formation near your team. The number of drones varies with team size—solos face five, duos six, trios seven, and quads eight. Destroy all drones to complete the contract and earn cash, XP, a UAV, and redeploy drone beacon from the last drone. Failure results if time expires or your team is wiped out.

These are tougher versions of existing contracts, offering higher rewards. Elite Contracts reduce the contract time by 45% and reward an additional 1,500 cash on completion. Completing an Elite Contract also drops a reward crate with items, including an ammo pile, armor plate, ultra-rare weapon, and one of several rare items such as a UAV, redeploy drone beacon, deployable kiosk, or, with low probability, a Specialist or Foresight. Note that Most Wanted contracts cannot become Elite, although other contracts might turn Elite as the match progresses.

Contract Adjustments

• Bounty
  • Completing the contract now includes finishing downed targets you didn’t down yourself.
  • Bounty contracts should no longer start without a valid target.
  • "Poached" end state now counts as a contract failure for challenge tracking.

• Most Wanted
  • Removed the redeploy token from the Most Wanted reward crate in solos.

• Scavenger
  • The primary reward in Battle Royale and Resurgence is now an armor plate carrier.

PUBLIC EVENTS

• Firesale
  • All items in the buy station are discounted at 50% for a limited time.

• Restock
  • All Supply Boxes close and are refilled with items.

• Jailbreak
  • All operators in gulag and eliminated operators are redeployed at the end of a timer.

• Fly Buy
  • A series of drones drop a number of deployable buy stations across the warzone.

• Recon Flyover
  • Avoid the detection of overhead drones to prevent your location from being broadcast.

• Squad Loadout Drop
  • Loadout drops that are only accessible by their assigned team.

• Contested Loadout Drop
  • Limited number of loadout drops that are accessible by any team.

• Cash Drop
  • A number of crates are dropped across the field that, when captured, drop a bounty of cash.

• Contractor
  • All contracts pay out more when completed within a timer.

• Rogue Signal
  • All teams compete on a random task -- the top teams get access to a reward with exclusive loot.

• Bounty Royale
  • All teams are automatically assigned a Bounty contract.

• High Stakes
  • A number of crates are dropped across the warzone that, when captured, double the XP earn in the current match for the team while also drop high tier loot.

• Blood Money
  • For the duration of the event, operators that are eliminated drop significantly more money.

• Attack Choppers
  • Once the match enters overtime, attack choppers enter the warzone. Take them down for a large payout.

• Locked & Loaded
  • Start the match with full armor and upgraded guns.

• Go Again
  • Get another chance at gulag if you lose your fight.

• Cash Drop
  • The ground loot is replaced with all cash.

• Climb & Punishment
  • Ladder's drop in the center of the Gulag. Choose to leave together or perhaps betrayal?

OPERATORS

New Operators

Warzone is now home to all of the operators that were introduced with the launch of Black Ops 6 in addition to a few newcomers introduced in Season 01.

• Goliath
  • Solidify your fiery combat mastery as the molten man of fire himself, Goliath! All biographical information for this Operator has been redacted.
  • Acquirable via BlackCell Bundle

• Sevati “Sev” Dumas
  • A main player in the Rogue Team after the conclusion of the Campaign, Sev is ready to make a deal with the untrustworthy French Syndicate and is gearing up to take down the rival Luttazzi family to prove it.
  • Acquirable via BlackCell Bundle

• The Replacer
  • There’s no substitute for greatness. The Replacer has concluded his whirlwind Black Ops 6 takeover tour and has freed up some time to appear in-game, available as a Store Bundle shortly after Launch.
  • Acquirable via Store Bundle

• Competitor CDL Home and Away Operators
  • Two new Operators arrive just in time for the 2025 Call of Duty League® season.
  • Acquirable via CDL Store Bundle

VEHICLES

All new vehicle physics tech leveraged from the Treyarch engine and Infinity Ward engine. Our goal is to bring more fun to driving with enhanced maneuverability and natural physics that is easy to use but can also be mastered. Towards this goal, we have removed flat tires, vehicle repairing and fuel.

In addition to the aforementioned changes, we’ve included a number of additional improvements listed below:

• Updated models
• Improved Natural Physics
• Improved Camera
• Procedural Character Leaning
• Improved VFX - Vehicle lights, exhaust
• Dynamic vehicle death and explosion reactions
• New helicopter simulation and audio
• Support for Aim-Based controls

FIRING RANGE

• Damage Summary Quality of Life
  • The Firing Range now provides the total amount of damage done with the currently equipped gun.

• Default Armor Plates Quality of Life
  • The firing range will default to 3 armor plates per target dummy.

• Default Health Quality of Life
  • The firing range will default to 150 health per target dummy.

• Default Perks Quality of Life
  • The firing range will now default to Warzone perk settings.

• Reset Speed
  • The target dummies will now “respawn” or reset to their active position faster than before.
  • Removed the delay that prevented target dummies from receiving damage as soon as they reset.

• Hit Locations Quality of Life
  • Target dummies will now have the same hit location modifiers as actual players to more accurately reflect damage dealt to opponents in a match.

• Movable Target Dummy Quality of Life
  • A new target dummy is now available that can be moved to various damage ranges based on the currently equipped weapon.
  • The moveable dummy cycles between damage ranges as soon as it’s eliminated.

• Target Collision
  • Target dummy collision has been improved so that bullets register more precisely.

• Line-of-Sight Quality of Life
  • Removed vertical walls that previously broke aim assist when testing weapon strafing.

EMOTES & SPRAYS

Adding to the personalization of your Operators are the return of Emotes and Sprays (iconography you primarily daub on walls, either to tag them or to tactically flag a location for your teammates). Emotes are accessible anywhere you have control over your character.

EXFIL

• Winner's Circle
  • The winning squad in a match receives their own Winners’ Circle showcase, with some of their statistical competence on display for all to see. This is also a location where you can celebrate your prowess more individually by employing a favorite Emote, too!

• End-of-Game Flow
  • The exfil sequence duration has been reduced with a larger focus on the winning squad.
  • Players can now swap between their own squad and the winning squad showing off accolades & player stats.
  • There is a new progression overview screen, focused on player choice experience.

UI/UX

The upcoming Season 01 update for Call of Duty: Warzone introduces a revamped, fully integrated user interface. The primary game tiles on the Home tab will feature Black Ops 6 and Warzone, allowing for instant access to gameplay. The Store and Battle Pass tabs will direct players to their respective sections in either Black Ops 6 or Warzone, depending on what is installed. Warzone will also get its own unique UI with enhancements similar to Black Ops 6.

• Customize Menu
  • The customize menu now includes a legacy tab to equip your unlocked MWII and MWIII Calling Cards, Emblems, and Loading Screens.
• Legacy Content Filtering
  • Similarly, brand new quick filtering for Black Ops 6 and other legacy titles helps filter content organized by game in the gunsmith, operator select, and barracks.
• Tac Map Icon Layout
  • Cleaner Interface: We've streamlined the interface by hiding the icon prompts on the right side of the screen.
  • Reorganized Contracts: Contracts have been moved to the left side of the map for easier access and a more intuitive layout.
• Minimap Type Quality of Life
  • Added the ability to change minimap type and compass type without impacting your Multiplayer settings.
• Munitions Satchel Ammo Count Quality of Life
  • Added an icon next to your ammo count when a munitions satchel is equipped to indicate if your weapon has room to carry more ammo.
• Classic Squad Widget
  • We brought back many elements from Warzone's original release including equipment icons, the shape of armor plate icons and more.
• Loot Cards
  • Loot cards have been updated with overall layout treatment for improved visuals.
• Squad Wipe Kill Feed
  • The messaging that appears in the kill feed when a squad is wiped has been updated as follows:
    • Battle Royale: the message will now display “Sent to Gulag” if the defeated team has one or more members going to the Gulag.
    • Plunder: the message has now been reworded to “Squad Repositioning”.
• Kill Feed Calling Cards
  • Eliminating an enemy player now displays their calling card in the bottom center of the UI.
• Aim Assist Settings
  • Numerous aim assist settings have been changed including but not limited to the addition of:
    • Minimum aim assist distance
    • Max turn clamp speed
• Loot Ping Distance
  • Loot can no longer be pinged from more than 40 meters away for improved legibility during combat.
• Live Ping Visibility Quality of Life
  • Live Pings and Danger Pings have received position and scaling adjustments to prevent blocking or covering enemies upper bodies.
• In-Game Splash Frequency Quality of Life
  • We have reduced the overall clutter of in-game splashes by reducing frequency and associated noise.
• Weapon Attachment HUD Quality of Life
  • The weapon attachments show on the HUD with a blue color for better visibility and clarity on which part of the weapon has an attachment attached.
• Playlist Navigation
  • The menu for playlists have been improved – it now includes a vertical list with sub menus for each squad size and a map preview window for a complimentary view of maps offered for each game mode.
• Buy Station Redeploy Ping Quality of Life
  • An eliminated Player who pings a Buy Station for a Redeploy, will show a unique Redeploy icon on the Buy Station to better inform their Squad of the buy-back request.

AUDIO

• Enhanced Headphone Mode
  • We’re excited to introduce our best-in-class audio experience to Warzone with the introduction of HRTF (Head-Related Transfer Function) via Universal Profile in Enhanced Headphone Mode, which is available to all players for free.
• Armor Plate Break Audio
  • New audio has been added to indicate that armor plates have been destroyed.
• Proximity Chat
  • Proximity chat radius has been reduced from 55 meters to 45.
• Stacking Hit Markers & Sound Effects Quality of Life
  • Enables displaying both a wall bang, hitting a player in water and pairing of new audio per marker.
• Bounty Contract Sound Cues Quality of Life
  • Added sound cues for when the bounty threat level increases or decreases.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

One of the hallmarks of the Absolute Universe is that characters like Batman and Superman lack many of the innate advantages they have in the traditional DCU. In the case of Bruce Wayne, he's no longer a billionaire playboy with a mansion, a butler, and a cave full of expensive gadgets. He's a blue-collar civil engineer from a humble background.

Over the course of issue #1, we get the rundown on Batman's revamped origin story as seen through the eyes of Alfred Pennyworth (more on him in a minute). Bruce's father Thomas was a schoolteacher rather than a doctor. Bruce himself tested at near-genius levels as a child, eventually winning a science competition where he invented a portable, retractable bridge to be used in rescue scenarios. As a prize, Bruce and his class were given a field trip to the Gotham City Zoo.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck when a gunman opened fire at the zoo. Thomas ushered his students to safety before being caught in the crossfire. That's the trauma that birthed the Batman, and we have to assume Bruce carries some guilt for his father's death with him even now.

Issue #2 offers more insight into how that trauma birthed the Batman. We see another flashback to zoo shooting, where a stray bullet rips open a hole in the bat exhibit. Bruce is engulfed by bats, and he remains catatonic until Jim Gordon arrives and hears him scream. This Bruce Wayne clearly has a deep-seated fascination with and terror of bats.

Issue #1 offers some insight into the training Bruce underwent to prepare himself to become a vigilante. After earning a college football scholarship (and promptly faking a career-ending injury), Bruce studied chemistry, engineering, criminal psychology, and other subjects relevant to punching crime in the face. While he didn't travel the world studying under the greatest warriors and detectives, he has developed a unique streetfighting style based in mixed martial arts and boxing. And by working as a civil engineer in various locales across Gotham, Bruce has developed an intimate knowledge of the city he hopes to save.

Bruce Wayne's Friend Group

One of the most intriguing changes introduced in Absolute Batman #1 involves Bruce Wayne's friend group. We learn that Bruce's childhood gang included Harvey Dent, Selina Kyle, Waylan Jones, Eddie Nashton, and Oswald Cobblepot. Even now, they remain friends, though Bruce is rapidly drifting away from the group as his nightly activities start to consume his life.

What does it mean that so many of the characters destined to become supervillains start out as Bruce's close friends? Have their destinies changed in the Absolute Universe, or will we see Waylan become Killer Croc, Eddie become the Riddler, etc?

The only one of these characters we meet in issue #1 is Waylan, who currently runs the boxing gym Bruce trains at and shows no sign of the reptilian skin condition the character is so well-known for. Waylan looks to be the best friend Bruce has. Will that change as the series moves along?

Issue #2 showcases more of this friend group, as the increasingly reclusive Bruce makes a rare visit to their regular poker game. Their banter reveals that Eddie is every bit as fascinated with riddles and wordplay as the regular Riddler, while it's hinted that Oswald already has his fingers in some less than savory pies. Harvey, meanwhile, is revealed to be a lowly law clerk with major career ambitions. The only friend MIA from this game is Selina, who is said to be travelling the globe and recently made a stop in Cairo.

Alfred Pennyworth: Secret Agent

Bruce may not have a butler, but that hardly means Alfred has no role to play in the series. Issue #1 is narrated from Alfred's perspective. In the Absolute Universe, Alfred is a secret agent for a mysterious organization (it's unclear if he's working for the British government or an agency like ARGUS). He's pulled off a mission monitoring a mysterious killer overseas in order to gather intel on the growing crisis in Gotham. A gang called The Party Animals has been massacring innocent civilians, and Alfred's handlers want to know what exactly they're dealing with.

Alfred is warned that another party has begun to make itself known in the city, the first sign that Batman is beginning to appear on the public's radar. Alfred later encounters Batman in person when observing an attack by The Party Animals. Alfred's orders are to observe and not to engage the gangmembers, one he strongly disagrees with. Already, the seeds of the eventual Batman/Alfred alliance are beginning to be laid.

Batman is more of an antagonistic figure to Alfred in issue #1, even stealing the secret agent's motorcycle and all of its valuable intel. Alfred, for his part, immediately deduces Batman's secret identity. While he considers assassinating Bruce in broad daylight, he decides "You're just a **** kid."

In issue #2, it becomes clear that Alfred is quickly developing an affection for Bruce/Batman, in part because his war on the Party Animals is making Alfred's intel-gathering mission much easier. Alfred traces Batman's campaign across the city. He notes that while most soldiers in the field follow one of two tactics, AF (advance forward) and RR (retreat and regroup), Batman never seems willing to retreat or give ground. He's simply Batman AF.

The Gordon Family

No new Batman universe would be complete without Jim Gordon playing a part. Issue #1 gives no indication to assume Batman and Gordon are working together yet, but it does cast Gordon as the rare good cop trying to maintain order in a city rapidly descending into chaos. But in this case, Gordon isn't Commissioner of the GCPD, but rather the recently elected mayor of Gotham. His daughter Barbara, meanwhile, is a police officer.

Gordon holds a press conference to ease public concerns over the growing threat of The Party Animals. However, that plan hits a snag when the gang attacks in the middle of the conference and Gordon himself is shot.

Issue #2 reconnects with the Gordon family in the hospital, as Jim recovers and laments the fact that his reelection chances are slipping away.

The Rise of Black Mask

It quickly becomes clear that the first costumed supervillain the Absolute Batman will face off against isn't Joker, Penguin, or Riddler, but Black Mask. Roman Sionis is introduced as the leader of The Party Animals and a man obsessed with collecting death masks of famous celebrities and political figures.

Sionis holds a meeting with Gotham City crime bosses Sal Maroni and Carmine Falcone, both of whom are wary of this upstart upending the traditional order in the city's underworld. Sionis wastes little time before revealing that he's already made death masks of Maroni and Falcone's relatives and adding both men to his collection.

Traditionally, Batman's early months on the job are spent waging war on the Gotham mob, before power slowly shifts in favor of villains like Joker and Penguin. In the Absolute Universe, however, it seems that shift is already happening. A new generation of evil is emerging in the city and consuming the old.

The New Batsuit in Action

The reader and Alfred alike are treated to the first glimpse of the new Batman in action when the Dark Knight arrives to battle the Party Animal members attacking Gordon's press conference. If there's one takeaway from this fight, it's that Absolute Batman has a lot of nifty toys despite not having a billionaire's resources.

Nearly every component of Batman's costume is a weapon in its own right. His cowl's ears and his gloves' spikes are retractable daggers. His bulletproof cape is a modified version of the same portable bridge he designed as a child, allowing him to control the various wings at will.

Even the Bat emblem is a potent weapon. Not only is it a reinforced piece of steel plating protecting Bruce's chest, it can be removed and attached to a handle to form a razor-sharp ax. The Party Animal leader learns that the hard way when he loses his hand in a duel.

The Gigantic Absolute Batmobile

In issue #2 we see the Batmobile in action for the first time. And like everything else about Batman in this universe, it's oversized and amped up to 11.

Batman hits a snag in this chapter when he breaks into the campaign offices of the former Mayor Ford and investigates a clandestine project known only as ArkM. Batman is interrupted by Black Mask, who reveals he's just summoned the entirety of the GCPD to Batman's location. Batman plunges down an elevator shaft and runs into Alfred, who proposes an alliance. Batman agrees to hear him out, but first they have to make their escape. That's when Batman summons a Batmobile so enormous it dwarfs the Tumbler and even the Bat-Tank from The Dark Knight Returns.

This Batmobile appears to be a modified mining vehicle. Though this Bruce Wayne isn't a billionaire, his work as a civil engineer clearly gives him access to the equipment he needs to wage war on crime.

The Fate of Martha Wayne

The flashbacks to Bruce's tragic childhood reveal that Thomas Wayne died protecting his students at the zoo. But what about Martha Wayne? It turns out she's still alive and well. Bruce pays his mother a visit after laying a flower at the site of his father's murder, even as Alfred watches from afar. Later, in issue #2 Martha herself visits Jim Gordon in the hospital, establishing that the Wayne and Gordon families have a warm, long-standing relationship.

This may well be the biggest and most significant change introduced in Absolute Batman. Bruce Wayne has always been portrayed as an orphan dedicated to preventing what happened to him from happening to anyone else. How much does it change the equation for Bruce to have a mother who raised him to adulthood? At the very least, this means Absolute Batman has something to lose should his secret identity ever be revealed.

Teasing Absolute Joker

Absolute Batman #1 ends with an epilogue page teasing the debut of Batman's most iconic foe. Alfred's handlers report that the man he had been tracking overseas vanished in the Phillipines. Known by many names like Jack and Arthur, this man trained under elite killers like Henri Ducard and the League of Assassins before murdering them and moving on. He's one of the richest men in the world. He never laughs, hence why he's come to be known ironically as the Joker.

If Joker is meant to be the twisted antithesis of Batman, then it's clear the Clown Prince of Crime has been reworked to suit this darker, grittier take on the Caped Crusader. Joker is everything this Batman isn't. He's a man of wealth and privelege. He's traveled the globe and honed himself into the perfect warrior. And it's only a matter of time before he comes to Gotham and tests himself against the Batman. Will the Dark Knight be the one to finally make the Joker crack a smile? We'll find out as the series continues to unfold.

Whiuch Absolute DC series are you most excited for? Cast your vote in our poll and let us know your thoughts in the comments below:

For more on how the Absolute Universe has transformed iconic DC heroes, learn how Absolute Wonder Woman overhauls Diana's origin and how Absolute Superman establishes a Man of Steel without Clark Kent.

Note: this article was originally published on 10/9/2024 and updated on 11/13/2024 with the latest information about Absolute Batman.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.