Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 Update Released With Patch Notes

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 has today kicked off and in the process has received a major new update. Since its release nearly a month ago, Activision has been quick to release some initial patches for BO6 to resolve problems that players have been running into across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. For the most part, though, these updates have never been that vast and have only resolved bugs or provided some small weapon balance tweaks. Now, the first truly major update for Black Ops 6 has rolled out and has brought with it overhauls to every aspect of the game.

Downloadable right now, this Black Ops 6 Season 1 update primarily introduces new content to the experience. This is headlined by not only new maps and Operators, but also a Battle Pass that players can begin working through to unlock additional gear. Activision has also resolved some issues that have come about with the BO6 campaign and has also made countless tweaks to Zombies. All of this in addition to weapon balance changes for many of the guns in Black Ops 6 account for the primary adjustments with the patch.

Related: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Reveals New Maps, Guns, and More in Season One Roadmap

Obviously, today is only the start of Season 1 for Black Ops 6 which means that further updates like this are on the horizon. While this patch brings a lot of new content and changes, it will also surely introduce new problems that players might run into. As such, another subsequent hotfix for BO6 could drop in the coming days depending on how this update goes.

To view the patch notes for Black Ops 6 Season 1, you can find them attached below. And if you’d like to find all of the weapon balance changes that have impacted Multiplayer and Zombies, you can get a look at those right here.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 Patch Notes

GLOBAL 

Ricochet Anti-Cheat 

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. 

Armory

• 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

Performance

• Made improvements to mission intro sequence animations. 

Bug Fixes

• 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

Maps  

• 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.

Spawns

• 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. 

Modes

• 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. 

Playlists

• Added Nuketown, Extraction, and Hideout to the Core map pool.
• Added Heirloom to the Face Off map pool.

Game Chat 

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

Weapons

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.

All Weapons

• 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.

Assault Rifles 

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. 

Shotguns

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

Marksman Rifles

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. 

Sniper Rifles

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% 

Gunsmith  

• Various updates to weapon descriptions. 
• Addressed an issue that was sometimes equipping Stickers to the wrong slot or incorrectly equipping as a Large Decal.
• Players will now go directly to the Perk Greed tab instead of Perk 1 tab when trying to edit the bonus Perk slot when the Perk Greed Wildcard is equipped.

Perks

• 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.

Scorestreaks 

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

Ranks & Prestige

• Added Prestige Master Hub that shows the player’s progress through Prestige Master and all Prestige Master rewards, including hidden redactions for Level 1000 rewards.
• Addressed an issue where Prestige Wallpaper rewards weren’t previewing properly.
• Prestige rewards now display names, descriptions, and other information when browsing Prestige screens.

Challenges 

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

Movement Updates 

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

Theater 

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

UI 

• Added Mastery Badge Category Calling Card reward previews to the Mastery Badge Hub.
• Players will no longer back all the way out of the Calling Card menu when they choose “Back,” and will instead move back to the previous Calling Card Challenge screen.
• 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. 

Graphics 

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

Stability 

• Added numerous stability fixes. 

ZOMBIES

Maps 

• 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.

Bug Fixes 

• 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. 

Perks

• 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. 

GobbleGums 

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

Field Upgrades 

• 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 20% 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. 

Save & Load 

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

Enemies 

• 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. 

Activities 

• 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. 

XP Earn Rates 

• 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. 

Challenges 

• 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. 

AFK Detection  

• 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 

UI 

• 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. 

Graphics 

• 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. 

Stability 

• 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.