Cold War Season 4 update patch notes: Hijacked returns, Zombies & League Play updates

❘ Published: 2021-06-15T19:00:00

Black Ops Cold War Season 4 officially begins on June 17, and Treyarch has released the full patch notes for what’s new in the game, including new MP content, updates, new Zombies features, and more.

Season 4 of Black Ops Cold War includes a new Battle Pass with 100 Tiers to progress through, similar to the previous ones, alongside new MP maps like Hijacked, new Outbreak region Zoo, and more updates across the game.

Treyarch has posted the patch notes for the new update. The new update will go live on June 15 at 9PM PT on all platforms with the Season 4 content becoming available 24 hours later on June 16 at 9PM PT.

Warzone’s update will go live June 16 at 9PM PT with more information to come on its updates. The patch notes and information below are only applicable to Black Ops Cold War MP & Zombies.

Cold War Season 4 Update Size

PlayStation 5: 30 GB
PlayStation 4: 15.5 GB
Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S: 31.0 GB
Xbox One: 17.7 GB
PC: 21.6 GB (without HD Pack) / 30.7 GB (with HD Pack)

Note: PC users will also need 60.6-92.1 GB of additional space on their hard drive for the copying process; this is only temporary space that is reclaimed upon completion of the patch installation and is not an additional download.

Cold War Season 4 Patch Notes

SEASON FOUR BEGINS JUNE 17

Starting at 9PM PT June 16th / 12AM ET June 17th, an all-new season of content comes to Multiplayer, Zombies, and League Play in Black Ops Cold War with Season Four, including:

Global:
- 100 new Battle Pass tiers including the MG 82 LMG and C58 assault rifle
- Five total new weapons throughout the season
- “Ground Fall” launch week limited-time event
- Four new Prestige Levels (16-19)
- New Prestige Shop content
- New Weapon Unlock Challenges
- New Gifting feature
- New Challenge tracker
- New lobby theming
- + More in-season
Multiplayer:
- New 6v6 maps: Collateral Strike (6v6), Hijacked (6v6)
- New Combined Arms map: Collateral (12v12)
- New Gunfight + Face Off map: Amsterdam (2v2, 3v3)
- New MP modes: One in the Chamber, Multi-Team: Sat-Link, Hardcore Hardpoint
- New Featured Playlists: Hijacked 24/7, Cranked Hardpoint
- New Scorestreak: Hand Cannon
- 20 New Multiplayer Season Challenges
- + More in-season, including Rush (6v6) and Capture the Flag
League Play:
- Skill Division adjustments
- LC10 and AK-47 now restricted
- + More in-season, including League Play rewards
Zombies:
- New Outbreak Region: Zoo
- New Outbreak Main Quest: Operation Excision
- New Dark Aether story Intel
- Additional Zombies tracks to unlock for the Music Player
- New Operator Missions in Zombies
- New Onslaught Map (PlayStation®): Collateral
- 20 New Zombies Season Challenges
- + More in-season, including the upcoming “Mauer der Toten” round-based map

Dive into all the intel on everything coming to Black Ops Cold War and Warzone™ in Season Four here, and get an overview of what’s coming throughout the season in the official roadmap:

A NEW SEASON OF CONTENT IS HERE

This week, Season Four launches with an all-new Battle Pass loaded with 100 Tiers of in-game content. Pick up the Battle Pass for instant access to the fearsome Perseus Operator “Jackal” unlocked at Tier 0, two free weapons, new Weapon Blueprints, Operator Skins, Vehicle Skins, and more to earn throughout the season.

As always, we’re bringing a whole new arsenal to Black Ops Cold War this season, including the MG 82 LMG, the C58 assault rifle, and the Black Ops III favorite Nail Gun at launch, plus the OTs 9 SMG and Mace melee weapon dropping later in the season.

The race to Prestige Master is on with four new Prestige Levels to achieve (16-19) sporting some of our most badass Prestige Icons yet. We’ve also got new legacy content from previous Black Ops titles to unlock in the Prestige Shop, including the animated “Bacon” Calling Card from Black Ops II, available after reaching Season Level 100. Watch for even more new legacy items to hit the Prestige Shop later in the season!

To help everyone level up even faster, the team has reduced the amount of XP needed to progress through Season Levels in Black Ops Cold War, Warzone, and Modern Warfare, and we’ve got two new sets of Season Challenges in Multiplayer and Zombies coming to Season Four, each with its own exclusive Calling Card and XP rewards! We’re also helping out all those challenge hunters out there with the new Challenge Tracker feature available at the Options menu, so you can track your Daily Challenge progress mid-match.

“GROUND FALL” LIMITED-TIME EVENT

During Season Four’s launch week, players can participate in the new “Ground Fall” limited-time event in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone to complete challenges for exclusive rewards, including a new Epic Secondary Weapon Blueprint! The event ends June 24th, so make sure you complete those challenges before they’re gone for good.

MULTIPLAYER

Four Multiplayer maps are coming to Multiplayer with Season Four, including Collateral as our newest 12v12 Combined Arms map along with its Collateral Strike variant in 6v6, the return of the Black Ops II favorite Hijacked in 6v6, and the debut of Amsterdam for 2v2 and 3v3 modes. Later in the season, we’re bringing back another classic with the paintball arena mayhem of Rush for 6v6.

We’re huge fans of the vehicle-fueled chaos that Combined Arms brings to the Black Ops Multiplayer experience, and we’re excited to expand the 12v12 map offering at the start of the season with Collateral. Hijacked is an undeniable all-time favorite in the Call of Duty community, and we’re proud to bring Black Ops Cold War’s fast-paced 6v6 modes to this decked-out superyacht for the first time, along with a dedicated Hijacked 24/7 playlist this week. And of course, players can expect to test their skills on the rooftops of Amsterdam in intense, smaller-scale modes like Gunfight Blueprints, Face Off 6v6, and our upcoming Gunfight Tournaments.

Along with this season’s new maps and weapons, we’re bringing the Hand Cannon to Multiplayer as our latest Scorestreak: a massive tactical handgun that decimates enemies and other Scorestreaks with ease. Don’t forget to set up your Scorestreak selection to include this beauty when the season begins, and get ready to try it out in our latest party game.

Black Ops veterans will know One in the Chamber by heart – everyone spawns in with a handgun, a single bullet, and three lives. Get a kill, get a bullet back. This time around, your random loadout can include the 1911, Magnum, or the new Hand Cannon. Be the first to reach the score limit to come out on top… just be sure not to miss.

We’re also upping the ante on our biggest maps with Multi-Team: Sat-Link, our brand-new, large-scale mode that pits 10 teams of four against each other in a race to locate and power up Sat-Links marked on the map. This is one of our most intensely competitive 40-player modes yet, and we’ve had some crazy matches come down to the wire in playtesting sessions.

You’ll need to find the Sat-Link, power it up, and upload data to satellites in orbit to gain points for your squad. Search for crates to collect powerful Scorestreaks and other useful items, and eliminate any other squads attempting to upload the data before you do. Work together with your teammates and reach the score limit first to get the W.

Fans of our recent ‘80s Action Heroes modes will be happy to know we’re also bringing Cranked Hardpoint to Multiplayer in this week’s Featured Playlists, complete with a “secret” Scorestreak to call in at 25 successive kills. In addition, we’ve added Hardcore Hardpoint to Quick Play for the first time, and 12v12 Moshpit is getting a new upgrade with the insane new 12v12 Cranked Hardpoint.

LEAGUE PLAY

This season in League Play, we’re updating the Skill Division requirements to help maintain our target population distribution percentages for each Division. Some players may see their Skill Division placement shift after their next placement match – be sure to jump into League Play this weekend to see where you land once the new requirements are in place.

We’re also putting some additional weapon restrictions in place by popular demand. Starting with Season Four, the LC10 SMG and AK-47 assault rifle will now be restricted in League Play. Update your loadouts accordingly.

After the launch of the season, we’ll also be delivering brand-new League Play Rewards for competitive fans to unlock with Placement Rewards and Skill Division Rewards. Players can win 10 games in the Advanced, Expert, Elite, and Master Divisions to earn Charm, Emblem, and Sticker rewards to show off their skills. In addition, each Ladder Event placement type will award a Charm, Emblem, and Sticker when earned for the following:

Finish Top 25
Finish Top 10
Finish Top 5
Victory – Finish 1st
Hot Streak: 2 Consecutive 1st Place Finishes
Blazing: 3 Consecutive 1st Place Finishes
Diamond: 6 total 1st Place Finishes

ZOMBIES

This week kicks off the biggest season of content for Black Ops Cold War Zombies players yet! Get ready to take on our second Main Quest and the new Zoo region in Outbreak, explore the new Collateral map and unlock additional story Intel in Onslaught, check out new gameplay updates for Dead Ops Arcade 3, and of course, prepare for the upcoming launch of our next round-based map: “Mauer der Toten.”

With the recent launch of Outbreak’s first Main Quest, this week’s second Main Quest, and the upcoming secrets that await in “Mauer der Toten,” we’re delivering the most quest-driven Zombies content that we’ve ever released in the span of two months. The team has been laser-focused on packing this season with awesome content for the Zombies community, and the wait is almost over.

“Operation Excision,” our second Main Quest in Outbreak, will kick off worldwide at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on June 17th and provide the narrative prologue to “Mauer der Toten.” Now that players have braved the dangers lurking beneath the Ural Mountains, taken on the terrifying Legion, and foiled Omega’s plans for “Operatsiya Inversiya,” it’s time to take things up a notch. The hunt begins this Thursday!

Also launching this week, Requiem agents will take on the undead in the new Zoo region and uncover a treasure trove of new collectible Intel that will complement the new Main Quest in driving the Dark Aether story forward. Be sure to search every corner and take on every objective to complete your Intel collection for the season. Players will also be able to unlock additional Treyarch Zombies tracks in the Music Player by completing “Unknown Signal” World Events in Outbreak!

Once again, we’d like to thank the millions of new and longtime Zombies players who’ve spent countless hours discovering the secrets of the Ural Mountains since Outbreak’s launch. It’s still amazing to see the number of Outbreak players neck-and-neck with round-based map players, and we’re beyond excited to deliver new content for the entire community this season, no matter how you like to play.

This season also brings new gameplay and stability improvements to Dead Ops Arcade 3, and on PlayStation, Onslaught players can take on the undead and discover new story Intel in the new Collateral map, with more Onslaught content coming later in the season. The popular Onslaught Containment mode will return this season with support for Nuketown ‘84, as well.

Starting this week, Zombies players will also be able to complete new Weapon Unlock Challenges to add to their arsenal, including the new Nail Gun Special weapon, as well as the PPSh-41 SMG and Swiss K31 sniper rifle for those who missed out on unlocking them in the Season Three Battle Pass. Be sure to get them leveled up and max out those Skills in time for our mid-season update – you’re going to need it.

“MAUER DER TOTEN”: OUR NEXT MAP LAUNCHES MID-SEASON

The wait is almost over. Our next round-based map is coming to Black Ops Cold War Zombies mid-season with “Mauer der Toten,” packed with new enemies, new quests, new secrets to discover, a new upgradable Perk, new Wonder Weapon, new crafting item, and much more. And like Maxis before him, Grigori Weaver will be making his debut as a playable Operator later in the season, based on his O.G. incarnation from the first Black Ops Campaign.

As we mentioned in our recent “What’s Next in Black Ops Cold War Zombies” blog, the team has been hard at work on this next map since before the launch of “Firebase Z,” and we’re pulling out all the stops on this one. Tune into our official Treyarch studio broadcast tomorrow for a glimpse at what’s to come mid-season, along with a special guest appearance by Julie Nathanson, AKA the one-and-only Samantha Maxis.

ASSAULT RIFLE WEAPON TUNING

The current state of the meta is in a great place after our most recent weapon tuning pass, and we’ve been carefully watching the data to ensure no particular weapon overtakes the rest of its class. In Season Four, we’re only making some minor adjustments to a few assault rifle Muzzle attachments in the Gunsmith.

In most cases, these changes improve the damage range on suppressor attachments for assault rifle users who prefer a stealthier approach. See below for the full list of tuning details.

BATTLE PASS AND BUNDLE GIFTING

Starting with Season Four, players can now gift the Battle Pass, Battle Pass Bundles, and Store Bundles to their friends in Black Ops Cold War! As an added bonus, players will receive a 60-minute Double Battle Pass XP Token for sending their first gift between June 17th and June 30th.

Please note that two-factor authentication is required to use the gifting system, and Free Bundles, Franchise Store Bundles, and Limited-Time Bundles cannot be gifted. For more details on how the new gifting feature works, check out the Battle Pass Blog at CallofDuty.com.

PATCH NOTES

Read on below for everything to expect in Black Ops Cold War when Season Four launches at 9PM PT June 16th / 12AM ET June 17th. For all the latest Warzone updates, be sure to follow @CallofDuty and @RavenSoftware on Twitter.

Events

Ground Fall
- “Ground Fall” limited-time event live through 10AM PT June 24.
- Complete challenges in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone to earn Emblems, Calling Cards, a Weapon Charm, bonus XP, and an Epic Secondary Weapon Blueprint.

Battle Pass

New 100-Tier Battle Pass available in Season Four.

Operators

Jackal
- New “Jackal” Operator available at Tier 0 in the Season Four Battle Pass.

Weapons

MG 82
- New MG82 LMG available for free at Tier 15 of the Battle Pass System.
C58
- New C58 assault rifle available for free at Tier 31 of the Battle Pass System.
Nail Gun
- New Nail Gun Special weapon available via in-game challenge in Multiplayer or Zombies, or via unique Blueprint version in the Store.

Weapon Unlock Challenges

PPSh-41
- Unlock Challenge available for the PPSh-41 SMG in Multiplayer and Zombies.
Swiss K31
- Unlock Challenge available for the Swiss K31 sniper rifle in Multiplayer and Zombies.

Weapon Tuning

Assault Rifles
- XM4
  - Reduced range penalty on Suppressor muzzle attachment from 15% to 11%.
  - Reduced range penalty on Agency Suppressor muzzle attachment from 33% to 22%.
- AK-47
  - Reduced range penalty on Suppressor muzzle attachment from 15% to 13%.
  - Increased range penalty on GRU Suppressor muzzle attachment from 25% to 27%.
- QBZ-83
  - Increased range penalty on Suppressor muzzle attachment from 15% to 17%.
- FFAR 1
  - Reduced range penalty on Suppressor muzzle attachment from 15% to 10%.
  - Reduced range penalty on Agency Suppressor muzzle attachment from 33% to 20%.
- Krig 6
  - Reduced range penalty on Agency Suppressor muzzle attachment from 30% to 25%.
- Groza
  - Increased range penalty on Suppressor muzzle attachment from 15% to 17%.
- FARA 83
  - Reduced range penalty on GRU Suppressor muzzle attachment from 33% to 32%.
  - Increased range penalty on Suppressor muzzle attachment from 15% to 20%.

Features

Gifting
- Players can now gift the Battle Pass, Battle Pass Bundles, and Store Bundles to friends in Black Ops Cold War.
- Get a 60-minute Double Battle Pass XP Token for sending your first gift between June 17 and June 30.
- Two-factor authentication is required to use the gifting system.
- Free Bundles, Franchise Store Bundles, and Limited-Time Bundles cannot be gifted.
Challenge Tracker
- Progress toward active Daily Challenges can now be viewed in-game via the Options menu.

Progression

Reduced the amount of XP needed to progress through Season Levels in Black Ops Cold War, Warzone, and Modern Warfare.

Prestige Rewards

Added four new Prestige Levels (16-19) and Prestige Rewards:
- Level 50: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, Weapon Blueprint, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
- Level 100: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
- Level 150: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
- Level 190: All Season Challenges Available
- Level 200: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, Battle Pass Tier Skip, Master Prestige Calling Card
- Levels 250 – 1,000: New Prestige Key every 50 levels

Prestige Shop

Additional Legacy Calling Cards from previous Black Ops titles are now available in the Prestige Shop, including the animated “Bacon” Calling Card from Black Ops II, available to players once they reach Season Level 100.

Music Player

Four additional Treyarch music tracks available for the Music Player in the free “Black Ops 4 Mixtape” War Tracks in the Battle Pass System:
- “Inferno”
- “Alistair’s Theme”
- “Damned 4”
- “Reflections”

Main Lobby

Updated main lobby theming for Season Four.

Maps

Collateral (12v12) [NEW]
- New map added to Multiplayer rotation in 12v12 modes.
Collateral Strike (6v6) [NEW]
- New map added to Multiplayer rotation in 6v6 modes.
Hijacked (6v6) [NEW]
- Classic Black Ops II map added to Multiplayer rotation in 6v6 modes.
- Hijacked 24/7 Featured Playlist available during launch week.
Amsterdam (2v2, 3v3) [NEW]
- New map added to Multiplayer rotation in 2v2 and 3v3 modes.
Standoff
- Updated Hardpoint spawns for P2 and P4 Hardpoints.

Modes

One in the Chamber [NEW]
- Free-for-all party game available in the Party Games playlist collection in Featured Playlists.
- Players have three lives and a single bullet. Players receive another bullet upon eliminating an enemy. Melee attacks are also lethal.
- Available weapons include the 1911, Magnum, and Hand Cannon.
- The first player to reach the score limit wins the match.
Multi-Team: Sat-Link [NEW]
- New Multiplayer mode featuring 10 competing teams of four.
- Players must reach the Sat-Link marked on their map, power it up, and upload data to satellites in orbit to gain points.
- Search for crates to collect powerful Scorestreaks and other useful items.
- The first team to reach the score limit wins the match.
Cranked Hardpoint [NEW]
- Capture Hardpoints to gain points for your team. Eliminate multiple enemies in the same life to earn up to five powerful buffs throughout the match.
- Capturing a Hardpoint grants a movement speed boost and sets your timer to 30 seconds. When the timer reaches zero, you explode. Extend the timer by earning eliminations and capturing Hardpoints.
- The timer is paused while on your team’s Hardpoint, and kills add 15 seconds to your timer up to a max of 30 seconds.
- Successive kills grant up to four additional buffs: improved weapon handling, ADS speed, slide speed, and a larger explosion upon death (granted after a five-kill streak.)
- The first team to reach 200 points, or the most points before time expires, wins.
Hardcore Hardpoint [NEW]
- Now featured in Hardcore Quick Play and Hardcore Moshpit playlists.
Multi-Team Elimination
- Added to the Game Modes Combat Record.
Prop Hunt
- Addressed an issue where some props could have incorrect bullet collision after jumping repeatedly.

Scorestreaks

Hand Cannon
- New Scorestreak available in Multiplayer for 2,800 score.

Season Challenges

20 new Multiplayer Season Challenges available to be revealed and unlocked with exclusive Calling Card and XP rewards. Reveal a new Challenge every 10 Season Levels. Complete all 20 to unlock the Season Four Multiplayer Master Animated Calling Card.
Updated the unlock criteria for the “Vehicular Warfare” Season Three Challenge.

Custom Games

Added Sprint Recovery Delay setting to General Player settings for Custom Games. This will set the time after a player has stopped sprinting before they are fully recovered and will see the speed benefit of Sprint Takeoff.

Featured Playlists

Hijacked 24/7 [NEW] (Also available in Hardcore)
Multi-Team: Sat-Link [NEW]
Party Games (Now includes One in the Chamber)
Face Off 6v6 (Now includes Amsterdam)
Cranked Hardpoint [NEW]
12v12 Moshpit (Now includes 12v12 Cranked Hardpoint)
Nuketown 24/7 (Also available in Hardcore)
Gunfight Blueprints
Multi-Team: Elimination

Skill Divisions

Updated Skill Division requirements to maintain target population distribution percentages outlined in the League Play Rules section. Some players may see their Skill Division shift after their next League Play placement match.

Weapons

Restricted the LC10 and AK-47 in League Play.

Outbreak

New Main Quest
- “Operation Excision” Main Quest coming to Outbreak starting at 10AM PT June 17th.
New Region
- New Zoo region available in Outbreak.
New Intel
- New in-game story Intel available to discover.
Quests
- New tuning changes to the existing Outbreak Main Quest in Ruka:
  - Disabled super sprinters in the Silo.
  - Slightly reduced Legion’s chest armor health.
  - Increased respawn delays on all zombies.
  - Added an audio cue when starting and failing certain steps to indicate when zombies will start attacking.
World Events
- Added more Treyarch Zombies tracks to unlock for the Music Player via the “Unknown Signal” World Events in Outbreak.
Objectives
- Addressed an issue where the Retrieval canister could fall under the map when entering Phase Tears.
- Addressed an issue where the Retrieval canister could fall off the player while riding a Snowmobile on steep terrain.

Dead Ops Arcade 3

Gameplay
- In First-Person game mode, all Divine Shield (orange) potions are now automatically swapped out for the more useful Health (red) potions.
- Treasure in Poppy’s room should no longer time out.
- Chickens that are spinning out now use the player’s last weapon correctly.
- Replaced the third Fate award for maxing out at 9X multiplier with a new mystery award.
- Addressed an issue where the sawblade shield item was not correctly creating crawling zombies.
- Addressed an issue where in Silverback Slideways maps where the player could stand in a lava field and not take damage.
- Addressed an issue where the player could be considered a valid AI target before the player’s screen had faded up entirely.
Scoring
- Changed non-default score values for various enemies. Mamaback now awards 20,000 points, underbosses award 5,000 points, Elite enemies (Megaton, Brutus, Gladiators) award 500 points, and the rest award the default of 100 points.
- Addressed an issue where the Pineapple Launcher was not awarding points.
Stability
- Improved stability for Silverback Slideways maps to reduce “Charlie 285 Military Gorilla” error messages.
- Improved stability for issues that could occur when players stand in Nova Gas.
General
- Added inactivity tracking to boot inactive players after a period of time.
- Closed multiple exploits in The Wild.

Onslaught (PlayStation)

Maps
- Collateral added to map rotation with new Intel to discover.

Progression

Addressed an issue that could cause players to occasionally lose XP in Zombies when returning to the lobby after matches.
Addressed an issue where the Outbreak Match Bonus would occasionally award less XP than expected.

Challenges

Season Challenges
- 20 new Zombies Season Challenges available to be revealed and unlocked with exclusive Calling Card and XP rewards. Reveal a new Challenge every 10 Season Levels. Complete all 20 to unlock the Season Four Zombies Master Animated Calling Card.
Operator Missions
- The Season Four Battle Pass features 4 Zombies Operator Missions, an increase of from 2 Zombies Missions in previous Seasons.
Weapon Unlock Challenges
- Added new Weapon Unlock Challenges in Zombies:
  - PPSh-41 SMG
  - Swiss K31 sniper rifle
  - Nail Gun Special weapon

Gameplay

Addressed an issue where Mimics under effects of Brain Rot could still enter their disguised form.
Addressed an issue where Mimics were not being killed while under effects of Brain Rot.

Perks