Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded patch notes: New weapons, 6v6 map, Raid Episode 3, more

Liam Mackay
Alejandro in Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded is here, and there is a new map, weapons, and more to look forward to. Here are the patch notes for Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded, including a look at all of the new content.

Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded brought plenty of new content for players to enjoy that is sure to refresh the multiplayer experience. For starters, a new 6v6 map and new weapons arrived with the Season 3 Reloaded update.

Season 3 Reloaded also brought the next Raid for players to enjoy, and so much more. Here’s everything you need to know about Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded including an overview of the patch notes.

The Season 3 roadmap teased some of the mid-season arrivals.

Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded release date

Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded arrived on May 10, 2023. While some players can preload the update, the content does not go live until 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST.

New weapons in Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded

Two Pistols arrived in Season 3 Reloaded, and the Season 3 Reloaded blog revealed that they are the FTAC Siege and the GS Magna.

GS Magna in Warzone 2
The fully automatic pistols could take over MW2 in Season 3 Reloaded.

Both of the new Handguns are fully automatic Secondary weapons with unlock challenges. Players must get 30 headshot kills using the .50 GS to unlock the GS Magna. Meanwhile, to unlock the FTAC Siege, players must secure 30 hipfire kills using Handguns.

In addition to the two new Handguns, a new piece of Lethal Equipment called the Throwing Star is available in Season 3 Reloaded. To unlock the Throwing Star, players will need to get 50 kills with a Throwing Knife.

New 6v6 map in Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded

MW2 Alboran Hatchery 6v6 map
Alboran Hatchery comes with a featured Playlist following the update.

A brand-new 6v6 map, Alboran Hatchery, arrived with Modern Warfare 2’s Season 3 Reloaded update.

Based on the images of the medium-sized map, we can see it’s taken from the All Ghillied Up-inspired ‘Recon by Fire’ campaign mission where Gaz and Price do some long-range sniping in Spain.

Raid Episode 3 arrives in Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded

Alex in Modern Warfare 2
Alex arrives as a new Operator in Season 3 Reloaded.

Players will get the chance to unlock the new Alex Operator in Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded by completing Raid Episode 3.

The new mission arrived with the Season 3 Reloaded update and it sees Price, Farah, and Alex push deeper into the armed Soviet base.

In Raid Episode 3, players will be “descending into a massive pit where they will navigate old train tunnels and electrically charged waters.”

In addition to the new Raid, Modern Warfare 2 players can try out the new Special Ops Mission: Defender Comes to Hafid Port.

New camo challenges in Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded

Modern Warfare 2 received new camo challenges with the Season 3 Reloaded update, allowing players to unlock “an exclusive set of Camos.”

This new event is similar to the Path of the Ronin camo challenge event, featuring a new challenge for each weapon class:

“Complete one weapon category challenge to unlock a new camouflage for every weapon in that category. Complete all ten to earn another new camo for every weapon category, plus a special Weapon Charm that shows you mastered the Reloaded Trophy Hunt.”

Face Off & Giant Infection in MW2 Season 3 Reloaded

The Face Off and Giant Infection modes arrived in Modern Warfare 2 with the Season 3 Reloaded update.

Face Off is a fast-paced 3v3 mode on Gunfight maps, and Giant Infection is exactly what it sounds like — a massive game of Infected on larger Battle Maps.

Kevin Durant Operator in Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded

NBA superstar Kevin Durant arrives as a new Operator

Kevin Durant makes his way to Modern Warfare 2 as a new Operator in Season 3 Reloaded. A Kevin Durant bundle with two new weapon blueprints is up for grabs in the store.

The devs have yet to reveal how much the bundle will cost, but we’ll be sure to let you know.

Modern Warfare 2 Season 3 Reloaded patch notes

GLOBAL

Season 03 Reloaded is here with the launch of the Warzone Ranked Play Beta, a brand new Atomgrad Raid episode, a new DMZ playspace, a new core Multiplayer map, and more! Keep reading to see all of the details and adjustments coming to this Season across Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0.

EVENTS

Season 03 Reloaded Camo Challenge

  • Our seasonal event is a follow-up to the popular camo challenges we had in Season 02. Complete one weapon category challenge to unlock a new camouflage for every weapon in that category.
  • Complete all ten to earn another new camo for every weapon category, plus a special Weapon Charm that shows you mastered the Reloaded Trophy Hunt.
  • The challenges for this event include:
    • Assault Rifles: Get 250 Operator Kills
    • Battle Rifles: Get 30 Headshot Operator Kills
    • SMGs: Get 3 Operator Kills Without Dying 30 times
    • Shotguns – Get 30 Hipfire Operator Kills
    • LMGs: Get 50 Operator Kills While Mounted
    • Marksman Rifles: Get 25 Longshot Operator Kills
    • Sniper Rifles – Get 30 Longshot Operator Kills
    • Handguns: Get 50 Operator Kills
    • Launcher – Get 40 Operator Kills

Trophy Hunt Update

  • We hope you enjoyed our Trophy Hunt event! While Players can no longer actively earn trophies/tokens, they can still spend them on rewards in the in-game Events tab. 

MAPS

NEW MAP

  • Alboran Hatchery (6v6) 
    • A medium-sized core Map experience set on a remote facility in Spain
    • Get all the intel in our dedicated map blog

GENERAL

  • Calling Cards
    • Improved the user experience while navigating through Calling Cards challenge menu
    • See your favorites, tracked and owned items
    • View calling cards from a specific game mode
    • Preview Mastery cards from a specific season 

GAMEPLAY


General

  • A challenge to unlock the Cronen Squall’s Sakin ZX Grip has been added 
  • A challenge to unlock Underbarrel Drill Charge Attachments for the Kastov 762, STB 556, and TAQ-56 has been added
  • Hybrid Optics no longer glint while in their low-magnification alt modes 
  • Tracer effects can now be applied through the Attachment Skin customization menu 

Damage Feedback Visibility

  • Cleared out center of red HUD overlay
  • Reduced overall alpha of red HUD overlay
  • Reduced saturation of vision set flash
  • Reduced distortion amount
  • Reduced handheld camera noise on bullet damage

  • Camera movement while walking and sprinting has been reduced 
  • Weapon Raise delay following parachute landing decreased by 30%
  • Initial Sliding acceleration increased by 6%
  • The height threshold for single-handed Mantling has been increased, allowing for more aggressive traversal 

WEAPONS

 

  • FTAC Siege: Handgun
    • Designed to be compact and maneuverable, this machine pistol has a jaw-dropping fire rate and rapid swap speed. A trusted secondary for up-close engagements.
    • Acquirable via in-game Challenge: 50 Hip Fire Operator kills with Handguns
  • GS Magna: Handgun
    • This fully automatic .50 GS boasts enough power to put an end to anyone foolish enough to cross your path. Hold down the trigger and let this .50 Cal speak for itself.
    • Acquirable via in-game Challenge: 30 Headshot Operator kills with the .50 GS

  • Throwing Star
    • A compelling, high-skill alternative to the Throwing Knife, the Throwing Star demands more accuracy from its wielder. While less accurate hits will not result in a kill, this is more than compensated for in its ammo capacity and rapid deployment capabilities.
    • Added an indicator for how to unlock the Throwing Star in the Loadouts tab
    • Unlocked via in-game Challenge: 50 Operator kills with the Throwing Knife

 

First Raise

  • The delay between first equipping a Weapon and being able to fire it has been decreased across numerous Weapons.

Quick Raise and Quick Drop

  • Quick Raise and Quick Drop speeds have been uniformly increased, allowing for more rapid deployment of equipment—which is further improved by Fast Hands.  

Armor Damage

Maximum Armor Damage values have been added to all Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, Submachine Guns, and Light Machine Guns. These values will assist in slowing down close-range time-to-kill.

Minimum Armor Damage has been adjusted or added to several Weapons to increase their viability at longer ranges. See Weapon changes below for details:

» Handguns «

  • Basilisk 
    • Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • P890 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • X12
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • X13 Auto 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 

» Submachine Guns «

  • BAS-P 
    • ADS Speed increased 
    • Headshot Damage Multiplier decreased 
    • Maximum Damage increased 
    • Maximum Damage Range increased 
    • Mid-far Damage increased 
    • Mid-far Damage Range increased 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Minimum Damage increased 
    • Minimum Damage Range increased 
    • Reduced ‘First Raise’ animation time
  • Lachmann Sub 
    • Burst-fire Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • Minibak 
    • Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • MX9 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • Vaznev-9K 
    • Maximum Damage Range decreased 

» Assault Rifles «

  • Chimera 
    • Semi-auto Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Reduced ‘First Raise’ animation time
  • ISO Hemlock 
    • Maximum Damage decreased 
    • Mid Damage decreased 
    • Minimum Damage decreased 
    • Lower Torso Multiplier increased 
    • Extremities Multipliers decreased 
  • Kastov 545 
    • Close-mid Damage Range decreased 
    • Mid Damage Range decreased 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • Kastov 762 
    • Semi-auto Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Extremities Multipliers decreased 
  • Kastov-74u 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • Lachmann-556 
    • Close-mid Damage increased 
    • Maximum Damage Range increased 
    • Mid Damage Range added 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Semi-auto Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Upper Torso Multiplier increased 
  • M16 
    • Close-mid Damage Range increased 
    • Maximum Damage Range increased 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Cooldown time between bursts decreased
    • Reduced ‘First Raise’ animation time
  • M4 
    • Semi-auto minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Reduced ‘First Raise’ animation time
  • M13B 
    • ADS Speed increased slightly 
    • Damage Ranges increased 
    • Hip Spread Accuracy increased slightly 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Reduced ‘First Raise’ animation time
  • TAQ-56 
    • Maximum Damage Range decreased 

» Battle Rifles «

  • FTAC Recon 
    • Auto-fire Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Reduced ‘First Raise’ animation time
  • Lachmann-762 
    • Auto-fire Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • SO-14 
    • Auto-fire Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Lower Torso Multiplier increased 
    • Maximum Damage increased 
    • Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only
  • TAQ-V 
    • Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Semi-auto Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 

» Shotguns «

  • Bryson 800 
    • Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Mid Damage increased
  • Bryson 890 
    • Minimum Armor Damage increased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
    • Mid Damage increased 
  • Lockwood 300 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 

» Light Machine Guns «

  • HCR 56 
    • Minimum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
  • RAPP H
    • Reduced ‘First Raise’ animation time
  • SAKIN MG38
    • Reduced  ‘First Raise’ animation time

 

ATTACHMENTS

» Ammunition «

  • Explosive 
    • Bullet Velocity decreased 
  • .500 Snakeshot 
    • Tuning enabled
  • .300 Blackout (All Types)
    • Maximum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only

» Laser «

  • Laser visibility decreased
     
  • Canted Vibro-Dot 7 
    • Now blocks Core BP2 Underbarrel 
  • 7mW Canted Laser 
    • Now blocks Core BP2 Underbarrel 

» Magazine «

  • Fennec 
    • Fennec Double Tap Mod
      • Maximum Ammo Reserves increased
      • Maximum Armor Damage added | Warzone 2.0 Only 
      • Minimum Armor Damage decreased | Warzone 2.0 Only 
      • Starting Ammo increased
  • STB 556
    • Single Tap Mod
      • Cooldown time between shots decreased

The Magazine adjustments below apply to all Attachments depending on whether they are larger or smaller relative to a Weapon’s base Magazine capacity. These changes will mean, on average, larger capacity Magazines are considerably less punitive, and smaller capacity Magazines offer substantially more upside. 

  • Large 
    • ADS Speed penalty decreased 
    • Movement Speed penalties decreased 
  • Small 
    • ADS Speed benefit increased 
    • Movement Speed benefits increased 
    • Sprint to Fire Speed benefit increased 

» Muzzle «

  • Lockshot KT85 
    • Horizontal Recoil Control decreased 
    • Vertical Recoil Control increased 

» Optic «

  • Kazan-Holo 
    • Reticle visibility improved 

» Stock «
 

  • FJX Imperium
     
    • FJX Lux-7
      • Aim Walking Speed benefit increased
      • Aiming Idle Stability penalty increased
      • Sprint Speed benefit increased
  • RIB400
    • Recoil Control benefit increased
    • ADS Speed penalty increased
  • X12
    • XRK Pistol Stock
      • Movement Speed penalities decreased
  • X13 Auto
    • XRK Bar Stock
      • Movement Speed penalties decreased
         
    • XRK Dynamic Precision Stock 
      • Movement Speed penalties decreased 
         
    • X13 Coachwhip Stock 
      • Movement Speed penalties decreased

» Underbarrel «

  • Corvus Masterkey 
    • ADS Speed increased 
    • ADS Pellet Spread decreased 
    • Ammo Reserve increased 
    • Mid Damage Range increased slightly 

KILLSTREAKS

  • Cluster Mine 
    • Armor Damage decreased | Warzone 2.0 Only 

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue that allowed multiple Attachments to be equipped to the same category, resulting in broken or non-functional Weapons 
  • Fixed an issue that prevented Death Effects from occurring in DMZ and Co-Op modes
  • Fixed an issue with the FJX Imperium where its penetration level was lower than intended 
  • Fixed an issue with the SP-X 80 where its penetration level was lower than intended 
  • Fixed an issue with the XTEN Angel-40 Optic where its depth of field effect was not rendering properly  

VEHICLES

 

ADJUSTMENTS

  • Exiting a vehicle is now less likely to cause collisions with geometry
  • The Heavy Chopper is better at recognizing when it’s in an unrecoverable place, and catches fire if stuck 

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue where the ‘Missile Incoming’ warning would sometimes persist even after no missiles were incoming
  • Fixed an issue allowing vehicles to crush Players to death while using a turret in rare instances
  • Fixed an issue where the Armored Patrol Boat was not taking collision damage
  • Fixed an issue where the RHIB was taking only small amounts of collision damage
  • Fixed an issue where the Light Helo was taking excessive damage when landing
  • Fixed an issue where the Drill Charge was able to kick friendly Players out of a vehicle
  • Fixed an issue preventing Players from equipping and unequipping field upgrades in a vehicle 

AUDIO

ADJUSTMENTS

  • Improved clarity of Auto Ascender use sound
  • Improved the mix of Precision Airstrike and Mortar Strike Killstreaks, particularly at a distance

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue where too much occlusion could happen on entities in the same room as the Player 

UI/UX

  • Added an indicator for how to unlock the Throwing Star in the loadouts tab
  • Revised the Calling Card challenge screen to make progress tracking clearer and enable sorting and favoriting
  • In the Camos menu, make it clear that Gold and Platinum need to be unlocked first before Polyatomic can be progressed
  • Added indicator for how many skins are available when selecting an attachment
  • In Loadout menus, display available loadouts as two rows on single page instead of a horizontal scroll
  • Improved visual quality of score feed in Core Multiplayer Modes
  • Added an indicator for when a Party 2XP event is active and the bonus is in effect
  • Made various improvements to Gunfight UI in game
  • Added Nation Flags Calling Cards 

BUG FIXES

 

GENERAL 

  • Fixed an issue causing Players to incorrectly grab the awning when attempting to mantle through a window. 
  • Fixed an issue causing the camera to zoom into where a Player died while the player is being revived.
  • Fixed an issue causing Players to swap to an invalid Weapon during Last Stand. 
  • Fixed an issue in Gunfight causing Players to appear muted while actively using Voice Chat
  • Fixed an issue causing the message explaining how to obtain an Operator to be missing in the Operator Select menu.
  • Fixed an issue affecting FJX Imperium Camo Mastery Challenge Rewards.
  • Fixed an issue causing eliminated Players to be able to  hold onto carried objects.
  • Fixed an issue causing Score events to not appear while the Player is performing an execution.

 

PC

  • Fixed a critical issue that would result in a hard crash for all AMD VEGA users.
  • Fixed an issue for Players who only have a Steam account, by no longer granting Battle Pass CP rewards to a phantom Battle.net account.

SPECIAL OPS

ATOMGRAD RAID

Atomgrad Raid Episode 03 is now available!

  • After tracking down Alex, Gaz breaks off to establish comms with Laswell and provide exfil. Now Price, Farah, and Alex must push deeper into the Soviet base, descending into a massive pit where they will navigate old train tunnels and electrically charged waters. With Hadir and the missing warhead still on the loose, every minute counts. Complete Raid Episode 03 to unlock Alex as an Operator. 

COOPERATIVE

New Mission: Defender: Hafid Port is now available!

  • Deploy to Hafid Port in Al Mazrah and take on the cartel’s new operation. It won’t be an easy task: Once you’ve eliminated their first line of defense, you’ll need to dig in and defend against multiple waves of increasingly challenging enemy forces. 

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue where unlocked Operators incorrectly displayed as locked
  • Fixed an issue where Players could use a Revive Pistol to revive Players though the floor 

MULTIPLAYER

 

PLAYLIST

MODES

  • Faceoff
    • First debuted in Modern Warfare 3, Faceoff has returned!
    • 3v3 Kill Confirmed, Domination, Team Deathmatch on Gunfight maps
    • Killstreaks and Field Upgrades disabled
  • Gunfight O.S.P. (On Site Procurement) 
    • Gunfight variant where players spawn in with fists and must collect their weapons from the walls and floor. Grab a quick pistol and push or go for a more powerful weapon before you engage!
  • Giant Infected
    • The Infected mode you love on a Battle Map scale. More players, more infected, more fun! Infected players respawn with parachutes. When half the survivors have been wiped out a UAV sweep starts to help hunt the remaining players! Happy hunting! 

GENERAL

  • Players will no longer be awarded “One Shot One Kill” for earning kills with the Cranked bomb explosion
  • Updated the Gunfight mode description to be more clear about win conditions 
  • Removed laser attachments from all Gunfight Loadouts
  • Enabled an oxygen meter in Core Multiplayer
  • Set enemy Players and the Overtime flag to always show preview outlines while the pre-match countdown is active in Gunfight

  • Set the default Drop Zone rotation order to “Linear”
  • Updated the “Spectating” option values to be more descriptive of what they represent
  • Set the default round limit to 6 in Search and Destroy
  • Set the default round limit to 6 for Gunfight
  • Added Black Gold as a selectable Map 
  • Removed the “Care Package Drop Time” options for game modes that do not support Killstreaks
  • Updated the score limit for Grind to be 60 points
  • Added the FJX Imperium and Cronen Squall as selectable weapons in relevant options for One In the Chamber, Infected, and Gunfight 

RANKED PLAY

Additional Features

  • Find A Party: Multiplayer Ranked Play players can utilize the ‘Find a Party’ feature to find Squadmates of similar Skill before searching for a match.
    • This feature includes the following preference filters:
      • In-Game Communication Style: No Preference, Voice, Ping Only, and Text
      • Main Language: Select up to 3 language preferences: English (EN), French (FR), German (DE), Italian (IT), or Spanish (EU) (ES)
      • Playstyle: Competitive has been pre-selected and will remain locked for Party Finder.

BUG FIXES

 

GENERAL

  • Fixed an issue where Players could not deploy the MGB while swimming underwater
  • Fixed an issue where getting DDoSed while holding a Javelin would prevent lock on
  • Fixed a small number of issues that prevented the Perk widget from updating properly in All or Nothing matches
  • Fixed an issue with the Equipment base widget so that it correctly shows the recharge progress of Equipment if the “Restock” Perk is active in All or Nothing matches
  • Fixed an issue with the Cranked timer not being given to Players who eliminate another Player with the “Survivor” Perk active
  • Fixed an issue where invalid Camo references were being applied to weapons if the Player were to go on a winning streak in Gunfight
  • Fixed an issue where Shock Sticks were being equipped as lethal Equipment in Gunfight
  • Fixed an issue where the out of bounds timer could be reset
  • Fixed unintended exploits on Pelayo’s Lighthouse and Himmelmatt Expo 

PRIVATE MATCHES

  • Fixed an issue where bots were not respawning if “Force Respawn” is toggled off 

For more Modern Warfare 2 in the meantime, you can check out some of our other guides:

Best Modern Warfare 2 PC settings | Best guns in Modern Warfare 2 | Best Assault Rifles in Modern Warfare 2 |  Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play rewards | Best SMGs in Modern Warfare 2 | Best Modern Warfare 2 controller settings | Best mouse & keyboard settings for Modern Warfare 2

SOURCE: Call of Duty blog

About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor who focuses on Call of Duty but also plays lots of fantasy RPGs or anything else in his massive gaming backlog. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam freelanced in games journalism before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].