Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 update patch notes: Shoot House, Combat Record, buffs & nerfs, more

Nathan Warby
modern warfare 2 operators back to back

Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 brings the first major content drop for Infinity Ward’s latest shooter. Here are the full update patch notes for Modern Warfare 2 Season 1, detailing all of the changes and new content.

Modern Warfare 2 has smashed the Call of Duty franchise’s best-selling record as players continue to enjoy the game since its launch. While the new maps and weapons have kept players satisfied so far, the community gets even more content with the launch of Season 1.

Here are the full patch notes for Modern Warfare 2 Season 1, detailing all of the new content, changes, weapons buffs and nerfs, and more.

Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 brings Shoot House & Shipment maps

shoot house in modern warfare 2 season 1

Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 is officially bringing the return of Shipment and Shoot House, two “fan favorite” maps that are on a much smaller scale compared to the maps available at launch.

Shoot House is available at launch of Season 1, while Shipment will be arriving “mid-season,” which is most likely the December 14 Season 1 Reloaded update.

Both maps feature a reimagined design, with Shoot House being set “in the jungles south of Las Almas,” while Shipment is now on a “cargo ship taking on water in a storm-ridden part of the Atlantic Ocean.”

Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 new weapons

The Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 update will be bringing four new weapons to the game, three of which will be available upon the season’s launch:

  • Victus XMR Sniper Rifle — Imperatorium Platform (Launch, Battle Pass)
  • BAS-P SMG — Bruen Ops Platform (Launch, Battle Pass)
  • Chimera Assault Rifle — Bruen Ops Platform (Mid-Season)
  • M13B Assault Rifle — Bruen Ops Platform (Launch, DMZ challenge)
modern warfare 2 victus xmr sniper rifle

Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 new Operators

The first season of Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 will also bring six new Operators, with three of them being “football-themed Operators” Neymar, Messi, and Pogba.

Here are the three new soldier Operators arriving in Season 1 of Modern Warfare 2 and how to get them:

  • Zeus (Battle Pass, Launch)
  • Klaus (Bundle, Mid-Season)
  • Gaz (Bundle, Mid-Season)
zeus modern warfare 2 season 1 operator

Hardcore mode & Combat Record arrives with Modern Warfare 2 Season 1

Although announced as a launch feature, Hardcore (now called Tier 1), never arrived with Modern Warfare 2 but the devs have confirmed it’s coming with the Season 1 update.

Tier 1 Playlists are almost identical to Hardcore, featuring a limited HUD, lower player health, and enabling friendly fire. Once it arrives, it should be the perfect place to acquire the Mastery Camos.

Further, players will finally be able to see their in-game stats as the Combat Record also arrived with Season 1.

Modern Warfare FC event

The new season will also see the Modern Warfare FC event, where players can “sign three of the world’s greatest athletes to your Operator roster by picking up special, limited-time Bundles: Neymar Jr., who will debut on November 21; Paul Pogba, set to debut on November 25; and Leo Messi, who will complete the Operator hat trick on November 29.”

Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 CDL Moshpit playlist

The Call of Duty League kicks off in December, and to keep players satisfied until Treyarch’s Ranked Play arrives in 2023, Season 1 brings a new CDL Moshpit playlist that allows players to play like the pros — just without a rank to grind.

According to the blog, the CDL Moshpit playlist will “use the League’s standard rules, restrictions, and map rotation across all three of its official game modes: Hardpoint, Search & Destroy, and Control.”

However, Treyarch have confirmed that the mode has been delayed to later in the season because of an issue.

Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 new Spec Ops missions

The returning Spec Ops mode arrived in Modern Warfare 2 on day one, but the devs are committed to supporting the feature long-term. Season 1 will add a new mission called “High Ground” on launch as well as the first Raid for the mid-season update.

The Modern Warfare 2 Raids will continue the story of Modern Warfare 2’s Campaign, and they are described as “the ultimate challenge for Trios with a mix of stealth, all-out action, and puzzle-solving objectives.”

Warzone 2 & DMZ

If all of this wasn’t enough, Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 will also coincide with the release of Warzone 2 and the new DMZ mode.

For information on Warzone 2’s first season, check out our guide to Season 1 of Warzone 2.

Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 update patch notes

WEAPON BALANCING 

» Assault Rifles «

  • Increase to long distance flinch on all Assault Rifles

Kastov 545 

  • ADS speed increase
  • Improved ironsight ADS sight picture

Kastov-74u 

  • ADS speed decrease
  • Hip spread increase

M4 

  • Hip spread reduction

M16 

  • Rate of fire increase
  • Hip spread reduction
  • Recoil recenter speed increase
  • Shot grouping improvement
  • Increase ADS movement speed
  • Increase strafing movement speed
  • Semi auto recoil reduction
  • Semi auto damage reduction 

STB 556

  • Close range damage reduction
  • Reduced sprint to fire speed

» Battle Rifles «

FTac Recon 

  • ADS speed improvement
  • 5 round magazine – speed and handling improvement
  • Increased flinch caused by bullets
  • Hip spread decrease

SO-14

  • Increased hip fire when full auto

» Handguns «

  • Increase to close range flinch on all Handguns

» Light Machine Guns «

  • Increase to long distance flinch on all Light Machine Guns

» Marksman Rifles «

Lockwood 300

  • Damage range reduction

SA-B 50

  • Minor increase to flinch when hit

SP-R 208

  • Large increase to flinch when hit

» Shotguns «

  • Increase to close range flinch on all Shotguns

Bryson 800

  • Close range damage increase
  • Hip spread increase

» Submachine Guns «

  • Increase to long distance flinch on all Submachine Guns

FFS Hurricane 

  • ADS move speed increase
  • Increased headshot damage
  • Increased far damage range

Minibak 

  • Movement speed decrease
  • Damage range decrease
  • ADS speed decrease
  • Hip spread increase

PDSW 528

  • Movement speed increase
  • Damage range increase
  • ADS speed increase
  • Hip spread decrease
  • Adding Laser and Flashlight Attachments
    • 1mW Artemis Laser
    • 1mW Quick Fire Laser
    • Accu-Shot 5mW Laser
    • VLK LZR 7mW
    • 7mW Canted Laser
    • Schlager ULO-66 Laser

VEL 46 

  • Damage range increase

» Sniper Rifles «

Signal .50

  • Fixed attributes on the Signal .50 barrels:
    • 21.5″ Fluted Fifty
    • 23.5″ SA Fifty-H7

WEAPON BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue with the Schlager TTF3 Riser ammo comb on the STB 556 Assault Rifle
  • Dropshot exploit fix
  • Fixed exploit with bipod mount launching, re-enabled bipod use.
  • Fixed incendiary damage over time to not flinch the player

OPERATORS

New Operators

Zeus | KorTac

  • The last of his name, Zeus established the “Thunder” Corps counter-terrorism group dedicated to hunting down AQ.
  • Unlocked automatically with purchase of Season 01 Battle Pass.

VEHICLE UPDATES

Balancing

  • Reduced the critical damage multiplier on the Heavy Tank (from 1.6 to 1.25)
  • Reduced the damage of the PILA against tanks from 30 to 25%
  • Reduced vehicle explosive damage against other vehicles (percentage varies by vehicle)

Bug Fixes

  • Tuned exiting the RHIB to help mitigate an issue with players getting stuck
  • Exiting the RHIB now places you within the boat. You’ll no longer be left in the water behind the boat when moving.
  • Fixes to vehicle-on-vehicle bug that caused vehicles flying as a result of certain collisions and vehicles pushing others back.
  • Fixed a bug where the vehicle camera was re-initializing after repairing a wheel.
  • Fixed vehicles becoming permanently submerged when another vehicle lands on top of them.

MULTIPLAYER

Maps

  • Shoot House (6v6) is now live with Season 01. Set in Las Almas, this map will engage new and veteran players alike. Get all the intel on this location here.
  • Battle Maps
    • Fixed floating grass in Sarrif Bay
    • Fixed stretched texture in Santa Seña
    • Miscellaneous bug and exploit fixes across all Battle Maps
  • Core Maps
    • Fixed bullet penetration issues across some maps
    • Player and equipment collision fixes
    • Al Bagra Fortress barracks lighting fixed
    • Fixed some deployable cover locations
    • General exploit fixes

Modes

  • Multiplayer
    • Tier 1 is live with Season 01  
  • Special Ops
    • “Defender: Mt. Zaya – Modified” mission is now available
    • “High Ground” mission now available
    • Fixed bug where players were unable to revive a teammate if they went down near an ammo box
    • Now rewards Stars when collecting intel
      • Stars awarded upon collecting 5 intel; 2 for every intel
  • Single Player
    • Addressed issue where player could get stuck in the elevator during the “Countdown” mission
    • Fixed issue where sequence would not kick off during second half of “Kill or Capture” mission

Equipment

  • The Drill Charge sticking to the Riot Shield will always kill the player using the Riot Shield (even if they have the Bomb Squad perk).

Killstreaks

  • Cluster Mines now stick to all vehicles.
  • Ally deaths no longer give the player assist points while their Counter UAV is active.

UI/UX

  • Combat Record has been added for Core Multiplayer
  • Calling card menu has been revamped to show challenges
  • Customize tab added (with the addition of custom loading screens)
  • Other new content types:
    • Operator finishing moves
    • Gunscreens
    • War Tracks
  • Updates to Weapons tab including:
    • Weapon brands visible
    • Streamlined Blueprint navigation

CDL Moshpit

  • Due to recently discovered issues, CDL Moshpit will not go live on the morning of 11/16, as expected. Stay tuned to @Treyarch on Twitter for updates on launch timing while fixes are implemented.
  • When enabled, play competitive, 4v4 matches using the same modes, maps, and settings used in the Call of Duty League 2023 ruleset.
    • Select Weapons, Attachments, Equipment, Perks, Field Upgrades, and Streaks are restricted based on official CDL Competitive rules. 
    • Game Modes and Maps:
      • CDL Search and Destroy
        • Al Bagra Fortress
        • Breenburgh Hotel
        • El Asilo
        • Embassy
        • Mercado Las Almas
      • CDL Hardpoint
        • Al Bagra Fortress
        • Breenburgh Hotel
        • Embassy
        • Mercado Las Almas
        • Zarqwa Hydroelectric
      • CDL Control
        • Al Bagra Fortress
        • Breenburgh Hotel
        • El Asilo

For more on Modern Warfare 2, take a look at the best Assault Rifles and SMGs in the game.

Source: Infinity Ward

Image credits: Activision

About The Author

Nathan is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel. He’s an expert in EA Sports FC, Call of Duty, and Overwatch, as well as superhero games, including Marvel’s Spider-Man. With a master's degree in Magazine Journalism from Nottingham Trent University, he worked as a Trainee Reporter for Derbyshire Live before moving into games media, with bylines at Dexerto, Cultured Vultures, and more. You can contact Nathan by email at [email protected].