GamingCall of Duty

Black Ops 4 March 12 update patch notes – Shamrock & Awe event, League Play updates, and more

Alan Bernal
Treyarch

Black Ops 4 has just received new event and loads of content for the week, as Treyarch dropped a new patch for hit Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC players on March 12.

Treyarch has officially launched this month’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities in game with the Shamrock and Awe event, while dishing out the long-awaited features like Host Migrations to Zombies as well as the first variant to existing maps.

In anticipation for the event, Treyarch released a fresh new trailer that goes over everything players can expect with the latest update. 

Though Treyarch was tight-lipped about what was coming in the Shamrock and Awe event, players can expect a possible new Contraband Stream in the Black Market. Meanwhile numerous modes in the game will have special features specially made for the event.

Multiplayer

The new update brings Stockpile to the list of Multiplayer modes on Playstation 4. The mode was previously a Black Ops 3 favorite called Fracture, and will get new life in the coming update with a few special surprises just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, according to Treyarch.

In addition to the new mode, Treyarch released some new features for the World League Hub and League Play for all platforms. Not only has a match quite penalty been added, but new rewards have been added for the Top 5 placements and 1st place. 

The Shamrock & Awe event is bringing some major updates to the Blackout map.

Blackout

The popular battle royale mode has gotten a big of a facelift to reflect the changing of the seasons with the Spring Map Update. Like the winter update before, the spring update brings a fresh coat of colors throughout the map.

With the Shamrock & Awe event, Blackout players will be able to discover more loot in the form of Pot-o-Gold Stashes, Homunculus Leprechauns hoards, and Mystery Boxes at the end of rainbows. 

Meanwhile, Hardcore mode also found its way into Blackout, making the battle royale even deadlier than it was before.

Zombies fans have some new pursuits to chase with the March 12 Black Ops 4 update.

Zombies

A new gauntlet is on the horizon for Zombies fans as the new mode will see players surviving through perilous challenges in Hellcatraz.

Meanwhile Host Migration will finally make their way into Zombies. If all goes well, the feature should alleviate the frustrations of a great match going to waste if the host randomly drops out of the game.

You can read the full patch notes for the March 12 update, courtesy of Treyarch, below:

March 12 Update: Operation Grand Heist’s Next Major Update and our FREE Shamrock & Awe Event Have Begun!

  • General
    • Free Shamrock & Awe Event now live in Multiplayer, Blackout, and Zombies (PS4)
  • Multiplayer
    • Stockpile added as Featured Playlist (PS4)
    • Contraband Hurricane map added to rotation
    • Scorestreak tuning for the Thresher and Dart
    • Casino now available in Hardpoint and Custom Games
    • Prestige Master fix for Level 999
  • World League Hub
    • Match quit penalty added to League Play
    • Daily Bonus points now roll over day-to-day and reduced to 100
    • 12 Custom Classes now available to all players
    • New 4-Gem reward added for Top 5 placements
    • New 5-Gem reward added for 1st Place
  • Blackout
    • Spring seasonal map update
    • Hardcore Mode added as Featured Playlist (PS4)
    • Contraband Stashes featuring KAP 45, Rampage, and Switchblade X9 (PS4)
    • Muscle Car and SUV added to Solos, Duos, and Quads (PS4)
    • Operator Weapons and Purifier added
    • Weapon Inspect feature added
    • Gestures and Callouts added to Victory screen
    • LTM stat filter added to Barracks
  • Zombies
    • “Hellcatraz” Gauntlet in “Blood of the Dead” (PS4)
    • Host Migration added
    • Prestige Master fixes added
    • Stability and gameplay improvements

The following updates are live today on PS4, with other platforms to follow:

General

  • Events
    • Shamrock & Awe Event now live on PS4 in Multiplayer, Blackout, and Zombies.
      • Players can visit the Black Market to collect their free St. Patrick’s Day Gesture & Calling Card.

Multiplayer

  • Game Modes
    • Stockpile added as Featured Playlist.
      • Kill enemies and collect their tags. Carry your banked tags to the nearest deposit point to score points for your team.
  • Shamrock & Awe Event
    • St. Patrick’s Stockpile variant live during Shamrock & Awe Event: carry your banked enemy shamrocks to the nearest pot of gold to score points for your team.

Blackout

  • Game Modes
    • Hardcore added as Featured Playlist.
      • Quads version of Blackout with no HUD, armor, vehicles, or zombies.
      • No mini-map, player information, team information, compass, player count, or killfeed.
      • Quick Equip Menu disabled.
      • Med Kits are the only available healing items (no Trauma Kits or Bandages).
      • A fleet of helicopters drops flares overhead to inform players of each new circle location.
  • Weapons
    • Contraband Stashes
      • Contraband Stashes allow access to the latest weapons: Rampage shotgun, Switchblade X9 SMG, and KAP 45 auto-pistol.
  • Vehicles
    • Muscle Car & SUV
      • Muscle Car and SUV now available in Solos, Duos, and Quads, without their special abilities exclusive to Hot Pursuit.
  • Shamrock & Awe Event
    • St. Patrick’s Day-themed map updates, plus additional loot available in Pot-o-Gold Stashes, Homunculus Leprechauns hoards, and in Mystery Boxes at the end of the rainbow.

Zombies

Gauntlets

  • Hellcatraz
    • Take on 30 rounds of new challenges as the Primis crew in Blood of the Dead for rewards at Tiers 10, 20, and 30.
  • Shamrock & Awe Event
    • Green-eyed zombies and a new seasonal Easter Egg now live in Classic Chaos story maps.

The following updates are live today on consoles, with PC to follow:

Multiplayer

  • General
    • Added the ability to change Class when joining a match in progress.
  • Maps
    • Contraband Hurricane
      • New stormy variant of Contraband added to rotation, free for all players.
    • Casino
      • Casino is now available in Hardpoint playlists and in Custom Games for Black Ops Pass holders.
      • Addressed an issue where the Sniper’s Nest could occasionally remain in the playspace after expiring in Casino.
  • Prestige
    • Addressed an issue where some users could not progress beyond Prestige Master Level 999.
    • Addressed an issue where Create-a-Class slots unlocked through Prestige could have empty Equipment slots.
  • Scorestreaks
    • The Thresher will no longer damage friendly players in modes with Friendly Fire enabled.
    • The Dart will no longer count toward team kill penalties in modes with Friendly Fire enabled.
  • Equipment
    • Addressed various instances where the Seeker could fall through the map.
    • Addressed an animation hitch when standing from crouch while holding a Trophy System.
  • Specialists
    • Outrider
      • Addressed an animation issue with Outrider’s Hawk tablet while a pistol was equipped.
  • Game Modes
    • Heist
      • Improvements made to the revive UI to match the revive UI in Blackout.
  • Customization
    • Mastercraft camos will now display on weapons in the Gun Rack.
    • Warpaint can now be seen through Seraph’s “The Professional” mask.

World League Hub

  • General
    • Players that leave a match early will now receive an increased match quit penalty.
    • Unlocked all 12 Custom Classes for players to use in World League Hub.
    • Prestige Master players now properly earn XP in League Play matches.
    • Multiplayer Challenges now properly track while playing in League Play Events.
    • Prestige icons now properly appear when leveling up in League Play Events.
  • Ladders and Rewards
    • Added a Top 5 Ladder Reward tier that awards 4 Gems.
    • 1st Place Ladder Reward now awards 5 Gems.
    • League Ladder Tile in the World League Hub now properly updates after a League Play Event ends.
    • Addressed an issue where players were able to roll over their Ladder Points between Events.
  • Daily Bonus
    • Daily Bonuses will now roll over day-to-day for the duration of the current event.
    • Reduced the Daily Bonus point value from 200 to 100.
  • Miscellaneous
    • Addressed an issue where Match Bonus was rewarding fewer XP than intended.
    • Addressed an issue with inconsistent XP being awarded to players in Search and Destroy League Play matches.
    • Addressed an issue with Specialist Stats displaying Public Match Stats instead of World League Hub Stats.
    • Addressed an issue with the Previous League Play Results screen appearing before a player had completed their Skill Evaluation matches.
    • Addressed an issue with the League Play Career tile in the Barracks not properly updating.
    • Addressed an issue with Streak Flames not appearing in some cases.

Blackout

  • Spring Map Update
    • Added updated lighting, new and improved greenery, and springtime trees in full bloom throughout the map.
  • Weapons
    • Operator Weapons
      • Operator Weapons added to Supply Drops and Stashes.
      • Weapons come with Operator Mods pre-attached, which cannot be stripped.
      • Operator Weapons glow purple for easy identification.
    • Purifier
      • Firebreak’s Purifier flamethrower can now be found in Supply Drops.
  • General
    • Players can now mute team members via the Team Scoreboard.
    • Improved visibility of items on the ground when wingsuiting and parachuting into the map.
    • Enabled prioritizing ammo pickups over weapon pickups in Blackout Options.
    • Weapon Inspect can now be activated with left on the d-pad on consoles.
    • Gestures and Callouts can now be activated during the Victory screen.
    • Added new Limited-Time Modes stats filter in Barracks.
    • All Limited-Time Modes now feed stats directly to the Limited Time Modes filter, including previous Hot Pursuit stats.
  • Miscellaneous
    • Addressed an issue where the wrong Calling Card was displayed when a player spectated or viewed the Killcam.
    • Addressed an issue where the player character was missing when joining another player in the lobby.

Zombies

  • Host Migration
    • Public matches will now automatically continue with a new host if the current host drops out mid-game.
  • Stability
    • Global
      • Fixed a crash that could occur when a Catalyst zombie performed its special attack.
      • Fixed a crash that could occur when navigating from the Black Market to a Zombies lobby and back.
    • IX
      • Fixed a crash that could occur when a player started a Custom Mutations IX match where starting points had been adjusted in “Edit Game Rules”.
      • Fixed a crash that could occur when the player queued for a public Classic IX match.
    • Blood of the Dead
      • Fixed a crash that could occur if the player rapidly switched tabs while spectating.
    • Classified
      • Fixed an issue during the “Death-Con Five” Gauntlet where the player could be disconnected from the server and moved to the main menu when transitioning from Round 10 to Round 11.
    • Theater
      • Fixed a crash that could occur when viewing a clip made during the previous patch in Theater.
      • Fixed a potential freeze and/or crash that could occur in Theater when fast-forwarding a clip from Dead of the Night.
  • Miscellaneous
    • Global – Addressed issues where:
      • The Welling could be permanently unlocked with a Permanent Unlock Token, despite it being the starting pistol.
      • Pack-a-Punching the Swordfish while it was equipped with the Holographic and Long Barrel attachments caused the weapon to have improper animations.
      • If the player left any party lobby hosted by a player, then accepted an invite into a custom Zombies game from a second player, it would result in the player losing functionality during the First Time User Experience screen.
      • The Ethereal Razor could be seen constantly even if the player was not using the knife.
      • The player put their only weapon into the Pack-a-Punch, effectively giving them fists in first-person, but a knife would be seen in their hand in third-person.
      • After killing the Blightfather, the 25% XP boost did not give out the appropriate value with a “MKII” weapon.
    • Prestige Master – Addressed issues where:
      • A Prestige Master Level 1000 player could still see an XP bar in the After Action Report after every match, despite there being no XP left to earn.
      • Earning XP at Prestige Master Level 322 could become corrupted.
      • The Options menu during a game would display the incorrect level and amount of XP for a Prestige Master player, and would be inconsistent with the After Action Report.
      • A Master Prestige player changed their Prestige icon and other players would see the default icon in the Social menu.
    • “Death-Con Five” Gauntlet – Addressed issues where:
      • Players may lose their sprinting animation after sliding and shooting during “Slippery” in Round 2.
      • Players were able to use Elixirs while not sliding, which was inconsistent with the round description during “Slippery” in Round 2.
      • If the player rapid-fired a semi-auto weapon while sliding, they could rapid-fire the remainder of the clip after stopping during “Slippery” in Round 2.
      • Damage would persist on players while standing still during Round 5.
      • The player would lose points when they run, walk, slide, crouch, or go prone in Nova 6 Gas, despite the description only mentioning when “standing” during the “High Gas Prices” Round.
    • “Veni, Vidi, Zombie!” Gauntlet
      • Addressed an issue in Round 26 in which players could briefly see their Equipment in their hands as their weapon changed.
      • Addressed an issue in Round 26 in which the revival animation would not play when the player was reviving another player.
    • Classified
      • Addressed a visual issue near the Mystery Box in the War Room Upper Level.
      • Addressed an issue where activating the Nova Crawlers by annoying McNamara during a round transition change would cause all spawns going forward to be Nova Crawlers.
      • Closed an exploit where the player could use the Ragnarok DG-5 to jump onto a filing cabinet in Central Filing.
    • IX
      • Addressed an issue where players were unable to repair barricades in the Ra Altar room.
      • Addressed an issue where the player may notice a misaligned Challenge text box in the UI after cutting a Challenge Banner rope.
    • Blood of the Dead
      • Addressed a rare issue where the player’s Shield Key could get jammed in a door while aiming down sights.
      • Addressed an issue that could occur where the Warden that spawns on the roof could path to the Infirmary and then get stuck.
      • Addressed an issue that could occur where random barricades would become unrepairable after Round 6.
    • Dead of the Night
      • Addressed an issue where the light FX for Alistair’s Annihilator could persist on the screen when grabbed by the Crimson Nosferatu.
      • Addressed various visual issues in the Cemetery.
    • Perk Up Elixir
      • Addressed an issue where the player would only receive two Perks from the Perk Up Elixir after failing a round in any Gauntlet match by not completing the objective.
      • Addressed an issue where, if a player used the Perk Up Elixir in a Gauntlet to obtain extra Perks and then proceeded to get damaged down to 50 health, then used In Plain Sight while being attacked at 50 health, the round failed and the Perk Up Perks remained active when the player respawned in the next round.

General

  • Friendly Fire
    • Unique Friendly Fire hitmarkers will now appear when damaging friendlies in any game mode with friendly fire enabled, including Hardcore modes, Blackout, and League Play.

There’s plenty more to come during this Operation, including our upcoming “Ancient Evil” Zombies map, an entirely new Blackout experience, Barebones and Infected modes in Multiplayer, and so much more. Get out there and let us know what you think in the comments!

-Treyarch

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