Black Ops 6 Season 1 update patch notes: Three new maps, Sniper rifle, Shotgun & AR buffs

Black Ops 6 Season 1 introduces new multiplayer maps, game modes, and core features. From the release date to a look at all the new content on the way, here’s the full rundown.

While Black Ops 6 only just went live on October 25, as a live-service game, we’re already barreling towards the first jam-packed seasonal update. The grind never stops and with Season 1 just on the horizon, players have plenty to look forward to.

New maps top the bill, but there are also fresh game modes coming alongside the implementation of a Ranked playlist. As always, there’s a full-fledged Battle Pass coming too, plus plenty more cosmetic bundles set to appear in the store.

So, here’s the full rundown to get you up to speed on Black Ops 6 Season 1.

Black Ops 6 Season 1 release date

Black Ops 6 Season 1 is set to kick off on Thursday, November 14, 2024.

This comes just three weeks after the launch of the new CoD installment, meaning fans haven’t got long to wait for new content. It falls in line with previous years too, with Season 1 updates historically marking the real ‘start’ of live-service support.

Weapon buffs and nerfs

ARs

Treyarch explained, “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.”

XM4

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 21 Range: 0-16.5 meters	Damage: 23 Range: 0-16.5 meters
Medium Damage Range	Damage: 20 Range: 16.5-40.6 meters	Damage: 22 Range: 16.6-40.6 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 17 Range: >40.6 meters	Damage: 19 Range: >40.6 meters
Headshot multiplier	1.3x multiplier	1.15x multiplier
CHF Barrel	1.42x multiplier	1.25x multiplier

AMES 85

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 21 Range: 0-50.8 meters	Damage: 23 Range: 0-50.8 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 17 Range: >50.8 meters	Damage: 19 Range: >50.8 meters
Headshot multiplier	1.25x multiplier	1.12x multiplier
CHF Barrel	1.4x multiplier	1.25x multiplier

GPR91

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 21 Range: 0-19.1 meters	Damage: 23 Range: 0-19.1 meters
Medium Damage Range	Damage: 20 Range: 19.1-45.7 meters	Damage: 22 Range: 19.1-45.7 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 17 Range: >45.7 meters	Damage: 19 Range: >45.7 meters

Additional Adjustments

• Headshot multiplier reduced from 1.3 to 1.15 
• Sprint to Fire time improved from 165ms to 160ms 
• Tactical Sprint to Fire time improved from 275ms to 270ms 
• Slide to Fire time improved from 0.37s to 0.33s 
• Dive to Fire time improved from 0.45s to 0.42s 

Attachment Adjustments

• CHF Barrel Attachment
  • Headshot multiplier reduced from 1.4 to 1.2 

Goblin Mk2

• All movement speeds improved by 0.01m/s (Yes, every little bit matters)
• Sprint to Fire time improved from 180ms to 175ms 
• Tactical Sprint to Fire time improved from 290ms to 285ms 

SMGs

Kompakt 92

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 11 Range: >26.7 meters	Damage: 10 Range: >26.7meters

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

Marine SP

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 92 Range: 0-9.7 meters	Damage: 102 Range: 0-2 meters
Medium Damage Range 1	Damage: 84 Range: 9.8-15.2 meters	Damage: 96 Range: 2.1-12.7 meters
Medium Damage Range 2	Damage: 60 Range: 15.3-18.2 meters	Damage: 70 Range: 12.8-25.4 meters
Medium Damage Range 3	Damage: 49 Range: 18.3-20.7 meters	Damage: 50 Range: 25.5-33 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 45 Range: >20.7 meters	Damage: 45 Range: >33 meters

Additional 12 Gauge Slug Adjustments

• Headshot multiplier increased from 1 to 1.5 
• Upper Torso and Upper Arm multipliers increased from 1 to 1.1 
• Now increases hip spread by 15% 

ASG-89

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 92 Range: 0-3.8 meters	Damage: 102 Range: 0-1.3 meters
Medium Damage Range 1	Damage: 84 Range: 3.9-5.3 meters	Damage: 70 Range: 1.4-15.2 meters
Medium Damage Range 2	Damage: 49 Range: 5.4-12.1 meters	Damage: 50 Range: 15.3-21.6 meters
Medium Damage Range 3	Damage: 33 Range: 12.2-19.1 meters	Damage: 40 Range: 21.7-29.2 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 24 Range: >19.1 meters	Damage: 30 Range: >29.2 meters

Additional 12 Gauge Slug Adjustments
Headshot multiplier increased from 1 to 1.5 
Upper Torso and Upper Arm multipliers increased from 1 to 1.1 
Now increases hip spread by 20% 

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.”

Swat 5.56

• Aim Down Sight Speed improved from 340ms to 315ms 
• Sprint to Fire time improved from 215ms to 205ms 
• Tactical Sprint to Fire time improved from 325ms to 315ms 

Attachment Adjustments

• Rapid Fire Attachment:
  • Recoil Gun Kick penalty increased from 25% to 30% 
  • Vertical Recoil penalty increased from 25% to 30% 
  • Horizontal Recoil penalty increased from 25% to 30% 

AEK-973

• Sprint to Fire time increased from 205ms to 215ms 
• Tactical Sprint to Fire time increased from 315ms to 325ms 

Attachment Adjustments

• Rapid Fire Attachment:
  • Rate of Fire benefit reduced from 10% to 5% 
  • Burst Fire Delay increased from 115ms to 295ms 
  • Recoil Gun Kick penalty increased from 25% to 50% 
  • Vertical Recoil penalty increased from 20% to 50% 
  • Horizontal Recoil penalty increased from 25% to 50% 

Sniper Rifles

This update lowers the baseline flin cg on all snipers and reduces the flinch resistance given by stock attachments. Aim walking speed bonuses were also improved on stock attachments, and ADS idle sway is less of an issue by default on snipers. This should resolve the issue where your point of aim changed when aiming down sights.

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% 

LW3A1 Frostline

General Adjustments

• Aim Down Sight Speed improved from 550ms to 535ms 
• Sprint to Fire time improved from 300ms to 290ms 
• Tactical Sprint to Fire time improved from 450ms to 430ms 
• ADS Idle Sway reduced (improved) by about 10% 

Attachment Adjustments

• Infiltrator Stock Attachment 
  • Aim Walking Movement Speed improvement increased from 0.48m/s to 0.58m/s 
• Heavy Stock Attachment
  • Flinch Resistance decreased from 60% to 53% 
• CHF Barrel Attachment
  • Recoil Gun Kick penalty improved from 75% to 50% 
  • Vertical Recoil penalty improved from 65% to 50% 
• Combat Stock Attachment
  • Aim Walking Movement Speed improvement increased from 0.25m/s to 0.33m/s 
  • Flinch Resistance decreased from 35% to 23% 

SVD

• Introduced a delay after firing before a new shot can be queued. This does not change the rate of fire, but prevents accidentally firing extra unintended shots when repeatedly pulling the trigger. 
• Sprint to Fire time improved from 310ms to 300ms 
• Tactical Sprint to Fire time improved from 460ms to 450ms 

Attachment Adjustments

• Infiltrator Stock Attachment
  • Aim Walking Movement Speed improvement increased from 0.5m/s to 0.56m/s 
• Heavy Stock Attachment
  • Flinch Resistance decreased from 50% to 42.5% 
• CHF Barrel Attachment
  • Recoil Gun Kick penalty improved from 75% to 50% 
  • Vertical Recoil penalty improved from 65% to 50% 
• Combat Stock Attachment
  • Aim Walking Movement Speed improvement increased from 0.27m/s to 0.3m/s 
  • Flinch Resistance decreased from 25% to 12.5%

LR 7.62

Adjustments:

General Adjustments

• Tactical Sprint to Fire time improved from 470ms to 460ms

Attachment Adjustments

• Infiltrator Stock Attachment
  • Aim Walking Movement Speed improvement increased from 0.43m/s to 0.51m/s 
• Heavy Stock Attachment
  • Flinch Resistance decreased from 55% to 48% 
• CHF Barrel Attachment
  • Recoil Gun Kick penalty improved from 75% to 50% 
  • Vertical Recoil penalty improved from 65% to 50% 
• Combat Stock Attachment
  • Aim Walking Movement Speed improvement increased from 0.2m/s to 0.25m/s 
  • Flinch Resistance decreased from 30% to 18% 

Additional Multiplayer changes

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. 

Game Chat 

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

Gunsmith  

• Various updates to weapon descriptions. 
• Addressed an issue where stickers would appear in the Decal slot. 

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. 

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 

• 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. 

Ranked Play arrives in Season 1

Treyarch confirmed Ranked Play arrives on November 21. All players must earn 50 Wins in Matchmade Multiplayer games to access the game mode. From there, the Skill Division system returns from previous titles, including the Top 250.

You can check out our Ranked Play guide for a full deep dive.

New multiplayer maps

Three new core multiplayer maps are on the way as part of the Season 1 update. That means proper, 6v6-style maps for regular playlists. We got our first look at the new arrivals in a November 4 teaser trailer.

Extraction is up first as a sunny, coastal map hanging over the water. Looking to be a medium-sized layout, the location features a mix of wide open spaces and buildings to run amok in.

Activision

Next we have Heirloom, an indoor map set in an art gallery of sorts. Expect lots of close-range gunfights on this map, with plenty of tight corners and corridors to slide around.

Activision

Rounding out the trio of new maps is Hideout, a cliffside map boasting a three-lane layout. The left and right take players outside with various containers and smaller obstacles to navigate, while the central path goes inside a makeshift military hangar.

Activision

All three maps join the rotation for all core multiplayer playlists as soon as Season 1 is live. Meanwhile, we also know two additional multiplayer maps will be joining later down the line as part of Season 1 Reloaded, those being a returning Hacienda (Black Ops 4) and one last new map with Racket.

New game modes

Ransack is a new game mode coming at the launch of Season 1 that has players loot gold bars from crates around the map. After looting, teams return the gold to their stash and defend it against the opposing team. Reaching the score limit or the time limit with the most gold secures a win.

The iconic party game mode Prop Hunt also returns as part of Season 1 Reloaded.

Beyond those two modes, devs have also teased a number of limited-time playlists are on the way to celebrate the holiday season. Further details will be revealed in the coming weeks.

7 new weapons throughout Season 1

Seven brand-new weapons have been confirmed for Season 1, with two of them set to shake up the meta at launch, and the remaining five landing with Season 1 Reloaded. Below is a quick breakdown.

• Assault Rifle: Krig C [LAUNCH]
• SMG: Saug [LAUNCH]
• Shotgun: Malestrom [MID-SEASON]
• Sniper Rifle: AMR Mod 4 [MID-SEASON]
• Secondary Weapon: Sirin 9mm [MID-SEASON]
• Melee Weapon: Power Drill [MID-SEASON]
• Melee Weapon: Cleaver [MID-SEASON]

Additional Perks, Scorestreaks, and Wildcards

We also know a range of new content is coming in Season 1 to beef up your Loadouts. Specifically, new Perks, Scorestreaks, and Wildcards are all on the way.

First up is Shadow, a new Perk arriving with the launch of Season 1.

• Perk: Shadow
  • Perk Slot: 2
  • Type: Strategist
  • Effect: Undetectable to enemy traps and mines

One more Perk is also around the corner, though don’t expect this one until Season 1 Reloaded.

• Perk: Shrapnel Radar
  • Perk Slot: 3
  • Type: Recon
  • Effect: Dealing blast damage to enemies will reveal them on your minimap. This includes any enemies affected by your area-of-effect Tacticals, Lethals, and Field Upgrades.

When it comes to Scorestreaks, a deadly new Hand Cannon is on the way to wipe out foes one shot at a time. While it’s slow to fire and has a limited amount of ammo, it can dispatch targets in one hit. The Hand Cannon can be yours anytime you reach 900 Score.

Rounding it all out is the new High Roller Wildcard set to join in Season 1 Reloaded. “When equipped, this allows the player to have a fourth Scorestreak to earn.”

If your goal in any given match is to dominate lobbies with scorestreaks, this is the pick for you.

Season 1 Battle Pass

The Season 1 Battle Pass introduces the Page system that features two front pages of instant rewards: one BlackCell, and 100 in-game Battle Pass rewards across 14 Pages and a Completion Page that is instantly unlocked once all other pages are completed.

You can earn Battle Pass progress towards completing Pages in multiplayer, Zombies, or Warzone.

That’s everything we know about what’s coming to the multiplayer side with Black Ops 6 Season 1, though that’s far from the full update.

Be it the highly anticipated Warzone integration or new Zombies changes around the corner, there’s plenty more to look forward to.