Black Ops 6 Season 2 update patch notes: Anti-cheat updates, new maps & weapons

❘ Updated: 2025-01-27T22:00:23

Activision

Black Ops 6 Season 2 is the next major update for the latest Call of Duty, so here’s everything we know, including the new maps, modes, weapons, and equipment.

Call of Duty follows the seasonal live-service format, meaning the next big update is never far away. Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded brought the brand-new Citadelle des Morts Zombies map and the festive CODMAS event, and now the next season is on the way.

Let’s jump right into everything fans need to know about the upcoming update.

BO6 Season 2 release date

Black Ops 6 Season 2 arrives on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Not only is this the date the Season 1 Battle Pass timer expires, but Treyarch confirmed the date when announcing the new Zombies map, The Tomb.

Call of Duty updates usually go live around 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM GMT, with the patch notes dropping a couple of hours beforehand.

Anti-cheat updates

Anti-cheat, particularly in Ranked Play, has been a particular sore point ever since the Season 1 update. In a December 16 blog post, the devs promised changes will come throughout Season 2 and Season 3.

These updates include upgrades to “our kernel-level driver and brand-new server-side protections.” They said we’ll hear more about these changes as we approach the new seasons.

New maps

Bounty

(Medium-sized 6v6 map that takes place on the top of a skyscraper.)

Dealership

(Medium-sized 6v6 map that takes place in a black market car dealership)

Lifeline

(Small-sized 2v2 & 6v6 map that takes place on a high-end yacht on fire in the middle of the ocean)

New Modes

Overdrive: A twist on Team Deathmatch. Teams compete to be the first to reach the maximum number of stars.
Gun Game (Week 2): Operators begin the match with the same starting weapon and cycle through the same set of 20 weapons, varying from match to match. Eliminate enemies to advance to the next gun.

New equipment items

Slipstream Perk: Raises your base sprint speed at the cost of removing Tac Sprint.
War Machine Scorestreak: Powerful burst-fire grenade launcher with grenades that explode on impact. Large magazine.

Ranked Play

PlayStation – In-Game Options

Ranked:
- On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in Ranked playlists.
- On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in Ranked playlists.
  - May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
- Off: Restricts Ranked matchmaking to your current gaming platform only.
  - Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.

Xbox – In-Game Options

Ranked:
- On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in Ranked playlists.
- On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in Ranked playlists.
  - May negatively impact matchmaking queue times.
- Off: Restricts Ranked matchmaking to your current gaming platform only.
  - Will negatively impact matchmaking queue times.

Season 02 Weapon Evaluation

At the start of Ranked Play Season 02, the new PPSh-41 SMG and Cypher 091 Assault Rifle will both be unrestricted in Ranked Play for a minimum of one week. This one week evaluation period will give players a chance to experiment with the weapons in a competitive environment, provide feedback, and help Treyarch and the CDL determine whether they should remain unrestricted in CDL and Ranked Play.

SR Gain & Loss Adjustments

Players will notice that their personal match performance has a bigger impact on their SR gained or lost after Ranked Play matches in Season 02, especially for the lower Ranks. This should help players early in their Ranked Play Rank journey more consistently earn bigger SR payouts when they perform well, and reduce SR losses incurred after a strong personal performance in a losing effort. While this tuning will impact all Ranks, team performance and the margin of victory are still the primary consideration for SR gains and losses in Ranks Crimson and above.

General

Addressed an issue that was causing all Reticles to appear unlocked in Ranked Play.

New weapons

Cypher 091: Full-auto assault rifle. Slower rate of fire balanced by great handling and excellent mobility.
Feng 82: Full-auto light machine gun. Very slow rate of fire with great damage and handling.
TR2: Semi-auto marksman rifle. Great rate of fire and respectable handling.
PPSh-41: Full-auto submachine gun. Fast fire rate with impressive damage and high recoil. Moderate handling.

Special weapon attachments

AEK-973 Marksman Rifle: Full Auto Mod (Event Reward)
Tanto .22 SMG: Binary Trigger (Event Reward)
Crossbow Attachment (Battle Pass)

Weapons

Weapon motion reduction from the Dexterity perk improved from 60% to 70%.
Weapon raise animations that play on respawn are now fully interruptible.
Reduced bullet penetration on all surface types.

Magazine attachment changes

Fast Mag I, Fast Mag II, Fast Mag III, and Flip Mag reload times improved by 10% on all weapon classes but pistols.
Fast Mag I and Fast Mag II reload times improved by 5% on Pistols.
All LMG magazines with 50 rounds or less have had reload times improved by 5%.
AS VAL default magazine reload time improved by 10%.
Addressed an issue with Swat 5.56 Fast Mag I, it will now improve reload times as intended.
C9 Extended Mag I: from 1.933s to 2.267s.
Model L Extended Mag II: from 2.133s to 2.433s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag II: from 5.2s to 5.6s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag III: from 5.7s to 6.07s.
GPMG-7 Extended Mag IV: from 6.13s to 6.47s.
SVD Extended Mag 2: from 2.63s to 3s.

Melee

Removed screen flash from taking frontal bullet damage while holding a melee.

Assault Rifles

Goblin Mk2

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 40 Range: 0-16.5 meters	Damage: 40 Range: 0-19.7 meters
Medium Damage Range	Damage: 37 Range: 16.6-39.4 meters	Damage: 37 Range: 19.8-41.3 meters

ADS In time improved from 245ms to 240ms.
All Hipfire Spread angles improved by 0.5 degrees.
Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 175ms to 170ms.
Tactical Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 285ms to 280ms.
Flinch caused by this weapon increased.

SMGs

Kompakt 92 & 3-Round Burst Mod

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 23 Range: 0-17.1 meters	Damage: 23 Range: 0-17.8 meters
Medium Damage Range 1	Damage: 18 Range: 17.2-24.8 meters	Damage: 18 Range: 17.9-25.4 meters
Medium Damage Range 2	Damage: 15 Range: 24.9-31.8 meters	Damage: 15 Range: 25.5-33 meters

View Kick Strength reduced

Shotguns

Marine SP

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 60 Range: 0-3.2 meters	Damage: 60 Range: 0-3.3 meters
Medium Damage Range 1	Damage: 34 Range: 3.3-5.1 meters	Damage: 34 Range: 3.4-5.3 meters
Medium Damage Range 2	Damage: 25 Range: 5.2-9.4 meters	Damage: 25 Range: 5.4-9.7 meters

Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 210ms to 200ms.
Tactical Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 320ms to 310ms.

ASG-89

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 30 Range: 0-2.5 meters	Damage: 30 Range: 0-2.8 meters
Medium Damage Range 1	Damage: 20 Range: 2.6-4.6 meters	Damage: 20 Range: 2.9-4.8 meters
Medium Damage Range 2	Damage: 17 Range: 4.7-8.9 meters	Damage: 17 Range: 4.9-9.1 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 11 Range: 9 – 24.1m	Damage: 11 Range: 9.2 – 26.7m

Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 205ms to 195ms.
Tactical Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 315ms to 305ms.

Maelstrom

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 18 Range: 0-2 meters	Damage: 25 Range: 0-1 meters
Medium Damage Range 1	Damage: 15 Range: 2.1-4.4 meters	Damage: 15 Range: 1.1-5.7 meters
Medium Damage Range 2	Damage: 11 Range: 4.5-8.3 meters	Damage: 11 Range: 5.8-9.5 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 11 Range: 8.4-27.9 meters	Damage: 11 Range: 9.6-29.2 meters

Fire Rate improved from 300rpm to 316rpm.
Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 200ms to 190ms.
Tactical Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 310ms to 300ms.

LMGs

PU-21

Pre-fire delay improved from 55ms to 20ms.
Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 245ms to 240ms.
Tactical Sprint to Fire Speed improved from 335ms to 330ms.
View Kick Deviation slightly reduced.

Marksman Rifles

DM-10

Gain-Twist Barrel: Bullet Velocity improvement increased from 25% to 45%.

Sniper Rifles

LW3A1 Frostline

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 102 Range: 0-63.5 meters	Damage: 104 Range: 0-63.5 meters
Medium Damage Range	Damage: 99 Range: 63.6-88.9 meters	Damage: 102 Range: 63.6-88.9 meters

Upper Torso and Upper Arm Damage Modifiers decreased from 1.1x to 1x.
Lower Torso and Lower Arm Damage Modifiers increased from 0.9x to 0.98x
Quickdraw Rear Grip
- Aim Down Sight Speed bonus reduced from 70ms to 60ms.
CHF Barrel
- Now improves Upper Torso and Upper Arm Damage Modifiers to 1.03x.
- Now improves Hand and Upper Leg Damage Modifiers to .98x.

SVD

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Maximum Damage Range	Damage: 102 Range: 0-50.8 meters	Damage: 104 Range: 0-50.8 meters
Medium Damage Range	Damage: 99 Range: 50.9-76.2 meters	Damage: 102 Range: 50.9-76.2 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 95 Range: >76.2 meters	Damage: 98 Range: >76.2 meters

Quickdraw Rear Grip
- Aim Down Sight Speed bonus reduced from 75ms to 65ms.
CHF Barrel
- Now improves Upper Torso and Upper Arm Damage Modifiers to 1.03x.
- Now improves Hand and Upper Leg Damage Modifiers to .98x.

LR 7.62

Attribute	Pre-patch	Post-patch
Medium Damage Range	Damage: 99 Range: 76.3-101.6 meters	Damage: 100 Range: 76.3-101.6 meters
Minimum Damage Range	Damage: 95 Range: >101.6 meters	Damage: 98 Range: >101.6 meters

Hand and Upper Leg Damage Modifiers increased from .9x to 0.99x.

Quickdraw Rear Grip
- Aim Down Sight Speed bonus reduced from 80ms to 65ms.
CHF Barrel
- Now improves Upper Torso Damage Modifier to 2x.
- Now improves Lower Torso and Lower Arm Damage Modifiers to 1.02x.
- Now improves Hand Damage Modifier to 1x.
- Now improves Lower Leg Damage Modifier to .99x.

AMR Mod 4

Quickdraw Rear Grip
- Aim Down Sight Speed bonus reduced from 80ms to 65ms.

Pistols

Styrder .22

Bullet Penetration improved to match the other pistol

Special Weapons

Sirin 9mm

Extended Mag 1
- Extended Mag I now increases Sprint to Fire Time by 10ms.
- Extended Mag I now increases ADS In Time by 20ms.
Fast Mag 1
- Fast Mag I now improves Sprint To Fire Time by 10ms.
- Fast Mag I now improves ADS In Time by 20ms.

Launchers

Cigma 2B

ADS In time improved from 400ms to 325ms.
Weapon swap Raise Time improved from 1000ms to 800ms.
Fast Hands Raise Time improved from 750ms to 550ms.
Weapon swap Raise Interrupt Time improved from 750ms to 250ms.
Fast Hands Raise Interrupt Time improved from 500ms to 100ms.
Weapon swap Drop Time improved from 600ms to 450ms.
Fast Hands Drop Time improved from 300ms to 200ms.

HE-1

ADS In time improved from 400ms to 325ms.
Weapon swap Raise Time improved from 1000ms to 800ms.
Fast Hands Raise Time improved from 750ms to 550ms.
Weapon swap Raise Interrupt Time improved from 750ms to 250ms.
Fast Hands Raise Interrupt Time improved from 500ms to 100ms.
Weapon swap Drop Time improved from 600ms to 450ms.
Fast Hands Drop Time improved from 300ms to 200ms.

Quality of life upgrades

Challenge Tracking & Near Completion (MP and Zombies)

Manually track up to 10 Camo and 10 Calling Card Challenges.
Untracked Slots (out of the 10) will automatically display Camo and Calling Card Challenges closest to completion.
The Top Tracked (or Near Complete) Camo and Calling Card Challenge can be seen in the Lobby by cycling the Daily Challenge display panel The Top Tracked (or Near Complete) Camo and Calling Card Challenge can also be seen in-game by bringing up the Options Menu and cycling the Daily Challenge display panel.
When tracking a Camo, the Weapon’s next Camo Challenge is automatically tracked and displayed. You do not need to re-track each individual Camo Challenge as you progress through Camos for a single Weapon.
Access the “Tracked & Near Complete” list for Camos and Calling Cards from the Lobby panel
The Calling Card Challenges “Tracked & Near Complete” list can also be accessed via the Calling Card Challenge menu.
Addressed an issue where XP would not be rewarded Armory Challenges before opening the Armory for the first time.
This feature is planned to arrive in Warzone at a later date.

Camo & Camo Challenges

Players can now equip any unlocked Special Camos to a Weapon as soon as they’ve unlocked any 5 Military Camos for that weapon. Previously, players needed to unlock all 9 Military Camos for at least 1 mode to equip Special Camos.
Challenge progress bars now appear below Special Camo and Mastery Camo swatches on the Camo tab in the Gunsmith.
The currently equipped Camo will now be highlighted by default when entering the Camo tab in the Gunsmith (if applicable).

Spawns

Spawn logic has been adjusted to continue our efforts to reduce proximity to enemies when respawning.
We have also added the ability to conduct live A/B testing with spawn changes to evaluate on a smaller scale, and if results are positive, we will roll those changes out globally. This will allow us to be more agile with spawn changes.

Moement

Reduced collision with teammates. This should improve the ability to maneuver around tight spaces like doorways with nearby teammates.

Unique HUD Presets per mode (MP and Zombies)

Players will be able to set the HUD Preset settings they prefer for both Multiplayer and Zombies, keeping a unique setup per-mode without needing to change settings when switching between modes.

Scorestreak Destruction Challenges

Addressed an issue that was not awarding Challenge progress towards Scorestreak Destructions in cases where players didn’t perform the final blow on the destroyed enemy Scorestreak.
Players will now earn progress for Camo Challenges that require destroying Scorestreaks even if they do not deal the destroying final blow. This impacts the following content:
- Camo Challenges for the CIGMA 2B and HE-1
- Mastery Badges for the CIGMA 2B and HE-1
- “Hot Lead”, “Air Control,” and “Field Work” Calling Card Challenges

General Quality of Life updates

Reduced collision with teammates to improve maneuverability around tight spaces and doorways with nearby teammates
Weapon balance pass and bullet penetration updates
Further reducing weapon motion when jumping, sliding, and diving with the Dexterity Perk equipped
Improving player visibility in Kill Confirmed by reducing the height of dog tags on the map
Simplifying and/or expanding requirements for several Calling Card Challenges, as well as fixing bugged Challenges
Expanding the number of Featured Playlist slots to allow for more marquee playlists on the main menu

That’s everything we know about Season 2. In the meantime, you can check out the best guns in Black Ops 6, as well as the best controller and PC settings to lock in, as well as everything we know about the Warzone side of the update.

Sign up for free to unlock exclusive perks:

See fewer ads

Dark Mode

Great deals in gaming, TV, Movies and Tech