Black Ops Cold War Dec 8 patch notes: Season 1 prep, weapon changes, more

Call of Duty developers Treyarch have released another patch update for Black Ops Cold War, implementing fixes and changes for a variety of the game’s content while also preparing for the launch of Season One.

Season One is fast approaching in Black Ops Cold War, but before all that gets going, Treyarch have revealed a fairly large update full of changes, tweaks, and fixes. Things in multiplayer affected by this patch include weapons, progression, modes, scorestreaks, maps, vehicles, and much more.

In terms of new content, the devs released a new playlist called Motherland Moshpit, which features modes like Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint on Moscow and Crossroads Strike.

There’s going to be another XP promo as well – Double XP and Double Weapon XP – starting Dec. 12 and up the launch of S1 on Dec. 16. Nuketown 24/7 has also been confirmed to be returning “with a special twist in Season One,” which could be a reference to the Christmas-themed version of the Nuketown ’84 that was recently leaked.

When did the latest Black Ops Cold War update go live?

This patch officially hit live servers late in the evening on December 7 or early on December 8, depending on where you are in the world:

• December 7
  • 11:00 PM PT
• December 8
  • 2:00 AM ET
  • 7:00 AM GMT (UK)
  • 8:00 AM CET (Europe)
  • 6:00 PM AEDT (Australia)

Of course, this is actually the first of three major Call of Duty updates scheduled to go live over the next week or so; the next one, on December 15, will add all of the new Season One content in BOCW before another patch on December 16 will do the same in Warzone and officially kick-start the new season.

Check out the full patch notes below.

BOCW December 8 update patch notes

It’s almost here! In preparation for Season One’s arrival in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone on December 16th, today’s incoming Black Ops Cold War update will include several quality-of-life improvements, stability and bug fixes, game mode updates, weapon and Scorestreak adjustments, and plenty more. As a reminder, you can also check out some of the issues we’re currently tracking at our Trello board.

This is our first major game update in the lead-up period before Season One drops. You can expect additional gameplay improvements, bug fixes, and more in our next major update in Black Ops Cold War on Dec. 15th, and in Warzone on Dec. 16th when Season One launches for all players.

In addition to a host of gameplay improvements and fixes in Zombies, this update also adds new Season One Intel to “Die Maschine” and Onslaught as a sneak peek of what’s to come for Zombies players. Happy hunting!

Free Bundles Available Dec. 8th

To thank everyone for their patience as we make the final preparations for Season One, we’re gifting free personalization items to all Black Ops Cold War players in one Pre-Season offer! Simply log in between 10AM PT Dec. 8th and the start of Season One to claim your items, including:

• 1 Epic Operator Skin (Park)
• 1 Epic SMG Weapon Blueprint
• 1 Epic Reticle
• 1 Epic Calling Card
• 1 Rare Weapon Charm

• 1 Epic Operator Skin (Garcia)
• 1 Rare Assault Rifle Weapon Blueprint
• 1 Epic Reticle
• 1 Epic Weapon Charm

Motherland Moshpit and 2XP + 2WXP Weekend Incoming

As part of this update, we’re introducing our new Motherland Moshpit playlist featuring TDM, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint on Moscow and Crossroads Strike. Hardcore Motherland Moshpit will also be available in Quick Play, featuring Hardcore TDM, Domination, and Kill Confirmed.

Jump in starting tomorrow – and no worries, Nuketown fans: Nuketown ’84 is still available in Core and Hardcore map lists, and the Nuketown 24/7 playlist will return with a special twist in Season One.

We’re also bringing an extended 2XP + 2WXP Weekend to everyone in MP and Zombies this Saturday, Dec. 12 until the start of Season One! Here’s your last chance to reach Prestige 3 and earn those Prestige Keys before Season One begins.

Here’s what to expect when this update goes live at approximately 11PM PT tonight, Dec. 7th:

GLOBAL

Stability

• Added crash fixes related to ray tracing on next-gen consoles.
• General stability improvements.

Progression

• Addressed an issue where Prestige Levels and Prestige Icons could display inaccurately in lobby menus.
• Addressed an issue where the Prestige 1 icon could display in place of the Commander rank icon in the After Action Report.

UI

• Addressed multiple issues for breadcrumbs appearing incorrectly throughout lobby menus.
• Addressed an issue where the reward animation could sometimes appear corrupted in the After Action Report.

MULTIPLAYER

Playlists

• Motherland Moshpit
  • TDM, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint on Moscow and Crossroads Strike.
  • Hardcore Motherland Moshpit also available in Quick Play (TDM, Domination, Kill Confirmed).
  • Available Dec. 8 until the launch of Season One.

Progression

• Camos
  • Addressed an issue where Mastery camos were not progressing properly for some players, despite being earned.
  • Reduced the number of kills without dying from 3 to 2 for launcher and M79 camo Challenges.

Game Modes 

• Hardpoint
  • Checkmate
    • Adjusted spawns for zones 1, 3, and 4.
    • Resolved an issue where the Hardpoint could be captured behind a crate on zone 4.
  • Garrison
    • Zone 1 adjusted to provide more balanced cover for both teams.
    • Adjusted spawns for zones 2 and 3.
  • Crossroads Strike
    • Adjusted spawns for all Hardpoint zones.
    • Moved zone 4 to the adjacent tents to provide more opportunities for the attacking team.
  • Moscow
    • Removed spawns near back statue for zone 3.
• Control
  • Moscow
    • Adjusted attacker spawns to reduce travel time to objectives.
    • Additional attacker spawns added closer to mid-map when B has been captured.
  • Miami
    • Adjusted attacker spawns to reduce travel time to objectives.
  • Checkmate
    • Adjusted attacker spawns to reduce travel time to objectives.
• Fireteam: Dirty Bomb 
  • Gameplay
    • Reduced spawn protection time to reduce frequency of protection nullifying explosives (e.g. War Machine) for extended periods of time.
    • Addressed an issue where players could collide when redeploying from a Squad Wipe.
    • Addressed an issue where players could land on each other and die if they waited until they were auto-deployed during Infil. 
    • Addressed an issue where players could get stuck by mantling in certain spots on Alpine.
    • Addressed an issue where Containers could spawn inside objects.
  • Scorestreaks
    • Reduced spawn rates of the Gunship, Chopper Gunner, and VTOL Escort.
    • Addressed an issue where the Cruise Missile HUD effects could be seen in the Redeploy menu.
  • Vehicles
    • Addressed an issue where the Hind could exit the playable space in Alpine.
  • HUD
    • Addressed an issue where dust and threat perception effects could display on the overhead camera.
  • Party Invites
    • Addressed an issue with Party invites in Fireteam: Dirty Bomb.
• Combined Arms
  • Adjusted the interact radius on mounted turrets to be easier to get onto.
• Custom Games
  • Added options in Custom Games Scorestreaks settings for Score Reset On Death and Scorestreak Death Penalty, allowing players to set the percentage of score lost on death from 0% (Disabled) to 100% (all score lost on death).
• Round-Based Modes
  • Addressed an issue where players could be kicked for inactivity while spectating in round-based modes.

Weapons

• Visuals
  • Added polish to visual kickback when hip-firing weapons.
• Hauer 77
  • Addressed an animation issue with the Hauer 77 when firing the last shot while aiming down sights.
• Launchers
  • Addressed an issue where launchers could lock onto Stationary Turrets in Combined Arms.
• Optics
  • Addressed an issue that could prevent thermal scopes from showing a thermal overlay when riding a vehicle. 

Scorestreaks 

• Care Package
  • Care Package explosion will no longer damage teammates in Hardcore.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause the Care Package to go through the roof in Checkmate. 
• Combat Bow
  • Addressed an issue where the Tactical Mask icon would incorrectly display when damaging enemies with the Combat Bow.
• Cruise Missile
  • Addressed an issue where damaging a Cruise Missile would not display a hit marker. 
• VTOL Escort
  • Addressed an issue with the VTOL Escort camera when it would be destroyed from going out of bounds.
• Chopper Gunner
  • The Chopper Gunner will now follow its correct shorter path on Crossroads Strike instead of its wider path from Combined Arms. 

Maps

• Crossroads
  • Parachutes can now be activated where applicable in all modes in Crossroads.
  • Added a unique 6v6 intermission camera on Crossroads Strike.
• Armada
  • Parachutes can now be activated where applicable in all modes in Armada.
• Garrison
  • Addressed an issue where one of the explosive barrels would never detonate in Garrison.

Field Upgrades

• Trophy System
  • The Trophy System will now destroy incoming Trophy Systems.
  • Addressed an issue where the Trophy System occasionally would not destroy incoming projectiles.
  • Addressed an issue where shooting your own Trophy System could show enemy infantry hit markers.
• Assault Pack
  • The Assault Pack will now be destroyed if an enemy uses it. 
• Field Mic
  • Addressed an issue where a player could earn double score events if two Field Mics were overlapping. 

Vehicles

• General
  • Added a new Helicopter Aiming Mode option.
  • Addressed an issue where the camera could clip through the player’s head when switching from driver to passenger while aiming down sights in a vehicle.
  • Addressed an issue where players could spawn with corrupted animations if they squad-spawned onto a Dirt Bike as a passenger.

General

• Stability
  • Fixed a rare crash that could occur when a player was dismembered by an explosive. 
• Finishing Moves
  • General clean-up and bug fixes for Finishing Moves.
  • Addressed an issue where performing Finishing Moves on enemies while being downed would not count toward the Stone Operator unlock challenge. 
• Gestures
  • Added voiceover to first-person Gestures.
• Mouse and Keyboard
  • Addressed an issue when Jump and Mantle were bound to the Mouse Wheel.
  • Addressed an issue with mouse navigation in Theater.
  • Addressed an issue with mic status icon not displaying properly in the Party tab.
  • Addressed an issue with Voice Chat Volume setting functionality.
  • Improved mouse rotation controls for Weapon Inspect.
• Audio
  • Addressed an issue where a character’s exert audio for a weapon melee could be delayed.
• Miscellaneous
  • Addressed an issue where players were not immediately killed when being downed while in water.

ZOMBIES

General

• Progression
  • Addressed an issue causing progress on the Trapper Challenge to get stuck at 255.
  • Addressed an issue that caused incorrect Mastery camo progression information to display.
  • Addressed an issue where incorrect Prestige Icons could display in Zombies menus.
  • Addressed an issue that sometimes caused the player’s primary weapon camo to appear on a Knife equipped as a secondary weapon.
• Combat Record
  • Addressed an issue with incorrect Engagement Range data for some weapons for Zombies.
  • Killing Blows will now register properly for Zombies in Combat Record.
  • Elite Eliminations will now register properly for Zombies in Combat Record.
• UI
  • Addressed issues with text overlapping or extending outside the panel in the Intel menus.
  • Addressed issues with 3D models not properly orienting in Intel menus.
  • Addressed an issue where additional Create-a-Class slots were not appearing in the Zombies lobby on PlayStation platforms.

Die Maschine

• Stability
  • Added various stability fixes.
• Intel
  • Added new Season One Intel to discover in “Die Maschine”.
• Gameplay
  • Closed various exploit areas.
  • Addressed an issue that sometimes caused zombies to get stuck inside a spawn location.
  • Addressed an issue that caused zombies to incorrectly use their ranged attack in specific locations.
  • Addressed an issue that caused zombies to path incorrectly when Decoys were used in specific locations.
  • Addressed an issue that caused the incorrect floor of the mini-map from appearing after spectating.
  • Addressed an issue that caused shadows to appear incorrectly on a quest character when viewed with the flashlight.
• Weapons
  • Addressed an issue that caused ammo to be incorrectly deducted from the D.I.E. Electrobolt while using Aether Shroud.
  • Addressed an issue that caused the incorrect weapon rarity to appear for the player’s weapon after respawning.
  • Addressed an issue that caused the duplication of weapons using the Arsenal under specific circumstances.
• Trials
  • Addressed an issue that caused the Take Damage and Recover Health Trial from granting progress when recovering the bonus health granted by Jugger-Nog.
  • Addressed an issue that prevented a specific Trial from granting a reward.
• Mystery Box
  • Addressed an issue that prevented some weapons from appearing in the cycle animation when using the Mystery Box.
• Main Quest
  • Addressed a rare issue that could cause the Main Quest to stop progressing at the Decontamination step.
• Ping
  • Addressed an issue that caused incorrect icons to display when pinging certain weapons.
• Audio
  • Addressed an issue that could prevent certain voiceover lines from playing.
• UI
  • Addressed an issue that could occur where the Pause menu couldn’t be closed when interacting with the Arsenal.
  • Addressed an issue that caused a mix of visual effects from different Ammo Mods to display when navigating the Skills menu.

Dead Ops Arcade

• Stability
  • Added various stability fixes.
• Gameplay
  • Added Room of Judgment event.
  • Added various enemy AI tuning changes.
  • Added various weapon tuning changes.
• General
  • Added Host Migration to Dead Ops Arcade.
  • Added options to turn off various UI elements and features.

Onslaught (PS4/PS5)

• Intel
  • Added new Season One Intel to discover in Onslaught.
• Gameplay
  • Added various enemy pathing fixes.
  • Addressed a rare issue that could cause a redundant Perk to be granted from power-ups.

PC

• Stability
  • Added various stability fixes.
• General
  • Addressed an issue with text wrapping in Windowed mode.
  • Addressed an issue that could cause a blurry screen with NVIDIA Ansel when using a sniper scope.

-Treyarch