GamingCall of Duty

Modern Warfare 3 Season 5 patch notes: Superi 46 & FJX Horus nerfs, BAL-27 buffs, more

Kurt Perry
Operator in Modern Warfare 3 holding shotgun.Dexerto

MW3 Season 5 is live, with the July 24 update introducing multiple new weapons, maps, and modes, all detailed in the full patch notes.

Sledgehammer Games first revealed what Season 5 has in store on July 17. A week on. and the update has now been released, adding a range of new content and balance changes, with meta weapons like the Superi 46 and FJX Horus both receiving big nerfs.

It isn’t just weapons that were updated, with two new 6v6 maps arriving too. These are Bait and Yard, both original designs that have never appeared before in Call of Duty. Furthermore, cel-shaded variants of Shipment and Rust bring new life to two iconic classics.

For many, the most exciting part of this patch will be the WWE Summerslam event. In multiplayer, this adds skins of your favorite wrestlers, finishing moves, and the appropriately themed Slam Deathmatch game mode.

An Iconic WWII gun reborn

Call of Duty players will be no strangers to the STG44, with the WWII assault rifle having appeared in several past games, from World at War to Vanguard. It now makes yet another appearance in MW3 Season 5, but Sledgehammer Games has given it a modern-day makeover.

In addition to the modernized classic, Season 5 also adds the Static-HV, a compact SMG that offers a large magazine and a fast fire rate. Both of these new weapons will be available through this season’s Battle Pass.

The STG in Modern Warfare 3.Activision
Season 5 adds a modernized rendition of the STG44.

Two classic maps with a new look

Both Shipment and Rust have gotten cel-shaded variants that give the two iconic Call of Duty maps a Borderlands-like aesthetic. Named Celship and Toonoxide, these look to give new life to two of the franchise’s oldest maps.

You can try these unique variants out in the dedicated game mode that is available in Season 5. That’s not all either, as Ink House will be added in the later mid-season update, bringing a cel-shaded version of Stash House to multiplayer too.

Celship version of Shipment in Modern Warfare 3.Dexerto
Season 5’s Celship gives Call of Duty’s most popular map a new look.

MW3 Season 5 full patch notes

Here are the full patch notes for the Season 5 update:

GLOBAL

STABILITY & PERFORMANCE

  • Addressed an issue causing poor performance on Xbox One consoles.

CUSTOMIZATION

  • Improved quality of first-person arm textures on the Jeans Ghost Operator Skin.
  • Removed incompatible Underbarrel from the Matambre Blueprint for the FJX Horus.

MULTIPLAYER

UIX

  • Increased limit of Tracked Challenges from 5 to 10.
  • Improved flow of interacting with an empty slot in the player list in Private Matches.
  • Trigger Action Attachment slot is now displayed while previewing Blueprints in the Store.
  • Bug Fixes
    • Added various measures to prevent Custom Mods with unintended Attachment setups from being used.
    • Fixed an issue causing unexpected Attachments to be equipped after removing a Conversion Kit in the Gunsmith.
    • Fixed an issue causing a low-quality background asset to be displayed while hovering the Ranked Play tile in the COD HQ.
    • Fixed various issues encountered while filtering Calling Cards.
    • Pros and Cons are now displayed in the Gunsmith for Akimbo Attachments.
    • Corrected count of unlockable Camos displayed in the Weapon Challenges menu.
    • Lengthy Activision IDs will no longer cause linebreaks in the Killcam.
    • Improved sizing of columns on the Scoreboard to prevent overlap.
    • Tac-Stance indication is now properly displayed on the HUD while using a Juggernaut.
    • Adjusted Pros and Cons displayed for several Attachments to ensure accuracy.

GAMEPLAY

  • Adding missing Operator voicelines when pinging a Med Box, Tac Cam, Comm Scrambler, A.C.S., or Remote Turret.
  • Fixed an issue causing Magazine Attachments for the MTZ-556 to not be properly equipped once in a match.

MAPS

  • Invasion
    • Located missing SUV near the South Street and returned it to its intended position.
  • Terminal
    • Fixed an issue causing some aerial Killstreaks to become stuck near the Lounge.
  • Vista
    • Fixed an issue causing some Killstreaks to become stuck.
    • Defenders team now spawns at Furnicular to begin the match.
    • Attackers team now spawns at Plaza to begin the match.
    • Repositioned capture zone A to the bridge within Jungle.
    • Slightly adjusted capture zone B in the Marketplace and added additional spawn points to improve balance between teams.
    • Adjusted spawn directions to ensure flow toward capture zones.

Changes to Control are in response to player feedback, intending to improve the competitive experience of the mode on Vista. Capture zone A is now in a position less favorable for defense while capture zone B is increasingly balanced, and initial spawn points are now aligned with Search and Destroy mode.

Weapons & Attachments

Assault Rifles

  • BAL-27
    • Decreased horizontal recoil magnitude, allowing greater predictability during sustained fire.
    • Decreased overall recoil magnitude to aid in long-range effectiveness.
    • Decreased overall recoil deviation, ensuring a more predictable pattern that is easier to control at range.

Submachine Guns

  • Superi 46
    • Decreased movement speed from 5m/s to 4.9m/s (-2%).
    • Decreased crouched movement speed from 2m/s to 1.9m/s (-5%).
    • Decreased sprint speed from 5.9m/s to 5.8m/s (-2%).
    • Decreased ADS movement speed from 3.6m/s to 3.4m/s (-6%).
  • FJX Horus
    • Increased sprint to fire time from 93ms to 110ms (+18%).
    • Decreased maximum damage range from 13.7m to 11.4m (-17%).
    • Decreased near-medium damage range from 22.9m to 19m (-17%).
    • Decreased medium damage range from 29.7m to 25.4m (-15%).
    • Decreased far-medium damage range from 36.6m to 30.5m (-17%).

Shotguns

  • Reclaimer 18
    • Fixed an issue causing inconsistent damage dealt to enemies in both fire types.
    • Semi-Auto Fire Type
      • Increased fire rate from 182rpm to 200rpm (+10%).
      • Increased hipfire spread by 12%.
    • Pump Action Fire Type
      • Increased hipfire maximum damage from 80 to 220 (+175%).
      • Increased hipfire maximum damage range from 2m to 3m (+50%).
      • Increased hipfire near-medium damage from 20 to 25 (+25%).

Using the Pump Action Fire Type, the Reclaimer 18 is now capable of killing enemies with one shot within its maximum damage range, and 2-shot kills are now more consistent.

  • KV Broadside (MWII)
    • JAK Jawbreaker Conversion Kit
      • Decreased vertical recoil by 20%.
  • MX Guardian (MWII)
    • Removed the ability to equip the incompatible GRV-Z Short Grip Underbarrel Attachment.

Light Machine Guns

  • Pulemyot 762
    • Increased upper arm and lower arm damage multipliers from 1x to 1.1x.

Marksman Rifles

  • MTZ Interceptor
    • Decreased maximum damage range from 30.5m to 22.9m (-25%).
    • Decreased lower torso, upper arm, lower arm, and hand damage multipliers from 1x to 0.9x.
  • EBR-14 (MWII)
    • SO-90 Factory Stock
      • Fixed an issue causing players to become unable to move while aiming down sights.

Sniper Rifles

  • XRK Stalker
    • Increased upper leg, lower leg, and foot damage multipliers from 1x to 1.1x.

Within its maximum damage range, the XRK Stalker is now capable of a one-shot kill regardless of hit location.

  • Carrack .300 (MWII)
    • Increased maximum damage range from 12.7m to 17.8m (+40%).
    • Increased near-medium damage range from 30.7m to 66m (+115%).
    • Removed medium damage range.

Handguns

  • COR-45
    • Decreased rate of fire from 375rpm to 240rpm (-36%).
    • XRK v6 Match Trigger Action
      • Decreased rate of fire from 438rpm to 264rpm (-40%).
    • XRK v21 Heavy Match Trigger Action
      • Decreased rate of fire from 545rpm to 272rpm (-50%).

COR-45 Trigger Action Attachments were previously more beneficial than intended. Due to negligible downsides, fire rate increases are generally kept below 50%. We’ll continue to monitor player feedback for potential improvements to base Handguns.

  • TYR
    • Increased maximum damage range from 5.6m to 8.9m (+14%).
    • Increased near-medium damage range from 11.4m to 15.2m (+33%).
  • GS Magna (MWII)
    • Removed the ability to equip the incompatible JAK NRG-IV Optic Attachment.

Melee

  • Sledgehammer
    • Decreased movement speed by 22%.
    • Decreased heavy swing melee range from 5.3m to 3.2m (-40%).

Perks

  • Engineer Vest
    • Added a Lethal Equipment slot.
  • Gunner Vest
    • Added a Boots Perk slot.
  • Demolition Vest
    • Added a second Gear Perk slot.
  • CCT Comms Vest
    • Added a Tactical Equipment slot.
  • Overkill Vest
    • Added a Field Upgrade slot.
  • Ninja Vest
    • Added a Gloves Perk slot.
  • Assassin Vest
    • Added a Field Upgrade slot.
  • Gunslinger Vest
    • Added an extra Lethal Equipment to the equipped slot.
  • Mission Control Vest
    • Added a Boots Perk slot.
  • Modular Assault Rig Vest
    • Added a second Gear Perk slot.
  • Compression Carrier Vest
    • Added a Tactical Equipment slot.

Killstreaks

  • Score earned via Killstreaks will no longer contribute toward earning the next available Killstreak.

Although the Streaks Earn Streaks modifier is now disabled, the Looping Streaks modifier will remain active thanks to positive player feedback.

  • M.G.B.
    • With the looming threat of a DNA Bomb now contained, the M.G.B. returns.

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