Modern Warfare & Warzone Season 5 update patch notes

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At long last, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone Season 5 update has arrived and we’ve got everything you need to know about the changes and new content.

Arguably the most anticipated chapter of Modern Warfare and Warzone, Season 5 is finally here. It introduces a plethora of new content to both the multiplayer and battle royale components.

From map changes, new guns, weapon balance tuning, and plenty more, it’s a hefty update. There’s every reason to expect that S5 could be the best and most jam-packed season of MW so far as content continues to release over the next few weeks.

When was the Modern Warfare & Warzone Season 5 update?

The update went live at 2 AM ET on August 5, or 11 PM PT on August 4. Here are the confirmed sizes for the patch on all three platforms:

• PlayStation 4: 33.9 GB
• Xbox One: 49.8 GB
• PC: 54.2 GB (Modern Warfare owners) and 47.4 GB (Warzone only owners)

And for those concerned that they might not have enough space on their device, Activision confirmed that “once the new content has been integrated into your game, Modern Warfare will have a decreased overall footprint on console.”

Modern Warfare & Warzone Season 5 Roadmap

Here is the official roadmap for the brand new chapter, detailing which parts of Season 5 are available right at launch and what Infinity Ward is saving to release throughout the weeks and months ahead.

What’s new in Warzone Season 5?

Warzone map changes

As expected, Warzone received the biggest bulk of new content and changes since its release. Chief among the S5 content drop are several major tweaks to the Verdansk map. The biggest change is the fact that Stadium’s roof has been blown open, turning the previously-inaccessible structure into a potentially bustling POI.

Train Station, a location that most either love or hate, is also getting its fair share of adjustments, as the buildings are now open as well.

Speaking of trains, a large freight train has been added to the map, which not only carries loot but also offers players another way to get quickly around. The train is on a preset path that aims to “circumnavigate the southwwestern part of Verdansk.”

Last but not least, we have the exterior Ascension ziplines – devices attached to taller structures like Stadium and the skyscrapers in Downtown which players can use to access rooftops and counter those who like to camp up top.

New modes & weapon rotation

There are two new modes coming to Warzone – Mini Royale, which comes at the start of Season 5, and King Slayer, which comes later and the details for which haven’t been announced.

Mini Royale, as Activision describes it, condenses the regular battle royale modes into a faster-paced and much more intense version with a lot more combat. It features a lower player-count (exact number TBA) and only “the first and last five minutes of a normal game exist,” which could mean the gas circle, Gulag, and other regular components will function differently.

Then there’s the topic of weapon rotation; Infinity Ward has changed up the guns that’ll be available as floor loot as now there will be exactly the same number of each rarity on the map:

• 25 Legendary variants (gold)
• 19 Epic (purple)
• 15 Rare (blue)
• 12 Uncommon (green)
• 8 Common (gray)

Furthermore, weapons available in the Gulag will also be changing each week throughout Season 5. There are four distinct sets of weapons and players can expect to cycle through them with every passing week.

As far as miscellaneous additions go, a new feature called Wartracks has made its debut: “Jam out to some sweet MW tunes while you’re cruising through Verdansk with Wartracks, available in the Battle Pass.”

This works similarly to the vehicle skins in that players can equip a Wartrack to each specific vehicle and the song will play as soon as anyone from their team hops in.

What’s new in Modern Warfare multiplayer?

New maps

Infinity Ward has upped the levels of new content in multiplayer with four whole new maps making their debut in Season 5. Suldal Harbor and Petrov Oil Rig are the two new 6v6 maps, while Livestock is for Gunfight, and Verdansk Int’l. Airport, based on its namesake location in Warzone, has been released for Ground War.

New weapons: ISO SMG, AN-94 assault rifle, more

The start of every season introduces two new weapons in both multiplayer and Warzone, and S5 is no exception with the ISO SMG and AN-94 assault rifle. The ISO is inspired by the ACP9 submachine gun – a compact, high-fire rate gun that’s perfect for close engagements.

As for the AN-94, fans of the Black Ops series will instantly recognize it as the powerful AR from BO2: “The initial shot of a full-auto volley is followed by an instantaneous second round before significant recoil is felt.”

As per usual, both guns are available to all players for free via the Battle Pass; the ISO is unlocked by reaching Tier 15 and the AN-94 by hitting Tier 31 of the pass’ free portion.

That’s not all: Activision also announced that two more weapons will be released at some point during the season – the dual-wield Kodachis swords and one that’s currently “classified.”

Shadow Company Operators

This had been announced previously, but S5 also added a new faction to multiplayer called Shadow Company – the same one that was introduced in the Modern Warfare 2 campaign, under the command of the villainous General Shepherd.

Shadow Company comes complete with three brand new Operators: Lerch, Rozlin ‘Roze’ Helms, and Velikan, who will be released in-season while the first two are available at launch.

Season 5 Battle Pass

As mentioned above, new weapons and Shadow Company Operators are available via the Battle Pass, which features 100 tiers. Included among the offerings are new outfit skins, weapon blueprints, watches, gun charms, vehicle camos, XP tokens, CoD Points, and the aforementioned Wartracks.

There is a free portion of this pass as well though. Through which the ISO, AN-94, and other select cosmetic items can be unlocked. However, for those who want the full experience, there is the option of purchasing it for 1,000 CoD Points. This will unlock the new Lerch Operator, all 100 tiers, and give you 1,300 CP back.

And if you want to go even bigger, there’s always the Battle Pass Bundle. For 2,400 CP this option automatically grants you 20 tiers right away. Compared to the standard price, this option can save you 40% in total value.

From every major change all of the new content, the full patch notes for Season 5 can be found below.

PLAYLIST UPDATE

• Modern Warfare
  • Ground War (Adding Verdansk International Airport)
  • Blueprint Gunfight
  • Search and Destroy Double Down (12v12)
  • Face-Off (Livestock)
  • Oil Rig and Harbor 24/7
• Warzone
  • BR Duos
  • BR Trios
  • BR Quads
  • BR Solos Buy Back (previously called BR Solos Stimulus)
  • Blood Money Quads
  • Mini Royale Trios (Fast-paced Battle Royale in condensed areas of Verdansk)

GENERAL FIXES:

• Added Weapon Inspect!
• Fix for an issue where store bundle images could get stuck on the previous bundle image when scrolling on PC
• Fixes to prevent screen tearing
• Fix for an issue where Price and Gaz occasionally lose their eye models while navigating various menus
• Fixed a bug where, when the ‘Headshots Only’ option is set in a custom game, the male Operator hitboxes aren’t functioning properly
• Fix for an issue where the default scope on the Rytec AMR cannot be customized
• Fix for a bug where Care Packages, Juggernauts, and Emergency Airdrops were not getting properly refunded to the player if getting the ‘Too many vehicles, refunding killstreak’ message in a Custom Game
• Stopping Power rounds are now preserved on dropped weapons
• Added a brief decay period when transitioning from heavy footsteps (sprint, tactical sprint) to lighter footsteps (walk). This addresses players immediately becoming quiet upon slowing down from fast movements
• Fixed a bug where the player’s choice of weapon fire and scope states were not being saved and restored after interacting with the Sentry Gun, Shield Turret, and Care Package
• (We’ll have weapon tuning and other weapon adjustments in a future patch. Stay tuned for updates.)

MODERN WARFARE:

• Fix for invisible collision appearing in Barakett Promenade
• Fix for a bug where the 23.0″ RPK Barrel was appearing broken in-game and in the Gunsmith menu
• Fix for an exploit where players were able to give themselves unlimited ammo
• Fix for an exploit using the Recon Drone and Care Package
• The PKM – Bludgeoner will now gather ammo from any other PKM weapon
• Fixed an issues where players were hearing the missed hit VO for the Precision Airstrike when right after calling it in
• Added a VO line when a player’s High Alert warning is triggered
• Fixed an issue where players could receive ‘wallbang’ kills when shooting through players

WARZONE:

• New Warzone loot items!
• Gulag weapons will now rotate every week between four sets total
• Increased effective damage range for all semi-auto DMR and semi-auto Sniper Rifles
• Increased effective damage range for the FR 5.56
• Fix for a bug where the player’s physics could be controlled by the helicopter while they parachute out
• Fix for an issue where players were unable to call in any Air Strikes
• Fix for seeing invalid pings on the Heartbeat Sensor
• Added new VO lines to warn players of enemy Recon Drones being called in near them (BR only)
• Previously, the Most Wanted contract could respawn dead players. Now, it can respawn players in the Gulag in any state
• Fix for the ‘Alive in Gas’ challenge timer

CALL OF DUTY LEAGUE:

• Fix for an exploit while inside the blue kiosks on Piccadilly
• New restricted attachments:
  • Muzzle – Suppressors (all)
  • Optic – Thermal Sights (all)
  • Underbarrel – Merc Foregrip

CO-OP MODES (Tac Ops, Classic Special Operations, Survival):

• Team Ping is now enabled in these modes
• New Challenges: Playing it Bogart – Defeat enemies in style while supporting your teammates in these Co-Op Focused Challenges

SPECIAL OPERATIONS: SURVIVAL

• Added new map, Crash
• Fix for exploit involving the Equipment Store

PC:

• Improved stability
• VRAM usage is now displayed in 2 separate bars: one for Warzone and the other for multiplayer
• Added a keybind for Air Vehicles’ Horn in the  tab in the Options menu