A new update has arrived to both Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 And Warzone. The December 10 patch notes include major weapon changes across all modes, making adjustments to weapon motion and idle sway, as well as buffing headshot damage for several guns in Black Ops 6.
According to the patch notes, the update makes adjustments to the weapon motion and idle sway for all Black Ops 6 weapons. This includes reductions to visual recoil, turn sway, and idle sway, as well as less weapon bob from motion.
We’ve made reductions to weapon motion across the board today to improve the combat experience.
These reductions range from 30% to 75%, depending on weapon and class. This means you’ll notice far more stability while turning, moving, changing stances, and firing, especially… pic.twitter.com/S4iYrDVnUu— Treyarch (@Treyarch) December 10, 2024
Treyarch further addresses the changes by saying, “We have taken a comprehensive pass on weapon motion and applied reductions across the board to improve the combat experience. Depending on the class and weapon, our targets for these reductions range from 30% to 75%.”
The developer says players should notice far more stability while turning, moving, changing stances, and firing, especially while aiming down sights. These changes affect all Warzone and Black Ops 6 modes.
The aiming idle sway delay on all Black Ops 6 weapons is now down to 2.2 seconds, which is a 50% decrease. The aiming idle sway delay on sniper rifles now fully removes the weapon’s idle sway.
Additionally, melee weapons should feel faster to use across all modes. The time between melee swings is improved by 7.5% for the knife, 14% for the baseball bat, and 9.5% for the power drill.
As for changes specifically for Black Ops 6, Treyarch has detailed weapon adjustments that increase the effectiveness of headshots on most full-auto primary weapons. The Krig C, Model L, and GPR 91 assault rifles all received an increase to the headshot multiplier, going from from 1.15 to 1.25 for the multiplier. Slight headshot multipliers are included for the entire class of submachine guns as well, and the CHF Barrel also receives adjustments for several guns to help further increase the headshot multiplier when using the attachment.
The patch notes include a few notable changes for Zombies. In addition to stability improvements, the update addresses an issue where players could previously get an AFK warning while actively running around. It also squashes bugs that previously impacted steps of the storyline Easter egg quest for Citadelle des Morts.
Warzone’s update is mostly just the previously mentioned weapon adjustments, but there is a small change to battle royale’s Ranked Play. Buy Stations in Ranked Play will now spawn at the same fixed locations for each match, which are identical spawns to those found in Warzone’s unranked modes.
Additional patch notes can be found below. More detailed weapon tuning can be viewed here for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, as shared by Activision.
In other Call of Duty news, a Squid Game collaboration is announced for next month. Season 1 Reloaded recently added more multiplayer maps, the Merry Mayhem holiday event, and new DLC weapons.
GLOBAL
Weapons (MP/ZM/WZ)
We have taken a comprehensive pass on weapon motion and applied reductions across the board to improve the combat experience. Depending on the class and weapon, our targets for these reductions range from 30% to 75%. Players will notice far more stability while turning, moving, changing stances, and firing, especially while ADS. We are committed to continually improving Black Ops 6 gunplay with a focus on balanced and rewarding gameplay while maintaining the unique characteristics of each weapon.
- Weapon Motion
- Reduced visual recoil on all weapons, especially full-auto weapons.
- Reduced turn sway on all weapons, especially on higher magnification optics.
- Reduced gun kick on higher magnification optics on all weapons except for Sniper Rifles.
- Reduced default idle sway on all weapons except Sniper Rifles.
- Further reduced idle sway while firing on all weapons except Sniper Rifles.
- Reduced weapon motion (bob, translation, and additional idle sway penalties) as a result of walking or changing stances in ADS.
- Removed additional layers of hip fire deviation, which caused crosshair to bounce while firing.
Aiming Idle Sway Delay is a mechanic that scales a weapon’s idle sway when first entering ADS, so the initial point of aim matches the crosshair positioning. These values are now improved and consistent across all weapon classes. Sniper Rifles, which previously only scaled initial idle sway by 50%, now provide a complete reduction. As always we will be keeping a close eye on sniper balance after this change.
- Aiming Idle Sway Delay
- Aiming Idle Sway Delay on all weapons is now 2.2s
- Aiming Idle Sway Delay on Sniper Rifles now fully removes Idle Sway, rather than reducing by 50%
- Target Laser now improves Aiming Idle Sway Delay to 2.9s on all weapons
MULTIPLAYER
Maps
Modes
- Face Off
- Face Off Domination score limit increased from 100 to 150
- Face Off Kill Order score limit increased from 150 to 200
- Face Off Kill Confirmed score limit increased from 75 to 100
- Face Off Team Deathmatch score limit increased from 125 to 150
- 10v10 Moshpit
- 10v10 Kill Confirmed score limit increased from 75 to 100
- 10v10 Team Deathmatch score limit increased from 100 to 150
- Prop Hunt
- Prop movement speed has been increased on all props except Extra Large props.
- Round Time Limit reduced to 3 minutes from 4 minutes
- Prop Hunt enabled in Private Match
LTM Updates
- Nuketown Holiday
- Addressed an issue where players could have green visual FX attached to them during the match.
Weapons
Headshot damage has been a big source of discussion in the community, and we are making adjustments that will increase the effectiveness of headshots on full-auto primary weapons. Our philosophy on hit location modifiers in Black Ops 6 has been to limit sources of inconsistency, especially when players are engaging in so many forms of movement. That said, we understand that players have muscle memory and expectations built around headshots, and we want our gunplay to support that.
In most cases, weapons will require one fewer headshot at all ranges to improve time to kill. The major exception is SMGs in the Max Damage Range, as we are wary of letting these TTKs get too fast. To compensate we are increasing SMG ranges to help them keep that consistent edge at short ranges. The CHF Barrel attachments have also been adjusted on all updated weapons to maintain a step up on the new default values.
We expect this change to greatly impact the weapon meta, especially in conjunction with our weapon motion changes. We will be monitoring closely as that new meta settles to make sure individual weapon and weapon class variety continues to be strong in Black Ops 6.
Melee
We are improving melee weapon attack speeds, especially on the two-hit kill weapons. Our goal is for all melee weapons to feel unique and satisfying to run, and we will continue to find ways to hit that target while ensuring that melee is not frustrating to play against.
- Knife
- Time between melee swings improved by 7.5%
- Baseball Bat
- Time between melee swings improved by 14%
- Power Drill
- Time between melee swings improved by 9.5%
Equipment
- Reduced Frag Grenade inner radius damage to allow survival with Flak Jacket equipped.
UI
- Addressed an issue that prevented teammates outside of a maximum range from displaying on the perimeter of the minimap.
- Addressed an issue where previewing the “Gentleman’s Handshake” Finishing Move in the Bad Manners store bundle would show the wrong animation.
Graphics
- Addressed an issue where the player’s weapon is missing during a benchmark test.
Stability
- Various stability improvements.
ZOMBIES
Maps
- Citadelle des Morts
- Addressed an issue where players could get an AFK warning while actively running around the map.
- Addressed an issue where loading a save after obtaining the four incantations would prevent players from entering the Final Encounter.
- Addressed an issue where the light beams for obtaining the amulet would not be visible if a player disconnected and rejoined a match while in a squad.
Weapons
- Addressed an issue where changing default attachments on a Blueprint Weapon would not apply in a match.
Stability
- Various stability improvements.
RANKED PLAY
Adjustments
- Buy Stations
- Buy Stations in Warzone Ranked Play will now spawn at the same, fixed locations each match – identical to those found in our unranked modes.
Ranked Play is designed to minimize randomness wherever possible. By making buy stations static, we promote predictable rotations and reward players for their map knowledge. In addition to today’s change, an upcoming update will improve the buy station layout to address potential dead zones, ensuring a more balanced experience.
FIELD UPGRADES
Adjustments
- Munitions & Utility Box
- Both boxes have been adjusted to provide the maximum possible amount of ammunition for the primary and secondary weapons a player is carrying.
- It will no longer provide ammunition for each other ammunition type.
