Season 5 went live across Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone on July 23, and the accompanying patch notes cover weapon rebalancing in both games, a stricter Ranked Play scoring model and a new playlist built around older Black Ops multiplayer. Dot Esports reported the update rolled out at 11am CT.
Assault rifle balance shifts in both directions
The headline change in Black Ops 7 is a nerf to the AN-94, which loses its four-shot body kill at maximum damage range. The Swordfish A1 marksman rifle and its MFS Penta Burst Mod take increased burst delay and recoil, and the Carbon 57 SMG now waits a second before its Fabricator Mag begins regenerating ammunition after firing.
On the other side of the ledger, the DS20 Mirage assault rifle now shares ammunition between its two fire modes, moves better with the Dual Fire Kit and gains close-range headshot potential. The M8A1 marksman rifle picks up new neck damage multipliers that shorten its time to kill. Dot Esports also lists fixes for the Ryden 45K, Coda 9, A.R.C. M1 and the Executioner’s Duet melee weapon.
Warzone gets its own pass, and it does not always match. Per Dot Esports, the M15 Mod 0, AN-94, Sturmwolf 45 and VST are buffed there, while the AK-27, Carbon 57, MXR-17, X9 Maverick and Dravec 45 are nerfed. The same update rebalances vehicle durability, improves respawn positioning and adjusts Resurgence loot and cash distribution.
Ranked Play raises the cost of losing
Season 5 increases Skill Rating losses for Platinum, Diamond and Crimson players, a change Dot Esports frames as an attempt to curb rank inflation. Opponent Rank bonuses and penalties now apply only when a player faces opponents at least three rank tiers above or below their own. The ranked map pool also grows, adding Frequency, Vertigo, Blackheart and Exposure to Hardpoint; Frequency, Vertigo, Colossus, Exposure and Scar to Search & Destroy; and Frequency to Overload.
Alongside that sits the new Black Ops Classic playlist, filed under the Featured section and modelled on the original Black Ops and Black Ops 2 with simplified movement and older maps and modes.
New content and fixes
Dexerto reports that Season 5 also adds the Jubilee map, the FG42 assault rifle and the Drone Labs point of interest in Verdansk, along with a reshuffle of the Black Ops Royale weapon pools in Warzone:
- Ground loot: the FG42 replaces the EGRT-17 and the Gremlin SMG replaces the Ryden 45k
- Exotics: the MK35 ISR replaces the EGRT-17 exotic and the VST replaces the MPC-25 exotic
- Gulag: the MPC-25 replaces the Rev-46, the Gremlin replaces the Sturmwolf 45 and the Kogot-7 replaces the VST
- Default loadouts: the FG-42 and Gremlin enter the Enforcer pool, and the AN-94 replaces the Voyak KT-3 for Infiltrator
The rest of the notes are maintenance. In multiplayer, the Iron Rain Scorestreak drops bombs faster and is no longer countered by Flak Jacket. Zombies receives bug fixes across Kowakujo, Totenreich, Paradox Junction, Astra Malorum and Ashes of the Damned, with Rogue Run rebalanced around fewer zombies and improved armour. In Endgame, LMGs and the XM325 overheat more slowly.
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