Warzone Season 5 patch notes: Signal 50 sniper rifle unexpectedly escapes a nerf

02 August 2023 , 15:41

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The Carrack .300 sniper rifle joins Warzone alongside the launch of Season 5 (Image: Activision)

The Warzone Season 5 patch notes are here, and despite acknowledging the outcry, the Signal 50 sniper rifle made it through the latest update unscathed.

The Warzone Season 5 patch notes have arrived – or Warzone 2 Season 5 to avoid confusion with the original game since the rebrand. And while some positive changes have been made to the game – such as upgrades to the movement and UI – shockingly, the Signal 50 sniper rifle (which was expected to be nerfed) has come through the Warzone Season 5 patch without a single change.

The Signal 50 has dominated the Call of Duty sniper rifle meta for a while now, even leading to some competitions banning the gun entirely like erena's ongoing Lion's Vs Drakes event which dropped the news on Twitter. Despite players' expectations, Raven Software doesn't seem too concerned about the gun, saying in the Warzone Season 5 patch notes:

"We are aware of concerns surrounding the Signal 50 in Warzone. While our data does not suggest the Signal 50 is out of the normal range in performance, its experiential impact for Players is equally important to us. At this time we do not feel it is necessary to make changes to the Signal 50, but we will continue to monitor the data and your feedback closely."

Warzone Season 5 patch notes

The following is the entirety of the Warzone 2 Season 5 patch notes as posted by Activision on the Call of Duty website :

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Stability

This update contains several fixes to reduce the number of known crashes. We continue to prioritize increased stability and crash fixes across all platforms.

Battle pass

Shadow Company’s Arthur Joins BlackCell

• One of Shadow Company’s best, Arthur is [[REDACTED]]. All we know is that he is a warrior to the core. No face, only a callsign; he is apparently a legend, but no legible records were found. And the only companion he associates with his second-in-command, a K9 Unit in Merlin.

New Tactical Pets Companion Feature

• New to Modern Warfare® II, Operators will have the option to bring companions alongside them in Multiplayer, Battle Royale, and DMZ modes. This provides the unparalleled benefit of companionship along with a devastating Finishing Move. Merlin — and other Tactical Pets— cannot be harmed in any way and play a role in Finishing Moves. . . . Just remember to equip the Finishing Move separate from the companion when editing your chosen Operator.

New: Battle Buddy

• Another new addition to Modern Warfare II is a Battle Buddy – virtual “assistants” who act as a mini-announcer with some additional personality. “Gwen” is the first, as her Gun Screen – what she prefers as opposed to “Battle Buddy” – is packaged with Arthur and his K9 unit Merlin. Just perform well with her equipped, because she has no time to assist with anything but a successful mission. She will callout Killstreak activations, kills – including with specific weapons or equipment – and other in-game personal events, especially when you win or perform well in a match.

New Operators

Oz

• When General Shepherd asked him to take the lead in a cyber defense division of a new PMC group, Oz was ready to join Shadow Company… As their “de facto leader,” Oz uses both his elite special operations toolset on the ground as well as his skills in cyberwarfare.

Graves

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• He’s back. You probably have questions. Graves does not have time for answers. He says he was never in that tank that exploded at the hands of the 141, and now it’s back to business.

Mila

• Biographical intel for this Operator has been [[REDACTED]].

Velikan

• The Shadow Company warden of Building 21 just got ousted by Konni Group, so now this “giant” is ready for new operations.

Events

Faction Showdown

• Choose Task Force 141 or Shadow Company. The Faction with the most eliminations at the end of the event wins. Players can switch Factions at any time during the event. Complete all 5 challenges for each Faction to unlock a Mastery Reward for that Faction. Completing all challenges for the winning Faction earns additional rewards.

  Choose a side, fight until the last minute, get rewarded, and await further orders as the event concludes, prior to mid-season. This event will kick-off on August 4th.

Call of Duty Celebrates 50 Years of Hip Hop

In celebration of 50 years of hip hop, Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzone will have free content and special Bundles available throughout Season 05:

Daily Login Rewards:

• 3 War Tracks
• Exclusive Weapon Blueprint

Operators:

• Snoop Dogg
• Nicki Minaj (In-Season)
• 21 Savage (Mid-Season)

Gameplay

General

Thus far, we’ve reintroduced several second-chance mechanics and included new ones, albeit scarcely due to concerns of making the mid-game feel claustrophobic and dragging out the climax of a match. In Season 05, we’re dialing up these second-chance mechanics (Gulag Kit, Redeploy Pack, Reinforcement Flare and Reduced buy-back prices) so that players will be able to return to the Warzone more often. At the same time, we’re reducing the number of players across our core Battle Royale modes which will prevent the match feeling too chaotic but provide improved matchmaking times, faster pre-game lobbies, and a better quality of match overall. These changes paired with faster circle movement will elevate the pace of a Battle Royale match with more gameplay uptime!

As always, we will be carefully reviewing sentiment and data to make sure that the engagement pacing remains healthy, and that Players can still pursue new personal records. These modifications will not be made to Warzone Ranked Play at this time due to second life mechanics being restricted in the mode.

New Features

Al Mazrah, Ashika Island | Battle Royale, Resurgence

• Favorite Supply Box Loot
• Reinforcement Flare Field Upgrade
• Portable Redeploy Drone (P.R.D.) Field Upgrade
• Signals Intelligence Contract
• Occupation Scan Public Event
• High Stakes Public Event
• TAV Vehicle

Movement

Slide

• Decreased slide time and increased slide velocity, so the Player covers the same distance in a shorter amount of time

• Allowed the Player to fire slightly sooner after initiating a slide

Jump

• Small increase to the lateral velocity boost while jumping

• Small reduction to the landing slowdown penalty while landing

Buy Station

• Locations on Al Mazrah have been refreshed to provide new combat scenarios and strategies.

The Limited Stock row now contains new items:

Reinforcement Flare

• Count: 1
• Price: $5,000

P.R.D.

• Count: 2
• Price: $2,000

Self-Revive Kit

• Count: 2
• Price: $4,000

Durable Gas Mask

• Count: 2
• Price: $3,500

Vondel | Battle Royale

Champion’s Quest

Champion's Quest has arrived in Vondel - similar to Al Mazrah the goal is to collect 3 elements, plant them and defend them!

The twist? The elements have new effects:

• Gallium: Reveals all nearby team members who held it previously as if a Snapshot Grenade affected you.
• Deuterium: Fatigues its carrier, causing the Player to cough when they exert too much effort.
• Neptunium: Periodically electrocutes everything within close proximity including Players and Vehicles.

Vondel’s Champions Quest offers unique rewards including a Weapon Blueprint, Charm, and more.

All Maps | All Modes

Bomb Squad

• The Bomb Squad Perk will protect against death from explosive Equipment stuck directly to the Player when fully armored.

Buy Back Price

• Price reduced to $3,000, down from $4,000
• This change does not apply to Ranked Play.

P.R.D. Behavior

• Increased deployment speed
• Improved airborne mobility
• Increased velocity when ascending

With the P.R.D now dropping on all maps, we've decreased the time it takes to lift off, sending you much higher than before, while allowing you to be more agile than before.

Al Mazrah | Battle Royale

Circle Timing

• The “Delay Time” before the first movement of the gas is now 90 seconds, down from 220 seconds.
• The “Close Time” of how long the gas takes to collapse to the next size is now 215 seconds, down from 270 seconds.
• This change does not apply to Ranked Play.

We’re shaving off around 3 minutes of the first circle's logic with a combination of reducing the wait time before movement, and collapsing faster. The initial circle is displayed and in-play earlier which will more clearly highlight the safe (or not so safe areas) before you infil. With the remainder of the matches circle pacing playing out as it did previously. .

Circle Size

• Decreased the size of the initial circle.
• This change does not apply to Ranked Play.

Loot

Increased spawn rate of the following items:

• Gulag Tokens
• Redeploy Packs
• Reinforcement Flares

Vondel | Battle Royale, Resurgence

Circle Placement

• The first circle is now more centered in BR & Resurgence

Vondel | Resurgence

Reinforcement Flare ImprovementsQuality of Life

• Players will now get their Reinforcement Flare refunded if it fails to deploy.
• The Reinforcement Flare now prioritizes players who are still connected to the match.

New Weapons

FR Avancer (Assault Rifle)

• With a blinding fire rate and exceptional maneuverability, in the right hands, this aggressive bullpup rifle can dominate the battlefield – Unlocked via Battle Pass

Carrack .300 (Sniper Rifle)

• This semi-auto bullpup sniper rifle features an exceptionally high fire rate and a unique design for best-in-class handling and stability when on the move – Unlocked via Battle Pass

Customizable Throwing Knives

• Players can now select Lethal Equipment Skins (in-match only)

Weapon balancing

Light Machine Guns

• RAPP H

  • Increased semi auto Damage

  • Reduced semi auto rate of fire

The following weapon changes are applicable to Warzone only. While we are generally pleased with the state of Weapon balance in Warzone, our work is never done. Internal data has shown that the Cronen Squall is still performing better than we would like–enough so that it would restrict the pool of viable Weapons. Our main focus of these changes is and always will be to broaden gameplay options at every level of play. Not all Weapons have the potential to sit atop the charts–and that is okay. As long as those Weapons enable a playstyle or have a niche in which they can thrive, that is our goal. Below you will find changes that aim to level the playing field between some of the top and bottom performers.

Assault Rifles

Chimera

• Close-mid Damage increased

M13B

• Headshot Multiplier increased

Battle Rifles

Cronen Squall

• Maximum Damage decreased

• Minimum Damage increased

• Neck Damage Multiplier decreased

• Upper Torso Damage Multiplier decreased

• Lower Torso Damage Multiplier decreased

• Limb Damage Multipliers decreased

Light Machine Guns

HCR 56

• Limb Damage Multipliers decreased

RAAL MG

• Headshot Multiplier increased

Submachine Guns

MX9

• Close-mid Damage increased

• Neck Multiplier increased

• Upper Torso Multiplier increased

• Lower Torso Multiplier increased

Minibak

• Damage step added at mid-far range

• Minimum Damage decreased

• Headshot Multiplier increased

Lachmann Sub

• Maximum Damage Range decreased

• Close-mid Damage Range decreased

VEL-46

• Neck Multiplier increased

• Upper Torso Multiplier increased

• Lower Torso Multiplier increased

BAS-P

• Maximum Damage Range increased

• Neck Multiplier increased

• Upper Torso Multiplier increased

• Lower Torso Multiplier increased

Fennec 45

• Maximum Damage increased

Lastly, we are aware of concerns surrounding the Signal 50 in Warzone. While our data does not suggest the Signal 50 is out of the normal range in performance, its experiential impact for Players is equally important to us. At this time we do not feel it is necessary to make changes to the Signal 50, but we will continue to monitor the data and your feedback closely.

Equipment adjustments

Drill Charge

• Reduced damage from drilling when a Player is stuck with a Drill Charge, providing a larger opportunity for death from explosion

Recon Drone

• Recon Drone’s health bar now updates every time the drone is accessed

Tactical Camera

• Removed audio distortion when failing to use a Tactical Camera

Perk adjustments

Bomb Squad

• Bomb Squad will protect against death from explosive Equipment stuck directly to the Player when fully armored | Warzone only

Quick Fix

• Added visual cues for attacking someone with active Quick Fix

• Entering an objective with Quick Fix equipped will now visually show when the health regeneration effect is active.

Audio

Adjustments

• Further improved audio balance to favor some sounds over others (i.e. Airplane audio will be mixed down when using voice chat)

• Added alert sound from pets when being spotted

Audio Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where knife pickups could play an incorrect sound

• Fixed an issue where the out of bounds sound would repeat incorrectly

UI/UX adjustments

Updated CODHQ Landing Page

• Adds Game Mode tiles to the Games section of CODHQ, allowing Players to jump to a specific row from the CODHQ menu

Skin Carousel in the Lobby

• Added a carousel that allows Players to change the skin of their selected Operator while searching for a Match.

Combat Detail Widget

• Added a new widget that provides info upon Player death. Who killed you, what weapon, how many shots, etc

• Widget will list multiple Players and environmental damage when applicable

Improved Pings

• Ping priority for stacked icons
• Better visibility for Contracts & Vehicles on Tac Map

Battle Royale Win Streak Tracker

• There is now a Win Streak Tracker on the menu and in-game to display your progress towards a Champion’s Quest.

Total Ammunition CountQuality of Life

• Shows total amount of ammunition in both backpack and player loadout in the currently equipped weapon.

Total Squad CashQuality of Life

• In the Squad Widget, the total squad cash will be displayed.

New Vehicles

MRAP

A vehicle roughly the size and shape of the Cargo Truck, the MRAP is equipped for heavy combat with additional armor plating and turrets, making it a slower, yet effective, vehicle for attack or defense.

This vehicle is disabled in Solos and Ranked Play.

• MRAP Keys are available at Buy Stations for $50,000 that will enable the ability to start and drive one of three vehicles located on the map. .
• The key must be used from the Player’s Backpack.

Dirt Bike

A nimble and rapid form of transportation, the Dirt Bike is ready for Operators to lose enemies through tight alleys, perform hairpin turns on a dime, and get across any map without much cover but with plenty of style.

• Driver can perform 9 unique tricks

• Earn a bonus for performing tricks and combos!

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where Operator Skins and Finishing Moves could reset after suspending on consoles

• Fixed an issue where some Players were not getting awarded BlackCell items correctly (Season 04)

• Fixed an issue where the Player was unable to obtain Battle Pass rewards when on the BlackCell exclusive version of the reward (Season 04)

• Fixed an issue where tablet screens may cover part of the screen when activated

• Fixed an issue where in the progression menu UI, Prestige 6 was swapped with Prestige 10

• Fixed an issue that would occasionally prevent the ‘Reap This’ Kastov-74u Blueprint from equipping in-game

• Fixed an issue where objects could float in the air if dropped on glass that was then broken by disabling ability to drop objects on glass surfaces

• Fixed an issue where a placeholder name is displayed when completing the “Get 30 headshot Operator kills with Battle Rifles” challenge to unlock the Cronen Squall

• Fixed an issue where Battle Pass and Weapon 2XP tags could appear incorrectly on the Playlist tile

• Fixed an issue where opening, but not using, the SAE Killstreak tablet at the end of a match will show the Heartbeat Sensor UI before/during the final kill

• Fixed an exploit where Players were able to transfer Completionist camos to weapons without unlocking them

• Fixed an issue that could cause the game to display incorrectly while using snap layouts on PC

• Fixed an issue where Xbox Players’ Operator Skins would reset to default after the Xbox times out and turns off

• Fixed an issue that could cause the killfeed widget to function incorrectly

• Fixed a number of issues that may have caused momentary hitching for some players in Battle Royale matches.
• Fixed an issue in Battle Royale game modes that prevented the application of Lethal Equipment Skins.
• Fixed an issue in Battle Royale Private Match that caused the squad details button to display incorrectly.

• Fixed an issue that caused Perk Package icons to load with significant delay in Buy Stations.

• Fixed an issue that caused Train sounds to be silent or cut off around the map.

• Fixed an issue that caused the Most Wanted Flag to not appear on the Player who has a Most Wanted Contract.

• Fixed an issue that prevented players from joining a Private Match lobby.

PC and Console Settings

Introducing “Eco Mode”

Found in the Graphics Settings menu, with three options:

• Off: Same behavior as all previous updates with no power savings.
• Minimal (Default): Frame rate capped at 60hz and slight drop in 3D scene resolution for the Multiplayer and Warzone lobbies only. Yields an average power savings of 20%.
• Full: Frame rate capped at 30hz and larger drop in 3D scene resolution for the Multiplayer and Warzone lobbies only. Yields an average power savings of 50%.

Modes

Fort ResurgenceIn-Season

• Al Bagra Fortress and its greater surroundings, will be added to the Resurgence map rotation.

Armored RoyaleIn-Season

• Reinforce your Squad in this Battle Royale Mode with a big difference — you’re dropping onto your own MRAP, and it’s up to you to use, fortify, and repair this hulking vehicle with its turret, protective shielding, and mobile Buy Station, while cutting through rivals operating their own behemoth trucks.

General

All Maps | All Modes

Play Again Matchmaking StatusQuality of Life

• Players will now see their matchmaking status during the Play Again Loading Screen.

Champion’s Quest

• Players now need to hold all available elements to progress the timer while locating the next one.

Al Mazrah | Battle Royale

Player Count

• All Squad Sizes on Al Mazrah Battle Royale have had their Player counts reduced to 100, down from 150.
• Ranked will remain at 150 Players until further notice.

Warzone Ranked changes

Match Ruleset Updates

New Vehicles and Gameplay Elements

Vehicles

• Tactical Amphibious Vehicle (TAV)
• Dirt Bike

Contracts

• Signals Intelligence

Gameplay Elements

• P.R.D (Personal Redeploy Drone)
• Reinforcement Flare

Disabled Vehicles, Events, and Gameplay Elements

Vehicles

• MRAP

Events

• Occupation Scan Public Event
• High Stakes Public Event

Gameplay Elements

• Favorite Supply Box

Restricted Weapons and Equipment

Weapons

• X13 Auto
• Basilisk
• MX Guardian
• KV Broadside

Attachments

• Explosive Ammo (Sniper Rifles)
• Dragon’s Breath Ammo (Shotguns)

SR (Skill Rating) & Divisions

Final Placement SR

• SR earned for Placement Milestones has been increased.

Updated Placement SR:

• Top 40: 15 (Up from 10)
• Top 30: 30 (Up from 20)
• Top 20: 45 (Up from 30)
• Top 10: 60 (Up from 40)
• Top 5: 80 (Up from 50)
• Top 3: 100 (Up from 60)
• Top 2: 125 (Up from 80)
• Victory: 150 (Up from 100)

This adjustment will help Placement Milestone SR feel more impactful throughout the match. Players will still need to earn high Kills and Assists in addition to high Placements to reach the highest Skill Divisions.

End of Season Skill Setback

At the end of each Season, your ending Skill Division will determine where you start the following season:

• Bronze through Crimson I Players are set back three Tiers below where they finished in the previous season. Example: A Player ending Season 04 in Gold III will begin Season 05 in Silver III.
• Players Crimson II and above will start Season 05 in Diamond I.

WZ Ranked Play Season 05 Rewards

Season 05 Challenge Rewards

Throughout the Season 05, Players can earn the following rewards:

Placement Challenges

• Finish ‘Top 15’ 25 Times: ‘Popped Off’ Large Decal
• Finish ‘Top 5’ 25 Times: Pro Issue ISO Hemlock Weapon Blueprint
• Finish 1st Place: ‘Straight Dubs’ Weapon Charm

Kill & Assist Challenges

• Get 25 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Season 05 Competitor’ Sticker
• Get 250 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Ranked Play Season 05’ Loading Screen
• Get 1000 Kills or Assists: ‘WZ Season 05 Ranked Veteran’ Camo

End of Season Division Rewards

At the end of each Season, Players will be awarded Skill Division rewards that represent their highest attained Division that Season.

Rewards Update

• Starting in Season 05, players will continue to earn Emblems associated with their highest attained Division. Those who climb into Gold and above will obtain a new reward each season where we previously offered a Weapon Charm. For Season 05, we're kicking off this new reward rotation with Season Division Camos.

Seasonal Division Rewards

• Each Ranked Play Season will have a unique set of Division Rewards awarded at the end of the Season to celebrate the Player’s highest Skill Division reached that Season.

The Season 05 rewards are as follows:

• Top 250: ‘WZ Season 05 Top 250’ Animated Weapon Camo, Emblem, and Calling Card – Players must be in the Top 250 Division at the end of the Season to qualify for these rewards.
• Iridescent: ‘WZ Season 05 Iridescent’ Weapon Camo, Emblem, and Calling Card
• Crimson: ‘WZ Season 05 Crimson’ Weapon Camo and Emblem
• Diamond: ‘WZ Season 05 Diamond’ Weapon Camo and Emblem
• Platinum: ‘WZ Season 05 Platinum’ Weapon Camo and Emblem
• Gold: ‘WZ Season 05 Gold’ Weapon Camo and Emblem
• Silver: Emblem
• Bronze: Emblem

• Ranked Play First Place: The Player who finishes Season 05 in the #1 position on the Top 250 Leaderboard will receive a unique, one-of-a-kind Calling Card and Emblem for the ultimate bragging rights.

DMZ changes

Al Mazrah, Ashika Island, and Vondel are all under attack.

Battles rage between the existing factions and a new threat, Konni.

Both sides will be fighting with everything they’ve got, calling in Killstreaks in what is known as Active Combat Zones. Intel suggests that higher-quality supplies and gear are more present in Active Combat Zones compared to single-faction areas.

In Al Mazrah, all Cartel are KIA within the Koschei Complex. Konni found it, completely gutted it, and found some additional hidden tunnels under the city.

We have also lost Building 21 to the Konni Group. With your help, we can get it back.

To all Operators: Shadow Company are your family now. We will not take the first shot on any Operator in any DMZ Exclusion Zone, and fight arm-in-arm with you in our battle against Konni.

New Field Upgrades

Disguise

• Built for pure stealth engagements, the Disguised Field Upgrade allows you to appear as a member of a DMZ Combatant (AI) Faction. Equip the Disguise and DMZ Combatants of the same faction will not attack unless you blow your cover and act aggressively towards them.

Battle Revive

• An experimental stimulant offering an adrenaline rush as you complete a self-revive: A Self-Revive mixed with pure Battle Rage! After using it to get up from Last Stand, it immediately activates Battle Rage’s effects, allowing you to heal more quickly. The Tactical Sprint is also constantly refreshed for a short period of time.

Self-Revive Box

• Much like an Armor Box, this Field Upgrade holds multiple Self-Revive Kits. Perfect for squad-based infiltrations.

New Equipment

Scuba Gas Mask

• This is a Gas Mask that also acts as a Rebreather, providing protection from radioactive winds, gas, and allows for underwater breathing for an extended period of time.

Updates

New Missions and Urgents

• New Missions and new Urgent Missions (if unlocked) will become available in Season 05.

Friendly Fire

• Due to recent developments in Al Mazrah, Shadow Company is now allied with Operators across the Exclusion Zones. However, friendly fire will not be tolerated and this group WILL become hostile if provoked.

Adjustments

• Improved clarity on some Mission descriptions

• Adjusted infil locations across some Exclusion Zones

DMZ BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue causing an incorrect Assimilation icon

• Fixed an issue where Blueprints didn’t count for certain ‘acquire weapon’ Missions

• Fixed an issue where the Notes menu could malfunction when navigating to Co-Op before DMZ

• Fixed an issue where certain items would be revoked from DMZ inventory

• Fixed a number of collision issues with the SAM sites across Exclusion Zones

• Fixed an issue where the smoke for the Quid Pro Quo mission was disappearing

• Fixed an issue causing the Signal Intelligence contract to have missing sounds

• Fixed an issue where IR Beacon placement actions were missing sounds

• Fixed an issue causing enemy weapon Blueprints to sometimes appear incorrectly after stowing into a Backpack slot

• Fixed an issue causing some Players to encounter Dev Errors in Building 21

And that's everything included in the Warzone Season 5 patch notes. It's a lengthy bunch this time so hopefully you'll find something to get hyped about within them.

Scott McCrae