We're already halfway through the third season of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and it's been a wild one.

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Between Verdansk's return, the new Shattered Veil Zombies map and all the new weapons and gameplay changes, it's been the biggest update since the game launched.

But Activision isn't done yet, as Black Ops 6 Season 3 Reloaded is set to make an already great season even better - here's when it's out and what's included.

CoD BO6 Season 3 Reloaded release date

CoD BO6 Season 3 Reloaded is currently scheduled to begin on Thursday 1st May at 5pm BST.

While this is the official launch time for the game, players will be able to pre-download the update before it begins so once the clock hits 5pm you can jump straight in.

This start time also coincides with the end of the currently ongoing Black Ops Tribute Event, so if you want to get your hands on the John Black Ops Operator skin, you don't have long left.

What to expect from CoD BO6 Season 3 Reloaded

There's plenty of new content coming to BO6 with Season 3 Reloaded, but the biggest additions are the second wave of this season's maps.

Signal (6v6, 2v2) and Haven (6v6) are the two brand-new maps joining the rotation, while Blazetown hits our screens as a variant of Nuketown as part of a 420-themed event.

Of course, no big update would be complete without new weapons, which is why the Ladra Submachine Gun will be introduced, alongside a Goblin Mk2 7.62 Mini-Rocket Conversion to turn the assault rifle into a rocket launcher.

For perks, we've got the Vendetta Perk, that will mark your killer's location whenever you're killed for a short period.

Shattered Veil is set for a few changes too. Directed Mode is introduced to offer unique rewards for completing the main quest, alongside the Ray Gun Mark II and Frost Blast Field Upgrade becoming available in all modes.

Lastly, ranked Warzone players will be delighted to learn that Verdansk Ranked will be made available for trios, debuting alongside some small tweaks to the map.

Full list of BO6 Season 3 Reloaded patch notes

Here is the full list of patch notes and balance changes for CoD BO6 Season 3 Reloaded:

Events

High Art

  • Earn XP in Multiplayer, Zombies, or Call of Duty: Warzone during this event to unlock rewards such as the new Ladra Submachine Gun.
  • Activation Dates: May 1st to 15th

Blaze of Glory

  • Collect Blaze Bucks dropped by eliminated enemies and found in supply caches in Call of Duty: Warzone. Redeem your bucks for rewards, including the new Vendetta Perk, the Frost Blast Field Upgrade, and the “Highly Decorated” Weapon Camo.
  • Activation Dates: May 6th to 15th

Maps

Verdansk

  • Train Station (East Wing Access)
    • The previously sealed east wing of the Train Station is now open, offering increased loot opportunities and new flanking routes.
  • Moving Train
    • The iconic Verdansk train is back. It now features a respawning Recon Contract - if you choo-choo-choose to take on the mission.
  • Vertical Ascenders
    • Ascenders have been reintroduced across Verdansk, matching their placement in the original Season 05 and current Plunder layout.

Modes

High Trip Resurgence Limited-Time Mode

  • Experience the classic Resurgence ruleset with special narration and gameplay boosts designed to incinerate your opponents.
  • Map: Verdansk
  • Squad Size: Quads
  • Player Count: 120 Players

Massive Resurgence Limited-Time Mode

  • Engage in rapid-fire combat with Resurgence mechanics, allowing continuous redeployment while the Resurgence timer is active.
  • Map: Verdansk
  • Squad Size: Quads
  • Player Count: 120 Players

Ranked

"With the re-introduction of our ranked seasons in this patch, we’re introducing a number of different changes to the ranked ecosystem to coincide with the new map, aimed at retaining in large the pacing and progression structure, while allowing for the other adjustments that are needed. Here’s a brief summary of the details you’ll find below":

150 Players

  • With our return to Verdansk, Battle Royale Ranked Play is increasing its player count to 150 players, which of course means 50 Teams in the match.

New SR Values

  • To maintain the overall pacing and progression of the ranked ecosystem, we've tuned the SR values to better reflect the larger map, Season 03’s changes to gameplay as well as general game economy. The overall outcome of this tuning is such that your progress through ranked should be very similar in terms of time investment, with slightly higher difficulties in the very top ends (High Iridescent, top 250).
  • We have also raised the SR Cap per match for eliminations to 200, instead of 150.

Restrictions Adjustments

  • We’re mirroring the ban on Bandolier and the Ammo Satchel, and disabled known perks that are counter to the goals we want to facilitate with ranked. At the same time, with Verdansk’s identity revolving so heavily around vehicle usage we have unrestricted launchers so they can be used to effectively counter any vehicle dominance. Alertness has also been removed from the restricted perk list.
  • As an additional callout - we have added the Trophy system to the buystation to enable planning for a safer vehicle rotation.

Unlocking Ranked Play

  • In order to access this mode, players must place amongst the top squads in at least 20 matches to be eligible to queue up and begin climbing the ranks.
  • In this case, "Top Placement" is defined as finishing among the Top 6 teams in Resurgence or the Top 15 teams in Battle Royale. Battle Royale Casual or Bootcamp does not progress your Top Placements.

Other Gameplay Adjustments

  • The starting circle is more centered, enabling more playspace on drop - but extreme circle ends can still occur.
  • Trophy system is added to the buystation inventory to enable a more protected vehicle rotation.

Loot & Economy

Updated Ground Loot Weapons

  • Ground loot weapons have been revised to better align with each weapon’s core role by removing incompatible or underperforming attachments.
  • Certain weapon builds have been added or removed from the loot pool to improve overall variety and balance.
  • Slight adjustments have been made to weapon class distribution, including a reduction in the frequency of Snipers and Pistols found in ground loot.

High Value Loot Zones

  • Each season, three POIs across Verdansk will be designated as High Value Loot Zones, offering increased loot density. For Season 03 Reloaded, the active High Value Loot Zones are: Train Station, Superstore and Military Base - prime locations for early Hot Drops.
  • High Value Loot Zones are now marked by a distinct color on the POI name during infil, the tac map, and the compass when inside the zone.
  • The cooldown for Ammo Restock Depots in Plunder has been increased from 5 seconds to 20 seconds.

Movement

Movement Speed While Plating

  • Movement speed while inserting armor plates has been standardized. Whether using the normal animation or the one-handed animation granted by Quick Fix, your movement speed will now align with the weapon you had equipped when you began plating.

Equipment

Drill Charge

  • The explosion radius increased from 3 meters to 5 meters.
  • Inner explosion damage increased from 155 to 200.
  • Outer explosion damage increased from 39 to 100.

C4

  • The middle to inner explosion radius increased from 3m to 5m.
  • Inner explosion damage increased from 225 to 250.
  • Middle explosion damage increased from 112 to 180.
  • Slight increase to the speed at which you can detonate the device after throwing it.
  • Slight adjustments to throw velocity.

Spring Mine

  • Inner explosion damage reduced from 275 to 250.

Blast Trap

  • Increased the Detonation delay from 0.75 seconds to 1 seconds.

Stim Shot

  • Speed increase reduced from 15% to 8%.

Experimental Gas

  • No longer deals tick damage.

Contracts

Big Game Bounty

  • The Big Game Bounty Contract has returned to Battle Royale. Track down and eliminate a high-performing squad for greater rewards - high risk, high reward.

Supply Run Contract

  • Squadmates who are dead at the time a Supply Run is completed will now also receive the Fire Sale reward.

Killstreaks

Sentry

  • Effective range increased from 50m to 100m.
  • Minor increase to max turn speed.
  • Lifetime increased from 90 seconds to 100 seconds.
  • Increased max damage from 10 to 12.

Bunker Buster

  • Explosive inner damage reduced from 300 to 290.
  • Removed damage from gas.

UAV

  • Audible callout on activation of a UAV for enemies has been tightened up with the UX indicator (red box around minimap).

Perks

Low Profile

  • Prone and crouch movement speed increased from 20% to 30%.

Bomb Squad

  • Damage reduction increased from 20% to 30%.

Survivor

  • Health regeneration delay increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.

Reactive Armor

  • Armor regeneration speed increased by 50%.

Tracker

  • Tracker outlines have been refined with thinner lines to improve visual clarity.

Weapons

Ladra Submachine Gun

  • Full-auto submachine gun. Extreme rate of fire, excellent range, and low recoil.
  • Acquirable via High Art Event Reward

Goblin Mk2 7.62 Mini-Rocket Conversion Kit

  • Converts the Goblin Mk2 Assault Rifle into a fully automatic weapon with explosive rocket ammunition. Splash damage capabilities come at the expense of bullet velocity and rate of fire. Equips a new default Barrel and Magazine.
  • Acquirable via Event Reward

Operators

Favoriting Operators

  • Players can mark Operators as favorites.
  • There is a cap on the number of Operators that can be favorited: players will receive a notification upon reaching this limit.

Random Operator Selection

  • Players can now enable a "Random Operator" option, allowing the game to select a different Operator each time they load in.
  • If favorites are set, players have the option to randomize exclusively among their favorites.
  • Players can select up to a maximum of 20 operators to randomize from.

Random Skin Selection

  • Within each Operator’s customization menu, players can enable the "Random Skin" option.
  • Each time an Operator is selected, a different owned skin will be applied.
  • If favorite skins are set, the random selection will be limited to those skins.
  • Players can select up to 10 skins to randomize from for a single operator.

UI/UX

Favoriting Operators

  • Players can mark Operators as favorites.
  • There is a cap on the number of Operators that can be favorited: players will receive a notification upon reaching this limit.

Random Operator Selection

  • Players can now enable a "Random Operator" option, allowing the game to select a different Operator each time they load in.
  • If favorites are set, players have the option to randomize exclusively among their favorites.
  • Players can select up to a maximum of 20 operators to randomize from.

Random Skin Selection

  • Within each Operator’s customization menu, players can enable the "Random Skin" option.
  • Each time an Operator is selected, a different owned skin will be applied.
  • If favorite skins are set, the random selection will be limited to those skins.
  • Players can select up to 10 skins to randomize from for a single operator.

Attachment Filter for Modern Warfare Weapons Quality of Life

  • An improved attachment filtering system has been added for Modern Warfare weapons. This enhancement introduces category-specific filters to streamline the attachment selection process, making it easier to navigate large inventories and quickly find the desired attachments.

Death Recap Widget Quality of Life

  • The Death Recap system has been expanded in Season 03 Reloaded to provide clearer insight into the conditions that contributed to your death. New indicators include:
  • Affected by Heartbeat Sensor: Indicates the enemy detected your position with the heartbeat sensor equipment.
  • Affected by Body Shield on Teammate:Indicates your position was revealed by a teammate who was body shield by an enemy.
  • Affected by Resurgence Mark:Indicates your position was revealed by a teammate who died in Resurgence game mode.
  • Affected by Prox Alarm:Indicated your position was revealed by a Prox Alarm tactical equipment.
  • Affected by Most Wanted Target:Indicate your position was revealed by opting-in the Most Wanted Contract.

Nearby Grenade Notification Quality of Life

  • The grenade warning icon now fades slightly when the player is no longer in direct line of sight of the active grenade, providing a more intuitive visual cue.

Damage Overlay Opacity Quality of Life

  • The full-screen red damage overlay triggered by armor damage has had its opacity reduced by 50%, creating a less visually intense experience when under fire.

Double Killstreak Overwrite Notification Quality of Life

  • When two enemy Killstreaks are activated within three seconds of each other, the second notification will now interrupt and replace the first. This ensures both are delivered promptly and players can react appropriately.
  • Previously, the second notification would wait for the first to finish, often resulting in delayed awareness.

Death Skull Icon Improvements Quality of Life

  • The death skull icon has been adjusted to scale more appropriately with distance. It will now appear larger when close by, making it easier to spot, while taking up less screen space when viewed from afar.

Vehicles

TRIUMPH TF 250-X Dirt Bike

  • A brand-new vehicle type hits Verdansk: the TRIUMPH TF 250-X Dirt Bike. Designed for quick getaways and high-speed flanks, this single-seat ride boasts impressive acceleration and top speed - but at the cost of lower durability.

Heli

  • Adjusted the weight class from medium-light to light. This adjusts how explosives and launchers interact with the Heli.
  • Launchers (including JOKR) 1 hit.
  • Grenades (including C4) 1 hit.
  • Traps 1 hit.
  • Thermite 10 ticks.

Heli Passenger View Angles

  • Players can now look around with more freedom than before, and are less restricted in tracking targets below the vehicle.

Audio

Vehicles

  • Revised and Rebalanced the volumes of vehicle engine, suspension, chassis, tire surface/skids, water, impact, hit-marker and horn sounds.

Challenges

Removed Unavailable Daily Challenges

  • The following Daily Challenges have been removed as they were not progressable in all modes:
  • SAM/Sentry Turret Challenge
  • Counter-UAV (CUAV) Challenge

Stickerbook Challenge Fixes

  • Improved filtering to ensure all Stickerbook Challenges are now progressable in Ranked Battle Royale.
  • All challenges referencing Battle Royale now also track in Battle Royale Casual.

Armory Unlock Update

  • Added the JAK Devastator as an Armory Challenge unlock.

Stickerbook Challenge Updates

  • The following challenges have been updated for consistency and/or progression tracking:
  • Career — Seasoned Soldier
    • Royale Ripper
      • Battle Buster
    • Career — Warzone Tactician
      • Load Up
    • Career — Popping Off
      • Fearless Warrior
    • Career — Dark Ops
      • [REDACTED]
      • [REDACTED]
    • Prestige 5
      • Intel Hoarder
      • Follow Through
      • Come At Me
      • Mobile Shopper
      • New Toys
    • Prestige 8
      • Contender
    • Prestige 9
      • Silent and Deadly
      • Axed
    • Prestige Master
      • Ultimate Victory
      • Not a Fluke
      • Lock the Win
    • Daily Challenge Updates
      • Top 10 Placement
      • Top 5 Placement
      • Top 10 Placement with 10 Eliminations

Bug Fixes

Perks

  • Fixed an issue where Scavenger bags could be picked up by players other than the intended recipient.
  • Fixed an issue where Scavenger did not grant the correct amount of maximum ammunition.
  • Fixed an issue where Ghost was applying default values instead of the intended configuration.
  • Fixed an issue where the Ghost perk's grace period was not correctly set to 3 seconds.
  • Fixed an issue where the required movement speed for Ghost activation was not correctly set to 35 (equivalent to crawling or faster).
  • Fixed an issue while using Bomb Squad where all explosives were incorrectly capped at 150 damage. Explosives can now deal up to 300 damage as originally intended.

Audio

  • Fixed headshot kill indicator sounding higher pitch than expected on the classic hitmarker preset.
  • Fixed classic hitmarkers being quieter than intended.

Miscellaneous

  • Fixed an issue where Thermite’s tick rate could be significantly faster than intended.
  • Fixed an issue where the Gulag notification for a squadmate entering or leaving did not play correctly.
  • Fixed an issue where the MX Guardian could incorrectly equip Dragon’s Breath rounds.
  • Fixed an issue causing an unintended burst of velocity when exiting an ascender.
  • Fixed an issue where jumping onto a ladder could trigger an unintended burst of velocity.
  • Fixed an issue where opening the scoreboard during exfil could result in the loss of the user interface.
  • Fixed an issue where the Scavenger perk could incorrectly grant more than the maximum reserve ammunition.
  • Fixed an issue where gas visual effects could appear in Plunder before the Choke Hold public event was active.
  • Fixed an issue where weapon loot cards sometimes appeared off-center from the weapon model.
  • Fixed an issue where the outline on Legendary Supply Crates would disappear after using a Supply UAV.
  • Fixed an issue where item pings from squadmates would not appear after closing the Buy Station UI.
  • Fixed an issue where players could become stuck on a black screen if they were in the Winner’s Circle when the match ended.
  • Fixed an issue where the Trophy System was missing its idle sound effects.
  • Fixed an issue where target dummies in the Firing Range could become stuck after being killed.
  • Fixed an issue where the speed boost from the Resolute perk would not be properly removed.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the Gas Mask icon in the squad widget to disappear when picking up a replacement.

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Authors

Alex Raisbeck
Alex RaisbeckGaming writer
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