A small update arrived to Call of Duty on April 21, and the patch notes detail some impactful weapon tuning across various modes and more exotic weapons for Warzone. Additionally, Black Ops 7 Ranked Play changes also arrive for multiplayer to better match the weapon meta for the Call of Duty League.

For multiplayer, the update includes some weapon balancing for the new Season 3 weapons. This includes a small buff to the MK35 ISR assault rifle. The gun features a very easy-to-handle option with low recoil, but Treyarch says feedback suggested it wasn't quite powerful enough. The update details a slight increase to the gun's headshot multiplier and maximum damage range. The sprint-to-fire time was also improved for the MK35 ISR.

The season's VST submachine gun is also buffed. The gun is very powerful, but player feedback suggested the vertical recoil was too extreme. The developer has slightly reduced the kick strength of the VST, and various attachments also got buffed to provide even more recoil reduction.

The new Strider 300 sniper rifle is currently available to unlock in Call of Duty's Lost Outpost event, and this weapon received a few improvements with the new update. These include an increase to the sniper rifle's damage range, as well as a decrease to the gun's fire time and a reduced aim-down-sight time.

Ranked Play changes arrive to match the Call of Duty League. The MPC-25 is now unrestricted for loadouts, as this is the new submachine gun being used by the pro players. The update also addresses an issue where the RC-XD scorestreak was not removed from some loadouts.

For Warzone, the update adds three new exotic weapons to Avalon's Black Ops Royale mode. These three gun types are as follows:

• Ghostmind VS Recon: Designed for long-range engagements with exceptional bullet velocity and responsive handling. Features a 12-round magazine, fast rechamber speed, and the ability to one-shot headshot Tier 3 armored enemies.
• Killswitch AK-27: A steady and reliable assault rifle offering best-in-class range and bullet velocity. Equipped with an extended 80-round magazine to support sustained engagements.
• Barrage Razor 9mm: Provides best-in-class handling and mobility, enabling rapid repositioning and quick eliminations in close-quarters combat.

Small weapon changes are also included for Warzone. The season's new MK35 ISR assault rifle has been a popular pick for battle royale, but the gun received a slight nerf to the damage range, as well as increased recoil to keep this weapon from being too powerful and easy to handle at long ranges.

The new VST submachine gun is buffed similarly to the multiplayer update, as previously the gun's vertical kick was far too powerful to make the weapon viable. For Warzone, the update includes a buff to the damage range and a reduction to both the horizontal and vertical kick of the gun.

Additionally, the overpowered and annoying Deadeye Drone killstreak has been nerfed with a health reduction from 40 down to just 20 health. This streak should be much easier to shoot out of the sky than it was in previous matches.

The full patch notes for Black Ops 7 and Warzone can be seen below, as shared by Activision.

BO7 MULTIPLAYER

Modes

• Overload
  • Increased Round time to 5 minutes. (Released on April 14.)

Weapon Tuning

Today we have a small but impactful list of tuning changes that address early feedback on the new Season 03 weapon and attachment content.

Assault Rifles

MK35 ISR

The MK35 ISR is all about low recoil at the expense of handling and raw power. Historically this archetype tends to outperform its stats on paper, but in the case of the ISR we agree with sentiment that it’s missing an edge in BO7. Headshots will matter more, and they pair nicely with the recoil profile. There were also some additional unintended Sprint to Fire penalties which we removed. While it still won’t excel in this department, it’s now closer to expected values for an Assault Rifle.

MK35 ISR Adjustments

• Headshot multiplier increased from 1.15x to 1.16x.
• Sprint to Fire Time improved from 253ms to 240ms.
• Tactical Sprint to Fire Time improved from 374ms to 350ms.

SMGs

VST

The VST is on the opposite end of the recoil spectrum. Recoil is critical to the balance of this weapon and its ultra-fast, close range TTK. We do want the weapon to be a little more accessible, so we’ve made some minor baseline changes and more meaningful muzzle attachment changes to help control the vertical climb. However, you’ll still want to stack recoil attachments and/or try out a Prestige Attachment build to stretch ranges on this weapon.

VST Adjustments

• Slightly reduced View Kick strength.

VST Attachment Adjustments

• Hawker Series 45 (Compensator)
  • Vertical Recoil improvement increased from 20% to 28%.
• Hawker Stabilizer MK.II (Muzzle Brake)
  • Vertical Recoil improvement increased from 8% to 13%.
• Redwell Shade-X Suppressor (Recoil Suppressor)
  • Vertical Recoil improvement increased from 11% to 15%.

Carbon 57

Carbon 57 Adjustments

• Addressed an animation issue when using hybrid optics on the Carbon 57.

Sniper Rifles

Strider 300

A special thanks to our sniper community for all of the feedback on the new Strider 300. We have an update to the ADS animation coming in Season 03 Reloaded. In the meantime, we have several other changes to make sure it’s sitting in a unique spot as the quickest bolt-action in BO7.

Fire Time (aka the time between firing a shot and starting a rechamber) has been greatly reduced and Aim Down Sight Time has noticeably improved as well. To keep things in check, we’ve redistributed some of the grip ADS improvement into the Fast Mag and Handling Laser. The weapon will still be net positive if you’re just equipping the Quickdraw Grip, but achieving extremely snappy ADS will require going all in across nodes. We have also increased Received Flinch as another tradeoff to these quicker timers.

Lastly, we made some damage and hit location multiplier changes that do not change the one-shot potential but will improve collaterals when hitting the Upper Torso or Arms.

Strider 300 Damage Adjustments

Damage RangePre-PatchPost-Patch

Maximum Damage Range

— Damage —

102

— Range —

0 - 66m

— Damage —

112 ⇧

— Range —

0 - 66m

Minimum Damage Range

— Damage —

90

— Range —

>66m

— Damage —

98 ⇧

— Range —

>66m

Strider 300 Adjustments

• Fire Time decreased from 280ms to 170ms.
• Torso, Lower Arm, Hand, and Upper Leg multipliers decreased from 0.9 to 0.82.
• Received Flinch increased from .75 to .85.
• Aim Down Sight Time reduced from 480ms to 440ms.

Strider 300 Attachment Adjustments

• 19" Trigon Heavy Barrel (Damage Barrel)
  • Hand and Upper Leg multipliers reduced from 0.9x to 0.82x.
  • Lower Leg and Foot multipliers reduced from 0.7x to 0.64x.
• Carnation Fast Mag (6 Round Fast Mag)
  • Aim Down Sight Time improvement increased from 10ms to 15ms.
• Hatch Quick Grip (Quickdraw Grip)
  • Aim Down Sight Time improvement reduced from 65ms to 50ms.
• Redwell Gorgon Grip (Mobile Quickdraw Grip)
  • Aim Down Sight Time improvement reduced from 35ms to 30ms.
• 1mW Instinct Laser Array (Handling Laser)
  • Aim Down Sight Time improvement increased from 15ms to 25ms.

VS Recon

The new 12-Gauge Masterkey is receiving an improvement to its Aim Down Sight Spread and will now provide greater recoil improvements to the base Shadow SK when equipped. The goal for this attachment is to provide a change of pace for achieving both close and long range capabilities on a sniper (the usual path being all in on quickscoping).

Shadow SK 12-Gauge Masterkey (Underbarrel Shotgun) Adjustments

• ADS Spread improved from 3.2 degrees to 2.9 degrees.
• Vertical Recoil improvement increased from 10% to 25% (base gun).
• Now also improves Horizontal Recoil by 25% (base gun).
• Now also improves some visual recoil (base gun).

Pistols

1911

1911 Adjustments

• Addressed an issue preventing 1911 Akimbo from gaining intended benefit from Fast Hands.
• Reduced firing motion when using the Bowen Scout Scope on the 1911.

1911 Attachment Adjustments

• Reduced visual recoil when using the VAS Duo Hybrid Sight on certain weapons.

Scorestreaks

• Ion Core
  • Device health reduced from 900 to 550.
  • EMP grenade damage against the Ion Core increased (now destroyed in 4 grenades instead of 6);
  • Placement is more flexible and no longer locked to a fixed distance.
• Deadeye Drone
  • Addressed an issue where the Deadeye Drone could not be destroyed when using the Extended Mag Overclock.

Ranked Play

• Unrestricted the MPC-25 from loadouts.
• Addressed an issue where the RC-XD was not removed from some loadouts.

Challenges

• Addressed an issue where the Shadow SK 12-Gauge Masterkey attachment would award the “No Scope” medal from kills.
• Reduced the required kills for the Keep Out medal from 3 to 2.

UI

• Addressed an issue that could prevent Scoresteaks from being changed after entering a prestige.

WARZONE LOOT & ECONOMY

Adjusted

» Black Ops Royale «

• Exotic Weapons
  • We’re refreshing the Exotic Weapon lineup in Black Ops Royale with 3 new additions to keep gameplay feeling dynamic and distinct. Additional Exotic Weapon updates are planned throughout the chapter.
  • Ghostmind VS Recon
    • Designed for long-range engagements with exceptional bullet velocity and responsive handling. Features a 12-round magazine, fast rechamber speed, and the ability to one-shot headshot Tier 3 armored enemies.
  • Killswitch AK-27
    • A steady and reliable Assault Rifle offering best-in-class range and bullet velocity. Equipped with an extended 80-round magazine to support sustained engagements.
  • Barrage Razor 9mm
    • Provides best-in-class handling and mobility, enabling rapid repositioning and quick eliminations in close-quarters combat.

» Battle Royale «

• Legendary Supply Boxes
  • Reduced Perk drop chance from 100% to 60%.
  • Legendary Supply Boxes now drop a maximum of 1 Perk (previously 2).
  • Reduced Armor Satchel drop rate by 6%.

These changes are intended to better smooth player power progression throughout a match. Legendary Supply Boxes were previously contributing to faster-than-intended power spikes. These adjustments also increase loot variety and reduce the likelihood of duplicate rewards.

• • Ground Loot
    • Reduced AAROW 109 drop rate by 7%.
  • Idle Loot Cleanup Quality of Life
    • Specialist will no longer despawn after a set duration when dropped by players voluntarily or on death.

PUBLIC EVENTS

Adjusted

» Battle Royale «

• Classified Weapon
  • Removed shotguns from the Classified Weapons event.
  • Classified Weapons will no longer despawn after a set duration when dropped by players, voluntarily or on death.

CONTRACTS

New

» Battle Royale, Resurgence «

• Revealed Contracts Splash Quality of Life
  • Added a new on-screen splash notification when a Safe Zone is identified, informing players that new contract types are now available.

At the start of each circle, additional contracts and/or new contract types are introduced. This update improves clarity and encourages players to check the Tac Map for newly available opportunities.

Adjusted

» Battle Royale, Resurgence «

• Supply Run
  • Contracts now spawn at match start.
  • Objective now selects Buy Stations based on current circle size.

Supply Run distance was previously determined by a fixed range from the player, which often made the contract difficult to complete in later circles. The objective distance will now scale with circle size, improving viability in late-game scenarios. The team is also exploring additional updates to improve Supply Run, as well as having it spawn at match start on Haven's Hollow.

EQUIPMENT

Adjusted

» All Modes «

• Deadeye Drone
  • Total health reduced from 40 to 20.

While this item remains restricted due to a related issue, we are implementing an adjustment to drone health and will continue to evaluate whether or not further adjustments are necessary.

WEAPONS

Weapon Adjustments

AK-27

BR/RES Only

• Horizontal Recoil reduced by 10%.
• Recoil Deviation reduced by 20%.

Attachment Adjustments

BR/RES Only

• Eclipse 7.62 Brake
  • First Shot Recoil Control benefit improved from 70% to 85%.
  • Vertical Recoil benefit improved from 12% to 16%.

• VAS Convergence Foregrip

• • Bullet Deviation reduction improved from 50% to 70%.

MK35 ISR

The MK35 ISR has been outperforming our target benchmarks thanks to its ease of use and exceptional long-range effectiveness. We’re making targeted adjustments to those and will continue monitoring its performance.

Additional Adjustments

• Horizontal Recoil increased by 15%.
• Vertical Recoil increased by 15%.
• Sprint to Fire Time improved from 253ms to 240ms.

Attachment Adjustments

• 16.5" Greaves Bellum Barrel
  
  • Recoil Control benefit reduced from 25% to 15%.

PEACEKEEPER MK1

All Modes

• Bullet Velocity decreased from 920m/s to 900m/s.

Attachment Adjustments

BR/RES Only

• 25" EAM Heavy Barrel
  
  • Recoil Control benefit reduced from 25% to 18%.

SMG Adjustments

CARBON 57

BR/RES Only

• Recoil Deviation reduced by 15%.
• Addressed an animation issue when using hybrid optics on the Carbon 57.

Attachment Adjustments

BR/RES Only

• 14" Rockleigh Barrel
  • Damage Range benefit improved from 12% to 18%.

• Accelerated Recoil System
  • Vertical Recoil benefit improved from 8% to 12%.

MCP-25

Additional Adjustments

• Aim Down Sight speed improved from 190ms to 170ms.

RAZOR 9MM

Additional Adjustments

All Modes

• Upper Torso multiplier decreased from 1.05x to 1x.

Attachment Adjustments

BR/RES Only

• 12" MFS Sidewinder Barrel
  
  • Recoil Control benefit reduced from 25% to 18%.

VST

Additional Adjustments

BR/RES Only

• Vertical Recoil reduced by 8%.
• Horizontal Recoil reduced by 12%.

The VST has been slightly underperforming, due to its high recoil making it harder to stay on target at longer ranges. These adjustments are aimed at improving its effectiveness within intended SMG engagement ranges.

Attachment Adjustments

BR/RES Only

• 14" LTI Expedition Barrel
  
  • Damage Range benefit improved from 12% to 18%.

• EAM Steady-90 Grip
  
  • Horizontal Recoil benefit improved from 20% to 25%.
  • Sprinting Movement Speed improved from 5% to 8%.

• Redwell Shade-X Suppressor
  
  • Vertical Recoil reduction improved from 11% to 15%.

Sniper Rifle Adjustments

SHADOW SK

• 12-Gauge Masterkey (Underbarrel Shotgun)
  • Aim Down Sight spread improved from 3.2 degrees to 2.9 degrees.
  • Vertical Recoil reduction improved from 10% to 25%.
  • Horizontal Recoil reduced by 25%.
  • Improvements to visual recoil.

STRIDER 300

Adjustments

• Fire Time decreased from 280ms to 170ms.
• Received Flinch increased from .75 to .85.

Attachment Adjustments

• Carnation Fast Mag
  • Aim Down Sight time slowed from 10ms to 15ms.

• Hatch Quick Grip
  • Aim Down Sight time improved from 65ms to 50ms.

• Redwell Gorgon Grip
  • Aim Down Sight time improved from 35ms to 30ms.

• 1mW Instinct Laser Array
  • Aim Down Sight time slowed from 15ms to 25ms

» Black Ops Royale «

• Swordfish A1
  • Scout Archetype
    • Added Rapid Fire at legendary tier replacing High Velocity Ammo
    • Long Barrel now gives a 60% Damage Range benefit vs 40% before
    • Uncommon tier now gives a 30% ADS Speed benefit
  • Widow Archetype
    • Penta Burst at legendary now gives a 20% Burst Fire Rate Improvement
    • Epic rarity tier now gives an additional 20% ADS Speed benefit