I dropped into Verdansk’s southern shore and watched a squad sprint toward a new concrete tower. You can feel the map shifting under your feet — routes, loot flow, and threats all moving. By April 2, Warzone will wear those changes across playlists: Avalon in regular BR, six fresh weapons, and a handful of LTMs that will bend how you play.
Warzone patch notes – BO7 season 3
I checked the patch notes the minute Treyarch pushed them and scanned Activision’s server messages. The headline is simple: Season Three brings a mid-season reload that reshuffles maps, movement tech, and the weapon pool across Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone. Expect a rotation of big maps, crossplay tweaks through Battle.net, and a steady drip of in-season additions that will change both ranked snipes and casual runs.
Verdansk updates
I flew the southern coast and watched construction replace the old Hills POI with concrete and cranes. The new Launch Pad POI adds five named sectors—Control Tower, Hangar, Gantry, Depot, and Vats—packed along the shoreline south of Promenade. Launch Pad isn’t a single building; it’s a compact ecosystem of high-value rooms and verticality that rewards teams who read rotation faster than their opponents.
When does Season 3 start?
Season Three begins on April 2 with the initial update; the Season Three Reloaded mid-season changes arrive later in April. Expect some content (like Avalon and the Katana) to drop in mid-season alongside LTMs that alter circle pacing and respawn rules.
New battle royale map
I dropped into an Endgame match and watched Avalon stretch beneath the plane’s shadow. Avalon — the Black Ops Royale map from Endgame — joins regular Battle Royale in the Season Three Reloaded update, creating a rotation of large maps for standard BR. Avalon arriving is a second heartbeat for BR, giving squads a different tempo and vertical layout to master.
How will Avalon affect Warzone’s rotation?
Avalon changes loot distribution and sightlines: expect more mid-range engagements and tighter close-quarter fights in buildings. Map rotation means your Verdansk strategies must flex; tracking your performance on tools like Tracker Network or COD Tracker will show whether Avalon favors rifles or SMGs over several weeks.
6 new weapons
I spent time in the firing range to compare recoil and TTK on three of the new guns. Season Three brings six weapons into Warzone’s pool, available across the battle pass and in-season drops:
- MK35 ISR assault rifle (Battle Pass)
- VST SMG (Battle Pass)
- Strider 300 sniper rifle (in-season)
- 1911 pistol (in-season)
- Siren special weapon (mid-season)
- Katana melee weapon (mid-season)
Expect the MK35 and VST to shape early-season loadouts; Raven and Treyarch balance changes later in the season could push one over the other. Keep an eye on stat trackers and Warzone subreddits for emerging meta builds.
What are the new weapons in BO7 season 3?
The list above is the official lineup. MK35 and VST come through the Battle Pass, Strider and 1911 arrive during the season, and Siren plus Katana hit mid-season — meaning rewards and priorities will shift across the months.
Gulag in Avalon
I watched a Gulag duel in a Server Room and the layout punished tunnel vision. Avalon brings three unique Gulag variants—Server Room, Cryo Lab, and Meeting Room—that add fresh choke points and vertical threats to the 1v1 experience. These small maps will rewrite how you train for clutch respawns.
Wall Jump and Grapple Hook
During a Resurgence match an Operator scaled a rooftop with the new wall jump, then zip-lined away with a grapple hook. BO7‘s Wall Jump mechanic and the Grapple Hook tactical item come to Verdansk, adding new movement options that favor aggressive rotations and vertical plays. Expect players to use these tools to shift engagements and contest high ground faster than before.
Limited time modes
I queued into the Launch Squad playlist and the action was frenetic from the first drop. Season Three’s LTMs are designed to force new behaviour and test balance at scale:
- Launch Squad (launch) — Squads land at the new Launch Pad POI and race to activate a Launch Sequence by collecting Launch Codes from kills and pickups.
- Hot Pursuit (mid-season) — Four-player squads pick roles as cops or robbers; vehicular combat and respawn rules hinge on keeping at least one teammate alive.
- Prop Hunt Royale (mid-season) — Round-based mode where teams swap between Hunters and Props, and Props win by surviving the round disguised among the environment.
- Iron Gauntlet (in-season) — A competitive Trio format that narrows resources, speeds circle collapse, and rewards pure gunplay over random advantage.
This article will be updated with more info as it becomes available.
Which of these changes will force you to change your drop and loadout first?