Season 3’s update hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone today and there’s a lot of new content. There are new game modes, the return of Rebirth Island, new Perks, new weapons, and so much more! Here’s everything you need to know that’s new in Season 3.
New Game Modes
Modern Warfare 3 dropped four new game modes in Multiplayer: Capture the Flag, One in the Chamber, Minefield, and Escort. CTF and One in the Chamber are available at launch with Minefield and Escort dropping mid-season. Minefield will be a variation available in Kill Confirmed, Domination, and Hardpoint.
In Minefield, dead players will drop a Proximity Mine that will be deadly only towards their own teammates. Escort is a pretty self-explanatory game mode where one team has to escort a MAW across a map while the other defends and tries to stop the attackers. The match will include a side swap after the first game and the team who delivers the payload the fastest, wins.
New Maps
There are six new Core 6v6 maps in Season 3 with four available immediately: 6 Star, Emergency, Growhouse, Tanked. The other two maps, Checkpoint and Grime, will be coming later in the mid-season update. These last two maps are adapted from Warzone POIs and have been adjusted for smaller 6v6 play.
New Perks and Equipment
Season 3 brings in three new Perk Vests, a new pair of Boots, and new Gear. One of the new Gear items is a High-Gain Antenna which zooms out your minimap for you and nearby allies and enemies remain on the radar longer for you. It also allows you to see nearby ally radar pings from their equipment.
The other new Gear item is a new Tactical called the EMD Mine coming later in the midseason refresh. It’s a proximity mine that shoots out trackers that stick to enemies and reveals them until the tracker is removed.
The Gunslinger Vest makes you a Secondary Weapon specialist with no Primary Weapon slot and only two Secondary Weapons for your loadout. This Perk Vest refreshes stamina on kill, improves reload speed, reload while sprinting, increases weapon swap speed, and lets you spawn with maximum Reserve Ammo. The only caveat is you have to be using your Secondary Weapons to get all these benefits.
The Modular Assault Rig Vest allows you to resupply Lethals and Tacticals from dead players and you start with maximum Reserve Ammo. The Compression Carrier Vest is support focused with additional healing benefits. You can immediately regenerate health after a kill or objective capture and you experience less side effects from gas grenades.
The new boots, Reinforced Boots, grant you immunity to movement reducing effects (like stun grenade effects).
Zombies
There’s a new Dark Aether story update in the form of a rescue mission for Dr. Jansen. A new gate has opened and you’ll have to venture into a new part of the Dark Aether to progress the story.
You can enter a third Dark Aether Rift by finding and attuning different relics across the map. Once you enter the rift, you can loot some classified schematics and secrets.
The new Schematics include Dead Wire Detonators (a mod integrating electrical damage to explosive weaponry), Golden Mask Filter (a self-regenerating gas mask), and the Sergeant’s Beret (a perk that disguises you as a Merc and gives you a Merc Bodyguard).
On top of those new Schematics, there are new Prestige Calling Card Challenges, and new Camo Challenges.
New Weapons
There are four new weapons in Season 3 available across Warzone and Multiplayer: FJX Horus, MORS, Gladiator, and the BAL-27.
- FJX Horus is a Submachine Gun that can be unlocked in sector 8 of the battle pass
- MORS is a Sniper Rifle that can be unlocked in Sector 4 of the battle pass
- Gladiator is a Melee weapon that can be unlocked in Sector 15 of the battle pass
- Bal-27 is an Assaul Rifle that will be arriving mid-season
Squads that play together in Warzone proper or Rebirth will be granted more XP and match rewards like Cash bonus, and Supply UAVs.
Return to Rebirth Island
Rebirth Island is back and this time is occupied by the Konni Group. The POIs are familiar to returning players but the buildings have been updated to bring them up to par with modern standards. Along with a small makeover, Rebirth Island features the ability to allow players to swim in the map (something not available in the original island).
Rebirth Island also features new Biometric Scanners in the communications facilities. When the Scanners are active, you can activate one to receive a Keycard based on your player identity. The Keycard lists your Operator name, clan tag, and Access Level and takes up a slot in your Backpack.
The benefit to a Keycard is that it can unlock a special menu in the Rebirth Island Buy Station. The percentage of you getting a higher rarity of the Keycard is raised when you have a squadmate nearby during the activation of the Scanner and if you repeat the scanning process over a few days.
The Biometric Scanners can also grant players additional rewards like camo for your weapons or other secret communication items.
Rebirth Modes
Rebirth Resurgence is available now and only features a max of 44 players per match. This mode plays by the same rules as normal Resurgence but on a much smaller map.
Rebirth Resurgence Loaded will drop in the Mid-Season update and will drop players into Rebirth Island with their preferred Loadouts and custom equipment. So everyone starts out fully kitted without having to look for ground loot.
Rebirth Lockdown will also drop Mid-Season and features even less players in matches with only 28. Multiple squads will have to capture and control zones across Rebirth Island after dropping in with their Custom Loadouts or preferred weapons of choice. Think of it as Hardpoint in Battle Royale.
New Public Events
During matches on Rebirth Island, airstrikes may take out various locations via an Infil Strike. The POIs that can be hit are the Lighthouse, Prison, and Water Tower. So be careful landing or looting in these locations.
In the Gulag, across Battle Royale maps Urzikstan and Vondel, you and your enemy can choose to not fight to the death and instead climb ladders to the roof to both achieve redeployment.
New Equipment for Rebirth Island
There’s a new version of Battle Rage called Squad Rage. You can buy this Field Upgrade at a Buy Station or find it around the map and use it to clear any gas in the radius of effect from the user. It also gives your entire squad the effects of Battle Rage as long as they’re standing near you.
A new Killstreak is also available called Foresight. You may remember this from the original Warzone. Now Foresight is a Killstreak that can be looted or purchased in the Buy Station and it reveals to you the location of every future gas circle.
Another returning Perk from the original Warzone is the package: Specialist. This is extremely rare and can only be found in specific locations. If you manage to find this package, you’ll be granted every Perk in the game till the end of the match.
Rebirth Island also features a new Weapon Trade System during Season 3. These stations are being built across the Island that allow you to trade in a weapon to get another of lesser rarity but with some extra loot. This is one of the stations that can possibly grant you the Specialist Perk if you trade in an especially high tier weapon.
Season 3 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Warzone is available now on all platforms including mobile.
Stella is a Video Producer, Host, and Editor at IGN. Her gameplay focus is on competitive FPS games and she’s previously reviewed Apex Legends, Hyper Scape, Halo Infinite Multiplayer, and Battlefield 2042. She regularly hosts and shoutcasts competitive Apex Legends and Halo Infinite tournaments when she isn’t streaming on her Twitch channel after work outs. You can follow her on Twitter @ParallaxStella.