Call of Duty’s Warzone Season 3 Reloaded update has gone live and introduced a wealth of changes to the free-to-play battle royale title.
Season 3 Reloaded marks the halfway point of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 cycle and the debut of the battle royale’s competitive playlist, which has featured in the World Series of Warzone qualification process in recent years.
Here is everything you need to know about the Season 3 Reloaded patch notes and how the update will impact Warzone’s growing esports scene.
The Arrival of Ranked Play
Warzone Season 3 Reloaded introduces Ranked Play to Verdansk for the first time, providing players with a dedicated ranking system alongside several rules and restrictions to optimise the battle royale for competitive play.
This iteration of Ranked Play contains several changes from its predecessors. A total of 150 players will drop into matches alongside changes to Skill Rating (SR) values to reflect the move from Rebirth Island to Verdansk.
Notably, all weapons from the Modern Warfare arsenal are restricted to focus on Black Ops 6 weaponry, while loot has also received revisions to improve game balance.
Faster Map Navigation
The Verdansk map contains several multi-storey buildings that are only accessible by flights of stairs, enabling players to secure high vantage points overlooking vast areas of the battlefield.
In a bid to reduce the advantage, ascenders have arrived as a quicker method for players to access rooftops. To replicate the previous iteration of Verdansk, the ascender locations are in the same place as 2020’s Season 5 update when ascenders first arrived.
For faster map navigation, a moving train now moves around the majority of Verdansk, enabling quicker rotations to the next circle.
Has the Warzone Meta Changed?
Season 3 Reloaded also includes widespread buffs and nerfs to various weapons in order to maintain balance across casual and competitive modes.
Throughout Season 3, the CR-56 AMAX assault rifle and the HDR sniper rifle have dominated the meta, and despite receiving slight adjustments, the meta for the battle royale hasn’t changed.
The AK-74 assault rifle also received nerfs, but its close-range damage output remains superior to other rifles and submachine guns on offer.
What Next for Warzone Esports?
The Warzone esports scene continues to gain traction following renewed interest in the battle royale thanks to Verdansk’s return.
From May 5th to 7th, Activision will host The Trials of Verdansk tournament featuring 120 content creators competing for a share of €50,000 (~£42,487) in prize money.
In August, attention turns to the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where 21 teams will compete for a $1m (~£750,305) prize pool.
