Activision has fully pulled back the curtain on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 3, including first looks at the return of fan-favorite maps, new weapons, and more.
The Call of Duty team showed off all of the new content in detail in a blog post on its website along with a release date of April 3 at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET across all platforms. Per usual, some drops are being held off for the undated mid-season update, but there will still be plenty to dive into next week. Highlights include six Core 6v6 maps – Emergency, Tanked, 6 Star, Growhouse (previously known as Sphere from Call of Duty: Vanguard), Checkpoint (mid-season), and Grime (mid-season) – the long-awaited return of Rebirth Island, new Modes, and Battle Pass Operators that include a playable Snoop Dogg.
Season 3 also brings the full integration of Warzone Mobile, meaning player unlocks and content additions will be shared across all versions of the experience. Activision boasts that Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 3 is “one of the biggest content drops in Call of Duty history. It’s quite the claim, but it’s pretty easy to see why the team is happy to show off. Just looking at the roadmap image alone reveals a lineup of content that’s tough to rival.
Rebirth Island returns
Included in the initial drop are things like Rebirth Island, which has been given a slight facelift thanks to new features to experiment with. These include a Biometric Scanner function, allowing players to check their in-game stats and potentially receive rewards. Another new addition are the more than a dozen Apex Legends-like Smart Displays placed around the map that show high-ranking Operators as well as the location of player hot spots.
Locations on Rebirth Island should be just the same as Operators last left it, though some tweaks will keep it feeling fresh. Weather, for example, will change throughout the season, bringing aesthetic changes that can last temporarily or for an entire match. Predicting weather patterns might prove to be a bit difficult, but the Smart Displays will help with forecasts.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone’s ever-growing arsenal is expanding more with four new weapons: FJX Horus (SMG), MORS (Sniper Rifle), Gladiator Melee (Punch Knife), and BAL-27 (Assault Rifle, mid-season). A few additional modes are on the way, too, including Capture the Flag and One in the Chamber. Two brand-new modes called Minefield and Escort will drop mid-season, too.
Crossover content is also rolling full steam ahead for Season 3, and that means new tie-ins with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire that add three skins based on the upcoming monster movie’s creatures as well as something called “Battle for Hollow Earth.” The last time Call of Duty crossed over with the Godzilla universe, it saw players going toe-to-toe with the monsters themselves. While it’s not clear the lengths Activision went to this time, players can look forward to an additional 4/20-themed crossover in the form of Cheech and Chong Operators and a Blaze Up event.
Zombies fans can finally rest east knowing Modern Warfare Zombies content like an additional story mission and a new Dark Aether Rift are on the way. However, it looks fans of the mode will have to wait until the mid-season update to get their hands on what’s in store.
In other Call of Duty news, be sure to read up on how Activision plans to tackle boosting services. Then, make sure you check in on the company’s explanation behind why Warzone mobile includes Verdansk while other versions don’t.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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