Black Ops 7 Season 3 is one of the biggest updates of the game, where Endgame goes free-to-play for a limited time, Multiplayer gets new maps and modes, and Zombies adds a new Survival experience.
On top of that, there are new weapons, abilities, Ranked rewards, and a stacked Battle Pass with rewards. With that said, here’s a complete breakdown of Black Ops 7 Season 3 patch notes, so you get to know what’s new in MP, Endgame, and Zombies.
Table of contents
Full Black Ops 7 Season 3 patch notes
All new weapons in Black Ops 7 Season 3
BO7 Season 3 adds six new weapons across Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone, with unlocks split between the Battle Pass and in-season challenges.
Season 3 adds six new weapons across Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone, with unlocks split between the Battle Pass and in-season challenges. However, only two drops at launch (MK35 ISR and VST) through the Battle Pass, two more arrive in-season via events and weekly challenges, and the final two land with Season 3 Reloaded.
The MK35 ISR is a full-auto AR with 30 Rounds, and has the lowest recoil of any AR in its class, paired with a fast fire rate and clean iron sights out of the box. It isn’t the hardest-hitting rifle, but it stays on target through sustained fire.
Then we have the VST, a full-auto SMG with 30 rounds, and it is the most accurate SMG in its class, but has noticeable upward recoil under sustained fire. It’s built for fast, mobile hit-and-run playstyles with impressive handling characteristics to match.
Strider 300 is the new Sniper Rifle in Season that can be unlocked via an event, while the 1911 Pistol will be a Weekly Challenge Reward.
All weapon buffs and nerfs in Black Ops 7 Season 3
Buffs
| Weapon Class | Weapon Name | Deatils about buffs |
|---|---|---|
| Assault Rifles | AK-27 | Slightly longer max damage range Faster ADS Battle Scar conversion now rewards chest and neck shots with extra damage multipliers |
| “ | MXR-17 | New neck and upper‑torso modifier so non‑headshots kill faster if you place shots high (base gun only) ANVL conversion: higher final fire rate, more bullets required to “spin up” to max RPM, and a quicker cooldown back to base RPM |
| “ | DS20 Mirage | Faster ADS |
| “ | Peacekeeper MK1 | Noticeably calmer horizontal recoil |
| Submachine Guns | Ryden 45K | Extended max and mid damage ranges Quicker ADS, faster sprint-to-fire, tac‑sprint‑to‑fire, slide‑to‑fire, and dive‑to‑fire Smoother horizontal recoil pattern |
| “ | RK-9 | Longer effective ranges across all damage bands Faster ADS and slightly faster slide‑to‑fire and dive‑to‑fire times |
| “ | Razor 9mm | All damage ranges extended, with mid and long‑range damage per bullet slightly increased Faster ADS, sprint‑to‑fire, tac‑sprint‑to‑fire, slide‑to‑fire, and dive‑to‑fire Reduced view and gun kick For Wildfire Conversion: Higher damage across the max and first mid‑range bands Tightened hip spread while sprinting |
| “ | Carbon 57 | Higher max‑range damage and slightly longer max and first mid‑range bands Handling buffs across ADS and all sprint, slide, and dive‑to‑fire timings |
| “ | MPC-25 | Base gun: Extended max and first mid damage ranges With STRATUS‑X barrel: All damage bands stretched further out Mild recoil improvement |
| Shotguns | M10 Breacher | Minimum damage range pushed slightly farther out |
| Echo 12 | Far‑range damage bands extended Backlash Launcher kit: shorter delay before explosion after a bounce and larger inner and mid explosion radius |
|
| Akita | Second and minimum damage ranges extended |
Nerfs
| Weapon Class | Weapon Name | Deatils about nerfs |
|---|---|---|
| Assault Rifles | M15 MOD 0 | Stronger view kick and gun kick, especially noticeable at mid‑to-long‑ranges |
| “ | MXR-17 | Slightly reduced base max‑range damage |
| “ | X9 Maverick (Rapid Fire attachment) | Rapid‑fire kit now shortens time between bursts |
| SMGs | Kogot-7 (attachments) | Long barrel gives a smaller range boost than before Multiple foregrips, stocks, lasers, and recoil springs offer reduced vertical or horizontal recoil control or stabilization |
| “ | Dravec 45 | First mid‑range damage band shortened Horizontal recoil increased |
| Shotguns | SG-12 | For MFS Pulse Fire Taclight (Prestige attachment): Reduced fire rate Slightly wider tactical-stance spread |
You can check Activision’s official blog post for more details about weapon buffs and nerfs.
New and returning maps in Multiplayer
Multiplayer in Season 3 is packed with a mix of new maps and remasters, with five playable maps at launch, including:
| Map name | Map type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Beacon (New) | 6v6 Medium |
A snow-covered Guild facility with varied sightlines across a Bridge, Tundra lanes, and interior buildings like the Housing unit and Monitoring Station |
| Abyss (New) | 6v6 and 2v2 Small |
A tight submarine map with cramped interiors from Engine to Torpedo Bay, and rope Ascenders leading to the Forward and Aft decks |
| Plaza (Remaster) | 6v6 | Classic Black Ops 2 night map returns, set on a floating mall and resort with the Luna Nightclub, Red Bar, and a chaotic central stairwell |
| Gridlock (Remaster) | 6v6 | Ruined Japanese freeway from Black Ops 4 is back, packed with overturned vehicles, a bathhouse, and long street sightlines |
| Mission: Trident (New) | 20v20 Skirmish |
A large Old Arsenal Avalon area with waterways, medieval fortifications, a helipad on a cruise liner section, and plenty of high-ground angles |
In the latter half of Season 3, when Reloaded drops, more maps will arrive, including:
- Onsen (6v6 and 2v2, new, small)
- Summit (6v6, remaster)
- Hacienda (6v6, returning)
- Ascent (Freerun-only, new)
Multiplayer modes: Demolition, Freerun, and LTMs
On the modes side, Season 3 brings back several favorites and adds new twists. Demolition comes at launch, which is a classic attack and defend mode where attackers must destroy both bomb sites, with respawns on both sides and overtime if rounds are tied.
Aim High (in-season) is a returning moshpit from Black Ops 6, where headshots are instant kills and body shots deal low damage, meant as a headshot trainer. Then, Snipers Only (in-season) is a sniper-only moshpit with equipment, secondaries, Field Upgrades, and Scorestreaks disabled.
Come Season 3 Reloaded, and three more modes enter the rotation. First is Freerun, a ten-player race through the Ascent map, focused purely on movement and parkour, with an associated event for extra rewards.
Then, Heat Wave Havoc will be a heat-level based LTM where players build up Heat via non-lethal support actions (UAVs, objective play, debuffs) and unlock buffs such as faster Field Upgrade recharge, quicker mobility, faster reloads or ADS or swap, equipment refills on kills, and increased headshot damage and score at the highest level.
Lastly, there’ll be Freeze Tag, an elimination variant where lethal damage freezes players instead of killing them; freezing enemies scores points, and teammates can bring them back into the fight.
Ion Core, new area-denial Scorestreak
Ion Core is the key new Scorestreak for Season 3 Multiplayer, and it can be unlocked via a weekly challenge and costs 1175 score to call in. When deployed, it creates a sphere of radioactive energy that pulses damage over time, with each wave expanding from a smaller to a larger radius before resetting.
Crucially, the radiation pulses go through walls, making Ion Core extremely strong for holding Hardpoints, Domination flags, and common chokepoints. Two Overclock variants tweak its behavior:
- Plutonium Core: Extends the duration and adds an extra radiation pulse
- Chemical Catalyst: Cuts the downtime between pulses
Ranked Play in Season 3 Multiplayer
Ranked Play returns for its second season in Black Ops 7 Multiplayer using Call of Duty League maps, modes, and restrictions. As usual, there are separate career rewards and season-limited cosmetics.
Season 3 Ranked rewards include:
- 10 Wins: Pro Re-Issue M15 Mod 0 AR blueprint
- 100 Wins: Ranked Season 03 100 Wins large decal
- Rank rewards: Themed calling cards and weapon camos for Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson, and Iridescent, with the Top 250 earning animated cosmetics
- Finishing Season 3 at Top 250 #1 grants the WZ Ranked Season 03 – Top 250 Champion calling card
Endgame goes free-to-play with reworked progression
For a limited time in Season 3, Endgame becomes fully free-to-play and accessible from the main Call of Duty menu. New players will start as one of four JSOC Operators (Mason, Anderson, 50/50, or Samuels) and can earn XP, complete challenges, and unlock rewards just like in other modes.
Endgame is a co-op PvE mode built around repeated squad runs, boss fights, and scaling difficulty, with Exotic weapons and Nightmare skills acting as long-term progression hooks. During this free period, the full Endgame experience is available, except for the Co-Op Campaign.
Season 3 makes some important quality-of-life changes to how Endgame progression works. Loadouts are now per Operator, where each Endgame Operator has their own weapons, Field Acquisitions, and equipment setups.
If you exfil with a Scorestreak or Self Revive, those items are now saved for your next deployment with that Operator. You can optionally reset an Operator’s Combat Rating to 0 while keeping their gear rarity intact, which wipes Exotic and Nightmare skills but lets you rebuild the character from scratch.
You can also reset a finished Skill Track, losing those skills and 16 Combat Rating, then choose between two new Skill Tracks as you power up again.
Loss rules are also more forgiving. Combat Rating lost from Skills and Power Upgrades is now capped at 15 CR per wipe. Nightmare Skills and Exotic Skills are still fully lost on death and reset your Loadout, and because they contribute to total Combat Rating, you’ll see a drop when they disappear.
Operation Poison Pill
Operation Poison Pill is the first “Operation” in Endgame, acting like a multi-match mini-campaign with layered objectives, rewards, and a final boss encounter.
Operations give structure to your Endgame runs, where clearing a series of objectives across multiple matches powers up your Operator and unlocks cosmetics and consumables. In Poison Pill, completing the full chain eventually gives you direct access to the Link Forger Glitch Fracture, a Nightmare Difficulty arena boss fight.
Once you unlock the Link Forger Glitch, you and your squad fight waves of tough enemies in a confined arena to earn new cosmetic and weapon rewards. Beating the Link Forger Glitch Boss with specific Operators unlocks “Override” skins for Grimm, Mason, and Anderson.
Those Override skins tie into new completion camos:
- Earn 1 Override skin to unlock the Blighted weapon camo
- Earn all 3 Override skins to unlock the Virulent animated weapon camo
Operation Poison Pill rewards
Across the Operation’s objective chain, you can unlock multiple rewards:
- Poison Pill weapon charm
- Restore Token consumable
- Multiple Double XP
- Double Battle Pass XP
- Double Weapon XP tokens
- Node Husk emblem
- Toxic Entry large decal
- Thorned Muzzle loading screen
- Looking Good! emote
- Venomous Override AAROW 109 launcher blueprint
- Fractal Death animated calling card
Season 3 introduces the Warband Skill Track plus two abilities to shake up Endgame builds. Warband focuses on summoning allies, amplifying their impact, and feeding survivability off their damage. Its skills include:
| Warband Skills | Details |
|---|---|
| Plague | Kills can cause explosions that convert nearby enemies into allies |
| Wirehand | Eliminations have a chance to spawn an attack drone |
| Smuggler | Chance to instantly refill used equipment and Scorestreaks |
| Bloodrunner | Grants bonus damage for rapid multi-kills until you lose momentum |
| Healthhounds | Damage and kills from summoned allies restore a portion of your health |
| Steelhand (Special) | Armor you pick up auto-equips |
On the abilities side, you get:
| Warband Abilities | Arrival time and type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Aether Blade | Launch Minor Ability |
An Aether-infused throwing knife that actively seeks targets Hit five enemies with a single toss to recover some of its charge |
| Thermal Spike | Season 3 Reloaded Major Ability |
A powerful flame blast that incinerates enemies and leaves lingering fire in the area |
Zombies to have Ashwood Survival and new modes
Ashwood Survival map
Ashwood is a new Survival map set in a Civil War-era town pulled into Hell, which is originally a part of Ashes of the Damned. You start in Rabbit Alley, tasked with clearing infection from the Power Pump to unlock access to major features like Pack-a-Punch, Der Wunderfizz, and the Mystery Box.
This time, Fog Zombies block access to Pack-a-Punch on the ground floor, forcing you to manage them if you want high-tier weapons. Rewards include:
- Round 10: Klaus Der Toten animated emblem and 1,000 XP
- Round 25: Abomination Carcass weapon charm and 2,500 XP
- Round 50: Hidden Power GobbleGum and 5,000 XP
Paradox Junction gets a Directed Mode
Paradox Junction gets a Directed Mode, adding on-screen quest steps and capping the main quest at round 15. The Blundergat Wonder Weapon features heavily and can be upgraded into the Sundergat.
Clearing the Directed Mode main quest grants the Timeshatter Blundergat blueprint, Paradox Junction Directed Mode Completion calling card, and 5,000 XP.
Paradox Junction also joins Starting Room Mode, where you’re locked in the opening area with limited resources like a Mystery Box, Jager 45 wallbuy, Quick Revive, Rampage Inducer, GobbleGum Machine, and more. Per-map Starting Room rewards include:
- Round 10: GobbleGum and 1,000 XP
- Round 25: Calling card and 2,500 XP
- Round 50: Calling card and 5,000 XP
Cursed Mode: Ashwood
Cursed Mode ups the difficulty by letting you apply Relics for better rewards:
- Tier 1 Relics, round 25 – Time Out GobbleGum and 10,000 XP
- Tier 2 Relics, round 50 – Perkaholic GobbleGum and 20,000 XP
- Tier 3 Relics, round 75 – Mannequin Turret weapon charm and 30,000 XP
Zombie Battle
Zombie Battle is a new free-for-all mode, involving two to four players. Everyone shares the same space but fights their own zombies, where players can’t directly damage each other, and equipment or Field Upgrades don’t affect other players.
Door Buys, Exfil, and GobbleGums are disabled. Rewards are Whimsical GobbleGums (one after round five), a chance at two from round 10 and up, and two guaranteed from round 15 and up.
When Season 3 Reloaded drops, you’ll get more Zombies content. This includes Totenreich, which is a new Dark Aether map set in a Norwegian fishing town frozen in time by Group 935 experiments. Then comes the Wild Fire Field Upgrade, which is a flaming aura that burns nearby enemies and speeds up the user’s movement.
Then comes the 1911 pistol, which is a classic Zombies sidearm that can be unlocked via weekly challenge and upgraded via Pack-a-Punch to fire explosive rockets. Lastly, the first Ultra-Rarity Legacy Weapon will drop, which will be an extremely powerful Mystery Box drop with stats comparable to a Wonder Weapon, available only in mid-season as an Ultra Rarity.
In the meantime, check out our guides for the Warzone Season 3 roadmap and WZ Season 3 patch notes. And for more info about the BO7 Season 3 update, you can check Activision’s official blog post.
