Modern Warfare III & Warzone Season 1 Reloaded | Team Gunfight, New 6v6 Map & Ranked

Warzone & Modern Warfare III Season 1 Reloaded will launch on January 17. We will get a new mutliplayer map, new guns, new modes and most importantly Ranked Play will arrive in Modern Warfare 3.

MW3 Season 1
Modern Warfare III & Warzone Season 1 will bring us a ton of content, including a beautiful new map set in Greece. | © Activision

We're now in the fourth year of Warzone and the first year of MW3. Throughout the year, we will get a new season of content every two months. Each season will bring something for Warzone, multiplayer and (hopefully) Zombies. Here is everything we know about the first season.

  1. Release Date
  2. Warzone Content:
    1. Covert Exfil
    2. Gameplay Changes
  3. MWIII Content:
    1. New Map
    2. New Modes
    3. Ranked
    4. MWZ
  4. Global Content:
    1. New Weapons
    2. Skins
  5. Season 1 Battle Pass

1. When Will MW3 & Warzone Season 1 Reloaded Launch?

MW3 and Warzone Season 1 Reloaded will launch on Wednesday, January 17, at 9 am PT (12 pm ET / 5 pm GMT / 6 pm CET). This has now been officially confirmed and will not be delayed.

2. Warzone Content

Warzone Season 1 Art
This is the first keyart they released for the fourth year of Warzone. | © Activision

2a. Covert Exfil

Yes, you read that right, in Season 1 Reloaded you can not only end a BR match by either being the last to survive or being killed, you can also exfil mid-match. However, there will only be five exfils available at buy stations per match and they will be pretty expensive. Once you buy an exfil and use it, it will call in a helicopter to fly you and your squad out of the match.

2b. Warzone Gameplay Changes

We will also be getting a series of gameplay changes that will add some excitement to Warzone:

  • Weapon Case: A single Weapon Case spawns in a small search area at the start of every match. Players holding the case will be marked, but if you survive until the end or exfil with a helicopter, you and your squad will earn some rewards.
  • New Gulag Event: In this event, the lights in the Gulag will be turned off, making for an intense night-vision battle.
  • Champion's Quest: A new high-level task that will test all your squad’s collective skills in an attempt to witness an extremely explosive finale. Win 30 games total within a season OR five consecutive matches. Complete that and the next steps will fall into place.

For all the exact changes, check out the patch notes when Season 1 Reloaded launches.

3. MW3 Content: New Map, Modes & MWZ Updates

As far as Modern Warfare 3 goes, we can expect a couple of 6v6 maps on launch, the introduction of Gunfight, some new weapons, and then some updates to Modern Warfare Zombies. We're also getting a third 6v6 map halfway through Season 1 and a Ranked mode at the same time, but we're still waiting for further news on those developments.

3a. New Map For Modern Warfare 3

We are getting one new 6v6 map in Season 1 Reloaded. After we got Meat and Greece with the launch of Season 1, we will now get the last map called Rio.

Rio

Rio is an upscale shopping center in Rio de Janeiro in a new medium-sized 6v6 Multiplayer map featuring a central indoor mall surrounded by Main Street, a tram station, a market, a plaza and café, and residential spaces.

MW3 Map Rio
Our most close-quarters new 6v6 map is "Rio". | © Activision

3b. New Modes For Modern Warfare 3

With Season 1 Reloaded we will actually get three new game modes: Team Gunfight, Headquarters and Infected.

  • Team Gunfight: Basically Gunfight on a bigger scale. In Team Gunfight you compete 6v6, but get the same loadouts that will change at the start of each round.
  • Headquarters: You probably know this from previous installments. In Headquarters you need to secure the HQ and hold it as long as possible to accrue points. The defending team doesn't get respawns and the objective will rotate around the map.
  • Infected: Also a returning mode again. The match starts with one randomly picked player who will start as the infected with only a knife. Every player eliminated by the infected will become an infected himself.
MW3 Infected
Infected will return to MW3 in Season 1 Reloaded. | © Activision

3c. MW3 Ranked Play

Modern Warfare III will also receive a Ranked mode with the Season 1 Reloaded update. To participate in the 4v4 Ranked matches, you will first need to reach level 55 and as usual there will be certain weapons, killstreaks and more that can't be used in Ranked Play. Basically, Ranked Play in Modern Warfare 3 works exactly the same as last year and the year before that. It is once again being led by Treyarch, who are using the same SR system.

The current competitive settings and pro MW3 GA list are expected to change slightly from last year in that Smokes are being discussed for Hardpoint and Control, and Snipers might be banned entirely from Search (they are very strong this year).

Here is a list of all Ranked modes and maps:

  • CDL Search & Destroy: Highrise, Invasion, Karachi, Skidrow, and Terminal
  • CDL Hardpoint: Invasion, Karachi, Skidrow, Sub Base, and Terminal
  • CDL Control: Highrise, Invasion, and Karachi

3d. Modern Warfare Zombies Update

Sadly, Modern Warfare Zombies isn't getting a ton of content, but only a new Warlord. With Season 1 Reloaded, Dokkaebi enters the Exclusion Zone in Zombies. "Dokkaebi boasts a deep understanding of electronic warfare with access to a fleet of self-programmed autonomous drones ready to attack Operator Deadbolt Operatives on sight." Players can find Dokkaebi's new fortress at the top of a skyscraper in Zaravan City. Prepare for a ton of drones, turrets and a Wheelson attacking you, when trying to get to the new Warlord.

4. Global Content: New Weapons & Skins

And here is everything we know so far about the content relevant to both MWIII and Warzone players.

4a. Season 1 Reloaded Weapons

Here are the weapons coming at the launch of Season 1 Reloaded:

  • TAQ Evolvere (LMG): An advanced, multi-caliber LMG capable of firing 7.62 or 5.56 with minimal adjustments to the weapon. Versatile and exceptionally lethal in the right hands.
  • HRM-9 (SMG): A light yet stable 9mm submachine gun for close quarters combat and putting down enemies quickly.
MW3 HRM 9
This is the new SMG HRM-9 in MW3. | © Activision

This part of the update will come as a delight to camo grinders, who can replace the RGL with one of the weapons above to get Interstellar.

4b. Season 1 Reloaded Skins & Collabs

We already know of a few new bundles that will be coming to the store in Season 1 Reloaded:

  • There will be another The Boys collab with skins for A-Train and Firecracker
  • The CDL 2024 TEam Packs are availabe now, so make sure to support your favorite team and show their colors.
MW3 The Boys
A-Train is coming to Call of Duty. | © Activision

5. MW3 & Warzone Season 1 Battle Pass

As per usual, we are getting a new Battle Pass ($10) and even a BlackCell version of the Battle Pass ($30). The main Battle Pass contains 100 rewards, which can be unlocked if you gain enough XP. While the BlackCell version gives you tokens to skip through levels of the Battle Pass more quickly, it also gives you an additional 1100 CP to use in the CoD store immediately (about $10), and a couple of exclusive skins.

Here is the Season 1 Battle Pass:

Warzone Mw3 Season 1 Battle Pass
We don't love the aesthetic of the season. | © Activision

That was everything you need to know about the next season of MWIII and Warzone, good luck grinding out the current Battle Pass!

Jon Ramuz

Jon has a BA and an MA in English Literature, and as Content Lead for EarlyGame has written over 1,500 articles. He focuses on shooters, but also writes about entertainment and gaming in general....

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