In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare & Warzone, the announced major mid-season update was released today, on May 19, bringing a lot of new content, bug fixes, balancing adjustments, and playlists – What do the patch notes say? Here is an overview.

What is there today in CoD? The long-awaited mid-season update launches today (May 19) and brings new maps for Modern Warfare and fresh mechanics for Warzone, along with various bug fixes and balance adjustments. Among other things, it includes:

• New multiplayer maps
• Adjusted SpecOps mode
• Fresh playlists
• Different Gulag weapons
• New loot in Warzone
• “Most Wanted” contract returns
• Armor box for battle royale
• Weapon balance adjustments
• Many bug fixes
• Classic BR mode announced
• Changes to the last gas circle

Here at MeinMMO, you will get all the important info about the big patch package and what to expect this week in CoD: MW.

Call of Duty: Update 1.21 from 19.05. – Patch Notes

When does the update come? The patch was released at an unusual time for CoD (Tuesday morning, 8 AM) and is already online.

How big is the update? As the numerous contents suggest, there is again a substantial data package to download. Depending on the platform, the sizes vary more than usual this time:

• PS4: approx. 22 GB
• Xbox One: approx. 30 GB
• PC: approx. 30 GB

With this patch, it doesn’t matter if you are using the premium or free-to-play version. The update is always the same size; the storage requirement varies only with the platform.

CoD: Modern Warfare – New maps and special SpecOps mode

Which maps are new? As previously announced, you now get the new maps with update 1.21, likely the last new content of season 3 for multiplayer. Newly included are:

• Hardhat – a very popular MW3 classic returns
• Aisle 9 – a small firefight in a storage room

Especially veterans of the CoD series are likely to be excited about Hardhat. First released with Modern Warfare 3, the construction site map has many fans, and a certain passage often leads to exciting battles. See you in the pipe!

What’s going on in the SpecOps mode? Here, there are now “Modified SpecOps missions.” An operation you have already completed can now be started in an adjusted variant, allowing you to earn extra rewards. For example, there are enemies that you can only defeat with headshots.

From now on, there will be new modified missions every week that you can undertake to earn special rewards.

What do the playlists look like? Hardhat is available as a 24/7 playlist so you can dive right into the new map. However, the small firefight map Aisle 9 also gets a 24/7 moshpit, albeit in a 3vs3 mode. Here are all the playlists for this week:

• Realism Moshpit (Night Vision) – Realism rules at night, many game modes, many maps
• Reinfected Ground War – The infected mode on ground war maps
• Standard Ground War – “Ground War” without special rules
• Blueprint Gunfight – 3vs3 firefight with random blueprint weapons
• Cleaning force in Aisle 9 – 3vs3 with many modes (TDM, Kill Confirmed, Delivered, Domination) on the new mini-map Aisle 9
• Hardhat 24/7 – The new construction map “Hardhat” as a moshpit with various modes

CoD Warzone: New loot, old contract, and fresh Gulag

What new weapons are there in Warzone? The legendary and epic weapons that you can find on the ground in Warzone and in loot crates are increasing. You can find a total of 6 new variants of weapons:

• The new SKS as a legendary weapon
• AX-50 in an epic variant
• Kilo 141 in a legendary variant
• FAL with an epic blueprint
• MP7 also as a legendary weapon
• AUG with a new epic configuration

What is the new armor box? The new item replaces the shield turret in the buy station and works similarly to the ammo box. Instead of some fresh clips for your weapons, you receive a package of armor plates that your entire team can use.

You can not only buy the new box but also find it in crates and loot piles throughout Verdansk. The shield turret remains available in the BR, but now you can only loot the killstreak and cannot obtain it at the buy station anymore.

What happens in the Gulag? The special respawn mechanic receives a small makeover and gets fresh weapons. In addition to pistols and shotguns, you will now also receive SMGs and assault rifles.

“Most Wanted” back in the game? The “new” contract temporarily replaced the bounty contract and was thus not well received. Now the mission for left-behind team members makes a comeback and comes this time as an additional contract in Warzone. The required survival time was reduced from 5 to 3 minutes.

Overall, there are now 4 different missions that you can start during the match.

What’s up with the classic BR? The developers announced a brand new mode that does without the special mechanics of Warzone and offers a “classic” battle royale experience. This means:

• Gulag removed
• No loadout drops
• No contracts
• Buy stations are disabled

Here you get a mode that neither allows respawns nor provides your own weapons. You have to fight to the end with the weapons you find and go more cautiously since you have no chance to return to the match after dying.

What happens with the last gas circle? The fight in the last circle could now be trickier again. Recently, the circle was fixed and did not move. Now the area of the last circle shifts, and you have to rethink if you had already found a good position for the final fight and the circle moves away from you.

What do the playlists look like? There are no major changes to the playlists directly with the update. Instead of Blood Money Trio, this mode is now a four-player mode and the “Stimulus solo” is replaced by the regular solo mode:

• BR solo
• BR-3
• BR-4
• Blood Money 4

Update 1.21 brings many bug fixes and some balance adjustments

What happens to the weapons? Rarely have there been so many weapon adjustments as in the current update. The strong Renetti, the new pistol of season 3, will be slightly weakened, but otherwise, there are almost only buffs:

• Renetti (Pistol)
  • Less ammo in reserve
  • 3-shot burst fire when hip-firing is now significantly less accurate and does slightly less damage
  • Damage of the Akimbo/burst combo has been reduced
• VLK Roque (Shotgun)
  • Higher fire rate
  • More damage at short range for the “12 caliber” ammunition
  • Increased damage range of the 6″ Revolt barrel
• Holger 26 (LMG)
  • Increased movement speed with the weapon
  • Better aim down sights (ADS) time
  • Slight reduction of recoil
  • “FTAC 8.89″ Spitfire” barrel with better ADS time, higher movement speed, and better hip-fire
  • “XRK Ultralight” barrel with shorter ADS time
  • 30-round magazine with better movement stats (ADS, movement speed, sprinting to firing) and more accurate hip-fire
  • No stock – Improvements like those on the 30-round magazine
  • Patterned grip tape – Even better ADS time
• FAL – Shorter ADS time
• SCAR – Shorter ADS time
• LMGs – Earlier warning signal that ammo is running low
• Less aim sway when you hold your breath too long with sniper scopes
• Warzone – Smaller radius for RPG kills against players with full armor

The update brings several weapon changes, and especially the LMG Holger 26 can benefit. With the right attachments, it should now be significantly more mobile to play, and the secret variant G36, which turns the LMG into an assault rifle, could now be more interesting.

What bug fixes and other changes did Update 1.21 bring? On the Trello board for CoD MW 2019 and Warzone, you can find announced bug fixes, and there were already 20 entries with the note: “Fixed with a future update”.

In addition to fixes, there were also some general changes. Here are the most important points:

• All operators should now be visible in the lobby again.
• Some “Out of Map” exploits have been removed.
• XP exploit in the positioning mode is no longer possible.
• Infected and weapons game modes will no longer count towards player statistics.
• In the infected mode, there are now random supply deliveries.
• Weapon Game Reloaded is now part of the quick play playlist.
• Players are no longer immune to gas when they come back with the last circle in Warzone.
• The bug where soldiers were stuck in the Gulag until the end of the match and achieved an easy victory no longer exists.
• The voice chat should work properly in Warzone again and not disconnect in the middle of a match.

The complete English patch notes can be found here, on an official website of Infinity Ward.

At the very end of the patch notes, there is still a cryptic hint, where it is not entirely clear what it means. In German, it says: “Station number <redacted> is protocol yellow. Active <redacted> system. <redacted> is incoming. Waiting for correct authorization.”

There are already early reports that you can now use the key cards that have been in the game for a while to open the bunkers for massive loot. Another significant innovation of the update.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the battle royale spin-off Warzone are currently plagued by some bugs. The developers are currently providing insights into the solutions for these. 20 bugs are expected to be things of the past soon.

What are the developers communicating? Infinity Ward, the studio behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare & Warzone, maintains a CoD Trello board where they list the major bugs, glitches, and issues they are currently working on or that are at least on the developers’ radar.

This board lists many reported bugs with the note “Fixed in a future update.” (Fixed with a future update). In total, there are 20 issues that should soon be a thing of the past. Here’s an overview, divided into Warzone and Multiplayer, of what to expect soon.

Planned Bug Fixes for Call of Duty: Warzone

About half of the planned fixes revolve around Warzone. For 10 bugs, you’ll find here the note that these issues should disappear with one of the next updates:

1. If a player buys a team member back into the game in the last circle, the revived player can be immune to the gas
2. In the Military Base, there is an area where you can get stuck
3. A poorly defined glitch area will be fixed
4. Additional exploits, allowing helicopters to fly under the map, will be addressed
5. Sometimes players get stuck in the AC-130, the aircraft that brings soldiers onto the map
6. A broken “out of the map” area near Junkyard is set to be fixed
7. Due to the regiment bug 13-71, players can only log in with difficulty or had to reinstall the game
8. Since the major update 1.20, there are issues with the chat that need to be resolved
9. Contracts can sometimes get stuck in supply stations
10. Sometimes it is not possible to buy back a team member

Planned Bug Fixes for CoD: Modern Warfare Multiplayer

The regular multiplayer is not missed out either. Here, the Trello board also lists 10 annoying bugs that will receive fixes in the next updates:

1. The attachment “Mercenary Grip” of the “Season 3” pistol Renetti can be unlocked but not used
2. The challenge “Use Dead Silence in 3 matches” does not work correctly
3. Kills with the crossbow do not count properly in “Gun Game” mode
4. Players can already move before the start countdown expires in “Domination” mode
5. The clock “Time to Reap” does not display the time properly
6. In a gesture of some operators, the clock is not displayed correctly
7. The eyes of some character models sometimes do funny things
8. Players do not receive the emblem for completing the “Season 3” challenges
9. With a blueprint weapon, it is sometimes not possible to unlock a nuke for 30 kills in a row
10. Some player challenges appear to have reset back to 0, but this is just a visual bug

CoD Trello Board is packed with upcoming fixes

The overview here only shows the fixes that are supposed to come with the next updates. The board shows many more issues that the developers are working on:

• The heartbeat sensor is displayed incorrectly in the killcam – However, some players suspect a bug with the perk “Ghost”
• There is unexplained smoke that sometimes rises from players
• Players find extra weapons in the Gulag
• Soldiers suddenly get stuck in third-person perspective

When the individual fixes will come remains unclear for now. All 20 adjustments may come at once, or it may take a while. The note “Fixed in a future update” suggests a rather timely release.

The developers emphasize on the board that not all problems they are currently working on are listed here. However, knowing that such an extensive package of bug fixes is being worked on should please quite a few players.

If the patch notes then provide all the actual changes, some soldiers would certainly be more satisfied with the current CoD titles. Secret changes, such as the recently uncovered adjustments to aim assist and input delay, also keep appearing in the game.

Players keep discussing whether one of the most annoying features from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has also made it into Battle Royale Warzone. It’s about “skill-based matchmaking (SBMM). The pros are sure: It’s in there and is just as annoying.

What is SBMM? Skill-based matchmaking means that when assembling a lobby, care is always taken to ensure players with roughly equal skills meet. This means: stronger players face stronger, weaker face weaker.

The discussion about whether SBMM exists in Modern Warfare is as old as the game itself. Many players are convinced that the matchmaking works exactly this way.

Players are now convinced that Warzone also uses SBMM. An expert’s test showed: Those who are too good in Warzone might regret it later.

For the former pro and now head of an e-sport organization Nadeshot, it can’t be a coincidence that he constantly has to play against top players. Former CoD caster Courage is also sure about this:

Absolutely. It’s egregious.

— Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) May 16, 2020

But why does it bother players and even pros so much?

SBMM – Why is it so annoying?

This is what annoys players about SBMM: The criticism of skill-based matchmaking is that players always have to give their best. They can’t just play a round for fun, like in the currently running Stimulus-Solo.

They always have to try hard not to be eliminated immediately. This makes it impossible to enjoy Modern Warfare or Warzone just casually. They are constantly forced to “sweat”.

Moreover, many players exploit this system. With the so-called “Reverse Boosting” they intentionally let strong players die frequently to get into lobbies with weaker players and then completely dominate them.

More on the topic

A player shows how easy it is to manipulate matchmaking in CoD Modern Warfare

von Noah Struthoff

Additionally, content creators for Call of Duty find it very difficult to create entertaining content (via essentiallysports). Without SBMM it would be easier to create viewable content.

This is what other players say about it: On the other hand, Call of Duty fans who consider themselves worse find this system better. For example, Twitter user @kaiiscool517 writes in response to pro CouRage: “Bro, people like you make the game so boring because people are trying to have fun but famous people like you, Ninja, Tim, etc. make the game less entertaining.”

The user @IsmailHosny11 says something similar. In response to the comment that one always has to try hard with SBMM, he writes: “Okay, but that’s exactly what we noobs would have without SBMM, only that we wouldn’t have a chance against people like you. We also want to have fun and don’t have the luxury of investing dozens of hours to improve.”

Pros see a problem: “Why can’t we have a rank?”

Although primarily stronger players and pros are annoyed by SBMM, it might not be such a big problem that the system is implemented at all. The former pro and now head of an e-sport organization Nadeshot writes on Twitter:

I will never understand why Call of Duty takes all the trouble to implement skill-based matchmaking but doesn’t add a ranked system. If you already let me compete against better players, why can’t I have a rank that I can be proud of and work towards?

Nadeshot on Twitter (translated)

Nadeshot has previously commented on Warzone – among other things about cheaters and that CoD needs to change something urgently if it wants to survive. He says that he loves the game and doesn’t want to see it fall apart because of such issues.

Whether Modern Warfare and Warzone actually use SBMM is not entirely clear. The pros and Nadeshot are sure: yes. Unlike the test for Warzone, however, an experiment by two YouTubers in multiplayer showed that matchmaking might actually work differently than expected.

One way or another, the developers at Infinity Ward have no influence on matchmaking. After a long silence from the devs, the head of another CoD developer studio, Michael Condrey, spoke on the issue. According to him, this decision is entirely in the hands of the publisher – that is, Activision. Whether and when there will be a ranking seems to depend on that as well.