The latest Warzone patch notes, released by Raven Software on December 10, 2024 (US time), bring a significant improvement to Ranked Play aimed at maintaining a fair battlefield for all players.
Additionally, the update includes refined weapon motion adjustments for Black Ops 6 guns, enhancing the overall combat experience.
In this article, ONE Esports provides an in-depth analysis of the most recent Warzone patch notes, highlighting the key changes and their potential impact on gameplay.
Warzone patch notes on December 10
Buy Station change in Warzone Ranked Play
In Ranked Play, Buy Stations will now spawn at consistent, fixed locations in every match, mirroring the placement found in unranked modes.
This change aligns with Ranked Play’s core philosophy of minimizing randomness to create a more skill-based environment. Static Buy Station locations encourage strategic planning, rewarding players who invest time in learning the map and optimizing their rotations.
Looking ahead, an upcoming update will further refine the Buy Station system by improving layout distribution to eliminate potential “dead zones.” This adjustment aims to ensure that essential resources remain accessible to all players.
Weapon motion and aiming idle sway adjustments
The latest Warzone update introduces significant improvements to weapon motion across the board, aimed at enhancing stability and refining the combat experience.
Visual recoil has been noticeably reduced on all weapons, with a particular focus on full-auto firearms. Additionally, turn sway has been minimized, especially when using higher magnification optics, ensuring smoother aiming transitions.
Players will also experience less weapon motion—including bobbing, translation, and stance-change penalties—when walking or transitioning stances in ADS.
Another key adjustment is the removal of extra hip-fire deviation layers that caused crosshairs to bounce during firing. These changes collectively aim to improve precision and control.
The patch also refines the mechanics of aiming idle sway, ensuring more predictable and consistent behavior across all weapon classes. The delay before idle sway begins when aiming down sights (ADS) has been standardized at 2.2 seconds for all weapons.
Sniper rifles, which previously reduced idle sway by 50%, now eliminate it entirely during the delay, offering a more precise aiming experience.
Weapon buffs and nerfs
The latest weapon adjustments primarily target the CHF Barrel attachment for assault rifles and light machine guns. This attachment, which boosts headshot multiplier, has been nerfed to reduce its effectiveness, limiting its dominance in precision-based scenarios.
Additionally, the Akimbo stock attachment for the Saug submachine gun has received significant nerfs, aiming to tone down its overwhelming close-range lethality. Similarly, the Dragon’s Breath ammunition for the newly introduced Maelstrom shotgun has been adjusted to diminish its impact, addressing concerns about its overpowering potential in close-quarters combat.
On the other hand, melee weapons have been buffed, with a reduction in the time between swings. This improvement enhances their usability in frantic close-range encounters, providing a more viable option for players who prefer close-quarters combat.
Assault rifle
| WEAPON | ADJUSTMENTS |
| AMES 85 | CHF Barrel: Vertical View Kick and Gun Kick penalty decreased from 50% to 45%. |
| Goblin Mk2 | CHF Barrel: Horizontal View Kick and Gun Kick penalty increased from 20% to 25%. |
| GPR 91 | CHF Barrel: Vertical View Kick and Gun Kick penalty increased from 50% to 55%. Horizontal View Kick and Gun Kick penalty increased from 20% to 25%. |
| Krig C | Sprint to Fire Time increased from 0.2s to 0.21s. Tactical Sprint to Fire Time increased from 0.3s to 0.31s. View Kick Strength, Direction, and Deviation slightly increased. View Kick now progresses through pattern in shorter number of bullets. |
| Model L | CHF Barrel: Vertical View Kick and Gun Kick penalty increased from 50% to 55%. Horizontal View Kick and Gun Kick penalty increased from 20% to 25%. |
SMG
| WEAPON | ADJUSTMENTS |
| Saug | Akimbo (Stock attachment): Hip Spread penalty increased from 12% to 70%. View Kick penalty increased from 15% to 20%. |
LMG
| WEAPON | ADJUSTMENTS |
| GPMG-7 | CHF Barrel: Horizontal View Kick and Gun Kick penalty increased from 20% to 25%. |
| XMG | CHF Barrel: Vertical View Kick and Gun Kick penalty increased from 45% to 50%. Horizontal View Kick and Gun Kick penalty increased from 20% to 25%. |
Shotgun
| WEAPON | ADJUSTMENTS |
| Maelstrom | Dragon’s Breath Ammunition: Maximum Damage decreased from 30 to 18. Medium Damage Range 1 damage decreased from 25 to 14. Medium Damage Range 1 decreased from 7.62 meters to 6.35. Medium Damage Range 2 damage decreased from 12 to 11. Medium Damage Range 2 decreased from 19. 68 meters to 10.16. |
Melee
| WEAPON | ADJUSTMENTS |
| Knife | Time between melee swings improved by 7.5%. |
| Baseball Bat | Time between melee swings improved by 14%. |
| Power Drill | Time between melee swings improved by 9.5%. |
Bug fixes
- Fixed an issue preventing the Battle Royale Top 250 leaderboard from populating correctly.
- Fixed an issue preventing the Grenadier Perk from slowing enemies hit by explosive damage.
- Fixed an issue causing players to get stuck in a “Loading player stats” loop when launching Warzone.
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