Black Ops 6 Season 2 early patch notes: New maps, Valentine’s LTMs, QoL upgrades, and more

Black Ops 6 Season 2 is set to go live on January 28, 2025, and the recent content drop blog has detailed all the new additions players can expect in this update. While the developers have promised less content overall, Black Ops 6 Multiplayer will see a substantial infusion of new additions for players to explore. This includes five new and remastered maps, new modes, Valentine's Day LTMs, new equipment, and more.

If you're curious about everything revealed for Black Ops 6 Season 2, read on.

Black Ops 6 Season 2 early patch notes

Here is everything new in the Black Ops 6 Season 2 update, as per the developers:

Multiplayer Maps in Black Ops 6 Season 2

Bounty (Launch): Brand-New, Core, 6v6, Medium-Sized

Deploy at sunrise to the top of an Avalon skyscraper, surging into the penthouse suite of a local crime boss. The Rogue team are here to celebrate their previous victories, but the party is short-lived, as friends turn into enemies, and chaos reigns. From the starting point of a pristine Patio, move inside an opulent, gold-plated Nightclub and Lounge where top-shelf entertaining was provided to a variety of rich guests. Ambush enemies by jumping over the light fixtures hanging over the Lobby below.

The party is in the front, but business is in the back; the rear Office is seemingly still under construction, but on closer inspection, this is the place where those displeasing the crime boss were tortured, as indicated by some particularly unpleasant evidence. Race over the tarp and battle between the unfinished walls or move out to the Rooftop for a tactical breath of fresh air. Shoot the glass out from underneath your enemy’s feet on the Skylight, or race along the outer Ledge, jumping over the top of a neon sight to reach the other side, as Bounty has plenty of routes to learn if you aren’t scared of heights.

Dealership (Launch): Brand-New, Core, 6v6, Medium-Sized

For Avalon’s wealthy clientele, nothing compares to the luxury vehicles on display at the Pallasar car dealership. However, this dealership is a front, and in reality serves as a lucrative black market for the criminal underworld where vehicles are traded for guns, ammunition, and other unsavory valuables. Rogue team flee Bounty, looking for friendly contacts in the vicinity, but are met with vicious retaliatory skrimishes at every turn.

Battle around the wreckage in the Car Lot and Showroom, pushing the fight into the interior Commissary and Lounge or out on the Courtyard and once offered an idyllic vista. Open the sliding doors to either side of the Garage for a quick ambush or close them to stall incoming enemies. For the best sights over the Garage and Sales room, head into the Admin office and bounce between the two windows overlooking the areas, controlling the center of the map. For the ultimate element of surprise, equip the RC-XD and drive through the floor vent, exploding in the enemy’s face on the other side.

Lifeline (Launch): Brand-New, Strike, 2v2/6v6, Small-Sized

Expect high stakes on the high seas as Rogue team focus on escaping by boat, and battle onto the aptly named Lifeline, a small, high-end yacht still ablaze after a successful boarding by Sev and her allies. Currently chopping through the waves at high velocity, pursued by enemy gunboats, enemy evasion is certainly not guaranteed.

This small-sized Strike map funnels Operators directly into the fight. Smoke billows from its flaming hardtop while the fight rages on below. From Bow to Aft, it won’t take long to collide in the center Bar and gambling den, the disco room, or along the steps on Portside and Starboard. Keep your head on a swivel or risk getting thrown overboard.

Bullet (Mid-Season): Brand-New, Strike, 2v2/6v6, Small-Sized

After regrouping and learning of the location of the Luttazzi Godmother – responsible for placing the bounty on the Rogue team in the first place – Sev and her team go on the offensive and drop onto the rapidly-moving bullet train to gain the upper hand, as well as neutralizing a key enemy target.

This mid-season Strike map presses the fight up close along its narrow interior carriages. Race through the automatic sliding doors separating each car, from the first-class lounge through the dining car, second-class seats, and up to the cab where the fallen conductor dispels any hope of reaching the destination in one piece. When things get too hot inside, try your luck via a roof hatch up top; watch your step or risk being thrown from the train.

Grind (Mid-Season): Remaster, Core, 6v6, Medium-Sized

The infamous skatepark first introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops II makes its Black Ops 6 debut in the mid-season! Shred your enemies across the indoor stadium and pro shop or soak up the sunshine in the huge skate bowl and halfpipe outdoors. Use the ramps for cover and to get above the competition and bust out your best tricks like the 360-corkscrew one-shot. Also expect an additional surprise related to this map, later in the season.

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Multiplayer Modes in Black Ops 6 Season 2

A new Mode and a returning fan-favorite match type start the season off with a bang, in the days leading up to a new and enhanced Ranked Play later in the month.

Overdrive (Brand New, Launch)

Kick into Overdrive in this charged-up twist on Team Deathmatch. Teams compete to be the first to reach the maximum number of stars. Earn these stars by executing the following maneuvers:

Earn 1 star for Basic Eliminations like finishing off an enemy with body shots.
Earn 2 stars for Core Medal Eliminations like headshots and melee attacks.
Earn 3 stars for completing Distinguished Medal Eliminations, reserved for only the most impressive takedowns.

Rack up stars to unlock special Operator abilities that will greatly aid you in battle and keep that streak going to reach Overdrive! If you get eliminated, or the elimination timer runs out before you take out another target, you’ll start the process over again. Operators “attempting Overdrive” can expect the following improved capabilities:

1 Star: Awakened Senses: See enemies through walls and replenish your health after eliminating a target.
3 Stars: Physical Enhancements: Increased movement and reloading speed.
6 Stars: Augmented Handling: Improved hip-fire accuracy and improved sprint-to-fire and ADS speeds.

Earn all three buffs to activate Overdrive! This allows you to earn double the stars when eliminating enemies.

Gun Game (Launch)

The fan-favorite Gun Game returns! Compete in a free-for-all mode where all Operators begin the match with the same starting weapon and cycle through the same set of 20 weapons, varying from match to match. Eliminate enemies to advance to the next weapon, testing your skills across a variety of weapon types.

To keep the action moving, frequent radar sweeps reveal the last known location of all Operators on the map. The top two performing players and their current progress are also displayed on-screen. If someone starts pulling too far ahead, try taking them out with a melee attack to set them back to the previous weapon. The first Operator to cycle through all 20 weapons wins the match!

Valentine’s Day Limited Time Modes

Show your love with two limited-time modes for couples and third-wheelers alike.

Third Wheel Gunfight (In-Season)

Not everyone’s hungry for love. Some people just want to do things their own way. In Third Wheel Gunfight, you can now bring along that untethered friend and duke it out 3v3.

Couples Dance Off (In-Season)

This one’s strictly for duos. Compete in a moshpit of 2v2 Face Off modes including Face Off Team Deathmatch, Face Off Domination, and Face Off Kill Confirmed.

Additional Gameplay Content

Enhance your tactical planning with two new Perks, a Wildcard, and an even wilder Scorestreak, all coming to Season 02 Multiplayer.

New Perks in Black Ops 6

Perk: Slipstream (Event Reward)

Perk Slot: 3

Type: Enforcer (Red)

Raises your base sprint speed at the cost of removing Tac Sprint.

Perk: Hunter’s Instinct (Mid-Season)

Perk Slot: 2

Type: Enforcer (Red)

Eliminating an enemy marks the next closest enemy.

New Wildcard

Wildcard: Flyswatter (In-Season)

Allows a player to replace their Dedicated Melee weapon with a Launcher.

New Scorestreak

Scorestreak: War Machine (Event Reward)

Type: Lethal

Score: 1,300

Mastery Badges: Yes

Powerful burst-fire grenade launcher with grenades that explode on impact. Large magazine.
The deadly War Machine is back! This gives players the ability to launch explosive clusters into the enemy line for those with a penchant for heavier weapons. The War Machine comes equipped with 30 rounds, firing in three-round bursts. When you need to clear an area fast, there are few better options than this destructive armament.

New Quality of Life Upgrades in Black Ops 6 Season 2

In addition to the new content coming on day one of Season 02, Treyarch has prioritized several quality of life improvements and playlist updates to release this Season, including:

Challenge Tracking & Near Completion (MP and Zombies)

Manually track up to 10 Calling Card Challenges and 10 Camo Challenges per mode to easily keep track of Challenges you’re progressing.
If you have fewer than 10 Calling Card Challenges or 10 Camo Challenges tracked, your nearest Challenges to completion will display in those slots instead. This should help players discover and identify Challenges they are close to completing.
The top Tracked or Near Completion Calling Card Challenge and Camo Challenge both appear in the Lobby, as well as in-game via the Options Menu.

Unique HUD Presets per mode (MP and Zombies)

Players will be able to set the HUD Preset settings they prefer for both Multiplayer and Zombies, keeping a unique setup per-mode without needing to change settings when switching between modes.

General Quality of Life updates

Reduced collision with teammates to improve maneuverability around tight spaces and doorways with nearby teammates
Weapon balance pass and bullet penetration updates
Further reducing weapon motion when jumping, sliding, and diving with the Dexterity Perk equipped
Improving player visibility in Kill Confirmed by reducing the height of dog tags on the map
Simplifying and/or expanding requirements for several Calling Card Challenges, as well as fixing bugged Challenges
Expanding the number of Featured Playlist slots to allow for more marquee playlists on the main menu

Multiplayer Ranked Play (Launch Window)

Black Ops 6 Ranked Play Playlist Maps

Protocol (Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, Control)
Skyline (Hardpoint, Search and Destroy)
Vault (Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, Control)
Red Card (Hardpoint, Search and Destroy)
Hacienda (Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, Control)

Black Ops 6 Season 02 Ranked Play Overview

For players joining Black Ops 6 in the new year, Multiplayer Ranked Play offers competitive Multiplayer matches using the same settings, maps, modes, and weapon restrictions used by the Call of Duty® League™. Progress through the Ranks by earning SR (Skill Rating) by accumulating Ranked Play match wins.

Earn a variety of career rewards that can be earned throughout the lifespan of Black Ops 6 Multiplayer Ranked Play, including Rank Skins and Win Challenge rewards. Each season comes with its own seasonal rewards as well that can only be earned throughout the duration of that season, including:

Black Ops 6 Season 02 Ranked Play Rewards

Get 10 Wins: Pro Issue Jackal PDW Blueprint
Get 100 Wins: “100 Season 2 Wins” Large Decal
Silver: “Ranked Season 2 – Silver” Calling Card
Gold: “Ranked Season 2 – Gold” Calling Card Platinum: “Ranked Season 2 – Platinum” Calling Card
Diamond: “Ranked Season 2 – Diamond” Calling Card Crimson: “Ranked Season 2 – Crimson” Calling Card Iridescent: “Ranked Season 2 – Iridescent” Calling Card Top 250: “Ranked Season 2 – Top 250” Calling Card
Top 250 #1 Overall: “Ranked Season 2 – Top 250 Champion” Calling Card

Black Ops 6 Season 02 Ranked Play Rank Camos

Additionally, players can earn Camos to represent any Ranked Play Rank achieved in Season 02 of Black Ops 6 Ranked Play:
Gold: Start in/above or reach Gold at any point in Season 02
Platinum: Start in/above or reach Platinum at any point in Season 02
Diamond: Start in/above or reach Diamond at any point in Season 02
Crimson: Start in/above or reach Crimson at any point in Season 02
Iridescent: Start in/above or reach Iridescent at any point in Season 02
Top 250: Finish Season 02 in the Top 250

That covers everything you need to know about Black Ops 6 Season 2 early patch notes. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda's Call of Duty section for the official patch notes on January 28, 2025.

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Edited by Niladri Roy