MW3 Warzone Season 1 early patch notes: Urzikstan map, new movement, and more

Call of Duty has officially released the overview blog for Warzone Season 1. With the Modern Warfare 3 integration, the free-to-play battle royale will receive a complete overhaul. From a brand new map to major changes in the movement system, there is a lot to explore. Furthermore, there is a new Gulag, Horizontal Zipline, and a fully controllable train for players to use.

If you want to delve deeper into what's new in MW3 Warzone Season 1, this article has you covered.

MW3 Warzone Season 1 early patch notes

Welcome to Urzikstan. The next big map is coming to Call of Duty: Warzone! Receive a topographical overview plus a host of new features and updates coming as part of the Season 1 update.
Carry Forward Call of Duty: Warzone maps. Players can continue deploying to Ashika Island and Vondel alongside the new Urzikstan map.
CODMAS Event. Encounter the Zombie Santa, go undead Deer Hunting, open the presents under the Holiday Trees, all while engaging in new challenges events with rewards, and more. Just don’t forget to bring Snowballs!

Big Game, Big Map: Welcome to Urzikstan

Warzone Season 1 overview (Image via Activision)

Consult the adjacent companion asset (above), then prepare to fight through the all-new Urzikstan map (below), a vast and captivating landscape with a mixture of rural, industrial, and suburban zones. Presented by Raven Software, the new big map features 11 major points of interest (named on your Tac Map), 27 additional, large-scale points of interest (named on your in-game Compass), a Drivable Train (the first mobile point of interest in Call of Duty: Warzone), and numerous smaller areas to explore, giving you near limitless tactical potential!

From the iconic Popov Power Plant in the north all the way to the Zaravan Suburbs in the south, Operators should be ready to engage in a mix of classic and brand-new gameplay, utilizing innovative new features like the Drivable Train, Horizontal Ziplines, and new Perks exclusive to Call of Duty: Warzone.

Urzikstan Modes (Launch and In-Season)

To celebrate the launch of Urzikstan, all modes will be set on the new big map for the first 48 hours of Season 1, including:

Launch Modes: Battle Royale, Resurgence, and Plunder

We will be introducing areas of Urzikstan to a pool of Resurgence locations, along with areas across Ashika and Vondel, as part of a new Limited Time Mode called Urzikstan Resurgence, which will focus on several select Points of Interest from around the Urzikstan map:

Orlov Military Base
Popov Power
Zaravan Suburbs

In-Season Modes: Lockdown returns, and the brand new Limited-Time-Mode, Slay Ride Resurgence, makes its holiday debut!

All squad sizes for Battle Royale on Urzikstan will be available all season long.

Return to Vondel and Ashika: Carry Forward Maps

In addition to the new Urzikstan big map, after the first 48 hours, Season 1 will also add Ashika Island and Vondel to the playable maps.

Updated Gameplay: Movement, Mechanics, and More

With the start of Season 1, Call of Duty: Warzone will be updated to include many of the new movements and other mechanics present in Modern Warfare III, along with new innovations specific to Call of Duty: Warzone.

Movement Updates (Launch)

Expect the following movement changes at launch:

Slide canceling.
Tac-Stance.
ADS while sliding.
Running while reloading
A slight movement boost when using the Stim Tactical.
Additional changes will be detailed in the upcoming Patch Notes.

Gameplay Updates (Launch)

Expect the following improvements and updates from Raven Software at launch:

Backup Pistol: Always have a dedicated pistol when swimming or climbing ladders or ledge hanging, no matter your Loadout.
Improved Water Combat: Alongside the dedicated pistol, improvements have been made to water visibility such that it is now easier to see targets both when in and out of the water.
Manual Gas Mask: You can now manually choose when to equip the Gas Mask. When looking at a Gas Mask on the ground, Players are presented with two options: Equip it, or Stow it. Equipping the Gas Mask will begin the equip animation of putting it onto their face. Stowing the Gas Mask will place it in the Backpack for Players to manually equip at a later time. As a result, the animation will no longer interrupt gameplay, and importantly, Players will only hear the heavy breathing sound effect while in the Gas.
Experimental Gas Grenade: This Tear Gas Tactical now deals gas damage and, as such, can be countered with an equipped Gas Mask.
Dedicated Ammo Slots: Specific new Backpack slots cater to ammo, allowing quick and easy access. These slots will be automatically filled as Players find ammo. Additional ammo can still be stored in the all-purpose Backpack slots.
Loot Rarity: Weapons, equipment, killstreaks, and more will now appear with a color-coded tooltip to indicate the value and rarity of the item, as well as if a weapon is from a “Custom Loadout.”
Contract Activation Laptop: Players will now activate Contracts by interacting with larger, more easily identifiable laptops found throughout the map.
Updated Tac Map Icons: The entirety of the Tac Map has been updated to better serve you, with a variety of easily distinguishable new icons.
Classic Red Dots: The classic minimap will feature within Call of Duty: Warzone; firing unsuppressed weapons causes Operators to momentarily appear as a red dot on the minimap.
Improved Loot Spreading: Players will now notice that the loot distribution and spread when opening a Supply Box or eliminating an enemy has received improvements to minimize loot overlap and facilitate loot identification.
Quality of Life Carry Forward: For the new Chapter of Warzone, all existing Quality of Life improvements that have been made this year will carry forward.

New Environment Elements

Here are all the new environment elements in Warzone Season 1.

Drivable Train (Launch)

Take control of Call of Duty: Warzone’s first controllable mobile POI: Urzikstan’s new drivable train, complete with forward and backward engine controls, a Buy Station, UAV Tower, Horn, Ammo Depot, a guaranteed Legendary Supply Crate, and a handbrake in the caboose (rear carriage) for tactical braking! Read more on how this works in the forthcoming Warzone Patch Notes.

Horizontal Ziplines (Launch)

Horizontal Ziplines (Image via Activision)

In addition to the vertical ascenders, expect ziplines to allow rapid horizontal navigation across Urzikstan. Look for ziplines across the map, often allowing faster travel across otherwise more challenging topography, like water or tall structures. If you watched Call of Duty: Next, Quality of Life improvements have already been made to this system, enabling easier on/off access for the Operator using either type of transport line.

New Vehicle: Coyote (Launch)

Coyote new vehicle (Image via Activision)

Available in Urzikstan during Battle Royale and Plunder modes is an impressive, lightly-armored new offroad vehicle, known as the Coyote. This is an open-air and agile desert vehicle designed to grip the dunes and move quickly. The mounted machine gun is more than enough to take out the opposition in your path.

Returning Contract, New Public Event and Updated Strongholds

Fly Buy in Warzone (Image via Activision)

Big Game Bounty Contract: Activate this Contract to put a Bounty on the Player with the most eliminations in the match; take them out to earn an Advanced UAV.

"Fly Buy” Public Event: A new Public Event arrives in Urzikstan, where there is a chance that multiple Drones will fly-in to drop additional Buy Stations into the Warzone.

Updated Strongholds: In order to make each match unique, Strongholds have now been moved to the Public Event system, where there is a percentage chance of them becoming accessible to infiltrate during an Infil. As a result of this change, players may also encounter Cash Drops during Infil, and may also find Blacksite keys in ground loot, allowing you the opportunity to open a Black Site in any match.

New Perks (Launch)

The Perk system currently in Warzone continues, with Operators choosing from either a pre-set or a Custom Perk Package consisting of four Perks which become active once your Loadout is claimed. Perk Packs can also be found in ground loot, whether dropped by an eliminated Player or found in Supply Boxes.

Movement and rotation opportunities on the new big map of Urzikstan has been a key focus of its design, so in the new chapter of Warzone Players will also find themselves with several Perks that are now simply enabled by default at all times:

Tac Pads: Improves slide distance and allows for full ADS while sliding, along with increased stance transition speeds.
Commando Gloves: Enables reloading while running.
Quick-Grip Gloves: Increases your weapon swap speed.
Climbing Boots: Increases climbing and mantling speed aspect.
Overkill: Allows you to pick two Primary Weapons.

You should also get ready for new and returning Perks exclusive to Call of Duty: Warzone designed to create new outplay and counter opportunities, of which the following can be equipped as Custom Perks in your Loadout:

Irradiated: Move faster and take less damage while in the gas.
Tempered: Now also available as a Custom Perk, Tempered allows you to refill armor plates to full with two plates instead of three.
Combat Scout: Bullets you fire briefly ping an enemy for you and your squad. Hitting the enemy from farther away increases the ping time.
Resolute: When taking damage from gunfire, this grants a short bonus to movement speed.
Shrouded: Drop a smoke grenade when downed.
Mountaineer: Reduces fall damage.
Stalker: Increased strafe and aim down sight movement speed.
Escapist: Increased downed, prone, and crouch speed.
Primed: Accuracy and time to aim down sight is improved while jumping.
Faculty: Delay triggered explosives while sprinting, warns of nearby enemy equipment, and reduces combat noise.

These additional Perks allow for an impressive variety of playstyles and Perk Packages, as the total number of Perks now reaches over 30 with the 5 new default Perks, plus 12 Perks in Slots 1 and 2, 10 Perks in Slot 3, and 7 Perks in Slot 4.

New Gulag (Launch)

New Gulag in Warzone (Image via Activision)

Urzikstan features a new Gulag, the perfect way to redeploy once you’ve faced down an adversary in 1v1 combat. However, this Gulag, aside from being a brand-new environment, comes with new gameplay updates, which are:

Ascender Overtime Finisher: Replacing the old overtime flag, players are now provided an exfil rope that drops into the middle of the Gulag during the match, allowing extraction – but be warned! You can both shoot and be shot at from the Ascender!
Gulag Public Events: Several new Public Events may also occur within the Gulag, such as Go Again (an additional Gulag attempt if you lose the first fight), Cash Grab (more money on the floor with a big stack in the middle of the map) and Locked & Loaded Weapons (AMG + SMG Loadout with full armor), helping the victor by bringing back some much-needed power items into the match.
Night Vision Gulag (In-Season): NVG has a new name, as the Gulag will occasionally go dark while equipping Operators with night-vision goggles for a fun new twist on the Gulag experience.

Additional Content (In-Season)

Season 1 Reloaded, available in early 2024, will bring with it a number of new features including Covert Exfil – a new secondary exfil condition – as well as the Weapon Case similar to that seen in Modern Warfare II but with brand new rewards. In addition, players can expect a new Champion’s Quest with fresh rewards for those brave and strategic enough to complete it – or steal it...

New Event: Merry CODMAS (In-Season)

Krampus is back!

Just kidding. Instead, get into the festive mood with CODMAS! This Holiday Event brings new challenges and rewards (some visible, some hidden!) to the Urzikstan map in Call of Duty: Warzone in the form of Deck the Halls, Zombie Santa, and Slay Ride.

“Slay Ride Resurgence” Limited Time Mode: Nothing says “festivities” quite like a new Limited Time Mode: Prepare for a Holiday-themed take on Resurgence, as you’re in for a number of treats….

Deck the Halls: Santa has delivered presents across Urzikstan, via a number of holiday crates. Open the Tac Map to reveal their location in the match and get to the trees to earn the rewards in the vicinity. However, be ready to fight for your spot as a flare is sent up when Operators interact within the immediate area where the crates are found. Those who hold the point the longest will be gifted a chance to meet Santa... or at least something that used to be Santa.

Zombie Santa: Once an Operator obtains a key from Deck the Halls, a “Merry” portal will appear. Take the portal to face off against a zombified Juggernaut Santa. Defeat this evil incarnation of Santa before rummaging in his massive sack for a variety of valuable loot!

Slay Ride: Santa has taken over the train in Urzikstan. Per his usual modus operandi, Santa will be handing out presents to all the well-behaved Operators he meets. Those who choose to be naughty, on the other hand, will be met with heavy resistance.

Snowball Fights: As part of both the Players default Loadout as well as in ground loot represented by a snowflake icon on the Tac Map, you can find these rather lethal Snowballs all over the map.

The CODMAS event will also feature a new challenge for Call of Duty: Warzone and Multiplayer during the 12 Days of CODMAS. Complete these challenges to earn rewards.

That is all there is to know about Warzone Season 1. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda's Call of Duty section for all the latest news and updates.

Edited by Abhipsito Das