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Windows Central

Technology

Cole Martin

How will Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 change Warzone?

Call of Duty Activision Raven Software Treyarch

Black Ops 6 operator Troy Marshall and others parachute through the sky in Call of Duty: Warzone as an explosion disrupts the horizon.

Call of Duty: Warzone is about to undergo some of its biggest changes since its launch with Modern Warfare 2 in 2022. On November 14, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone will integrate, marking the first time Warzone 2.0 has been merged with a Black Ops title. New movement and other features introduced with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 are also being integrated into Warzone, along with a brand-new Resurgence map.

Let's take an in-depth look at the changes you can expect for Call of Duty: Warzone when BO6 Season 1 kicks off.

Black Ops 6 x Warzone Season 1 release date and time

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 kicks off on Thursday, November 14. All platforms will go live starting at 9 AM PT/12 PM ET. The launch of Season 1 will usher in the Black Ops 6 and Warzone integration.

Do I need to reinstall Warzone for Black Ops 6?

Call of Duty's launcher recently decoupled Black Ops 6 and Warzone. If I have Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone installed, will I need to reinstall Black Ops 6's version of Warzone?

If you already have Call of Duty: Warzone installed, the integration with Black Ops 6 will occur automatically following an update that becomes available on November 14. If you do not yet have Warzone installed, you will need to install the free-to-play Battle Royale title before you can play Warzone with Black Ops 6 integration.

Is the Black Ops 6 update for Call of Duty: Warzone free?

Yes, the seasonal updates for Call of Duty: Warzone are free. The shared Battle Passes have both free and premium content, and there are Operator Bundles and weapon blueprints that can be purchased with COD points. Some rewards, COD points, and operator bundles can be unlocked for free, as well. The overall update, including new maps and introduction of omnimovement, are all universally free.

Black Ops 6 x Warzone—Omnimovement, inventory, and loadouts

Omnimovement comes to Warzone with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 1 on November 14. (Image credit: Activision)

Black Ops 6 integration will bring about some big changes to Call of Duty: Warzone, including the addition of the brand-new movement system, Omnimovement. Goodbye MW3 slide canceling! Omnimovement will now allow players in Warzone to move the same as they can in Black Ops 6—sliding and diving in every direction and supine prone will all be integrated. The Call of Duty team has not confirmed whether Black Ops 6's "Intelligent Movement" and accessibility features will also be integrated, though it is likely those features will make the shift to Warzone due to the shared launcher.

Weapons and loadouts

Loadouts will be updated to match the Black Ops 6 experience. (Image credit: Activision)

Loadouts, too, will undergo Black Ops 6 integration in Warzone. Most notably, the loadout menu will receive a GUI update to match Black Ops 6's more streamlined armory and Gunsmith layout. All players, regardless of platform, will have access to 10 custom loadout slots—another change for Black Ops 6 as previous titles gave extra loadout slots to PlayStation players as part of their timed marketing agreements.

Players will be able to equip the following loadout slots in Warzone starting November 14:

A Primary Weapon
A Secondary Weapon
A Melee Weapon
Tactical Equipment
Lethal Equipment
Three Perks
A Wildcard

Quick Inventory

During the Call of Duty NEXT showcase in August, Treyarch and Raven Software unveiled the updated inventory system coming to Warzone with Black Ops 6 integration. The new quick inventory is a streamlined system that ditches the current backpack inventory and more closely resembles the original Warzone inventory. The inventory is divvied up as so:

Cash on hand
Gas Mask
Armor Plates
Killstreaks
Field Upgrade
Primary, Secondary, and Melee Weapons
Ammunition for your AR, SMG, Shotgun, Sniper, and Launcher

For those concerned that the new quick inventory is going to limit their carrying capacity, know that lootable satchels are also returning to the game. Similar to current armor vests that are available to pick up, Satchels can be found as ground loot and in crates and add additional armor slots or more ammo carrying capacity to your inventory.

Weapons

Primary weapons include Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles (which are only available from MW2 and MW3 armories. BO6 does not have battle rifles), SMGs, Shotguns, LMGs, Marksman Rifles, Sniper Rifles, and Melee (MW2 only.) Secondary weapons cover pistols and launchers from all three games. Melee Weapons must be accessed by pressing and holding the dedicated melee button, which is the right thumb stick on a controller. The armory breakdown for all 136 primary weapons, 35 secondary weapons, and 15 melee weapons in Warzone following Black Ops 6 integration is below:

Related: The best AR build in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 you're not using, but should be

Eleven lethal equipment options will be available with Black Ops 6 x Warzone integration during Season 1. (Image credit: Activision)

Ten tacticals will be available following Black Ops 6 x Warzone integration. (Image credit: Activision)

New killstreaks are coming to Warzone with Black Ops 6 integration. (Image credit: Activision)

Equipment

No loadout is complete without lethals, tacticals, field upgrades, and kill streaks. Players can find ten tacticals, 11 lethals, 17 field upgrades, and 12 kill streaks in Warzone with the start of Season 1. Some will be available immediately, while others will require the player to progress their player level to gain access to them for their loadout. That said, any equipment found in ground and crate loot is fair game regardless of your level. Here is the equipment and unlock breakdown:

Perks and wildcards

Call of Duty: Warzone will fall back to the classic "Pick-3" perks system, eschewing the more convoluted gear system that was introduced with Modern Warfare 3's integration. Players will pick one perk from each color slot. Surprisingly enough, the combat specialties present in Black Ops 6 will not integrate into Warzone. So for those of you who are frustrated with the Recon specialty, good news! You won't have to deal with it here.

Like with other equipment, players will need to hit a certain level to unlock certain perks before they can be equipped in a loadout. Players can pick three perks for their loadout, and then find additional perks in crates and ground loot that can be added on top of the loadout perks.

In addition to Shrouded, Irradiated, and Specialist being in-game loot, four other "pick-3" perks will be added to the pool of lootable perks. The perks chosen as lootables will rotate each season. Three additional unannounced lootable perks are also expected, but have not yet been revealed.

Four wildcards will be available during Warzone x BO6 Season 1. Players will only have the option to add one Wildcard to their loadout, and it must be equipped prior to the match starting, like with perks. However, more lootable Wildcards may be in Warzone's future. Here are the four available for Season 1:

BO6 x Warzone—Maps

Urzikstan (Battle Royale, Plunder)

Urzikstan will return to its original MW3 launch state on November 14. (Image credit: Activision)

It's not a fresh integration without big changes to the maps of Warzone. In the past, we've seen major in-game events for Warzone that dramatically change the existing Battle Royale maps in some way. Surprisingly, that didn't happen for Black Ops 6. However, that doesn't mean that Urzikstan, the current Battle Royale map, isn't going to see some changes. In a surprise twist, it's being completely reverted to its original MW3 launch state. This removes content and changes made during Modern Warfare 3's post-launch seasonal updates, including the destruction of the Popov Power Plant and access to bunkers. The Atlas Superstore at Al-Sada Village will also be removed, as it was constructed post-launch.

Urzikstan is where your big battles take place, with 120 players all vying to be #1. There's not a lot of gameplay change here, but Urzikstan will now include support for Omnimovement and Black Ops 6 weapons and loadout changes, which will have some impact on the game as we know it. Plunder mode, where players scramble to collect the highest amount of in-game cash they can before the timer runs out, will also be playable on Urzikstan. However, Plunder players will now no longer be able to pick up and sell valuables for easy dubs. If you want that cold, hard cash you're going to have to get it the hard way.

Rebirth Island (Resurgence)

Rebirth Island returns as the premiere Resurgence battleground in Warzone x BO6 Season 1. (Image credit: Activision)

Rebirth Island will be sticking around for fans of Resurgence mode with no real major changes on Season 1's launch. The Solos, Duos, and Quads playlists will have 44 players on the map per match while Trios will have 45. Players who are eliminated can redeploy provided someone on their squad remains alive for the duration of their countdown timer. Taking out enemy combatants, opening crates, and completing contracts can all help survivors lessen the wait for a teammate's redeploy.

Area 99 (Resurgence)

Resurgence mode gets another new map with Area 99. (Image credit: Activision)

If you think 6v6 on Nuketown isn't chaotic enough, you should try 44-45 players on Nuketown's bigger brother, Area 99. Set in the Nevada desert, Area 99 is a government nuclear testing site based at the Echo Ridge Weapons Station. This top-secret locale is just a few miles from the Nuketown we know and love (or love to hate) and was eventually shut down and scrubbed from existence by the government following a nuclear reactor leak.

Area 99's points of interest range from a Mannequin Assembly factory to an underground bunker back to a bullseye-like reactor that is sure to be a popular drop site.

Area 99 is set in the Echo Ridge Weapons Station in the Nevada Desert. (Image credit: Activision)

The reactor was the pride and future of Area 99—until it failed. Leading to a government effort to scrub its existence. (Image credit: Activision)

The Pods served as housing for Echo Ridge Weapons Station's worker community. Having fled the area following the nuclear reactor failure, the brightly colored pods have fallen into disarray. (Image credit: Activision)

Found in the southern part of Area 99, the factory constructs and houses the components that make up the classic Nuketown houses. (Image credit: Activision)

The second part of the factory is a teal building where the manufacturing of test sites actually goes down. (Image credit: Activision)

A scientific testing facility with a viewing station and some surprisingly familiar set dressings. (Image credit: Activision)

The Nuketown shipping area is to the eastern side of Area 99's map. (Image credit: Activision)

Want to fight it out in a busted out house hoisted above the ground by a crane? Here's your chance. (Image credit: Activision)

I wonder if there will be an Easter egg if you can pop all the mannequin heads. (Image credit: Activision)

What could possibly go wrong in an underground bunker at a nuclear facility in the 60s? (Image credit: Activision)

A trio of cooling towers are situated between the Mannequin Assembly plant and the Reactor. (Image credit: Activision)

BO6 x Warzone—New cinematics, emotes, and sprays

New infil, exfil, gulag, and winner's circle cinematics are coming to Warzone in Season 1. (Image credit: Activision)

During the marketing campaign for Black Ops 6, we saw The Replacer take over for Graves in the Warzone infil cinematic. While we'll never see that cinematic in game, we will get brand-new ones for Warzone when Season 1 drops. The new cinematics can be spotted when you enter the gulag on Urzikstan, and new infil and exfil cinematics on Area 99. The final exfil cinematic will be replaced with Black Ops 6's winner's circle, giving players a chance to emote over their victory while information about their gameplay is showcased similar to how it is now.

Emotes and sprays are returning to Warzone. (Image credit: Activision)

Fans of the original Warzone may remember that players could spray paint various images and decals around the map. The feature disappeared with the launch of Warzone 2.0, but now after 2 years we're getting emotes and sprays back in the free-to-play battle royale. Not only can we emote in-match and in the winners circle, we can also unlock new emotes and sprays via the battle pass or with operator bundles. All 157 operators available in Warzone will have the option to emote. Even the ones from MW2 and MW3.

BO6 x Warzone Season 1—Classic prestige and player progression

Prestige Master offers 1000 extra levels to grind after the classic prestige run is over. (Image credit: Activision)

Classic prestige has returned to Call of Duty, with Prestige Master kicking in to add an extra 1000 levels to attain after the classic grind is through. Black Ops 6 integration into Warzone will synchronize player progression across the two games. Starting on November 14, all players' progression in Warzone will reset to match their Black Ops 6 prestige progression. Weapons, equipment, perks, and rewards will be tied to player levels. If you find Black Ops 6's classic prestige and progression confusing, we have a helpful guide to explain prestiging and permanent unlocks.

Do I need Black Ops 6 to prestige in Warzone?

No! Call of Duty's leveling and progression system will merge with the start of Season 1, but you do not need to own Black Ops 6 to level up in Warzone. Some prestige rewards are Black Ops 6 exclusive unlocks, but the XP earned will continue to work you through progression to Prestige Master regardless of whether you own BO6.