Upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Update Detailed

Treyarch has detailed a whopping great big update coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, which will pave the way for the launch of the Awakening DLC, reblance the weapons in multiplayer, fixes some bugs and exploits across all modes and loads, loads more.

There's even a hefty amount of changes coming to Dead Ops Arcade 2, Blops 3's Zombies not-mini not-very-secret game, which you can now access from the main menu. Seriously, the list of patch notes for Dead Ops is a long as some full releases get.

You can see all of the changes below, courtesy of the Call of Duty forums. I've expertly copy, pasted and bolded the lot. The patch, along with the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Awakening DLC, arrives on Xbox in early March, following a month-long period of PlayStation exclusivity. More info here.

Game Update

Awakening DLC 1 Map Pack Support

• Gauntlet: Delivering three unique environments within one action-packed map, Gauntlet showcases Treyarch’s classic three-lane map structure, transporting Players into battle through a sprawling jungle, sub-zero artic zone and rainy urban cityscape.
   
• Splash: Dive into battle in this abandoned water park, featuring a vibrant and colorful environment, including waterslides, a wrecked pirate ship and a lazy river. Splash encourages an open flow of combat with opportunities for underwater gameplay.
   
• Rise: A versatile multiplayer map, Rise is set in the snowy outskirts of Zurich in the middle of an ongoing construction site for a massive subterranean Coalescence research campus.  With multiple engagement areas throughout this larger map, each section caters to different styles of gameplay.
   
• Skyjacked: High above urban Zurich, Skyjacked is a modernized version of the popular Call of Duty®: Black Ops II multiplayer map Hijacked. Utilizing the new core movement system featured in Black Ops III, this map gives Players new ways to explore the environment, while still retaining the same fast and frenetic gameplay Players love.
   
• Der Eisendrache: Awakening also introduces the first chapter of Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s Zombies DLC adventure with Der Eisendrache.  Set in a chilling medieval Austrian castle during World War II, Players will embark on an epic journey with the Origin characters Richtofen, Nikolai, Takeo and Dempsey.  The ancient site on which the castle sits was the scene of unspeakable horror where massive deposits of Element 115 have recently been discovered.  Players will discover a variety of exciting plot twists and surprises as they survive waves of the undead.

MULTIPLAYER

General

• Addressed an issue allowing Players to infinitely vote for the previous map.
• FreeRun, Nightmares & Dead Ops Arcade 2 are now accessible from the Bonus Menu on the Main Screen.
• Balance pass to improve XP earn rate consistency across game modes.
• Resolved issue where Specialist’s showcase weapons showed both base attachment models and Player selected attachment models.
• Resolved issue where Players were unable to freely scroll through taunts in the Taunts menu if a new taunt was recently acquired.
• Added missing rotation prompt icon in Gunsmith “Custom Variant” and Gunsmith “Snapshot.”
• Addressed issue where Leaderboards were not properly being reset after a Player used a Prestige Token.
• Resolved issue where the Create-a-Class would not update immediately after the purchase of the Extra Slot Pack.
• Added additional anti-cheat support.

General Gameplay

• Fixed an exploit that allowed Players to move faster by sliding just before landing from a jump.
• Fixed an issue where moving while crouching or ADS did not properly reduce your audio footprint.
• Addressed issues that affected Cryptokey earn rate consistency across game modes.
• In Hardcore, AI-controlled Scorestreaks will no longer count towards the kick limit.
  • Cerberus – AI-controlled
  • Talon – AI-controlled
  • Wraith
  • RAPS Drones
  • GI Unit
• Resolved issue where Specialist weapon progression was not tracking in round-based game modes.
• Fixed an exploit where Players were being awarded Cryptokeys when not participating in matches.
• Teammates can no longer damage friendly Scorestreaks in Hardcore.
• Addressed issue where Players were able to place turrets underwater after using Rejack.
• Fixed exploit whereby Players were able to obtain the Hellstorm Scorestreaks repeatedly without earning them.
• Addressed bug where Players were able to pick up a turret while controlling the HC-XD.
• Fixed an issue in Free-for-All where the Mothership could not be locked onto by Launchers.
• Adjusted the spawn logic for Lightning Strike to better match the blast radius.
• Adjusted spawn logic in TDM and Kill Confirmed to increase the chance of spawning with your team.

Black Market

• Players are now able to equip Taunts, Gestures, and Specialist themes from the Black Market results screen for Specialists that are unlocked.
• Updated Black Market purchase animations and FX.
• Addressed audio issues with Black Market when accessing it during matchmaking.

Theater

• Fixed an issue where attempting to view a merged clip in a Highlight Reel would kick the Player back to the Theater menu.

Store

• Fixed issue with the Extra Slots purchase confirmation to ensure the store icon updates immediately.
• Corrected visual layout bug that occurred after purchasing COD Points.

Combat Record

• Players can now view other Player’s Combat Record by selecting the player and choosing “View Combat Record” from the “Player Details” menu.
• Players can now compare stats with Friends in the Combat Record.

Specialists

• Nomad
  • Increased Rejack stand up speed.
• Reaper
  • Equalized footstep audio volume to the same audibility of other Specialists.
• Spectre
  • Reduced leftover Specialist Power available if Player died while activating the Ripper.

Create-A-Class

• General
  • Fine-tuned Rapid Fire effectiveness across all weapons.
• Submachine Guns
  • General
    • Reduced sprint out speed
  • VMP
    • Fixed issue where Player would occasionally not show on the radar when firing.
• Assault Rifles
  • XR-2
    • Increased ADS aim stability.
    • Increased recoil control.
  • ICR
    • Increased ADS aim stability.
  • SHEIVA
    • Increased ADS aim stability.
• Shotguns
  • Argus
    • Increased lethal damage range.
  • KRM-262
    • Increased lethal damage range.
• Light Machine Guns
  • All LMGs
    • Increased ADS aim stability.
• Sniper Rifles
  • Locus
    • Increased ADS aim stability.
• Special
  • Brass Knuckles
    • Added spark effect to Brass Knuckles taunt.
• Attachments
  • FMJ
    • No longer deals increased damage to the robot in Safeguard.
    • No longer ignores the armor provided to Satellite Drone carriers in Uplink.
• Awareness Perk
  • Reduced audible range bonus.

Scorestreaks

• Cerberus
  • Increased health of dropship
  • Increased AI targeting speed
  • Increased AI accuracy
  • Increased AI damage
  • Increased missile accuracy
  • Increased missile projectile speed
• Hellstorm
  • Increased damage radius.
  • Increased projectile speed of bomblets.
  • Increased targeting radius.
• Mothership
  • Increased health.
• R.A.P.S. Deploy Ship
  • Increased health.
• Rolling Thunder
  • Fixed issue where Rolling Thunder drone pushed through geo, inflicting damage on Players inside buildings.
• Talon
  • Addressed issue where the Hellstorm vision set would show in a Talon's final Killcam.
• G.I. Unit
  • Increased G.I. Unit Drop Ship flares by two.
  • Increased health of dropship
  • Increased duration to 90 seconds
• H.A.T.R
  • Corrected issue where the H.A.T.R. no longer displayed enemies after the owner died.

Maps

• Breach
  • Adjusted geography at doorway of Coalescence offices to ensure smooth traversal in that area of the map.
• Combine
  • Addressed an exploit where Players were able to mantle atop a building to gain an unfair advantage against other Players.
• Hunted
  • Addressed an issue where AI scorestreaks were able to track Players through lodge walls.
• Nuk3town
  • Fine-tuned G.I. Unit traversals around the map.
  • Updated blue car profile to reduce poor engagements.
  • Tweaked unique Domination and Demolition cover objects to reduce poor engagements.
• Infection
  • Fixed an issue where Players were able to get to an unfair advantageous position on one of the roofs.
• Redwood
  • Fixed an issue where Players were able to leave the play space near southern gate.

Arena

• “Popular” will replace “Moshpit” in the next season.  Popular features 6v6 on a mix of Domination and Kill Confirmed game modes.             
• Domination and Kill Confirmed will be added to Arena Leaderboards.
• Addressed issue where Emblem Editor UI would remain behind the Arena Pro Series pre-game sequence if the Player was editing a layer during lobby transition.
• Arena default Custom Classes no longer contain restricted items.
• Removed the Map Voting stage from Arena.

Game Modes

• Free-for-All
  • A loss will no longer be recorded when joining a Free-For-All game in progress.
• Hardpoint
  • Addressed issue where Hardpoint boundary wouldn’t appear if a friendly Player controlled the point.
• Safeguard
  • Adjusted win timing in Safeguard.
• Search and Destroy
  • Addressed an issue where inactive Players were not being removed from games in S&D.
• Uplink
  • Updated regulation time limit conditions so that if the score limit is reached in regulation Round 1, it also sets the time for regulation Round 2.
  • Changed Overtime rules: Game ends if team that set the time to beat in Overtime Round 1 scores any points in Overtime Round 2 before the opposing team.
  • Players are no longer able to catch the Satellite Drone immediately after a score; the Satellite Drone resets as soon as the score occurs.
  • Fixed issue where Players were able to simultaneously pick up the Uplink Satellite Drone and a turret.
  • Reduced score bonus for kills while carrying Satellite Drone.
• Capture The Flag
  • Reduced score bonus for kills while carrying the flag.

Custom Games

• Fixed issue where the CTF Custom Game Settings win rules were flipped in the UI.
• Titles for Custom Games are now displayed in the lobby with the game mode and map.
• Official variants have been added to Custom Game modes for Hardcore and CWL rules (Call of Duty World League).
• An “Official” badge is displayed in lobby map image for Official game variants.
• Fixed incorrect Capture the Flag Rule Win Condition description text in game rules.

CODcaster

• Enabled CodCaster for bots only matches.
• Fixed bug where the CodCaster could begin a match before all Players joined.
• Player list will now wrap when cycling through Players.
• Player names now appear with the correct colors when using custom team colors.
• Addressed several UI issues related to CODCasting Hardpoint matches.
• Minimap will now show when a Hardpoint is in a contested state.
• Flag Carrier indicator should now properly appear when CODCasting CTF matches.
• CODCasters can now see objective indicators in the Player List when a Player has an objective.
• Addressed issue where if a Player protected/banned multiple items, only the first item would display.

Lobby Invites

• Addressed an issue where Player’s max party size would be set to 1 when going from a Multiplayer Lobby to a Zombies Lobby.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when accepting an invite during any cinematic.
• Addressed several issues related to Players being able to exceed the max party size in various situations.
• Resolved several bugs related to joining a session from outside of the game.
• Players can now send game invites while in Campaign.

Challenges and Medals

• Fixed issue where unlocking the Cannibal head for Nomad from a Supply Drop displayed the wrong item.
• Fixed issue where images would not appear for some challenges in the After Action Report.
• Fixed issue for "Collateral" medal in Hardcore where it was occasionally incorrectly awarded for rapid sequential kills.
• Fixed bug where the “Clutch” medal was improperly being awarded if you killed the last Player on an enemy team.
• Addressed issue whereby grenade kills were not counting towards the “Gung Ho Perk 3” challenge.
• Addressed issue where kills from a Hardened Sentry gun received in a Care Package were counting towards the “Heavy Cover” challenge.
• Corrected issue where “Flak Jacket” challenge was tracked in Arena even if the Player had not unlocked Flak Jacket in Public Matches.
• Addressed issues where the following challenges were not correctly being tracked:
  • “Engineer Prestige”
  • "Now You See Me"
  • "Run and Gun"
  • "Blast Suppressor"
  • "Gunfighter"
  • “Secondary Gunfighter”
  • "Covering Fire"

Media Tab

• Fixed a crash in the Media Tab that occurred when a Player attempted to publish a Clip from a saved file.

ZOMBIES

General

• Daily Challenge feature added.
• Ready-Up functionality has returned to the Zombies lobby.
• Fixed an issue where Players were not able to achieve prestige master status.
• Fine-tuned weapon balance.
• Addressed issue where GobbleGum users infrequently consumed the wrong Player’s stock.
• Fixed issue where Players were being kicked from match in 4-Player split screen.
• Fixed issues where lightning effect wasn't playing on various weapons. 

Shadows of Evil

• Fine-tuned weapon balance.
• Addressed various exploits where Players were able to get out of the map.
• Fixed an issue around an Easter Egg quest that prevented a Player from accomplishing the quest.
• Fixed rare issue where Players were unable to start an Easter Egg if they obtained a specific gun.
• Increased visibility of "Lil'Arnie" bottle.
• Addressed visual issue near Beast Mode altar in Canal District.
• Fixed bug where Players were able to pick up the sword while in beast mode.
• Addressed an exploit related to the Level 2 Sword charge meter not depleting correctly.
• Fixed issue where Players were able to purchase/pick up items while transforming back from Beast Mode to Human.
• Addressed bug where the Pop Shocks GobbleGum stayed active when a Player went into Beast Mode.
• Addressed issue where Players are unable to wall run after a host migration in the Pack-A-Punch Room.
• Fixed issue where Players could exploit Margwas from spawning in for the rest of the game.

The Giant

• Addressed exploits in the Giant map where Players were able to leave play space near Animal Testing area.
• Fixed exploit in the Giant where the Player was able to get under the map near the "Catwalk".
• Addressed issue where Player could become stuck on collision near the KRM wallbuy and power switch locations.  

Dead Ops Arcade 2

• Dead Ops Arcade 2 is now accessible from the Main Menu (BONUS).
• Dedicated Dead Ops Arcade 2 lobby added w/public match support.
• New Leaderboards for solo/2-Player/3-Player/4-Player.
• 4-Player Local support.
• Player guardians (Robots and Skeletons) are no longer collidable.
• Non-player entities should no longer trigger round exits.
• Fixed bug where upon death, Player would respawn with 1, 2 or 4 boosts. (2/4 depending on FATE)
• New Pickup added: Golden Egg, a rare post round 60-item spawn.  The Golden Egg hatches into Extra Life pickup.
• Fate of Firepower upgrade: If granted this ability, all weapon pickups will start at Level 2(red);  Default Permanent weapon is Level 2 Death Machine (red).
• Fate of Friendship upgrade: Player's permanent weapon is the Level 3 LMG(purple).
• Fate of Favor upgrade: Golden chicken now only cycles through Level 3(purple) weapons; Golden Chicken lays up to 3 Golden Eggs after ceremonial dance.
• Addressed multiple bugs around invisible Shadow Man issue.
• Solo Player Anti-kiting logic.
• Addressed variety of issues around small window of possible death when exiting vehicle.
• Nerfed the amount of score increment given for direct damage to boss.
• Fixed issues around a small window of possible death at end of Redins Rally.
• Fix for zombies failing to path when Player is in VTOL.
• Fix for loosing ability to run fast if Player dies after Redins but was awarded the temporary Force upgrade.
• Sentry/Rocket turrets can no longer pickup items.
• Upon Death, gems now pop-out correctly and can be scavenged.
• Umbrella pickup now properly drops skulls.
• Fix for Room of Fate progression break if Player captures a falling Fate rock before all others have landed.
• Fix for Player controls not being mapped correctly when Joining in Progress on a game that is currently First-Person mode.
• Room of Judgment logic changed to factor in skill and remove the random nature, a Player will always be rewarded.

CAMPAIGN

Challenges

• Resolved an issue that occasionally prevents completed accolades from registering after finishing a level.  This would have prevented Players from achieving the Combat Distinction and Campaign Master challenges.