With Operation Monarch having come to a close, fans of Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific and Call of Duty: Vanguard can look forward to the upcoming midseason refresh for Season 3: Classified Arms. Classified Arms Reloaded plans to change the way that players traverse Caldera with an all-new underground transit system while also bringing an all-new map to Vanguard’s multiplayer mode. In addition to map changes, players can also anticipate a slew of quality-of-life updates such as a new squad HUD.
Call of Duty: Vanguard players will receive the update for Classified Arms Reloaded on May 24 at 10 a.m. PT while Call of Duty: Warzone players will update at 9 a.m. PT on May 25.
Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific changes: Transit system, high value loot zones, and more
Operation Monarch may be over and done, but one of the gameplay changes introduced will be here to stay. High Value Loot Zones will now appear in all standard battle royale matches. Locations designated during a match as a High Value Loot Zone will have a dollar sign as part of their label on the map.
In Classified Arms Reloaded players can also discover rickety mine carts below the surface that can now be used as a fast travel system. Support developers Toys for Bob have crafted this new Underground Transit System which will feature 14 access points across Caldera hidden carefully below Nebula 5 bunkers.
Doors for the mine-cart hub rooms can be found inside each of the bunkers. Seven other access points can be found across the map, as well. Players can locate seven small hatches that will lead to the mine-cart hub area where they can then access a map of the system. Each hub location will coordinate with a letter and number on the player’s tac map. To navigate via mine cart to a new hub area players just need to interact with the circular hatch and then walk toward the cart. Doing so triggers the destination to show on your screen so you can check your map. However, there will be no way for players to know whether an enemy team is waiting for them on the other side.
Call of Duty: Vanguard players are already familiar with the Serpentine perk, but with the Season 3 Reloaded update Warzone players can finally add this sniper countering perk to their loadouts. Serpentine will reduce incoming damage from bullets, explosives and fire by 20% when equipped if a player is sprinting. Shooters who pop an enemy with serpentine equipped will receive a snake indicator so they know what has happened and can follow up with another shot. Serpentine will be available for the Perk 1 slot, so players will need to consider whether it's worth giving up meta-popular perks Cold Blooded and Double Time if they want to take it on.
Along with Serpentine, Warzone players can look forward to the addition on three new tokens. The Gulag Entry Token, which features the infamous post-death symbol, will bind to a player upon pick up and affords the player re-entry to the gulag upon death. Similar to the Gulag Entry Token players can also be on the hunt for Redeploy Extraction Tokens. These have previously been seen in Warzone and they allow a player who is eliminated to return to the battlefield without having to fight out of the Gulag or be purchased by your squad mates.
For both of the new tokens players will only be able to carry one at a time, and they can not be transferred between squadmates. If you pick one up or are holding a token after the gulag closes then you will receive cash compensation in its place. These tokens can be found in battle royale matches in both Rebirth Island and Caldera.
Players can also expect to find new Perk Satchels on both maps in addition to these new tokens. A new speed boost buff will also be available across all matches, now. Speed Boost buffs were previously limited to Clash mode and can be located in supply boxes. Supply boxes will also be spitting out a new field upgrade — the Radar Jammer — so that players can scramble enemy TacMaps and prevent incoming killstreaks within a short radius. You’ll want to use caution when dropping a radar jammer, however, as players equipped with the Engineer perk can hack it for their own squad.
If Limited Time Modes are your cup of tea and you’re heartbroken at the conclusion of Operation Monarch, you can take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. The launch of Classified Arms Reloaded will bring with it the limited time mode Champions of Caldera. Designed as a high intensity mode for solo players, Champions of Caldera will throw 150 maximum players onto the map with a single, constantly closing circle in an all out brawl for victory. All operators drop into Caldera with their custom loadout, a gas mask, and a single redeploy token.
Champions of Caldera will offer an altered loot pool to emphasize more uncommon equipment while Buy Stations will be stocked with Advanced UAVs, Explosive Bows, and even the Specialist Bonus. All player kills in this mode immediately refill player health, equipment, and ammo to encourage aggressive, fast-paced gameplay.
Rebirth Island will also be getting a brand-new in-game event. Developed by Beenox, the new Occupation Scan event is the result of upgrades to Rebirth Island that included radar towers. At random points during Rebirth Resurgence matches, players will be warned of an incoming Occupation Scan. Any players who do not go prone for the duration of the scan will be pinged on the TacMap for all players to see.
Call of Duty: Vanguard changes: New multiplayer map and weapon
Classified Arms Reloaded is a bit light on new content for Call of Duty: Vanguard but multiplayer fans can expect one new map as part of the update. Sphere is a compact, two-story map that will feature a mock coal mining village on its top level complete with wooden buildings, crates, and natural formations. Underground, however, players will find a mine, concrete tunnels, workshop, and even a central laboratory.
To go with a compact map players can also add the H4 Blixen SMG to their loadouts. The hard-hitting medium ranged firearm is perfect for delivering a three-shot kill but balances its power out by having a slower fire rate. However, the Blixen also offers more bullets per magazine and better Vertical Recoil Control, ADS speed, and reload quickness than the comparable Owen gun. To unlock the H4 Blixen players will need to get 3 slide kills in a single match 15 times, or purchase a to-be-released bundle later in the season.
Task Force Harpy will be closed out following Season 3 Reloaded with the release of masked fighter Kim Tae Young. Tae Young dons a Dokkaebi mask and has a reputation among the Korean people as a local folk hero. She will come complete with a 20-level Operator XP progression track that unlocks several Operator Skins, but players will need to purchase a bundle to unlock her in Vanguard and Warzone.
There were no updates announced for Call of Duty: Vanguard's zombies or Ranked Play modes as part of the midseason refresh. Both of these modes are under development by Treyarch Studios, who has been mostly radio silent since mid-April as they work on bringing round-based Zombies and a reimagining of the classic Shi No Numa map to Vanguard sometime later in 2022. Treyarch also continues to support Black Ops Cold War into its second year, possibly due to the low sales of Call of Duty: Vanguard.
