MW3 Season 5 patch notes: Killstreak changes, tracked challenge increase, and weapon nerfs

Modern Warfare 3 Season 5 boasts a plethora of unique additions for its Multiplayer mode. Not only will it give you the chance to earn new content, but you can also expect noticeable changes to Killstreaks. We’re here to explain MW3 Season 5’s patch notes to help give you an idea of the latest features.

All Modern Warfare 3 Season 5 changes

The MW3 and Warzone Season 5 roadmap previously gave us some insight into the newest patch notes. With it, we have the new two 6v6 core maps, Bait and Yard, along with a few unique variations.

The WWE x MW3 crossover will also be kicking off for the season, featuring new modes and Operator skins. This includes the wrestlers Rhea Ripley, Rey Mysterio, and Cody Rhodes. You can equip them and test out their moves in the Slam Deathmatch, a WWE-themed hub. There’s also an upcoming WWE SummerSlam event, where you can fight your way to become the next Heavyweight Champion.

As for Killstreaks, they will now be much more challenging to earn due to a new change for MW3 Season 5. According to the patch notes, any score earned from a Killstreak will no longer count toward the next available one. However, the Looping Streak modifier will continue to stay, allowing players to get multiple streaks in a single life.

Weapons have been tweaked across the board, including a decrease in recoil magnitudes for the BAL-27. The Reclaimer 18 and XRK Stalker also have better chances of one-shot kills, thanks to their increased damage ranges. Lastly, handguns are continuously being improved in terms of their trigger action attachments. Their performances will likely change throughout the season to better fit the needs of players.

Among the UIX changes, the increase in tracked challenges is a significant improvement. Instead of only tracking five, it has now been bumped up to 10, providing a more comprehensive coverage of multiple progression objectives. Zombies mode also comes with some minor adjustments, but we won’t see any significant alterations until the midseason.

Since MW3 Season 5 patch notes are fairly extensive, you can check out the full list of adjustments from Activision:

Modern Warfare 3 Season 5 patch notes

New Maps

Bait (6v6)

Catch some rays in the Sunshine State on the mid-sized Bait.

Yard (6v6)

Crush your enemies in a dusty junkyard out in the Sonoran Desert.

Celship (6v6, Shipment Variant)

Deploy to a cel-shaded version of Shipment with added vibrancy to the intensely chaotic map.

Toonoxide (6v6, Rust Variant)

It’s dusk on Rust with a full moon overhead, this classic location takes on a whole new vibe.

Ink House (6v6, Stash House Variant, In-Season)

Return to Palo Alto as Stash House gets the cel-shaded, inked look.

New Modes

Slam Deathmatch

Land epic WWE-themed wrestling moves to score for your team.

Arcade

Power weapons are placed in each map and players drop powerful pickups on death.  Use these to compete in a mosh pit of modes.

COD Warrior

3 teams square off in quick, fast-paced minigames. Each round is a new minigame with a new objective.

Fishfection (In-Season)

Eliminated Survivors become Infected fish.  Infect everyone, or survive the game to win.

Paintball (In-Season)

Paintball weapons and ammunition with enhanced sliding movements. Defeat the enemy team. All weapons are 1 shot kills.

Defuse or Destroy (In-Season)

Defend or Destroy the objective. No respawning.

Cyber Attack (In-Season)

Back by popular demand. Retrieve the EMP device and plant it near the enemy’s Data Center.

New Weapons

STG44 (Assault Rifle, Battle Pass)

The rifle that heralded the age of the assault rifle as a global standard. Fully automatic and chambered in 7.92x33mm, this is a hard-hitting primary weapon.

Static-HV (Submachine Gun, Battle Pass)

Bring compact lethality to the battlefield with this small SMG chambered in 5.7x28mm. High fire rate and significant ammo capacity in the factory magazine.

Torque 35 (Launcher, Week 5 Challenges, In-Season)

A combat-ready compound bow with a 60lbs draw weight capable of taking down large prey. Certain types of arrows are retrievable after being fired.

Spear (Melee, Battle Pass, In-Season)

Channel your inner spartan with this razor-sharp, serrated spear. This weapon boosts melee reach and can be thrown at enemies.

New Aftermarket Parts

In addition to weekly Aftermarket Parts, unlock all eight Weekly Challenge rewards to earn the Chainbreaker animated Weapon Camo.

JAK Widemouth Barrel (MORS Sniper Rifle, Week 1 Challenges)

A widemouth barrel crafted to accommodate magnetic ball bearings that shatter upon firing, creating a barrage of small and lethal projectiles.

JAK Cataclysm (RPK Light Machine Gun, Week 2 Challenges)

Command the battlefield with this .50 Cal conversion kit for the RPK. Slow yet powerful with a high-capacity drum mag, this kit is your enemy’s nightmare.

JAK Slash (Underbarrel Attachment, Week 3 Challenges)

This underbarrel vertical grip doubles as a combat knife, replacing your melee attack with a lethal slash.

JAK Protean (RAAL MG Light Machine Gun, Week 4 Challenges)

This conversion kit turns the RAAL into a highly adaptable prototype weapon with a telescoping barrel that can be toggled between full-auto and semi-auto fire, offering suppressive fire and precision in the same weapon.

JAK Deathmarch (BAL-27 Assault Rifle, Week 6 Challenges)

This aftermarket part replaces standard ammo with high-voltage power cells and the barrel with a photonic scatter barrel. Fire a spread of lethal laser blasts that take down enemies at short range.

JAK Devastators (Reclaimer 18 Shotgun, Week 7 Challenges)

Dual-wield Reclaimer 18 shotguns and become a mobile artillery barrage with this aftermarket part. Accuracy and recoil control are minimal, but destruction is maximized.

New Equipment

EMP Grenade (Tactical)

Deactivates enemy electronics and disrupts enemy sensors for a short time.

New Operators

Cody Rhodes (SpecGru)

Born into wrestling royalty as the son of the late WWE Hall of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes was destined for greatness. He honed his skills for years, capturing multiple titles in WWE from 2007 to 2016 by capturing two Intercontinental Championships and six WWE Tag Team Championships before departing to forge his own path.

But The American Nightmare refused to stay away, making a heroic return at WrestleMania 38 to answer Seth “Freakin” Rollins’s open challenge. Despite suffering a torn pectoral, Cody’s perseverance saw him defeat The Visionary twice, solidifying his status as one of the most tenacious and resilient competitors in the game. At WrestleMania XL, Cody achieved his destiny, dethroning Roman Reigns to claim the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Boasting a dangerous arsenal and a tremendous knowledge of the squared circle, Rhodes battled everyone from Randy Orton to The Miz to Rey Mysterio and so many more. Now, this wrestling legacy carries his family name into battle. Blessed with an arsenal of punishing maneuvers and a psychotic level of toughness, The American Nightmare has arrived – underestimate him at your peril.

Rey Mysterio (SpecGru)

He stands only 5-foot-6 and barely weighs 175 pounds, but a lack of size hasn’t stopped the incomparable Rey Mysterio from achieving giant dreams in WWE, including capturing the WWE Championship, two World Heavyweight Championships, two Intercontinental Championships, three United States Championships, five WWE Tag Team Championships, three WWE Cruiserweight Championships, and outlasting 29 other Superstars to win the Royal Rumble Match as the No. 2 entrant.

Whether standing up to a dangerous giant like Kane or flying down from the top of a steel cage, the Ultimate Underdog is known for refusing to be intimidated inside the ring. Trained in the proud Mexican tradition of lucha libre before he was even old enough to drive, Rey Mysterio adopted his ring name in tribute to his uncle and hid his face under a mask as lucha custom dictates.

First establishing himself in the cruiserweight and tag team divisions, the Mexican Superstar soon proved that size doesn’t matter when he beat the odds to win the Royal Rumble Match in 2006. From there, Mysterio accomplished the inconceivable when he won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXII, becoming the smallest Superstar ever to hold that title.

With his revolutionary style, Mysterio overcame the odds to enjoy a championship career that is respected by fellow Superstars and the WWE Universe alike, making him one of the most well-known and beloved competitors of all time. Defy the odds and shatter expectations by joining the Master of the 619 as he brings his heart, determination, and an endless supply of high-impact aerial insanity to the warzone.

Ivan (KorTac)

A veteran Konni operative, Ivan Alexxeve was loyal to the people, and to the cause.

Ivan Alexxeve was the scariest man in the room. In his young and impressionable youth, Ivan spent time with his father in New York City, witnessing a world of espionage and deceit. He took some hard lessons back to Russia, where he carried on his family’s decorated military legacy in his own military career, climbing the ranks with sheer determination and physicality.

His distrust and dislike of the West eventually led him to the Konni Group, where he met and aligned himself with Makarov in the hopes of dismantling and disproving the West’s notion of being the most powerful military in the world.

While Ivan and Makarov shared the goal of the West’s defeat and Russia’s rise, they disagreed on the treatment of soldiers. Ivan understood loyalty to be a two-way street between commander and soldier, but misunderstood his own importance to Makarov.

When Ivan became frustrated at Makarov’s callous treatment of his soldiers, knowing firsthand what it’s like to be pushed and abused by your superiors for unimaginable results, Makarov watched Ivan’s loyalty falter… and he did not like what he saw.

For questioning his leader, and wasting time, Ivan was executed by Makarov at a Konni base in 2023.

Reconker BlackCell (KorTac)

Execute BlackCell orders without question, without hesitation, and without mercy.

Rhea Ripley (KorTac)
Rhea Ripley is a cold-blooded killer forged in the fires of brutal combat. This Aussie nightmare slashed her way through the ranks, dominating the Mae Young Classic and the inaugural NXT UK Women’s Championship Tournament.

The Nightmare’s list of accolades only grew as she reached the main roster. After an awe-inspiring showing during the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble Match, Ripley shocked the world by ending Asuka’s reign of terror in the Raw Women’s Championship Match at WrestleMania 37.

The ultra-aggressive and terrifyingly strong Aussie embraced her true self, and that spelled bad news for anyone who faced her, as she already had the physical goods to stand toe-to-toe with any Superstar in sports entertainment.

Now unleashed on the battlefield, Rhea Ripley embraces her role as an agent of torment and fear. Merciless, dominant, and seemingly unstoppable – this is the embodiment of a true Nightmare.

New Events

WWE SummerSlam (July 31 – August 7)

Become the next Heavyweight Champion! Complete challenges to unlock WWE rewards. 

Conquest (August 7 – August 14)

Prove your strength. Complete challenges across modes and locations to unlock rewards.

Echo Endo Live! (August 14 – August 21)

Jump into the world of Echo Endo! Earn XP to unlock rewards.

Battle Beasts (August 21 – August 28)

It’s time to unleash your inner animal! Complete event challenges to unlock wild rewards

Emotional Overdrive (September 12 – September 18)

Don’t rage quit just yet! Earn XP in-game to unlock slightly cursed rewards.

New Prestige

Continue your player rank journey to Prestige 21 Level 1,050 while using your favorite Weapons to unlock the new Mercury animated Weapon Prestige Camo at 250,000 Weapon XP.

Global

Stability & Performance

Addressed an issue causing poor performance on Xbox One consoles.

Customization

• Improved quality of first-person arm textures on the Jeans Ghost Operator Skin.
• Removed incompatible Underbarrel from the Matambre Blueprint for the FJX Horus.

Multiplayer

UIX

• Increased limit of Tracked Challenges from 5 to 10.
• Improved flow of interacting with an empty slot in the player list in Private Matches.
• Trigger Action Attachment slot is now displayed while previewing Blueprints in the Store.
• Bug Fixes
  • Added various measures to prevent Custom Mods with unintended Attachment setups from being used.
  • Fixed an issue causing unexpected Attachments to be equipped after removing a Conversion Kit in the Gunsmith.
  • Fixed an issue causing a low-quality background asset to be displayed while hovering the Ranked Play tile in the COD HQ.
  • Fixed various issues encountered while filtering Calling Cards.
  • Pros and Cons are now displayed in the Gunsmith for Akimbo Attachments.
  • Corrected count of unlockable Camos displayed in the Weapon Challenges menu.
  • Lengthy Activision IDs will no longer cause linebreaks in the Killcam.
  • Improved sizing of columns on the Scoreboard to prevent overlap.
  • Tac-Stance indication is now properly displayed on the HUD while using a Juggernaut.
  • Adjusted Pros and Cons displayed for several Attachments to ensure accuracy.

Gameplay

• Adding missing Operator voicelines when pinging a Med Box, Tac Cam, Comm Scrambler, A.C.S., or Remote Turret.
• Fixed an issue causing Magazine Attachments for the MTZ-556 to not be properly equipped once in a match.

Maps

• Invasion
  • Located missing SUV near the South Street and returned it to its intended position.
• Terminal
  • Fixed an issue causing some aerial Killstreaks to become stuck near the Lounge.
• Vista
  • Fixed an issue causing some Killstreaks to become stuck.
  • Defenders team now spawns at Furnicular to begin the match.
  • Attackers team now spawns at Plaza to begin the match.
  • Repositioned capture zone A to the bridge within Jungle.
  • Slightly adjusted capture zone B in the Marketplace and added additional spawn points to improve balance between teams.
  • Adjusted spawn directions to ensure flow toward capture zones.

Changes to Control are in response to player feedback, intending to improve the competitive experience of the mode on Vista. Capture zone A is now in a position less favorable for defense while capture zone B is increasingly balanced, and initial spawn points are now aligned with Search and Destroy mode.

Weapons & Attachments

Assault Rifles

• BAL-27
  • Decreased horizontal recoil magnitude, allowing greater predictability during sustained fire.
  • Decreased overall recoil magnitude to aid in long-range effectiveness.
  • Decreased overall recoil deviation, ensuring a more predictable pattern that is easier to control at range.

Submachine Guns

• Superi 46
  • Decreased movement speed from 5m/s to 4.9m/s (-2%).
  • Decreased crouched movement speed from 2m/s to 1.9m/s (-5%).
  • Decreased sprint speed from 5.9m/s to 5.8m/s (-2%).
  • Decreased ADS movement speed from 3.6m/s to 3.4m/s (-6%).
• FJX Horus
  • Increased sprint to fire time from 93ms to 110ms (+18%).
  • Decreased maximum damage range from 13.7m to 11.4m (-17%).
  • Decreased near-medium damage range from 22.9m to 19m (-17%).
  • Decreased medium damage range from 29.7m to 25.4m (-15%).
  • Decreased far-medium damage range from 36.6m to 30.5m (-17%).

Shotguns

• Reclaimer 18
  • Fixed an issue causing inconsistent damage dealt to enemies in both fire types.
  • Semi-Auto Fire Type
    • Increased fire rate from 182rpm to 200rpm (+10%).
    • Increased hipfire spread by 12%.
  • Pump Action Fire Type
    • Increased hipfire maximum damage from 80 to 220 (+175%).
    • Increased hipfire maximum damage range from 2m to 3m (+50%).
    • Increased hipfire near-medium damage from 20 to 25 (+25%).

Using the Pump Action Fire Type, the Reclaimer 18 is now capable of killing enemies with one shot within its maximum damage range, and 2-shot kills are now more consistent.

• KV Broadside (MWII)
  • JAK Jawbreaker Conversion Kit
    • Decreased vertical recoil by 20%.
• MX Guardian (MWII)
  • Removed the ability to equip the incompatible GRV-Z Short Grip Underbarrel Attachment.

Light Machine Guns

• Pulemyot 762
  • Increased upper arm and lower arm damage multipliers from 1x to 1.1x.

Marksman Rifles

• MTZ Interceptor
  • Decreased maximum damage range from 30.5m to 22.9m (-25%).
  • Decreased lower torso, upper arm, lower arm, and hand damage multipliers from 1x to 0.9x.
• EBR-14 (MWII)
  • SO-90 Factory Stock
    • Fixed an issue causing players to become unable to move while aiming down sights.

Sniper Rifles

• XRK Stalker
  • Increased upper leg, lower leg, and foot damage multipliers from 1x to 1.1x.

Within its maximum damage range, the XRK Stalker is now capable of a one-shot kill regardless of hit location.

• Carrack .300 (MWII)
  • Increased maximum damage range from 12.7m to 17.8m (+40%).
  • Increased near-medium damage range from 30.7m to 66m (+115%).
  • Removed medium damage range.

Handguns

• COR-45
  • Decreased rate of fire from 375rpm to 240rpm (-36%).
  • XRK v6 Match Trigger Action
    • Decreased rate of fire from 438rpm to 264rpm (-40%).
  • XRK v21 Heavy Match Trigger Action
    • Decreased rate of fire from 545rpm to 272rpm (-50%).

COR-45 Trigger Action Attachments were previously more beneficial than intended. Due to negligible downsides, fire rate increases are generally kept below 50%. We’ll continue to monitor player feedback for potential improvements to base Handguns.

• TYR
  • Increased maximum damage range from 5.6m to 8.9m (+14%).
  • Increased near-medium damage range from 11.4m to 15.2m (+33%).
• GS Magna (MWII)
  • Removed the ability to equip the incompatible JAK NRG-IV Optic Attachment.

Melee

• Sledgehammer
  • Decreased movement speed by 22%.
  • Decreased heavy swing melee range from 5.3m to 3.2m (-40%).

Perks

• Engineer Vest
  • Added a Lethal Equipment slot.
• Gunner Vest
  • Added a Boots Perk slot.
• Demolition Vest
  • Added a second Gear Perk slot.
• CCT Comms Vest
  • Added a Tactical Equipment slot.
• Overkill Vest
  • Added a Field Upgrade slot.
• Ninja Vest
  • Added a Gloves Perk slot.
• Assassin Vest
  • Added a Field Upgrade slot.
• Gunslinger Vest
  • Added an extra Lethal Equipment to the equipped slot.
• Mission Control Vest
  • Added a Boots Perk slot.
• Modular Assault Rig Vest
  • Added a second Gear Perk slot.
• Compression Carrier Vest
  • Added a Tactical Equipment slot.

Killstreaks

• Score earned via Killstreaks will no longer contribute toward earning the next available Killstreak.

Although the Streaks Earn Streaks modifier is now disabled, the Looping Streaks modifier will remain active thanks to positive player feedback.

• M.G.B.
  • With the looming threat of a DNA Bomb now contained, the M.G.B. returns.

Zombies

Stability

• Resolved a crash that occurred when multiple users placed a Sentry Turret at the same time.
• Solved several crash bugs that occurred while getting kills in Unstable Rifts.

Progression

The Reclaimer 18 challenge, “Get 20 Consecutive Kills with the Reclaimer 18 10 Times Without Taking Damage” now progresses as intended.

UIX

• Weapon widget on the HUD now supports ammo counts greater than 999.
• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed an issue causing improper ammo counts to be displayed while using the Mags of Holding Schematic.
  • Fixed several instances in which Calling Card splashes did not match in-menu names.

Accessibility 

Some visual effects, such as flash muzzles, have been reduced to improve player comfort.

Gameplay

• Addressed an exploit allowing players to enter inaccessible areas while carrying a Sentry Turret.
• Fixed an issue causing players to receive invalid weapons via the Mystery Box.
• Resolved an issue where the KAS-10 584mm Mod Barrel attachment was removed and reverted to the default barrel upon loading into a match with the Flammable Fury Blueprint equipped.
• Resolved an issue where the Max Ammo Power-Up did not instantly fill the magazine of a left-handed Akimbo weapon.
• Resolved an issue where the tac sprint animation for the Sledgehammer melee weapon differed between third-person and first-person views.
• Resolved an issue in Operation Deadbolt where the helicopter would occasionally fail to move away from the exfil location after taking off.

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