Season 1 for Modern Warfare 3 And Call of Duty: Warzone officially kicks off this week, as the preseason for the latest Call of Duty game comes to a close.
While the rollout effectively puts DMZ – the popular extraction mode currently in beta – on ice, Season 1 brings with it a number of changes and additions. Modern Warfare 3 And War zone, connecting the two games with new weapons, operators and more.
It's also when the Vault Edition Battle Pass goes live for those who purchased that edition of the game.
Here is when Modern Warfare 3 season 1 starts in your time zoneplus a brief overview of the changes you can expect.
MW3 season 1 release time: when will the new MW3 season start?
Modern Warfare 3 season 1 and War zone season 1 is launched Wednesday December 6, simultaneously in all regions of the world. This is when the release will take place in your time zone:
- 9am PST off the west coast of North America
- 12:00 PM EST off the east coast of North America
- 5:00 PM GMT for Great Britain
- 6:00 PM CET for Western Europe / Paris
- 2 hours JST on December 7 for Tokyo
Based on the timing of previous seasons for previous Call of Duty games, the Season 1 update should roll out approximately 24 hours before the times mentioned above, hopefully giving you enough time to download.
What's new in MW3 season 1?
Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 introduces a number of new maps and game modes, plus five new weapons for you to use in this game War zone. You can read all changes at the Activision blogbut below we will describe the largest.
MW3 season 1 changes and additions
Image: Activision
- Two core 6v6 maps will be playable at the launch of Season 1: Meat, a dilapidated slaughterhouse in the Bay Area, and Greece, a small map set on an island in the Aegean Sea. Midway through the season, another core 6v6 map – Rio, a shopping district in urban Brazil – will join the rotation.
- Season 1 of Modern Warfare 3 heralds the return of Gunfight, a mode in which two teams of two compete against each other. The new Training Facility map will be available for Gunfight with the launch of Season 1.
- Season 1 also sees the addition of the All of Nothing mode. You start with a throwing knife and no ammunition. Your first elimination will give you a perk that allows you to pick up ammo. First to 20 eliminations wins.
- Five modes in the mid-season update will come to Modern Warfare 3: Vortex, CODMAS, Infected, Headquarters and Team Gunfight.
- Also in mid-season ranked game for Modern Warfare 3 will officially start.
Warzone season 1 changes and additions
Image: Activision
- War zone will introduce one new card, Urzikstan, next to a new gulag. Urzikstan also has a train you can ride – aka, it's the one scene from Extraction 2 but like a video game.
- Vondel and Ashika's cards return Unpleasant War zone with the rollout of Modern Warfare 3 season 1.
- Modern Warfare 3 mechanicsincluded slide cancelling, tactical stance and the ability to run while reloading will all be coming War zone with this update, as well as the list of weapons. You now always have a gun with you when you hang from an edge, climb a ladder or swim.
General changes and additions to MW3 season 1
Image: Activision
- Operators Nolan and Dokkaebi will headline the battle pass Modern Warfare 3 season 1, while skins are based on characters from Dune (replete with an uncanny valley Timothee Chalamet face on one) will be available in store.
- The Call of Duty League starts on December 8.
- You can still play the DMZ beta, but starting with the Season 1 update, DMZ “will no longer be available or communicate directly within Modern Warfare 3 or Call of Duty: Warzone,” Activision said in a blog post. Not new Modern Warfare 3 or War zone content is synced to DMZ, and any progress you make in DMZ will not apply to your battle passes. “We felt now was the time to take all the lessons learned from the beta and apply them to future development efforts as we evolve this style of play,” Activision said.