May 17, 2021
Some heroes die hard. Others draw first blood. The action begins May 20.
Some heroes die hard. Others draw first blood. The action begins May 20.
May 17, 2021
Coming Soon across Call of Duty: ’80s Action Heroes and More!
In a world where Season Three comes fully Reloaded, two incredible ’80s Action Heroes crash the party, ensuring the mid-season update for Call of Duty®: Warzone™, Black Ops Cold War, and Call of Duty: Mobile is an unmissable and explosive blockbuster!
One is John McClane, a New York cop who arrives at a holiday party turned hostage situation. He’s the hero of the Die Hard films, one of the most iconic action movie series of all time.
The other is Rambo, a man double-crossed while on a clandestine mission and left to fight on his own in Rambo: First Blood Part II, which continued to inspire countless action movies since its release in 1985.
With these two ’80s Action Heroes appearing across all three games, anything is possible in Call of Duty, but one thing is for certain:
Some heroes die hard.
Others draw first blood.
The action begins May 20.
The ’80s Action Heroes event kicks off with limited-time bundles and game modes, in addition to the weapons, maps, and other features already expected during this season. This content will be live on May 19 at 9 PM PT, following updates to Black Ops Cold War on May 18 at 9 PM PT and Warzone on May 19 at 9 PM PT.
In addition, the ’80s Action Heroes event comes to Call of Duty: Mobile on May 20 at 5 PM PT! Expect John McClane and Rambo to appear in the Store, as well as the limited-time Multiplayer Mode Guns Blazing. Check out more information further down this post, here.
Keep reading for everything you need to know for the star-studded ’80s Action Heroes event!
Warzone and Black Ops Cold War—Operators Rambo and John McClane
Rambo (Launch)
“To survive a war, you gotta become war.”
Serving time for murder, highly decorated MACV-SOG soldier John Rambo is offered one more mission – return to Vietnam and locate American POWs. If successful, he will be released, and given a full Presidential pardon…
This Operator will be available via the “Rambo” bundle in the Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Store from May 19 at 9PM PT to June 18 at 9PM PT. This bundle includes the Legendary Operator; two Finishing Moves, including one using his signature bow and arrow; three Legendary Weapon Blueprints—an assault rifle, an LMG and a Knife Blueprint; a Legendary Calling Card and Emblem; and an Epic Watch and Charm.
John McClane (Launch)
“Welcome to the party, pal!”
A hard-bitten cop on the streets of New York, John McClane has a talent for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now in the fight of his life, he’ll have to rely on his cocky attitude and level head to stay alive.
John McClane will be available via the “Die Hard” bundle in the Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Store from May 19 at 9PM PT to June 18 at 9PM PT. This bundle includes the Legendary Operator, a Finishing Move, three Legendary Weapon Blueprints—one tactical rifle, one SMG, and one assault rifle—a Legendary Calling Card and Emblem, an Epic Watch, and an Epic Weapon Charm.
Note: Rambo and John McClane are brand-new Call of Duty Operators; these are not skins for previously released Operators.
WARZONE CONTENT
Not only have the heroes of Die Hard and Rambo arrived in Verdansk, but they also brought some iconic locales with them, changing the Warzone as we know it…but only for a limited time.
New Point of Interest: Nakatomi Plaza (Launch)
The headquarters of the Nakatomi Corporation have moved from sunny Los Angeles to Verdansk’s Downtown for a limited time. This is the tallest single structure seen in Warzone and includes five floors of a space that will be familiar to those who know and love the original Die Hard.
In addition to replacing the Broadcast Tower and surrounding blocks that normally define Downtown’s southern district, Nakatomi Plaza features multiple optional missions that can be completed during Battle Royale and Plunder for rewards both in-game and for your profile. This includes exploring the tower for Supply Boxes, defusing C4 on the tower’s roof, and interrupting an arms deal gone wrong.
If you and your squad are lucky enough, you may even be able to do what no international criminal has been able to pull off before: successfully crack the Nakatomi Plaza vault and escape with its riches. But be forewarned that you won’t be the only Operators looking for the keys to the vault…
New Point of Interest: Survival Camps (Launch)
Around Verdansk, numerous campsites have been converted into Survival Camps as a homage to Rambo: First Blood Part II.
Find any of these ten camps across the map, and you could walk out with some solid loadout items or the dog tags of comrades who fell long before your arrival. Collect enough of them, and you may be able to get an even greater reward…
New Point of Interest: CIA Outpost (Launch)
One of the aircraft hangars in Verdansk’s northwest sector has been converted into a makeshift CIA Outpost, as these agents need a home base to start tracking down the elusive Rambo.
Apparently, these field operatives are also searching for any identification of fallen soldiers and may bring in some air reinforcements should enough of them be collected for extraction. Maybe this can be used to stage an ambush that only a true guerilla warfare expert could handle…
Be the Action Hero in Power Grab, a Limited-Time Mode (Launch)
Battle Royales were already intense, action movie–worthy matches within Warzone, but what if the intensity was dialed up to true Hollywood extremes? You would get Power Grab, a Limited-Time Mode that pits over 100 Operators across select squad sizes in a battle for true badass protagonist supremacy.
In Power Grab, Operators will find that the starting circle collapse is smaller than in a traditional Battle Royale in Verdansk. This circle collapse will have five stages and there is no Gulag to escape from upon death.
Instead, you must either revive your squadmates via the Buy Station or earn the right to revive them by collecting Dog Tags. Similar to Kill Confirmed in traditional Multiplayer, every Operator will drop a Dog Tag each time they are eliminated. These Dog Tags can also be found as rewards for completing Contracts, and in rare cases, they can be found in Supply Boxes around Verdansk.
Each Dog Tag collected brings you one notch up a reward ladder, which is visible on the right side of your HUD. This reward ladder includes a UAV; a Respawn Token, which gives you the right to infil into Verdansk again; and Advanced Gas Masks and Specialist Bonuses, at higher tiers.
Despite these differences compared to a traditional Battle Royale, the endgame is the same: Be the last squad standing to win.
Straight out of the ‘80s, the Combat Bow adds an explosive punch to any loadout when found in Verdansk or Rebirth Island.
Effective against both infantry and vehicles, this new Killstreak can help your squad turn the tide of battle through unconventional warfare. The longer you pull back the bow, the farther the explosive-tipped arrow will go, so be sure to adjust your strength as needed to hit targets at longer distances.
The image shows the ballistic knife being wielded in Black Ops Cold War.
The Ballistic Knife of Black Ops series fame also comes to Warzone in Season Three Reloaded! Built for stealth kills from multiple distances, this versatile weapon allows for melee attacks up close and a projectile blade attack from short-to-medium ranges.
BLACK OPS COLD WAR CONTENT
Black Ops Cold War is ready for action in Season Three Reloaded, remixing classic game modes and adding in two Multiplayer maps, plus the new Main Quest for Zombies fans to discover and solve in Outbreak, and more.
Standoff (6v6, Launch)
It’s back in Black Ops.
First introduced in Black Ops II, Standoff is a 6v6 medium-sized map that features a timeless three-lane feel and provides plentiful opportunities for outsmarting your opponents.
Remember to check the central building, and always be mindful of a certain exploding van, which has plenty of notoriety within the Call of Duty competitive community…
Duga (Multi-Team, Launch)
Also arriving at the start of Season Three Reloaded is Duga, a new region in the Ural Mountains ready for Multi-Team modes after spending the first half of the season in Outbreak.
Duga offers something for every playstyle, whether you prefer to move through the central admin offices for close-range battles or work your way around the perimeter through the bus depot to the chemical processing plant for long-range battles.
If you can’t immediately decide where to hone your skills, try making your way atop the array tower for a tactical view before parachuting off to your destination of choice.
Die Hardpoint (Launch)
Prepare for a fight against not only the opposition but also time itself in a cranked-up twist to a fan-favorite mode: Die Hardpoint.
Work alongside your squad to capture Hardpoints and eliminate enemies in a race to gain 200 points, or the most points before time expires. Capturing a Hardpoint will give you a movement speed boost (the first of five potential buffs) and set your timer to 30 seconds. But beware: these buffs come at the cost of your life in explosive fashion when the clock hits zero.
This timer can be extended by earning eliminations and playing the objective, so aggressive play will be key to survival. While on your team's Hardpoint, your timer will be paused, and kills will add 15 seconds to your timer up to a max of 30 seconds. Successive kills will also grant you up to four additional buffs on top of movement speed: weapon handling, ADS speed, slide speed, and a larger explosion for when you inevitably die (only achievable after a five-kill streak.)
Also, since this is an action-movie inspired playlist, expect the Operators to put on their best acting chops upon being eliminated, as they are more than prepared to do their own stunts after their health reaches zero…
Rambo’s Gun Game (Week Two)
Introduced in Season Two, Gun Game is a frantic Free-for-All mode where players compete to earn at least one kill with 20 different weapons.
On its own, Gun Game can be a fast and frenetic party mode, but what happens when Rambo joins the party? The rotation of 20 weapons gets a serious boost in firepower, as the Combat Bow, War Machine, RPG-7, and even the Death Machine get added into a fresh set of armaments. To help keep our action heroes alive, players will also be equipped with the Stimshot.
The gameplay is just as frenzied as ever. Dying via melee attacks, falling off the map, or staying too long in restricted areas brings you back one stage in the weapon rotation, and the first to get a kill by launching a Ballistic Knife wins the match. However, remember that this is the ’80s Action Heroes event, so expect plenty of explosions and dramatic falls from Operators throughout the match!
Multi-Team Elimination (Launch)
Fans of Squad vs. Squad game modes will have an intense new last team-standing experience to take on across Black Ops Cold War’s biggest maps.
In Multi-Team Elimination, ten teams of four will drop in and fight to survive against ever-expanding radiation zones. Redeploys will be limited and loadouts will be restricted, so teams will need to scavenge for weapons, Scorestreaks, Armor, and more.
Emerge as the last team standing or the first squad to board the exfil chopper in the final safe zone to achieve victory in this massive new Multiplayer mode!
Action Movie–Inspired Medals (Launch)
In addition to the standard Medals received during Multiplayer and Zombies matches, the ’80s Action Heroes event will introduce limited-time Medals and some nods to both the Die Hard and Rambo franchises. These Medals function similar to ones already in Black Ops Cold War, offering a bit of additional bling to your barracks while also giving you some bonus XP to help you reach that next level quicker.
For example, are you shredding the competition with the Death Machine? Instead of the usual “Shredded” Medal, you may receive the “Light Em Up” Medal for your skill with this powerful minigun. Or how about using explosives? Blast away your enemies, and you may get the “Have a Blast!” Medal in-game to commend you for your expertise with explosives.
Zombies: New Outbreak Content, New Limited-Time Mode, and More
The Dark Aether story is set to explode in Outbreak, Zombies gets a new limited-time mode, plus more that Requiem has not given us clearance to declassify…
New Main Quest, Orda World Event, and More in Outbreak (Launch)
Requiem agents deployed to the Outbreak Zone will find a brand-new Main Quest to experience for the first time in Outbreak. The events that unfold within will set the stage for the next round-based map in Black Ops Cold War Zombies, as well as what’s still to come in future seasons. Watch for details from Treyarch on when players can expect to join in on the Easter egg hunt this week!
Season Three Reloaded also delivers a new World Event to discover in Outbreak. Massive Orda monsters now wander the Ural Mountains, posing a considerable challenge with powerful rewards for those who come out of the encounter alive.
And if you need to take a quick break between all the chaos, try picking up one of the fishing poles found near water sources throughout the regions. Players just might fish up Salvage, Armor, Perks, or even a special surprise...
And as always, there are other secrets waiting in Outbreak for players to find on their own. Beware the new dangers that lurk in the Outbreak Zone, and keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary...
Cranked 2: No Time to Crank (Launch)
A new variant of the fan-favorite Cranked makes its way to Firebase Z and Die Maschine with an explosive twist in a limited-time ’80s Action Heroes Zombies mode.
In this new take on Cranked in Zombies, all players will start with a Knife, with Wall Buys disabled and Crafting Tables removed. All Mystery Box locations will be active and restocked with different armaments, including more frequent Support items. In addition to finding more explosive ordinances from the Mystery Box, zombies are more likely to drop lethal explosive equipment.
Just like in the hit prequel to Cranked 2, eliminating your first zombie starts a Cranked Timer. Keep it ticking with each elimination, as the timer’s duration decreases as rounds progress...
Will you be able to keep your Cranked Timer above zero and avoid a fiery demise? Find out in Cranked 2: No Time to Crank.
New Custom Mod Support, Mystery Box Weapons, and Weapon Buffs (Launch)
In addition to this new content in Outbreak and round-based Zombies maps, Treyarch is bringing Custom Mod support to the “Apply Blueprint” feature to allow players to save their own custom Blueprints and bring them into Zombies alongside the Blueprints they already own.
Weapons from previous seasons are also being added to the Mystery Box and Trials reward pools, including the Groza, MAC-10, Streetsweeper, FARA 83, LC10, R1 Shadowhunter, ZRG 20mm, Sledgehammer, Wakizashi, Machete, and E-Tool.
New Zombies-specific weapon tuning is also incoming to boost the overall power of several weapons in the Black Ops Cold War arsenal, so zombie slayers will have even more viable tools of destruction at their fingertips. For more details on all of the updates coming to Zombies this week, visit the Treyarch Blog.
WARZONE AND BLACK OPS COLD WAR CONTENT:
Warzone and Black Ops Cold War—Two New Weapons
Later in Season Three Reloaded, the Secondary Weapon category receives two additional weapons: an automatic machine pistol and an old reliable melee weapon.
Baseball Bat: Melee (Launch Week)
A classic bruiser’s weapon of war, and Black Ops Cold War’s newest addition for one-hit melee fans, the Baseball Bat is what you want when the enemy has you in a pickle. Whether it’s against the undead hordes in Zombies or enemy Operators in Multiplayer, using the Baseball Bat could mean the difference between sitting on your squad’s bench or becoming its MVP.
Note: the Baseball Bat will enter the Warzone melee starting lineup during Season Four after its “spring training” in Black Ops Cold War during Season Three Reloaded’s launch week.
AMP63: Pistol (In-Season)
Slotting in as the fourth sidearm in Black Ops Cold War’s arsenal, this personal defense weapon is a cross between a self-loading pistol and a fully automatic SMG.
Expect this weapon to output high amounts of damage in a short period of time thanks to its full-auto nature, which makes it highly effective in close quarters.
Obtain the AMP63 and Baseball Bat during Season Three Reloaded in one of two ways: complete an in-game challenge to obtain the free base weapon or pick up a bundle with a Blueprint version when it appears in the Store.
Want to collect free player profile items, Weapon Charms and Stickers, a new Arcade Game, and even Weapon Blueprints? Then lock and load for the “’80s Action Heroes” in-game challenge event across Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.
Similar to the “Hunt for Adler” and “Haunting of Verdansk” events, Operators will be tasked with completing objectives in both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone, receiving rewards that can be used across both titles, with the exception of the Robot Tank Arcade Game (available only in the Black Ops Cold War Barracks). These challenges are themed around the awesome new, limited-time content, and include objectives like completing matches in specific playlists or earning kills with the new Combat Bow Killstreak in Warzone.
Complete all nine Black Ops Cold War challenges to unlock a semi-automatic tactical rifle Weapon Blueprint and complete all nine of the Warzone challenges to get an awesome Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle Weapon Blueprint.
In addition to these two new weapons, as well as John McClane and Rambo, the Store across Black Ops Cold War and Warzone will be updated with fresh new Weapon Blueprints, Operator Skins, and more content across multiple bundles.
This includes the “Death’s Veil Maxis” bundle, which features Samantha’s new “Death’s Bride” Operator Skin. Don’t think that’s threatening enough for the living and the dead? Be prepared to face her new “Nailed Down” Finishing Move or come up against her “Death’s Vow” SMG and “Death’s Protest” LMG Weapon Blueprints.
Also coming to the Store is the “Tracer Pack: Nuclear Distillery Mastercraft” bundle, the first-ever Mastercraft Bundle with two unique Ultra-rarity Mastercrafts. One of these is the first Secondary Weapon Mastercraft, known as the “Special Batch” shotgun, which comes alongside the “Science Project” assault rifle Mastercraft. Admire the swirling toxic liquids inside both weapons, and inspect the shotgun to get a swig of the good stuff.*
*Warning: Treyarch has not yet tested this concoction for human consumption and is not responsible for any grown appendages or other side effects from radioactive materials.
Call of Duty: Mobile—New Multiplayer Limited-Time Game Mode: Guns Blazing
Prepare for a limited-time Multiplayer game mode: Time to go in Guns Blazing; available in Call of Duty: Mobile in a two-week event from May 20 to June 2!
Players will be able to transform into Rambo and John McClane in this new Multiplayer mode, allowing them to see what it’s like to become these iconic action heroes. Rack up eliminations to become Rambo or McClane with dual-wielded Choppers and increased health!
After having fun with this mode, check out Call of Duty: Mobile’s in-game Store to pick up both ’80s Action Heroes bundles and wreak havoc in all Multiplayer and Battle Royale modes!
John McClane will be available in the Die Hard Call of Duty: Mobile Bundle via the in-game Store which will include the Epic Character, three Epic Blueprints—two SMGs and one pistol—an Epic Frag Grenade, a Parachute, a Cargo Truck, an Avatar, a Calling Card, and a Frame for your profile.
The Rambo Call of Duty: Mobile Bundle featuring John Rambo will be available in the in-game Store which will include the Epic Character, three Epic Blueprints—one LMG, one assault rifle, and one Knife—an Epic Parachute, an Avatar, a Calling Card, a Grenade, a Tank, and a Frame for your profile.
Both bundles will be available via the in-game Store from May 20 at 5PM PT to June 18.
ADDITIONAL BLACK OPS COLD WAR AND WARZONE INTEL:
Expect the 80s Action Heroes event to continue the exciting lineup of Warzone tournaments that have dominated the action during Season Three. But before it all goes down, there’s one more high-stakes tournament happening:
Today and tomorrow, longtime Call of Duty community member and former pro player Nadeshot will host his first ever tournament known as the Nadeshot Invitational. This two-day event will pit sixteen duos containing some of the game’s top Warzone players against each other for the largest share of a $100,000 prize pool and will feature commentary from Nadeshot himself in addition to casting top competitive Call of Duty broadcast duo Maven and MerK.
Tune into the action starting at 11AM PT today on Nadeshot’s official Twitch channel here or on the Call of Duty Twitch channel here, and get updates on the current bracket by visiting the live link here.
The Season Three Reloaded update will have a download size of approximately 7.1-13.1 GB for those who own the full version of Black Ops Cold War, and 14.6-18.1 GB for those who own the free-to-play Warzone and are current on the latest updates on either or both games.
Again, the Warzone download is a larger file size due to the optimization of data.
Black Ops Cold War Update Sizes
PlayStation 5: 10.3 GB
PlayStation 4: 7.1 GB
Xbox One Series X / Xbox One Series S: 13.1 GB
Xbox One: 8.3 GB
PC: 10.3 GB
Warzone Update Sizes
PlayStation 5: 14.6 GB
PlayStation 4: 14.6 GB
Xbox One Series X / Xbox One Series S: 15.2 GB
Xbox One: 15.2 GB
PC: 14.9 GB (Warzone Only) / 18.1 GB (Warzone and Modern Warfare®)
Remember, the Warzone download is not necessary if you are only playing Black Ops Cold War, and vice versa.
Furthermore, for a smaller overall file size, players can choose to uninstall/remove other data packs if they are no longer needed.
PlayStation 4 On-Disc DLC Removal Instructions for Black Ops Cold War Physical Copies
With the launch of Season Three Reloaded update, owners of a Black Ops Cold War physical copy for PlayStation 4 will be able to delete the on-disc DLC that they are currently not using from their console. This allows them to remove Multiplayer and/or Zombies DLC packs to better manage their hard drive space, should they not need those modes.
To complete this following the Season Three Reloaded update, players should:
1. Select the File Management option from the game’s main menu (R3 button).
2. Select the specific DLC to uninstall: Multiplayer DLC 1, Zombies DLC, AND/or Dead Ops Arcade DLC (you will see a “partially installes message” upon successful uninstallation).
3. Close the game and remove the disc.
4. Re-insert the disc, enter the title screen, and notice that the removed on-disc DLC will not automatically re-install.
Players can re-install deleted DLC at any time through the File Management menu.
Again, this DLC removal news only pertains to owners of a physical Black Ops Cold War game for PlayStation 4.
For detailed information on Storage Management for Black Ops Cold War, read this article.
“Yippee ki yay.” —John McClane, Die Hard
For more information on Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War, check out: www.callofduty.com and www.youtube.com/callofduty and follow @Treyarch, @RavenSoftware, and @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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For the latest Call of Duty Mobile news, visit the Call of Duty: Mobile website, as well as Call of Duty: Mobile on YouTube. Also follow Call of Duty: Mobile on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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© 2019-2021 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision, Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
© 2021 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS, CALL OF DUTY WARZONE, and WARZONE are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II™ & © 1985 Studiocanal S.A.S. All Rights Reserved. © 2021 Studiocanal S.A.S. All Rights Reserved. Die Hard © 2021 20th Century Studios. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
