CoD: Black Ops 6 Patch Notes Include Major Nerfs To Flashbangs, Recon Bonus, And Snaking

A new update arrived to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on November 4, and the patch notes include several major changes. This includes nerfs to the overpowered flashbangs and the Recon Combat Speciality bonus. The game’s snaking movement has also been reduced.

According to the patch notes, Treyarch says there’s been “enough snaking,” and the movement is now nerfed. Snaking is an exploit where a player rapidly switches between the prone and crouch positions while stationed behind a cover, making themselves harder to hit. However, that movement will be slower and less impactful with the update adjusting the stance-change cooldowns to reduce effectiveness of repeated snaking motion.

The developer also adjusts the game’s frustrating Recon Combat Speciality bonus, which previously gave players too much information. Now, the Recon bonus will only provide users with limited-time wall hacks for 1.5 seconds instead of 2.

Additionally, the update has nerfed the game’s powerful flashbangs, reducing the equipment’s screen effect duration by 20%. The update only changes how powerful flashbangs are, but it doesn’t mention the current XP exploit that lets players toss flashbangs for extra points.

A few weapons received tuning with the new update. This includes slight nerfs to damage and the range of popular assault rifles, such as the XM4, Ames 85, and Model L. All weapons in the submachine class were buffed with higher damage ranges, which Treyarch says is meant to make the guns more effective during mid-range fights.

The popular Nuketown map was added to the game in a 24/7 playlist on November 1, but now the new update makes the map available to play in private matches.

The full patch notes can be found below, as shared by Activision.

Call of Duty Season 1 arrives on November 14. The big update will integrate Black Ops 6’s content and game mechanics into Warzone. A preview of the Season 1 multiplayer maps can be found here.

For more, you can check out GameSpot’s Black Ops 6 campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies reviews.

GLOBAL

Stability

• Improved stability when interacting with the Message of the Day.
• Improved stability when sending voice communications.

Progression

• Completion display will now properly appear when completing Prestige Challenges in both Multiplayer and Zombies.

Operators

• Addressed an issue where Bailey wasn’t holding an intended Pistol in the Operator selection menu.

MULTIPLAYER

Maps

• Nuketown
  • Nuketown is now available in Private Matches.

Modes

• Addressed an issue where players were spawned in when joining a session in progress instead of spectating before selecting a Loadout. Yes, we saw ourselves in a Killcam before selecting a Loadout too.
• Improved stability in Infected game mode.

Spawns

• General spawn logic tuning across several maps for improved spawning.

Spawn tuning will be an ongoing process of taking in data, reviewing gameplay and making measured adjustments in the live environment. Our number one goal is to always provide the safest spawn that we can across all maps and game modes.

Loadouts

• Addressed an issue where players would automatically equip their previously used Loadout when joining matches already in progress.
• Addressed an issue where Players would die at initial spawn when selecting their Loadout.

Weapons

It’s been awesome seeing players discover and share their favorite weapon builds during the first week of launch. Every day we monitor both player feedback and game data to keep tabs on how the weapon meta is evolving and prepare for a comprehensive tuning pass in Season 01.

We have seen the discussions about the relative balance of Assault Rifles and Submachine Guns, and we are making some early, general changes to adjust their effective ranges. For ARs, we are pulling in minimum damage ranges and lessening the impact of headshots at close range. SMGs are receiving damage range increases to improve their mid-range effectiveness.

Assault Rifle Adjustments

XM4

XM4 Damage Adjustments

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 22
• Post-Patch: 21

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 7m
• Post-patch: 0 – 16.5m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 21
• Post-patch: 20

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 7.1 – 45.7m
• Post-patch: 16.6 – 40.6m

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 17
• Post patch: 17

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >45.7m
• Post patch: >40.6m

Attachment Adjustments:

• CHF Barrel multiplier reduced from 1.48x to 1.42x

AK-74

AK-74 Damage Adjustments

Damage

• Pre-Patch: 28
• Post-Patch: 27

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-Patch: 0 – 5.7m
• Post-Patch: 0 – 38.1m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 27
• Post patch: None

Note: This weapon will now only have a Maximum and Minimum Damage range.

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 21
• Post patch: 22

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >41.9m
• Post-patch: >38.1m

AMES 85

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 23
• Post-Patch: 21

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 8.3m
• Post-patch: 0 – 50.8m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 23
• Post-patch: None

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 8.3 – 55.9m
• Post-patch: None

Note: This weapon will now only have a Maximum and Minimum Damage range.

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 17
• Post patch: 17

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >55.9m
• Post patch: >50.8m

Model L

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 29
• Post-Patch: 27

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 8.9m
• Post-patch: 0 – 44.5m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 27
• Post-patch: None

Note: This weapon will now only have a Maximum and Minimum Damage range.

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 8.9 – 50.8m
• Post-patch: None

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 21
• Post patch: 22

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >50.8m
• Post patch: >44.5m

Headshot multiplier reduced from 1.3x to 1.15x

Goblin Mk2

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 39
• Post-Patch: 37

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 6.4m
• Post-patch: 0 – 39.4m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 37
• Post-patch: None

Note: This weapon will now only have a Maximum and Minimum Damage range.

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 6.4 – 39.4m
• Post-patch: None

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 30
• Post patch: 30

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >39.4m
• Post patch: >39.4m

AS VAL

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 21
• Post-Patch: 20

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 9.5m
• Post-patch: 0 -21.6m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 17
• Post-patch: None

Note: This weapon will now only have a Maximum and Minimum Damage range.

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 43.3 – 53.3m
• Post-patch: None

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 15
• Post patch: 15

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >53.3m
• Post patch: >43.2m

SMG Adjustments

C9

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 29
• Post-Patch: 29

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 12.7m
• Post-patch: 0 – 13.3m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 23
• Post-patch: 23

Medium Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 12.7 – 15.9m
• Post-patch: 13.3 – 16.5m

Medium Damage 2

• Pre-patch: 19
• Post-patch: 19

Medium Damage Range 2

• Pre-patch: 16 – 27.3m
• Post-patch: 16.6 – 30.5m

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 16
• Post patch: 16

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >27.3m
• Post patch: >30.5m

KSV

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 26
• Post-Patch: 26

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 10.2m
• Post-patch: 0 – 10.8m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 21
• Post-patch: 21

Medium Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 10.3 – 15.2m
• Post-patch: 10.9 – 15.9m

Medium Damage 2

• Pre-patch: 15
• Post-patch: 19

Medium Damage Range 2

• Pre-patch: 15.3 – 26.7m
• Post-patch: 16 – 29.2m

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 13
• Post patch: 13

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >26.7m
• Post patch: >29.2m

Tanto .22

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 38
• Post-Patch: 38

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 6.4m
• Post-patch: 0 – 6.4m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 34
• Post-patch: 34

Medium Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 6.4 – 15.2m
• Post-patch: 6.4 – 16.5m

Medium Damage 2

• Pre-patch: 28
• Post-patch: 28

Medium Damage Range 2

• Pre-patch: 15.3 – 25.4m
• Post-patch: 16.6 – 27.9m

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 22
• Post patch: 22

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >25.4m
• Post patch: >27.9m

PP-919

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 25
• Post-Patch: 25

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 15.9m
• Post-patch: 0 – 16.5m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 20
• Post-patch: 20

Medium Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 16 – 19.7m
• Post-patch: 16.6 – 20.3m

Medium Damage 2

• Pre-patch: 17
• Post-patch: 17

Medium Damage Range 2

• Pre-patch: 19.8 – 29.2m
• Post-patch: 20.4 – 31.8m

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 15
• Post patch: 15

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >29.2m
• Post patch: > 31.8m

Jackal PDW

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 27
• Post-Patch: 27

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 14.6m
• Post-patch: 0 – 15.2m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 20
• Post-patch: 20

Medium Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 14.7 – 17.8m
• Post-patch: 15.3 – 18.4m

Medium Damage 2

• Pre-patch: 17
• Post-patch: 17

Medium Damage Range 2

• Pre-patch: 17.8 – 26m
• Post-patch: 18.5 – 29.8m

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 15
• Post patch: 15

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >26m
• Post patch: >29.8m

Kompakt 92

Maximum Damage

• Pre-Patch: 20
• Post-Patch: 20

Maximum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 0 – 10.8m
• Post-patch: 0 – 11.4m

Medium Damage

• Pre-patch: 17
• Post-patch: 17

Medium Damage Range

• Pre-patch: 10.9 – 14.6m
• Post-patch: 11.4 – 15.2m

Medium Damage 2

• Pre-patch: 13
• Post-patch: 13

Medium Damage Range 2

• Pre-patch: 14.7 – 22.9m
• Post-patch: 15.3 – 26.7m

Minimum Damage

• Pre-patch: 11
• Post patch: 11

Minimum Damage Range

• Pre-patch: >22.9m
• Post patch: >26.7m

Shotguns

Last week, we fixed an issue with shotgun Slugs, but we are still working on an additional issue causing this attachment to perform better in hip fire than intended. Slugs are meant to offer an alternate playstyle for shotguns that trades close quarters effectiveness for improved range and precision. We are removing the ability for Slugs to one-hit kill to the body for now and will be revisiting the overall tuning of this attachment in an upcoming update.

• Marine SP
  • Slug attachment Max Damage reduced from 106 to 92.
• ASG-89
  • Slug attachment Max Damage reduced from 106 to 92.

Perks

• Recon Combat Specialty
  • Reduced duration that enemies are highlighted after respawning to 1.5 seconds from 2 seconds. An additional reduction will be coming before Season 01.
  • Resolved an issue that allowed players to activate Recon Combat Specialty by changing Loadouts.
• Dispatcher
  • Increased Dispatcher Perk score cost for UAV from 500 to 550.
  • Increased Dispatcher Perk score cost for Counter UAV from 550 to 600.

As we head into Season 1, we are continuing to observe data and feedback for Perks and Combat Specialties in Multiplayer. Currently, Enforcer is the most popular Combat Specialty with Recon in second place. It’s not just about the data though, as your feedback is a critical part of how we approach tuning of the live game. With that said, we are making some spot adjustments today as we as we continue to take a holistic look at our Perks and Combat Specialties moving forward.

Equipment

• Flashbang
  • Reduced Flashbang Tactical screen effect duration by 20%.

Scorestreaks

• Increased health of UAV and Counter UAV (rockets to destroy remain unchanged).
• Increased initial explosion radius of Napalm Strike.
• Reduced the initial entry delay of the LDBR.
• Increased the fly-in speed of the Strategic Bomber.
• Reduced score cost for Interceptors from 1250 to 1150.

Movement Updates

• Adjusted stance change cooldowns to reduce effectiveness of repeated prone to stand movement (enough snaking).

XP Earn Rates

• Adjusted Player XP and Weapon XP earn rates for most modes to ensure that players are being rewarded for their match performance as expected wherever they play. These changes include:
  • Increased Weapon XP earn rates for most modes
  • Increased Player XP earn rates for the following modes:
    • Team Deathmatch
    • Control
    • Search & Destroy
    • Gunfight
  • Slight decrease to Player XP and Weapon XP earned in Face Off modes

Challenges

• Addressed an issue where players were able to complete the Nuke Challenge while dying.

UI

• Appropriate Perks will now display when viewing the featured player during Best Play.

Known Issues

• Gunsmith
  • We are investigating an issue where any equipped Optic attachment is removed when when entering the Gunsmith in Main Menus.
    • Players will not notice this issue if entering Gunsmith during a match.
    • Players can equip Optic attachments, but will need to re-equip them anytime they enter Gunsmith in a Main Menu to adjust attachments or customizations.
      • In cases where an Optic is locked and equipped via a Blueprint, players will need to reapply the Blueprint to obtain the Optic.

ZOMBIES

• UI
  • GobbleGum names will now properly update when switching between tier tabs.