Infinity Ward’s second round of Modern Warfare 4 beta patch notes are here, and there’s plenty more to dig through as the developer tweaks its newest multiplayer game in response to public testing and feedback. This time we’ve got another new map, Lotus, continued audio tuning, more weapon balancing, and the introduction of 3v3 Gunfight. You might also have noticed that iconic Call of Duty mode Search & Destroy is now live; IW actually snuck it out several hours after the last update in response to player requests.
Infinity Ward had previously suggested the new map would be Lithium, but that’s now coming next week – instead we get Lotus on the 6v6 roster, while the 3v3 Gunfight mode will take place on Kill Block. Today’s Modern Warfare 4 patch also introduces a Transit 24/7 playlist if you’re looking for non-stop action. Before we dig into the balance changes, however, the developer wants to take a moment to talk about spawns, which have been one of the biggest frustrations in the MW4 beta so far.
“The beta is critical for testing multiplayer spawns because it allows us to find patterns across a huge volume of matches,” Infinity Ward writes. “Based on what we’re seeing, we need to improve.” It says work to refine both spawn placements and logic is ongoing “across all maps and modes,” although we’ll be waiting a little longer to see whether these improvements actually make a difference. Additionally, the team notes that “time to kill remains a focus,” along with making some underperforming attachments more viable.
Digging through the full list of weapon balance changes, there are quite a few nerfs. The M4, Patriot XMR, PPSh-41 have all had their headshot damage multipliers lowered. The Kastov 762, ISO Nightshade, X-58 NYX, FiNN LMG, Type 73, and Krait P68 also get reductions to their headshot damage multipliers, but with some additional dropoff over range for good measure.
On the attachment side, all weapon lasers have been adjusted for “improved visual clarity.” Frangible Rounds get nerfed again, losing their stun effect. The ADS Speed penalty has been reduced on the Holo, Mini Reflex, and Reflex optics. All muzzles have had their pros, cons, and stats updated in the Gunsmith to “more accurately reflect functionality.”
Several underbarrel attachments have also received buffs. The Bipod, Launcher, and Shotgun all see their ADS Speed penalty removed, while the Angled Grip and Vertical Grip have had theirs slightly lowered. Additionally, the former now has less of a penalty on Sprint to Fire Speed, while the latter gains a 17% increase to Jog Speed and 50% to Strafe Speed. Finally, the Attack Helicopter killstreak has had its health reduced by 45%.
Infinity Ward continues to tweak game audio alongside this, with the goal of “making important cues easier to identify during combat while reducing sounds that overpower critical intel.” There’s a general remixing for the Artillery Beacon, and a volume increase for Kill Confirmed pickups, Domination point captures, the fuse on Frag Grenades, and the Attack Helicopter killstreak. On Transit 213, explosion sounds have been made slightly quieter.
This Modern Warfare 4 beta update will roll out on Sunday August 23 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST / 7pm CEST. As for what’s next, Infinity Ward says it’s still working on improving Hardpoint spawns on Transit 213, fixing instances of “inaccurate” kill cams, reducing the amount of Gunny notifications, and “trimming several countdowns including map voting time in order to get people into matches faster.”