Modern Warfare 2 Season 2 Early Patch Notes: Ranked Play, Hardcore Mode, Perk Balancing, & More

Nazmul Hassan
By Nazmul Hassan
5 Min Read
Credit: Activision

Activision just revealed the early patch notes for Modern Warfare 2 Season 2. Here’s a brief look at all the upcoming MW2 changes.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Season 2 will be the second biggest update after Season 1 Reloaded. Despite many ups and downs, both MW2 and WZ2 have held pretty strong and built a solid player base worldwide.

Still then, as it is still a pretty new game, there are many issues that need to be addressed before it can be considered fully polished. And it looks like Activision is taking all the necessary steps in the right direction.

Similar to Warzone 2.0 and DMZ, Modern Warfare 2 is undergoing several changes in Season 2. First things first, Activision is finally going to fix the annoying audio occlusion system that remained off in multiplayer periodically after launch. Perk Packages will also receive some improvements in the Season 2 update.

Furthermore, Season 2 will bring some weapon balance changes alongside more new weapons. However, the upcoming weapons have not been revealed yet. Hopefully, we’ll get more information regarding weapon and balance changes in the official patch notes.

As for game mode updates, Hardcore mode is returning to MW2, which will replace the Tier 1 mode. On top of that, Ranked Play will also be released in Season 2 alongside some playlists tweak. So, without further ado, let’s look at Modern Warfare 2’s Season 2 early patch notes to get an in-depth idea of all the upcoming changes.

Read More: DMZ Players Share the Perfect Change to the Key System

Modern Warfare 2 Season 2 Early Patch Notes

Credit: Activision

Audio (MP)

As noted in previous updates, one type of our audio occlusion system remained off in Multiplayer periodically after launch. Occlusion still existed in Multiplayer at this time but was not the newer and more advanced system. We have spent this time testing and re-implementing that occlusion system and are happy to report that it will be back online with the launch of Season 02.

Perk Balancing

We have heard a lot of feedback around the timing of the bonus perks, specifically the Ghost Perk. We looked at swapping this perk’s position but we felt this would create severe imbalance in the perk system. For Season 02 we’ve updated the rate at which the bonus and the ultimate perks are earned (reduces bonus perk cost by 50% and ultimate by 25%). This adjustment will allow Players to get Ghost earlier in matches, which will better support Players looking to engage more aggressively.

Weapon Balancing

We have several weapon balancing changes coming along with new weapons for Season 02. Full details on weapon balancing will be available in the upcoming Season 02 launch Patch Notes. We’ll also reveal five new Weapons coming to Season 2 in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

Hardcore

As announced last week, Hardcore mode is returning to MWII. Hardcore will replace the Tier 1 mode. We are excited for fans to have this franchise favorite back in the mix for Season 02.

Playlists

  • Our Valentine’s Day playlists will return! Stay tuned.
  • We’ll be detailing the multiplayer modes coming to Season 02 in the coming weeks.
  • One week per month, Infinity Ward will be creating a Twitter Poll for fans to vote on one of that week’s playlists from a rotating pool.

Ranked Play

Last week we confirmed that Ranked Play, a deep Multiplayer experience done in partnership with Treyarch and the Call of Duty League, and Infinity Ward, is coming to Season 02. Details on Ranked maps, modes and more will be revealed prior to launch.

Modern Warfare 2 Season 2 Release Date

According to Activision’s official announcement, Modern Warfare 2 Season 2 is set to go live on February 15, 2023.

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By Nazmul Hassan FPS Editor
Nazmul is GameRiv's FPS editor. He is a marketing graduate with an immense passion for gaming. As an ex-professional CS:GO player, he holds a strong interest in other FPS titles like Apex Legends, VALORANT, and CoD. However, he also tries out other games when he is free.