MW3 Season 4 Reloaded release date, start time, and new details

When is the Modern Warfare 3 Season 4 Reloaded release date?

Activision and Sledgehammer Games will release Modern Warfare 3 Season 4 Reloaded on June 26, 2024. This midseason update will likely be one of the last patches before the Black Ops 6 release date arrives during the back half of the year. The update will also unite the battle pass system across MW3, Warzone, and Warzone Mobile. So make sure to enjoy it while you can because Activision’s resources will likely focus on BO6 soon while development on MW3 ramps down.

The Reclaimer 18 is effectively the SPAS-12. Image via Activision.

The lethal Sledgehammer swings slow but packs a punch. Image via Activision.

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New weapons in Season 4 Reloaded

The mid-season update arrives with two new weapons. The Reclaimer 18 shotgun is basically the popular SPAS-12. In its blog post, Activision mentions that “Veteran Call of Duty players may know this heavy-hitting, legendary 12-gauge shotgun by another name, and at mid-season, you’ll be able to empower your arsenal with this classic slide-action shotgun that packs a rapid and powerful punch.” The Sledgehammer is here as well, a powerful melee weapon to devastate your opponents.

New game modes in Season 4 Reloaded

The mid-season drop brings four brand-new game modes to the game:

• Headshots Only
• Havoc
• Mutation Mode
• Blueprint Gunfight

Headshots Only

Headshots Only is a game mode that is pretty self-explanatory. Only damage from headshots deal damage so pack away your melee weapons unless you’re really good at aiming them. This means that your scorestreaks will also rely on dealing head damage to count. Explosives should still serve you well if they’re big enough.

Havoc

Havoc brings tense elimination matches with modifiers:

• Ammo Feeder: Auto reload after you kill an enemy.
• Boots off the Ground: Low gravity.
• Camera Shift: Third-person mode.
• Chain Reaction: Sticky Grenades launched on kill.
• Charged Up: Gain Cranked on kills.
• Equipment Restock: Equipment is refilled on kills.
• Eyes On: Advanced UAV is always active.
• Gun Runner: Random gun on kill.
• Hero Smash: Explosive landing from an elevated position.
• Hot Shot: Crossbows only, Molotov bolts.
• Lucky Three: Every three kills gives you a random Killstreak.
• One Tap: Headshots kill with one bullet.
• Snapshot Killer: Launch a snapshot grenade (and ping pulse) on kill.
• System Reroll (Fifth Modifier only): Full reroll of all active modifiers.

Mutation Mode

Sadly, it doesn’t seem like we’re getting Infected back any time soon. Luckily, Sledgehammer Games is giving us the next best thing with Mutation Mode, which, like Infected, pits a team of mutants against humans. As part of the Altered Strain multiplayer event, Mutation Mode will be available “across a Mosh Pit of familiar game modes,” so you can enjoy it in several different ways without getting bored.

As usual, Team Human will consist of regular operators who can use their loadouts and blueprints to pepper mutants with a barrage of bullets and shrapnel. On the other hand, members of the Mutant squad will also have a few tricks up their sleeve. According to Activision, “Mutants possess a series of unique abilities that can stun, disorient, and eliminate enemy humans.” They come in four classes: Mutated Leaper, Radioactive Beast, Contaminated Sludger, and Camouflaged Sneaker. They’ll also “have help in the form of non-player controlled mutants” to help level the playing field. The Altered Strain event also brings the following augmentations:

Blueprint Gunfight

Activision describes the Blueprint Gunfight playlist as a mid-season playlist with a “compact map selection” and “loadouts using a variety of new weapon blueprints.” It’s an interesting remix of the standard Gunfight mode which focuses on tense shootouts in tight spaces.

Bit Party playlist modifier

If, at any point, you’ve ever wondered what Modern Warfare 3 would be like if it had Roblox-like graphics, you’re in luck. Season 4 Reloaded is adding a Bit Party playlist modifier that turns the game’s characters and environments into a scene out of Adopt Me. The Favela map is now Bitvela, a pixel-art reimagination that keeps most of the original’s sightlines and choke points. But graphics aren’t the only things changing with this modifier. It also adds an extra gameplay element, making certain modes more frantic and enjoyable.

In the Bit Party playlist, “eliminating enemies inflates your own operator’s head.” Getting eliminated yourself will reduce your character’s head size, but you’ll want to keep it abnormally large for a few reasons. Although having a bobblehead makes you ripe for easy headshots, it also earns you more points for getting kills in Team Deathmatch, “picking up tags in Kill Confirmed, and holding the objective in Hardpoint.” You can also capture flags much quicker in Domination, so this is one instance where having a big head is a huge plus.

Season 4 Reloaded Zombies adds the Unstable Rift challenge

Activision describes these as a “new wave-based combat challenge.” Players diving into the Zombies mode will be able to spot these strange rifts across the map. And “on entering an Unstable Rift, Operators will face off against increasingly intense waves of enemies until completing the challenge or failing in the attempt. Completing an Unstable Rift resets the cooldown on all of your insured weapons and schematics, so you can head into the next match equipped with your best setup.” Clearing these will grant you some solid loot, from a maxed-out Pack-A-Punch weapon with maximum Rarity value to free Perks and upgrades.

Season 4 Reloaded Warzone adds guns, playlists, and mutations

Here’s what Warzone players can expect from the next update:

• The DNA Bomb at Popov Power Plant has detonated, opening new pathways and leaving a toxic chemical agent in its wake.
• Drop into new limited-time Playlists involving the mutation mechanic, including Mutation Resurgence and Mutation Buy Back modes. These include Bioshield, Divebomb, Mutant Leap, Toxic Stim Cloud, Sludge Sling, Mutant Cloak, and Mutant Vision.
• Discover powerful [Redacted] Weapons in Loot Hot Zones and Bunkers, featuring a bounty of attachments (greater than five) for ultra-lethal play. Achieve victory on the Runaway Train public event, which is already active.