Call of Duty update (20th April): Full patch notes for Black Ops - Cold War Season 3
Black Ops - Cold War fans are in for a hefty download, as the CoD Season 3 content begins to drop.
The long-awaited Call of Duty Season 3 is beginning its rollout, with a big update expected to drop on 20th April for players of Black Ops - Cold War.
This is only the start, though, with Warzone's new map expected to follow on with its own special event on 21st April. And after that, on 22nd April, Season 3 will properly begin. Phew.
With all of that in mind, what is the CoD Black Ops - Cold War update on 20th April all about? Read on for all the information, including the latest patch notes.
CoD update release date and time: What time does the update drop on 20th April?
Activision recently revealed in a big blog post that Black Ops - Cold War will receive a hefty update on Tuesday 20th April at 9pm Pacific Time. For fans here in the UK, this equates to 5am on the morning of Wednesday 21st April.
It's worth bearing an important detail in mind, though: although you can download this update as soon as it becomes available, Activision has made it clear that most of the CoD Season 3 content will not unlock fully until 22nd April. This update today is basically intended to get your system prepared.
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CoD update file size: How much storage space do you need?
Activision was kind enough to warn us in advance about how big this update would be. In the aforementioned blog post, the developers revealed that the Black Ops - Cold War update on 20th April will sit somewhere between 8.1 GB and 13.1 GB depending on which platform you're using. Activision included the handy list below, so you can work out how much space you need on your particular system:
- PlayStation 5: 12.3 GB
- PlayStation 4: 8.1 GB
- Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S: 11.6 GB
- Xbox One: 8.3 GB
- PC: 13.1 GB
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How to fix slow download speeds with the CoD update
As ever, when such a huge percentage of the Call of Duty fandom attempts to download this update at the same time, there's every chance that our internet speeds will buckle under the pressure. If you're finding your update to be even slower than usual, remember the tried and tested tips: cancel or pause any other downloads or streams you have going, and move as close to your Wifi router as possible. If you've got one, it might be wise to connect up to the router with an ethernet cable.
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Patch notes: What's new in the 20th April CoD update for Black Ops - Cold War?
This update that Black Ops - Cold War fans can download from 20th April onwards packs in a lot of new stuff, although you won't be able to access most of it until the new season formally begins on 22nd April.
Despite that, Activision's aforementioned blog post provided a lengthy summary of what exactly you're downloading today. This is the closest thing we have to patch notes at the moment. We've summed up the big blog for you below, so this is the new stuff that you're downloading:
“Hunt for Adler” Event
A new “Hunt for Adler” limited-time event will task Operators with unique in-game challenges in both Black Ops - Cold War and Warzone to learn of Adler’s whereabouts.
Four New Operators
- Captain Price (Launch Week)
- Wraith, Warsaw Pact (Launch Week)
- Knight, Warsaw Pact (In-Season)
- Antonov, Warsaw Pact (In-Season)
Six New Weapons
- PPSh-41, SMG (Launch Week)
- Swiss K31, Sniper Rifle (Launch Week)
- Ballistic Knife, Melee (Launch Week)
- CARV.2, Tactical Rifle (In-Season)
- AMP63, Pistol (In-Season)
- Baseball Bat: Melee (In-Season)
Four Multiplayer Maps in Black Ops - Cold War
- Yamantau (6v6, Launch Week)
- Diesel (6v6/2v2/3v3, Launch Week)
- Standoff (6v6, In-Season)
- Duga (Multi-Team, In-Season)
Multiplayer modes
- Sticks and Stones Returns (Launch Week)
- Multi-Team Elimination (In-Season)
New Tools of the Trade
- Scorestreak: Strafe Run (Launch Week)
- Cargo Truck (Launch Week)
New Outbreak Content and more Zombies action
- New Field Upgrade: Toxic Growth
- New Outbreak Region: Duga (Launch Week)
- New Outbreak Vehicles: FAV and Cargo Truck (Launch Week)
- New Outbreak World Events and Features (Launch Week)
- Expanded Outbreak Objectives (Launch Week)
- New Onslaught Content on PlayStation (Launch Week)
New Prestige levels and rewards
- Level 50: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, Weapon Blueprint, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
- Level 100: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
- Level 150: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, and Battle Pass Tier Skip
- Level 190: All Season Challenges Available
- Level 200: New Prestige, Emblem, Prestige Key, Battle Pass Tier Skip, Master Prestige Calling Card
- Levels 250 - 1,000: New Prestige Key every 50 levels
Activision notes that you will also be able to unlock "new customisation content and XP bonuses by completing new Season Challenges and Operator Missions in Multiplayer and Zombies. Complete all Season Challenges for a specific mode (Multiplayer or Zombies) to unlock a massive bonus of 10,000 XP and a badass Animated Master Calling Card to add to your Profile and Calling Card Showcase."
And that's pretty much it for now! That's all the good new stuff that you'll be downloading on the 20th April for Black Ops - Cold War, and you'll be able to start accessing it when Season 3 begins on 22nd April.
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Authors
Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.
