Summary
Ahead ofCall of DutySeason 3’s launch, the Ricochet Anti-Cheat development team posted a progress report that covered how cheaters are sorted out via shadowban lobbies and how spam reporting can prove detrimental. TheCall of Dutyprogress report also covered how Season 3’s KillCam user interface will be updated to show active perks and weapon changes.
Call of Duty’s next season willbring back the original Verdansk map toWarzone, which is stated to be a mostly faithful recreation of the 2020 map. Verdansk was confirmed as the main focus of Season 3 during the final days of Season 2. However, some changes in the 2025 Verdansk rebuild include lighting adjustments, quality-of-life improvements, and Metro Station entrance adjustments. Ergo, the upcoming return to Verdansk should feel familiar to players looking for nostalgia. Return to Verdansk runs from April 3 to 15, and players will receive various cosmetic rewards for logging in while the event is active.
Days before the launch of Season 3 inWarzoneandBlack Ops 6, theCall of Dutydevelopment team posted an update on their efforts to combat cheating. In aRicochet Anti-Cheat progress report blog, Activision clarified some player questions about how spam reports and Limited Matchmaking (LMM) lobbies, also called shadowban lobbies, are handled inBlack Ops 6andWarzone. Activision stated that LMM lobbies allow suspected players to keep playing while an investigation is conducted. If a party member is flagged for LMM, other party members will be forced to play in the same lobby to prevent circumventing the system.
Call of Duty Addresses Ongoing Anti-Cheat Measures
Activision also confirmed that spam reporting from the same account is ineffective in combating cheaters and may instead draw punitive measures. Activision’s report confirmed that over 228,000 account bans across multiple platforms have been administered sinceBlack Ops 6launched in October 2024. Additionally,Activision shut down over 20 cheat makers in that span, and dozens of cheat resellers were put out of business.
Starting in Season 3, a KillCam interface update inWarzonewill show more details about what led to a player’s elimination from a match. The new KillCam widget will tell if a player has been pinged via line-of-sight or a UAV or if an unsuppressed weapon gave away their location.Other KillCam changeswill be made in later updates to give players more information about their attackers, including active field upgrades and perks, to deter false reporting.
With Season 2 drawing to a close,Black Ops 6players now have until April 2 toparticipate in a Double XP Weekend. How effectiveCall of DutySeason 3’s changes will be in the unending battle against cheaters remains to be seen.
