Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone Season 1 Patch Notes: Hyeon Burst Nerf, 120Hz Unlocked, and Warzone Agent Banned
Season 1 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 and Call of Duty: Warzone is officially live across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Beyond the arrival of new 6v6 multiplayer maps (Backstab, Canyon, Shoot House), two free base weapons (the high-fire-rate 5.56 Cronen Osprey assault rifle and the dual-wield akimbo CSG-35 SMGs), and the opening of the underground X01 black site beneath Hajin in DMZ, Infinity Ward has deployed a massive launch patch that reshapes the weapon meta, overhauls Hardcore health pools, and cracks down hard on lobby-shopping software.
Weapon Balancing: Hyeon Burst Hit With a Heavy Nerf, Assault Rifles and Mosin-Nagant Buffed
Unsurprisingly, the number-one balance target for the Season 1 launch of Modern Warfare 4 and Warzone is the weapon setup that has dominated 6v6 lobbies since release: the Hyeon Burst equipped with its Hyperburst Apex attachment, which allowed players to chain a blistering opening burst directly into laser-accurate full-auto fire.
- Hyeon Burst (Hyperburst Apex Attachment): Maximum damage has been slashed from 30 down to 23 (-23%), and its intermediate medium-damage tier (28 damage up to 36.58m) has been removed entirely. To keep the attachment from becoming completely unusable at mid-range, its maximum damage range was extended from 24.64m to 30.99m (+26%), while the base rifle without the Apex mod receives a slight mid-range damage bump from 24 to 25 (+4%).
- VEL 46 (SMG): The only other notable weapon nerf in the update hits the VEL 46, which sees its maximum damage range trimmed from 10.13m to 9.65m (-5%) and its first medium damage range reduced from 17.27m to 16.51m (-4%).
- Broad Assault Rifle Buffs: The Kastov 762 receives a welcome mid-range boost (medium damage increased from 24 to 25, or +4%, across an extended range of 40.13m to 42.16m), the M4 sees its maximum damage range pushed from 25.91m to 27.94m (+8%) (plus an 11% range boost on its M4 Hurricane Apex conversion), the Axion gains +11% medium damage range (34.8m to 38.61m), and the Patriot XMR extends its maximum damage drop-off from 31.24m to 33.53m (+7%).
- SMGs, LMGs, and Marksman Rifles: The ISO Nightshade gains +11% maximum damage range (10.54m to 11.68m), the Wz.55 Striga moves from 26 to 27 max damage (+4%), and the Type 73 LMG equipped with the Assault Apex attachment jumps +9% in max range (24.13m) and from 22 to 23 in mid-range damage. Marksman rifle specialists also benefit from major range extensions on both the Mosin-Nagant (36.83m to 40.13m, +9%) and the hard-hitting Oris 8.6 (19.05m to 22.61m, +19%).
Hardcore Health Dropped to 22 HP, 120Hz Unlocked on Consoles, and Warzone Agent Banned
Alongside the weapon tuning and the rollout of the Season 1 Battle Pass and BlackCell 100-tier progression, today’s patch introduces four major systemic changes across Multiplayer, DMZ, and Warzone:
- Hardcore Maximum Health Reduced to 22 HP: Player health in Hardcore playlists has been lowered from 30 down to 22 HP, ensuring that nearly all assault rifles and SMGs secure clean one-shot eliminations across medium engagement distances.
- Lethal Equipment and Killstreak Tweaks: Arming times have been cut down to 0.75 seconds for both Proximity Mines (down from 1.5s) and Claymores (down from 1.0s), with Claymores also gaining a wider trigger cone (60° to 80°) and longer forward detection (2.29m to 3.18m). Meanwhile, the Argonaut juggernaut killstreak sees its health pool boosted from 800 to 1,200 HP (+50%), while the Crossfire aerial strike takes a 50% bullet damage nerf against infantry in Multiplayer but deals increased anti-armor damage against tanks in DMZ.
- 120Hz Performance Mode Unlocked for All Console Displays: Previously restricted on certain televisions and monitors lacking Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) handshakes, 120Hz Performance Mode is now unlocked for all PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S owners playing on 120Hz displays regardless of VRR support.
- Ricochet Crackdown on “Warzone Agent”: Infinity Ward and Team Ricochet have officially targeted Warzone Agent, a paid third-party application used for “lobby shopping” to inspect pre-match lobby skill ratings during warm-ups and dodge competitive matches. Starting with Season 1, launching the game while Warzone Agent is running triggers an immediate detection prompt and blocks access to all Multiplayer and Warzone modes until the program is closed, with account and hardware bans awaiting anyone who attempts to bypass the block.
You can review the complete list of bug fixes,including the removal of the Seeker Drone Proximity Mine exploit and updated DMZ crafting rules inside X01,directly on the official Call of Duty Season 1 Patch Notes portal.
My Take on This Launch Patch
Infinity Ward hit the exact right targets on day one of Season 1. Slashing the Hyeon Burst’s Hyperburst Apex damage by 23% was desperately needed to give 6v6 lobbies room to breathe, and pairing that nerf with smart range buffs to the Kastov 762 and M4 keeps the meta aggressive rather than sluggish. Even better is the native block on Warzone Agent: cutting off paid lobby-shopping tools forces stat-padders and content creators to play in real lobbies like everyone else.
SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles "Grimtag" is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
