Warzone Season 3 – Everything New in the Verdansk Update

Warzone Season 3 is here, and it’s brought back one of the most iconic battlegrounds in Call of Duty history—Verdansk.

After years of fan requests and speculation, the classic map has returned, and it's more than just a nostalgia trip. Warzone’s latest season is putting Verdansk front and center with revamped POIs, updated loot pools, and gameplay tweaks that bring the map into the current meta while preserving what made it great.

In this article, we’ll break down Verdansk’s return, the major changes, and why it’s dominating the Warzone conversation right now.

Warzone Season 3 officially dropped on Thursday, April 3 at 9 AM PT / 5 PM GMT, and players have been diving into the action ever since.

Before the launch, Warzone servers went dark for 24 hours starting April 2, giving players full access to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 content for free during the downtime. It was a surprise move that kept the hype going while the devs prepped for the return of Verdansk.

To get a head start, many players began preloading the massive patch hours before go-time, making sure they were ready to drop in the second the update went live. Warzone Season 3 is expected to run for nearly eight weeks, with a Season 3 Reloaded update landing halfway through to shake things up with new content, weapons, and potential meta shifts.

Verdansk is officially back in Warzone Season 3, and fans couldn’t be more hyped.

Originally launching in March 2020, Verdansk was Warzone’s first-ever map—and it’s finally made a full return after years of speculation. Activision confirmed the comeback during the Call of Duty Next event in August 2024, and since then, players have been counting the days.

Now rebuilt using updated technology, Verdansk looks sharper than ever. You’ll notice improved lighting, higher-quality textures, and a much cleaner overall presentation. The map layout remains largely the same—POIs, buildings, and roadways are all intact—but Activision made what they call “beneficial adjustments” to modernize the flow without ruining the nostalgia.

Some of those updates include:

• Additional ladders and open windows to improve vertical play and movement options
• Unfrozen water at the Dam, which now supports full swimming mechanics
• Adjusted lighting in darker areas, reducing visibility exploits in shadow-heavy zones
• New traversal routes, like goat trails, offering better flanking opportunities

Because this is Verdansk on the current Warzone engine, swimming is now a core mechanic—something that wasn’t possible back in 2020. That alone changes how players rotate through key zones like Dam and Prison.

On his X account, TeeP also goes through the Verdansk patch notes, pointing out that the faster time-to-kill (TTK), slower movement, and extra vertical options like ladders have changed how engagements play out. He also mentioned a few controversial additions—like swimming and persistent equipment like gas, shocks, and impacts—as potential balance issues.

As for weapon tuning, the AK-47 got a serious buff, with its per-bullet damage increased from 36 to 45. Alongside that, Warzone Season 3 introduces procedural audio tech, which dynamically adjusts in-game sound based on your movement and environment. That means better feedback for actions like jumping, landing, and sprinting—giving players who rely on sound an edge.

Verdansk 2025 isn’t just a visual update—it’s a full-blown evolution that’s only going to get deeper as the season unfolds. Expect more POI updates, balance changes, and gameplay tweaks as Warzone Season 3 progresses.

Verdansk isn’t the only thing making a comeback in Warzone Season 3—several fan-favorite weapons have returned, too.

The Season 3 Battle Pass is packed with nostalgic firepower, including the HDR Sniper Rifle and Kilo 141 Assault Rifle, two standout guns from the original Modern Warfare (2019) era. The Kilo 141, in particular, is tied to the Return to Verdansk event, a free limited-time celebration that runs from April 3 to April 15.

This event features 20 unlockable rewards—no paid pass required—and includes challenges scattered across Verdansk. Players will need to loot safes, visit key POIs, and complete location-based objectives to earn exclusive cosmetics, Modern Warfare 2019 Operators, and the Kilo 141 itself.

On the mechanical side, Warzone PS5, PC, and Xbox players will notice key adjustments to the omnimovement system. Movement speed buffs from the past few months have been toned down, bringing pacing closer to what players experienced in Verdansk’s early days. According to Activision, this change is meant to reintroduce a more grounded, tactical feel—especially important with Verdansk’s verticality and long-range sightlines back in play.

But it’s not all returns—some farewells are in order, too.

• Urzikstan has been officially retired for the foreseeable future. No confirmation yet on if or when it’ll return.
• Area 99 Resurgence has also been pulled from rotation temporarily.
• Rebirth Island is now the sole Resurgence map, which feels fitting as it was the very first Resurgence experience in Warzone.

With iconic weapons, old-school pacing, and the return of classic maps, Warzone Season 3 is shaping up to be a nostalgic—but still competitive—season that rewards both veteran players and newcomers.

That wraps up everything you need to know about Verdansk’s return in Warzone Season 3, the shifting meta, and what’s new across the map. Whether you’re dropping back into familiar hot zones or testing out the latest weapon buffs, this season’s all about tapping into that original Warzone chaos—with a fresh twist.

If you’re looking to level up your setup, the new Official SCUF Call of Duty®: Warzone™ Collection is built for players who never back down from a hot drop. Designed for precision and speed in every gunfight, these limited-edition controllers pair iconic Warzone aesthetics with SCUF’s signature performance features—like back paddles, instant triggers, and custom thumbsticks.
Shop the Call of Duty®: Warzone™ Collection or Learn more about the partnership.