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MW4 Warzone and What Changes When It Joins in Season 1

Verified ByKristina Horvat
MW4 Warzone and What Changes When It Joins in Season 1

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched on October 23, and the new version of Warzone followed with Season 1 on November 6, the date Activision's Season 1 blog set. That put the MW4 Warzone release date two weeks after launch.

Season 1 added the MW4 Zodiac map, brought Hajin to Battle Royale, and kept your older guns around as Warzone legacy weapons. Your MW4 camo progress and Level Unlocks reached Warzone on the same day. We'll break down the date, the maps, what carries over, and how progression links up.


MW4 Warzone Summary

  • Release: The new Warzone went live with Season 1 at midnight ET on November 6, per Activision's Season 1 blog.

  • Maps: Zodiac is a new Resurgence map from Beenox with a train, and Hajin, the DMZ map, comes to Battle Royale.

  • Legacy weapons: guns from Modern Warfare II through Black Ops 7 stay in a Legacy tab, with earned and purchased Blueprints and Operator Skins.

  • No legacy camos: older weapon camos won't be available in the new Warzone.

  • Shared grind: MW4 camo progress, Level Unlocks, and a Warzone set of Daily Challenges started in Warzone with Season 1.

  • Operator Skin toggle: an optional filter that shows other players' non-MW4 Operators as MW4 Operators. It's off by default.


When Did MW4 Warzone Launch?

MW4 Warzone launched with Season 1 at midnight ET on November 6, 2026, per Activision's Season 1 blog. Raven Software's Warzone Season 1 patch notes from November 5 cover the full move to Modern Warfare 4, with two new maps and more than 30 new weapons. Our MW4 Season 1 guide has the full date breakdown.

The start came at midnight ET on November 6, which was 9 p.m. PT on November 5, and the Warzone blog from November 2 covers the rest.

Pre-installing Warzone today gets you the current live version. That's straight from the MW4 launch patch notes. On PS5 and other platforms with automatic downloads, the install can start before you get to pick, so turn automatic downloads off first if you want to choose.

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New Maps in MW4 Warzone

Season 1 brought two new maps, per Activision's MW4 multiplayer reveal. Zodiac is a new Resurgence map from Beenox, with a mix of POIs and a train that Activision calls a tactical addition.

Hajin is the second map. It's MW4's DMZ, and Activision brought it into Battle Royale with Season 1. DMZ players already know its streets from the two weeks before the first Warzone drop. Verdansk and Rebirth Island return in Season 1 as well, according to the Season 1 blog.

Neither map has an official size or player count, though the Warzone Season 1 blog lists 13 major POIs on Hajin and 10 on Zodiac.

The same reveal says the full movement suite works across Campaign, Multiplayer, DMZ, and Warzone. Activision didn't split the list by mode, so learn the new mantles and slides in Multiplayer before you drop. Read our MW4 multiplayer review.


What Carries Over to MW4 Warzone

What Carries Over to MW4 Warzone

Your old arsenal stays. Activision’s September post on the new Warzone says Operators and weapons from Modern Warfare II, Modern Warfare III, Black Ops 6, and Black Ops 7 remain available. Earned and purchased skins and Blueprints come with them.

Those guns sit in a Legacy tab of the Loadout menu. Gunsmith and old Custom Loadouts won't work on them. Each legacy weapon gets a five-attachment version you earn through the Armory, and legacy Blueprints keep their existing attachments.

Legacy weapon camos didn't make the trip. Activision corrected its post to say they won't be available in the new Warzone. Raven Software's Warzone Season 1 patch notes add that legacy weapons don't support MW4 Mastery Camos, Reticle Challenges, Cosmetic Gunsmithing, or Build Sharing, and Gunsmith can't customize them. Armory Unlocks lists the available legacy weapons and the XP each one needs. Want to flex a camo after November 6? Earn it on an MW4 gun.

Raven Software will keep tuning weapons every two weeks, and the stated goal is a meta rooted in MW4. Start with our best MW4 loadouts, since Gunsmith support stops at legacy guns.


Season 1 added Warzone to MW4's shared systems. The progression and prestige guide says MW4 Level Unlocks open in Warzone, and Warzone XP counts toward your player level. It doesn't count toward your DMZ level.

Camo progress works the same way. The weapon camo track spans Multiplayer, DMZ, and Warzone from Season 1, and Warzone also gets its own set of Daily Challenges. Our MW4 camos guide covers every tier.

Warzone's three Mastery camos are Parallax, Damascus Reforged, and Empyros. Parallax takes 5 kills in a match 300 times, Damascus Reforged takes 2 kills without plating 200 times, and Empyros takes a top 5 finish with at least 6 kills 75 times, per the Warzone Season 1 blog. The Parallax challenge opens once you earn the Divergence Completionist camo, and each later Warzone camo needs the one before it.

An optional Operator Skin toggle shows other players' Operators from older games as MW4 Operators. It only changes your view, and it's off by default. Need CoD Points for the Season 1 Battle Pass? Top up on our CoD Points page, or skip the early grind with Call of Duty Accounts.


FAQs About MW4 Warzone

When did MW4 Warzone come out?

With Season 1, at midnight ET on November 6, 2026. The new Warzone stayed offline from the October 23 launch until then.

Can I use my Black Ops 7 guns in MW4 Warzone?

Yes. Weapons and Operators from Modern Warfare II through Black Ops 7 stay in the Legacy tab. Their camos won't come with them, and Gunsmith doesn't work on legacy guns.

What is the MW4 Zodiac map?

Zodiac is a new Resurgence map built by Beenox. It has a train running through it. Activision’s Warzone Season 1 blog puts 10 POIs on it, built around the DRC Advanced Systems drone facility, but gives no official size.

Do MW4 camos count in Warzone?

From Season 1, yes. The weapon camo track spans Multiplayer, DMZ, and Warzone, and Warzone adds three Mastery camos of its own.


Final Words

I'd expect legacy guns to crowd the first Warzone lobbies. Their camos stay behind, though, and the shared camo track runs on MW4 weapons, which gives players a reason to switch.

DMZ players start Season 1 with an edge, since they spent two weeks in Hajin before it became a Battle Royale map.

Expect the legacy-versus-MW4 balance to shift quickly, with Raven tuning weapons every two weeks. Recheck the meta after each update before you lock in a Warzone class.


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