All perk and equipment changes coming to Warzone Season 1

Call of Duty: Warzone Season 1 is kicking off with a massive overhaul to perks and equipment system.

With the upcoming Black Ops 7 integration into Warzone, Raven Software aims to simplify systems, sharpen item identity, and push players toward more meaningful choices, without losing the high-octane action that defines the battle royale title.

Below is a full breakdown of major perk and equipment changes coming to Warzone in Season 1.

New and reworked perks in Warzone Season 1

Perks are getting one of the biggest shake-ups Warzone has seen in years. Wildcards have been removed entirely, perk categories have been reorganized, and several abilities have been rebalanced or replaced to promote smart decision-making even before a match starts.

Players can expect a more tactical meta in BR under the BO7 era thanks to clearer perk identities and stronger tradeoffs brought by these fresh and adjusted perks:

• Adaptive (new) — This perk shifts its bonuses based on your armor state: mobility buffs when damaged, improved weapon handling when fully plated, plus audible trap warnings and delayed enemy equipment activations. It’s basically a fusion of Reflexes and other older perks into one versatile option.
• Reactive Armor (reworked) — Now triggers an EMP pulse when your armor breaks. If you disengage briefly, it regenerates your armor back to full, making it extremely powerful for hit-and-run fighters.
• Survivor (reworked) — Now gives you one-shot protection from ballistic weapons when fully armored, even against snipers trying to down you in a single bullet.
• Bomb Squad (buffed) — Now reduces damage from killstreaks on top of explosives, making defensive builds much more viable against high-impact threats.
• Sprinter (reworked) — Now grants full tactical sprint, allows reloading during tac sprint, and reduces penalties while using equipment. The perk has been adjusted with the removal of the default tac sprint in BO7.
• Mountaineer (buffed) — Now includes combat rolls, faster ladder climbs, and reduced fall damage, reinforcing vertical mobility playstyles.

Notably, Birdseye won’t be part of the initial lineup of perks for the upcoming season. The perk, which reveals players with Ghost, expands your UAV radius, and shows enemy headings to your entire squad (except for those running Ghost), is sitting out at launch and could end up as an event reward in future updates.

Equipment updates in Warzone Season 1

Warzone Season 1 introduces some of the biggest equipment refinements to date, with the goal of eliminating overlap and ensuring each item fills a clear role.

Lethal equipment

• Needle Drone and Point Turret (new) — Fresh from Black Ops 7, these add new explosive and area-control options in BR.
• C4 (updated) — No longer requires a remote detonator, simplifying usage and improving responsiveness.
• Combat Axe (returning) — Replaces Throwing Knives and now features faster throw speed for more reliable hits.

Tactical equipment

Several brand-new tactical tools are shaking up recon, deception, and crowd-control gameplay:

• Phantom Signal (new) — Forces nearby enemies to emit audible sounds for up to 10 seconds, perfect for revealing Ghosted players camping in buildings.
• Psych Grenade (new) — Releases hallucinogenic gas that creates phantom copies of affected players and pings them on the mini-map. Expect pure chaos during push fights.
• Flash Grenade (updated) — Can now be cooked for up to three additional flashes, letting you control rooms even more effectively.
• Stim Shot (buffed) — Now instantly clears Flash or Concussion effects.
• Smoke Grenade (buffed) — Can now extinguish lingering fire from Molotovs or Napalm streaks.

More details from the Warzone update today (Dec. 2)

Warzone is adding wall jumps and a grapple hook tactical to limited-time modes initially, with devs monitoring player feedback for future updates.

Raven has also confirmed that the latest update is just the beginning. The team will observe perk and equipment performance, community feedback, and pick rates throughout the season, and they already have another slate of updates planned for Season 2.

The devs’ overarching goal is simple: make every perk, equipment, and loadout choice matter across all playstyles. Expect more tuning passes, improved diversity in meta builds, and continuous evolution as Warzone moves into the new BO7 era.

You can check out our breakdown of the Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 1 roadmap for more details on the upcoming huge update.