The second and final week of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beta kicks off later today, accompanied by a fresh game update. The patch introduces several key adjustments, including modifications to weapon movement speeds and a nerf to the previously overpowered Jackal PDW submachine gun, which dominated the first weekend of the beta.

During this second week, the level cap has been raised from 20 to 30, providing players access to more weapons, scorestreaks, perks, and equipment. These additions include fan-favorite perks such as Ninja, Cold-Blooded, and Fast Hands.

A notable change affects the weapon swap speeds across all categories. The time it takes to drop sniper rifles has been reduced by 100ms, while other weapon classes see a reduction of 50ms. Treyarch encourages players seeking even faster swaps to equip the Fast Hands perk.

Movement speeds have also been tweaked, ensuring all weapon classes have balanced movement rates relative to one another. These adjustments focus on both overall movement speeds and aim down sight (ADS) movement, which significantly impacts combat.

Treyarch emphasized their caution in not speeding up the gameplay excessively and will continue to monitor player feedback and data.

An additional change has been made to increase sprint speeds when using melee weapons. This is intended to encourage players to use melee weapons for map traversal and allow them to keep pace with those wielding ranged weapons.

The Jackal PDW, which stood out in the first weekend due to its overpowering performance at medium ranges, has been toned down. The nerf includes a decrease in damage and range, along with a slight increase in recoil. Players will also have a new submachine gun to try, the Tanto .22, introduced in week two.

Spawning adjustments have been made in response to feedback from the first week. The general spawn system has been refined to reduce the frequency of spawn flipping across several maps.

Below are the full patch notes as released by Activision:

Global Progression

• Level Cap: Raised to 30, unlocking new content:
  • Level 21: Blast Trap (Lethal Equipment), Scavenger (Perk - Enforcer)
  • Level 22: Interceptors (Scorestreak), Fast Hands (Perk - Strategist)
  • Level 23: Sleeper Agent (Field Upgrade), Cold-Blooded (Perk - Recon)
  • Level 24: Combat Axe (Lethal Equipment), Tac Mask (Perk - Strategist)
  • Level 25: DM-10 (Marksman Rifle)
  • Level 26: Gunfighter (Wildcard), Forward Intel (Perk - Recon)
  • Level 27: Gearhead (Perk - Strategist)
  • Level 28: Decoy (Tactical Equipment), Ninja (Perk - Recon)
  • Level 29: Chopper Gunner (Scorestreak)
  • Level 30: Tanto .22 (SMG)

New rewards include:

• Level 23: "The Truth Lies" Loading Screen
• Level 27: "Beta Expert" Animated Calling Card
• Level 30: "Bug Smasher" XM4 Weapon Blueprint

Multiplayer

Weapon Adjustments

• Weapon Swap Speeds: All weapons now have reduced drop times for faster swapping.
  • Sniper rifles: Drop time reduced by 100ms
  • Other classes: Drop time reduced by 50ms

Movement Speed Adjustments

• Slight tweaks to baseline movement speeds across all weapon categories, focusing on regular and ADS movement speeds during engagements. Notable changes include:
  • Assault Rifles: ADS crouch speed increased, general move speed increased
  • SMGs: Crouch speed increased
  • Shotguns: Increased ADS and move speeds
  • LMGs: Slight speed increases across all aspects
  • Marksman Rifles: Crouch and ADS speeds increased
  • Sniper Rifles: Slight reduction in crouch speed
  • Pistols: Various adjustments to crouch, move, and ADS speeds
  • Melee: Increased speed for jog, sprint, and super sprint

Specific Weapon Changes

• Jackal PDW: Reduced damage, range, and increased recoil to balance its medium-range dominance.
• C9: Increased medium-range damage to balance recoil.

Spawning System

Treyarch has reworked the spawn logic to address the high frequency of spawn flipping from week one. Multiple maps have received spawn adjustments to improve the predictability and quality of engagements.

Equipment and Scorestreaks

• RC-XD: Improved handling
• Watchdog Helo: Increased health
• Hellstorm: Cluster bomb damage radius boosted

The adjustments made in this update aim to fine-tune the beta experience and ensure a balanced, enjoyable playthrough for all participants.