After weeks of teasers and speculation, Season 3 of Vanguard is officially underway much to the excitement of players. With Sledgehammer Games' latest title surpassing the halfway point of its cycle, the latest season of post-launch content is packed with brand-new content for players to experience.
The Season 3 update includes the addition of the M1916 marksman rifle and the Nikita AVT assault rifle alongside the usual dose of weapon balancing. In addition, the update is likely to include a number of bug fixes in order to ensure a smooth experience for players.
The Season 3 patch notes have finally appeared and they detail plenty of changes alongside all of the new content appearing in multiplayer and Zombies. Find the full patch notes for the Vanguard Season 3 update below.
Vanguard Season 3 Patch Notes
After a small wait, Sledgehammer Games has unveiled the full patch notes for the Vanguard Season 3 update. Check out all of the changes included in the update below.
Vanguard Season 3 Patch Notes
MULTIPLAYER
Maps
Mayhem
- This 1950s movie set is built for fast-paced combat. Jump into the Mayhem 24/7 Playlist at the start of Season Three!
Bocage
- Adjusted the P1 Hardpoint location to prevent players from capturing and contesting from an unintended location.
Eagle's Nest
- Addressed an issue that caused graphical corruption near the Library.
Gavutu
- Players can no longer use the Deployable Cover Field Upgrade to prevent other players from climbing the ladder on the LST Ship.
Sub Pens
- Attack Dogs will no longer get stuck outside of the playable area.
- Footstep audio will now properly play when players walk on the grate floor in the Maintenance area.
Modes
Control
- Addressed an issue where the Announcer's voice lines sometimes did not match the current game events.
Arms Race
General
- Addressed an issue where players within the blast radius of a Base were not properly notified.
- Destructible walls at the Castle Base are now properly damaged by the Demolition Charge Lethal Equipment.
- Corrected the capture point boundaries at Base E to prevent players from capturing from an unintended location.
- Players will no longer lose a Lethal Equipment after purchasing a Field Upgrade from a Buy Station.
- Addressed an issue where Base gates could not be damaged after deploying a Motorbike.
- Improved the Tank’s ability to traverse the terrain.
- Addressed an issue where Operators would not be aligned with the Motorbike while driving it.
- Friendly Base gates will no longer become stuck after a player detonates the Goliath Field Upgrade.
- Weapons equipped with the Wreck Proficiency Attachment will now deal increased damage to walls, gates, and vehicles.
Stability & Exploits
- Addressed an issue that caused a fatal error crash when players join an in-progress match.
- Increased the distance at which enemies can be seen to prevent engagements where a player is seemingly invisible.
- Addressed an exploit where players could survive out of the playable area using vehicles.
- Addressed an exploit that caused players to become invulnerable when there are no lives remaining.
- Addressed an exploit where players could obtain an unintended number of Nebula Crates.
Ranked Play
A special note to say THANK YOU to everyone who took part in the Season Two Beta. The data and feedback we collected throughout the Beta resulted in many fixes and improvements and were critical to the success and future of Ranked Play. Keep the feedback coming! - Treyarch
Season 3 SR Reset
- Players' Skill Ratings have been reset at the start of Season 3.
- Play 5 Skill Evaluation Matches to earn a Season 3 Skill Rating and get placed into a Skill Division & Tier.
- Initial Skill Rating placement has changed in Season 3. Therefore, after their 5 Skill Evaluation matches, some players may find that they get placed below where they were initially placed at the start of the Season 2 Beta.
- Win matches after your initial placement to earn SR and advance your Skill Division & Tier over the remainder of the Season.
Season 3 Top 250 Skill Division & Leaderboard
The Season 3 Top 250 Skill Division and Ladder will go live on May 4th, one full week into Season 3, to give players time to earn a Season 3 Skill Rating and advance through divisions.
General
- Fixed the "Cricket Glitch" that was causing some players to have reduced performance and chirping noises on some maps.
- Fixed an issue where Ranked Play Camo Rewards would occasionally unequip.
- Inactive players will now be kicked from Ranked Play matches, making them eligible for Suspension or Ladder and Skill Rating penalties.
- Added Berlin Control to the Ranked Play map rotation.
UI Updates
- Skill Division Tiers now use Roman Numerals instead of Numbers (Elite V, Elite IV, Elite III, Elite II, Elite I).
- Once unlocked, Ladder Event Rewards correctly appear as unlocked on the My Career Rewards screen.
- All players can now see and preview the Ranked Legend Solange Operator Skin Reward on the "Division Rewards" tab on the Rewards Screen, regardless of their current Skill Division.
- Victory Flames now display behind Rank Icons on the Ladder and Top 250 Leaderboard when earned.
- Updated the Top 250 Skill Division icon used in various locations.
- Fixed an issue causing Skill Division icons to be incorrectly offset from player Rank icons on some screens.
Restrictions
- The Volkssturmgewehr Assault Rifle is now restricted in Ranked Play.
- The Sledgehammer melee weapon is restricted in Ranked Play.
- This weapon can be selected in Loadouts but will unequip/appear restricted upon entering matchmaking and replaced with the Ratt in-game
Season 3 Ranked Play Rewards
- Pro Issue Automaton - Finish Top 5 in a Ladder Event
- Pro Issue SMG Charlie - Win 50 Ranked Play Matches
Camos
- Season 3 Ladder Champion - Finish 1st in a Ladder Event
- Season 3 Ranked Veteran - Win 100 Ranked Play Matches
Spray
- Defuse You Lose - Win 10 Ranked Play Matches
Sticker
- Season 3 Ranked Competitor - Complete 5 Skill Evaluation Matches
Emblems
- Earn an Animated Skill Division Emblem at the end of Season 3 to reflect your highest Season 3 Skill Division
Ranked Play Matchmaking
- Updated Ranked Play matchmaking rules to reduce the likelihood of receiving a high-ping match with players from a different region.
Operators
Bug Fixes
- Snoop Dogg’s body will no longer float after death.
- Beatrice, Constanze, and Padmavati are no longer silent while mantling, landing, and performing other movements.
- Addressed an exploit that caused Operator heads to disappear when using the Top Break Pistol with certain Attachments.
Weapons
Volk
- Shells will no longer cease to eject from the Weapon after sustained fire.
Gorenko Anti Tank Rifle
- 22mm ZAC Rapid (Barrel)
- Slightly decreased rate of fire.
Ice Axe
- Addressed an issue that prevented throwable Melee Weapons from being thrown while the Aim Down Sights button is held.
General
- Camo Challenges that require Headshots or Longshots are now properly tracked.
- Progress toward unlocking the Plague Diamond Camo in Zombies is now properly tracked.
- Added unlock challenges for the Season Two Battle Pass weapons.
Equipment
S Mine
- Addressed an issue that caused the S-Mine 44 to jitter and repeatedly play sound effects upon placement.
Perks
Fortified
- Bomb site explosions in Search & Destroy will now kill players who have Fortified equipped.
Field Upgrades
NEW: Trophy System
- Deployable autonomous defense system that destroys up to three nearby pieces of equipment and projectiles.
- Available to all players upon logging in for the first time during Season Three
UI & UX
- Party member Operators will now hold the correct showcase Weapon during the lobby walk sequence.
- Proximity indicators are no longer displayed on the HUD for the Sticky Bomb Lethal Equipment in Hardcore modes.
- Arms Race, Control, and Patrol are now properly tracked in the Combat Record.
- Improved the scrolling functionality of the Friends and Recent Players lists.
- Corrected the challenge descriptions for the NZ-41 Survivalist and Type 11 Death Artist Camo Categories.
- Addressed an issue that caused player microphone indicators to disappear.
Bundles & Cosmetics
General
- VFX and Animation pass completed for Weapon Blueprints, Finishing Moves, Charms, and other Bundle items.
- Addressed issues with some Attachment cosmetics that prevented the Attachment from being equipped.
- Addressed instances of Operator skins and Blueprints blocking scope visibility. When aiming down sights.
Tracer Pack Snoop Dogg Operator
- Cigar light will no longer disappear at the end of the “Hit This, Fam” MVP Highlight animation.
- Operators equipped with the "Finishizzle Movizzle" Finishing Move will no longer observe hands clipping through face.
- Snoop Dogg's nose no longer clips through his mask in the “Tactical Toke” Highlight Intro animation.
Mecha Menace Mastercraft
- Addressed an issue with the Mechanized Blueprint in which Reactive Inspect did not function properly.
Forbidden Sacrifice
- Corrected the positioning of Operator hands while the Spinebuster Blueprint for the Sten SMG is held.
ZOMBIES
Weapons
- M1916 and Nikita AVT available in Zombies loadouts once unlocked.
- New Weapon Unlock Challenges added to Zombies for the KG M40, Whitley, Sledgehammer and Skal Crusher.
Covenants
- Addressed an issue where the Deadshot Covenant was not always moving weapon crosshairs to an enemy headshot location.
Challenges
Season Challenges
- New Season Challenges available at the start of Season Three.
General
- Addressed an issue where an incorrect icon was appearing when completing the Amaguerra 43 unlock challenge.
Side Quest
- Addressed an issue that allowed a player already equipped with the Ray Gun to acquire a second Ray Gun from the digging side quest on Terra Maledicta.
Stability
- Addressed various stability issues related to using Artifacts at higher rounds.
Gameplay
- Addressed an issue where players equipped with a melee weapon and lethal equipment would be holding the equipment like a weapon after being revived.
- Addressed various visual and animation issues with thrown melee weapons in Zombies.
Dedicated Server Pause
- Addressed an issue where accessing certain menus could unpause the game.
Vanguard Season 3 Update Bug Fixes
Bug fixes are a large part of most seasonal updates for Vanguard. Considering the large number of bugs players often encounter, Sledgehammer Games will provide some kind of fixes to most bugs it's aware of, making the game much smoother for all involved.
Recently, the developer fixed a bug that allowed players to see through walls after using a Glide Bomb Killstreak.
Vanguard Season 3 Weapon Buffs and Nerfs
In comparison, Vanguard doesn't implement as many buffs and nerfs as Warzone partly due to the battle royale's extensive arsenal of weaponry. Despite the start of Season 3 acting as the ideal opportunity to make plenty of changes, minimal adjustments to Vanguard's arsenal have taken place.
That's all there is to know about the Vanguard Season 3 patch notes. Check out our Vanguard page for all the latest news, leaks, and loadout guides.