Everything We Know About Black Ops Cold War Season 1

The Call of Duty series is getting ready for a big transition with the launch of the first official season of Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War. The massively successful Call of Duty: Warzone battle royale mode, which began life as a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare offshoot, will integrate with the new Black Ops – Cold War content, progression, and player base.

Things have gotten off on the right foot for Black Ops – Cold War with a critically praised debut for the series on the new generation of consoles. However, the game is still officially in preseason mode, meaning that Black Ops- Cold War players are temporarily in a bit of a bubble from the larger Call of Duty community.

All of that changes on December 10, when Season 1 of Black Ops – Cold War kicks off, and the entire Call of Duty franchise integrates into a single entity. Thankfully, Treyarch seems to have put some thought into the transition and provided a roadmap for what players can expect for the first few months. Here is everything we know about Black Ops – Cold War Season 1 in terms of content and player progression.

Players who have been following Call of Duty: Warzone know that a new season means new content, and while Treyarch has played it close to the chest as to what to expect specifically, there are a few things we know for sure.

Ahead of the December 10 launch of Black Ops – Cold War, fans will receive a new, although familiar, map. The classic Black Ops map "Nuketown" is returning, now as "Nuketown '84." This map will be made available on November 24.

Once the season gets underway, players will see new weapons, a new Fireteams map, as well as additional maps and modes for Black Ops – Cold War's classic 6v6 matches. Also, the 2v2 Gunfight mode that debuted in Modern Warfare is making a welcome return, although it is unclear whether it will feature new maps or remake the old ones.

Perhaps the most anticipated aspect of Black Ops – Cold War's new content is the prospect of new Warzone material. While the roadmap only hints vaguely at a "classified Warzone experience," rumors are circulating about the mode finally adding a new map, possibly named Vozrozhdeniya Island.

Another significant change coming in Season 1 of Black Ops – Cold War has to do with player progression. The Prestige ranking system is returning and will begin when Season 1 starts on December 10, and Treyarch has released a comprehensive guide on how that will work and its impact on other Call of Duty games.

Right now, during the preseason period of the game, players can Prestige up to three times. When Season 1 begins, it will have four Prestige ranks to achieve over the first 200 levels. Reaching the fourth Prestige at level 200 will unlock the rank of Prestige Master.

In addition to Prestige, 40 different challenges are available to be unlocked over the first 200 levels, 20 for multiplayer and 20 for Zombies. Completing all these challenges at Level 200 will unlock an animated Season Master Calling Card.

One of the most important things to note about Black Ops – Cold War's progression is that it will reverberate across the entire Call of Duty universe. Progress for players of Warzone and Modern Warfare will be reset to zero, and all progress is now shared across all three games.