Warzone May Patch Notes: Deadeye Drone Nerfed, VAS Foregrip Buffed, and What Changes Your Loadout Right Now

A new Warzone update went live on May 14, 2026, and it is bigger than most players expected for a mid-week drop. The patch touches killstreaks, weapon attachments, the Avalon circle system, Resurgence economy, and even how the final gas circle works. If you have not opened the game since Tuesday, your current loadout may already be behind.

Warzone: May 14, 2026 Patch & Meta Tracker

The Deadeye Drone took a 40 percent damage cut and lost almost all of its body shot multipliers. At the same time, the VAS Convergence Foregrip quietly became one of the best grips in the game across SMGs and LMGs, and the Napalm Strike got a complete rework that makes it hit wider but burn shorter. None of that was telegraphed loudly before the drop.

Below is every change that actually matters for your rank, your loadout, and your games this weekend.

The Deadeye Drone Is Basically Dead Now

The Deadeye Drone was already a contested killstreak. After this patch, most players will drop it from their kit completely.

Here is what changed:

• Damage reduced from 100 to 60

• Time between shots doubled from 0.5 seconds to 1 second

• All body shot damage multipliers removed; headshots are the only multiplier left

• Enemy marker display range cut from 200m down to 50m

That last one matters as much as the damage nerf. At 200m you could spot rotations and set up kills before a team even knew you were watching. At 50m that advantage is mostly gone. The drone now requires precise headshots to kill anything efficiently, and the slower fire rate makes that much harder under pressure.

If you were running the Deadeye Drone into final circles on Avalon, it is time to swap. The UAV or Cluster Mine will serve you better at this point.

Napalm Strike Got Reworked, Not Just Nerfed

The Napalm Strike changes are more of a redesign than a straight nerf:

• Flame patch length up from 41m to 45m

• Flame patch width up from 89m to 102m

• Flame patch duration cut from 30 seconds to 15 seconds

• Damage per tick dropped from 25 to 12

• Bomb count increased from 3 to 4

It covers more ground but burns out faster and deals less sustained damage. The intent seems to be turning it into a zone denial tool rather than a guaranteed kill weapon. For ranked play, you can still use it to block off a flank or force rotations, but sitting in the flame for a second to wipe someone is no longer reliable.

The VAS Convergence Foregrip Is the New Meta Attachment

This is the change most loadout players will not see coming until they check the detailed stats screen.

For SMGs, the VAS Convergence Foregrip now offers:

• Vertical recoil control improved from 10 percent to 15 percent

• First two-shot recoil control improved from 35 percent to 45 percent

• Hidden horizontal recoil control added that was not in the patch notes description

The horizontal recoil improvement is not listed clearly in the in-game text. You need to open detailed stats per weapon to see the exact percentage. On weapons like the AK-27, that horizontal control improvement is reportedly as high as 35 percent, which is a massive stability gain for a single attachment slot.

For LMGs, the same grip also improves horizontal recoil on the MK78, currently one of the top weapons in the LMG category. Swap your current grip out and test it before your next session.

Mobility Spread Muzzle Now Moves Like an SMG Attachment

The Mobility Spread Muzzle got a 5 percent Movement Speed, Sprint Speed, and ADS Movement Speed buff for both ARs and SMGs. On ARs it offers an alternative to the Redwell Shade suppressor for players running a sniper support build who want faster movement over recoil control. On SMGs, stacking this with existing movement items makes close range aggression feel noticeably faster.

New Ground Loot Weapons: MK35, Voyak, and VST

Three weapons were added to ground loot in Battle Royale and Resurgence:

• MK35 ISR

• Voyak KT-3

• VST

Three older weapons were pulled from ground loot at the same time: M15 MOD 0, DS20 Mirage, and Razor 9mm. If you land hot and grab a random off the floor, your options now include the newer additions. The MK35 in particular is worth testing early given how recently it was added to the game.

Resurgence Players: Self-Revives Are Gone From Ground Loot

This one will sting for Resurgence regulars. Self-revives have been removed from ground world loot entirely. You will now need to buy them from a Buy Station or find them through supply boxes.

Also notable for Resurgence: RCXD drop rates from crates have been reduced by 10 percent. That may not sound like much, but it was a direct response to player complaints about kill streaks flooding the end of Resurgence lobbies. Mortars, napalms, and PAS were not touched in this pass.

Final Circle Gas Now Eats Your Stash

If you play late game Resurgence by holding ground and stacking items, this patch closes that door. The final gas circle now removes specific ground loot items from the map, including Stims, Self-Revives, and Portable Decontamination Stations. The items you dropped to stack for the final fight will be gone once the last circle starts.

Pre-Match Rejoin Now Works All the Way Through the Match

Players who disconnect before deployment can now reconnect during the pre-match lobby in all standard playlists. Rejoin is available from the moment you load in right through to the final circle, which is an expansion from the previous window that cut off before the end-game. Ranked Play still disables rejoin to keep competitive matches fair.

Weapon Drop Protection Lasts 5 Minutes Now

When you die and your weapons drop, those weapons now have a 5-minute cleanup protection window before they disappear. If you are waiting on a gulag and respawn after a minute or two, your loadout gear will still be on the ground. The protection ends if you disconnect or are eliminated from the match entirely.

Economy Changes on Avalon

The in-game economy shifted slightly toward making cash feel more meaningful:

• Armor Plates now cost $200 at shops (up from $150)

• Grapple Hooks now cost $300

• Common Cash pile values increased from $250 to $300

The plate price increase means you need to be more deliberate about when you buy health versus saving for a buy-back or loadout. The cash pile bump partially offsets that by giving you slightly more per loot run.

Scavenger Contract Loot Is Better Now

Scavenger contract rewards were quietly upgraded:

• Crate 3 now drops Epic and Legendary weapons only (Rare weapons removed)

• Crate 2 now has a 30 percent chance to drop a Grapple Hook

Landing on a Scavenger contract and completing it is more rewarding than before, especially early in the match when loadout access is still limited.

Loadout Drops and Circles on Avalon

Avalon-specific changes aim to fix two recurring complaints:

• Circle locations were adjusted to push play toward more of the map, reducing the repetitive clustering around the same two or three POIs

• Free loadout drop positions were updated so they no longer land in areas that are difficult to reach

Based on player reports from matches played on May 14, the circle change appears to be working, with game flow pushing into parts of Avalon that were rarely used before.

Vehicle spawns on Avalon also increased: TAVs went from approximately 10 to 14, and Tactical Rafts went from approximately 13 to 15.

Armor Satchel No Longer Wastes Your Plates

Picking up an Armor Satchel now automatically drops your excess armor plates on the ground before filling your inventory. You used to have to manually drop your plates, pick up the satchel, and then collect the overflow. That extra step is gone. Your plates stay on the ground for you, a teammate, or a positional hold.

Bug Fixes Worth Knowing

• The “Touch Grass” Dark Ops Calling Card now unlocks correctly after leveling 30 weapons to level 250

• The 100 Wins Seasonal Reward front-end display bug is fixed

• Challenges for “Get 40 Eliminations with SMG” and “Get 40 Eliminations with Ground Weapons” now track correctly