The prevailing theory among "Call of Duty" fans is that the regular six-on-six "Call of Duty" has not received as much attention from Activision as its free-to-play battle royale cousin, Warzone 2 (open in new tab). Warzone players enjoy the map updates, franchise crossover modes, and frequent rebalancing, while players who play Call of Duty the old-fashioned way (and pay $70 for it) are more comfortable with the occasional new map, gun, or playlist update. Settling in.

For once, the traditional 6vs6 "Call of Duty" is getting more love on patch day: the Season 2 Reloaded patch for Modern Warfare 2 (opens in a new tab) was released today and includes a new "core" multiplayer map, MW2 Co- op raid's next episode, a new DMR based on the M4, and a second party mode to lighten the mood after a night of ranked battles are included.

Here's a rundown:

Activision surprised Modern Warfare 2 players last month when it announced that it would be bringing forward a 6vs6 map to Season 2, perhaps to ease complaints about the premium side of CoD.

"The @InfinityWard MP team has decided to move the map forward as playtesting is already well underway and can be tracked ahead of schedule," the Call of Duty Twitter account tweeted at the time (opens in new tab).

That map is today's Himmelmatt Expo, a modernist mountainside chalet stained in blues, browns, and grays. It's a good thing, because mixed in with the conference rooms and reception desk are a bar, a restaurant, and a swimming pool. The brochure would have to add bullet holes and RPG craters.

If one new map is not enough, a single-shot shooter to join the existing M4 gun tree, the Tempus Torrent Marksman rifle, could be fun, with its 20-round base magazine and high rate of fire, it is the perfect combo for DMRs who want to compete with full auto rifles. It's a perfect combo for DMRs who want to compete with full-auto rifles, but Activision says you'll have to deal with "pronounced kicks to the top and left."

Fortunately, you'll soon be able to equip the Tempus with full attachments; as an M4 platform gun, most of the grips, sights, and stocks unlocked on these guns will carry over to this gun as well. Normally, new guns in CoD can only be unlocked initially with the Battle Pass, but this gun will appear mid-season and requires 25 double kills with the Marksman rifle (or get it early by purchasing the Tempus cosmetic bundle in the store). This is quite a challenge! The Marksman rifle is not a sharp gun to begin with, so multiple kills may be difficult, but with a little luck and a good camp spot, it can be accomplished in an afternoon or two.

The party mode looks pretty fun, too: in All or Nothing, everyone starts with an empty pistol and a throwing knife. Kills earn perks and "start with a scavenger perk that allows you to pick up ammunition."

Drop zones are like headquarters with care package drops, unpalatable, but I'm most excited about the return of a Blacks Ops classic: One in the Chamber. The rules are simple: bullets are one-hit kills, and everyone has one bullet. Kills give you new bullets (including melee attacks), and while some Call of Duty traditions (like kill streaks) feel dated and tired, party mode will never go out of style.

A footnote in today's patch is a new social feature that looks tremendously useful. The "Party Queue" allows you to join a friend's party while they are still in an ongoing match, and automatically join their party once the matchmaking is finished. Refreshing the social tabs until the "Join Party" button appears is not fun. While "Overwatch 2" has had this feature for some time, "Overwatch 2" allows you to watch your friends' matches while you wait.