In preparation for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3's third DLC, Descent, Treyarch released a major update for the base game just recently.
Update 1.13 is now available for download through the appropriate channels for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The PS4 version requires an estimated 1.14 GB of HD space, while the Xbox One counterpart needs about 1.6 GB.
As mentioned, the update preps the base game and all previous content for the incoming Descent DLC, adds first party functionality for the PSN Play Together feature, and unlocks the new Fracture game mode to hopefully satisfy gamers as we all wait patiently for the new Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare title coming this November.
Fracture
In this new game mode, players are tasked to "pick up core files dropped by fallen enemies" and deliver these files to the "fracture site." Every submitted "core file" earns additional points for a team, which will determine who wins the match by the end of the time limit; highest amount of deposited files equals winning.
However, a match will end early if one the teams successfully reaches a predetermined amount of points needed to win the round, thus hailing this team the winner. It's the core function of this mode and it adds a new take on how matches are won in CoD, in addition to the usual shoot and kill.
While Update 1.13 will be adding the Fracture mode as early as now, the mode will not be accessible until July 15 when it formally launches.
Global Changes
Descent's four new map packs will ship with this update, adding Cryogen, Rumble, Berserk and Empire to multiplayer modes. The highly awaited Gorod Krovi map pack for Zombie play will be coming with the update too, where players will be facing the usual zombies, a mechanized robot and... wait for it... Dragons!
Group mechanics will be changing as well, and membership count has been bumped to 100,000 maximum. In addition, republishing content to a group after it was created can now be accessed via a handy button in player's showcases. Gamers can also easily invite other players by looking for their respective Player IDs.
On the other hand, those checking for new groups to join by sifting through a friend's list of groups can now see the names of other friends affiliated with the ones listed, as well as the appropriate labels of whether these groups are Public or Private (request confirmation). This feature is available on the Recent Public Groups tab as well.
Multiplayer And Zombies Mode
Most of the patch notes in this section mainly address long-running bugs and glitches experienced in both game modes with some rebalances and re-tweaking in Multiplayer mode. As with all previous patches, the one important thing that Update 1.13 does for the game is improve its gameplay experience overall.
Those who wish to view the comprehensive list for Update 1.13 may visit its corresponding PS4 and Xbox One patch notes on Activision.
Meanwhile, the Descent DLC multiplayer preview is posted below:
