Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War: Seasonal Level Progression Explained, What Does It Mean?


The worldwide release of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is right around the corner.

Black Ops Cold War is a direct sequel to the very first instalment of the Black Ops series which released all the way back in 2010.

With just a few days to go until players can get their hands on a brand-new campaign, multiplayer and zombies experiences, Treyarch and Activision have unveiled details on how players will level up on the new game.

Player progression has undergone a huge overhaul, enabling players to earn XP across Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War and Warzone starting when Season One for Black Ops Cold War launches on December 10th.

Confused as to how it works? We will explain everything in this handy guide.

Read More: Call of Duty: Warzone: When Will Black Ops Cold War Arrive?

Seasonal Level Progression

Starting when Black Ops Cold War launches on November 13th, players will begin a brand-new levelling system.

Like previous titles, players will begin from level one and work their way through Military Ranks. Military Ranks are the first 55 levels, similar to a traditional level progression system seen in other CoD titles.

Black Ops Cold War Level Progression
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Level progression will syncronise across Modern Warfare, Warzone and Black Ops Cold War!

Players will unlock the usual range of weapons, equipment, perks and more through these 55 levels, and once they have been completed, it’s all change.

The progress made through the Military Ranks will reset in Modern Warfare and Warzone when Season One begins. “But what about all my cool weapons I’ve unlocked?!” No need to panic! All unlockable content will remain unlocked. Only your XP is reset.

Read More: Black Ops Cold War Warzone LEAKS: Release Date, New Map, Weapons, Battle Pass, Vehicles And Everything We Know

Season Levelling

Once players have reached the highest Military Rank, they will enter Season Levelling which begins when Black Ops Cold War launches. This will be known as “Pre-Season”.

Season Levelling is the new name for Officer Progression which is currently present in both Modern Warfare and Warzone.

When Season One launches, gaining XP and levelling up will be shared across Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare and Warzone, allowing players to level up regardless of which title they are playing.

Read More: How To Download Black Ops Cold War EARLY AND FAST On PS4, Xbox One And PC 

Season Challenges

The beginning of Season One will introduce new Season Challenges which offer more ways for players to earn rewards.

Rewards include two collections of 20 Calling Cards each season (20 for Multiplayer and 20 for Zombies). 

New challenges will be unlocked at every ten levels all the way up to Season Level 200. 

Players that manage to earn all 40 Calling Cards will earn an exclusive Season Master Calling Card. 

Prestige Levelling

Treyarch has unveiled more details surrounding Prestige Levelling in Black Ops Cold War. 

Starting at launch, players will have the chance to work their way through a total of three Prestige levels. The first begins after the Military Ranks have been completed, the second starts once Season Level 50 has been reached and the third will be secured once players have reached Season Level 100.

Black Ops Cold War Prestige System
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Prestiging is back in a BIG way

Beginning at the start of Season One, the level will reset with eaach new season and progress will continue from the highest Prestige achieved from the previous season.

Once you've made it through the third Prestige, four more Prestiges will be able to be achieved across the first 200 Season Levels. 

Read More: Black Ops Cold War Roadmap Revealed! Nuketown Release Date, Season One Start Date and More!

Players will be able to earn up to three Prestiges before the start of Season One in December, with four more Prestiges to earn each season after that, making a total of over 25 Prestiges across all seasons!

Prestige Master is also returning on Black Ops Cold War. Players that reach Season Level 200 will get the title of Prestige Master for that particular season. Once hit, players will get the chance to customise their Prestige Icon with classic Prestige Icons from previous titles. 

Once Level 200 has been hit, players can progress all the way to Level 1000 each season. Every 50 Levels, milestone rewards are up for grabs

Milestone rewards include Battle Pass Tier Skips alongside Weapon Blueprints and Operator Skins.

UPDATED: November 6th 

Fans of classic prestiging, rejoice! Treyarch and Activision have confirmed that aspects from the traditional Prestige system will be incorporated into the new levelling system.

According to the blog post, Prestige Levelling will enable players to unlock legacy player items that will be familiar to fans of the Black Ops series.

More information surrounding the Black Ops Cold War Prestige system will be revealed by Treyarch on November 6th so be sure to check back for all the latest intel!

For more articles like this, take a look at our Modern Warfare, Gaming News, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and Call of Duty Warzone pages.