CoD: MW3 And Warzone Holiday Event Includes Deadly Snowball Fights, Killer Zombie Santa

Call of Duty’s annual holiday event, CODMAS, begins today and offers up a variety of activities to partake in themed around the holidays, including snowball fights and a mission to kill a zombified Santa. Here’s everything you need to know about CODMAS 2023, which includes activities and events covering multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone.

When is it?

CODMAS begins December 19 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET and runs through January 3 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. That should give players a good amount of time to check out the content during any breaks they might have from work or school.

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Now Playing: Warzone & Modern Warfare III | Santa's Slayground Holiday Event

Santa’s Slayground event

As part of the Santa’s Slayground event, players can complete up to eight challenges to unlock special gear like the “Christmas Skulls” calling card, the “Elfsecution” finishing move, and a special weapon blueprint and operator skin. Players can complete challenges across multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone to unlock the special gear.

Map makeovers and new modes

As part of the CODMAS event, the popular multiplayer maps Shipment and Highrise are getting holiday-themed updates and will be called “Shipmas” and “Hangover,” respectively. Hangover adds cosmetic elements like snowmen and Christmas lights, while Shipmas has snowy elements, too. In terms of new modes, multiplayer is adding “Infectious Holiday” and “Snowfight” as part of the CODMAS event. For the Infectious Holiday mode, everyone becomes Santa, and infected players transform into Zombie Santa. Snowfight, meanwhile, is a twist on Gunfight where players toss snowballs for the first two rounds to take down enemies. Beginning in the third round, players can use normal weapons or seek out snowballs on the map. There is one special yellow snowball on the map that delivers a one-hit kill.

Zombies

In Zombies, the CODMAS event brings holiday-themed music and snowballs to the map, and these snowballs can be whipped at zombies to take them down.

Warzone

In the battle royale mode Warzone, “Slay Ride Resurgence” is coming to the game through the CODMAS event. Players can board the train on Urzikstan and kill Santa to earn special gear and an emblem.

Warzone’s map will also have six “Deck the Halls” tree-themed capture points. Anyone standing close to a tree with no enemies nearby will earn festive decorations for the tree, which can be upgraded to Tiers 2 and 3 to improve loot value. In short, the better your tree is decorated, the better stuff you’ll unlock.

Activision also said there will be “CODMAS-related secrets” on the map throughout the event.

What can you buy?

As with other seasonal updates, the in-game store is getting a refresh with the CODMAS event. The headliner is an Operator bundle called “Paindeer.” This bundle, which costs 2,400 COD Points ($20), changes your character’s head to look like a reindeer. It also comes with a weapon blueprint and other themed items.

The Paindeer bundle is available now for $20

Another store bundle, Santa Gnaws, comes with a spooky version of Santa and a variety of items for 2,800 COD Points.

New Tracer Pack: Santa Gnaws Bundle available in MWIII and Warzone, with a new skin for Klaus. pic.twitter.com/XaP5SiiCuc

— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) December 19, 2023

The Vortex

After CODMAS wraps up, Activision is launching a new event called The Vortex on January running through January 17. There will be three Vortex-themed map updates coming to core multiplayer through the update, including Tetanus, Satan’s Quarry, and Sporeyard, which are updated versions of Rust, Quarry, and Scrapyard. Each has an eerie sci-fi vibe, and you can get a closer look at the map updates in the images below. The Vortex event ends on January 17.