A sidearm that bends bullets toward people who are already shooting sounds less like a normal patch note and more like a lobby argument waiting for a countdown timer. Still, that is the hook for the Grimhawk, a new secondary weapon coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone in Season 04.

The update is set to launch across all platforms on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 9 a.m. PT, with new weapons, maps, modes, Warzone features, and a refreshed version of Fortune’s Keep. The Grimhawk is only one part of that rollout, but naturally, it is the part with homing bullets. Subtlety has left the briefing room.

How the Grimhawk’s homing bullets work

Activision lists the Grimhawk as a Secondary Weapon in the Special category. In the Season 04 announcement, the company describes it as a full-auto specialized rifle that fires “low-velocity homing rounds” capable of locking onto targets.

There is an important condition attached. The tracking effect is described as applying to enemies who are actively firing their weapons. In other words, it does not appear to be a blanket replacement for aiming. It seems built to punish players who shoot first, return fire, or reveal themselves during a fight.

That distinction matters. Call of Duty balance often turns on small details: target acquisition, bullet velocity, damage ranges, recoil, and how quickly a weapon deletes someone who had the nerve to exist nearby. A secondary that reacts to opponents firing could reshape certain close-range exchanges, especially in squad fights where one player draws fire and another swaps to the Grimhawk.

Why players are already watching its balance

The obvious concern is not whether the Grimhawk sounds unusual. It does. The question is whether the homing behavior will be strong enough to matter in real matches.

If the tracking is reliable, players may treat the weapon as a reactive sidearm. That could be especially useful when:

  • An opponent fires first and exposes their position
  • A teammate is being shot during a push
  • A squad fight moves into a tight room or hallway
  • A Warzone final circle compresses into close-quarters chaos

That last category is where eyebrows should probably rise a little. In tight interiors, players have less space to break line of sight, bullet drop matters less, and short-range time-to-kill can decide the entire fight before anyone has time to develop a philosophy about fairness.

None of that means the Grimhawk is automatically broken. It does mean it has the kind of design that Call of Duty players will test aggressively within minutes of launch, because this community treats weapon tuning like forensic science with more shouting.

What limitations could keep it in check

Activision’s description includes several built-in drawbacks. The Grimhawk’s rounds are low-velocity projectiles, and they drop quickly. Players will need to watch the bullet curve and compensate, especially beyond short distances.

In practice, that could make the weapon harder to use than its headline feature suggests. Slower projectiles usually require players to lead moving targets differently. Quick bullet drop can force higher aim at range. Both factors may limit the Grimhawk’s usefulness in straightforward mid-range and long-range fights.

That is likely intentional. A full-auto secondary with unconditional, high-speed tracking would be less “new seasonal toy” and more “balance meeting emergency.” By tying the mechanic to active shooters and saddling the rounds with travel limitations, Activision appears to be trying to make the Grimhawk situational rather than universally correct.

The unresolved issue is how severe those limitations feel in live matches. Patch notes can describe friction. Players decide whether it actually slows them down.

The Long Barrel changes the weapon’s role

The Grimhawk’s Prestige Attachment may be the real flashpoint. At maximum weapon progression, the gun unlocks a Long Barrel that changes the homing mechanic.

With the Long Barrel equipped, the Grimhawk gains homing behavior for hip-fired rounds at close range. The trade-off is that it loses homing functionality while aiming down sights. The attachment also improves hip-fire spread and movement speed.

That is a meaningful shift. Without the attachment, the Grimhawk sounds like a projectile weapon with a conditional tracking assist that players must learn carefully. With the Long Barrel, it starts to look more like a mobile hip-fire dueling tool built for short-range fights.

For Warzone in particular, that could matter. Secondary weapons often decide survival after armor breaks, redeploys, awkward reloads, or fights inside buildings where every doorway becomes a small legal dispute. A close-range homing hip-fire option may become attractive even if it is awkward elsewhere.

What else arrives in Season 04

The Grimhawk is part of a larger weapons rollout for Season 04. Activision says six weapons are coming across launch, in-season, and mid-season content.

At launch, players can get:

  • KRS-7.62 marksman rifle
  • CBRS-3 SMG

Later in the season, the lineup expands with:

  • Grimhawk Special weapon
  • VX Compact assault rifle
  • Executioner’s Duet melee weapon
  • Returning AN-94 assault rifle

The Grimhawk will not be a standard Battle Pass unlock. Activision says it will be available through Weekly Challenges, which means the weapon’s rollout may also depend on how quickly players complete the required objectives once it becomes available.

Warzone gets Fortune’s Keep Refresh and new modes

Warzone’s biggest Season 04 addition is Fortune’s Keep Refresh, bringing the Resurgence map back in updated form. The refreshed version has been adjusted for Black Ops 7’s movement systems and new gameplay features.

The season also adds the Shadowlink Contract, an Advanced Self Revive item for Resurgence, and a mid-season return for Champion’s Quest. Mode-wise, 52v52 Clash arrives at launch, while Squad Gun Game is planned for later in the season.

That gives Warzone players several reasons to return even before the Grimhawk discourse fully matures into spreadsheets, clips, and strongly worded posts. But the weapon’s timing is hard to ignore. A new Resurgence-focused environment plus a secondary designed around reactive close-range fights is exactly the kind of combination that players will stress-test immediately.

Black Ops 7 multiplayer adds maps and throwback rules

Black Ops 7 multiplayer is also getting a sizable Season 04 refresh. The update brings five new and remastered maps:

  • Liminal
  • Primetime
  • Vertigo
  • Zenith
  • Launch

Season 04 also introduces Black Ops Classic, a throwback-style mode focused on simplified movement, streamlined loadouts, and older-school multiplayer fundamentals. It arrives at launch alongside Blueprint Gun Game.

More modes are scheduled for later in the season, including 6v6 Gunfight, Team Blueprint Sharpshooter, and Knife Fight. It is a broad multiplayer slate, though the Grimhawk may still end up stealing the conversation. Homing rounds tend to do that.

The key details remain untested

For now, the Grimhawk sits in a familiar pre-season space: interesting on paper, potentially alarming in practice, and impossible to judge fully without live-game numbers.

The weapon’s real impact will depend on details Activision has not fully spelled out in the announcement, including:

  • Damage values
  • Time-to-kill
  • Tracking strength
  • Projectile speed
  • Ammo economy
  • Effective range
  • How easily opponents can avoid or counter the lock-on behavior

If the bullet drop is harsh and the target restrictions are meaningful, the Grimhawk may become a niche pick for players who enjoy unusual tools. If the close-range hip-fire tracking is consistent, it could become one of the most controversial secondary weapons in Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 04.

Either outcome begins on June 4. The Grimhawk will be one of the first weapons players try, one of the first weapons content creators measure, and very likely one of the first weapons the community asks developers to monitor with both eyes open.