Warzone Elite Perks are three powerful bonuses arriving with Season 1 on 6 November 2026: Athleticism, Phantom and Fieldcraft. Unlike the usual perks chosen before a match, these must be picked up while playing, and only one can be equipped at a time.
You still choose your three regular perks before dropping in. The fourth slot is different: it is reserved for one of the Warzone Elite Perks you find once the match is underway.
How to get Warzone Elite Perks
You obtain Warzone Elite Perks inside a match, rather than selecting them from the normal Loadout menu. Activision confirms two ways to get them: Buy Stations and Supply Run Contracts. They cannot be equipped as a permanent pre-match selection, so choosing an Elite Perk is a decision you make once you’re already on the map.
Buy Stations are one option, and completing Supply Run Contracts can also award Elite Perks. Activision has not given their Buy Station prices, so save the exact purchasing details for when Season 1 is live.
All three Warzone Elite Perks explained
There are three Elite Perks at launch, and each supports a different part of combat. None is a replacement for the base perk categories. The biggest question is whether you want stronger movement, protection from enemy detection or more staying power during drawn-out fights.
Athleticism
Athleticism improves agility when strafing, crouching and aiming down sights. It also reduces the penalties to aiming while jumping or sliding. This makes it the movement-focused option of the three, particularly relevant to players who spend fights changing position rather than holding a single angle.
The important distinction is movement while fighting. Athleticism helps with strafing and aiming, including when jumping or sliding; it is not described as a blanket sprint-speed boost.
Phantom
Phantom is the stealth choice. According to Activision, it makes the user undetectable to enemy reconnaissance Killstreaks, equipment and perks. That protection is useful when opponents are trying to find your squad through detection tools rather than direct line of sight.
Phantom does not make you invisible. Other players can still spot you and open fire, so cover and positioning still matter.
Fieldcraft
Fieldcraft rapidly regenerates armour and equipment, giving you more resources for extended engagements. If your squad regularly takes several fights in quick succession, this is the sustained-combat option.
That could be handy for squads taking fights back to back. Activision has not given an exact regeneration rate, so there is no reliable numerical comparison yet.
Which of the Warzone Elite Perks should you choose?
Choose Athleticism for movement-heavy fights, Phantom when enemy reconnaissance is the bigger threat, or Fieldcraft when repeated engagements put pressure on your armour and equipment. There is no single right choice for every squad; it depends on whether you need mobility, stealth or recovery.
You can only equip one Elite Perk, so you cannot stack Athleticism, Phantom and Fieldcraft. The other fifteen perks remain in three pre-match categories. This is an extra slot, not a replacement for any of them.
When do Warzone Elite Perks arrive?
Warzone Elite Perks are part of the Season 1 update on Friday 6 November 2026. The worldwide launch is 05:00 GMT, which is 00:00 Eastern, 06:00 CET, 14:00 JST and 16:00 AEDT. On the US West Coast, that is Thursday 5 November at 21:00 Pacific.
Season 1 also introduces new ways to move and gather equipment, including the Zipline Launcher, Grabber Drone and Weapon Augments. These are separate in-match systems: the bonuses from Warzone Elite Perks are not weapon attachments or Field Upgrades.
Official source: Call of Duty: Warzone Season 1 roadmap (Activision).
