Quick answer (TL;DR): The fastest way to level up on Zodiac — Modern Warfare 4's brand-new Warzone Resurgence map — is the Casual Resurgence Quads playlist, which Infinity Ward buffed to +240% Weapon XP and +46% Player XP for the Open Beta. Regular Resurgence Quads gives +55% Player XP and +13% Weapon XP. On Sunday, August 30 those stack with a Double XP + Double Weapon XP event, making it the single best window to sprint to Level 30 and claim the "Beta Forged" Han 86 blueprint. The catch: Casual and Regular Resurgence share one playlist slot that flips based on time of day with no in-game label, so you have to catch Casual when it's live. The whole Open Beta ends at 10:00 AM PT on Tuesday, September 1 — after that, your rank and weapon unlocks reset, but every cosmetic reward you earned carries to the full game at launch on October 23, 2026.
Zodiac is a big deal for one simple reason: it's the first time Warzone has ever appeared inside a Call of Duty Beta. As the official MW4 Beta patch notes put it, "This includes our first ever Warzone entry in the Beta with our new Resurgence map." That means the Weekend 2 crowd is grinding a mode almost nobody has muscle memory for yet — and the XP boosts on it are the most generous of the entire Beta. This guide breaks down exactly where the XP is, how to find the Casual playlist, every gameplay change that landed this weekend, and the full reward ladder, all verified against callofduty.com.
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What Is the Zodiac Map in MW4 Warzone?
Zodiac is a Resurgence map — the smaller, faster, respawn-enabled battle royale format — and it's exclusive to Weekend 2 of the MW4 Open Beta. It did not appear in the Early Access weekend (August 21–25), which was Multiplayer and a single Campaign mission only. If you played Week 1 and left, Zodiac is the headline reason to come back.
Here's the confirmed intel from callofduty.com:
- Mode: Warzone Resurgence, played as Quads (four-player squads) with respawns while a teammate survives.
- Playlists: two variants — Resurgence Quads and Casual Resurgence Quads — that rotate through a single playlist slot.
- Loadouts: Default Loadouts only. Custom Loadouts are disabled for the Beta and return at launch, so everyone drops on equal footing with preset weapons and ground loot.
| - Availability window: the Open Beta runs August 28 at 10:00 AM PT through September 1 at 10:00 AM PT, free for all players on PS5, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox on PC, Steam, Battle.net, and — for the first time — Nintendo Switch 2. |
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Zodiac isn't a throwaway test map, either: it's expected to join the live Warzone map pool when Modern Warfare 4 launches, so the layout you're learning now has a shelf life well beyond the Beta. If you want the pre-Beta primer on how the map was introduced, we covered that in our MW4 Beta Warzone Zodiac breakdown.
How Do You Get the Fastest XP on Zodiac?
This is where the Beta gets genuinely worth your time. In the Saturday, August 29 patch, Infinity Ward pushed a huge progression buff specifically to the Resurgence playlists. Here are the exact, official numbers:
| Playlist | Player XP boost | Weapon XP boost |
|---|---|---|
| Casual Resurgence Quads | +46% | +240% |
| Resurgence Quads (regular) | +55% | +13% |
Read that Weapon XP column again. Casual Resurgence Quads awards +240% Weapon XP — more than triple the normal rate, and roughly 18x the regular Resurgence playlist's weapon boost. If your goal is leveling guns (or just racing to account Level 30 for the rewards), Casual is the farm. Regular Resurgence edges it out slightly on Player XP, but the weapon gap is enormous.
Then came the multiplier. On Sunday, August 30 at 10:00 AM PT, the patch notes confirm a Double XP and Double Weapon XP event went live across the Beta. Layer that on top of the Casual Resurgence weapon boost and Sunday is, mathematically, the most efficient leveling window of the entire two-weekend Beta. If you only have time to play one session before it all resets, make it a Sunday Casual Resurgence session.
A few practical notes to squeeze the most out of it:
- Chase the Level 30 milestone. Every reward tier caps at Player Level 30, which unlocks the "Beta Forged" Weapon Blueprint for the Han 86. Player XP is what moves that bar, so mix in objective play, not just kills.
- Play the objective on Resurgence. Reviving squadmates, closing contracts, and surviving redeploys all feed Player XP.
- Don't grind weapon unlocks expecting to keep them. Weapon levels and attachments do not carry to the full game (more on that below) — the Weapon XP grind is for the Beta's own reward ladder and for practice, not a launch head start.
Why Can't I Find the Casual Resurgence Playlist?
This is the single most common complaint on r/CODWarzone this weekend, and it's not a bug — it's by design. The official patch notes state that Resurgence playlist availability "will flip periodically based on time of day." In practice, that means Casual and Regular Resurgence take turns in the same slot, and there is no on-screen indicator telling you which one you're currently queuing into.
Players who caught Casual reported it running in the mornings and switching to Regular (full lobbies of experienced players) later in the day. The tell isn't in the menu — it's in the match: Casual lobbies are seeded with bots, which are easy to spot because they move erratically and often stop shooting mid-fight. If your lobby suddenly feels like every enemy is a cracked-out sweat, the slot has probably flipped to Regular.
The takeaway for XP farmers: when Casual Resurgence is live, that's your window — both because it's easier to string together kills against bots and because it carries the +240% Weapon XP rate. Check early in the day, and if the lobby feels human-hard, back out and try again later.
What Gameplay Changed on Zodiac This Weekend?
Weekend 2 shipped a stack of Warzone tuning changes as Infinity Ward reacted to live feedback. If Zodiac feels different from BO7-era Warzone, this is why. The headline adjustments from the Aug 29–30 patch notes:
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| Movement speed up | Sprint speed +3–5% by weapon class; ADS strafe speed +6–10%; melee sprint +3.5% |
| Revive from prone | You can now revive downed squadmates while prone |
| Infil pistol swap | The backup/infil pistol is now the Sang 9mm (replacing the previous pick after feedback) |
| Killstreak warnings | Bombing Run warning radius 120m → 60m; Impact Warhead 76m → 25m; Artillery Beacon 120m → 40m |
| Ground loot | Pickup interaction radius tightened so you grab the item you mean to, not a nearby weapon |
| Clarity | HUD Shake disabled for the Beta; screen/gun shake reduced; armor-hit damage indicator made clearer |
The movement changes are the ones players are arguing about most. Infinity Ward's stated intent is "a more fluid experience when navigating the map and engaging other players, while maintaining the deliberate pacing we want from combat" — a middle ground between the slower BO7 feel and the faster movement crowd. The killstreak radius cuts are a straight quality-of-life win: those warnings were covering far more of the map than the actual danger zone.
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Every MW4 Beta Reward (Level 1–30)
Leveling up isn't just for the XP number — the Open Beta hands out eight cosmetic rewards on the way to Level 30, plus extras. Here's the full official ladder:
| Player Level | Reward |
|---|---|
| 4 | "Through the Paces" Legendary Emblem |
| 8 | "First Served" Weapon Charm |
| 12 | "Meonjeo" Legendary Weapon Sticker |
| 16 | "Last Charge" Legendary Calling Card |
| 20 | "Dread Tiger" Operator Skin (Reece) |
| 23 | "Field Tested" Epic Spray |
| 26 | "Beta Rights" Epic Loading Screen |
| 30 | "Beta Forged" Weapon Blueprint (Han 86) |
Beyond the ladder, there are default cosmetics available immediately (emblems, calling cards, a spray, loading screens), a Clockwork Charm for finishing the Mobility Course, and Twitch Drops for watching creators (an emblem at 15 minutes, a calling card at 30, a charm at 45). The two rewards worth pushing for are the Dread Tiger operator skin at Level 20 and the Beta Forged blueprint at Level 30 — and Casual Resurgence's XP rate is the quickest legitimate route to both. We break down the level cap and reward pacing in more detail in our MW4 Beta level cap and rewards guide.
Does Your Zodiac Progress Carry to MW4 Launch?
Partly — and it's important to understand the split before you sink hours in. Per the official Beta FAQ:
- Carries over: eligible cosmetic Beta rewards, tied to your Activision Account, unlocked when Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, 2026. That's the reward ladder above, the Mobility Course charm, and Twitch Drops.
- Does NOT carry over: your Player level (Rank), weapon unlocks, and all other in-Beta gameplay progression. Those reset the moment the Beta ends.
So the smart play is to prioritize Player XP toward Level 30 (that's what banks permanent rewards) and treat the Weapon XP grind as practice plus Beta-ladder fuel, not a launch shortcut. If you're wondering whether your existing BO7 and Warzone unlocks, camos, and operators will survive the jump to the new MW4-powered Warzone, we cover that fully in does your progress carry over to Modern Warfare 4 — short version: previous-title cosmetics are not confirmed to transfer into the new Warzone.
Skip the Grind: Level & Unlock Faster
The Beta resets in days, but the full game's grind starts October 23 — and MW4's fresh progression means everyone rebuilds their weapon levels, camos, and account rank from zero. If you'd rather log in ready to compete than spend the first month leveling:
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- CoD Account & Weapon Leveling — skip the level grind and jump straight to the loadouts you want.
- CoD Warzone Bot Lobbies — easy lobbies to farm XP and camos fast.
- CoD Mastery Camo Unlocks — the hardest camos, done for you.
- All Call of Duty services — leveling, ranked, camos, bot lobbies and more.
FAQ
When does the MW4 Open Beta end? The Open Beta (Weekend 2) runs from August 28 at 10:00 AM PT and ends at 10:00 AM PT on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. After it closes, your Beta rank and weapon unlocks reset, but earned cosmetic rewards are saved to your Activision Account for launch.
What's the fastest way to level up on Zodiac? Play Casual Resurgence Quads, which the Aug 29 patch buffed to +240% Weapon XP and +46% Player XP. On Sunday, August 30 it stacks with a Beta-wide Double XP + Double Weapon XP event — the best leveling window of the whole Beta.
Why do the Resurgence lobbies feel so sweaty? Casual and Regular Resurgence share one playlist slot that flips by time of day with no in-game label. When it's on Regular, you're in full lobbies of experienced players. Casual lobbies include bots and are noticeably easier — check earlier in the day to catch it.
Is there a Casual Resurgence indicator in the menu? No. There's no on-screen label for which variant is live. The clearest tell is in-match: Casual lobbies contain bots that move erratically and often stop shooting, while Regular lobbies are all human players.
Do my MW4 Beta rewards and levels carry to the full game? Cosmetic rewards do carry — they're tied to your Activision Account and unlock when MW4 launches on October 23, 2026. Your Player level and weapon unlocks do not carry and reset when the Beta ends.
| Can I play Zodiac without pre-ordering? Yes. The Open Beta is free for all players on PS5, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox on PC, Steam, Battle.net, and Nintendo Switch 2 — no pre-order or Beta code required for Weekend 2. |
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Sources: Call of Duty official MW4 Beta Patch Notes (callofduty.com/patchnotes), the official "Open Beta Weekend Two" and "Everything You Need to Know" blogs (callofduty.com), and the IGN MW4 Beta Guide. Player-behavior notes on the Casual/Regular playlist flip corroborated by r/CODWarzone (Aug 30, 2026). All XP figures, dates, and reward tiers verified against callofduty.com on August 30, 2026.
