Call Of Duty: MW3 Patch Removes "Groot" Skin That Players Loudly Complained About

A new patch is out now for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and the biggest takeaway is that the update removes the "evil Groot" skin from the game temporarily. Players have, for months, complained that this skin, which is officially titled Gaia but has been referred to as "evil Groot" due to its resemblance to the tree-based Marvel character, was hard to see. Thus, using the Gaia skin gave players using it an advantage on the battlefield, many said.

The Gaia and Gaia BlackCell operator skins are now removed. Developers are now updating the Gaia skin to "improve the visibility," Activision said. There is no word on when Gaia may return, however.

Gaia debuted with 2022's Modern Warfare II and already underwent a round of adjustments to improve visibility. Now that's happening again after Modern Warfare III players complained.

Beyond this change, the November 30 update fixes a bug that allowed players to appear as if they were in the prone animation while sprinting. It also adjusts spawns on the map Rust so that they no longer spawn in the eyeline of an enemy. Additionally, progression-tracking has been improved for a number of challenges, while the Notifications tray will now properly displaying daily challenge progression.

In other news, Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone's big Season 1 update arrives on December 6, adding new multiplayer maps, the next Warzone map, a very buff Santa, and Timothee Chalamet.

Modern Warfare 3 November 30 patch notes:

COSMETICS

• Gaia and Gaia BlackCell Operator Skins for Nova have been temporarily disabled.

MULTIPLAYER

UIX

• Equipping Attachments to Weapons in Private Matches will now properly save to the Loadout after returning to the Main Menu.
• Players will no longer be kicked back to the Play tab after attempting to equip a Weapon via the Battle Pass menu.
• Loadouts will no longer appear to have placeholder items selected after transitioning from MWZ to Multiplayer menus.
• View Weapon Mastery button in the Weapon Customization menu will now reflect Handgun Mastery completion.
• Addressed an issue that caused the HUD to be visible in Hardcore game modes.

GAMEPLAY

• Addressed an exploit that allowed players to appear in the prone animation while sprinting.

PROGRESSION

• Improved progression tracking for several kill-based Challenges.
• Added missing name for Daily Challenge progression in the Notifications tray.

MAPS

• Rust
  • Adjusted initial spawns in Free-for-All game modes to prevent players from spawning on each other’s line of sight.
• Sub Base
  • Addressed an exploit that allowed players to exit the playable area near the Maintenance Yard.
• Operation Spearhead (War)
  • Added spawn points to the Cargo area to prevent Defenders from being killed shortly after respawning.
• Farm 18 (MWII)
  • Relocated a spawn point that placed players outside of the playable area.

MODES

• Search and Destroy
  • Sliding near a bombsite will no longer allow players to Plant or Defuse from further away than intended.

PERKS

• EOD Padding (Gear)
  • Incoming explosive damage is now properly clamped at 80% of the player’s maximum health.