Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launches on October 24th between 4 AM and 11 PM PT on consoles and Microsoft Store players on PC, while Steam and Battle.net users have to wait until 9 PM PT on the same day. While there’s extensive hype, given that this is the first mainline Black Ops title in years, the skepticism after last year’s disastrous Modern Warfare 3 remains fresh. So, without further ado, let’s look at nine promising things about Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, followed by six things to beware of.
The Promising
Multiple Ways to Complete Campaign Missions
The overall story of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is still up in the air – we know that Frank Woods and Troy Marshall have gone rogue after Russel Adler warns them of a new threat, Pantheon, that’s infiltrated the CIA. And while it could very well derail into absurdity, the spy thriller approach – with missions like “Most Wanted” offering multiple ways to complete an objective – is enticing. There’s also the appeal of the Manor, where you can interact with different characters on your team and utilize the returning Evidence Board.
Brand New Core Multiplayer Maps
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 immediately deflated our enthusiasm when the initial roster of launch maps was confirmed to be remastered from 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. By comparison, Black Ops 6 offers 12 new 6v6 maps for Core playlists alongside four new Strike maps. Modes like Search and Destroy, Domination, Team Deathmatch and more are intact (with Hardcore variants for the same), alongside the return of fan favorites like Gunfight.
Classic Prestige Returns
Speaking of returning features, Classic Prestige is back, allowing players to max out their player level and then reset it to unlock Prestige ranks. While multiple things reset, you have the option of a Permanent Unlock to obtain a weapon that wouldn’t be available until much later. Why Prestige at all? There are bragging rights and additional challenges, but you can also unlock rewards based on previous Call of Duty titles, including Operator Skins, loading screens, Gobblegum Packs, weapon blueprints, and more.
The Firing Range
While present in last year’s Modern Warfare 3, the Firing Range was absent from Black Ops Cold War. Thankfully, Treyarch has noted fan demand for the same and brought it back for Black Ops 6. It features practice dummies at various meters, with stats for accuracy and damage and adding up to three armor plates to dummies. However, you can also set moving targets and use a recoiling metal plate to test bullet spread.
Streamlined Gunsmith
Gunsmith is again present and will serve as the means for customizing weapons. However, Treyarch is going for a more streamlined approach this year, with attachments always providing benefits, Optics shared across all guns in a class, and every other attachment unique to the weapon in question. This means not having to keep track of multiple attachments with the same functionality and instead customizing for your needs. It sounds good in theory, and initial impressions from the beta are positive, so hopefully, the full suite should live up to expectations.
Round-Based Zombies Returns
With no Zombies in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) and Operation Deadbolt marking a departure from the series formula in Modern Warfare 3 (2023), Black Ops 6 marks a long-awaited return to the round-based format. Gobblegums, Mystery Boxes, Pack-a-Punches, Perks – it’s all here, alongside new Augments. The latter benefits various things – for instance, the new Perk, Melee Machiatto, grants a powerful punch to wipe out Zombies. If you equip its major Augment, all melee weapons receive improved attack. We’re keen to experiment with all the minor and major Augments while discovering each map’s secrets.
Omnimovement
At first, Omnimovement felt gimmicky. Why change something that so well for the franchise for so long? After the recent beta, most players have found it a fun addition that you don’t have to rely on too much to do well. Even if you’re chaining slides and sprinting like a madman, having full 360-degree motion to re-enact some John Woo-like moments is too appealing to ignore.
Footstep Audio
Footstep audio has been a bane for the franchise over the past several years, and regardless of the development team, it rarely felt right. Thankfully, Treyarch has found a solid mix after the second week of the Black Ops 6 beta and will stick with it for launch. Given the relative size of maps (more on that later), players aren’t obligated to run Ninja to stand a chance.
Installation Size
After years of complaints about the bloated size of Call of Duty titles, Black Ops 6 will finally mark the decoupling of annual releases from Warzone. It’s no longer mandatory to install the battle royale mode, and as a result, only 102 GB of installation space is required for Black Ops 6 (at least on PC). Granted, you need the new Call of Duty UI, which is causing its share of hiccups, but the result looks more palatable. However, we’ll have to wait and see how future updates add to the installation size.
The Worrying
Campaign Length
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 performed absurdly well in revenue and sales. However, it also became one of the worst-rated entries in the franchise, panned universally for its campaign quality. Black Ops 6’s campaign appears to be trending in a more positive direction thus far. However, the series’ last entry, Black Ops Cold War, wasn’t all that different length-wise from Modern Warfare 3, clocking in at about five hours for those focusing on the story. It will come down to quality at the end of the day, but those expecting a massive departure in terms of length may be disappointed.
Server Tick Rate
During the Black Ops 6 beta, servers were discovered to have a tick rate of 62 – which sounds ideal, since most players (including those on consoles) will be playing at 60 frames per second. However, some beta participants believe there’s more lag compensation at play. It also doesn’t help that some previous entries lowered the tick rate of servers from 60 to 20 for launch. While there’s no guarantee that Black Ops 6 will suffer the same fate, it’s still something to consider, especially if you enjoyed the beta.
Cheaters
Activision has proclaimed its desire to track and ban cheaters within an hour. Despite its plans and the implementation of proprietary tech like Ricochet, cheating is still a problem. In the Black Ops 6 beta, over 12,000 accounts were banned before they could even start playing, but there were still those who managed to finish ten matches in the first weekend. The second weekend improved things, with cheaters banned within five. While the team has multiple countermeasures in place – including a few dedicated to Warzone – it will remain an ongoing issue based on previous entries alone.
Weapon Balance
The Black Ops 6 beta had its share of highlights, but those seeking something akin to balance in the first weekend found it severely mired by the Jackal PDW. The SMG quickly rose to the top as a must-pick due to its lack of recoil and quick time to kill. It received several nerfs for the second weekend but remember: Neither beta weekend offered the full slate of weapons and attachments. The game’s launch will likely present plenty of broken choices, which, as is tradition, should be fun until the top choice emerges to dominate. How Treyarch handles it from there remains to be seen.
Multiplayer Map Design
Twelve brand-new 6v6 Core maps sound amazing, but impressions for those from the beta are mixed. There’s still debate on the overall size of the maps and how they’re just not big enough. Some players feel they cater to those who enjoyed Shipment (specifically the version added in Season One of 2019’s Modern Warfare). Regardless of which side you fall on, their improvements remain to be seen, to say nothing of the rest of the launch map roster.
High Bar for Zombies
When it was announced that Black Ops 6 would return to the round-based Zombies of yore, many fans celebrated. There was still plenty of skepticism surrounding the maps, but Terminus Island looked solid. However, there’s less enthusiasm over Liberty Falls and its brighter tones or new features like weapon builds. We’ll ultimately need to wait and see how the features pan out, especially when it comes to the new Augments, but living up to the very best that Zombies has to offer while advancing the storyline will be a tall task for Treyarch.
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