While Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies has experienced some major highs and lows in Season 1, such as the release of Citadelle Des Morts and the brief removal of camo farming in Directed mode, the mode remains very strong overall. In many ways, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies is exactly what players were asking for after a few years of controversial changes, as its round-based maps offer strong survival gameplay and plenty of streaks to find. The game also feels like a marriage between the modern innovations of Black Ops Cold War and the beloved Black Ops 3 thanks to returning elements like Gobblegum, though it’s that aspect of the game that can still be improved.
To be clear, Gobblegum’s implementation in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies is solid. Players can hold three Gobblegums at a time, can pick up a gum for free each round, and have a chance to get any Gobblegum in the game at random every 8-10 rounds. Small touches post-launch have also added a bit of polish to the system, from Gobblegum’s portion of the HUD being made cleaner to players spawning in with the first three gums in their pack. In Black Ops 6, Gobblegums feel strong but not overpowered, and they can be earned consistently without players needing to spend COD Points. However, getting the exact Gobblegums players want is less simple, which is why it’s a shame that there’s no Newton’s Cookbook in Black Ops 6. Still, an alternative could fill the void that the Cookbook provided.
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What Was Newton’s Cookbook in Black Ops 3?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s Newton’s Cookbook feature essentially allowed players to trade in some of their Gobblegums for other, more desirable ones. For example, if players had a bunch of Killing Time and Temporal Gift gums but none of the game-changing Perkaholics, they could trade a few of the former for one of the latter, allowing them a chance to get exactly what they want. The three recipes on offer changed daily, giving players a reason to log on each day and giving even their least favorite Gobblegums a purpose. When a particularly good recipe appeared, it felt like an event, with Call of Duty Zombies fans jumping on the opportunity to horde up as many of the rare gums as they could.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely for Newton’s Cookbook to return in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 for the sole reason that Gobblegums are the main way in which the Zombies mode is monetized. Players can purchase packs of gums with COD Points, and gums appear in battle passes, paid bundles, and through Prestige progression. Adding a Newton’s Cookbook would push players away from buying Gobblegum packs, as they could simply grind out random Gobblegums to exchange for the ones they want when the right recipe appears. Activision would likely be against Newton’s Cookbook returning because of this, as it could cut off a source of revenue, so improving Gobblegum would require another approach.
As more Gobblegums get added, it will only be harder to get the ones that players want, as every rarity will be expanded with more potential drops.
How Could Black Ops 6 Improve Gobblegum Without Newton’s Cookbook?
While Newton’s Cookbook returning to Black Ops 6 Zombies may be a pipe dream, there are other ways that Treyarch can make it easier for players to get the gums they’re looking for without spending real money or hoping for good RNG. These options include:
- Gobblegum Trading: Perhaps the simplest solution is to let players share their Gobblegum with their friends, just as they would with a mystery box weapon. Meleeing the machine after a gum has been spit out could let other players pick it up.
- Gobblegum Spins: Something like Dr. Monty’s Factory would be great to see in Black Ops 6. Though it would likely be monetized through paid spins, with only a daily spin being free, letting players have another way to earn Gums would be beneficial.
- Gobblegum Rewards: Treating Gobblegum as rewards could be an interesting opportunity for Treyarch. Like Call of Duty: Warzone, players could be assigned medals based on their performance in a match, with gums tied to each medal. For instance, most door buys could provide gums like Wall-to-Wall Clearance to save generous players money on future runs, while most revives could provide items like Phoenix Up and Nowhere But There.
No matter what path it ends up taking, it would be great to see Treyarch refine its existing Gobblegum system. While Gobblegum is hardly mandatory, and can be earned frequently enough for the current format to not be considered pay-to-win, it’s too tedious for players to get the exact Gobblegums they’re looking for at the moment. This can be especially frustrating since certain gums are required for things like camo challenges, so hopefully a further expansion of Black Ops 6’s Gobblegum is planned.
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.