For years, Call of Duty Zombies fans were put through a period of experimentation that many were not interested in going through to begin with. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s bold-but-unpopular overhaul of the perk system arguably got the ball rolling, while other games became more drastic in their changes. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War split its attention between traditional survival maps and the new open-world mode Outbreak, with some fans feeling that the latter took away potential attention from the former. The overwhelmingly unpopular Vanguard Zombies mode attempted to do away with round-based gameplay entirely before Treyarch course-corrected and revived it with the final two maps, but then the open-world MWZ debuted, which left round-based fans wanting yet again.
It is for this reason that Treyarch has been careful to make it clear in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 marketing that the game will be focused entirely on round-based content, as after years of risk-taking, all fans wanted is a traditional survival experience. Fortunately, even with some big AI controversies and unpopular updates to the game, Black Ops 6 at its core is the best Zombies experience in years. Two launch maps in Liberty Falls and Terminus managed to cater to separate audiences through their casual and hardcore vibes, while Citadelle Des Morts blew fans away thanks to its bold aesthetic, interesting Wonder Weapons, and fun lineup of Easter eggs. Still, fans are bracing for what could be the first significant down period for Black Ops 6 Zombies, and it could end up showing why going fully round-based was the wrong approach after all.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Second Season Can’t Let Its Foot Off the Pedal in One Area
A growing amount of pressure is being placed on Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and one positive area of multiplayer content needs to be maintained.
Outbreak Could Have Made Black Ops 6 Zombies’ Off-Seasons More Appealing
While there is no confirmation that the Dig Site Zombies map won’t be releasing in season 2, it seems likely that Treyarch will take a break based on previous games’ Zombies map drops. If this is indeed the case, then players could be stuck waiting until late March for a new Zombies release, as Black Ops 6 Season 2 begins at the end of January and can be expected to last a few months. This could unfortunately result in a 100-day+ gap between Citadelle Des Morts and the Dig Site map, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility since over 150 days separated Firebase Z and Mauer Der Toten in Black Ops Cold War.
The key thing to note, however, is that within that massive gap between round-based releases in Black Ops Cold War, Treyarch dropped and expanded upon Outbreak. While some fell in love with the mode, and others found it repetitive, there was no arguing against the notion that it was well-supported. Throughout its life, Treyarch added several side objectives to reward exploration, two Outbreak main quests, dozens of intel pieces for story lovers, and multiple new maps to shake up the experience. A mode like Outbreak suits the live-service style of the modern Call of Duty games perfectly, as while full round-based maps take too long to justifiably release in every single season, Outbreak can be updated with small batches of content in the meantime.
How Black Ops 6 Can Keep Things Fresh Without Outbreak
While Treyarch is seemingly fully committed to a purely round-based approach for Black Ops 6 now, ruling out an Outbreak mode for the game, there are still several ways that it can keep Season 2 (and other potential mapless Seasons) fresh:
Mini survival maps: Something fans have consistently asked for are tiny survival maps in addition to all the fully fleshed out ones. Something like Groesten Haus from WW2 Zombies, or segments of larger maps like TranZit’s Town and Farm, could take significantly less time and resources to develop but would still be exciting and highly replayable.
Permanent side modes for Zombies: Instead of temporary CoD Zombies LTMs, which have not been received well in Black Ops 6 thus far, Treyarch could add permanent game modes to the mix. Alongside new ideas, returning classics like Grief, Turned, Zombie Rush, and so on could be added.
Updating existing CoD Zombies maps with new secrets: One interesting option that Treyarch has yet to pursue is adding small secrets to existing maps post-launch. All the developer would have to do is say it added a few new Easter eggs to existing maps – perhaps capitalizing on active hunts and theories like Liberty Falls’ deer heads – and let the hunting resume.
Season 2 will be a massive challenge for Call of Duty Zombies if fans turn out to be correct and there is no full map release to look forward to, so hopefully Treyarch has some exciting alternatives in store for players if this is the case. While round-based gameplay is the foundation of Zombies and should always remain its primary focus, players may be about to learn why Black Ops Cold War also having an open-world mode like Outbreak was so beneficial.
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.