Biggest Traditions In The Call Of Duty Series

Call of Duty has long been one of the biggest and most popular video game franchises on the planet, and it’s fair to say that, despite being a part of the oversaturated FPS genre, it’s succeeded in creating a very distinct identity for itself. While each Call of Duty entry will switch up the weapons, gimmicks, and setting to present fans with a fresh new experience, players can still always expect at least a few of the series’ long-running traditions to show up in one form or another.

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These specific trends allow players to familiarize themselves with the game without needing to learn a bunch of new systems and mechanics, adding to the accessibility the franchise has become known for. Instead, the developers of this series will always bring back certain features to ensure players that, no matter how drastically the series might change, this is still the same Call of Duty that people have come to know and love.

7

Create A Class

A Classic Customization Option That Allows Players To Create The Ultimate Arsenal

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is often considered to be the most influential game of the series as far as multiplayer goes, introducing several key traditions, one of the biggest being Create a Class. After players level up a few times, they will unlock the ability to customize not just weapons, but also their Perks, streaks, and equipment.

While Create a Class has appeared in every game since it’s worked in a few different ways. Black Ops would introduce the ‘pick ten’ system where players could only insert a certain number of items and attachments into their class, forcing them to prioritize certain slots over others. Many of the games have also messed around with adding and removing Perk slots to suit the speed of the gameplay.

6

Nuketown

The Place Where Rivalries Are Born And Old Feuds Are Settled

Nuketown was just one of 14 maps that appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops, but considering how immensely popular it would become due to its fun layout and quirky aesthetic, it has appeared in every game since. The map itself is based on a nuclear mock town set in the 1950s, featuring bright and sparkly houses, giant automobiles, and even a bunker or two in the gardens.

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What makes Nuketown so fun and addictive to play is the simplicity of its layout. Outside of the two large houses staring at one another, the rest of the map is simply a small maze in the middle, and two gardens, which don’t offer all that much protection. It’s an incredibly fast-paced map that can be enjoyed by both long-range snipers and SMG enthusiasts alike.

5

Killstreaks

The Ultimate Reward That Can Completely Change The Course Of A Match

It may be hard to believe, but Call of Duty 4 only featured a grand total of 3 killstreaks: the UAV, airstrike, and helicopter. These in-game rewards made each and every match feel intense as everyone scrambles desperately to get their killstreaks on the field, but it wouldn’t be until Modern Warfare 2 that players would be given a hefty number of streaks to choose from.

The killstreaks have taken some pretty weird and creative forms to represent the aesthetic of each game. While Black Ops features small robot cars and flamethrowers, feeding into the Cold War setting, Infinite Warfare features a pack of robot dogs that can be unlocked to tear the enemy team to shreds. It’s always an exciting moment looking at the new killstreaks that make it into each new game, no matter whether they’re classics or fresh new additions.

4

Tactical Nuke

This Devastating Killstreak Has Secretly Snuck Its Way Into Almost Every Game Since Modern Warfare 2

The tactical nuke started off as somewhat of a rumor in the early years of Modern Warfare 2, being said to be a game-ending kill streak that was available to unlock after scoring 25 kills in a row. This would turn out to be true, at least partly, as the tactical nuke can barely even be considered a killstreak considering it ends the game right there and then.

The exact requirements for getting this killstreak have changed over time, with some games requiring that players have no other killstreaks available, and others needing 30 kills rather than 25. It’s never made clear by the developers how players can earn a nuke for each game, which makes it a shocking surprise when one does randomly appear during a match.

3

Prestige

Players Can Sacrifice Their Weapons And Perks To Rise Up The Prestige Ranks

When a player tries to Prestige in a Call of Duty game, meaning they’ll revert to rank 1, they will hear a chicken noise if they back out on the final confirmation screen. This is because jumping into a new Prestige is never an easy choice, and it can be easy to simply remain at the maximum rank with every weapon and Perk ready to go. However, those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice will gain a new badge as a symbol of their current Prestige rank.

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While there were already 10 ranks in Call of Duty 4, by the time Black Ops: Cold War rolled around later down the line, there were 27 ranks, giving players a good reason to grind out more matches to show their skill at the game. The ultimate goal in the recent games has been reaching Prestige Master; a title reserved for only the the most skilled and dedicated of players.

2

Zombies

After This Bonus Game Mode Exploded In Popularity Back In World At War, It’s Been Returning Ever Since

Call of Duty has never been a zombie series, but ever since the bonus zombie mode showed up at the end of World at War’s campaign, these bloodthirsty monsters have been showing up in almost every single game. Though there has never been a standalone zombies game, players can usually expect it to make an appearance, especially if Treyarch is the developer working on the latest entry.

Many fans consider Black Ops 3 to be the best game in terms of zombies content thanks to the Zombies Chronicles DLC, which brought back a ton of classic maps with remastered graphics for players to dive back into. Though the quality of the zombies mode has varied between games, it’s still a trend that will never die, no matter how many Ray Gun shots it takes.

1

Killcams

The First Call Of Duty Introduced The Idea Of Watching A Kill From The Enemy’s POV

Although killcams are pretty commonplace in FPS games nowadays, the game that first made them popular was actually the original Call of Duty. As the name suggests, killcams will record the last few moments before the player is killed, allowing them to take the point of view of their killer. This is an incredibly useful tool for learning the game, giving players an idea of what weapons and Perks they may want to think about using after seeing them in action.

They have appeared in every single Call of Duty game, and in Modern Warfare 2, there was also a game-winning kill-cam which has shown up every now and again; giving the leader of the lobby a moment in the spotlight. Nowadays, killcams are a staple of the FPS genre, but it was Call of Duty that initiated this iconic tradition.

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