Before the release ofCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, it had been heavily rumored that the next entry in the popular first-person shooter franchise was going through development hell. Despite the change in developers and shorter cycle,Black Ops Cold War’s only real issue was a lack of substantial content at launch, and until the announcement that Treyarch would be adding even more content this season including aremake of Express fromBlack Ops 2, Season 1 failed to meet expectation and demand from many.
With a little over a month to go until the end ofBlack Ops Cold WarSeason One, players still have abrand new Zombies mapand the return of League Play and Express to look forward to. But now that the holidays are over and the honeymoon period has worn off for most of the community, Treyarch and Raven Software will need to step things up from here if they want to keep the playerbase interested. The next season ofBlack Ops Cold Waris right around the corner, so here’s a complete wishlist for Season 2.
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A New Warzone Map to Replace Verdansk
Technically, this may not be part ofBOCW,but it counts insofar as to how Warzone is an extension of theCall of Dutyidentity, and is in need of a brand new map forCall of Duty: Warzone. At the beginning of season one, Treyarch and Raven released Rebirth Island, a small battle royale map andremake of Alcatraz fromBlack Ops 4’s Blackoutbattle royale mode, supporting a maximum of 40 players at one time. Rebirth Island was an enjoyable new addition that added variety toWarzonebut it’s far from what players wanted when asking for a new map that could replace Verdansk. Given thatCall of Duty: Warzonereleased in March 2020, Season 2 would be the perfect time to launch a new map and celebrate the mode’s one year anniversary,
New Game Modes & Playlist Updates
Between the “can be completed whenever” daily challenges menu, multiple 24/7 playlists for new maps, custom games, and a bots mode, the multiplayer home screen forCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris a cluttered mess. Treyarch has done a great job so far in Season One at introducing new and exciting game modes: Prop Hunt, Drop Kick, and Face-Off to name a few. For the next season, it would be great if the playlists got cleaned up, keeping the staples like Quick Play, Fireteam, Face Off, Prop Hunt, and Custom Games (each offers an entirely unique experience), and introduce one or two rotating featured playlists. Use these for new modes, limited-time events like Raid or Sanitorium 24/7, and try out limited-time returning modes such as Gun Game or Sabotage fromMW2.
Legacy Operators like Mason and Hudson
In 2019,Call of Duty: Modern Warfareintroduced Operators to the franchise for the first time, unique playable characters with their own design, voice, finishing moves, and more. Throughout each season,Modern Warfarereceived new Operators and often reintroduce fan-favorite characters from the universe like Ghost or theleaked Soap MacTavish Warzone bundle. So far,Black Ops Cold Warhas gone all-out on Frank Woods but is missing other major players like Mason and Hudson. Featuring new characters from the campaign like Adler, Sims, and Park make a lot of sense, and Stitch has been an interesting continuation of the story in Season One, so here’s hoping that just like withModern Warfare,Black Ops Cold War’s seasons balance the new with the old.
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InBlack Ops Cold War, Zombies is finally being treated like a real pillar of theCall of Dutyfranchise, allowing players to level up weapons and progress their Battle Pass across modes. However, even with the release of Cranked and the soon to be released map Firebase Z, it’s still lacking significant post-launch support and updates. One area that needs to be addressed is Dead Ops Arcade, a top-down shooter zombies mode that is entirely hidden in menus, in desperate need of rebalancing, and lacking new content.
In Season 2, Treyarch needs to move Dead Ops Arcade to the main menu alongside Die Maschine, Onslaught, and Firebase Z, and incentivize players by addingrotating weapon blueprints (like Onslaught currently has), and either rebalancing certain aspects or introducing an “Easy Mode.” As it stands, reaching the final boss can take upwards of 3-4 hours per run, and considering there’s a Trophy locked behind it, the mode ends up being more frustrating than fun. Zombies is often forgotten and receives nowhere near as many updates as Multiplayer, so making use of the content that is there and making it more accessible would go a long way.
More New Maps for 6v6 Multiplayer
The biggest wish is simply more maps for 6v6 multiplayer game modes.Black Ops Cold Warlaunched with eight 6v6 multiplayer maps, and since then, including theupcoming Express remake, has received an additional four, bringing the total to twelve. It needs to be acknowledged that Fireteam: Dirty Bomb has three very large maps,Warzonereceived Rebirth Island and Face-Off launch with four unique maps. Overall,Black Ops Cold Warhas a lot of content, but at the end of the day, it’s core multiplayer experience lives in 6v6 game modes and it’s lacking.
Black Ops Cold WarSeason 2 is scheduled to launch on February 24, giving players a little over a month to finish off the Battle Pass and remaining seasonal challenges. Luckily,there’s plenty of new content still on the wayto keep players satiated including the long-awaited return on League Play and the next big zombies' experience.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
