Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone Season 6 impressions — Haunt what’s left

Some may get my subtle reference to a This or The Apocalypse album. The final season of each Call of Duty cycle has taken on the theme of the month it resides in – October’s creepiness. The Haunting has become a staple, but the question is always if it hasn’t gotten stale. With a decent offering in a condensed season, given the usual middle involves a new game, does Season 6 manage to send off Black Ops 6 in style? Or leave us ready to move on?

Starting with the weaponry, the Merrick 556 assault rifle and Dresden 9mm submachine gun headline launch, with the X52 Resonator special weapon arriving in an event quickly after. The Merrick is an interesting case – I’m not sure if it is good or bad, but with the right attachments and skill, it’s useful. There have been some configurations that work well in Warzone (including a recent patch that made it a top meta gun), but overall, it’s an odd bird. It’s got just enough power to hit in about four to five bullets, but with more horizontal recoil than I’d like, which throws the feel off. I wouldn’t use it over any of the top weapons like the AMES, AMAX, or Kilo, for sure.

On the other hand, the Dresden is a laser. This is essentially the MP-40 from Vanguard, and it shoots and sounds almost identical to its counterpart. This gun falls into the PPSH category of my not really wanting it as a returning weapon, but recognizing how good it is. That said, the Dresden is better than the PPSH ever has been, with not only killer handling and easy to control recoil, but also being a three-bullet kill. It shreds, and I’ve been slamming lobbies with it, along with it also being a great gun for Warzone.

The X52 Resonator is one of the most fun weapons we’ve gotten in a long time. While some may think it’s a discarded Wonder Weapon from the Shattered Veil Zombies map, that’s only partly true. It was “inspired” by that map, but it was never a Wonder Weapon. What’s wild about this weapon is how it has only a single attachment, which changes its firing style between a burst shot, SMG, shotgun, and single shot. All of this, and it sits in the special category, making it an easy choice to run in a Gunfighter wildcard loadout. Plus, it looks freakin’ cool, a weird alien-like gun with a floating cylinder that fires a plasma-esque ordinance. Sign me up for more of these oddities in Black Ops 7.

Moving into the maps, these are a mixed bag. I say that positively; I like them, but I’m not in like with them. Rig is a decrepit gas station filled with shadows, but it has a nice flow to it. While it's more of a box in terms of lanes (you’ll roam on the outside and visit the middle), the flow of it works. I wouldn’t want to play it in a competitive setting, but it’s fun in respawn modes.

Gravity is the kind of map I like to see Treyarch taking chances on, but definitely as an end-of-the-cycle idea. The flow is worse here, as there are a lot of hallways in this testing facility, which can make it feel cramped. That said, the middle room with a generator has low gravity affecting it, allowing you to hop around further than you’d expect. Sure, you end up stuck in the air most of the time and get gunned, but when, on occasion, you jump up and catch a guy in the observation room above, it feels great. I’m reminded a lot of the Deprogram, the red door map from Cold War, where you could teleport through said red doors. Again, this is about something fun, not that it works as a standard map, however.

Mothball is one of those Strike maps that feels Treyarch just figured they’d chuck it in for the kill farmers. If you get stuck in a spawn trap, you’re pretty much stuck. Spawns can occasionally be kind, but it will have to involve someone getting out or an opponent pushing too close. On the plus side, the power positions around the back spawns generally have good cover, so you can survive. Also, the aura this map has is amazing, a lobby with a few halls inspired by the Emergence mission lobby from the campaign.

While I figured I’d be talking more about Zombies here, Warzone has gotten more undead love than the actual mode it’s based on. I’m sad to say that Zombies enjoyers don’t have a map to look forward to, with only a couple of leaderboard events, a Haunted Havoc limited mode, and a GobbleGun that puts pumpkins on Zombies’ heads. This is a miserable way to leave Black Ops 6 Zombies, and even though Black Ops 7’s mode is looking fantastic, it leaves you sad to see BO6 Zombies end with a whimper.

Speaking of Warzone, The Haunting may be the last hurrah for quite some time, with a new big map and the “Blackout” makeover not arriving until spring. At least it’s fun. The idea of chucking zombies onto the maps in the Z modes may not seem like much, but they make the experience more hectic. It’s less noticeable on Verdansk until the later circles, given the wider spaces. That said, on Rebirth, it’s downright frenetic, as the closing horde distracts you during gunfights and often takes a bullet meant for your foe. I won’t say it’s my favorite thing, but the added flavor is a good idea for Warzone.

Zombie Royale is the usual mode you’ll remember, and it didn’t launch until a week or so into the season. I’m not sure why the delay occurred, but this is a better option compared to just the Z big map mode. Operators become Zombies after death in lieu of a gulag, and have a few supernatural abilities to boot – like super jumps and emp blasts. This, with the opportunity to come back if you grab enough vials that spawn around the map, along with jailbreak scenarios, makes Zombie Royale a lot of fun to play. I don’t think it needs to exist outside The Haunting, but it works here. I really like the extra power-ups that have been added, like the Mangler, or the mimic ability that’s reminiscent of Prop Hunt. Even with Zombie Royale being a returning mode, the team has found something fresh to introduce.

I don’t usually take to this column and sing the praises of the battle pass and bundles, but this has been a good season for those. Although Carry Forward isn’t a thing – so your cool skins are stuck in Black Ops 6 and Warzone – the choices for this Haunting are sublime. Predator is as cool as it gets. Jason is a fantastic bundle choice. Even the Replacer gets a fun zombie form. Between this and some great BlackCell offerings, it’s great to see Treyarch and Raven Software deliver on that front, especially finding the right collaborations (Chucky not included, that one is too over-the-top in my opinion).

In a final send-off to Black Ops 6, there are successful ideas, but with several missed opportunities. If you’re a multiplayer fiend, you’re probably enjoying yourself ahead of Black Ops 7. If Zombies is your cup of tea, you’re chilling and waiting on Black Ops 7 to save you from this drought. Warzone players have a familiar friend to catch up with, but that will become somewhat stale during the pause of content between now and Season 1. Is it a proper way to say goodbye? Probably not. But it’s not the worst farewell either. See you later, Black Ops 6.