Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 1 impressions

And I thought last year's Season 3 was huge. It’s been almost a full-time job trying to wade through the content Treyarch, Raven Software, and company have dropped in the inaugural season of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone. Now that I’ve had the time to digest what this season has – and crazy enough, more is coming in the mid-season – I’m enamored with just how good this update is, and how it makes the best Call of Duty in the modern era even better.

Warzone isn’t our typical starting point, but let’s begin here. I was initially worried that Warzone was about to drop its worst inaugural update yet. That said, the team at Raven have managed to make chicken soup out of chicken crap. With an incredibly well-balanced injection of the Black Ops 7 arsenal, a testing grounds in limited-timed modes on the weekends, and a new Resurgence map in Haven’s Hollow that is plain awesome, I’m finding myself enjoying my jumps into the popular battle royale. Even without Black Ops 7’s movement being included.

Haven’s Hollow is the big addition to Warzone, and it works way better than its predecessor in Area 99. Where that map was chaotic, the verticality made for an insane difficulty if you didn’t properly land or rotate. Haven’s Hollow is much more forgiving, with intentional rooftops for surveying the landscape without letting people cling to high ground.

I’m incredibly impressed with the way the size works into the flow of the map as well. The easiest comparison I can think of is that Haven’s Hollow is essentially a large multiplayer map. You drop in and have to have your head on a swivel, but because of the slowdown of the movement – even with the right perks this is way slower than Black Ops 6 – positioning matters more than 360 slide shooting. I’m not saying I haven’t been camera-ed in a tight hallway, but the pace is frenetic in a good way.

Where in past Modern Warfare II we’d see a new map come in ripped from Warzone, I like when Warzone maps are inspired instead by Zombies or multiplayer maps. It’s a treat to drop in on the streets of Liberty Falls, or sprint through the mansion from Shattered Veil. Considering Endgame’s Avalon (and eventually Warzone) is built off a bunch of Black Ops 6 and remastered locations, this should be the blueprint. Haven’s Hollow has managed to feel wholly its own, even with several places of interest being fully recognizable.

Making tweaks to the loadout formula is also a win. Overkill is on by default, negating a necessary wildcard. Speaking of wildcards, these are also dead, which is the best case scenario. Perks have been trimmed down, making your picks matter rather than their being too many options. There are also perks on the map to pick up, alongside armor vests. Warzone and your kit are slimmed down in this experience, and it’s 100% the right choice.

Speaking of your kit, let's get into the new guns. The first to arrive are the Maddox RFB assault rifle and Kogot-7 submachine gun. There are more weapons arriving, but Treyarch has spaced them out between events and weekly challenges. I like the decision; it allows you time to actually engage with each weapon instead of them stacking up all at once.

If you were hoping the Maddox is as good as it was in Black Ops 4, I have good news for you. It slaps. This thing may not be as fast as the M15, but with laser-like shooting and a good fire-rate make this a simple four-bullet kill. For an AR, it’s pretty balanced, and is an easy choice for those who don’t want to fight recoil.

The Kogot-7 is the opposite. There’s recoil that’s necessary to control, and it does need a couple of bullets to get the kill. That said, it’s annoying up-close, with the ability to zap if you can barrel stuff it in an opponent. What drives this one as a good pick is the handling, which offers the speed a guy like me enjoys while playing. Just because Black Ops 7 has slowed the pace doesn’t mean I don’t want to sprint headlong into gunfights.

Black Ops 7’s map pool has already been fantastic, and it’s gotten better with Season 1. Although not every map is a banger, having four come in right at launch has assisted in their being not only variety, but a better chance at one hitting. Between a remaster in Standoff, a small 2v2-oriented one in Odysseus, and two 6v6 maps in Fate and Utopia, there’s plenty to wet your whistle.

Starting with Fate, this one isn’t the best, but I appreciate the experimental nature of it. This map reminds me of Cold War’s Red Doors, with a few portals hanging out around the map giving you a flank route or two. These operate instantaneously, allowing you to play jump back and forth to surprise unsuspecting enemies. The flow of this map isn’t bad, but the segmented nature of it – it’s floating with connected platforms – makes it a bit weird. There are several open lanes and power positions which can be a pain to deal with as well, so while this isn’t a terrible map, it’s probably one of my least favorite in Black Ops 7.

Utopia, on the other hand, has a ton of aura and is a blast to play, although it’s tough to master. The lanes are really long, but there are great routes you can take to bypass certain positions. Aesthetically, it’s similar to Colossus, but if the facility were brand new. I like the amount of intentional boxes, barriers, windows, and more that litter Utopia, making you give a lot of thought when working through timings to check lanes.

Odysseus is another “mind-bent” map, but in the bridge of the ship (USS Barack Obama) from Black Ops 2. It’s an extremely tight map, and reminds me a bit of Stakeout from Black Ops 6 in how cramped it can be. The mid-map is at least better, with a map room that adds choice to your routes. There’s even a fun off the side wall-jump flank you can take if you like. It’s not a map you’ll want to play on the regular, but it seems perfect for ranking up short-range weaponry like SMGs and shotguns.

Standoff is just about exactly how you remember it. There aren’t a lot of changes, and there didn’t need to be. Being able to hop up to the top of the store building is a nice touch, as is being able to jump up to the brown house or grandma’s house easily due to the wall-jump. Even with these new mechanics, the map still flows extremely well, and it’s simply one of the best past maps in Black Ops history. With the greatest of all time in Raid being at launch, it’s nice to have another GOAT coming in the first season.

Endgame even has a few additional changes, although I’d like to see more narrative included in future updates. In your drops, you’ll be presented with a dynamic map event. This takes two forms, a zombie T-Rex, and the iconic giant robot from the Origins Black Ops Zombies map. The “Z-Rex” has you fighting a bunch of elites to get shards to close portals, which eventually spawns the Z-Rex. You only have so much time, but with enough friends (including ones outside your squad) you can take it down pretty easily.

The giant robot is super dope to watch on the map, although the actual mission is a bit underwhelming. Seeing him stomp across Avalon, and especially fly off if you don’t beat him, is so cool. To take him out, you have to get onto his back where a door is, or shoot his foot to open a portal, then let him step on you. Once inside, a bunch of robots will attack, leaving you to fend them off while solving a quick puzzle to lower a shield around his “heart”. Destroy that, and you obtain rewards, as you do with the Z-Rex.

These rewards are exotic weapons, spectacular variants of different guns. Each one of these has a unique ability, like the Backdrive Dravec that can offer a brain-rot power that causes an enemy to attack other enemies, and also doesn’t slow player movement speed when in ADS. You also get an exotic skill, which reminds me of perk colas from Zombies. Yeah, a lot has been repurposed from Zombies (and the rumor is this is essentially Outbreak mode from Cold War), but I’m still loving my time playing it. Endgame is just fun to play, a great way to grind Prestiges both player and weapon. Giving me new stuff to do makes it even better.

Zombies even has a new map right away this season, Astra Malorum. I’m almost surprised; there’s so much to do it almost should have dropped at the mid-season. Astra Malorum takes place in outer space, at a facility that has a lot of ambience to it, minus the nasty zombies. There are some great spaces to play in, with plenty of areas to run around and kite zombies in order to stay alive.

Given this map is a single location where Ashes of the Damned has several, it’ll throw you off initially in terms of flow. It’s a quick adjustment though, as the flow is well thought out. I like the smaller space to play in, probably comparable to Black Ops 6’s Shattered Veil. While I haven’t done the main quest yet (I’ve watched the phenomenal DalekJD and company get all up in there), this one is shorter than Ashes, but is still very satisfying to complete.

O.S.C.A.R. is your latest elite foe, and he can be somewhat annoying. Killing this floating robot is essential to getting a part you need to construct the newest Wonder Weapon, and he can take a punch. He’ll summon drones to create a protective shield, forcing you to remove them before attacking him. Another interesting ability he has is a blast which causes a frenzy effect on whoever it hits, which makes zombies sprint frantically at you. As a new idea, O.S.C.A.R. works, with him being too slow to become too annoying and threatening enough to make you need to take care of him when you can.

Outside of Astra Malorum, Exit 115 has been added as a Survival map. This has been a terrific re-introduction; focusing on smaller maps in this form brings back that old-school Zombies intensity. There isn’t a lot different in this version of Exit 115, besides being walled off and containing all perks and a pack-a-punch machine, but it works as another tight and tumultuous Zombies experience.

Ashes of the Damned also receives its Directed Mode, something an intermediate Zombies player like myself appreciates. With this being one of the most extravagant main quests Treyarch has ever created, I don’t have the capability (or teammates) of sitting around all day trying to figure it out. It’ll still take you a couple of hours to finish, but I’m so glad Treyarch has continued with Directed Mode.

I’m a bit disappointed in the gear provided with Astra Malorum’s insertion. Mule Kick is the new perk cola, but another returning one from Cold War that simply gives you a third weapon slot. Light Mend and Shatter Blast are ammo mods from Black Ops 6, just as Tesla Storm, Frost Blast, and Mister Peeks are field upgrades from the last game. At least with Mister Peeks, he arrived late to Black Ops 7, so it’s a lighter re-use compared to several items pulled from multiple Zombies modes. I do like the new Gobblegum, Elemental Exposure, which hits your target with the most effective elemental effect as you rain bullets upon them.

As for the battle pass, this was our first look at what the team was cooking and if they would stick to the more “grounded” ideas in Black Ops 7. While I don’t think they were ever going to completely abandon collaborations, this has been a great pass. BlackCell is even cleaner, without much glitz or glamour adorning the exclusive content. There are a ton of great weapon blueprints that look awesome in this season’s battle pass overall, so I’m happy as a consumer.

Even with the bundles mixing in some more “out there” concepts, these have been toned down as well. The worst offender is a snowman skin called “Shivers”, an evil looking frost creature that’s in the Sinister Solstice pack. There’s also an actual Fallout TV series mash-up coming, with the top billed cast arriving as skins with what looks to be a Nuketown variant. These are certainly pushing into the wild territory Call of Duty got called out on, but still tamer than the likes of Beavis and Butthead.

To finish things up, I want to talk a little about progression. The teams behind this, along with Lawrence Metten leading them, have nailed this aspect of the game. Black Ops 7 is filled to the brim with stuff to earn and play, and your earn rates feel rewarding. Beyond this, the return of weekly challenges have brought back that grindy joy I remember from Modern Warfare III. So far, the items available to get have been pretty great too, with the Ballistic Knife and akimbo Akita shotguns in there. With four different sets of challenges between modes to earn these offerings, it makes for a fun time figuring out the best way to get there.

Besides this, the weekly events have been good as well, although I’d prefer leaderboard challenges to not be as frequent. Mainly because I got so mad when I didn’t get the Zombies animated camo because someone passed me in the middle of the night. There’s not exactly rhyme or reason to your personal leaderboard as well; my dad didn’t even bother to put effort in because everyone around him was so far ahead. I appreciate Treyarch testing the waters, so hopefully more tweaks will come through as seasons move forward.

Is this possibly the best season of content to ever hit Call of Duty? I’m willing to say so. There’s almost too much here; I’m still trying to get a grip on everything else Black Ops 7 has to offer, and we haven’t even gotten the mid-season Reloaded drop. I have to raise a toast to every developer behind the scenes – you are doing a tremendous job at giving players a reason to stick with Black Ops 7 for a long time.

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