Season 1 was a dream. Following up on the release of the best modern Call of Duty in Black Ops 7, Season 1 hit every note for me. Treyarch and Raven Software, of course, wanted to go even bigger, and even split between the launch and mid-season, Season 2 is packed with content. It's not enough just to have quantity; the quality has to be there. Is Season 2 worthy of your time and money? Or should you just wait for mid-season? Let's peel back the layers and take a look.
Starting with the weapons, this was more of a mixed bag than usual. Taking the spotlight are the EGRT-17, an assault rifle, and the Rev-46, a submachine gun. Both have merit in terms of use, but I'll admit, at first, I didn't like them at all. While I'd somewhat call them Warzone guns, as they don't fill a need in the current multiplayer armory, after some tweaking, I've found a happy medium in Black Ops 7. It is one of the first times I've ever felt ambivalent about both launch guns, as most are busted out of the gates or at least have a great feel to them.
The EGRT-17 is a bigger assault rifle with a fast fire-rate; think a slow-moving but rapid fire M15 MOD. It needs a few attachments to manage the recoil, and the iron sights are just okay, but it can hit hard if you land your shots. Warzone is truly the best place for it as it's great for sniper support and a decent long range option, even as ground loot.
Moving on to the Rev-46, this SMG is unique in that it has a foldable stock automatically built into it. This means you won't ever need a stock, unless you want the single prestige attachment available. It also means that if you aren't paying attention, your shots are going all over the place. Given this gun has a extremely fast fire rate, the vertical recoil kick makes me think of the Kompact from Black Ops 6, but with the option of a stock to improve it. The bad thing with it is if you miss or are too far away, you're going to lose most gunfights. It's gross up close, and is similar to the EGRT-17 in Warzone being its best use case. I don't hate it, but I also don't love it.
This season's maps also managed to be hit or miss. Although Torment and Nexus have similar aesthetics – both pulled from the mind-levels of the campaign – all the maps feel quite different. Whether in size or design philosophy, they are at least all fresh whenever you get your boots down.
Sake is the real gem of this group. When I look at it, it feels like a mashup of Hacienda (from Black Ops 4 and 6) and Den, with a splash of Garrison from Cold War sprinkled in for good measure. Some may consider it too large, but I think it's perfect, less of a mix-fest with spawns and clashes. There's an excellent flow to each lane: two outside ones with adequate cover surrounding a large building in the center that has an equally great layout with a bit of verticality. This is a Call of Duty League-worthy map; here's hoping it makes the rotation sooner rather than later.
Torment isn't bad, but I find it hard to describe it as great. This feels like a bang out map, one where you turn your brain off and run down other players. The sight lines aren't the best, as many areas are cut off or feature some sort of hallway apparatus that keeps you from seeing what's around the corner.
In the midst of it lies several teleporters that lead to an off-map hub, allowing you to make your way to one of three places. It's fun for flanks, and one of these spots gives you a overhang view of one of the areas. Thankfully, it's not impervious to another player reaching it via the door or chucking explosives up that way. I'd say this map is better than Fate, which has an odd flow compared to this, more direct flow map. I just wouldn't choose it over most other maps.
Slums returns from Black Ops 2 and Black Ops Cold War, and it was a good choice to bring back. It's always been a superb experience; the map is a classic and plays as such. Every rotation, the bombsites in Search and Destroy; it's all enjoyable. The only thing I've noticed is how flat this map is – it does not play well with Omnimovement, at least as far as wall-jumping. There's not a lot the devs can do either as this map never had any verticality to build on. Unfortunately, I just have to feel like that episode of the Office where they jumped around yelling "Parkour!" as I bounce off a wall here and there.
Nexus is... well, it's certainly a map. It's got some fun ideas in here, with an open lane ice cavern with a bunch of "The Numbers" TVs, and the other two lanes mimicking the prison where Alex Mason was held. For being a 2v2/6v6 oriented map, it's honestly not that small, and possibly even a tad bigger than Nuketown. That said, there are some tiny corridors on it that make it a pain to play anything other than team deathmatch on it, which is probably why it's relegated to Faceoff status.
Let's get to the reason I've been so late at getting these impressions written: Ranked Play. As a huge Call of Duty League fan, my journey in Ranked has been slightly improving with each title. This year's launch has been miles ahead of everything else, a true amalgamation of the tweaks and refinements over the years. That said, there have still been a couple of issues, but at least these are manageable quick fixes.
Ranked Play's systems are outstanding. Being able to veto from three choices of maps or modes is a great thing, and the limitations of your loadout in the mode make the challenge lie in you being better than your opponent, either in skill or teamwork. SR ratings have been fair, and I like the improvements to the cheat prevention side of Call of Duty.
Even so, the limitations have been a bit intensive this year. Maps that would work perfectly in Ranked aren't available because the pros aren't making changes. Gun restrictions are even harsher, with a single AR, SMG, and sniper rifle in the lineup. Given gentlemen's agreements aren't even that strict, I'm unsure why we can't get at least the under-powered weapons back in or test a few options. I appreciate the work that is going on, however, as several quick patches have come through to correct some of the initial problems.
As the new Zombies map is on it's way at the Reloaded point of the season, there's not a ton to talk about here. A Mars Survival map has been added, pulled in from the boss fight of the Main Quest in Astra Malorum. I really like the aesthetic of the space; it feels different than the other Survival maps. It also has a low gravity angle to it, which slows the zombies a bit and makes for a fun get away when lunging across the space. That said, there isn't a lot of space to lunge across – this map is tiny. I'm reminded of Babylon from Black Ops 6, and there might be less room than even that. If you get trapped in a corner by yourself, you might be as good as dead, and I can't even imagine playing it with four players. It's more of a bonus to the eventual new content, which is fine. There's also a Starting Room mode where you're essentially stuck in the first area of the two available maps, but I'm no masochist looking for a challenge, personally.
Endgame is in a similar situation, although it doesn't have a lot scheduled in the mid-season. Guild Strikes are a new World Event, a zone that pops up as Dorne slams said location with a bunch of Cradle gas. This essentially becomes a Tier 5 area, tougher than even the worst Tier 4 throws at you, with a lot of grunts and elites spawning alongside the big bad boss – Uber Klaus. Yes, one of our favorite Zombies characters has returned to Endgame. While it's a fun idea, this seems to be much less grand than previous World Events. Hopefully Treyarch has more in store for Season 3, as a wave-based Glitch event that will be appearing at Reloaded doesn't seem like much. Here's also hoping we might get more narrative content rather than the vague lore behind these World Events.
I won't dwell on it long (as I did with Endgame), but Warzone's latest enhancements have gone over pretty well. Rebirth Island has gotten a makeover, and it's more substantial than I expected. Beyond the snow-covered Alcatraz, there are a few new POIs, which feel well placed. What's most impressive is the change of lighting, which makes the map seem almost brand new. The biggest update won't arrive until the mid-season with Blackout 2.0, but this is a great way to tide players over.
One final note on the gameplay side: Treyarch is really killing it with these events. Not everything is a winner, and I'm sure we're all tired of leaderboards where we have no shot at a top five reward. But, the team has been listening, and this new Escalation Directive mode with tons of camos (and a weapon) is a worthy grind, even if I don't have the time for it in the slightest. These kinds of ideas are great, and I'm proud of the team behind these making adjustments and coming up with new ways to reward our invested hours.
While I usually talk about the battle pass and BlackCell, I believe this has been a pretty standard drop for the game. Black Ops 7 has some fun blueprints and operators, but I'm sure all of us are thrilled not to be battling American Dad or Butthead. It's inoffensive with plenty to like, which is how a war-themed game probably should be. Treyarch has also been at the top of it's game with the Mastercraft blueprints; these weapons are just so epic. Kudos to everyone, and I look forward to seeing where Black Ops 7 goes as more poignant and sensible collabs come in (Fallout was brilliant).
Although Season 2 may not be as strong as Season 1, there is no doubt that it's packed and has quality content. The best is also yet to come, with the Blackout 2.0 makeover for Warzone and the recently teased next Zombies experience. What that entails, we'll find out in short order. But for now, this is a good content update that will keep players busy to and through the mid-season.
