Black Ops has certainly taken over Call of Duty. After Black Ops Cold War – and you could even argue that wasn't as impactful due to Warzone's emergence – things were a little more Modern Warfare coded. Even Sledgehammer's Call of Duty: Vanguard was somewhat a Modern Warfare game in a WWII skin. Now, the era of Treyarch is back, and even Warzone is getting a new makeover. With Black Ops Royale releasing this Friday, the teams at Treyarch and Raven Software took time to present what they've got, and what they've got is taking me back to a simpler time in 2019.
Yale Miller, Senior Game Director, Production at Treyarch opened up our session, alongside Pete Actipis, Game Director at Raven Software. The teams are again pressing this idea of an experience only being able to be delivered with Black Ops, which has been the mantra over the last two titles. They don't just want to theme Warzone after Blackout, but bring a bold new take to the popular mode. Shattering the stagnation of six years of Warzone, embracing the nostalgia of Blackout, and offering a brand new map through it were all goals the team sought to impact the core gameplay loop.
A benefit for this final goal lies in Endgame. Avalon has already been in the game for sometime, but the version Black Ops Royale players are getting has been refined. The large sections of water have been reduced, and as an Endgame player, I can't like this enough. Sure, this is only happening in Black Ops Royale, but it'd be almost impossible to make rotations through the map with other players watching to shoot you down compared to the PVE aspect of Endgame. Treyarch and Raven Software have also played around with the bullet velocity of water, so there should be less capability of hiding in it compared to previous iterations of Warzone. This isn't the final cut either; they will continue making changes as necessary to the map (there are already more adjustments in store for Season 3). For now, think in-between Verdansk and the original Blackout map in terms of water density.
Moving into gameplay, they thought long and hard on the survivability aspects. Should some things be brought back one for one, or should they be re-interpreted? The answer was a blend of old and new, the feelings and strategies of Blackout mashed with what makes sense in Warzone.
This directly feeds into the health systems, with plates and vests being at the forefront. The Warzone plates system is here, but on top of it are the armor vests returning from Blackout in multiple tiers. These bring additional damage mitigation with them to make your plates work better. The trauma kit also comes back, putting you in a temporary boosted health state. If you die, there are only two ways to come back: the good old redeploy token (which everyone gets at the start), and Redeploy Towers, which are a map contract your team can engage in to bring you back into the fight. These towers are LOUD, so it's a huge risk but with huge rewards as everyone who is gone will redeploy. Changing the survivability of Warzone is necessary, and I wonder if some will be turned off by the pivot back into hardcore battle royale tendencies.
Contracts have been a staple in Warzone for quite some time, but Raven Software wanted to step up their game in Black Ops Royale. Beyond the Redeploy Towers, there are Target Uplink Stations, Surprise Shipments, Surveillance Drones, Strongbox Cracks, Relay Antennas, Ammo Caches, and Cradle Breaches. I get the feeling most of these are going to function similarly to what we have in Endgame, but we'll have to engage with them to see.
These activities aren't listed on your tac-map besides the Redeploy Towers; you have to discover them. You'll want to search for these depending on what your squad is trying to do at the time: maybe you want more armor, so a Surprise Shipment makes the most sense. Learning what activity brings the best loot is going to be key for players in their quest for a win. These will also work in tandem with each other, as a safecracker USB kit might drop during an activity which enables you to go after the Strongbox Crack. It's another loud activity, but worth the time investment with some great rewards if you accomplish the task.
The Relay Antenna might be the most interesting contract described. There are no UAVs in Black Ops Royale, but holding down this device will offer you a quick, close-range ping. This is more performative than useful, mainly that it'll show you what's around before a redeploy drone comes down to offer you a way to surf the skies with your wingsuit. The good news is it's only there for a minute before deactivating for a while, so you won't be worried about being followed.
Cradle Breaches are the biggest opportunity for your team, with two dropping during each match. Everyone will see it drop, and it will spread Cradle gas within its area of effect. Zombies/Fears will spawn, and players have to make the choice of if they want to risk being the first team there for the best loot or wait for a third party or the second drop. There are two ways to get gear from these sections: a Mangler who will give you a high tier vest when felled or a mystery box you can earn rolls for when killing zombies. Again, the team is focused on giving you reasons to go for these activities, but making you choose whether it's worth the risk.
A huge change in Black Ops Royale is the weapons. No longer are there loadouts; no longer can you customize your gun with your own attachments. Floor loot will be one of five tiers, with a pre-built archetype curating what attachments will be introduced as you upgrade it. Paying attention to your playstyle will inform what archetype you'll want to grab, as the weapon's evolution will make that easier.
Upgrading is done by picking up Attachment Kits to get more out of your gun and build it towards a legendary variant. These aren't guaranteed to be found in specific places, but you'll be excited when you come across them. This felt like a good middle ground for the team – not offering easy purchased upgrades while not making you hunt for the perfect attachment lying on the ground. I appreciate these limitations; not only are there less weapons to hunt for and dig through, but there are still meaningful upgrade paths and archetypes to discover.
Ballistics systems have also gotten a makeover. You're going to have to ask yourself if you have the right gun when engaging in long-range warfare given the drop off and spread of your gunfire. I think this might be the system that takes the longest to adjust to, as we've all had these laser beam weapons in Warzone for so long that our aim might need extra work. This makes finding a great weapon on the map feel even better as well and gives looting around more value.
Perks are similar to weapons in their overhaul: they are tremendously different. These will be returning to their roots, temporary consumables that give you a boost when you need it. Some last a minute or two, some will be longer-lasting. Dead silence is the only thing not included in the bunch, which makes sense as it's almost too powerful for Warzone. As most of these perks are known variables, I won't go into a large breakdown, but it's going to be fun to learn how to best utilize these to get an upper hand during battle. These can be activated whenever you like, and you can consume as many as you like as well.
Field upgrades, lethals, and tacticals have a lot of familiar faces, but the biggest additions are the Bubble Shield and Trauma Kit field upgrades, Cymbal Monkey and Cluster Grenade lethals. Additional standouts are the Sensor Dart, EMP grenade, and Grappling Hook tacticals. Of all of these, the Bubble Shield, Sensor Dart, and Grappling Hook are the most exciting. With UAVs not being a thing anymore, the Sensor Dart will be more useful than ever to provide intel on enemy positions. The Bubble Shield was a really cool item in the campaign and Endgame, and being able to shut down an opponent's push for a moment to regroup is awesome. The Grappling Hook adds speed to your play, and when chained alongside the walljumping of Omnimovement being officially brought to Warzone should make for some wicked plays (JoeWo has an epic clip in the COD POD you need to watch).
Inventory mechanics will see a blend of old and new, and I'm curious how this will impact the game. With looting being so important, you'll be able to carry a bit more than usual, with extra lethals, tacticals, and scorestreaks in your bag, although just a single additional item in each slot. You'll also be able to stow up to five perks for your consuming pleasure, including multiple of the same one. Your inventory will also allow you to hot-swap these items, which will be useful as you try to get the right combination in play during a firefight.
Operator orders are a spiritual successor to the operator missions in Blackout. While the team didn't dive into the how for everything, you'll discover these along the way and be rewarded for your time. They plan to add more as well, so keep your eyes peeled for even more to grind out.
This largely wrapped up our time listening to the team, and there is even more planned as we move to Season 3. Overall, I'm excited to see how "Blackout 2.0" rolls out as Black Ops Royale. While some may not care for the move back into a proper Battle Royale mode, the multiplayer-fication of Warzone has made the game almost too easy. Getting back to it's roots – looting and grinding for glory – will inject a freshness into Warzone that hasn't been there in a while. It's about time Warzone got a taste of Black Ops, and that time is now.
