8 Things We Learned During The Call of Duty NEXT 2024 Showcase (2024)

Airing live from Washington D.C on August 28, 2024, Activision showed off multiple new elements coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Allocating time to the three main pillars of COD's multiplayer suite – PvP Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone – players were able to gain some more insight into the new "Omnimovement" system and the title's 16 new maps.

Running for nearly four hours, the day-long celebration of Call of Duty and Black Ops 6 included appearances from developers such as Joanna Leung and Matt Scronce, who are the Lead Game Designer and Associate Director of Design respectively. Beyond developer interviews, many content creators displayed hands-on multiplayer gameplay while updates and announcements for the new COD title were stated.

Every Zombies Map Has A Main Quest

Easter Eggs And Narrative Gameplay Have Never Been More Accessible

While giving fans the first look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's second new launch Zombies mode map – Liberty Falls – the team at Next 2024 informed viewers that every Zombies map will have a core quest for players to work their way through when playing.

Beyond that, it was hinted that Treyarch's last Black Ops title – Cold War – will have its Zombie mode's story directly lead into that found in Black Ops 6's round-based Zombies missions. Treyarch also informed players that, while not available at launch, the existence of a 'Directed Mode' will lead players through the varying steps to accomplish the narrative of each Zombies map.

Players Can Use New & Returning Wonder Weapons

Fan-Favorites And A New Jet-Inspired Cannon Come To Zombies

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In the more than 15 years since the Zombies mode's inauguration into the Call of Duty formula, the mode has bestowed an arsenal of creatively powerful Wonder Weapons to players in aid of their zombie-killing objective.

In revealing more information regarding the upcoming Liberty Falls Zombies mode map, players have been informed that not only fan-favorite Wonder Weapons are returning, but Treyarch is also adding a notable new one for players to use. The Thrustodon jet-engine-like cannon can seemingly pull zombies and items into its maw. Beyond this, players can also take advantage of a blast attack, where nearby zombies are splattered out of existence.

Players Can Fight In A New 'Kill Order' Game Mode

Players Protect Their 'High-Value Targets' And Hunt The Other Team's

Beyond tweaking strategic multiplayer modes such as Domination and Hardpoint, Treyarch revealed during the Call of Duty Next event that a new mode – "Kill Order" – will be made available at Black Ops 6's launch.

In a team-based PvP mode, players are tasked with protecting a member of their team deemed as a 'high-value target' (HVT). This HVT will gain armor plating and expanded minimap functionality and earn the enemy team more points if killed. In a more fast-paced variant – "Face Off Kill Order" – Scorestreaks will be disabled, and players will be thrust into more close-knit Strike maps.

Treyarch's Substantial Gameplay Tweaks From MW3

Faster Kills, A Cleaner UI, And 'Intelligent Movement'

While 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was a tightly wound first-person shooter experience, the team at Treyarch determined it necessary to make some integral gameplay changes going into Black Ops 6.

Beyond a decreased time to kill – which will result in more twitch-based gunfights – and the removal of health bars by default, Black Ops 6 also adds an innovative new feature; "intelligent movement." Modularly customizable in three parts; the "intelligent movement" system allows Black Ops 6 players to clamber, slide, and sprint across terrain automatically without any direct input from the player.

The Traditional Prestige System Is Returning

Going Back To The Risk-Reward Re-Locking Of Past Titles

In 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III the multiplayer Prestige system saw players earn cosmetic rewards once they had surpassed level stages. However, unlike past titles, there was no risk-reward system as your unlock momentum was not halted.

However, in a seemingly fan-requested return to the classic Prestige system, Prestige in Black Ops 6 will require players to re-lock all weapons and perks as they are sent back to the beginning of the unlock system. In an attempt at balance, Treyarch has informed gamers that they can allocate items with a 'permanent unlock' token so that their well-earned weapons are not discarded once they Prestige. Beyond this, each Prestige stage's aesthetic is informed by each of the Black Ops series' titles, with Prestige 1 taking inspiration from 2008's Call of Duty: World at War.

12 Brand New Weapons Are Coming At Launch

New Guns From A New Period In Time

While Call of Duty weapon staples such as the AK-47 and Kar98k will seemingly make a return in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Treyarch informed viewers of Call of Duty Next that 12 new weapons will launch with the release of the title.

All 12 are brand-new to the first-person shooter series and even incorporated experimental prototype weaponry from the game's 1990s period. Reinforcing this, the team at Treyarch stated that they have been "having a blast exploring and capturing that nineties essence". Beyond these new weapons, traditional camouflage and reticle challenges are returning to the series for gamers to complete.

Area 99 As A New Resurgence Warzone Map

A Warzone-Wide Return To The Nuketown Aesthetic

Proclaimed as the "birthplace of Nuketown," Treyarch announced in Call of Duty Next that a new Resurgence Warzone map - Area 99 - will be coming to the Call of Duty: Warzone mode alongside Season 1.

With 10 main points of interest scattered around the map, viewers were shown how Area 99 will allow players to navigate above and below ground to scavenge supplies and defeat other players. With its Nuketown-themed, Fallout-esque 1950s aesthetic, Area 99 is made up of original and returning elements from the fan-favorite Nuketown multiplayer map. From its Mannequin Assembly plant to its central Reactor, players will be able to play across varying levels of terrain.

The Original Verdansk Map Is Returning To Warzone

Verdansk's Classic Design Is Coming 2025

While it may have been seen as a gamble for the Call of Duty series to introduce a Battle Royale mode when Warzone launched in 2020, its tight gunplay and fan-revered map design made it a quick staple of the genre.

That original map was Verdansk, and - despite its player following - it left the Warzone mode in 2021 with the release of Call of Duty: Vanguard. However, in the Call of Duty Next broadcast, Treyarch revealed that the map will be returning to the mode in the Spring of 2025 - although it is currently unknown as to whether it will appear as it once was, or if substantial changes will have been made.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

FPS

Systems

Released

October 25, 2024

Platform(s)

PS5 , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , PC

Developer(s)

Treyarch , Raven Software

Publisher(s)

Activision