Activision recently declassified a treasure trove of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 intel, including hands-on multiplayer, round-based Zombies, and Warzone. I played through six new multiplayer maps, the zombie-filled Liberty Falls, and the Nuketown-inspired Resurgence. Each Black Ops 6 mode also showcases Treyarch’s new Omnimovement mechanic, which adds fluidity to the series’ signature gunplay.
Black Ops 6 launches on PS5 and PS4 on October 25, but if you want to get in on the action first check out Full details on the upcoming Beta starting August 30.
Now let’s get into the actual details.
Multiplayer
Total Movement – Black Ops 6’s new signature mechanic is bursting with potential. You can now sprint and hold the Circle button to dive in any direction while maintaining 360-degree aiming. At the time, I was thinking about the possibilities and diving down stairs and doing a mid-air 180 to take out pursuers. Another favorite technique is diving into an enemy-occupied room and shooting them down before they can react. Even better, Omnimovement is being introduced globally in MP, Zombies, and Warzone.
Global Weapons Loadout and Progress – Two major quality of life improvements for Black Ops 6 make managing your arsenal smoother. Global weapon progression means you’ll have access to all the weapons and attachments you earn across Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone. Additionally, any loadout or Gunsmith edits you make in one mode will be reflected globally across other modes.
Kill Order Mode – This new mode has both teams defending their own High Value Objectives while hunting down the enemy HVTs. Treyarch has found a clever balance between chaotic TDM-style action and a light layer of strategic, objective-based gameplay. It’s definitely going to become a regular game of mine.
Body shield – Can you take down an enemy? The new shield mechanic allows players to grab unsuspecting enemies for extra protection. To add to the spookiness, Treyarch has enabled close-range chat between teams to exchange words. Mind your sportsmanship!
Best play – Celebrate your team’s victory or review your defeat with the return of the Best Play camera, marking the end of the match in third-person perspective.
Shoot the doors to open them – Great hands-free feel.
Treyarch’s MP Design Philosophy – Black Ops 6 marks a return to the studio’s MP strengths: small, fast, three-lane maps. The move from large, sprawling maps means you’ll always be close to some combat. Get ready for 16 brand new maps at launch.
New Multiplayer Map – I fought across six upcoming Core 6v6 maps during the practice event.
- Ray – A large crashed radar dish serves as a map reference point. Deep winding trenches, underground tunnels, and red explosive barrels are scattered across the map, creating unpredictable action.
- Come back – Gunfights on the streets of an American city, with the map title being a 90s-era video rental store in a shopping mall. Melees break out between stacks of VHS tapes, with a fast food restaurant across the street for more intense encounters.
- Horizon – A luxury apartment at the top of a city skyscraper. A narrow hallway on the upper floor becomes the central point of conflict, where many long-range gunfights take place, along with a pool below to jump into when things get heated. Beware of the dangerous elevator shafts at the bottom of the map.
- Babylon – These crumbling, sandy ruins are heaven for anyone craving close quarters combat. Have an SMG or shotgun ready to help clear out corners.
- Abandoned – Abandoned train cars are scattered throughout the ruined train yard, creating rugged paths on the map with unique views that will catch your attention.
Zombies are based on circles.
Profit based on circle – Treyarch returns with Zombies mode, with players surviving waves of increasingly powerful monsters, requiring steady progression through the map and powering up weapons to survive. The two launch maps include the claustrophobic Terminus and the colorful new Liberty Falls…
Liberty Falls Map – This launch map is a slice of dead Americana. Make your way through waves of the undead while exploring the car-filled streets of a small town, the streets of a bowling alley, a motel, a comic book store, a supernatural church, and more. Ziplines connect the rooftop destinations of the town, creating a winding layer of paths to learn.
Buy General Door – Players can now collect coins to open doors and progress through Zombies maps, which means more coins to upgrade your gear.
Escape or die – Risk and reward reign supreme in round-based Zombies. Exfil offers the chance to end your run on a high note, or you can continue fighting in a dramatic new game through a dynamic ending that changes depending on where and how you die. I botched my ending, failing to clear the zombies surrounding the landing site in time. As a result, my game over involved an armored zombie latching onto my fleeing helicopter and punching it to pieces.
Melee Macchiato Privilege – This new drink boosts your punch power to kill zombies on the map with just one R3 click.
Magic Weapon – Destroy the dead with the Ray Gun, Beamsmasher and the devastating Thrustodyne Model 23. The Thrustodyne Model 23 is a giant recycled jet engine that can suck up zombie hordes and tear them to pieces.
Directional mode – Need a guide through the zombie hordes? Treyarch will release a new Command Mode after launch with Season 1, which will assist players in Main Missions up to wave 15.
war zone
Area 99 – The launch of Black Ops 6 comes with the new Resurgence map. Area 99 is the birthplace of the iconic Black Ops map, Nuketown. An abandoned facility with a crumbling 60s retro style makes a new addition to Warzone.
New Point of Interest – Area 99 has 10 interesting locations to land. Here are some of the locations I fought to land:
- Pod Dormitory – These colorful retro-futuristic hostels are made up of shell-like capsule apartments. A great place to land and maybe get some loot, privacy, and a lookout point.
- House factory – A destination filled with half-built prefab houses, creating some interesting and unexpected landscapes. This attraction even includes a miniature replica of the iconic Nuketown map. Cute!
- Nuclear reactor – Trust me – Are not Jump into the glowing green irradiated coolant.
- Mannequin assembly – Piles of damaged mannequins are scattered throughout the facility, presumably destined for some weapons testing site. Note the hydraulic press above the conveyor belt, still in operation…
- Other Points of Interest – Expect to loot Nuketown Shipping, Test Site, Bunker, Loading Bay, Cooling Towers and Warehouse.
The weapon inspection animation is really cool.
Treyarch and other COD developers have something special in store for Black Ops fans, and Omnimovement is a gameplay overhaul that makes this popular series feel fresh again for players.
But don’t just take my word for it. If you pre-order Black Ops 6, you’ll be able to join the early access beta starting tomorrow, August 30. The full game will launch on October 25.
