The first season of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is live, fully integrating the entire content of the title into Warzone. Developers Treyarch and Raven Software have released an extensive patch note detailing a complete rebuild of the battle royale experience, along with the huge content drop for Black Ops 7 Multiplayer and Zombies modes. This means that every weapon and Operator featured in Black Ops 7 is now modulized with Warzone, complete with cross-progression shared across both games, which will streamline a player’s advancement.
Perhaps the most exciting change happening to Warzone is the eventual extension of Open Matchmaking for every competitive playlist. Previously, this lobby prioritization would take skill into account; now, it promises better variety in match-ups according to a connection latency. Core movement is also looked at again. Tactical Sprint is not an inherent ability anymore but tied to the Sprinter Perk, while the base sprint speed is increased. A nice extra would be the new Combat Roll ‘trick’ provided by the Mountaineer Perk that players may use to mitigate fall damage and maintain momentum, creating exciting new traversal strategies.
The removal of all Wildcards from the loadout system simplifies loadout creation, giving Overkill as a flat ability for all players. To make players think more about character builds and reinforce particular weapon identity, the maximum attachments allowed per weapon have now been applicable strictly up to only five. Raven Software also confirmed significant tuning to Aim Assist strength, specifically targeting short and long-range encounters to ensure a fairer competitive environment across different input devices. Some select pieces of Lethal and Tactical equipment have also been taken out of loadout selection, thus being exclusive, buffed loot items within the match environment.
For the Black Ops 7 players, there are much more maps and arms that Season One offers. For multiplayer, there are four new arenas: the originals Utopia, Fate and Odysseus – Notion Standoff, the well-remembered mid-size remaster. New weapons include the Kogot-7 SMG and Maddox RFB Assault Rifle via the Battle Pass, and the classic Ballistic Knife as a Week 1 reward. Expand Zombies experience with the new map Astra Malorum, mechanical Elite enemy O.S.C.A.R., and fan-favorite Mule Kick Perk-a-Cola making it back, allowing players to carry around a third Primary Weapon.
