Call of Duty: Black Ops 4is generally considered to be one of the more controversial releases in the franchise’s history. WhileBlack Ops 4had a great Zombies mode, some unique multiplayer twists, and some of the best gunplay the series had seen to that point, it also lacked any form of single-player campaign and came right at a time when the same old formula was starting to feel very stale. But there was one very experimental mode that madeBlack Ops 4worth the price of admission alone for many fans, and it’s a mode that could still inspireCall of Duty: Warzone 2.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode was the very first battle royale in the franchise, and for a first attempt, it got a lot right. Releasing just a year afterFortnite, and a few months beforeApex Legends,Call of Duty’s Blackout mode dropped at the perfect time, capturing the success of the battle royale genre at its peak, and putting theCall of Dutyseal of quality on it. But while Blackout certainly laid a lot of the foundations forCall of Duty: Warzone 2, there’s still one big area that its successor could learn from.
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The Next Call of Duty: Warzone Map Should Take Inspiration From Blackout
Over the last few years,Call of Duty: Warzonehas had several maps, each one being suitably grand and impressive, just as fans would expect from aCall of Dutybattle royale.Warzone’s first map, Verdansk, is still heralded as one of the greatest battle royale maps of all time, delivering an incredible variety of locations and points of interest, giving the game some great replayability.
Warzone’s Caldera map isn’t quite as fondly remembered, though it still provided fans with plenty of visual and practical variety. And finally,Call of Duty: Warzone 2’s Al Mazrahis generally considered to be a solid successor, taking the foundations laid by Verdansk, and improving on them with more intricate building layouts and even more varied locations dotted around the map.
While eachCall of Duty: Warzonemap has had its own distinct identity, they all share one common element, and that’sreferences to pastCall of Dutygames. EachWarzonemap has dedicated at least one or two points of interest to a classicCall of Dutymultiplayer map. Verdansk referenced Broadcast with its TV Station POI, Caldera referenced Makin, Shipment, and Nacht der Untoten, and Al Mazrah references several classicModern Warfaremaps, from Rust and Highrise to Dome and Quarry.
But these classic map inclusions go far beyond just the average Easter egg or reference. EachWarzonemap has integrated these maps with a great deal of care, ensuring that they fit the environment they’re located in and that the surrounding buildings and scenery match up seamlessly. These POIs also usually build on to their original iterations quite a bit, adding new interior buildings and external spaces. But while these classic map POIs have been pretty great across the board, they could still learn fromCall of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode.
ThoughBlack Ops 4’s Blackout mode was primitive in many ways, it nailed its map design from the get-go, acting as a celebration of the entire history of theBlack Opsseries. On top of POIs based around previousBlack Opsmultiplayer maps, Blackout also added several unique mechanics ripped out ofBlack Ops' best moments, such as the addition of zombies appearing in a cemetery, and equippable Wonder Weapons.
OneWarzone 2map could celebrate theModern Warfareseries, adding plenty of classic locations as POIs, and adding unique features likeAdvanced Warfare’s exosuitsorModern Warfare 2’s snowmobiles, and when it came time to celebrateBlack Opsagain, the map could add zombies back in, along with a Tranzit-like bus system.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
