With Call of Duty: Blacks Ops 7’s 14th November release date looming and its early access beta just days away, Activision has aired a big old Call of Duty Next showcase, featuring – amid the enthusiastic shouting and endless “official partner” promotion – a heap of multiplayer news and gameplay, including a look at Warzone’s new Resurgence map, and more.
Call of Duty Black Op 7’s open beta, as you probably already know, runs 5th-8th October, with early access beginning Thursday, 2nd October. Things kick off at 6pm in the UK/10am PDT and those taking part will have access to six 6v6 maps. There’s Blackheart (an off-shore oilrig), The Forge (a Tokyo R&D facility), Toshin’s downtown Tokyo, Exposure (the Australian outback), Imprint (an Alaskan weapons manufacturing facility), and Cortex’s human testing site. Zombies fans, meanwhile, can try out the Vandorn Farm survival map, with beta pre-loading starting tomorrow, 1st October.
Still on maps, Activision also used its showcase to whizz through a few of Black Ops 7’s 18 launch maps (16 for 6v6 matches, two for the series’ new 20v20 Skirmish mode). Colossus, for instance, is a Black Ops 2 “callback”, while Den takes players to a Japanese castle full of 2035 tech. There’s Express, set in a Tokyo train station; Hijacked, whose action unfolds on a Tokyo Bay yacht; Homestead, set in and around David Mason’s Alaskan childhood home, plus Paranoia – a more fantastical map inspired by the nightmare of David Mason’s mind. You can see those and more in the flythrough trailer above, but if your mappetite still isn’t sated, Activision says a further seven multiplayer maps will arrive as part of Black Ops 7’s post-launch Season 1 plans, alongside two Survival maps and one round-based map for Zombies mode. Nuketown 2025, for instance, is due “shortly after launch”.
Weapon-wise, Black Ops 7 features 16 new multiplayer weapons at launch, including the M10 Breacher – a pump-action shotgun that can be charged to reduce spread and land mid-range shots with more accuracy. Additional weapons (both new and returning favourites) are promised – alongside the likes of attachment rewards and weekly challenges – once Black Ops 7’s post-launch seasons get underway. We also got a peak at some of the new Weapon Prestige attachments and camos coming in Black Ops 7, with Activision promising a “big” year for camo fans. Alongside a dedicated camo track in the co-op campaign, there are 16 mastery camos (split across multiplayer, Zombies, Warzone, and co-op), plus plenty more coming as season rewards.
Rounding out the multiplayer portion of Activision’s showcase, there was a brief bit of Black Ops 7’s “very competitive” new Overload mode. This, if you’re unfamiliar, is a 6v6 objective mode in which each team attempts to secure the overload device and get it to one of the oppositions two zones. Success earns the victors one point and eight points equates to a win.
Next up, Zombies mode and its round-based Ashes of the Damned map. Inspired by the legend of the Bermuda Triangle, it’s constructed from landmarks – all with a violent history – dragged into the Dark Ether. There’s a ruined version Janus Towers Plaza, for instance; Black Water Cabin, where a famed horror director drowned his leading lady; Vandorn Farm, home to a murderous family and their unfortunate victims, plus the fractured Southern Georgia town of Ashwood. Between them lie endless waves of respawning undead, including the loot-snatching Ravagers. That’s where your trusty wonder vehicle Tessie comes in though, providing an essential means of transporation that can be augmented with thrusters, chomp attacks, and more.
There’s a closer look at Ashes of the Damned above, and if you like the sound of Vandorn Farm, it’s playable as a Survival map in the imminent beta. More survival locations taken from round-based maps are promised post-launch.
Zombies mode also got a nod as Black Ops 7’s showcase turned its attention to Warzone. That’s thanks to Warzone’s new Resurgence map, Haven’s Hollow – a small Appalachian town that might look familiar to Zombies fans. It’s essentially a pre-outbreak version of Liberty Falls, featuring nine unique points of interest across its autumnal expanse. There’s the train station, mansion, lumber mill, riverboat, pond, coal depot, homestead, and Main Street, all of which appear in the flythrough above. And if that’s got you ready to go, Haven’s Hollow arrives with Season 1 later this year.
You’ll need to delve into the full several-hours-long showcase if you want to properly scrutinise Activision’s extensive Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 gameplay. As a reminder, open beta early access begins this Thursday, 2nd October, and the full game launches on 14th November.
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