News Tag: CoD Black Ops 7

Battlefield 6's weapon progression and battle pass feel a bit too grindy, so let's turn our attention to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 instead. It will be released on November 14th, and the developers have made many optimizations based on the previous beta.

These optimizations cover a wide range of aspects, including core game mechanics, the skill system, and UI. So, what problems do these optimizations in Black Ops 7 solve? Are they enough to make it competitive with the current Battlefield 6?

Core Game Mechanics Changes

Dexterity

In the beta, Dexterity perk was essential because it unlocked the ability to aim while performing highly mobile actions like Slide, Dive, or Wall Jump. Without it, you couldn't aim down sights during these actions.

The developers decided to make this feature built-in as the default setting, and Players don't need to equip any skills to aim while moving. However, Dexterity perk wasn't removed; it was redesigned. Its new effect is to allow players to perform the above actions more efficiently, specifically through increased speed and potentially improved accuracy.

Footstep Volume

In Beta, footsteps were too quiet, allowing enemies to dash right behind players without being heard, even without Ninja perk, leading to many unfair matches.

The developers announced a slight increase in footstep volume. They explicitly stated that the adjustment aims to balance the game, ensuring Ninja perk is not a necessity but rather an option.

Slide

The distance and speed of the slide were still too powerful in Beta, and the developers will slightly reduce them. However, the exact reduction and its impact on gameplay feel still require testing.

Mantle Speeds

Climbing obstacles was extremely slow, clashing with the game's fast pace. The developers stated they will comprehensively improve climbing speed.

Perk System Adjustments

The peks system has undergone structural adjustments. Given the overall power balance, some perk slots will be changed, and certain skills will be merged.

Slot Changes

• Tac Sprinter: Moved from Slot 3 to Slot 1
• Gearhead: Moved from Slot 2 to Slot 1
• Scavenger: Moved from Slot 1 to Slot 2
• Tactical Mask: Moved from Slot 1 to Slot 2
• Dexterity: Moved from Slot 1 to Slot 3
• Looper: Moved from Slot 2 to Slot 3
• Cold-blooded: Moved from Slot 1 to Slot 3

The biggest beneficiary of this change is Cold-blooded, which now allows players to use a Wild Card and equip Ghost, Ninja, and Cold-blooded simultaneously for a full stealth loadout.

Perk Combinations

Call of Duty BO6 had many perks that were too niche, making players feel they were like half-perks. Players wouldn't give up a perk in the same slot that provides consistent benefits for a perk that only works occasionally, so the developers decided to merge the effects of some perks.

Specific merge plan:

• Gearhead absorbed Quartermaster's effect.
• Assassin absorbed Vendetta's effect.
• Close Shave absorbed Bruiser's effect.
• Tracker absorbed Hunter's Instinct's effect.

Engineer absorbed Shadow's effect. Now it can not only see enemy equipment but also won't trigger enemy equipment that requires manual detonation.

Aim Assist Adjustments

Based on Beta data, input devices have different advantages at different engagement distances:

• Close quarters engagements: Controller players have a slightly higher win rate.
• Longer range engagements: Keyboard and mouse players have a slightly higher win rate.

The developers may weaken the close-range aim assist strength and strengthen the long-range aim assist strength to narrow the gap.

The developers are researching requiring players to push the right stick to perform aiming actions to activate Rotational Aim Assist. Currently, the mechanism allows players to simply move the left stick to move the character, and the system automatically assists in aiming and tracking enemies. If this change is added at launch, it will significantly raise the skill barrier for controller use.

Matchmaking And Lobby

The official announcement states that the system used in Beta's public matchmaking list will be adopted, based on connection quality and regional latency, rather than strict skill-based matchmaking. Persistent Lobbies will also return by default. Lobbies will not be disbanded after a match, allowing players to continue playing with the same group of players or seek revenge.

Leveling And Progress

The official announcement confirms that weapon upgrade speeds in the full version will be faster than in Beta and Black Ops 6. When combined with CoD Black Ops 7 redeem codes, weapon upgrade speeds will reach unprecedented levels. While COD Bo7 will have 10 Prestiges, and each weapon will have its own Prestiges level, resulting in a long upgrade path.

The final Mastery Camo unlocking method is simplified. Once you get Master Camo on one of the 30 weapons, the final Mastery Camo will be automatically unlocked for all 30 weapons, eliminating the need to complete individual challenges for each gun.

Additionally, Overclock earn rates will be more stable, regardless of equipment, battlefield upgrades, or consecutive score rewards. The official announcement also confirmed the existence of Secret Camos and Dark Ops Challenges, but the unlocking method is kept secret.

User Interface

Call of Duty: Bo7 introduces a new global HUD theme system, allowing players to uniformly customize the interface appearance for Multiplayer, Zombies, and Co-op Campaign modes. Players can also freely toggle the minimap and other HUD elements.

The UI can now display up to three camouflage challenges and three name card challenges simultaneously. It also inherits the Last Used feature from Black Ops 6, displaying the next camouflage challenge for the currently used weapon.

The developers are currently working on comprehensive optimizations for CoD BO7. While it cannot be guaranteed to be the best FPS game, current information suggests it will be better than Black Ops 6.

Since its release in 2003, Call of Duty series has become one of the greatest FPS franchises. However, it's not without rivals. Battlefield series, launched in 2002, has always been its biggest competitor.

While both games are top-tier FPS titles, with industry-leading graphics and weapon handling, their different focuses shouldn't have made them rivals. However, as the longest-running multiplayer FPS franchises, and with close release dates, the two games have unwittingly become rivals.

Battlefield 6, released on October 10th, has received widespread acclaim. While Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 won't be released until November, the two have already begun a fierce competition.

Competition Between Battlefield 6 And Black Ops 7

Battlefield 6 released its Season 1 trailer on October 22nd, receiving a positive response. Subsequently, despite the release of Black Ops 7 in three weeks and its first season still about a month away, the official Call of Duty game released a trailer for Black Ops 7's first season ahead of schedule, clearly aiming to divert discussion away from Battlefield 6.

This competition is undoubtedly beneficial to players. Even those who only play Call of Duty should be grateful to Battlefield. This competition forces the game's developers to show sincerity with Black Ops 7 and avoid repeating the mistakes of Black Ops 6.

Black Ops 7 Season 1 Content

Previously, a leaker claimed that CoD Bo7's first season would be the largest in Call of Duty history, with an absurdly high amount of content.

However, the official roadmap was recently released, and while the amount of content looks impressive, it's not as insane as the rumors had suggested. It's important to note that sometimes leakers deliberately exaggerate to create hype, which can raise player expectations but can also have the opposite effect on game promotion.

Season 1 Roadmap

First, let's take a look at Season 1 roadmap:

Launch Playable Maps:

• Blackheart
• Cortex
• Exposure
• Flagship
• Homestead
• Mission: Edge
• Paranoia
• Retrieval
• The Forge
• Colossus
• Den
• Express
• Hijacked
• Imprint
• Mission: Tide
• Raid
• Scar
• Toshin

Zombies Mode Maps (Launch)

• Ashes of the Damned
• Vandorn Farm

Coming To Season 01 (Playable November 20th)

New Maps:

• Nuketown 2025 
• Fate
• Utopia
• Odysseus
• Standoff
• Meltdown
• Yakei

Zombies Mode (Season 01)

• Astra Malorum
• Exit 115 (Survival)
• Zarya Cosmodrome (Survival)

Multiplayer Maps

Although the official announcement states 18 multiplayer maps and two zombies experiences, this is clearly exaggerated.

First, Nuketown 2025 is to make up the numbers, as it's a standard feature of every Black Ops game and not truly new. Even without CoD: Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies, most players already know this map by heart.

Of the remaining maps, perhaps only four are brand new. The rest are mostly remastered maps, such as Hijacked and Standoff from Black Ops 2.

The frequent release of remastered maps is a cunning way. While these maps are classics, arguably even in the top ten, their repetitive nature in each generation can lead to player fatigue and a loss of freshness. Since they're remastering maps, perhaps it would be better to remaster less frequently remastered classic maps.

Zombies Mode

The official roadmap states three Zombies maps, but this is misleading, as only Astra Malorum is actually a full-fledged Zombies map.

The other two, Exit 115 and Zarya Cosmodrome, are Survival Maps - small areas carved out of a larger map specifically for skins and challenges. Comparing these smaller survival maps to full-scale Zombies maps like Origins or Mob of the Dead is unreasonable.

Weapons

The official announcement is that seven new weapons will be added, significantly exceeding the typical two-to-three weapons released each season. Confirmed weapons include the returning Maddox RFB (from Black Ops 4), Crossbow, and Ballistic Knife.

Developer Talk

Developers also confirmed in interviews that they are addressing issues raised by players during the previous Call of Duty 7 beta:

• Slide: Slide speed and slide distance have been slightly reduced to ensure it's not the only way to enter a firefight while maintaining a responsive feel.
• Vault: The speed and feel of all vaults have been unified and sped up in response to player feedback.
• Footsteps: Footstep volume has been slightly increased to encourage more stealth play without requiring Ninja Perks.

Aiming

In the beta, aiming while sliding, diving, and wall jumping required Dexterity Perks to be equipped. Now, aiming for these actions is the default, eliminating the need for that skill.

Data also shows that controller players have a slightly higher win rate in close-range engagements, while keyboard and mouse players have a slightly higher win rate in long-range engagements.

Designers plan to narrow this gap by reviewing aim assist strength at all distances and adjusting the mechanics of rotational aim assist. They are currently exploring triggering conditions for rotational aim assist, potentially requiring the player's right stick to move towards the target.

Although the official promotion of Black Ops 7's maps was not entirely forthcoming, it's undeniable that the amount of content delivered from launch to Season 1 is enormous by Call of Duty standards. Combined with improvements like the official announcement of the removal of skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), Black Ops 7 appears to have great potential on paper.

Call of Duty and Battlefield are likely to continue their fierce competition over update and season release timings in the future, potentially adopting staggered or direct confrontational strategies. The ultimate beneficiaries of this intense competition are the players. It's worth waiting for Black Ops 7 officials to dedicate more energy to improving the game and creating new content.

While competition between games relies on developers' funding and diligence, competition between players relies on your equipment and skills. To buy CoD Black Ops 7 Redeem Codes in IGGM store will allow you to accelerate your leveling with items, narrowing the gap between you and other players.

The success of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has fueled intense anticipation for Black Ops 7. The official Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta closed a few days ago, and many players joins the test. While it's not the full game, we've at least gotten a glimpse into the gameplay.

With so many excellent contenders in the shooter genre, including Counter-Strike II, Fortnite, Apex, and Battlefield series, will Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's performance this year be reassuring to fans? Let's have a look at the feedback from the beta.

Pros

Significant Improvements To Matchmaking

Black Ops 7 has changed its matchmaking process, adopting Open Matchmaking, which radically changes the gameplay experience and is the most notable advancement in the beta.

During the early beta phase, the system used for the past few years, Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) system, was widely complained about and even loathed by players.

Compared to SBMM, Open Matchmaking allows players to more easily enjoy solo play without having to team up and fight the matchmaking system. Matchmaking is nearly instant, and even with more stable connections, the high-latency matches that frustrate players are significantly reduced.

Open Matchmaking has completely transformed the game experience. It creates more varied, organic, and unpredictable matches, making it feel more like classic Call of Duty.

It has been officially confirmed that Open Matchmaking will become the default matchmaking system for Black Ops 7 upon its official release, and Persistent Lobbies will return. This is arguably the series' biggest triumph in recent years.

Map Design

Call of Duty Ops 6's matchmaking system, maps, and spawn points were the three most complained about aspects of the game. Fortunately, the overall quality of Call of Duty Bot 7's maps is quite solid. All the beta maps are at least decent, and some are quite outstanding. If you use CoD: Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies to familiarize yourself with the maps, you'll discover plenty of excellent attacks and locations.

Gunplay

Designing the feel of gunplay is the most important aspect of a game, and it's always been a strength of Call of Duty series. Black Ops 7's gunplay feels excellent, even better than before, which is because the developers have reduced a lot of visual noise like muzzle smoke, muzzle flash, and random visual recoil, making the shooting experience tighter.

Attachment System

The new system allows players to stack multiple attachments to enhance the same stat, creating more interesting and diverse build combinations. This avoids the monotony of builds seen in Black Ops 6 and is a welcome improvement over previous games.

Scorestreaks

The power and difficulty of Scorestreaks in Black Ops 7 are more balanced than in Black Ops 6. Scorestreaks are also very satisfying to use and feel easier to earn. For example, the score required to acquire UAV is 100 points lower than in Black Ops 6.

However, Specialist Strike Package, which allows players to earn perks instead of killstreaks by racking up kills, has not yet appeared in the beta. It will be a Wild Card in the final version.

New Mode: Overload

The new Overload mode is a nice addition. It feels a bit like Uplink (a mode from previous games in the series), but has its own unique style, especially with multiple scoring points, and is generally more interesting to play.

Cons

Wall Jump

Wall Jump is an interesting mechanic that remains to be seen. It integrates well with the map design and can be used to open up new routes or make the map more three-dimensional. However, the controls can feel a bit difficult to control at times. You can sometimes stray slightly, causing you to fall from heights. The short Out of Bounds timer, combined with an unintended wall jump, can easily lead to unexpected deaths. It's unclear whether this is a core mechanic or just a gimmick.

Footstep Audio

In the beta, footsteps were very faint, almost non-existent even without using Ninja abilities, allowing players to approach silently. It recommends enhancing footsteps at close range in the official version, or making slides and wall jumps louder to provide more audio cues.

Spawns

The last of Black Ops 6's three major issues hasn't been fully resolved. Respawn points still need improvement, and the chaotic spawning patterns make matches feel too chaotic and unpredictable.

Dexterity Perk Balance

Based on beta feedback, Dexterity Perks are overly essential, as they significantly improve aiming speed and accuracy when sliding and wall jumping. As mentioned earlier, the control of Wall Bounce isn't very precise, and it only becomes effective when paired with Dexterity perk.

Tactical Stance

The issue with Tactical Stance is the same as in Black Ops 6, where it's tied to Laser Attachment. It should be like Modern Warfare 3, which Tactical Stance was made the default, base mechanic, with accessories solely responsible for optimizing its performance.

Some Bugs

• Overclocks on Streaks sometimes reset unexpectedly.
• The arrow on Ghost perk minimap doesn't fade out correctly when moving (though it may function normally).
• Looper perk sometimes fails to grant a second Scorestreaks bonus.
• There's an issue with switching to Gravemaker and then back again, causing an ammo shortage.

Black Ops 7 is a clear improvement over Black Ops 6, particularly in its matchmaking system and map design. However, aspects like class builds, movement feel, and menu interface are very similar to Black Ops 6, feeling more like an iterative upgrade than a revolutionary one. Furthermore, the game clearly favors movement skill over positioning skill, which may be frustrating for players who dislike high-intensity movement.

While some issues may be addressed before its November 14th release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is certainly underperforming this year, primarily due to the lack of significant changes compared to its predecessor, potentially leaving it behind its old rival, Battlefield 6.

Black Ops 6 was an amazing game, and Black Ops 7 builds upon it, so players can be assured of its fundamental quality, but you may need to adjust to the more intense combat. If you want to train you skill and learn new maps, you can trust the efficient and reliable CoD: Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies service in IGGM Store.