Revolutionary Fix for Call of Duty Zombies: Tackling Multiple Criticisms with a Single Gamechanger

Highlights

The recent updates to Call of Duty Zombies have garnered a range of reactions from fans. While there are those who are not fond of the shift towards an objective-based gameplay and open-world setting, even certain aspects of the more contemporary round-based releases have faced criticism.

The inclusion of loadouts in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has considerably diminished the difficulty and challenge of the game. Players no longer have to concern themselves with conserving ammo or facing challenging gameplay.

The introduction of loadout weapons has also resulted in the loss of the distinct personality of the Zombies mode. The need to make difficult decisions about early match progression has been eliminated. To address this, reintroducing starting pistols could greatly improve the gameplay experience. One potential compromise between the new and old styles would be to restrict players from accessing their loadout guns until they activate the power.

Over time, Call of Duty Zombies has become less predictable. In its early versions, players would engage in simple round-based survival maps, aiming to obtain powerful weapons from the Mystery Box and hold out for as long as possible. The complexity of the mode was heightened in Black Ops 2, 3, and 4 with the addition of numerous buildables and Easter eggs, yet Zombies' essence remained intact. However, recent updates have brought about significant changes. Some of these changes, like Vanguard Zombies' objective-based approach and the polarizing Outbreak, have received mixed feedback. Moreover, even the newer round-based maps have introduced divisive alterations.

While fans anxiously anticipate the open-world concept of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies, many may choose to revisit older iterations of the mode to pass the time. During this return, they will undoubtedly notice substantial differences, such as the substitution of Operators for the original characters and the varying health mechanics in each game. These mechanics range from the Zombie Shield and Armor to distinct player health pools. One seemingly minor but noteworthy change is the omission of starting with a pistol in the newer modes—a change that Treyarch should reconsider for Call of Duty 2024.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Loadouts Have Some Pros, But Bigger Cons

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War revolutionized the Zombies experience by allowing players to customize their loadouts before entering the game, moving away from the traditional system of starting with limited resources. This change was aimed at providing players with more freedom and it does succeed to some extent. With the ability to spawn with their preferred weapon, players can avoid wasting time at the Mystery Box and focus on achieving their desired camo upgrades.

However, the loadout feature also highlights one of the major issues with modern Call of Duty Zombies: it has become too easy. While it is understandable that Treyarch wanted to simplify the main quests, the core gameplay has become excessively straightforward. There is no longer a need for players to worry about conserving ammo as they can simply buy more, and they are equipped with numerous "get out of jail free" options such as constant grenade drops and scorestreaks. Additionally, the armor system is overly generous. This lack of challenge is evident in Black Ops Cold War, Vanguard, and possibly even Modern Warfare 3 Zombies. The loadout customization further exacerbates this problem, as there is no incentive to use anything other than the most powerful weapons like the Gallo, Hauer, and M16.

Loadout weapons not only make the game too easy, but they also take away the uniqueness and personality of Zombies. In the past, maps like Shadows of Evil and Origins offered exciting starting pistols like the Mauser and Bloodhound, and the iconic M1911. The use of a starting pistol to maximize points and make strategic decisions about purchasing better guns or opening doors was a key part of the map progression. However, now players are given such powerful starting weapons that this important decision-making process is eliminated, resulting in a loss of the classic match progression. The excitement of starting with a simple pistol and working towards something better has been taken away.

The most straightforward solution to this problem would be to remove loadout weapons altogether and return to giving everyone a 1911 as a starting weapon. However, this seems unlikely. Instead, a middle ground solution similar to the system in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 could be implemented. In that game, players were limited to selecting secondary weapons as their starting weapons. This allowed for a more natural progression, resembling the early Zombie modes. Although players could still choose a Specialist weapon like they do in Black Ops Cold War's Field Upgrades, the smaller selection of guns felt more appropriate for the early stages of the game.

Perhaps a better compromise could involve retaining loadouts in their current state, but delaying player access until the power has been activated. This would reintroduce the sense of progression seen in early CoD Zombies modes, where players relied on pistols in the initial stages and required more strategic thinking. Once the map is opened up, players can then utilize their preferred weapons. Given the positive reception of earning loadouts in Warzone, implementing a similar system in Zombies would likely be well-received. While there is still work to be done in restoring the cherished personality of this Call of Duty mode, bringing back the starting pistol style would be a promising first step.