With all the recent server and patch updates it’s time to review the multiplayer experience of Call of Duty Black Ops 6. Just in time for Season 01.
While the rollercoaster campaign is a storytelling staple we all look forward to when playing every new iteration of the series, COD is especially known for its amazing multiplayer content. Playing alone with strangers or squadding up with irl friends, COD has something to offer for everyone. But is it still enticing enough towards veterans and new players alike and what’s the effect of the infamous Gamepass addition towards the overall experience?
Get the game for free?
Xbox players with Gamepass have massively celebrated the BO6 release minutes after it dropped live within the service. Exact numbers aren’t disclosed as of yet and while it is true that the overall peak has been tapered off since release peak population, we can not deny that Gamepass should at least gained a 20 to 25% increase in new or recurring subscribers to its live service. Meanwhile the overall population for COD online grew as well and the Warzone population will have benefited as well for sure. No on will deny that the Gamepass integration of BO6 was a very bold yet fruitful move on Xbox’s behalf. Even though Steam and PlayStation did not get access to a free (subscription-based) version of the game, it still outperformed MWIII on consoles as well.
Overall feel and matchmaking
With this increase in player base considering the sheer numbers it is immediately noticeable when looking for a game during matchmaking. Compared to MWIII it takes 45 seconds or less to find a match. This means you get more matches within an hour of play and feels like a more solid experience. Even for more niche gamemodes such as Kill Order (HVT) on hardcore setting you’ll be able to find a match fairly quickly using crossplay and with the addition of the Gamepass population. Warzone never really had a population problem as far as I can recall but it will surely also benefit from it.
The UI is a bit different coming from MWIII but BO6 has more to offer in terms of customization and from the start I feel like there’s more to grind towards than before. It keeps you playing and it’s enticing to play “one more match”. We all know how that turns out of course. And with the faster matchmaking you’ll spend less time in the lobby when looking for a game. At some instances it’s so fast at finding a match that I’m barely able to equip a new unlock before I get thrown in the next match. First world problems?
On smaller maps the spawn locations can be annoyingly close to stalkers from the opposing teams but this is something that’s isn’t easy to counter on these popular smaller maps and just adds to the viciousness and chaos this run & gun series stands for.
New and old?
Returning maps are always something to look forward to and this time everyone was waiting for Nuketown to blast its way back into our lives. With the crisp updated graphics and the addition of more test dummies in natural settings it’s looking better than ever! I never noticed this before but you can vault over the fences for a couple seconds now. This of course brings you out of bounds for a second before killing yourself but if you time it well and get back within the map’s bounds in time you can create a new meta to sneak on unsuspecting foes. Not sure if this was a deliberate decision but it’s a neat little addition that’ll spice up the already loved Nuketown map. Another map that quickly grew on me is the Subsonic map where you brawl it out around an stealth plane hangar. It has that same small sized feel as Nuketown and that’s a good thing when you’re just looking for some quick spraying action or if you want to get knifey and sprinty at the same time.
Season 01 and Warzone
Season battle passes are omnipresent in the online multiplayer scene and COD has had its fair share of continuous live services for a few iterations now. The new season will launched with three brand-new multiplayer maps: Hideout, Heirloom and Extraction; another map, Racket, will be added midseason. A holiday version of Nuketown and Hacienda from Black Ops 4 will also return at some point during the season. New multiplayer game modes are also being added as this is a live service season pass with the quality you’ve come to expect. The game can still feel a bit pay to win at some moments. But most of the time the new weapon imbalances caused by the season pass unlocks are patched quickly. This is especially true with the Blackcell variants. Luckily after a while or at least when the next season drops they become more cosmetic options and the meta will be shaken up again. It’s nice to see actual reworks of older maps being added and I feel this season has already a lot to offer for a first variant.
Warzone is still the mode I prefer to play when I want to relax. The core multiplayer is mostly small team based and you just want to be a valuable team mate to your peers. You’ll try harder and I’m mostly more concentrated than when playing some Warzone with friends. While you can of course “tryhard” on Warzone it also gives you the opportunity to chill and have funny moments with online friends. Warzone is definitely a pay to win formula but I feel like it doesn’t matter that much to me.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Multiplayer has lost some of its peak player base from release yet retains a comfortable playerbase to let you join in the action faster than previous titles in the series. You’ll spend less time in the lobby and more time getting killstreaks on those sweet innocent Gamepass users. There’s quite a lot to do straight from the start and some more advanced settings and play styles will unlock quickly as you level up. We hope the service will continue to add enough free content and address (paid) weapon imbalances quick enough to keep us running and gunning.
8/10
Tested on PlayStation 5
