Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set to launch on October 25, and Activision has unveiled further insights into what players can anticipate for multiplayer upon release. This includes a glimpse at the maps that were not featured in the beta, along with enhancements planned for the game based on player input, such as spawn adjustments and movement modifications.
Black Ops 6 will debut with 16 fresh multiplayer maps. The beta showcased eight maps for early testing, with most being on the smaller side. Activision confirms that while the beta maps were predominantly small, several of the remaining maps are of medium size.
The additional eight launch maps offer a diverse range of locations, including the perimeter of an international soccer stadium, a safehouse nestled in the Bulgarian mountains, and a 6v6 snowy Vorkuta map that harkens back to the setting of Black Ops 1's prison break mission with Mason. There's also a compact Gunfight-size map named Warhead, featuring a version of Nuketown that has already been heavily damaged by missile strikes.
The map selection for the Call of Duty League and Ranked Play will be disclosed in the upcoming months. "We're thrilled about the variety of maps this year, and competitive play is always a key consideration for multiplayer," Activision stated.
In addition to revealing the remaining maps, Activision notes that the two weeks of the Black Ops 6 beta provided ample feedback to necessitate spawn improvements. Specific details about the spawn adjustments remain undisclosed, but the publisher assures that the spawn system is continuously evaluated, and further updates will be made "through launch and beyond."
Treyarch's Omnimovement system is a pivotal new feature in Black Ops 6, enabling players to sprint, slide, and dive in any direction. While the movement felt fluid and enjoyable during our hands-on experience, Treyarch is already refining it to enhance fluidity and allow players to customize their sprint behavior to suit their playstyle. This includes a slight boost to initial slide speed, improvements to third-person movement animations, and adjustments to the Intelligent Movement settings.
Headshot damage is also undergoing changes based on player feedback. "A recurring piece of feedback was that low headshot damage diminished the impact of skillful play and made it challenging to confront certain powerful positions. We concur with these points and are making adjustments to numerous weapons to reward players who land multiple headshots during engagements," the publisher explained.
Of course, the publisher also emphasized that they do not want the changes to headshot damage to drastically alter the time-to-kill consistency in Black Ops 6, so the developer will continue to monitor headshot effectiveness post-launch.
Another focus area for improvement is the game's overall performance. The beta of Black Ops 6 encountered some freezing and stuttering issues, which the publisher has identified and resolved. Other performance enhancements include fixing general script errors, addressing UI-related problems, and overall improvements to Call of Duty's asset streaming.
Smaller adjustments slated for launch day include enhancements to the Winner's Circle feature, a reduction in overall camera motion for sprint, tac sprint, and slide movements, and the addition of a Kill Counter on the HUD to track progress toward killstreaks. Activision also mentioned that weapon balancing will be addressed, with specific details to be disclosed in the patch notes accompanying the launch of Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available worldwide on October 25 across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. Be sure to stay tuned for all the details revealed for Black Ops 6's release, including campaign details, Zombies, and multiplayer features.
