Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was a beloved game for many reasons, but the easiest way to pin down its success is to look at how it nailed Treyarch’s “three pillars” philosophy. Multiplayer was balanced well overall and featured the best weapon variety in the franchise, while the use of two timelines was unique for a Call of Duty campaign and led to a powerful story. Zombies, though it got off to a rocky start with TranZit, went on to feature two of the best maps ever in Origins and Mob of the Dead, with Buried also being terrific. Beyond that, the gameplay had depth thanks to systems like persistent perks, and alternate forms of gameplay like Grief deserve to be seen again.
While there were several scrapped game modes for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies that never saw the light of day, and Turned quickly became an afterthought after it dropped, Grief instantly caught fans’ eye. PvPvE will never appeal to everyone, something shown clearly by Destiny 2’s Gambit mode, but it does work well for some fans - especially when the concept is interesting. Fortunately, Grief was one of those cases, as inserting a competitive element into a survival mode felt fresh. It may have been abandoned in later maps and games, but Grief is a concept that is begging to return in Call of Duty 2024.
How Grief Can Be Improved in Call of Duty 2024
For Call of Duty Zombies fans that are unfamiliar with Grief, the mode is relatively simple. Two teams of four fight to be the last survivors of the match, with perk options limited so that games do not go on for too long and the playing field is even. A special piece of equipment was featured in Black Ops 2’s version of Grief called Zombie Flesh, and it essentially served as a lure for the undead. When thrown at an enemy, all the Zombies in the area would target them, adding a game changing tool for players to use.
Grief was so fun because of the strategies players would come up with, like throwing meat on downed players so that they could not be revived. Other tricks saw players trapping each other in corners, sacrificing themselves if they had a teammate alive who they could trust to finish the round and earn them the win. Unfortunately, while a good concept, Grief lacked proper support. It never received significant gameplay additions beyond Zombie Flesh, and a lack of Call of Duty Zombies maps featuring Grief support meant that players eventually grew tired of TranZit’s Farm and Town, Mob of the Dead’s Prison Block, and Buried’s Borough.
With Call of Duty 2024, Treyarch could please many old school CoD Zombies fans by reviving Grief. If it were to do so, though, it should give the mode some proper attention to add depth and mechanics. Alongside more maps - sectioning off areas from Outbreak zones could work wonders - Grief should feature more ways to mess with enemy players than just Zombie Flesh. Perhaps gamers could purchase buffs for their allies or debuffs for the enemy team, making their allies more durable and their foes’ weapons weaker. Another neat mechanic could see players paying to close barriers, trapping their enemies in rooms if they do not have enough money or blocking themselves inside so Zombie Flesh is ineffective. Eliminated players could even come back as Zombies through Turned-like mechanics, giving them something to do instead of spectating.
Treyarch could also take into account the way that players used to team up, ignoring the PvP aspect of the mode and working together as a group of eight to instead reach high rounds. While leaderboards are one way to honor this tactic, it could inspire a mechanic where players are forced to work together to briefly take on certain mini bosses. In these instances, the team that deals more damage to the mini boss could be rewarded while the other team suffers some kind of punishment.
Alongside the fun gameplay that a deeper version of Grief with better map variety would provide, Treyarch could easily tie the mode into the lore. The original Grief saw Maxis’ followers battling Richtofen’s, justifying the conflict between two human factions in a world overrun by the undead. In Call of Duty 2024, Treyarch could simply pit Requiem against Omega, as the two organizations are already competing with one another. With leaks suggesting that Zombies is finally getting the Factions feature promised way back in Black Ops 4, Grief could be home to community events and special challenges. Hopefully, the mode gets the second chance it deserves, as it has the potential to be a core gameplay experience instead of just a forgettable side mode or LTM.