Highlights
- The recent changes in Call of Duty Zombies have received mixed reactions from fans, with some not enjoying the objective approach and open-world shift. However, even parts of the modern round-based releases can be criticized.
- The introduction of loadouts in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has made the game too easy, with players never needing to worry about ammo conservation or challenging gameplay.
- The use of loadout weapons has stripped away the personality of Zombies, and players no longer need to make tough decisions about early match progression. Bringing back starting pistols could help a lot with this, with players not being able to access their loadout guns until they turn on power being a possible compromise between new and old styles.
As time has gone on, Call of Duty Zombies has become less predictable. In the mode’s earliest iterations, players were given access to simple round-based survival maps where the goal was to hit the Mystery Box for a strong weapon, pick a location, and hold out for as long as possible. While Black Ops 2, 3, and 4 upped the complexity significantly through their many buildables and Easter eggs, Zombies’ identity was very much still present. Recently, though, there have been bigger changes. Not all have been well-received, such as Vanguard Zombies’ objective approach and the love-it-or-hate-it Outbreak. However, even the newer round-based maps have made some divisive changes.
As fans wait to see how Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies’ open-world approach will work out, many may go back to older iterations of the mode to kill some time. In doing so, they will surely notice big changes, like Operators being used in place of original characters or the different ways that each game approaches health, which range from the Zombie Shield and Armor to different player health pools. One small, but significant, change that may take a second to notice is how players do not start with a pistol in the newer modes - something Treyarch should consider changing back in Call of Duty 2024.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies Could Do The Dark Aether Story More Harm Than Good
Because of when Call of Duty: Modern 3 Zombies takes place, the mode runs the risk of damaging Treyarch’s story instead of strengthening it.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Loadouts Have Some Pros, But Bigger Cons
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War marked Zombies' transition from the old system where players started with nothing beyond some grenades and a pistol, to the new format where they can set their loadouts before deploying into the map. The goal beyond the loadout system was player freedom, and to some extent, it delivers on that. Players being able to guarantee that they spawn in with their favorite weapon each match can prevent time wasted sitting at a Mystery Box, and it can help players greatly with the camo grind, as they will not have to wait to acquire the weapon they are striving to max out.
However, the loadout exemplifies one of modern Call of Duty Zombies’ biggest problems: it’s far too easy. While Treyarch’s reason for easier Call of Duty Zombies main quests is understandable, making the core gameplay of the mode so simple is less justifiable. With players never needing to worry about ammo conservation since they can just buy more, having several get out of jail free cards like constant grenade drops and scorestreaks, and an overly generous armor system, there is little difficulty in Black Ops Cold War, Vanguard, and possibly Modern Warfare 3 Zombies. Loadouts are an extension of this problem, as though players can equip any weapon, there is no reason not to use the most powerful guns like the Gallo, Hauer, and M16.
Beyond loadout weapons making things too easy, as players can just increase the rarity of a gun with laughably strong attachments to use it in the late game, they strip personality from Zombies. Back on maps like Shadows of Evil and Origins, unique starting pistols like the Mauser and Bloodhound were something to look forward to, and the original M1911 was iconic. Starting with a pistol and using it to maximize points was a key part of map progression, and it saw players needing to make tough decisions about what they buy first - a better gun or some doors. Now, they have such a strong starting weapon that this tough choice is absent, and players skip a major part of the classic match progression because of that. Everyone starting with nothing but a pistol and working up to something better was part of the fun, but now a lot of the early game strategy is gone.
The simplest solution to this problem is to scrap loadouts entirely and go back to giving everyone a 1911 to start - though that seems unlikely. Instead, returning to a sort of in-between system like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 had could work. In the highly underrated Black Ops 4 Zombies, players could only pick from a selection of secondary weapons to spawn in with. While there was a strong shotgun and a solid SMG here, players were essentially limited to starting rifles and pistols, allowing for a much more natural progression like the earliest Zombies modes had. They could still select a Specialist weapon like they do with Black Ops Cold War’s Field Upgrades, but the smaller gun selection felt more fitting of an early match experience.
Perhaps an even better compromise would be to keep loadouts as they are now, but players do not get access to them until the power has been activated. This way, players have to use a pistol in the early game like they would do in the early CoD Zombies modes, bringing back that progression and making the early rounds require a bit more thinking. Once they get the map opened, they can then make use of their choice of weapon. Considering how players needing to earn their loadouts proved popular in Warzone, it would likely be well received in Zombies, too. While more needs to be done to bring back the personality of this beloved Call of Duty mode, restoring the starting pistol style would be a nice start.