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After facing intense scrutiny for quirky crossovers in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Treyarch committed to keeping its operator bundles more lore-accurate for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Then they added Dave Chappelle as part of a Half Baked crossover in April. Now with Season 4 Reloaded, we're getting a crossover with Nick Cage.
Call of Duty: Season 4 Reloaded kicks off on June 25 at 9AM PT/12PM ET, and here is everything you can expect for multiplayer, Zombies, Endgame, and Warzone.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 S4R Endgame
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Endgame mode was originally locked behind campaign progression, but Treyarch ultimately decided to move the underappreciated mode to Call of Duty: Warzone and make it temporarily free-to-play. However, at the time, no end date for the free-to-play era was announced. It is now confirmed that Endgame will remain F2P until the end of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 5.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is expected to launch on October 23, with campaign early access going live on October 16. While it has not been confirmed that Black Ops 7's post-launch support will end at Season 5 instead of the standard 6 seasons we've seen with previous launches, the early launch date for MW4 does make that possibility more likely.
For Season 4 Reloaded, Endgame fans can expect Operation King Killer to be the next chapter of the story, which will push players to locate the Central Command Node and eventually face off against the Glitch Boss. Ten escalating challenges in Zone III and higher will challenge players as they unlock new rewards and weapon camos.
Endgame players can work their way through the new Guardian skill track with the Payback perk that ricochets enemy damage and increased ammo spawns on enemy eliminations. The Guardian skill track is for the tanky team player, allowing for friendly revives just by being in proximity to downed teammates, reduced flinch, and reduced damage for equipped armor plates.
The newest minor ability for Season 4 Reloaded is the psych grenade with a brain rot affect common in other Black Ops 7 modes. A new Exotic Skill, Fission, will result in players triggering an explosion that deals damage to nearby enemies when killing elite foes. The latest nightmare skill to make its way to Endgame is Sleeper Agent, which provides a chance for base enemies to become allies that rush nearby hostiles and detonate on impact.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 S4R Multiplayer
Season 4 Reloaded will bring two new maps to the multiplayer roster, one brand-new and one remastered.
New map: Zenith (6v6, 2v2, Medium-sized)
Zenith is a brand-new map coming to Black Ops 7's multiplayer during Season 4 Reloaded, bringing back to the Jungle vibes we've seen in previous Black Ops titles, but this time featuring a massive compound with state-of-the-art tech and security. The three-lane map features flanking paths on either side and a running waterway that leads into the compound's lower bunker.
Remastered map: Launch (6v6, Medium-sized)
This classic map from the original Call of Duty: Black Ops has officially been remastered for Black Ops 7, featuring a Russian rocket facility where the launch initiation protocol begins at the halfway point of each match. Launch has a soft spot in many COD players' hearts for its design, which caters to a variety of play styles thanks to the complex layout that lends itself to long sniper sightlines from elevated positions and tight corridors with plenty of potential flanking paths.
Returning mode: Team Blueprint Sharpshooter
Blueprint Sharpshooter challenges players to eliminate enemies with a rotating cycle of loadouts. The higher your kill streak, the more power ups you unlock to help you keep going. Operator bonuses are as follows:
- 1-Streak: Faster movement speed.
- 2 -Streak: Faster reload speed.
- 3-Streak: Faster sprint recovery.
- 4-Streak: Faster aim down sights speed.
- 5-Streak: Double score.
Returning mode: Knife Fight
This melee-only mode is a close-quarters variant of Gunfight for the 2v2 crowd who are looking to make some progress on weapons like the H311-SAW and MK.II. No scorestreaks or field upgrades, though players can receive ranged equipment a few seconds after the round starts. The first duo squad to win six rounds wins the match.
New updates: Black Ops Classic
Treyarch has been priming fans of Black Ops for the Black Ops 1 and 2 ports coming to PlayStation later this summer with the Black Ops classic playlist that will now become a permanent fixture in the playlist rotation. This mode features the roster of classic Black Ops maps and weapons with limited mobility, perks, and scorestreak options for that throwback vibe.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 S4R Zombies
Welcome to Kowakujō, the newest round-based map for Black Ops 7 Zombies coming in Season 4 Reloaded. Treyarch has been teasing Kowakujō for a couple of weeks, as well as the supernatural Oni enemy, scorched Zombies, and a fiery new take on Hellhounds.
The story will have players battling the undead on the slopes of a volcano with a dragon flying overhead as they attempt to free the final Shadowsmith and recover the World Seed — failure means catastrophe for the material world. That's easier said than done, however, when the foreboding Oni is ready to attack with its electrified melee weapon. A new wonder weapon could help make things easier, but Treyarch is keeping the details of the new tool close to its chest until Season 4 Reloaded goes live.
The Main Quest for Kowakujō goes live on June 25 at 9AM PT/12PM ET.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 S4R Warzone
Season 4 Reloaded will bring some new changes to Call of Duty: Warzone, though not as significant as we've seen in some other updates. Players who have been enjoying the snow-covered Rebirth Island will have to say goodbye to the frost caps as the island returns to a more seasonally appropriate color palette. However, the Season 2 changes to points of interest will remain intact.
New modes are coming to the playlist rotation for Warzone, including Squad Gun Game on Resurgence maps and Buy Back Quads for Battle Royale Maps. Those of us pining for duos or trios playlists on Black Ops Royale are still out of luck, unfortunately. But hey, the Champions Quest is back for those teams who want to challenge themselves to consecutive victories that meet specific criteria.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 S4R Events
It's not a new season without some new events, and the first one planned for Season 4 Reloaded gives us Nick Cage — for, reasons? Treyarch is touting the addition of Nick Cage to Call of Duty as part of its "action-packed summer" themed event, offering a free and premium track to unlock a variety of rewards by earning XP during a limited time. The free track includes:
- “Opportunist” Samuels Operator Skin
- “Wide Eyed” Spray
- 1-Hour Double Weapon XP Token
- “On Set” Loading Screen
- Battle Pass Tier Skip “Art of Respect” Animated Emblem
- “Hired Muscle” Grimm Operator Skin
- “Personal Tyrant” Weapon Charm
- New “Executioner’s Duet” Melee Weapon
- New “AN-94” Assault Rifle
While the premium reward track will cost players some out-of-pocket cash and include the following:
- New “Nick Cage” Operator
- “Elegant Transformation” Animated Calling Card
- “Shedding Limits” Peacekeeper MK1 Assault Rifle Weapon Blueprint
- “Get In Position!” Emote
- “Snake Handler” Jäger 45 Pistol Weapon Blueprint
- “Calmly Ended” Finishing Move
- “Burn Into Memory” HUD Theme
- “Studded Pelt” Dravec 45 SMG Weapon Blueprint
- “Fiery Streak” Gunscreen
- “Unlimited” Nick Cage Operator Skin
The "Summer of Action" event will feature a new Daily Login event that includes the following rewards:
- 1-Hour Double Player XP Token, Tier Skip
- “Loaded and Locked” Emblem, Tier Skip
- 1-Hour Double Weapon XP Token, Tier Skip
- “Air Time” Sticker, Tier Skip
- 1-Hour Double XP Token, Tier Skip
- “Against the Odds” Calling Card, Tier Skip
- “Catharsis” X9 Maverick Assault Rifle Weapon Blueprint, Tier Skip
Zombies players can also look forward to their own Kowakujō Event with rewards including weapon camos and GobbleGums.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 S4R Free Trial
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been a contentious entry to the franchise, with the game's psychologically-thriller style campaign deterring players who were expecting a more traditional single-player experience. However, the multiplayer has been applauded as one of the best in the franchise's modern history, mainly due to Treyarch's willingness to listen to player feedback on features like out-of-place operator skins and Skill-Based Match Making.
If you haven't yet tried out Black Ops 7's multiplayer and Zombies mode, a free trial period is coming later during the Season 4 Reloaded window to give players a chance to check out what they've been missing.
Treyarch has excelled at listening to player feedback, but still drops the ball on operator bundles
Call of Duty's development teams have taken quite a hit in the 'goodwill' department from fans of the franchise since the explosion of weed-themed and cel-shaded operator bundles hit the in-game store in full force during Modern Warfare 3 (2023)'s post-launch seasons. The ridiculous operator bundles and cross-overs became even more egregious with Black Ops 6, when we were stuck with the likes of cel-shaded Beavis and Butthead and American Dad operators running around.
A lot of players have hot takes about other operator bundles like Nicki Minaj or the more colorfully adorned operators, and I can almost see their point. What I, personally, find more frustrating is the out-of-universe nature of some of the crossovers. I don't expect Call of Duty to be a milsim, and I am not ashamed to say that I am first in line to scoop up a unicorn bundle or a female operator with some witchy vibes. I'm still gleefully jaunting around Black Ops Royale in the witchy raven operator bundle I purchased a few years ago, actually.
Treyarch has had a spectacular year in multiplayer, where they've really made an effort to give players the Black Ops experience they've been begging for, and it has been — hands down — one of the best Black Ops multiplayers in recent memory. And yet, they just refuse to turn loose of these senseless crossovers with celebrities. It's a commitment to going against the audience that I just don't understand. Give me rainbow tracers any day of the week. It's Dave Chapelle, Nick Cage, and other out-of-universe celebrities that have me feeling like the ball is being dropped.
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