COD: Next 2024 dropped in with new details about what to expect from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, zombies, multiplayer, Warzone, and much, much more.
The day-long celebration of Call of Duty’s future didn’t disappoint, as the four-hour showcase featured interviews with developers and gameplay reveals while attendees got to go hands-on with upcoming releases. This year’s Black Ops installment had already promised a slew of changes to Activision’s first-person shooter formula, but we’ve now gotten a better look at things like the Area 99 Warzone map, omnimovement, the Liberty Falls zombies maps, and other fresh gameplay tweaks.
While we wait for the Black Ops 6 multiplayer beta to kick off this weekend, we gathered all of the major reveals from COD: Next for you to check out here. You can see everything the Call of Duty team had to show below, but don’t forget to keep checking in with IGN for any updates ahead of launch this fall.
Verdansk is (finally) returning to Warzone
Run it back. Verdansk will return to Call of Duty #Warzone in 2025 #CODNext pic.twitter.com/Y70gnYl2If
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 28, 2024
That’s right – Verdansk, the first Warzone map and the location that gripped millions back in 2020, will make its triumphant return to Call of Duty players on PC and console in spring 2025. It’s been three years since iconic locations like Stadium and Superstore left Activision’s battle royale mode, but we won’t have to wait much longer to visit them once again. It had to happen eventually, right?
Black Ops 6 launch and beta multiplayer maps confirmed
Black Ops 6 is bringing in eight new maps for players to enjoy during the upcoming beta: Derelict, Rewind, Scud, Skyline, Gala, Pit, Stakeout (weekend 2), and Babylon (weekend 2). Protocol will also be available during this time as a training map but will also be playable at launch in October. We also have confirmation for the remaining maps, which include Lowtown, Payback, Red Card, Subsonic, Vault, Vorkuta, and Sand House.
Every Zombies map will feature a Main Quest for players to complete
Upgrading Wonder Weapons to mow down endless waves of zombies is fun, but the developers at Treyarch are upping the ante with new Main Quests to keep players moving through each twisted map. Every map included in Black Ops 6 will feature a different multi-stage Main Quest to complete, and in a blog post, the team says they are “as involved and difficult as they are entertaining.”
“For veteran Zombies players, and those newer players dedicated enough to drop in and scour the maps to solve clues and secrets,” the post adds, “expect to be recompensed with unique and limited-time rewards. We can’t wait to witness the launch weekend hunts to completion!”
New Black Ops 6 multiplayer mode Kill Order revealed
Every new Call of Duty game tends to introduce new modes to enjoy, and Black Ops 6 is no different. One of the multiplayer offerings set to arrive this fall is called Kill Order, a 6v6 battle where each team is tasked with keeping a high-value target (HVT) alive. With respawns enabled, every kill grants points, but taking out the HVT will get your team that much closer to victory. Activision also revealed a variation of the mode called Face Off Kill Order, which maintains the rules but turns off Scorestreaks and keeps the fight to closer-quarters Strike maps.
Black Ops 6 zombies’ Liberty Falls revealed as second launch map
New zombies means new maps, and it all starts with a small West Virginia town called Liberty Falls. Activision describes its new location as a “once-idyllic, now horrific” medium-sized map that has become taken over by an undead threat.
An official blog post describes Liberty Falls further: “By the time you arrive – assumed to be part of the Project Janus forces under the watchful eye of Security Chief John Blanchard – the town is overrun, and the battle seems well and truly lost.”
Sprays and emotes are back
Sprays and Emotes return to Call of Duty: Warzone in Season 1 of Black Ops 6.#CODNext | #BlackOps6 pic.twitter.com/J1Z5NTumrN
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 28, 2024
Black Ops 6 will see the return of in-game sprays and emotes that can be used to taunt other players mid-match or, if you’re creative, toy with your enemies. Details about how many sprays and emotes will be available is a mystery, but it looks like players can at least expect classic taunts like clapping, giving a thumbs down, and more to make appearances.
Area 99 revealed as the next Warzone map
While Verdansk promises a blast from Call of Duty’s past, Area 99 will take Warzone into the future in Season 1. This Resurgence map has been called “the birthplace of Nuketown” and features a worn-down aesthetic polluted with mannequins and other retro-themed buildings. Each point of interest takes players to a new area that should feel familiar to those who have visited Nuketown for themselves, and you can expect to explore it for yourself sometime soon after Black Ops 6 launches in October.
Prestige progression returns to multiplayer, zombies, and Warzone
TRADITIONAL PRESTIGE ARRIVES IN CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE
Players who reach level 55 in Warzone will be presented with a choice to enter Prestige to unlock new rewards. Account progression will be updated as part of Season 1. #CODNext | #BlackOps6
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 28, 2024
Old-school Call of Duty fans will remember the Prestige system, which allows players to continue earning rewards even after they reach each season’s level cap. There will be 10 levels of Prestige to reach, with each said to be inspired by past Call of Duty: Black Ops titles. Activision calls the new and improved mechanic “the most rewarding Prestige system ever” in Black Ops history, promising a lot of content to unlock in an official blog post. Expect Prestige to launch with multiplayer and zombies and with Warzone in Season 1.
New Black Ops, new gameplay
While excitement for things like omnimovement grows, the developers behind Call of Duty took the time at COD: Next to detail some of the other changes coming to the formula this fall. Time to kill (TTK) will be a bit faster than players remember from Black Ops Cold War, for example, and while enemy health bars are a thing of the past, you’ll be able to see your character’s health bar on your HUD if you’d like. Slide canceling and audio improvements were also promised, but you can also look forward to features like map voting and more.
Black Ops 6 Wonder Weapons reveal new and returning guns
Wonder Weapons are a zombies staple, so it should be no surprise to see that the Ray Gun is back and better looking than ever. The small, handy tools has been given a visual upgrade this time around, and it’ll still pack a punch on every map if you manage to acquire it. The Thrustodyne Model 23, meanwhile, is Black Ops 6’s new weapon. You’ll be able to find and use it to suck up zombies exclusively on Liberty Falls.
Warzone will feature Carry Forward Content from past Call of Duty games
COD: Next brought the confirmation that, as Warzone evolves, it will continue to support weapons, blueprints, Operators, Skins, and “the vast majority of the cosmetics” from games like Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3. With this comes the promise of full integration with everything yet to come with Black Ops 6. In other words, Warzone is only getting bigger and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Ranked multiplayer arrives just weeks after launch
Like other recent entries in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 6 will be receiving a Ranked mode for those looking for their competitive fix. While Ranked has sometimes taken a while to launch in the past, Activision promises that the mode will release with Season 1, just weeks after launch this October.
Someone already launched a nuke in Black Ops 6
Drop Nukes in #BlackOps6 ☢
Congrats @JustHazzardous! Who’s next? pic.twitter.com/HV4k42Hsvj
— Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) August 28, 2024
Black Ops 6 doesn’t come out until October 25, and its closed beta won’t launch for another few days. That didn’t stop streamer JustHazzardous from securing and activating an in-game nuke at COD: Next. The requirements for a nuke in this year’s Call of Duty installment haven’t even been revealed yet, so while this doesn’t necessarily qualify as a COD: Next reveal, it’s still undeniably impressive and a good look at what’s to come.
Black Ops 6 beta rewards reveal new goodies for early players
Those who participate in the Black Ops 6 beta tests will have the opportunity to earn cosmetic rewards that they can carry into launch. Highlights include Squish and Squash Operator skin unlocks at level 20, as well as a Quick Draw emote that can be acquired at level 15. Getting to at least level 2 nets players an animated beta tester emblem.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
