The Haunting
Credit: Activision
As I was watching the trailer for this year’s Call Of Duty Halloween event, The Haunting, a few thoughts occurred to me. First, seeing Predator and Jason and Chucky all make an appearance is just awesome. The trailer is really good and it really highlights these classic horror monsters in an exciting way.
Second, these are exactly the kind of crossovers we should be getting in Call Of Duty, and partly this is all in the timing. What I’d really like to see going forward is fewer zany crossovers and operator skins in general – no more Beavis and Butthead, no more ridiculous operators for most of the year – and then give us all the wild stuff during The Haunting. This is the end of the current game’s lifecycle. The new game (Black Ops 7 this year) is about to release. Give us all the wacky stuff now and keep the game’s “mil-sim” aesthetic intact up until then. I think most players would be happy with this kind of balance.
Here’s the trailer:
Lots of new content is headed to both Black Ops 6 and Warzone in Season 6 when it launches on October 9th at 9am PT / 12pm ET. Here’s the roadmap:
The Haunting
Credit: Activision
The new content headed to Call Of Duty during The Haunting includes new multiplayer maps and modes, night versions of Verdansk and Rebirth Island, and a new limited time mode (LTM) in Zombies. Here are the highlights:
Black Ops 6 Multiplayer
- Three New Maps: Two new core 6v6 maps, Gravity and Rig, plus the smaller Mothball Strike map.
- Boo-Town: Yet another Nuketown variant. The classic map will be decorated with Jack-o’-lanterns and skeletons and other Halloween decor. Also giant spiders.
- Slasher Deathmatch: In this mode, 8 players join a match and each round two of these are randomly transformed into Jason or Chucky. The goal of the survivors is to stay alive; the goal of the slashers is to kill everyone. The survivors have to run and hide. Complicating matters, every 30 seconds they’ll let out a scream, alerting slashers to their location. Both slashers have different powers, and survivors in either mode (Jason or Chucky, not both at once) will have different gear to help them survive.
- Season 06 Ranked Play: Ranked play returns to multiplayer for Season 6, marking the final season of ranked before Black Ops 7.
Ranked Rewards
Credit: Activision
Zombies
- New Haunted Havoc LTM: Battle Rampage-Induced zombies with pumpkin heads and access powerful items through dropped Jack-o’-Lanterns in the Haunted Havoc LTM arriving across all six maps. Be on your guard; you never know when an item will turn out to be a Mimic in disguise!
- New GobbleGum: Bring the joy of pumpkin-headed zombies and their creepy laughter to all Zombies modes with the new Jacked Lanterns Whimsical GobbleGum!
- New Leaderboard Events: Compete in two new Leaderboard Events, bringing new challenges and rewards for players willing to put in the work to make it to the top.
Call of Duty: Warzone
The Haunting
Credit: Activision
- The Haunting Map Variants: The Haunting has been around for a number of years now. This time, we’re getting night variants of both Verdansk and Rebirth Island.
- Zombie Royale: The last squad with a living (rather than undead) operator wins in Zombie Royale, where players aren’t eliminated when they’re killed, but rather join the host of shrieking, leaping zombies.
- Casual Z: Casual has been a huge hit in Warzone, and Casual Z uses the same formula – bots and humans – but throws zombies and armored zombies into the mix.
- Season 06 Ranked Play: The final season of Ranked before the release of Black Ops 7 gives players one more chance to rise to the top. I got to Diamond in Season 5. Crimson is a massive grind away.
Ranked Rewards
Credit: Activision
New Weapons, Events, Battle Pass
- Weapons Detail: Several new weapons are coming to Call Of Duty in Season 6. The Dresden 9mm SMG, Merrick 556 Assault Rifle, X52 Resonator Special Weapon, and the Chainsaw Melee Weapon. Two new attachments also join the mix: The GPR91 Double-Barrel Conversion and the GPMG-7 Muzzle Booster.
Dresden 9mm
Dresden 9mm
Credit: Activision
Merrick 556
Merrick 556
Credit: Activision
Chainsaw
Chainsaw
Credit: Activision
X52 Resonator
X52 Resonator
Credit: Activision
- New Events and Rewards: You can earn the Chainsaw and the GPMG-7 Muzzle Booster through some of the new events coming to Season 6. Other rewards include cosmetics and new Operators.
- Battle Pass and BlackCell: Feel the fright as The Haunting Battle Pass introduces an array of haunted Weapon Blueprints, Operator Skins, Calling Cards, Finishing Moves, Emotes, and more across a mix of free and premium tiers. Get BlackCell for additional rewards including the new Dread Operator.
Battle Pass
Credit: Activision
- Season 06 Operators: The Predator is the main attraction of the Season 6 Battle Pass, though the Dread Operator in the BlackCell looks pretty sweet. All of these operators look great, honestly. Lots of Weapon Blueprints and other cosmetics are available as well, though the new weapons can be unlocked without purchasing a Battle Pass.
BlackCell
Credit: Activision
- Season 06 Free Trial: The new season also kicks off a weeklong free trial. The new season and free trial begin right when the Black Ops 7 beta ends. I’ve been playing a ton of the beta and I’m very impressed with the new game so far.
The Haunting / Season 6 launches on Thursday, October 9th at 9am PT / 12pm ET. Black Ops 7 releases on November 14th. A new Resurgence map, Haven’s Hollow, comes to Warzone when Season 1 begins likely sometime in December.