Season 4 ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6is right around the corner, with Treyarch having already gone into detail about what kinds of fresh content players can expect to see on May 29 and beyond. As expected, all ofBlack Ops 6andWarzone’s major multiplayer modesare set to receive their fair share of new experiences, with Zombies receiving some particularly ambitious and attention-grabbing changes.
While Season 4 ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6is not set to introduce a new major Zombies map to the title, one key upcoming addition has still been the source of an explosion of excitement. Well over a decade since its debut for theCoDfranchise, Season 4 ofBlack Ops 6will see the re-introduction of Grief as a major Zombies game mode. Of course, the original portrayal of Grief inBlack Ops 2is looked at by many as iconic, yet the confirmed range of maps forBlack Ops 6’s take on the mode offers one clear advantage over the original.
Black Ops 6 Zombies' Grief Mode Has a Clear Focus on Variety
2012’sBlack Ops 2is widely considered as one of thebest entries to theCall of Dutyfranchise, especially in terms of how it evolved the series' popular Zombies mode. Aside from its wide range of well-received maps and fresh weapons,Black Ops 2leaned further into alternate game modes for Zombies, away from the usual PvE survival, with Grief standing out as one of the most memorable of these ambitious additions.
Grief involves two teams of four facing off against each other in small-scale survival maps, with players having a wide range of ways to hinder their opponents in their attempts to be the last team standing. The mode did well to breathe more life into pre-existing maps while opening up Zombies to more expansive multiplayer experiences, with many players having wanted to see thereturn of Grief inCall of Dutyever since.
WhileGrief was planned to appear in 2018’sBlack Ops 4, the mode was ultimately scrapped, leading to even more excitement aroundBlack Ops 6’s confirmation of the mode’s return through its upcoming Season 4. The core concept of Grief is enough to get fans excited, but it seems clear that the decade-plus wait for the mode’s return necessitates some innovation and improvement. Treyarch has partially achieved this through the introduction of Capture Zones that can bestow debuffs to opposing players, but the immediate variety of Grief maps inBO6is one big positive compared to the original.
Alongside Grief,Black Ops 6’s Season 4 will see the introduction of new LTMs, events, Gobblegums, support streaks, and ammo mods.
Black Ops 6’s Grief Map Pool is an Excellent Sign of Things to Come
Despite how enjoyableBlack Ops 2’s Grief was, the overall map pool of the mode was quite small, only featuring Town, Farm, Borough, and Cell Block. These maps were simply composed of small areas from themajor maps TranZit, Buried, and Mob of the Dead, withBlack Ops 2’s other major Zombies maps never contributing to Grief’s map pool. This is a relative weak point ofBO2’s Grief that Treyarch has already proudly moved away from with the latest form of Grief, which already boasts a much larger map pool.
At the mode’s launch, it is confirmed that Grief will feature a respectable 11 maps, taken from the likes ofLiberty Falls, Terminus, Citadelle des Morts, The Tomb, and Shattered Veil, already eclipsing the final map count ofBlack Ops 2’s Grief. These new maps are known as Grief Arenas, with it seeming likely that Treyarch will only add to this sizable map pool as new major maps are added toBlack Ops 6’s Zombies. The legacy ofBlack Ops 2’s Grief is echoed in the mode’s upcoming re-appearance inBlack Ops 6, yet the much larger variety of maps in the upcoming portrayal seems like a big advantage over the original.
