The success ofCall of Duty: Warzoneis impossible to deny, something that has been made clear by the numerous player milestones that the game has reached. The free-to-play approach proved to be an excellent decision on Activision’s part, and Raven Software has added new content toCall of Duty: Warzoneregularly via a seasonal approach.
However, whileCall of Duty: Warzonemay be a huge success, many remain nostalgic for Blackout. A far more vibrant battle royale experience that strived to connect itself to theBlack Opsuniverse instead of theCall of Dutybrand as a whole, the mode had a lot of personality. With classic maps like Nuketown and Firing Range serving as landing spots, and Zombies roaming around Verruckt andBuried, there was plenty to love about Blackout. Character missions were another unique feature, and they could be worth bringing back inCall of Duty: Warzone 2.
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Blackout’s Character Missions Would Add Depth To Call of Duty: Warzone 2
In Blackout, Character Missions saw players completing tasks to unlock specific characters. For example, gamers would need tofind Reznov’s ushanka hatnear one of the fountains on the map to be able to complete his task. Once collected, they needed to get a Sniper kill from 200 meters or more and then get far into the match. If they died with the hat in their inventory and met all the other requirements, they would be able to play as Reznov.
These Character Missions were all personalized and tasked players with completing a number of different challenges in their games. While Reznov’s hat being near fountain was a callback toWorld at War’s Vendetta, the placement of Woods’ bandana and helicopter-stealing objective served as nods to the mission Paybackfrom the originalBlack Ops. These tasks not only provided genuinely exciting rewards upon completion, but forced gamers out of their comfort zone to complete them.
ComeCall of Duty: Warzone 2, it would be great to see Operators unlocked via these character quests instead of random challenges. Not only was the Blackout unlock process more fun since players had to replicate actions that iconic characters have taken, but the challenges themselves were far more thought out than getting a certain number of kills with a weapon. When someone used a skin like Shaw fromthe Chaos Story, other players in the lobby instantly knew that the Shaw user had completed a tough challenge to unlock them. The skins served as a badge of honor because of their difficulty, with players needing to earn the right to play as their favorite character.
While Activision would obviously not want this system to get in the way ofCall of Duty: Warzone’s bundles, as microtransactions have become crucial to the franchise’s overall income, the Character Missions could be limited to default looks only. This way, players could still purchase alternate looks for their characters in the marketplace, but if they want their most iconic attire, they would need to finish their Character Mission by picking up an item and carrying out some objectives.
WithCall of Duty: Warzone’s Rebirth Islandbeing a reskinned version of the Alcatraz map from Blackout, Activision and Raven Software clearly did not forget about Blackout’s success. As such, it is not out of the realm of possibility that even more could be taken from the experimental mode. Character Missions leaned into the legacy of variousCall of Dutycharacters by highlighting their personalities through the objectives. Further, they provided gamers with some legitimately challenging tasks to attempt when they wanted a break from trying to win another battle royale match. With the reward being far more meaningful than just another Calling Card or Emblem, Character Missions would be an excellent way to give players something else to strive for inCall of Duty: Warzone 2.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
