To loadout or not to loadout? Thanks to the lack of new Black Ops 6 information, that question is doing the rounds again. Like most current-day Zombies disputes, the starting weapon debate isn’t new. The community remains split on the idea that emerged when Treyarch first toyed with letting players change their starting weapon in Black Ops 4.
BO4 limited the pool of starting weapons to pistols and a few others (Saug 9mm SMG, MOG 12 shotgun, and Essex tactical rifle). Using specific talismans made it possible to spawn in with more powerful weapons, but let’s be honest: the talisman earn rates were abysmal, and you likely only used each talisman once or twice.
From Cold War onwards, players have had complete freedom when choosing their starting weapon, driving a larger wedge between the two schools of thought.
The BO6 reveal was exciting and gave us more info on Zombies than we’d usually get at this stage in a COD reveal, but everyone is hungry for more. COD Next is at the tail end of August, so unless we get any surprises, it’ll be a while still before we get new information from Treyarch
Starting with a barebones pistol, like the good old days, means players are locked in and focused from the beginning of a match. It encourages min-maxing points with melee and ups the tension in the early rounds. If you slip up and find yourselves surrounded by Zombies, your pistol might not save you.
In-game progression is vital to Zombies. Building up your character from rags to riches has been a core part of the mode since its inception. Be it weaponry, perks, pack-a-punch, special equipment, or consumables, players want to feel like they’re growing in power to combat the increasingly difficult hordes.
The main argument against having a loadout weapon is that it removes a massive part of the in-game progression. If a player can spawn in with an assault rifle or an LMG, why would they hit the mystery box or consider a wall weapon? The weapon rarity system attempts to combat this by assigning the red rarity to loadout weapons– but for some players, it’s not enough.
Purists do have the ability to choose a pistol as their loadout weapon, but that’s more of a workaround than a permanent solution. I also remember thinking I’d use pistols in Cold War, and by the end of the launch weekend, I had moved on to different starting weapons.
On the other hand, a lot has changed since Zombies was a mode in its infancy. There’s progression parity between Multiplayer, Warzone, and Zombies, allowing players to play any mode without restrictions. Zombies also has its own camo challenges, complete with unique mastery designs.
Many players look forward to the camo grind. And being unable to access a specific weapon until you get lucky at the mystery box (Black Ops 4 anyone?) is frustrating and elongates an already lengthy process.
New weapons are also constantly getting added to Call of Duty. Unlocking, using and levelling these weapons would also be problematic if Treyarch only added them to the mystery box. Having the option to spawn in with a new gun and try it out in Cold War was a first for Zombies, and it gave players another reason to jump on and play. That said, there’s no question that certain weapons trivialised the early rounds of Cold War Zombies.
There are other factors in the loadout debate, but I’ve covered the ones I’m most moved by. Both sides have valid points; ultimately, the solution is likely in the middle.
Black Ops 4 focused too much on pre-game setup with its loadout system and paid the price. The perk system, in particular prevented players from changing strategy on the fly, as the four perks were locked in place. This led to players picking the strongest four perks and sticking with them – ironic, considering Juggernog was removed in an attempt to remove “crutch” perks.
Loadout weapons could return with severely reduced and capped damage alongside minimum ammo. This change would allow players the freedom to use whichever weapon they like while still needing to build up from nothing in traditional Zombies fashion. You can take an AR in, but with only 60 bullets, you need to make every shot count.
Another option is to bring back difficulty modes from BO4. A hardcore difficulty selection with locked starting weapons would appease old-school players while letting casual players (or players grinding camos) use their loadouts in the standard difficulty mode.
It’s also worth remembering that the Zombies Team often lets story situations dictate gameplay. If our playable crew (it still feels fantastic typing that) is breaking out of Terminus Island, would they have access to LMGs from the off? I wouldn’t put it past Treyarch to enforce a starting pistol on that map.
Maybe I’ve stumbled on the answer to The Great Loadout Debate of July 2024, or maybe Treyarch has something completely different in mind. We’ll hopefully find out more about how BO6 Zombies will play soon, including the status of loadouts. Soon, soon, please, Treyarch. We’re starving out here!