CoD Black Ops 7 Zombies Mode Weapon Tier List | Top 10 Guns To Use Before Season 1

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• CoD BO7 Proving Grounds Event Guide: Fastest Score Method, Date & Rewards

  Recently, we welcomed the first event since the release of CoD: Black Ops 7, Proving Grounds Event. Proving Grounds is a standalone leaderboard system in the game where players can compete for better cosmetic rewards by continuously chasing points in matches.

  BO7 Proving Grounds Event started at 12:00 PM on November 25, 2025, and will continue until 11:59 AM on December 1, 2025.

  Here, we'll show you the fastest way to complete this event, climb to the top of the leaderboard, and win all the limited-time rewards. Let's take a look!

  

  Event Rules

  First, the rules of Proving Grounds are simple: earn scores.

  Earn scores in all multiplayer games and modes to earn leaderboard points, even eliminations count. So, anything you do in Black Ops 7 - eliminations, assists, or capturing objectives - will earn you points.

  However, please remember, this is not related to XP. In other words, even if you use double XP tokens in CoD Black Ops 7 bot lobbies to quickly earn tens of thousands of XP, or complete all daily challenges, these will not affect your actual score. This means you don't have to worry about those with hundreds of XP tokens using them to beat you.

  Climbing The Leaderboard

  Your leaderboard score determines your position on the top 30 players' leaderboard; the more points you have, the higher your ranking. Finally, after the event ends, you will receive rewards based on your final leaderboard ranking, including two camo rewards. Furthermore, completing Score Challenge will earn you additional rewards.

  Before you participate in or enter your first game, a countdown will appear, telling you how much time is left until the event ends.

  Then it will display the rewards for 1st, top 5, top 10, top 15, and top 30.

  • Top 1 - Proving Grounds: Champion Animated Calling Card
  • Top 5 - Proving Grounds: Top 5 Calling Card and Reverence Weapon Camo
  • Top 10 - Proving Grounds: Top 10 Calling Card
  • Top 15 - Loading Screen and Burial Grounds Weapon Camo
  • Top 30 - Proving Grounds Calling Card

  In addition, there's another set of rewards available, as mentioned before, based on Score Challenge. So even if you don't care about rankings, you can still earn rewards by playing the game and getting scores.

  • Earn 10,000 Score: One Hour Double XP Token
  • Earn 20,000 Score: Mad Peace Weapon Charm
  • Earn 40,000 Score: One Hour Double Weapon XP Token
  • Earn 80,000 Score: Drop ‘Em M15 Mod 0 Weapon Blueprint

  So, if you just want to finish the game without aiming for first place, simply aim for 80,000 points within a week.

  

  Gear Setup

  Next, before you start running, you'll need to ensure you have a suitable set of gear. You can refer to our gear setup, but it's up to you.

  For Wildcards, I recommend Perk Greed. It allows you to equip an extra perk, effectively giving you a fourth perk in your gear setup. This allows you to combine perks that wouldn't normally be usable simultaneously.

  As for your secondary weapon, bring an A.R.C. M1 Launcher, which can be used to destroy equipment, vehicles, or other airborne Scorestreaks flying across the map. Furthermore, they can also serve as an alternative to eliminating enemies on foot, offering great flexibility.

  For melee weapons, the choice is yours. However, you can prioritize weapons with higher base movement speed and utilize Lightweight Perk to maximize your ability to close the distance to enemies and increase your kill efficiency.

  For Field Upgrades, we recommend Squad Link. If you don't have it, use equipment like Scrambler, which can also help you gain some points and disrupt enemy equipment within its area of ​​effect. However, we still highly recommend Squad Link because it provides an additional bonus to all teammates within the circle, helping your squad coordinate better.

  For Tactical, we used EMP Grenade throughout the match. It's a handheld throwable grenade that fires an electromagnetic pulse, disabling all electronic devices within its blast radius for a short time. Therefore, it's a very useful tool in Proving Grounds.

  For Lethal, the best choice is Point Turret because it's automatic. You simply need to place it, and anyone who gets close will fire. Even if you only hit the target without killing them, you'll still get points.

  

  Perks

  Now let's talk about perks. Here are a few important ones:

  • Gearhead (Tier 2): Doubles the speed at which you gain Field Upgrades.
  • Scavenger (Tier 2): Allows players to see and pick up ammo pouches left by dead players.
  • Bankroll (Tier 3): This perk is crucial because it reduces your scorestreaks consumption, which is a core part of the game.
  • Looper (Tier 3): Gives you the ability to regain Scorestreaks in the same life. However, this extra skill is unlocked only if you previously selected Greed Wildcard perk.

  How To Score Quickly?

  Finally, we'll share a super-fast scoring method that ultimately led us to 24,000 points.

  The first thing we need to do is equip Scout Pulse, UAV Recon, and Counter-UAV. The key here is equipping Overclock ability, which reduces their cost. This way, you only need to kill one person to get Scout Pulse, then kill one and a half to get UAV Recon, and immediately get Counter-UAV.

  The brilliance of this strategy is that you don't need to kill to get them; you can simply utilize everything else in your inventory.

  For example, throwing a Pinpoint Grenade grants 5 to 10 XP per hit, and your grenades can also earn you assists or kills. Squad Link gives bonus points every time a teammate enters the linked area and performs an action against your team. There's also Launcher; if someone calls for scorestreaks against the enemy, you simply look up, destroy them, and you'll get Counter-UAV.

  Once you have Counter-UAV, every kill your teammates get earns you 5 points. You just need to stand there and protect yourself. As your teammates kill enemies, your score increases. So, this will definitely help you complete this event smoothly.

  Even if you die, if your UAV Recon and Counter-UAV are still active, they will accumulate enough points for you to get the next batch of UAV Recon and Counter-UAV. This snowballs the process, allowing you to continuously gain the target points.

  That concludes the details of this BO7 Proving Grounds event. Have you claimed all the rewards yet? With the event nearing its halfway point, it's time to speed things up and leave your mark at the top of the leaderboard!

• Black Ops 7 Season 01 Preview | New Endgame Content, Multiplayer Updates And More

  Amidst numerous predictions and speculations, CoD Black Ops 7 has finally released the official release date for Season 1, along with an overview of all content.

  Season 1 will launch on December 4th, 2025 at 9:00 AM Pacific Time on all platforms, including BO7 and Warzone. Please note that the exact time may vary depending on time zones.

  Below, we'll provide the ultimate guide to Season 1 based on the information already published!

  

  Season 1 Overview

  This season will effectively integrate Black Ops 7 and Warzone, introducing more endgame events and holiday activities, as well as a richer rotating map lineup.

  You can unlock rewards in the new battle pass or new DLC weapons by playing on these events or maps. Of course, if you want a more guaranteed way to earn them, it's best to buy CoD Black Ops 7 products to get various buffs.

  If you're planning to do this, now is the best time to get yours! Because IGGM will be launching a Black Friday and Thanksgiving lucky wheel draw on November 26, 2025 at 08:00 UTC, everyone who participates can win shopping discounts!

  

  More Endgame Content

  In fact, to compete with other games in the same genre, CoD BO7 opened its Avalon map-based endgame to all players for free on November 21st, but Season 01 will offer even more playable content!

  New World Events

  This season will bring four new world events in Avalon, but note that they will be released one at a time, not all at the same time.

  • Colossus of Avalon - Beginning of Season: A massive mechanical device will arrive in Avalon. You'll need to work with your teammates to destroy it and clear out any small robot enemies that may appear.
  • Toxic Tyrant - Beginning of Season: A neurotoxin crisis will erupt in Avalon. You'll need to find the source of the disaster and deal with any enemies you encounter.
  • Wraith Wing - Mid Season: A flying machine from villainous The Guild may appear in the sky; you must destroy it and uncover the conspiracy behind it.
  • Event 4 - Mid Season: Details not yet announced; stay tuned.

  New Exotic Skills

  These new skills can be obtained by completing Exotic Skill Cases unlocked through world events. As you unlock more skills, you can choose to replace equipped skills with new ones or upgrade older Exotic Skills to their maximum potential.

  Here are all Exotic Skills:

  • Mega Punch
  • Conjuration
  • Echo Shell
  • Celebration
  • Frost Cloud
  • Resurrection
  • Shattered Shield
  • Graviton Reaction

  As Season 1 progresses into the mid-season, the advanced Phantom Skill Track can be unlocked. This mechanic allows for more refined stealth and evasion, enabling silent attacks and withdrawals. Specifically:

  • Ambush: Deliver a fatal blow from behind.
  • Fast Melee: Increase your melee speed.
  • Trap Avoidance: Traps and mines will be harder to detect you.
  • Silent Movement: Reduces your movement noise and enemy detection range.
  • Elusive Target: Reduces enemy accuracy.
  • Decoy: Allows you to deploy an echo unit after taking significant damage to distract enemies.

  Other New Content

  Season 1 mid-term will coincide with Christmas, and the game will launch CODMAS event as a celebration. Additionally, endgame content will include daily and weekly challenges, giving you the chance to unlock more camouflage rewards.

  

  Key Multiplayer Updates

  At the start of Season 01, you'll be able to experience the new maps Fate, Utopia, and Odysseus, as well as the remastered Standoff, in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer.

  In the lead-up to CODMAS event, the game will continue to release the festive snow map Sleighjacked map variant. Later in the season, the maps Meltdown and Fringe, as well as Japanese-style Yakei, will be released.

  Similar to other content releases, the new gameplay modes in this mode will also be launched at the beginning and middle of the season, including:

  • Prop Hunt - Beginning of Season: Disguise yourself as a prop to avoid being detected by other players.
  • Sticks & Stones - Beginning of Season: Start with a starting weapon and earn more supplies and win by eliminating other players.
  • Sharpshooter - Beginning of Season: Everyone engages in free-for-all combat with the same weapon. Weapons change every 45 seconds.
  • One in the Chamber - Beginning of Season: Engage in free-for-all combat with crossbows, bulletproof knives, and combat axes. Earn points by knocking down opponents.
  • Gun Game - Beginning of Season: Team-based combat; weapon upgrades are available for each elimination.
  • CODMAS with Holiday-themed - Mid Season: Earn points and Holiday Cheers in 6v6 free-for-all combat.
  • Takeover - Mid Season: Two six-player teams compete for three neutral territories; one point is awarded for controlling each area.

  Zombie Mode Updates

  This mode will release a new turn-based map, Astra Malorum. In this mysterious observatory, you might encounter the robotic enemy O.S.C.A.R., but also have the chance to win LGM-1 Wonder Weapon - it all depends on your luck and skill.

  In addition, the map's turn-based gameplay is paired with a 30-player leaderboard competition; the better your score, the more new Camo and GobbleGum rewards you'll earn.

  Besides turn-based gameplay, Zombies mode will also offer the following new gameplay in Season 1:

  • Survival Map Exit 115
  • Ashes of the Damned
  • Cursed Mode in Astra Malorum
  • Directed Mode in Astra Malorum
  • Holiday Modes: List Keeper's Challenge (Astra Malorum)
  • Survival Map Zarya Cosmodrome (Mid-Season)

  Warzone Updates

  Following its integration with CoD Black Ops 7, various aspects of Warzone will be adjusted accordingly. In addition, the mode will continue to release new maps, Haven's Hollow, and new Verdansk POIs.

  

  New And Returning Items

  Notably, Season 1 adds new or returning items as rewards for multiple modes. These offer different combat buffs and are worth the effort.

  Multiplayer Modes:

  • New Scorestreak: Deadeye Drone
  • Returning Black Ops 6 Loadout

  Zombie Modes:

  • Returning Perk-a-Cola: Mule Kick
  • Returning Ammo Mod: Light Mend, Shatter Blast
  • Returning Field Upgrades: Tesla Storm, Frost Blast, Mister Peeks
  • New GobbleGums: Elemental Exposure, Slaylist

  That concludes our introduction. With only a week until the release of Black Ops 7 Season 01, hone your shooting skills and get ready to shine!

• CoD BO7 Best Sniper Loadouts & Game Settings | Perks, Attachments & Aiming Guide

  Sniper rifles, with their high damage, high rate of fire, and sustained high damage at long range, are a favorite among many players, and most importantly, they look incredibly cool.

  However, many players struggle to get kills with sniper rifles because they are somewhat clumsy compared to submachine guns and assault rifles. While they can kill with a single shot, the time it takes to aim and scope in makes it easy for opponents to seize the opportunity and eliminate you. So, let's look at how to make your sniper rifle feel as natural as your arm.

  

  Sniper Rifle Selection

  • VS Recon: Currently the only bolt-action sniper rifle in the game, it's the best weapon for rapid aiming, offering both excellent handling and a pleasing appearance.
  • Shadow SK: A high-damage sniper rifle, but it doesn't look good.
  • XR-3 Ion: A gun similar to P-06 from Black Ops 3, it's not only difficult to use but also looks unattractive.

  Season 1, starting December 4th, may add a new bolt-action sniper rifle, but VS Recon remains the best choice for now.

  Weapon Loadouts

  Weapon Prestige Attachments

  Weapon Prestige Attachments are a new system introduced in Black Ops 7, special attachments unlocked after a weapon is upgraded to Prestige.

  VS Recon's underbarrel attachment improves rechamber stabilization, aim speed, sprint-to-fire speed, and recoil control. This attachment significantly enhances the weapon's handling and is essential.

  Shadow SK's laser designator provides near-100% accuracy without aiming down sights, which is somewhat overpowered and may be nerfed. XR-3 Ion's muzzle attachment greatly improves hip-fire accuracy, but is relatively average.

  Core Attachments

  Strelok Laser is the most important attachment for sniping, allowing for high-precision hits before fully aiming and firing during rapid aiming. Due to the slow aiming-fire rate of CoD Black Ops 7, this attachment is essential for any sniper rifle. If you need to equip even more attachments, you can use Gunfighter Wild Card, which allows you to equip up to 8 attachments for your sniper rifle.

  

  Recommended Perks

  • Flak Jacket and Tactical Mask: Essential for dealing with explosives and Psychedelic Grenades in most situations.
  • Tracker: Displays the direction of the nearest enemy on the mini-map after a kill, aiding in consecutive kills.
  • Gung Ho: With this perk enabled, after firing, the weapon stays centered on the screen and ready, potentially improving accuracy in subsequent shots.

  Perks like Lightweight, Scavenger, Dexterity, or Bankroll can be used in the triple red perks configuration for a speed advantage, while Ninja and Ghost are also viable options.

  Weapon Blueprints

  Different weapon blueprints affect the feel of the weapon. For example, variants like VS Recon Green Thunder, Helm Piercer, and Ballistic Scyth3 have larger scope models, making them feel bulkier and less suitable for quick aiming than the default weapon.

  Aiming Techniques

  After you've chosen your weapon, practice is essential. You can practice with bots in CoD Black Ops 7 bot lobbies to familiarize yourself with the weapon's aiming speed and rate of fire.

  The first skill you need to master is center aiming, the core technique for quick aiming in modern Call of Duty. Since sniper rifles don't have aim assist, you should pre-position the enemy in the center of the screen and then aim down sights and fire, and it is more reliable than relying on dragging the aim button.

  If you know which locations on the map are likely to have enemies, you can pre-aim at those locations. When facing multiple enemies, prioritize eliminating the target most likely to pose a threat.

  Game Settings

  Graphics Settings

  • Display Mode: Full screen exclusive is recommended for optimal performance.
  • NVIDIA Reflex: Low Latency Mode should be enabled.
  • V-Sync: Menu V-Sync and Gameplay V-Sync should both be disabled.
  • DLSS: Set to Performance mode, with Sharpness around 65.
  • Texture Quality: Most detail and texture settings should be set to Low, but Terrain Quality should be set to very high to ensure a good basic visual experience.
  • Field of View: 105 FOV is recommended, which is a balance point for sniping and multiplayer games. 120 FOV will make enemies appear too small.
  • First-Person Camera Movement: Set to Least, which can significantly reduce screen shake and visual clutter.

  Interface Settings

  • Color Customization: Select Filter Two for Color Filter, and set World Color Intensity to 100 for more vibrant and prominent colors, making enemies easier to spot.
  • Gameplay HUD: Reduce the in-game HUD scale to minimize visual distractions.
  • Kill Feed: Turn off Medals and Notifications, and leave kill feed duration at the default setting.
  • Radar: Turn off radar and compass for a cleaner interface.
  • Crosshair: Set the crosshair to static or turn it off. Only keep the center point of the crosshair and set it to static, with a white or green color (just enough to be noticeable), and 100% opacity. This helps focus on center aiming.

  Controller Settings

  • Sensitivity: Horizontal Stick Sensitivity 3.0, Vertical Stick Sensitivity 2.60.
  • Dead Zone: Left Stick Min and Right Stick Min are key settings, and lower values result in more responsive gameplay.
  • Aim Response Curve Type: Dynamic is recommended.
  • Movement: Set Wall Jump Assist to Sideways Only for smoother wall bouncing, and set slide and dive behavior to Hybrid for easier control.

  Whether it's weapon attachments or game settings, everything should be based on what feels comfortable and natural to you; these are the basics. If you want to improve your skills, the most important thing is repetition and practice, but don't forget that enjoying the game is your ultimate goal.

• CoD Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies Giveaways

  To celebrate the official release of BO7 and to thank our loyal IGGM users, we're hosting a fantastic giveaway! This giveaway is genuine and valid, so grab your chance to win free rewards!

  

  The specific rewards for this giveaway are as follows:

  • 60x (Domination Bot Lobby + Nuketown Bot Lobby)

  Total Winners: 20

  We will randomly select 20 lucky winners in a few days to share all these rewards, meaning each winner will receive 3x (Domination Bot Lobby + Nuketown Bot Lobby).

  To Enter: Leave Reaction Emoji Love To Win

  If you notice this giveaway has ended, don't be disappointed. We will be offering various generous giveaways in the official IGGM Discord cod-giveaway group from time to time. Please pay attention and participate in the next event! Good luck!

  Event Link On Discord: https://discord.gg/iggm

  Products Links:

  • CoD Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies: https://www.iggm.com/cod-bo7/bot-lobbies
  • CoD Black Ops 7 Redeem Codes: https://www.iggm.com/cod-bo7/redeem-codes
  • CoD Black Ops 7 Accounts: https://www.iggm.com/cod-bo7/accounts
  • CoD Black Ops 7 Boosting: https://www.iggm.com/cod-bo7/boosting

• CoD BO7 Supported By AMD Adrenalin 25.11.1 Driver: Performance Boosts, Installation Steps And New Potential Issues

  It's been exactly 10 days since CoD: Black Ops 7 officially launched. What do you think? Frankly, BO7 delivers one of the best Call of Duty multiplayer experiences in recent years. It not only fully leverages the foundation of BO6, with excellent gunplay, responsiveness, and smoothness, but the addition of vehicles also diversifies movement and combat, bringing a satisfying blend of large-scale exploration and classic close-quarters combat.

  However, so many settings and system optimizations pose a significant challenge to game stability and player device requirements. While recent patches have improved game performance, with some players reporting that frame rates and responsiveness aren't severely impacting the experience, others still encounter issues such as desynchronization, latency, and crashes, especially among players with specific hardware configurations or those playing the solo campaign. These unstable performance issues are also the most criticized aspects of CoD BO7 since its release.

  Fortunately, AMD recently released the latest Adrenalin Edition 25.11.1 WHQL drivers, officially adding support for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Anno 117: Pax Romana, and ARC Raiders. This update may break the current embarrassing situation of frequent crashes and errors in BO7.

  

  Driver Optimization Details

  Adrenalin Edition 25.11.1 driver update includes game-specific optimizations, fixes issues such as crashes after enabling Easy Anti-Cheat, and ensures compatibility with super-sampling technologies like DLSS 4 and FSR, which are crucial for maintaining high frame rates in games. This driver prevents performance issues like stuttering and ensures stability during game launch and when using Radeon Overlay.

  The game engine is built with AMD instruction sets in mind, giving Radeon GPUs an advantage. This update also fixes an issue where CPU metrics might not display in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition application, ensuring performance monitoring tools function correctly.

  In addition, Adrenalin 25.11.1 and later driver versions include specific optimizations for BO7, ensuring optimal performance and compatibility.

  • This driver update enables AMD FSR Ray Regeneration in BO7 for compatible GPUs, which improves the visual quality of ray tracing by reducing noise.
  • Performance issues such as rendering thread latency and frame synchronization problems that older driver versions might have caused in Black Ops 7 have also been resolved.
  • A crash issue when using Radeon Overlay in games like CoD BO7 with Easy Anti-Cheat enabled has been fixed.

  How To Install This Driver?

  Therefore, if you want to improve operational stability, you can try installing this updated driver version. Next, we will show you how to update the graphics driver for Black Ops 7. The operation is very simple, so let's get straight to the point.

  Whether you play CoD: Black Ops 7 on Steam, Battle.net, Xbox Game Pass, or the PC version, the operation method is exactly the same.

  1. First, you need to ensure that Black Ops 7 is completely closed and not running in the background.
  2. Next, you need to open NVIDIA app. If you haven't installed NVIDIA app yet, please install it first.
  3. After installation, open the app and tap the left sidebar, then select the driver section.
  4. Then, you will see a Game Ready Drivers option. Above this small icon, you will see GeForce Game Ready Drivers labeled Installed, Needs to be installed, or Update Ready.
  5. Tap Download or Update in the upper right corner.
  6. After the download is complete, tap Install. The installation process may take a few minutes. This driver is specifically optimized for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and supports features such as DLSS 4, Multi Frame Generation, and NVIDIA Reflex.
  7. Please note: The screen may go black a few times during installation, but after installation, the best solution is to restart your computer and then launch Black Ops 7 again. Everything will be ready. It's that simple.

  However, it's important to note that even with specific optimizations in AMD Adrenalin 25.11.1, regular driver updates are still recommended to fix bugs, improve performance, and ensure compatibility with Black Ops 7's operating system.

  

  Potential Issues

  While this update fixes the bug causing crashes in Black Ops 7 because of a conflict with Easy Anti-Cheat on Radeon Overlay, as well as some performance and compatibility issues, is everything perfect after the update?

  The reality is not so optimistic. In fact, some users have reported a performance decrease after updating this driver, with more frequent stutters and driver crashes.

  However, neither AMD nor Call of Duty has provided any explanation for this issue. Therefore, we can only speculate that this situation varies depending on the player's hardware and system configuration, meaning that not all users will encounter the same problem or experience the same improvements.

  

  How To Deal With This Issue?

  Because the true cause of this situation is currently unknown, to avoid further impacting the gaming experience, it is recommended that you immediately check your updates and ensure you are using the latest driver version for the most stable performance.

  Additionally, if you're using an uncommon system configuration to play Black Ops 7, you might want to postpone your update or check if other users with similar hardware have already updated. This can help you avoid some of the risks and issues that have already surfaced.

  Finally, before updating, make sure to back up all important data in case of system failure.

  In summary, this Adrenalin Edition 25.11.1 driver update adds game support for COD Black Ops 7, improves stability by fixing Radeon Overlay and Easy Anti-Cheat issues, and restores CPU metrics in AMD Software.

  Unfortunately, while these improvements make the game more reliable and enhance BO7 player experience by fixing critical bugs, some vulnerabilities still need to be addressed. Therefore, focusing on fixing current issues is clearly more important at this time than releasing more new features.

• CoD Black Ops 7 Sales Drop Analysis | SBMM Issues, Failed Campaign, And Battlefield 6 Competition

  Call of Duty series is one of the most successful FPAS game franchises, boasting a massive global fanbase, with some players having enjoyed the series for over 20 years.

  However, the latest installment, Black Ops 7, has performed poorly in terms of sales. Its physical sales have plummeted by 61% compared to its predecessors, a truly staggering figure. Furthermore, unlike the hype surrounding Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare 3, and Modern Warfare 2, the publisher hasn't promoted the game's release figures as aggressively, further suggesting a significant commercial setback for CoD Black Ops 7.

  So what exactly caused this poor sales performance? Besides competitors, the game's quality and the developer's failure to deliver on promises have also played a role.

  

  Market Competition

  Battlefield, a competitor of Call of Duty, has been making high-profile announcements, claiming Battlefield 6 will be the number one FPS game and the best-selling shooter of 2025, and thanking players for bringing Battlefield back.

  Game industry analysts' data shows that Battlefield 6 is not only the best-selling shooter of 2025, but also the top-selling game across all genres in 2025. Black Ops 7 didn't even make the list.

  However, this sales chart is based on data up to November 1st, before Black Ops 7's official release. Therefore, this chart doesn't fully reflect the final performance throughout the year.

  Another statistic on this chart is more convincing: Battlefield 6's revenue in its first month of release was the highest of any game in the past three years. The last game to surpass it in first-month revenue was Modern Warfare 2.

  Black Ops 7 still has Black Friday and Christmas sales seasons to contend with, but Battlefield 6 has already established a significant lead, and CoD's competitors this year aren't limited to Battlefield. ARC Raiders, released at the end of October, has also attracted a considerable number of players with its exquisite graphics and excellent quality. Overall, its chances of a comeback are slim.

  Campaign Mode

  Black Ops 7's Campaign mode was widely considered utterly terrible by players, not only one of the worst in Call of Duty series but also among the worst in all shooters.

  Even though Campaign mode provided a significant amount of XP for rapid leveling, its extremely low ratings meant almost no players were willing to play it. Players preferred to take time in multiplayer, Zombies, or leveling up in CoD Black Ops 7 bot lobbies rather than playing Campaign mode.

  Furthermore, Endgame mode, originally intended to be unlocked only after completing the campaign, was made free for everyone less than a week after the game's release, further demonstrating the campaign mode's failure.

  To salvage the situation, the developers implemented a reward program. Players who played the campaign before November 21st could receive:

  • 3 hours of double XP
  • Double Weapon XP
  • Double Battle Pass XP
  • 3 Perkaholic Gobblegums

  Nuketown 2025

  The classic map Nuketown has returned, a classic map present in almost every Call of Duty game.

  However, Black Ops 7 is set in 2035. This raises a logical question: why would players in 2035 be fighting on a map styled after 10 years (2025)? The development team didn't update the map to fit the game's future theme.

  This actually confirms an early rumor that Black Ops 7 was originally planned to launch with remastered versions of all Black Ops 2 maps, similar to Modern Warfare 3. However, later plans changed, resulting in the retention of some legacy content, such as Nuketown 2025, that didn't align with the final design.

  

  SBMM Controversy

  Before the release of Black Ops 7, the developers announced a new matchmaking system to minimize the impact of SBMM. This new system prioritized network connection quality and quickly matched players of varying skill levels, providing a casual gaming experience.

  This new system performed well in the Beta, boasting extremely fast matchmaking, very low and stable ping, and accurate hit detection.

  However, after the official release, some players reported significantly longer matchmaking times, ranging from 30 seconds to 1 minute, unstable ping, and frequent high latency. Hit detection deteriorated, and packet bursts became more frequent. Most matches felt more challenging, with player skill levels seemingly being intentionally matched.

  Furthermore, even if a player performs exceptionally well in a match, they might be kicked from their current Persistent Lobbies and required to re-match, contradicting the initial No Disbanding Lobbies claim.

  Therefore, players believe the developers lied about Open Matchmaking feature. They believe the official matchmaking mode isn't Classic Matchmaking advertised, and that a strong SBMM (Skill-Based Matchmaking) is still operating behind the scenes.

  This ambiguity stems from the developers' use of the "minimum considerations for SBMM" claim in their advertising, which allows for interpretation. This minimum could be 5% or 49%, it's unclear, and players can't verify it.

  Games like Battlefield 6, which truly don't have SBMM, offer a significantly more casual and diverse experience than Black Ops 7. This might be due to a large influx of casual players to Battlefield 6, or perhaps Black Ops 7 still retains protected tiers for new players.

  Despite optimizations in multiplayer mode, players' feelings about CoD BO7 are similar to its predecessor. While its technology is top-notch in the industry, if it cannot satisfy players in terms of gameplay, then Call of Duty series may not be able to maintain its appeal to players.