Checkpoint | What are you playing first in Call of Duty Black Ops 7?

Welcome to Checkpoint! A new, weekly series that asks you to share what your excited about across the Xbox Ecosystem, from the latest games to specific modes and features that you’re going to play. For our first ever article, we’re focusing on the big one – the blockbuster release of Call of Duty Black Ops 7. Enjoy the read and take part in our poll!

Another year, another Call of Duty release! This year though, is a big one, with the team at Treyarch promising the ‘biggest’ Call of Duty ever. Indeed, that seems to be pretty accurate, as the the game features a fully featured multiplayer component, a massive Zombies mode and for the first time, a four-player, co-operative campaign which even includes an ‘end-game’ – which sounds more and more like some sort of extraction shooter?

Which ever way you look at it, Call of Duty Black Ops 7 has something for every sort of player, across a single player or cooperative campaign, a full multiplayer suite and of course, the much beloved Zombies mode. So what are you going to play first?

Call of Duty Black Ops 7: Campaign & End Game

Beyond sharing a nice recap of the story so far (this is a direct continuation from the very beloved Black Ops II) the Call of Duty blog teased some of this content yesterday, noting that “After completing the first 11 Co-op Campaign missions, players will unlock Endgame, tasking JSOC with exploring the vast landscapes of Avalon, dismantling The Guild’s remaining Command Centers while battling exposure zones leaking a mysterious toxin into the city.“

Call of Duty Black Ops 7: Zombies

Zombies is back, and it’s bigger than ever! Per Activision, the entirety of the Call of Duty Black Ops 7 ‘Zombies’ experience is a supposedly ‘wild ride’ across something known as the ‘Dark Aether‘. The experience will ship with what the team call a ‘full complement’ of maps, with plenty planned for post-launch seasons. Per the Call of Duty blog, “Expect more Round-Based Maps, the second of which will drop during Season 1, as well as additional Survival Maps throughout the seasons.“

Per the Call of Duty blog, “The story picks up where we left off at the culmination of Black Ops 6’s Reckoning, players would be wise to question exactly where this new crew has been transported to. The entire Black Ops 7 story takes place within the “beating heart” of the Dark Aether — including future maps — as different timelines collide in the form of a combined, eight-person crew. Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, Richtofen, Maya, Weaver, Carver, and Grey are all “Dedicated Crew” characters, and although any Black Ops 7 Operator can be chosen in Zombies, you’ll experience additional conversations and the richest story if you and your teammates choose from the crew.“

Call of Duty Black Ops 7: Multiplayer

Arguably the bread and butter of your usual Call of Duty release, Call of Duty Black Ops 7 multiplayer mode certainly has some competition from the co-op flavours of both the campaign and Zombie modes this time around.

Still, with a ton of modes to play across 16 multiplayer maps (19 before the start of Season 1), 30 launch weapons, and the confirmation that Treyarch have reverted to open-matchmaking for this release, rather than relying on SBMM certainly makes the multiplayer stand out.

You can read more about all the multiplayer modes, maps and operators, head here.

Checkpoint! | What are you playing first in Call of Duty Black Ops 7?

Call of Duty Black Ops 7 releases on November 14th on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox One, Steam, Battle.net and PlayStation 4 & 5. And of course, it’s Day One on Xbox Game Pass for Ultimate and Game Pass PC subscribers.

What are you playing first in Call of Duty Black Ops 7? If you’ve taken part in our poll, let us know in the XboxEra Forums or make some noise in the lively XboxEra Community Discord Server. If you’re looking to be a bigger part of an amazing community, then either choice is a good one!

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