It’s going to be Black Ops 6; let’s just come out and say it. It’s Treyarch, and that’s their bread and butter. Four years ago, we got our hands on Black Ops: Cold War. Now, the rumor mill has been winding its way through multiple sources over the past few months, which confirms it will likely be centered around the Gulf War.
What makes this launch even more interesting, especially to dedicated fans, is that this is the first Call of Duty ever to have a four-year development cycle. That’s right, ever. For the 21st entry into the mainline series, we’ll be getting, potentially, the most polished Call of Duty experience ever created.
Ahead of the launch and full reveal, tons of details have been leaked, including weapons, killstreaks, perks, equipment, and even release dates for multiple components.
Here’s the current-rumored roadmap of reveals and launches:
- Announcement – Mid May
- Worldwide Reveal – Late May
- Campaign Reveal – June 9th
- Multiplayer Reveal – Early August
- Zombies Reveal – Mid
- August Multiplayer Beta – Early September
- Campaign Early Access – Late September
- Zombies Early Access – Early October
- Launch – October 25th
Campaign having access over a month before multiplayer release would be crazy! Even crazier is seeing Zombies being released early as well. Let’s just hope it doesn’t cost the same as Star Wars Outlaws for early access!
To add fire to these rumors, this leak came out before the announcement of the Xbox event’s date. June 9th is a very specific guess that the leaker got right. This, and other things Vondyispog has leaked, is why I’ll be referencing him frequently throughout this article. Generally, he ends up being right.
What’s more, is I’ll be providing some insight behind some of these rumors. Guesswork, if you will, from the perspective of someone who’s played every game in the series since they first arrived. From MLG events, to sponsored online tournaments ran by Machina, I’ve seen quite a lot of Call of Duty. So let’s jump in!
Campaign – The numbers Mason?!
So far, story details are limited, but we have some leaked details containing spoilers from Black Ops: Cold War and a list of potential returning faces. For starters, here’s the list of characters returning from Black Ops: Cold War:
Afaik Naga, Wraith, Jackal, and Kitsune (Perseus members led by Stitch during BOCW-WZ’s arc) will all be retuning // making some sort of appearance in Black Ops Gulf War.As to what role they’ll play and/or to what extent their return is, I’m unsure. pic.twitter.com/S08JUlln5rApril 22, 2024
- Kapano “Naga” Vang
- Owethu “Jackal” Mabuza
- Kaori “Kitsune” Tanaka
- Freya “Wraith” Helvig
All four were members of Perseus, a group of individuals who identify themselves all under the same moniker for protection. This group is and was led by none other than Perseus themselves. After the first Perseus passed away from cancer, Vikhor “Stitch” Kuzmin took over his mantle. After the events of Black Ops: Cold War, Stitch was executed by Russel Adler, leaving the Persues mantle open to one of its returning members.
Perseus is an international ring of undercover spies with connections to criminal organizations and terrorists worldwide. Its goal is to disassemble the West’s power structure and make the Soviet Union the dominant superpower.
The game returns to an open-world single-player system that’s similar to the Modern Warfare 2 system. It’s also rumored that the campaign will feature the return of Adler, Woods, and Mason. How Mason’s return will be portrayed is interesting, considering he was missing for around 30 years under the current cannon. Let’s not forget that Black Ops 2 also covered various points in the 80s and 90s, the latter being the same period as the Gulf War. I imagine cameos would best suit these two characters.
We also have some information on new rumored roles, including characters named Ratcliffe, Marshal, Newman, and Felix. The first was leaked by Luke Stafford, the actor portraying said character. The others were leaked by various renowned Call of Duty X leakers.
Multiplayer
Here comes a long list of leaks, as well as some added commentary when it’s needed. I’ll be covering weapons, perks, equipment, killstreaks, and anything else pertaining to the multiplayer that I’ve uncovered thus far.
Weapons
As a long-time Call of Duty player, I was blown away by the sheer number of weapons rumored to be coming to the latest installment of the series. Even as a veteran, I found myself amazed by the variety and depth of the arsenal. It’s an extensive list that mirrors the last few years of entries. We’ve really been spoiled lately.
A good note to make, as mentioned by one of the main sourced leakers I’m using for this list, many of these names are subject to change.
| Name in game | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|
| M4-S | Colt Model 723 |
| Kastov | AK-74 |
| Krig C | CETME Model L |
| VAP 9 | AS Val |
| M16 | M16A2 |
| SA87 | L85A1 |
| FTac | AR-18 |
| R-2 | RM2 |
| SR-8 | SAR-80 |
| Name in game | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|
| Lienna 57 | SG 542 |
| C58 | CETME Model C |
| TAQ-F | FAL |
| Kastov 73 | AEK-973 |
| Name in game | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|
| Kastov-M | Gepard PDW |
| Raptor-9 | FAMAE SAF |
| Lachmann Sub | MP5 |
| VAP 2 | SR-2 Veresk |
| D-97L | IMBEL MD1 |
| VCAR | Grendel R31 |
| VAP 3 | SR3 VIKHR |
| FMG9 | PP-90 |
| AMR9 | Colt Model 635 |
| Name in game | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|
| M500 | Mossberg 500 |
| OCP500 | Bullpup Mossberg 500 |
| Roku 360 | USAS 12 |
| Olympia | Rottwiel Skeet Olympia 72 |
| Super Sport | Remington 11 |
| Name in game | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|
| LRC-308 | AR-10 |
| IP 545 | PU-21 |
| SAW-H | KSP-58 |
| SAW-L | KSP-58D |
| Name in game | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|
| Kastov-M | Dragunov |
| Ratio-P | PGM Ultima Ratio |
| Ratio-H | PGM Hecate II |
| LW3-Tundra | L96A1 |
| Name in game | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|
| Lach-9 | USP-9 |
| Lach-45 | USP-45 |
| Sykov | Makarov |
| GP13 Auto | Stetchkin APS |
| Lach-30 | Grendel P30 |
| TAQ Handheld | Five-Seven |
| Dianolli | Beretta M9 |
| Name in game | Real-life counterpart |
|---|---|
| LAW | M72 |
| Panzerfuast | Panzerfaust 3 |
| Stinger | FIM-92 Stinger |
| Name in game |
|---|
| Hunting Knife |
| Scout Knife |
| Breaching TooL |
With the rumor that the MW2/MW3 weapon system would be returning in some fashion to Black Ops: Gulf War, many of these weapons could potentially unlock attachments or parts for other guns.
It’s impressive to note that the current number of weapons available in the latest version of the game is greater than what was available at launch for MWII, but slightly less than what was available for MWIII, which mainly included guns from MWII. Compared to Black Ops: Cold War, it has almost double the number of weapons. This abundance of firearms seems to be the new quota for the Call of Duty series, as that has been the standard over the past few entries. It seems we can expect 50+ weapons from here on out.
A noticeable exemption from the list, one that makes me shudder, is the Riot Shield. I cannot stand that thing. I know there is a crowd that loves to use it, and I want you to know that I personally despise you and everything you stand for. At the same time, I admire the courage it takes to be such a stain on the Call of Duty community. Here’s to hoping they never add to another game ever again!
Another interesting tidbit is that loadouts could potentially feature a third weapon slot that would house the melee weapon. This would be the first Call of Duty to feature a tertiary weapon slot. What this could mean in terms of gameplay is unclear at the moment, even if true.
Perks
For those unfamiliar with Perks, these are the assignable abilities you can give your character. You can freely swap them between games and load-outs. They range from the ability to pick up ammo from defeated foes, hide from enemy streaks, or even give a player a second chance at life.
Generally, Perks come in three categories, and you are allowed to pick one per type. I don’t have any leaked information pertaining to what categories these will belong to, so instead, I’m going to break them up into two categories. For the first, I’ll list perks seen in other games, or that had no significant changes.
For the second list, I’m going to pull out Perks that are entirely new or have added a new twist. A few here raised an eyebrow or two from my perspective, almost to Dwayne Johnson levels.
I’ve seen a few of these lists that note some name differences, but overall, they seem to be similar perks. With that in mind, let’s dive in.
| Perk Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Overkill | Carry two primary weapons. |
| Ghost | Undetectable by enemy Spy Planes whenever you are moving, planting or defusing bombs, or controlling Scorestreaks. |
| Restock | Recharge equipment over 25 seconds. |
| Spotter | Spot enemy equipment, Field Upgrades, and Killstreaks through walls. Aiming down sights highlights them for the team. Hack enemy IED’s, Landmines, C4, and Trophy Systems. |
| Battle Hardened | Reduce the effect of enemy Flash, Stun, EMP Grenades, and Shock Sticks. Immune to Proximity Alarms. |
| Shrapnel | Spawn with an extra piece of lethal equipment. Explosive damage delays enemy health regeneration. |
| Cold-Blooded | AI-controlled Scorestreaks will not target you, and player-controlled Scorestreaks will not highlight you. Show up cold on Thermal. You do not trigger Operative or High Alert. |
| Bomb Squad | Take reduced damage from non-Scorestreak explosives. Reset fuze timers when picking up live grenades. |
| Fast Hands | Reload, use equipment, and swap weapons faster. |
| Scavenger | Replenish ammo from dead players. |
| Overclock | Store an additional Field Upgrade charge. Increase Field Upgrade charge rate by 40%. |
| Dexterity | Mantle faster. ADS while sliding and diving. Take less fall damage. |
| Ante Up | Start each life with +200 points towards scorestreaks. |
| Strong Arm | Throw equipment farther and see a preview of the trajectory. |
| Stalker | Increased strafe and ADS movement speed. |
| Double Time | Increase Tac Sprint duration and reduces refresh time. |
| Hustle | Move faster while crouched, prone, or downed. |
| Grave Robber | Scrap dropped guns to get extra attachments and ammo. |
| Quick Fix | Killing players immediately triggers health regeneration. Capturing and holding objectives increases health regeneration rate. |
| Survivor | On death, enter Last Stand with the ability to self-revive once per life. Teammates can revive downed players faster. |
| Operative | When you respawn, enemies briefly appear through walls. Edge of HUD pulses for enemies outside your view. Leave no death skulls. |
| Flex | Delay triggered explosives while sprinting, warns of nearby enemy equipment, and reduce combat noise. |
| Primed | Accuracy and time to aim down sight is improved while jumping. |
| Focus | Reduce flinch when aiming down sights and extend Hold Breath duration. |
| Bounty Hunter | Earn extra score towards your scorestreaks by killing enemies with bounties. Enemies get a bounty every time they kill three players in a life. |
| Ninja | Move silently. Reduces the effectiveness of enemy Intel perks. |
| Heavy Metal | No current desciption given. |
| Huntmaster | No current desciption given. |
Here’s a breakdown of every new Perk or Perk change and how they could potentially change gameplay.
- Grave Robber: At first glance, it seems to be your typical Scavenger perk, but attachments? There are two possibilities with this Perk. If the systems in play are similar to previous entries in the series, where you can put upwards of five attachments or more on a weapon, then I don’t see this being significant. However, this Perk would become huge for skill-focused players if we were to get something like the old Pick-Ten system, where attachments counted toward your overall loadout cost. Choosing to start with more perks over attachments while being able to earn those attachments would be game-changing.
- Quick Fix: Not only does a kill count toward health regeneration, but capturing and holding objectives increases your health regeneration rate! What an excellent addition. I wish more perks rewarded objective gameplay. Something like this grants an incentive to those players who join domination games to get super high killstreaks.
- Survivor: Insert GIF of Michael Scott screaming no over and over. Why bring this back? Better yet, why add the ability for players to self-revive? It was one thing to put this in Warzone, but regular multiplayer matches? Perks need a dislike button.
- Operative: Wall hacks in Call of Duty is nothing new as an ability. I’ve seen specialists with this and other sorts. That’s not the worst part. I get that players need some help at times. It’s the addition of HUD pulses for any enemy outside of your view that gets me. The ability to be pinged when an enemy is aiming at you has been in many Call of Duty games, but I’ve never seen one that pings enemies not in your sight when they’re not even pointing at you. I hope this doesn’t work as described and instead sticks to the standard formula we’ve seen in previous entries.
- Flex: This is a buffed version of my favorite Gear in MWIII, Bone Conduction Headset. Not only does it reduce combat noise, but it also adds an incentive for players to push enemy entry points without having to worry about three to four different claymores.
- Primed/Focus: I don’t understand their choice to break these two apart. Focus, by itself, is a tremendous perk that tons of pros and skill-focused players use. Primed seems to be a meme pick. Who cares about improved jump accuracy by itself? Maybe other players will see it differently; I understand the desire to continuously improve the movement meta surrounding Call of Duty. I don’t see this Perk providing enough reason to be a sustainable pick.
- Bounty Hunter: Staying on the meme train, mixing this with Ante Up provides the same utility Hardline used to. I don’t see the need to nerf Hardline into two different Perks and entirely remove its primary use, which is to decrease Killstreak/Scorestreak costs.
- Ninja: I stopped playing when Dead Silence was replaced as a Field Upgrade in Modern Warfare 2019. I cannot stand being able to hear my own footsteps in Call of Duty; it’s something I’ve grown too accustomed to. I know the removal of Ninja/Dead Silence gives more creativity to loadouts, but I didn’t personally like the choice. To see Ninja back (I know Dead Silence was back in MWIII) and to witness it gain the ability to reduce Intel Perks? Yes!
- Heavy Metal/Huntmaster: These don’t have descriptions, so we can only guess what they do. Let us know your guess in the comment section below or somewhere on social media!
It’s still unclear if we’ll see traditional perks return, or something similar from MWIII, where things were attached to boots, helmets, etc. I’d be cool with either, but I’d personally like to see an expansion of the latest feature set.
Equipment and Field Upgrades
Here’s the list of leaked equipment and Field Upgrades that could come to Call of Duty: Gulf War. There’s not much to discuss for Lethal and Tactical Equipment, as most of the items are what you’d expect. I will dive into one particular tactical item, but it’s the Field Upgrades that interest me the most.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Molotov | Explodes on impact, spreading flames over a small area. |
| Frag Grenade | Explodes after a short fuse. |
| Cluster Grenade | Powerful explosive grenade that sticks to surfaces and releases sub-munitions upon detonation. |
| Semtex | Grenade that sticks to surfaces before detonating. |
| Thermite | Explosive incendiary device that sticks to surfaces. |
| Combat Axe | Retrievable axe that kills instantly on impact. |
| Drill Charge | Charge with a thermal lance that can burrow into surfaces before exploding. |
| Thermobaric Grenade | Cookable grenade. Creates a large explosion that stuns, leaves a fiery residue, and increases the lethality of explosives for a short period of time. |
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Shock Stick | Electrocutes and stuns nearby enemies. |
| Proximity Alarm | Tactical ground-based sensor that detects enemy movement within its radius. |
| Decoy | Simulates footsteps to confuse enemies |
| EMP Grenade | Disables nearby enemy electronic systems. |
| Flashbang | Blinds enemies and impairs hearing. Detonates shortly after being thrown. |
| Smoke Grenade | Produces a smoke screen on impact. |
| Stun Grenade | Disorients enemies and slows movement. Detonates shortly after impact. |
| Tactical Insertion | Drop-zone beacon that allows you to place your next spawn point. |
| Adrenaline Shot | Reusable stimulant that initiates healing immediately. – Spotter Scanner Spot and mark enemies from a distance. |
Tactical Insertions are back as Tactical Equipment? I hope this isn’t the case, and if it is and David Vonderhaar is reading this, please change it back to a Field Upgrade! For the love of Call of Duty, I don’t want to go back to the first iterations of Modern Warfare, where Tactical Insertion boosting was a thing.
| Name | Description | Recharge Time (Seconds) |
|---|---|---|
| Gas Mine | Proximity activated trap that expels a large cloud of harmful gas. Enemies inside are damaged and disoriented. | 120 |
| Jammer | Creates an electronic disruption field, disabling enemy Field Upgrades and degrading enemy minimap. information. | 150 |
| Landmine | Throwable mine, explodes shortly after an enemy runs or drives over it. Can be avoided by crouching. Destroys any vehicle that runs over it. | 120 |
| Ammo Pack | Supply cache containing ammo that gives bonus score for taking down enemies. | 185 |
| Shield | Portable, rapidly-deployable ballistic cover. | 120 |
| Revive Gun | Instantly revive or heal an ally. | 360 |
| Spy Cam | Remote camera view that is toggled on and off. | 240 |
| Rally | Influence your allies to respawn closer to you. | 240 |
| Trophy System | Destroys thrown enemy equipment and launcher missiles within 10 meters. | 80 |
Rally sounds like it could completely change how objective game modes are played. It just takes one player to flank the B objective in Domination, and suddenly, the whole team is spawning by it? That’s insane to me. Stack this on a few people, and you could see players getting advantageous spawns every minute or so.
Revive Gun, on the other hand, is difficult to gauge. On the one hand, if it only works for players running Survivor, then it’s far too niche to use. If it works for everyone, this becomes a de facto Field Upgrade. I’d rather not see something like this in Call of Duty, but maybe taking a little bit from Battlefield and making the game a little more cooperative with its competitiveness isn’t a bad idea, either.
Scoretreaks
Remember when the only killstreaks were Radar, Airstrikes, and Helicopters? I do, but that probably puts my age out for everyone to see. Killstreaks changed the fundamentals of online gameplay. They were revolutionary and still are to this day. Multiple games have attempted to copy their system, and very few have had any sort of success. None equal to that of Call of Duty.
So, what’s new with Call of Duty: Gulf War? First, they’ve removed killstreaks and replaced them with scorestreaks. This system is often juggled between games, with some featuring one or the other, sometimes both. Scorestreaks are frequently trumpeted as the go-to system, as they promote objective gameplay over kill-hogging.
| Scorestreak | Description | Cost |
| RC-XD | Remote-controlled car strapped with explosives. | 350 |
| Spy Plane | Reveal enemy positions through the Fog of War. | 450 |
| Honeypot | Deploys a fake care package that will detonate upon being picked up by an enemy player. | 500 |
| Care Package | Airdrop a random Scorestreak. Crate self-destructs after use. | 550 |
| Counter Spy Plane | Scramble enemy mini-maps for a short time. | 600 |
| Grim Reaper | quip a devastating rocket launcher that fires four high-explosive shells. | 650 |
| Artillery | Launch three targeted artillery strikes. Unused strikes can be saved for later. | 675 |
| Booby Trap | Throw down a trap that launches a cluster of small mines within the immediate area upon being triggered by enemy footsteps. | 700 |
| Napalm Strike | Launch a targeted carpet bomb strike of explosive napalm. | 725 |
| Handcannon | Massive high-caliber revolver that fires devastating rounds with increased bullet penetration. | 750 |
| Hellstorm Missile | Steer a trio of missiles with boost and air brake controls. Secondary missles auto-fire at painted targets. | 800 |
| Sentry Turret | Deploy a deadly automated turret that targets enemy players, vehicles, and equipment. | 850 |
| War Machine | High-explosive grenade launcher. | 900 |
| Valkyrie Rocket | Launcher with remote-controlled rockets. | 925 |
| Cerberus Mk.0 | Remote controlled UGV with a powerful airburst turret. | 950 |
| Death Machine | Deadly machine gun with high damage rounds that suppress enemies in the line of fire. | 1000 |
| Nighthawk | Call in a bomber that releases a large line of explosives along its path. | 1100 |
| Attack Chopper | Call in armed support helicopter. | 1200 |
| Gas Strike | Cover the battlefield with smoke canisters that will weaken the enemy and suffocate any that wander too close. | 1300 |
| Chopper Gunner | Be the gunner in a close air support helicopter. | 1450 |
| H.A.R.P. | High-Altitude Reconnaissance Plane that shows both enemy position and direction on the mini-map. | 1500 |
| Sniper’s Nest | Call in the support of 2 heli snipers. | 1750 |
| Air Patrol | Call in a squadron of jets to attack enemy air Scorestreaks. Counter enemy Air Patrols. | 2000 |
| Nuke | End the game with a bang. | 30 Kills |
First of all, having 22 score streaks is bonkers. That’s a lot, even when you consider War Machine and Handcannon are just reskins of the old Call of Duty specialists who used the same abilities. I loved them—especially the Handcannon, which is one of the most satisfying abilities to use. Getting the scorestreak is one thing, but popping off while using it is a satisfaction only Call of Duty players will understand.
As for the rest of them, it’s your standard affair. A few stand out amongst the crowd. Calling in sniper helicopters sounds like some definitive gamer fun. Since Call of Duty is now a first-party title under Microsoft, could you imagine if they used the sniper sound from Halo?
Then there’s the Nuke. It’s back, baby! The question I have is, what counts towards the killstreak? They haven’t for quite a while, but it would be interesting if that mechanic returned. Back in the original Modern Warfare 2, I once earned a Nuke early in a game I was playing with a bunch of friends. They didn’t want me to call it in right away, but by the time I could, I had another Nuke. Unfortunately, I couldn’t call them both at the same time.
Zombies
Vondyispog, a renowned Call of Duty leaker, informed the community that five resource stations would make their way into CoD 2024. These were:
- Perk Machines + Der Wunderfizz: I love that perks are coming back. A staple to the franchise.
- Pack-a-Punch: Can’t leave without this! It’s a small thing to note, but the knuckle-cracking animation is back. This animation prevents users from using a weapon, meaning players aren’t safe when depositing weapons in the Pack-a-Punch.
- Tool Grinder: Another item that’s infrequently used, but it’s back! This allows for upgrading the base gun damage of weapons. Think of it as a tier system from common to legendary status.
- Crafting table: This allows for the crafting of killstreaks, equipment, etc.
Loadouts are also rumored to be returning, as the entire experience will be closer to later iterations of zombies, like those in MWIII. The older experiences are no longer, which I’m okay with, honestly. Loadouts provide a sense of security when entering maps and give those early rounds better replayability.
A Radio pack is coming, too. It’s not known what this is or what it’ll do, but it’s there! I hypothesize it’s either a simple cosmetic or it’ll have some sort of in-game feature like zombie radar.
LEAK: Gulf War Zombies new information:Round-Based:-A map will have an arrow trap (probably the rumored Island map, given the theming)Unknown (likely Outbreak 2.0):-Reward Rifts from MWZ will return-Aether Extractor objective will returnGeneral:-A new weapon will be… pic.twitter.com/2mlQ1tJcZqMarch 18, 2024
Earlier leaks suggest two new maps will be coming on launch day: one city-themed and the other on an island. Said island will also come with a potential arrow trap of sorts. Maybe we can also expect a trap that is better themed for the city, too!
Rumors also suggest that we could see reward rifts and the aether extractor return from MWZ. As well as Manglers coming back. New items, like a weapon that bubbles the skin of enemies and a new dog variant with tentacles, could also be part of the slew of Zombie features players can look forward to.
Warzone
The rumor is that Warzone will continue to be part of the current MWII and MWIII iterations. The map for season one’s integration for Call of Duty: Gulf War will be Verdansk. It’s not known what will carry over. Still, it’s a safe assumption, at least for now, that players will continue their journey in the current Warzone system, similar to the jump from MWII to MWIII.
Outside of that, there isn’t any new information to share. I’m sorry this is the least exciting reveal!
