Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 introduces new ‘Strike Maps’ to its Multiplayer gameplay, but what does this new term actually mean?
When you hop into Black Ops 6’s Multiplayer offerings, you’ll soon find that the game’s roster features two different kinds of arenas: Core Maps and Strike Maps.
This distinction is new to the Call of Duty franchise, but thankfully, it’s very easy to explain how the two types of maps differ.
What Is a Strike Map?
A Strike Map is a small to medium-sized map designed to be played in 2v2 modes, such as Gunfight, and Face Off 6v6 modes.
In Face Off modes, players go head-to-head in extremely fast-paced gameplay, but do not get access to their Scorestreaks.
Judging by the Beta, Black Ops 6 players will only encounter Strike Maps in specific playlists, such as the Face Off or Gunfight playlist.
How Is a Strike Map Different From a Core Map?
Strike Maps are generally more compact than Core Maps in Black Ops 6, offering constant action from the moment a player spawns.
There are still usually two or three paths to explore when moving from one side of the map to the other. However, it’ll be far more difficult to move around without being seen by an enemy player due to the Strike Map’s smaller size.
That said, the same can be said for smaller Core Maps such as Babylon, so sometimes the ‘Strike Map’ distinction is a little hard to define.
All Strike Maps in Black Ops 6
There are four Strike Maps available to play in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on launch day:
Gala
Set in Washington D.C., this map takes place entirely in a large hall used for an annual fundraising event.
Players can climp atop the large stage in the center of the room, or navigate along the sidelines where they’ll find a makeshift bar and coatroom.
Pit
An underground Russian mining tunnel that features incredibly close-quarter action.
Players can take cover behind or even inside minecarts or climb to the rafters and do battle along the tunnel’s piping systems.
Warhead
The only Strike Map not to feature in the Black Ops 6 Open Beta, Warhead (formerly revealed as ‘Sandhouse’) is a version of Nuketown that has fallen into disrepair.
Scattered remnants of the original Nuketown map, such as the population sign and bus, appear on the map.
A recent episode of the COD POD revealed that Warhead was formed during the evacuation of the new Warzone map Area 99, which was transporting building materials for future Nuketowns.
Stakeout
This small apartment in Avalon was once operating as a stakeout room, but has now become a battleground.
Operators can attempt to get the drop on their enemies by leaping between balconies or simply charge head-on through the apartment building.
That’s all the Strike Maps present in Black Ops 6 so far, but we’ll keep you updated as more continue to launch after release!