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7 Most Memorable Call of Duty: Black Ops Maps Ever

7 Most Memorable Call of Duty: Black Ops Maps Ever

November 6 is going to be the biggest day this year for Call of Duty fans. As amazing as many of the releases this year have been and will be, there’s something about coming home to a familiar face. We’ve had a lot of fun with Call of Duty over the years, especially the Black Ops line, and much of that is due to the varied and intricate maps Treyarch constantly provides players.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is bound to introduce us to plenty of new maps we’ll enjoy exploring with both friends and strangers. In the meantime, let’s go back over some of the other Black Ops maps that helped make this series so special.

Grind

Grind

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 ‘s Grind is special because it’s so unexpected. I mean, you figure shootouts will happen in towns, forests, military bases, and ruins, not a Venice Beach skate park inspired by the Tony Hawk: Pro Skater games. It’s also rather tricky, despite being so small, since the curved architecture means a player can’t be sure what does and doesn’t constitute proper cover. This is a great map for practicing flanking maneuvers or using the Dragonfire drone. Plus, it lets you tell your teammates to meet you by the bathroom!

WMD

WMD

The WMD map for Call of Duty: Black Ops is great because it’s up for anything. Are you alone? You can do well in Free-For-All here. At the same time, team matches work just as well. This former Soviet base not only works for any mode, but also for any class or weapon. Snipers can go ahead and camp in the buildings. There are a lot of nooks and crannies for people who want to have short ranged weapons. Plus, it’s big enough for medium ranged weapons to find a good groove. In a way, you could even consider this large map fun for hide-and-seek matches.

Standoff

Standoff

Like WMD, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 ‘s Standoff map is one of those anything goes affairs. In fact, the only reason it has the edge over WMD for me is because it’s so similar to Dawnville, a map that’s appeared in many other Call of Duty games. Part of the fun of this map is the number of multi-story buildings in this China and Kyrgyzstan border town. People have plenty of places to hide if they’re a sniper, but people who prefer short or medium ranged weapons still have open streets, alcoves, and rooms that can be used to their advantage. There can be some camping issues, but people can employ multiple strategies.

Firing Range

Firing Range

Call of Duty: Black Ops ‘s Firing Range is so good, Treyarch ended up issuing a reimagining of it as a Hollywood backlot called Studio in Black Ops 2 . It’s easy to see why. The original was set in a Cuban military facility and was a smaller map designed with action in mind. Go into a Domination match with a short range or medium range weapon and you could end up having the most fun. Especially since this is a map that makes it difficult for people to camp out or take advantage of choke points. Instead of worrying about people being cheap, you can just have fun and show off your skills. Unless you’re a sniper. Snipers may have trouble getting to the tower in the center of the map.

Nuketown 2025

Nuketown 2025

Stowing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 ‘s Nuketown 2025 map in the number three spot may seem weird, but allow me to explain. This is a fantastic location. If you enjoy seeing your score shoot up and earning nuclear kills, Nuketown 2025 is for you. However, it’s not a great map for epic strategies and well-made plans. People will be using EMPs like crazy, waiting around spawn points, and living in the moment. Which is great. You can’t knock that, but that sort of focus keeps Nuketown 2025 from being one of the best.

Summit

Summit

Snow maps usually suck in games. There’s one exception, and that’s Call of Duty: Black Ops ‘ Summit. This USSR Mount Yamantau map has tons of buildings, platforms, and pathways. Of course, what do you expect from a radar station on a mountain? It’s a good sized map that works well for many classes and weapon types. There is an issue with people being able to camp and hit people after they spawn, but the amount of variety and fun more than makes up for it. Especially if you’re playing on the Summit in the Search and Destroy mode.

Nuketown

Nuketown

Sometimes, there’s no beating the original. That’s certainly the case with Nuketown, which made its debut in Call of Duty: Black Ops . It’s a cozy map that was a pioneer. The theme is great, what with being a nuclear test town. Especially since a bomb goes off at the end and turns the soldiers on the map into zombies. It has houses, roads, nooks, and crannies, meaning people with short, medium, and long range weapons can find places for themselves. You can engage in frantic firefights in the center of the map, or be more strategic if you’d prefer. It’s just a fantastic map all around, providing a wonderful experience for beginners and experts, regardless of loadout, class, or mode.

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