The post-launch life of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is still in full swing, with the game's seasons providing consistent content injections in the way of new maps, modes, weapons, and more. While the game recently hit a bit of a wall in terms of player retention and positive sentiment, the recent re-introduction of the iconic Verdansk map to Warzone has been quite successful, and the addition of the new Shattered Veil Zombies map serves as a great one-two punch for the title.
Shattered Veil was added to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on April 2 as a core part of the game's Season Three content, and it is the fifth Zombies map. Despite some recent issues with Black Ops 6's Zombies offerings, Shattered Veil is already shaping up to be a big step in the right direction for the mode's continued, post-launch support, with its unique blend of themes, locations, and homages to other media properties coming together to create an enjoyable addition to BO6's Zombies map pool.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Shattered Veil is One of Zombies' Most Interesting Maps
While Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's approach to the Zombies game mode has been welcomed by many fans, the maps that have been added to the mode post-launch have been hit-and-miss, with Season Two's The Tomb map receiving fairly mixed reviews. It seemed clear that players wanted a stylish and unique experience that did not rely so heavily on past Zombies assets, and the recent Shattered Veil seems to have delivered on this.
The release of Shattered Veil and Verdansk's return to Warzone saw Black Ops 6's player count on Steam double, peaking at around 140,000 concurrent players.
Shattered Veil is situated around the outskirts of Liberty Falls, one of Black Ops 6's launch Zombies maps. More specifically, the map covers the area in and around Sam Colton Hall, an expansive mansion that was being used as a base of operations for Project Janus. The mansion itself is the crown jewel of Shattered Space, and some players have pointed out the similarities between the complex, which is filled with the kinds of twists and secrets that are befitting of a zombie manor, and the types of locations that appear in Resident Evil and Tomb Raider games.
The mysteries within Sam Colton Hall are very reminiscent of Tomb Raider's iconic Croft Manor, making it the perfect place to hide the wide range of Easter eggs that often appear in the best Zombies maps in Call of Duty. Away from the twists and turns of the manor, the Shattered Veil map has huge ties to dinosaur life, with the map's major Easter egg culminating in a memorable boss fight with a zombified tyrannosaurus rex, or "Z-Rex."
The Originality of Shattered Veil's Boss Fight Was Much-Needed
This boss fight is a step in the right direction for Black Ops 6 Zombies, as its originality sets Shattered Veil apart from a map like The Tomb, which received some criticism for its reuse of a Sentinel Artifact as its major boss. With other mini-bosses, like Manglers and Abominations, also appearing in past Call of Duty releases, it seems clear that Black Ops 6 Zombies needs to focus on adding entirely original content. The Shattered Veil's Z-Rex boss is exactly that.
The variety of locations in the Shattered Veil come together to create an experience that is well aligned with what is expected from a great CoD Zombies map, and its archaic, secret-filled manor and its more technologically advanced command center are a great combination. The sheer range of secrets and unique experiences that Shattered Veil has brought to the table gives Black Ops 6 another well-received string to add to its Zombies bow.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- FPS
