10 underrated maps CoD 2020 could bring back

Joe Craven

Treyarch’s upcoming Call of Duty title, rumored to be titled Black Ops Cold War, will have a lot to live up to following the success of Modern Warfare and Warzone. Here, we pick 10 underrated maps from the Black Ops series that would fit right into their rumored reboot.

‘In Treyarch we trust’ has been the mantra of disgruntled CoD players over the past few months. While 2019’s Modern Warfare still has a solid fanbase of admirers, there are many players who don’t like the direction of the game, with the maps being a frequent complaint.

Leaks have already indicated that a host of fan-favorite maps are set to return, including Nuketown and Firing Range. For this list, we’re focusing on Treyarch-made maps that haven’t gone down in CoD folklore, but are excellent maps that would fit right in a Black Ops reboot.

Arsenal – Black Ops 4

Arsenal from Black Ops 4
Arsenal is the newest map on this list, debuting in 2018’s Black Ops 4.

Black Ops 4 is generally considered a solid CoD instalment, and Arsenal was one 0f the game’s best maps. Making use of a three-lane structure and a plethora of tight, close-knit corridors, Arsenal remained fast paced without descending into chaos.

Set in a military defense center, this would be an easy rework to fit with the Black Ops reboot rumored Cold War setting.

Knockout – Black Ops 3

Knockout in Black Ops 3
Knockout was set in ancient Shaolin Temple.

Aside from being one of the prettiest maps in CoD history, Knockout maintained a solid flow and a busy mid map.

The wall running areas would certainly need a minor rework, but the majority of this map could easily be translated to a boots on the ground game. We’d welcome it, for sure.

Fringe – Black Ops 3

Treyarch
Fringe is arguably Black Ops 3’s best map.

Black Ops 3’s maps tend to fly under the proverbial radar, potentially because of the advanced movement mechanic around which many were designed. Fringe, however, is probably the best map from that game.

Certain areas would need a rework, particularly the train side of the map which is a very filtered, narrow lane, but the majority of the map would definitely work in a BOTG title. The top-tier map even featured on our best Call of Duty maps of all time list.

Vertigo – Black Ops 2

Vertigo in Black Ops 2
Vertigo is one of the more futuristic maps from BO2.

How a Cold War re-skin of Vertigo would work is a bit of a mystery, but it’s one map we’d love to see regardless of era. The map was set at the top of an Indian skyscraper around a host of military technology, with plenty of drops into the abyss players had to traverse. A fast-paced, fun map, it’s the kind of environment we want to see in CoD 2020.

Castle – World at War

Castle in World at War
Castle is a dark map set in imperial Japan.

Castle is the first World at War map to feature on this list. It has perhaps been slightly forgotten because of its age, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive even today.. Dark and dreary, the map complimented the brutality of Word at War excellently, with a host of play-styles able to thrive simultaneously.

Courtyard – World at War

Courtyard in World at War
Courtyard was a different experience to Castle, but still seriously enjoyable.

While the aforementioned Castle utilized multiple different stories, Courtyard is set in one large, open environment, utilizing walls and shrubbery. It’s one of the best maps World at War offered, rewarding sensible pushes and punishing players who failed to keep track of their surroundings.

Express – Black Ops 2

Express in Black Ops 2
Express was set in a Los Angeles train station.

Express is another CoD map that feels forgotten, this time because of the general quality of Black Ops 2 maps. In a game with Hijacked, Standoff and Raid, it’s easy to be overshadowed. Regardless, Express was a fun map that was just as easy to play with a sniper as it was an SMG.

It’d need an era-appropriate rework, but it’d be awesome to see this map make any sort of a return.

Berserk – Black Ops 3

Berserk in Black Ops 3
Berserk’s snowy environment would fit right in a Cold War game.

Berserk is another Black Ops 3 DLC map, a game which has a strong case for the best DLC maps in CoD history. Its small, snowy environment was beautiful, but was overshadowed by its awesome design, which encouraged fast-paced gameplay and rewarded gun skill above all else.

Micro – Black Ops 3

Micro from Black Ops 3
Micro is another DLC map.

Black Ops 3’s Micro is undoubtedly the most bizarre map in Call of Duty history. It sees player shrunk down to miniatures and then thrown onto a picnic table. Despite its crazy setting, any CoD player who played this map knows it’s as good as any we’ve seen in the past few years.

How this map would return in a Cold War era game remains to be seen but, to be completely honest, its implementation in Black Ops 3 didn’t make a lot of sense either. Even if the design is replicated, we’ll take it.

Stadium – Black Ops

Stadium from Black Ops
Stadium was an awesome DLC map.

We’re rounding off our list with a top-tier DLC map from the original Black Ops. Stadium was an incredibly hectic, fun map that we’d love to see re-designed and reworked in Call of Duty 2020.

There has been shades of Stadium in later Call of Duty maps, but we’d love to see a dedicated remaster on next-gen consoles.

If we see these maps, or maps like them, in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, our trust has not been misplaced.


Which maps did we miss? Tweet us @DexertoIntel to let us know which maps you want to see in CoD 2020!

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