Black Ops 6's controversial field upgrade could atone for past sins

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Fans finally have a fairly complete picture of what Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will have to offer when it launches on October 25, with some high expectations already being placed on the upcoming game's campaign, Zombies, and core multiplayer offerings. With how similar Cod multiplayer experiences have been in recent years, especially with the franchise's focus on Modern warfare series, many players look forward to the feeling of variety and change it up Black Ops 6 aims to infuse its entire multiplayer experience.




Although there are many new multiplayer features in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 that fans can look forward to, Treyarch has also emphasized how the title puts a lot of focus on the franchise's roots and history. This has seen the return of many iconic Black Ops characters, perks, gear, killstreaks and more, but a controversial perk more associated with Modern warfare franchise already causing waves as a field upgrade for Black Ops 6. Treyarch recently detailed the Morphine Injector field upgrade for Black Ops 6which acts very similar to the controversial Last Stand perk from before Cod titles. While some fans are already worried about what implications this could have for Black Ops 6s multiplayer, there is still room for the field upgrade to be rebalanced in a way that makes it much more balanced and profitable.


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Black Ops 6's morphine injection could redeem Last Stand's reputation

Before the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Treyarch has released a full list of content that players will have access to within the game's multiplayer. These include fresh elements like Wild Cards and new killstreaks, but the game's involved perks and field upgrades are always a point of more attention and debate for many fans. The increasingly competitive nature of Call of Duty multiplayer has made field upgrades and certain perks more important than ever, with picks like Ghost a must-have for any loadout in a high-skill lobby.


The introduction of a field upgrade especially for Black Ops 6 is already threatening to make cracks through the release's early game meta, with Morphine Injection appearing to be a surefire way to ramp up kills and even cheat death. When the Morphine Injector is active, players will enter a downed state instead of dying when taking lethal damage, with players still having access to their weapons in this state. Players can then potentially be revived by teammates before they bleed out, or suffer a death when they fall down to immediately recover to full standard movement.

This is very similar to Last Stand, a perk that was first introduced in 2007 Modern warfare which has appeared in a variety of forms throughout the franchise since then. Many players felt that Last Stand was a cheap way to avoid deaths and collect kills that would otherwise be impossible, and Call of Duty have tried different ways to balance this over the years. Last Stand appeared as the Final Stand deathstreak in the original MW2for example, reduce how often it is used by players.


Black Ops 6's Morphine Injector is the result of 18 years of Last Stand Tweaking

The fact that Morphine Injector is a field upgrade, as opposed to a perk, is already good news for Black Ops 6meaning players will only be able to activate it a handful of times per match. Players must time the activation of Morphine Injection wisely, with an early activation without taking lethal damage as a wasted use. These disadvantages are partially balanced by the fact that teammates can fully revive Morphine Injector users, and the implications of this can be huge for one-life game modes like Search and Destroy.

Despite the controversial legacy that Last Stand-adjacent content has had throughout Call of Duty over the years, its reappearance as the Morphine Injector i Black Ops 6 may finally be a turning point for the concept. The Morphine Injector already has many limitations compared to the original iterations of Last Stand with its status as a limited-use field upgrade, and Treyarch could tweak the duration and power of the Morphine Injector post-launch to make a truly balanced version of the concept.


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