When a double XP weekend kicked off this time final week in Black Ops 6, there was just one map my pals wished to play: Stakeout, by far the smallest in BLOPS 6 that is primarily one house. Call of Duty followers love small maps as a result of it shrinks CoD’s already miniscule time-to-action from a few seconds to actually zero. Stakeout is sized as a 2v2 map, nevertheless it’s additionally in Face Off, a 6v6 playlist consisting solely of small maps designed for max carnage.
Stakeout is only one of 4 maps you will get in Face Off, nevertheless it’s so standard that gamers frequently depart lobbies when it does not seem. That dedication might be why Treyarch created a Stakeout 24/7 playlist, an honor often solely bestowed to fan favorites like Nuketown, which simply went dwell in the present day.
I reckon Stakeout’s greatest attraction is within the transient: because the smallest map within the recreation, it has the very best XP potential. After just some hours of (double XP) Face Off with pals final Saturday, I leveled up 9 occasions and unlocked extra attachments for weapons than I had over days enjoying customary modes. So sure, if grinding Black Ops 6 mastery camos or leveling weapons is a precedence, Stakeout 24/7 is the brand new finest means to try this (although bear in mind there aren’t any killstreaks in Face Off, so tune these courses accordingly).
That’s not all there’s to Stakeout although, as a result of I’m often a small map hater, and even I prefer it. The map is similar to Modern Warfare (2007)’s Shipment with its square-shaped footprint and straightaway kill lanes, however whereas I nonetheless preserve that Shipment is a nasty map with too many exploitable sightlines, Stakeout takes the identical blueprint and makes it far more truthful and dynamic.
The first good transfer with Stakeout was placing a roof over everybody’s head—this mitigates the effectiveness of grenade spam a lot. Then there’s the division of sightlines. The longest straightaways in Stakeout (the north and south hallways) do not have an ideal line-of-sight from one finish to the opposite. They can see loads, however partitions, doorways, or whole rooms forestall the widespread spawn tenting you see in Shipment or Rust.
At the identical time, there’s not anyplace to hunker down or cover. Every angle is uncovered by not less than two routes, and the identical doorways that block line-of-sight are additionally deadly bottlenecks that manufacture multi-kills like nothing I’ve ever seen. Don’t get me unsuitable, that is nonetheless a map the place you will typically respawn and instantly die—chalk that as much as a mixture of BLOPS 6’s typically poor spawns and small map realities—nevertheless it’s remarkably uncommon for a map that takes perhaps three seconds to dash throughout.
The single smartest thing that Stakeout does is give me choices. No matter the place I’m going in Shipment, I’m at all times part of the central meat grinder. In Stakeout, the loop of hallways is a continuing meat grinder, however there are additionally cool aspect paths that allow me momentarily circumvent the chaos. There’s this actually neat open terrace on the middle of the map that you just’d suppose would see fixed site visitors, however it’s a must to shuffle by way of a bed room on both aspect to get to it, and when you’re there, it’s a must to shimmy alongside roof shingles to keep away from a loss of life pit. On the intense edges of the map are mirrored balconies that kind a aggressive crossfire, and hidden within the ventricles of the south corridor is a crouch-height air flow shaft that connects two rooms.
This is simply actually enjoyable, personality-forward map design that is too straightforward to miss. Shipment’s whole schtick is that it is small and uncomplicated—which is ok for those who’re the a Super Smash Bros. participant who solely accepts Final Destination/No Items—however Stakeout manages to slot in distinct areas that encourage completely different playstyles. That’s what memorable map design is all about.
Stakeout 24/7 shall be dwell in BLOPS 6 for not less than the subsequent week. Unfortunately there is no double XP this weekend, however I’ll nonetheless be there.
