Season 3 Reloaded for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies made its debut earlier this month, bringing fresh maps, weapon buffs, and quality-of-life tweaks to Treyarch’s undead mode. Judging from fan reaction, the star of the show is undoubtedly the universal Ray Gun Mark 2, with the weapon grabbing headlines due to its explosive flair and critical-hit bonus. However, the update's most impactful feature comes from an under-the-hood tweak to Gobblegum machines.
The Ray Gun Mark 2 may deliver a nostalgic high-impact boost and broad accessibility, but the Gobblegum system rewrite for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has ramifications that make it the most significant mid-season pivot. Before the update, the dynamic was plagued by inefficiencies in cooldowns and activations (as well as passive hoarding). Instead, Gobblegum machines now reset in ten seconds and dispense cards in two. It may look like a subtle change, but Treyarch has effectively transformed consumables from rare playstyle conveniences into meaningful tactical tools.
This shift builds on earlier patches that let players start matches with three Gobblegums, signaling the developer's commitment to making these cards integral to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies' gameplay. By removing downtime and encouraging creative combinations, Season 3 Reloaded could elevate the mode's mid-season support in ways that even a wonder weapon like the Ray Gun Mark 2 cannot outmatch.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is Still Missing One of Black Ops Cold War’s Coolest Features
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has carried forward a lot of Cold War's best multiplayer features, yet one key aspect of a certain mode remains absent.
Season 3's Gobblegum Buff Changes The Outlook of Zombies' Gameplay
The Ray Gun Mark 2 will likely remain a cherished staple, standing out with its splash damage and satisfying destruction drawn from Black Ops 2. Its refined recoil pattern and ammo-conservation mechanic let solo players and full squads melt zombies without draining wall-buy reserves. Across all maps, accessing the Mark 2 through Mystery Box spins or special Easter-egg rewards adds spectacle and a reliable screen-clearing option.
However, despite its visceral appeal, the Mark 2 does not introduce a shift to current strategic decision-making; it simply enhances existing loadouts and gives familiar builds an extra edge. That's where the Gobblegum tweaks take the cake.
The Gobblegum Revolution and its Impact on Strategy
Months ago, Treyarch began easing Gobblegum scarcity by granting three pre-match picks, but Season 3 Reloaded is shaping up to be the real game changer. Machines that once sat idle for waves now reset much faster. Players can chain high-tier cards like Near-Death-Experience for instant self-revival and Alchemical Antithesis for elemental damage resistance with minimal downtime. By slashing cooldown times and speeding up activation, Gobblegums have become core gear instead of emergency backups.
For speedrunners, this change unlocks new potential routing possibilities. Early-wave access transforms shard farming and round progression, trimming minutes off record times. In public matches, desks clear faster, revives are more reliable, and teams can swap between crowd control and sustain builds as needed. Players no longer need to hoard Gobblegums for late rounds; instead, they can experiment with synergy and push more aggressive strategies. Veteran players will also notice a shift in endurance loops as repeated card use reshapes high-round tactics and boss encounters.
Season 3 Reloaded’s Gobblegum revolution is just the beginning. In the weeks ahead, players can expect new maps CoD Zombies designed around rapid-fire Gobblegum strategies and enemy variants that force creative uses of elemental resistance and self-revive cards. It's not far-fetched to envision co-op challenges encouraging teams to coordinate Gobblegum rotations, aimed at turning card pools into squad resources in the complete sense of the phrase. With telemetry feeding real-time usage data back to Treyarch, players could see fine-tuning of card pools, cooldowns, and activation times to keep gameplay fresh and balanced through Year 1 and beyond.
This overhaul also raises questions about monetization and reward design. Traditionally, premium Gobblegum variants tied to microtransactions offered shortcuts for invested players. Treyarch presumably switched up its blueprint due to low purchase and usage rates -- although the developer runs the risk of diluting its paid card advantages. Whatever the reason behind Treyarch's decision, however, the update to the Gobblegum system has the potential to revolutionize the outlook of Call of Duty Zombies' gameplay.
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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
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
- Genre(s)
- FPS
