'Call of Duty: Black Ops 6' (Image: Activision)
The highly anticipated new addition to the Call of Duty: Black Ops family was released on Oct. 25, and fans are eating it up. However, before the game was released, fans noticed a controversial change to Black Ops 6 from previous games that had the internet buzzing.
Long-time fans of the Call of Duty franchise are all too familiar with the riot shield, an in-game item that is, as the name suggests, a giant shield highly effective at its job. The item has been a divisive topic within the Call of Duty fan base for quite some time. Those against using the riot shield say that the item is abused by some players who will use it to engage in “turtle tactics” that are difficult to counter and take away from the excitement of the first-person shooter game style. Those in favor of the riot shield would argue that it’s a fair item, and frustrated players could find ways to counter its use because all is fair in love and war.
Considering the polarity that the riot shield has created among fans, it is unsurprising that players everywhere were quick to notice its absence in the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Fans’ reactions to this change were varied, but the consensus is that it is a “good riddance. Many fans had already called for the item to be removed or at least nerfed for the past few Call of Duty games.
The riot shield has been especially notorious in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games, as it appeared in both Modern Warfare 2 and 3 and caused commotion in Call of Duty: Vanguard. The ultimate reason for the riot shield’s removal from Black Ops 6 seems to be in the hands of the game’s developer, Treyarch. It seems that Treyarch aligns more in the camp of riot shield-free gameplay as Black Ops 2 is the only Call of Duty game they developed that includes the item, and that was way back in 2012.
Although the loss of the riot shield is inevitably a heavy blow to some die-hard fans, it has not hindered them from getting excited about the game during its launch this past weekend. Even with the absence of the riot shield, there’s no doubt Black Ops 6 will be another great, perhaps more peaceful, addition to the Call of Duty family.
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