Well, Treyarch’s Matt Scronce just dropped some pinpoint truths regarding the absence of the legendary Pick 10 system from the new Call of Dutys. And let me tell you, the players have… well, they’ve had feelings for it. Big ones.
For those who might have now forgotten or are completely new to the whole Call of Duty scenery in general, Pick 10 was a brilliant loadout-making system that started way back on Black Ops 2. A total of 10 points are available for building your entire class… primary weapon: 1 point; secondary weapon: 1 full point; attachments: 1 point each; perks: 1 point each; and even grenades required some kind of trade-off. So, you had a choice to make between another perk or maybe a grenade launcher. This created such a rich meta where each decision was significant and players could customize their playstyle around very specific choices. So much strategy.
Scronce says in an interview with CharlieINTEL, “It’s not that we’ll never do it. We talk about it every game. We just haven’t found the right way to do it. And I don’t think the right way to do it is how old we did it 13 years ago.”
Thirteen years. Man, I really feel old. Anyway, that’s the official word from the developers; they’re not saying never do it, but on the other hand, they also won’t just paste in the old system. They want to innovate and find something new that works with modern CoD. Okay, I guess? But the reaction online… wow.
Players pour their anguish in the replies-and, if I may say so, the vibe there was… mixed. Some people are enraged. One user, Dee (@ufallb4me), blew up: “But that’s EXACTLY what WE want! How dense can they possibly be?” They’re screaming for a return to that simpler time, before the current Gunsmith that requires you to unlock a million individual parts for each weapon. The feeling is strong that the old way was just… better. More balanced, less grindy.
Then there’s that other side. Other players, like SHDW_Skull, say, “nah, we’re past that.” The consensus is that the current system is great, just don’t screw it up like they did in Vanguard. It pretty much became a civil war in the comment section, standard fare for anything Call of Duty-related.
Well, then there are the conspiracy theories. There have to be some, of course. Pretty much a lot of people believe that the real reason is money. Steve Cook (@Osiris_Cook) stated outright: “They haven’t found a way to monetize pick 10 as much or more than the current system. Until they do it will not come back.” Spicy take. The theory is that the new Gunsmith system could better tie into the whole battle pass-store-bundle economy – selling blueprints with five pre-set attachments is so damn viable if selling attachments is the actual soul of this grind.
There is another one making the rounds- the Warzone influence. User JOE (@SpookyWolf131) sums it up quite well: “Because they need to integrate to warzone. Each cod can’t be unique because of that bs.” That’s a big one. Since Warzone went central for CoDs, the MP games have all felt like they need to share mechanics and systems to get the transition between modes all nice and smooth. Gunsmith System is the basis of Warzone, so if Treyarch’s own multiplayer starts looking too different than it, that’s going to sound like an alien language. Valid point, even if it’s ridiculously frustrating for the hardcore MP who just want to see their classic Pick 10.
They’re even being very technical and throwing out ideas for hybrid systems. How about a “Pick 13” from Advanced Warfare, but just remove the scorestreak choices? Somebody also pointed out that since guns now have up to 5 attachments max standard, a higher-point system could work. It’s very clear that players actually have put way more thought into this than I’ve put into my own life choices.
Some kind of nostalgia effect is going on. A lot of people are very strongly convinced that those games from around 13 years ago were 100 times better, so maybe you really should take the old-timey way. That typical “they don’t make ’em like they used to” kind of feeling. Black Ops 2, to this day, goes down as the ultimate multiplayer design, with Pick 10 in the forefront of that legacy.
Anyway, I happily lose my train of thought now. But I’m pretty sure I actually was saying something important about how the devs are looking at it. Just not ready to pull the trigger anytime soon. Treyarch is in a pretty tough spot. On one hand, you’ve got a very large and very vocal portion of your player base pleading for a return of a dearly beloved feature. On the other, this game has grown so much with Gunsmith and Warzone integration forming the core of today’s CoD experience. So, really trying to figure out how to bring back the strategic depth that was Pick 10 without destroying everything else is just not an easy task.
So for now, it’s a whole lot of talking. It’s under consideration, but for now, it’s just back to the current system for us. Love it or hate it; just the way it is. But, that’s all they will even entertain for now, and you better believe the players are going to be breathing down their necks until the next game. Right? Hopefully.
