In the seventh installment of Call of Duty: Black Ops, the first season will feature the comeback of some old-school and players’ reactions are not the same at all. Among the previously hypothesized weapons by CharlieINTEL, we have the Maddox AR from Black Ops 4, Crossbow, and Ballistic Knife. The matter has fed the Call of Duty community with mixed feelings; some of them are enthusiastic while others are annoyed, and many more are precisely in the middle of the spectrum.
So, what’s the Maddox really like? Apparently, the whole community was under the spell of Black Ops 4. This firearm was considered one of the finest assault rifles in the game. It was very peculiar in its combination of characteristics—quick firing rate, high power, plus just the right amount of recoil that made the whole thing fun. Cameron Brooks wrote on his tweet that for him, “Favorite gun from BO4 ngl.” At that point, pretty much every gun that has ever been in the Black Ops saga should be added to the list before his!
On the other hand, some people are not as entertained as the classic ones. B0PILLZ drew attention to one aspect very annoying to the players: “How many times is it gonna be the goddamn dlc weapon for like the 10th time already?” And their point is quite alright—the ballistic knife and crossbow have so often been released as DLC in the Call of Duty series that one can’t help but wonder why they’re not just a part of the game from the very beginning.
The challenge of having the right weapons only through seasonal content is a very contentious one. __its_isaiah__ voiced what many are thinking: “It better not be locked behind a battlepass but it’s 2025 so.” The last phrase is very telling—players seem to have come to terms with the current Call of Duty model where the new guns are mostly launched through the battle pass system. Grok, another user replying to the discussion said that following the typical Call of Duty pattern, these guns would be made available through the battle pass, although that is yet to be confirmed.
The issue of the case is most puzzling how the community is so divided over the matter. On one side, korex0 was one of the players who said in a very profane way “GOATED gun. Can’t wait.” The eagerness is certainly there for players who either loved the Maddox for competitive use or just appreciated its handling characteristics. But there are also comments like that of Batturd84 who says “BO7 will be the worst black ops they have ever made,” which indicates that not everyone is happy with the way things are right now.
Crossbow and Ballistic Knife may already be in the game, yet players are still putting forth the question of which modes might come along with them. K.C. tweeted “Crossbow and ballistic knife?? Sticks and stones must be coming back then 😌” referring to the party game mode from earlier Black Ops games. It does seem reasonable—those were indeed the most fun guns in that madness of a mode with little ones running around, only armed with throwables and crossbows.
Even more speculations have emerged regarding which guns are definitely not making a comeback. A couple of players mentioned the Ballista sniper rifle and rize asked “so no ballista????” while TherealEmberrow said “rip no ballista sniper.” It seems like every time the weapon announcement is made, the companies involved are certain that the majority of the players will expect to see their favorite ones on the list.
That’s not all; the timing of this Season 1 release has been a matter of discussion. TwimBlarkMe commented “the season starts 3 weeks after the game launch and there are still 4 weapons left. I don’t think doing this here is a problem”. This opinion suggests that having these weapons available in the first season instead of later might actually be a benefit for players who like to have more content sooner rather than waiting until later.
In contrast, Mark possessed the most philosophical viewpoint regarding the situation: “I guess recycling is good for the earth but…” This humorous remark reveals the situation where it becomes a very repetitive trend for Call of Duty developers to reuse old assets from previous games—be it maps, weapons, or modes. While some gamers complain that this is a sign of poor development, others see it as an opportunity to once again enjoy their favorite gun from an old game.
When we talk about the weapons, their actual stories in the Call of Duty universe are very different. One notable example is the Crossbow myth, which has also been very popular—AdrianUpdates tweeted “If the crossbow works in BO1 still, it’s going to be a game-changer.” The crossbow in Black Ops 1 was infamous for its powerful bolts and strange gameplay dynamics. Therefore, if Black Ops 7 gives the same version back and not a weaker one, it might very well be a matter of how one plays the game good or bad for them.
Regarding the Ballistic Knife, it has become a staple of the series since the original Black Ops where it could be both a melee weapon and a throwing projectile. It was never quite a competitive alternative but always more of a novelty pick because of those moments just when you wanted to show off your skills rather than merely killing enemies.
The one thing that by far the most response has shown is that weapon choice is very important for the Call of Duty community. Each weapon has its character, different handling and separate groups of fanatics. The case of Maddox is particularly captivating as it appears to have left a very deep mark on the players of Black Ops 4 to the point that its comeback after 5 years would finish the whole saga with a lot of buzzing.
The broader picture here is how Call of Duty will handle post-launch content in 2025. With it getting more and more service-oriented, seasonal models have just become the norm everywhere. Guns that a decade ago might have made it into the base game are now most often held back for seasonal updates to keep players interested and coming back. Some gamers regard it as the new normal, while others resist what they see as artificially extended content.
It’s rather interesting how guns come and go throughout the timeline of Black Ops series. The Maddox was a weapon newly introduced in Black Ops 4 and now it is moving from the classic returning guns to the renascence of a new weapon in Black Ops 7. This cycle of innovation followed by nostalgia has been one of the series’ winning formulas for years now.
The first season of Black Ops 7 is just around the corner and the focus will be on the manner the weapons are brought back to the game. Will Maddox feel the same as it did in Black Ops 4? Will the Crossbow be entitled to the glorious status it had in the previous games? And the question that haunts bigger than others—will these guns be available to everyone or will they be thrust behind grind walls or kept cash exclusive? Only time will tell, but undoubtedly the Call of Duty community will have a lot to discuss when they are finally allowed to once again play with their classic guns. The meta of suppliers is on the way of a revamp, so either players are eagerly anticipating it or they are apprehensive about it concerning their gaming experience on PlayStation and Xbox.
