Fans have waited a long time to finally get their hands on League Play in Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War. How does this new mode work exactly?
A ranked mode is something Cold War fans have wanted for months and, after numerous teases by Treyarch, the League Play mode is finally here. It’s clear that Treyarch wishes to cater more to the competitive players, mimicking maps, modes and rulesets also used in the upcoming Call of Duty League. Yet, the community feedback is mixed.
Divisions and ranking up
Players will be placed in one of five available Skill Divisions where they’ll compete to reach the top of the ladder. These Divisions are Competitor, Advanced, Expert, Elite and Masters. Each one of these hosts a select number of players within the game.
- Masters: Top 2% of players
- Elite: Top 15% of players
- Expert: Top 30% of players
- Advanced: Top 50% of players
- Competitor: Remaining 50% of players
Players will be able to climb up the ladder and receive a rank which can go up if they win more or go back down when losing. This is done by Ladder Points, which you’ll gain by playing matches. There are also certain ways to climb faster, such as consecutive wins. On the other hand the playlist also features heavy punishment for players who decide to leave in the middle of the match, as they’ll lose more points upon a loss.
Disclaimer: I have barely played league play today but saw the rankings and was instantly bummed. Maybe next year 😞 😔
— Empire C6 (@Crimsix) February 9, 2021
Depending on your position on the Division Ladder at the end of each Event, players will earn gems which they can in turn collect to advance in rank. This is similar to the League Play system that was in place in the previous edition. High finishes will give you upgrades to your progressive rank which can range from Bronze all the way to Diamond.
Game modes and featured maps
League Play features three main game modes players will be playing, namely Hardpoint, Search and Destroy and Control. Each of these game modes has a select number of maps attached to it. Checkmate, Garrison and Raid are shared across all game modes, while Hardpoint is also played on Moscow and Crossroads. Search and Destroy switches out Crossroads and substitutes Miami.
Community reaction
Not everyone is as happy with the new game mode, as some professional players and content creators have already spoken out about some of the issues they’ve faced or how things are handled. One of them being Jack “Courage” Dunlop, who criticized the ranking system. “It isn’t a true ranking system. CoD needs to learn from League of Legends, Valorant, and CS. I want to be able to show off my rank, brag about it on my profile, earn exclusive items. I’d love to consult for it.”
Had a lot of people asking why I don’t stream CoD League Play…
It isn’t a true ranking system. CoD needs to learn from League of Legends, Valorant, and CS.
I want to be able to show off my rank, brag about it on my profile, earn exclusive items. I’d love to consult for it.
— Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) February 9, 2021
Most of the negative feedback seems to be aimed at the ranking system that is in place, with the biggest piece of criticism being that it isn’t an accurate reflection of skill but of how much time you put into the game. Some have suggested to Treyarch to use an elo system like the one that was used in Call of Duty: World War II.
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