‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3’ To Release Final DLC ‘Salvation’ On Xbox One, PC

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will soon release its fourth and final DLC on Xbox One and PC (it released on PS4 last month), titled ”Salvation,” which some fans might consider strange, with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare less than a month away from worldwide release. It’s feasible that publisher Activision is counting on season pass purchasers to stick around and get their money’s worth before Infinite Warfare hits stores.

”Salvation” will add four multiplayer maps – according to GameSpot – to developer Treyarch’s third entry in their extremely popular Call of Duty: Black Ops series. Perhaps most appealing to fans is the addition of a map entitled ”Micro” that takes players to a scenic picnic table covered in food and then shrinks them down to a size little bigger than a large cockroach. While some gamers may consider Call of Duty games to be repetitive, it’s hard to argue with the creativity of a map design like this.

The other map that may catch fans of the series’ eyes is “Outlaw,” a remake of sorts of the semi-popular Black Ops 2 map “Standoff.” Like most of the other reimaginings of older maps, however, these ones have been given their own futuristic touch by Treyarch to fit in with Black Ops 3‘s themes and setting. Also included among the multiplayer maps is a new mode for the popular zombie game mode titled “Revelations.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3‘s main campaign is set in 2065 (forty years after Black Ops 2), and sees the main protagonist (who is only referred to as The Player) receiving cybernetic limb replacements after losing their arms and leg in a vicious battle with a robot. Eventually, The Player faces off against a deranged A.I. named Corvus who infects those with cybernetic implants. The narrative structure doesn’t often adhere to the more Hollywood action style of previous entries, electing instead to convey its themes through bizarre storytelling and an ambiguously strange ending (though some fans have their theories on what it all means).

Though it tried to subvert standard Call of Duty clichés, some critics weren’t as thrilled with the story. The multiplayer, however, has been better received, especially its addition of Specialists to accompany classes and the game’s perk system. The three previous DLCs for Black Ops 3, titled ”Awakening,” ”Eclipse,” and ”Descent” also released to positive reception, though “Awakening” and its reimagining of fan favorite “Hijacked” from Black Ops 2 (retitled “Skyjacked”) is probably the most notable.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare releases November 4, and will be the first Call of Duty title set in space since the game series kicked off back in 2003. Though it’s not clear what year the campaign will take place in, hints released by developer Infinity Ward point toward a future where Earth has been stripped of its natural resources because of overpopulation. Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington (who plays the much loved Jon Snow) will assume the duties of major villain, with UFC superstar Connor McGregor in a secondary antagonist role.

Again the developers, and more importantly Activision, seem to be pushing Call of Duty further and further into the realms of science fiction, much like other militarized shooters such as Halo, Gears of War, and perhaps most noticeably Titanfall. One wonders if this is the long-term plan for Call of Duty as a whole or if Activision will take a cue from Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 1, which is set during World War I. It’s more than probable we won’t know the answer to that question until after we get some numbers regarding copies sold.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will release the “Salvation” DLC for Xbox One and PC on October 6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcSmkeR6jY4

[Featured Image by Activision]