Black Ops 7 Beta playlist "where skill is minimally considered" gets stamp of approval from noted CoD disliker and former FPS pro Shroud: "It's actually kind of enjoyable"

We're waiting until November before we can fully play Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, but the usual open beta is currently ongoing. Players who pre-ordered the upcoming game or subscribed to Xbox Game Pass have access to the regular multiplayer, one map in Zombies, and a selection of other cosmetic goodies.

As is typical of the beta, feedback has been somewhat mixed, as people put the FPS through its paces for Treyarch and Raven Software ahead of launch. Although this early sample is only available from October 2 to October 8, noticeable changes and improvements have already been observed.

Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek, former Counter-Strike and Valorant pro and popular Twitch streamer, has been partaking, and despite his admitted cynicism towards the franchise, he notes the playlist is on the way up. "I'm not a big [Call of Duty] enjoyer, but whatever they had two days, it was absolutely miserable," he responded on stream to a viewer's question. "And now, it was actually kind of enjoyable. So they better keep this playlist."

YouTube

Watch On

He notes that he plays video games a lot, and a positive of the current structure is how appealing it might be to casual fans. "What if you don’t play a lot of games? Would you just be [screwed] if this playlist didn’t exist?" he adds.

Prior to the recent changeover, aim assist and poorly implemented SBMM were making Black Ops 7 nigh interminable depending on your setup. Shroud - a bona fide FPS professional - was having all sorts of trouble keeping up on mouse and keyboard, getting slaughtered at almost every turn.

"On mouse and keyboard it's over, I think," he exclaimed in an older clip, demonstrating the contrast in playlists. Hopefully, Black Ops 7 stays on this trajectory as we head toward November 14th.

Black Ops 7 will "redefine" what Call of Duty can be, and even after 20 years Treyarch is still promising "some of the most unique and unexpected moments of the series"