Over a decade in the past, Name of Obligation: Black Ops III launched a brand new multiplayer recreation mode to the franchise: Safeguard. This team-based mode had gamers pushing and defending a strolling robotic from one other staff tasked with stopping it. It was excellent. However the mode’s final look in a most important recreation was in 2018. So I used to be over the moon to see the mode return as a part of Black Ops 7‘s second season. And whereas I’ve some points with it, Safeguard remains to be lots of enjoyable in 2026.
Booting up Safeguard within the new season of COD: BLOPS7 was like returning to an previous good friend’s home after years away to hang around. One thing I’ve at all times appreciated in regards to the mode was the way it gave the protection a approach to battle again that wasn’t simply “Kill the opposite staff.” You possibly can as a substitute focus your injury on the robotic, and should you do sufficient, it is going to cease shifting and should reboot. This provides much less expert gamers a manner to assist with out having to search out extremely expert COD professionals every match. It additionally results in an fascinating dynamic the place a defending staff can over-focus on taking out the bot and let the attackers flank them and wipe them out. However focus an excessive amount of on the attackers, and the bot will stroll its manner into the checkpoint, and also you’ll lose earlier than you understand it.
This time round, the robotic you might be defending is a four-legged Boston Dynamics-like mechanical canine. The bots have been beforehand bipedal humanoids, which was wonderful, however I’m much more into guarding a robo canine than a random mechanical man. But it surely felt to me as if this robotic canine could be shifting quicker than the previous bots had in Safeguard. So I talked to the devs behind the mode, and so they confirmed that, no, the bot is shifting at a “tempo according to earlier” variations of Safeguard.
Nonetheless, “BO7’s tighter map layouts, up to date pathing, and the brand new animation set could make its motion really feel quicker, despite the fact that the underlying velocity hasn’t modified a lot,” stated a Treyarch spokesperson. In addition they confirmed they’re taking a look at information to determine if the bot ought to transfer a bit slower.
One other challenge with the present model of Safeguard in Black Ops 7 is you can generally win, however nonetheless lose. Principally, the sport mode is constructed round how briskly you get the bot to the checkpoint. Every staff will get a shot at pulling this off. If the primary staff does it in let’s say two minutes, then the opposite staff goes, and in the event that they get the bot there in two minutes and three seconds, they’ll lose despite the bot making it to the checkpoint. This feels unhealthy, and Treyarch tells me they’re trying into this.
“We’re evaluating choices to finish the second spherical early in conditions the place the attacking staff hasn’t pushed the Robotic far sufficient in time,” Treyarch informed Kotaku. “And we’re taking a look at this alongside the broader UI enhancements already in progress. Our objective is to make the foundations and win circumstances as clear and intuitive as attainable for all gamers.” The staff can be open to bringing again extra time, which isn’t included in Safeguard proper now.
In addition to these points, and an odd bug that permit folks knock the bot out with a fight axe that has already been patched, I’ve actually loved taking part in Safeguard once more. I believe it’s an excellent instance of how Name of Obligation‘s gunplay may be extremely profitable in modes that aren’t merely about killing one another.
I hope the mode sticks round previous season two and, like Kill Confirmed and different fan favorites, return in future Name of Obligation video games. You don’t even should have a robotic for this mode to work. If the following Name of Obligation isn’t set sooner or later however as a substitute WW2 or one thing, wonderful, use a jeep. That may nonetheless let me take pleasure in this mode with my mates, even those that aren’t nice at FPS video games.
