Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Warzone integration gave us a new Resurgence map to enjoy. However, only after a few days did I feel that Area 99 was tedious. This map is so much fun in theory; a Warzone playground located near the classic Nuketown is nice! Yet, in practicality, it doesn’t match the competitive standards that Rebirth Island and Vondel check. Here are the main reasons why I’d skip Area 99 any day to play another Resurgence map.
It’s Way Too Small
Compared to the Warzone Resurgence maps so far, Area 99 is one of the smallest. Most of the time, it’s like anywhere you land, there’s an enemy camping on its corners. The purpose of the map is probably to increase engagement so that the players can feel the rush and pressure, but why?
Area 99 tries to give players a Shipment 24/7 vibe, and it does, really, but this isn’t Multiplayer, and you won’t get an instant respawn. So while Area 99 increases the intensity of the battle by being too small, it misses the mark and falls from the other side of the cliff by not giving players some breathing room.
The Map Looks Entirely The Same
Except for the Pods and the underground area of the map, all of Area 99 is like a facility with small Nuketown pieces scattered around the map. I get that it should look like this because Area 99 is where they create Nuketown test sites, but, it just doesn’t work for a Warzone map.
The facilities are all the same, and the middle area of the map, called Reactor, is just one giant building with too many camping spots and a few hangers that look identical. The best you can do is compare Area 99 to other Resurgence maps like Rebirth Island and even Vondel which have a ton of unique POIs.
Reactor Campers
This is the main reason why Area 99 is absolutely a bad Resurgence map in Warzone. The map is basically flat. If you’re inside a building, you’re safe; if not, a random sniper on top of the Reactor might just shoot you down, and it’s game over. This happens so many times in different matches that it becomes annoying as hell to play. You did this with Caldera, and it didn’t work, Call of Duty. Why bother doing it again?
A high building in the middle of the map where you can spot anyone anywhere also encourages the camping strategy. Any building you jump into in Area 99 is most probably occupied thanks to the map being too small for 40 players and the fear that if you step outside, you’ll be sniped as if Young-Hee is sitting on top of the Reactor spotting our motion.
So overall, Area 99 isn’t cut for the pace and the gameplay of the Black Ops 6 iteration of Warzone. Maybe if we were in the MW2 era of three years ago, Area 99 would fit just well into the slow movement and tactical approach of Warzone 2.0.
