Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Directed Mode Has Been Huge for Zombies

Activision confirms Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Directed Mode has significantly boosted main quest completion rates. The mode, introduced in Season 1, has nearly doubled the number of players finishing the Zombies storyline, increasing the completion rate from a mere 4% to 8.23%. This impressive jump is based on a staggering 480 million hours of gameplay data, a small portion of which reflects post-Directed Mode playtime (since November 14th).

While many Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies players prioritize survival in the wave-based mode, Directed Mode's guided structure encourages story engagement. The Zombies narrative, spanning back to World at War, has grown increasingly complex over the years, incorporating elements like interdimensional travel and time manipulation, potentially overwhelming newcomers. Previous iterations offered minimal guidance, leaving players to decipher the story largely on their own.

Treyarch designed Directed Mode specifically to improve main quest participation. The doubling of completion rates validates this objective, although the developer acknowledges that the vast majority (over 90%) of players still haven't completed the main quest. Further improvements are planned.

The Season 1 update, including Directed Mode, also introduced three new maps and two additional game modes. Directed Mode acts as a helpful guide, streamlining the experience of the intricate Black Ops 6 Zombies storyline and making it more accessible to players. As Treyarch continues to update Black Ops 6, further refinements to both the Zombies mode and Directed Mode are expected to further enhance player engagement with the main quest.