Emergence - Behind each arena

Thought this mission was chaotic af. Didn't expect zombies to be in the campaign since they literally have a separate mode for that but anyways let's take a lil dive into EMERGENCE.

⚠️WARNING: Spoilers for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

-Advanced Combat Research-

For this section, we obtain a grappling hook and need to defeat the director of ACR with the help of some sentries.

I wasn't actually sure about this one since the zombies were just well....zombies that looked like guards. However, that said, the big guy we had to defeat was just a Cerberus/three-headed-dog-like figure.

-Administration-

For this keycard, we have to find the reports and slot them into the holders and this red mannequin comes to life (along with the others...)

Red is an interesting choice. It stands out from the rest and if we think back to Cold War, you'd remember red being used A LOT throughout the campaign.

Anyways, once it's free, the red mannequin goes on the run (a bit like Adler) and we have to chase it, the voice in Case's head saying, "I knew we couldn't trust him," and if we fire at it, the voice mentions, "Bullets are nothing to him," possibly referring to Adler being hardened by his years of service.

He cracks when we reel him in and get too close and then he pushes us away. The cracks remind me of Adler's scars - mental and physical. In fact, the mannequins actually take on the form of Adler mostly as well in this room. A coincidence? I think not.

After the initial phase, the red mannequin transforms into the monster as seen in the third image and again, we get another piece of dialogue - "See? He's a monster, just like the rest of them."

The thing that comes to mind here is Adler's nickname - America's monster.

-Joint Projects-

To acquire this keycard, we play some prop hunt basically! Objects around the room will rattle, signifying the monster's whereabouts and we have to sneak up on it and fire or it will disappear again - kind of alluding to the idea of secrecy, a core theme of Black Ops.

What's interesting to me is the fact that the zombie engages in a prop hunt like game with Case...like being on the move constantly and watching your back when others get too close to the truth perhaps.

We know that Sevati Dumas is the queen of disguise, excelling at being hidden in plain sight so this definitely fits her and that's why we see her in this arena.

-Cognitive Research-

During this phase, we have to drain some water to get the keycard and kill the big guy who's residing in the bathysphere.

The voice in Case's head seems to focus on rage here. I think for this part, there was a mix of Marshall, Sev and Adler zombies.

On escape, we see a Woods horde charging towards us. If we consider the theme of rage, we can certainly see where Woods' anger lies - Hudson and Mason's death especially to Woods' being kneecapped by Menendez and how that's mentally affected him, leading him to suffer. Hence, this is a part of the "cognitive research" bit.

-Biotechnology-

For this phase, we have to defeat a friggin' levitating zombie.

I thought this one was very reminiscent of Case...almost like it's his true form. He's essentially fighting himself for this one, just like looking in a mirror, right?

Troy and Sev zombies can be seen, most likely because this is where the three of them all are in reality.

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If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this mission <3

Okay, serious question…

Who has the worst road rage in our safehouse crew and what would they do?

(Black Ops Cold War and Black Ops 6 btw)

Black Ops 6 Campaign: The Story So Far (Part 2)

From the Call of Duty blog <3