Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6's Scariest Mission Divides Terrified Fans

Treyarch and Raven Software really swung for the fences with "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6," and one mission in particular has completely divided the fanbase. No, it's not the incredibly dark 9/11 mission fans theorized about before the game debuted. It's a mini horror game that the devs managed to sneak in with a level called "Emergence." While "Call of Duty" games are typically power fantasies full of giant explosions, "Emergence" flips the script in a pretty ingenious way: After falling down an elevator shaft, players are exposed to a hallucinatory toxin that sets the stage for all sorts of creepiness to follow them throughout the level. As players journey through a four-area complex collecting keycards, they're pursued by living mannequins, zombies, and some truly monstrous bosses.

"Emergence" doesn't technically break the reality of the series — everything that happens in it is a hallucination, after all — but it does more-or-less abandon the traditional "Call of Duty" formula for about a full hour. Some "Call of Duty" fans are absolutely in love with the level, pointing to it as a big reason why this is one of the best "Call of Duty" games of all time. Others aren't so happy with "Emergence," with some even calling it the worst mission in the series' history. We hope you're ready to hear a lot of thoughts about "Emergence," because the gaming community is going to be arguing about it for a long time.

It didn't take long for "Call of Duty" fans to start talking about the "Emergence" level online. In fact players started posting their reviews on Reddit basically the second they finished the level. "So it isn't a traditional 'CoD' mission, but it absolutely stands out over a boring shooting gallery that 'CoD' unfortunately has had a lot of in the past," wrote one excited player. Plenty of commenters agreed with that sentiment, with one writing, "It was quiet [sic] possibly the coolest 'CoD' campaign mission I've ever played." However, a few people called out the mission for feeling too long and clunky, arguing that it ruins the game's military shooter vibe. 

People in the anti-"Emergence" camp quickly came to Reddit to share their thoughts with the world. "I don't play 'CoD' for mystical floating aliens with laser beams being shot out of their hands that morph into an office chair to 'hide from you,'" wrote one disappointed player. That opinion also had its backers, with one commenter saying, "Finally I'm not alone. This mission is the worst." The "Call of Duty" community on Reddit is clearly split down the middle on "Emergence," but how is the rest of the internet feeling?

It turns out that no matter where you look online, you're going to find "Call of Duty" fans arguing about "Emergence." Apparently no one who played "Black Ops 6" can agree if the level was a brilliant move by Treyarch and Raven Software, or a terrible blunder.

Spoiler free black ops 6 campaign review

THIS IS A TOP 3 COD CAMPAIGN.
CASE IS A TOP 3 COD PROTAGONIST.
EMERGENCE IS THE BEST COD MISSION OF ALL TIME!!!

IN TREYARCH WE TRUST pic.twitter.com/SiaguvnNU9

— Billy Wokecher (@Wokelander_alt2) October 24, 2024

Some players are ready to dance in the street to celebrate a mission that truly breaks the mold and offers a new kind of thrill in "Call of Duty." Others are upset that they were essentially forced to play a zombies game in the main campaign mode. 

"Emergence" ruins Black Ops 6.. if I wanted a zombie game I'd have bought one. Or I'd have played the dedicated Zombies mode.

— Ryan (@H_a_r_d_e_n) October 26, 2024

That last factor might ultimately be the deciding factor in whether or not people like "Emergence." Traditional "Zombies" fans seem to be in love with the level, but people who don't enjoy that creepy-crawly game mode seem pretty upset by it. One fan wrote, "I don't play zombies because I don't like it [because] it triggers my anxiety why in the f*** is it a good idea to put it in the campaign and not make it its own thing."

"Emergence" isn't nearly as controversial as the "No Russian" mission from "Modern Warfare 2." However, because of the intense reactions the level is getting, it wouldn't be too surprising to see the developers add an option to skip it (which some fans online are requesting). Not everyone is open to a horror experience in their first-person shooter, but regardless of how you feel about the level, the "CoD" team at least deserves some props for trying something new this far into the franchise. If you haven't revisited this franchise in a while, maybe it's time to give "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" a shot and make up your own mind about the "Emergence" mission.