Ever since Black Ops 7 hit shelves, it’s been non-stop action. The devs promised a ton of content, and for once, they’ve actually delivered. I’ve been spending way too many late nights trying to unlock attachments across the 30 launch weapons, which is a serious grind but half the fun. And with 18 maps in the pool from day one, there’s plenty of variety—although once Nuketown dropped, my K/D took a nosedive all over again. Whether you’re dropping into Avalon for that Endgame chaos or jumping into standard 6v6, it’s been packed matches every time, almost like living in a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby where the pace never lets up.

Right now there’s this odd limbo before the massive Season 1 update lands. You’d think people would take a breather, maybe touch some grass—but nope. The devs just rolled out a pre-season update with a new event, Proving Grounds. It’s a clever way to keep us hooked while the big patch waits in the wings, but it comes with a twist. This one leans into the competitive multiplayer side, which means if you’ve been avoiding PvP for the comfort of co-op or casual modes, you’re gonna need to step out of your comfort zone.

Zombies players, especially those deep into Ashes of the Damned, might find this a bit of a curveball. That’s the biggest Zombies map yet, and a lot of folks are still grinding that Easter Egg quest. It’s tough to pull yourself away from it. But Proving Grounds is dangling two unique camos that you can only earn in multiplayer. It’s a shift from mowing down AI undead to dealing with slide-cancel maniacs aiming for your head, but exclusive loot has a way of forcing your hand.

The smart move is to treat this event as a warm-up before the meta gets flipped in Season 1. These camos are limited-time, so once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. Levelling up your favourite guns in multiplayer now means you’ll be more prepared once new weapons and balance changes hit. So even if you’re knee-deep in the Dark Aether runs, take a break, set up a loadout you’re comfortable with, and jump into the Proving Grounds playlist. It might be sweaty, it might get chaotic, but grabbing those freebies before the big season start is worth it, especially when it feels like scoring wins in a cheap CoD BO7 Bot Lobby where everything clicks.