Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 — Endgame Mode Explained
Endgame is Black Ops 7's replayable, up-to-32-player Co-Op Campaign mode set in the war-torn province of Avalon. Here's how to unlock it, build a loadout, pick abilities and Skill Tracks, and know when to exfil before you lose everything.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Co-Op Campaign doesn't end when the credits roll on mission 11. It opens up into Endgame, a replayable, up-to-32-player PvE mode built around exploring the war-torn province of Avalon, building a custom loadout, and deciding how deep into danger you're willing to push before you have to get out. Here's how the mode actually works, piece by piece.
1. What Is Endgame Mode?
Endgame is described by Treyarch as "much more than an epilogue" to the Black Ops 7 Campaign. It's a co-operative, player-versus-environment (PvE) experience where squads of up to four — inside a shared session of up to 32 players — explore Avalon, fight AI-controlled Guild forces, complete dynamic Assignments, and extract with whatever loot and progress they've earned. There's no player-versus-player combat here; every squad in the session is working toward the same goal.
For an inside look at the design intent, Treyarch's own developers break down the mode directly in this Dev Talk.
2. How to Unlock Endgame
Endgame isn't available from the start of the Campaign. You have to clear the first 11 Co-Op Campaign missions before it opens up. Once it does, JSOC's objective shifts to exploring The Guild's remaining Command Centers scattered across Avalon and dealing with exposure zones that are leaking a mysterious toxin into the province. From that point on, Endgame is fully replayable — you can drop back in as often as you like.
3. Dropping Into Avalon
Each run starts with a wingsuit descent into Avalon, which players use to cover ground quickly on foot, by vehicle, or through the air between objectives. Once you're down, the Tac Map and an overhead C-Link display surface nearby Assignments and Activities — things like stealing a Guild vehicle from a convoy or clearing out an enemy strongpoint. Complete one and you're rewarded with Caches, gear, and progress toward your Combat Rating. Squads can split up to chase separate objectives or group together when a fight gets difficult, particularly in Avalon's more dangerous areas.
4. Building a Loadout: Weapons and Field Acquisitions
Before every deployment, you pick one of four Operator Slots — choosing from up to 24 available Operators — and then build a Loadout around them. An Endgame Loadout is made up of a Main Weapon, a Melee Weapon, a Field Acquisition, and a piece of Field Equipment.
The Field Acquisition slot is what makes Endgame's loot loop distinct: it's a second weapon you have to actually find inside Avalon and successfully exfil with on a previous run before it's available to equip. Scattered around the map are Workbenches, which let you upgrade a weapon's rarity to boost its damage as you push into tougher zones.
5. Major and Minor Abilities Explained
Every Operator equips one Major Ability and one Minor Ability, and the combination defines how you'll actually play the mode. The eight Major Abilities are:
- Ballistic Shell — deploys an energy shield that blocks incoming fire.
- Active Camo — turns you nearly invisible for a short time; firing your weapon reveals your position.
- Hand Cannon — a powerful, accurate high-damage sidearm.
- Crash Cart — instantly revives nearby squadmates (or yourself) with temporary invulnerability.
- Vision Pulse — tags enemies through walls for the whole squad; tagged enemies take extra damage.
- War Machine — a single-shot grenade launcher with a large blast radius.
- Shadow Break — creates an energy field that teleports and damages enemies.
- Drone Pod — launches seeking aerial drones that explode on enemies.
The six Minor Abilities are Grappling Hook, Portal Grenade, Kinetic Jump, Flicker, Supply Link, and Black Hat — covering mobility, crowd control, hacking, and squad support. A stealth-focused player might pair Active Camo with Grappling Hook to slip past fights entirely, while an aggressive player might run War Machine with Kinetic Jump to smash into a zone and jump straight back out.
6. Combat Rating and Skill Tracks
Completing Assignments, finding intel, and eliminating enemies raises your Operator's Combat Rating, which caps at level 60. Every time it levels up, you're offered a choice between two Skill Tracks or Skills within a track you've already committed to. There are six Skill Tracks in total: Gunner (weapon handling and reload speed), Surgeon (healing and revives), Daredevil (movement and wingsuit tricks), Tactician (equipment and ability recharge), Berserker (aggression and speed), and Bulldozer (armor and damage resistance). Each track unlocks six distinct Skills as you keep investing in it.
There's a real cost to getting this wrong: if your Operator is killed in action, you lose your Combat Rating progress and Skills for that run entirely, so it's worth thinking about how a track fits your playstyle before you commit to it.
7. Exposure Zones: The Risk-and-Reward Loop
Avalon's Tac Map is divided into four numbered Exposure Zones, each carrying a recommended Combat Rating before you push in — Zone I requires no minimum, while Zone IV recommends a Combat Rating around 45. The deeper the zone, the harder the enemies hit and the better the loot they guard. That's the central decision Endgame keeps putting in front of you: press further into a more dangerous zone for stronger rewards, or play it safe and protect the build you've already earned.
8. Exfil: What You Keep and What You Lose
Every Endgame match runs against a timer, so the run always ends one of two ways: you find a friendly VTOL exfil point, clear the landing area, and get out — or you run out of time or get killed and lose everything you were carrying into that run. A successful exfil lets you keep your current Loadout, your Field Acquisition, and your Combat Rating progress, which is what lets you come back stronger and push into harder zones on your next deployment. Treyarch's own advice is blunt: make sure you get out every time.
9. How Endgame Connects to Season 6 and Beyond
Endgame isn't a one-and-done epilogue — Treyarch keeps adding to it with each new season. Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 6, The Haunting, launched September 17 and brought the Forbidden Summoning Event to Endgame specifically: as night falls over Avalon, Operators face down Fears, Guild opponents, and other threats under cover of darkness. Season 6 also lets players unlock the new Arcblade Melee Weapon and seasonal Camos by completing Weapon Class Camo Challenges across Multiplayer, Zombies, Endgame, and Warzone alike — and it's worth remembering that Endgame progression is shared with the rest of the game, so XP, Weapon Levels, and Battle Pass progress earned in Avalon carry over everywhere else.
Season 6 has also brought a limited-time DOOM crossover across the game; if you want the full rundown of that content drop, our breakdown of the DOOM Event Pass and Doom Slayer rewards covers everything included. For a wider look at everything else Season 6 changed, see our Season 06: The Haunting explainer.
10. Quick Tips for Your First Endgame Run
- Don't chase Zone IV on your first drop — the recommended Combat Ratings on the Tac Map exist for a reason.
- Pick a Major/Minor Ability pairing that matches how you actually want to play (stealth, support, or aggression) rather than whatever looks flashiest.
- Prioritize finding and exfilling with a strong Field Acquisition early — it's the only way to unlock a second weapon slot for future runs.
- Use Workbenches whenever you find them to upgrade weapon rarity before heading into a tougher zone.
- When in doubt, exfil. A safe extraction that keeps your Combat Rating is worth more long-term than a risky push that wipes your progress.
Endgame is one of the more ambitious ideas Treyarch has folded into a Call of Duty Campaign, and Treyarch has signaled it's not finished expanding it. With Season 6 tying the mode into Avalon's Forbidden Summoning Event and unified progression pulling every mode together, it's worth a look even if you've already finished the main story. For everything else happening across Black Ops 7 and Warzone this season, check out our full game walkthrough hub, and see what Treyarch has said about what's next for Black Ops 7 once Season 6 wraps up.