New Black Ops 7 update adds just one simple thing, but it fixes Endgame's biggest issue

A new update for Call of Duty Black Ops 7 has just landed, and even though it's a micro patch with just one change, it's a big one if you've been sinking some time into its new Endgame mode. A grindable, extraction-based epilogue to BO7's campaign, there are certainly some gameplay improvements that could be made, but Endgame's biggest weakness has been a lack of disconnect protection - a major oversight, given that failing to safely extract will not just reduce your precious Combat Rating, but completely reset it to zero. However, the FPS game's new patch has the solution.

I haven't exactly been enamored with Endgame, or the campaign that precedes it - check out my Black Ops 7 review for my full thoughts. However, despite all the grindy, repetitive activities to increase your Combat Rating, some more interesting and challenging action awaits you at Endgame's conclusion. Trying to tackle this with a Combat Rating that's nowhere near the max level of 60, though, is a fool's errand. That makes it all the more frustrating when you get close to reaching the level cap, only for something outside of your control to reset all your progress.

I think Black Ops 7's decision to drop your score all the way to zero for a failed extraction or elimination is a bewildering one, but you can at least accept it if you mistime your escape from Avalon or take on too many enemies at once. What will inevitably cause damage to your mice, keyboards, controllers, and other valuable peripherals is a reset due to something you could do nothing about - power cuts, internet dropouts, server errors, game crashes, and the like.

Thankfully, Treyarch has now rolled out a solution that will protect you from such events. "When you deploy to Avalon, we'll snapshot your Combat Rating at the start of the match," the new patch notes read. "Earn progress and extract to grow your Combat Rating; fall in combat or fail to escape, and you'll lose it all. However, in the event that a disconnect does occur, you'll now begin your next match at the Combat Rating that you entered your previous match in to continue back on your path of reaching CR 60."

The studio also says it's "exploring additional and more robust forms of disconnect protection" for future updates.

So, that's one major Endgame issue fixed, coming not long after Treyarch made the earlier call to make it accessible to all BO7 players, regardless of whether they've played through the bizarre and underwhelming campaign. Another smart move. The remaining problem, for me, is the stale and repetitive activities, but Season 1 may hold the answers. New world events are coming to Endgame, which include the return of one of the giant robots from Black Ops 2's Origins Zombies map. Now that's the kind of spice it needs.