For many of us playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and trying our best to unlock the higher tier weapon camos, there has been a staple we've turned to; Stakeout. While the map can't compensate for poor skills like my own, it's an efficient place to quickly tick off headshots and mastery camo challenges.
With the removal of the Stakeout 24/7 playlist, a lot of players let out a massive sigh, but don't fret. Its replacement on the playlist, er, list, is Racket 24/7.
Racket is a new Face Off map added with Season 1 Reloaded and can be played in 2v2 or the traditional 6v6 madness. I've been playing it on repeat, seeing if it can substitute Stakeout for my own half-baked camo grind, and the answer is yes. I actually, dare I say it, think it might be a little better for it than Stakeout.
Racket has a better layout for mastery camo challenges
For ripping off the 100 headshots needed to get through the basic camos, then sure, Stakeout is probably still as good. Honestly, anything below Gold and it probably doesn't matter too much.
But from Gold onwards is where I think Racket will shine over Stakeout. The Gold camo challenges are to get 10 double kills, and with the last two SMGs I needed to get to this level, it took me honestly two matches each on Racket. Then stepping up to Diamond where the challenge is to get three kills without being eliminated ten times, I've been able to achieve this up to four times in a single match.
The reason I think it's so good is because it combines the small, cramped, chaotic nature of Face Off, with a layout that wouldn't be out of place blown up on a bigger map. Stakeout is fun, but let's face it, there's not much strategy, and playing for your life is much more difficult than it can be on Racket.
Easier to play tactically on Racket for harder camo challenges
The reason you want to be on a Face Off map for efficient camo grinding is because the enclosed space makes engagements more frequent, and matches don't last as long as the bigger maps.
While getting double kills (and triple kills for Dark Spine) generally need running and gunning, Diamond and Dark Matter require getting kills without dying.
The former you can do just as well on Racket, perhaps a little better even, than Stakeout. But it's those two that require you staying up for longer, where Racket really comes alive.
At each end of the map there is a room, either an office or a bathroom, with a door at each side of it that looks out over the end of one of the three lanes. If you can get in here and gain control, it's fairly straightforward to tick off those kills without getting wiped out by someone appearing behind you. The clip below shows exactly what I mean.
The rooms can always work to your advantage from the outside, too. If the doors are swung open as in the image above, there's just enough space to hunker down behind it while still aiming straight at the end of the lane. Or catching people who fly out of the room unawares.
Both of these rooms are popular spots, so you won't be able to hold one forever. But equally, always aim that way if you come down the outside lanes. Chances are there's someone in there waiting for you.
Alternatively, if you find yourself stranded in the middle of the map, there are a couple of rooms here that you can peek out from in different directions, but I wouldn't recommend hanging around in these too long!
While Racket 24/7 is a featured playlist though, give it a try. I truly think it's better for those higher level camo challenges than Stakeout, so I'll be getting as many ticked off over the next week or so as I can.
