For decades, Call of Duty campaigns let players choose their level of challenge – from the laid-back Recruit to the punishing Veteran. But this year, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is breaking tradition. Treyarch has confirmed that the campaign will not include traditional difficulty settings. 
Instead, the challenge is automatically tuned based on whether you play alone or with friends.
Black Ops 7’s campaign can be played solo or in co-op with up to four players. According to associate creative director Miles Leslie, the team designed missions with both solo and squad experiences in mind. “You cannot pick a difficulty like past games. It’s baked in,” he explained in a recent interview. “We wanted solo players to feel included, but also ensure that two, three, or four players get the right mix of fun and challenge.”
That means longtime COD fans who thrived on Veteran runs won’t find that option here. Instead, the studio is betting on a campaign that balances intensity and accessibility through dynamic scaling. Treyarch insists this approach reflects a shift toward social play, without leaving solo players behind.
The move has already sparked debate. Some see it as an evolution for co-op storytelling, while others feel the lack of difficulty choice strips away part of what made COD campaigns iconic. Whether this gamble pays off will depend on how well the baked-in challenge resonates with fans when the game launches.