For some time now, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players have known that the next round-based map will be the game’s last. They have also known that the final Survival location will feature a new perk, with Treyarch confirming that a classic beverage is returning in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Back near launch, the lineup of additional Zombies perks leaked. Both Tombstone and Mule Kick were on this list, with fans able to listen to their jingles long before they became purchasable in the game. However, Double Tap did not end up coming, as the incredibly strong perk would have thrown off balancing based on Treyarch’s comments. As such, it was replaced with Death Perception, a Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 perk that is particularly useful for Outbreak players.
Following this Death Perception change, some were wondering if PhD Flopper would be swapped out with another perk as well. Fortunately, that is not the case. Treyarch not only changed its Twitter profile picture to the perk’s instantly recognizable logo, but the developer also posted its iconic jingle in a separate Tweet. While this is obviously exciting, it is interesting that the perk is using its original design and song, as that would imply functionality similar to its first appearance.
The issue with PhD Flopper is that, as its name suggests, it relies on players diving from large heights to trigger an explosion. Because of this, the perk could not fill its original role in games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and Black Ops 4. Once Treyarch swapped out dolphin dives for sliding, one of the main features of the perk went away. While it could retain the explosive invulnerability, “flopping” was no longer possible. As such, the perk was not seen in Black Ops 3 and was reworked into the less interesting PhD Slider in Black Ops 4.
With this in mind, it will be interesting to see how it functions. While it is possible that it features a flopping ability just like the original, it seems unlikely that Treyarch would add a whole new mechanic for one perk. As such, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players may see it functioning like PhD Slider, but with the classic jingle and design used to evoke some nostalgia. With 5 perk tiers to work with, though, an upgraded version of the perk could end up being very powerful.
With more being shown from Season 6’s Forsaken map later today, players may only need to wait a few hours before they get their answers on how exactly PhD Flopper works. Based on the reaction so far, though, the Zombies community is very happy to see it back.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.