I am a simple CODM player: I see jack-o'-lanterns, I hear zombies, and I immediately check whether my team has a healer. It is 2026, and I am still not over Season 9 Nightmare. Was it the Tak-5 team heal? The Swordfish? The fact that a scarecrow Nikto once stared at me from across Halloween Standoff while I clutched a candy bucket? Yes. All of it. Consider this my haunted retrospective: part love letter, part warning label, and part excuse to say the word spooky more times than my editor would like.
The Battle Pass Was a Horror Movie With Free Samples
Season 9 Nightmare went live on October 21 at 5 PM PT, and it arrived like a trick-or-treat bag that had been left in a haunted attic. The Battle Pass packed free and premium items, including new Operators, a functional weapon, Weapon Blueprints, Calling Cards, Charms, and COD Points. Was it excessive? Obviously. Did I grind anyway? Also obviously.
On the free track, Tier 14 handed out the new Tak-5 Operator Skill. In plain English, it let me heal my team and top them up with extra health in the middle of a firefight. As the squad healer who usually gets shot while helping, I felt seen. At Tier 21, the Swordfish functional weapon arrived, which meant I could finally miss my shots with a brand-new silhouette. Other free goodies included the Striker — Covenant and the Charm — Cymbalism. Free stuff is free stuff, even when it is covered in cobwebs.
The premium stream was where the Halloween fashion show truly lost its mind. We got Artery — Nosferatu, Rott — Tomb Bound, Iskra — Arachnis, and Nikto — Scarecrow. I do not know what Nikto was looking at, but it was not my kill-death ratio, because that was hiding. The Weapon Blueprints were equally dramatic: the Epic Swordfish MK2, PP19 Bizon — Haunted Haystack, Peacekeeper — Spine Rattle, and more. If you enjoy shooting people with guns that look like they were designed by a pumpkin with a grudge, this was your season.
| What | Why my squad cared | 2026 verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Tak-5 at Tier 14 | Team healing and extra health | Still a support dream |
| Swordfish at Tier 21 | New functional weapon | Still a weird, wonderful burst rifle |
| Halloween Operators | Artery, Rott, Iskra, Nikto | Still nightmare fuel in the best way |
| Spooky Blueprints | Swordfish MK2, PP19 Bizon, Peacekeeper | Still fashionably cursed |
Maps, Modes, and My Poor Heart
Halloween Standoff turned the classic map into a nighttime playground lit by jack-o'-lanterns. Hovec Sawmill also joined the Multiplayer rotation, because nothing says holiday cheer like a sawmill at night. The limited-time Halloween map was exactly the kind of seasonal sugar rush I wanted: familiar lanes, new shadows, and at least one jump scare caused by my own teammate crouching in a corner.
Then there was Drop Zone, a new Multiplayer mode first introduced in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Teams fought over a designated drop zone that rotated throughout the match. The only way to earn Scorestreaks was by holding the zone, which caused care packages to drop onto the map with a variety of armaments. Your team also earned more points for each player in the zone. Stack up, they said. Watch those incoming grenades, they did not say loudly enough. Is there anything more chaotic than five players hugging a capture point while the sky rains care packages and enemy frags? No. No, there is not.
Undead Siege returned with a new Halloween theme on Isolated. More zombie types shuffled into casual mode, including the Warden, the Heavy Gunner, and the Pulverizer. There was also a new daytime escort quest, because apparently the undead respect a busy schedule. We got 10v10 Pumpkin Confirmed, a Battle Royale experience with Isolated at night, and new zombie scares in Blackout. In 2026, I look back at that lineup and think: that was not a season, that was a haunted house with a matchmaking button.
Trick or Treat: Door-to-Door Candy Diplomacy
The Trick or Treat event was delightfully weird. Players went door to door and tried their luck. If you were tricked, you completed an in-game task to get your candy. If you were treated, the candy arrived right away. Candy awarded event XP and pushed you through the event track with milestone rewards along the way. You could set your own room to trick or treat and visit your friends' rooms, too. Did I spend more time decorating a virtual room than actually playing the objective? I decline to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate my candy habit.
Challenges, Clan Wars, and Draws That Wanted My Wallet
Seasonal challenges brought rewards like the Thumper, the next weapon in the Launcher class, and the Flash Drone, a tactical drone that blocked the enemy's vision. The Pumped Battle Royale class arrived through a featured event and gave your Operator a jet pack, which opened up new ways to navigate the map and engage in combat. A jet pack in Battle Royale? What could possibly go wrong? Everything, and that was the point.
Clan Wars did not get a brand-new season, but it did get important changes. Currency was reset to zero, Store items began rotating out, and rewards were made easier to obtain with significantly increased Clan Wars currency rewards. Unique rewards like Farah — Jinn were there for the dedicated. More updates and new Clan Wars rewards were promised for Season 10. In 2026, I can confirm that clan currency resets still make my eye twitch.
The Halloween Draws were a beautiful trap. The Dia De Los Muertos Draw featured Soap — Esqueleto and the Legendary Swordfish — Calaca. Gunzo — Devil Jester stalked the store with the Legendary Thumper — Surprise Party. And yes, there was a draw that let you toy with victims as one of horror's most iconic villains. Live or die. Make your choice. My choice was to check my COD Points balance and sigh dramatically.
The 2026 Verdict
Would I queue for Season 9 Nightmare again in 2026? Absolutely. Would I trust the candy? Never. The season was messy, packed, and gloriously extra, but that is exactly why it still haunts me. Modern CODM has more modes, more skins, and more ways to separate me from my COD Points, but Nightmare had a specific kitchen-sink magic: zombies, jet packs, care packages, jack-o'-lanterns, and a scarecrow staring into my soul. So here is my final question: if a Halloween season can still make me nervous about a virtual porch, was it not doing its job? Yes. Now excuse me, I have a candy bucket to check and a drop zone to defend.