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Headquarters in Black Ops 6 is an objective mode built around one moving point. A team captures the active HQ and holds it, earning one point per second of control, while that team cannot respawn. The other side has to disable the HQ or wait for its timer to run out, then get to the next location first. In public matches, the first team to 200 points wins.
How the mode works
Activision’s official mode guide, written by Dan Herrera and dated October 23, 2024, describes Headquarters as a capture-defend-rotate cycle. Its core rules are:
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- Objective: Capture the active Headquarters, then defend it.
- Respawns: Respawns are disabled for the team that holds the HQ while it remains active. This is the mode’s defining risk, because a holding team can become outnumbered with no way to bring fresh players in.
- Location: HQ locations change in a random rotation, so the next point is not known in advance.
- Shutdown: A captured HQ ends when the enemy disables it or when its timer runs out.
- Scoring: The team controlling the HQ earns one point per second of control. In public matches, the first team to 200 points wins.
Capturing the HQ
Attacking is mostly a coordination problem. The guide’s advice is to avoid feeding solo entries into a defended zone. Push together, use flanks, and get capture progress started rather than spending the round on kills alone. The guide warns that eliminating defenders without advancing the objective can waste time while the other team scores.
- Group up before the push so that the first wave arrives together rather than in single file.
- Send at least one player around a flank so defenders cannot focus the whole approach.
- Once defenders are down, start capture progress immediately instead of chasing remaining enemies across the map.
- Watch the contest state. Capture progress pauses while both teams occupy the zone.
Contested zones and clearing progress
A zone is contested when players from both teams are inside it, and capture progress stops. Progress that has already built up does not disappear on its own. If the enemy leaves progress uncleared, they can resume it when they return, so an attacking team that repels the first wave should clear the zone before it moves on.
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Defending without respawns
The defending team faces a numbers problem. Because the holding team cannot respawn, every death is permanent for that HQ cycle, and the attackers can keep arriving. The guide’s approach is to hold the position with cover and information rather than standing in the open.
Defending after capture
Once the HQ is captured, defenders can leave the zone and hold nearby angles when it is safe to do so. This lets the team keep attackers from easily re-entering without standing inside the capture area under fire.
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Clearing after repelling an attack
If the first attackers are repelled, re-enter the zone to clear the enemy’s capture progress. Clearing is what stops the enemy from resuming where they left off when they come back.
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Because of the no-respawn condition, the guide recommends defensive equipment for holding the zone. It names Blast Traps, Spring Mines, Thermo Grenades, and Molotovs as examples. These are illustrations from the official article, not required or recommended loadouts, so choose whatever suits your class and the map you are on.
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- In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
- Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
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Rotating to the next HQ
Because the location changes, the rotation is part of the mode rather than a side task. The guide recommends that one teammate finish disabling the current HQ while others move toward the next likely location and prepare a perimeter there. Learning where HQs can appear on each map is the main way to make that handoff smoothly. Those spawn points are not listed in the mode guide, so check the map and your team’s experience for the current rotation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Team size and playlists
The official launch communication, dated October 16, 2024, lists Headquarters as a 6v6 mode. The detailed mode guide’s team-size field says “1-6 Player,” so the mode is not limited to one team size across every playlist. Check the playlist information in the game menu to see the team size for the playlist you are queuing into.
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Key terms
- Contested: Both teams have players in the zone, and capture progress stops.
- Cleared zone: Enemy capture progress has been removed. If it is not cleared, the enemy can resume it on return.
- XvX: Shorthand for the number of living players on each side, such as 4v3. The guide notes that Headquarters does not show this as a HUD element.
Keeping the guidance current
The mechanics above come from Activision’s October 2024 guide. Later updates, seasons, and platforms can change rules, so treat the in-game playlist information as the final word on the active ruleset.
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Dan Herrera’s guide puts the mode in one sentence: “Compete to capture Headquarters and then defend it. Respawns are disabled for the team that holds the HQ.”
Quick Recap
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