Even before the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta kicked off in earnest, one Scorestreak was the undisputed king of controversy. Following footage from this year’s COD Next Event, The Gravemaker, a one-shot sniper rifle that highlights enemies through walls, instantly earned overpowered status, being called broken, unfair, and even a source of built-in cheats. On the surface, it’s easy to see why, but in reality, The Gravemaker is one of the most devilishly rewarding and surprisingly balanced additions to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
That doesn’t mean that, beyond the streak’s thematic ties to hacking, The Gravemaker isn’t frustrating to die to; it absolutely is, which is undoubtedly part of the reason it’s so controversial. That frustration doesn’t automatically make it poorly designed, however. In fact, the new sniper streak is proof that even in a series as established as Call of Duty, there’s still room to shake things up in just the right ways.
Black Ops 7’s Gravemaker Scorestreak Has An Image Problem
Criticism of the streak’s overpowered status was overwhelming, but also missing the point a bit, because the real reason Black Ops 7‘s Gravemaker is getting dragged isn’t because it’s unstoppable, but instead because it looks like something that shouldn’t exist within the boundaries of the title’s actual gameplay design. Its closest comparison isn’t another Scorestreak at all, but actual wallhacks, and that aesthetic similarity can understandably make people feel uneasy about it.
It’s probably the first time a streak has felt this close to an actual cheat, and that’s going to spark strong opinions no matter how balanced it actually is. The Gravemaker’s resemblance to wallhacks might be precisely what makes it feel so fun: it lets players wield “illegitimate” power without breaking any actual rules.
If you look past the surface, however, Gravemaker is balanced by some measured constraints. Its score cost is steep, its ammo is limited, and it doesn’t hand you kills for free. Players actually have to put in the work, predicting enemy movement, timing shots, and aiming them accurately without dying. That alone sets it apart from fire-and-forget Black Ops 7 Scorestreaks like the Watchdog Helo. It’s a cut above simpler streaks in its same vein, like the Death Machine or Hand Cannon — a challenge that makes its rewards feel earned.
Black Ops 7’s Gravemaker Sniper is Powerful, Not Overpowered
The Gravemaker Scorestreak is also not nearly as unbalanced as it’s made out to be. Sure, it’s soul-crushing to die to, but that’s true of almost every high-end Call of Duty streak. The Gravemaker feels different because it looks different; being deliberate, player-controlled, and available earlier than something like the VTOL Warship aren’t exactly game-balance deal-breakers.
That last bit is worth discussion, too, as The Gravemaker doesn’t even come close to matching a VTOL’s kill potential. Lining up a shot that drops someone halfway across the map through two walls feels villainous in the best possible way.
During my time in the Black Ops 7 beta so far, the VTOL has easily outperformed The Gravemaker, with the actual difference being that The Gravemaker feels significantly nastier.
Black Ops 7's Gravemaker Controversy Is Overblown
At the end of the day, The Gravemaker’s most meaningful issue is that it might feel a touch unfair to some of the Black Ops 7 community. It espouses the feeling of cheating, even though it’s entirely legitimate, and that alone is enough to make people uneasy. Past that gut reaction, though, is a well-tuned, exciting Scorestreak that deserves a lot more credit than it’s getting, especially when the extended mag Overclock is attached, which takes The Gravemaker from fun to straight-up addictive.
The Gravemaker’s resemblance to wallhacks might be precisely what makes it feel so fun: it lets players wield “illegitimate” power without breaking any actual rules.
It’s not the most explosive streak in Black Ops 7 beta, and it’s certainly not the easiest to get, but it is one of the beta’s most memorable, and that’s got to count for something. Despite its looks, fans can rest assured that The Gravemaker isn’t breaking the game. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a Scorestreak in years, though, and frankly, exactly the kind of shake-up a 20-year-old franchise needs from time to time.