Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has been out for a while now and so far there's been no real drama or concerns to report on in terms of core gameplay. Everything is calm. So let us take this little calm period to look into the different game modes.
We'll also give you some tips and tricks for improving your game. Everything we are going to be suggesting is platform agnostic, so whether you be a dirty console peasant or PC master race - it is all relevant. But this needs to be said: we have all been there. Hell, you might be in the middle of it right now hence why you are reading this guide.
You had some bad games and your K/D is starting to drop and you are suffering from the social embarrassment that you feel it represents so you are looking for a quick and easy fix. What's the magic gun? What's the magic loadout? What perk will make me better? While we don't have the exact answers to these questions, we'll try to help you increase your performance to the point where you don't have to ask these questions to begin with.
So what do you get with ? Let's start with our first game mode.
Zombies
The Zombies mode returns once more. For those that don’t know, this is a pseudo-endless wave mode. You and three other players must fight off waves of the undead. Killing the zombies is not only crucial to your individual survival but also to upgrade your weapons, as the number of zombies increases each along with their health/armour.
There are three maps released so far:
IX - Set in a gladiatorial arena
Voyage of Despair - Set on the Titanic
Blood of the Dead - Set in Alcatraz
Activision
This is the most therapeutic mode going, at the start at least. Then it turns into a panic mode of twitch shooting and reviving downed teammates. There’s a lot going on and with some coordination with teammates, victory could be assured. A deep dive into all of that will take a while, so, for now, let’s just give you some basic tips.
- Headshots are crucial, focus on getting them in the early rounds. You have more time to aim your shots and every little point helps.
- Stay together as a group. Don’t run off on your own or let someone else run off, especially in the later rounds. They are going to fall and die and then you are going to be down one gun with more zombies chasing you.
- Find the the Pack-a-Punch. These are handy stations you can use to increase the power of your weapons.
- Every game needs crafting and Zombies is no exception. Workbenches are used to create special weapons and equipment. Regardless of which map you play, always be on the lookout for workbenches but, most importantly, look out for items for crafting. They spawn randomly around the map.
Blackout
It’s strange to think that the Battle Royale mode has only been in the major popular consciousness for only two years. Yes, we know that the mode existed before PUBG, but PUBG made it big and Fortnite made it colossal.
So Blackout is a collection of Black Ops maps spread across a roughly 16 square kilometers of terrain. Drop into the map from the air and stay inside the diminishing circle. Collect weapons and equipment you find typically in buildings, kill others and stay alive.
Activision
There is nothing majorly new from the core framework that PUBG and Fortnite established but it feels different because you are taking a franchise and engine built on “run and gun corridors” and stretching the map size. So let’s give you some tips for this one.
- There’s plenty of health around the map so be sure to grab as much as you can, but look out for the Trauma Kit. It provides additional 50 health points to your original 150.
- The first round/wave whatever you want to call it when the circle starts coming in, is not that bad, so you don’t need to panic. Still, make your way but don’t feel like your life depends on it.
- Be calm and know when to take your shots. You have the time to aim for the head. You don’t need to twitch shoot everything that comes into your vision because that alerts everyone around you to your position as well. For large parts of the game, you may feel there is a great amount of silence and isolation, but look at that kill cam after you die and see where everyone else was and you will realize that there are probably dozens of other players quite close to you. Take a shot when you have an object to hide behind and can see your surroundings clearly.
Multiplayer
Finally, the Stewart for Call of Duty, the thing that made it the franchise that it is. The multiplayer mode. Oh, the anger, joy and screams that this mode has caused... Friendships formed and destroyed all in the crosshair on a screen.
Activision
Black Ops 4 continues the pseudo “hero characters” called “Specialists”. Each Specialist is designed with a unique voice and personality, as opposed to the generic multiplayer soldiers in previous games. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- The first big change is regarding health. Namely, the ability to automatically regenerate health has been removed. Recovery is now administered on a morphine tap with a cool down time. Be sure to keep an eye on it and use it when necessary and in a safe environment - the animation could cost you your life. Secondly, health is capped at 150 as opposed to 100 which means kills take slightly longer then they did in previous games. So you have more time to turn and drop shot an enemy, but so do they.
- Find a balance between change and consistency in your loadout. Don't lose a game and dramatically change your sensitivity. Do it slowly and adjust to a point you feel comfortable with. Same goes with class loadout, especially your gun. A big change can result in worse performance!
- Play Hardpoint and Domination. They are objective based which means there are going to be clear areas where enemies will be. That means less chance of enemies spawning randomly behind you but a chance of either side being spawn trapped. Also, Hardpoint and Domination is the fastest way to get XP. These modes will not only earn you XP for killing enemies, but you'll also be awarded bonus XP for capturing the objectives.
Activision
And here's another bonus tip. This might be preaching to the choir but let's just go over gun types so we are clear on how they work and where to use them:
Assault Rifle - Average damage. Effective at middle range.
Submachine Gun - High rate of fire. Deadly at close range.
Tactical Rifle - Decent to high damage at close-mid range.
Light Machine Gun - High rate of fire and damage. High recoil.
Sniper - High damage. Effective at long range. Low fire rate. Bullets have travel time.
Handgun - Decent amount of damage at close range. Semi-automatic firing mode.
Shotgun - High damage output. Most effective at close range.
Launcher - High damage. Rockets explode around an area. Can damage you.
Now it's time for you to go out there and apply everything you learned here. Godspeed!
