Killing commies for the Gippper? I’m in. Please tell me Ollie North is an NPC.
Theater mode is set to return in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
While we are not able to showcase what it looks like or features in it, the MP lobby menu screen had a locked “Theater” mode option shown.
Theater mode was first released back in 2011 in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 as a way to record and see gameplay from your matches directly in the game itself across platforms.
Theater mode has been in certain Call of Duty games since then, while not in others. The last game to have it was 2018’s Black Ops 4. Treyarch offered it to record and capture both MP and Blackout gameplay.
As of now, we can only confirm Theater works in MP mode of Black Ops Cold War. There’s no indication if it will be part of the Warzone mode as well.
It’s back. Yes, the standard mini-map returns in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Infinity Ward decided to change up the mini-map for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Initially, Infinity Ward opted to fully remove the mini map and only show up when the player earns a streak in the game. After feedback in the beta, the team added it back in but it did not show enemy fire in Modern Warfare.
Now, with Black Ops Cold War, Treyarch is bringing back the standard mini map that shows the red dots when enemies fire.
The mini-map is almost a combination of the standard Black Ops style mini map with the Fog of War introduced in Black Ops 4. It has elements introduced in Black Ops 4 including a circular shape with outlines around the border itself.
In addition to the mini-map, the compass feature introduced in Modern Warfare is also back in Black Ops Cod War at the top of the screen. Treyarch has not stated why they have a combination of both in MP.
Known maps, weapons, perks, & equipment in Black Ops Cold War
Here’s a list of the maps, weapons, perks, and equipment that were in the Alpha build of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War that we got to play.
There’s a variety of weapons, equipment, perks, and more available in Black Ops Cold War.
NOTE: This is just from the Alpha build and is subject to change by launch.
The full list:
Maps:
- Armada
- Crossroads
- Miami
- Satellite
- Moscow
Weapons:
Primary Weapons:
Assault Rifles
- XM4
- Krig 6
- AK-47
SMGs
- MP5
- Type 821
- AK-74u
Tactical Rifles
- M16
- Type 63
Light Machine Guns
- RPD
- Stoner 63
Sniper Rifles
- LW3-Tundra
- Pelington 703
Secondary Weapons:
Pistols
- 1911
- Diamatti
Shotguns
- Hauer 77
- Gallo SA12
Launchers
- Cigma 2
Perks:
Perk 1:
- Engineer – Detect Enemy equipment & scorestreaks through walls
- Tactical Mask – Maximized resistance to Flashing and Stun grenade. Immune to gas.
- Flak Jacket – Take less damage from enemy explosives and Molotov fires.
Perk 2:
- Scavenger – Replenish ammo from fallen players
- Quartermaster – Recharge equipment over 25 seconds
- Tracker – See imprint of enemy footsteps. Aim at enemies to reveal them on your team’s mini-map.
Perk 3:
- Cold Blooded – AI-controlled Scorestreaks will not target you. Player-controlled scorestreaks will not highlight you. Show up cold on Thermal. Players in vehicles won’t see your nameplates.
- Ghost – Undetectable by enemy Spy Planes whenever you are moving, planting, or defusing bombs, or controlling Scorestreaks.
- Ninja – Sprint more quietly. Resistant to Field Mic.
Equipment:
Tactical
- Smoke Grenade
- Stun Grenade
Lethal - Frag
- C4
New mode VIP introduced in Black Ops Cold War
Treyarch is bringing a brand new mode to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War called VIP.
This mode is new and played 6v6 in Black Ops Cold War.
In this mode, there’s an offense and defense team. Scorestreaks are disabled for players that are not the VIP. One player on the offense team is selected as the VIP. The VIP has a custom loadout that features a Pistol, smoke grenade, frags, and a Spy Plane scorestreak.
This mode features Last Stand when getting hit, allowing people to be revived before being fully finished off. Last Stand is not in any other mode. It’s a feature for this mode only to provide another change to get back into the action.
Teams will rotate between attacking and defending rounds, with a total of 4 rounds needed to win.
The objective of this mode is for the attacking team to get the VIP player to the Helicopter Exfil site successfully without dying. When the VIP reaches the exile site, the VIP has to press a button to be “taken out of the map” to win the game.
The round ends immediately if the VIP is killed.
In summary, here’s how this mode works:
- Medium to Large Maps
- 12 players
- Transport vehicles (map-based e.g. Crossroads)
- Scorestreaks are disabled except for the VIP, who will be given a Spy Plane for enemy intelligence.
- Players will enter Last Stand when taking fatal damage, and can be revived by teammates or finished by the enemy team.
- Teams alternate in Attacking and Defending. • At round start, helicopters will enter the map and head to their exfil sites. Flares will be deployed at each site.
- Exfil sites will rotate every other round.
- 1 player on the Attacking team will become the VIP at the start of each round.
- The VIP is given a custom Loadout, featuring a kitted out Pistol, Smoke grenades for cover, Frags for flushing enemies out, and a deployable Field Mic for additional enemy intelligence.
- Attackers must escort their VIP to 1 of the 2 exfil sites, where the VIP must interact with the rope below the chopper to hook up and rappel to safety inside of the chopper.
- Defenders must prevent the VIP from exfiltrating by any means necessary.
- The first team to win 4 rounds will win.
Activision details Black Ops Cold War & Warzone integration
Activision Blog has posted details on how Black Ops Cold War and Warzone will be integrated.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be available on November 13.
The new blog post details that Black Ops Cold War, along with Warzone, will have cross-play & cross-progression across all platforms.
Here’s the details from Activision:
Cross-Play, Cross-Progression, Cross-Generation
For the first time in franchise history, all fans will experience the next generation of global combat as one community, regardless of the platform or console generation on which they play Black Ops Cold War .
With Black Ops Cold War , an entire Multiplayer party could be comprised of up of to five players who are playing the game across the available five platforms, including next and current generation consoles as well as PC.
Alongside cross-platform and cross-generation play, players will have their profile, progression, and statistics tied to their Activision account. This allows them to switch between platforms, if they choose to do so, without losing in-game progress or identity.
Battle Pass, Store, and Armory Integration with Warzone
Warzone will continue to evolve after the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War , interweaving some of Black Ops Cold War’s themes, weapons, and operators into this blockbuster free-to-play Battle Royale experience.
Specifically, both games will share post-launch seasonal content through the return of the Battle Pass system and the Store, as well as share a progression system. At launch, Black Ops Cold War is set to include a brand-new leveling journey that will later connect to Warzone , allowing players to unlock new functional content to be used in both titles. In addition, both games are set to share post-launch seasonal content through the return of the Battle Pass system and the Store.
On top of all new Black Ops Cold War content, Warzone players will still have access to previously earned content: Weapons, Operators, Blueprints, Equipment, Cosmetics, and so on, that they earned during their experiences in Modern Warfare . Please note that previously earned Modern Warfare content is only available and usable in Modern Warfare and Warzone.
This means:
- Those who earned Modern Warfare items in Modern Warfare or Warzone will retain their content when Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War arrives this November.
- All new Black Ops Cold War functional content, such as base weapons and attachments, can be unlocked by playing Black Ops Cold War and Warzone .
- The Battle Pass System will continue to include free tiers, similar to the Modern Warfare Battle Pass system, which will include new base weapons in addition to other categories of items players can earn simply by playing the game
- Battle Passes will launch in tandem with post-launch live seasons, which will include themed content that matches each season’s narrative.
- Players can see the content they will earn or buy through the Battle Pass or Store.
- The Battle Pass and Store will feature a variety of cosmetic content, including Operators, Weapons, Blueprints, Player Identity items, and more.
- There will not be a Season Pass model. Post-launch Multiplayer maps and modes will be free and given to all players simultaneously on all platforms.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will continue this concept through a collaborative effort across multiple studios: Treyarch and Raven Software, along with additional support from High Moon Studios, Beenox, Activision Shanghai, Demonware, and Sledgehammer Games.
SOURCE: Activision
New mode ‘Fireteam’ announced for Black Ops Cold War
Treyarch has announced a brand new mode coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
The new mode is called Fireteam and is part of the MP experience. It’s a multi-team match that takes players through objectives to compete in.
Here’s the first details from Activision Blog:
Fireteam is a new 40-player category of Black Ops Multiplayer with up to 10 teams of four, where the action is centered around not just the operators in the field, but also the environment they battle in. The first available Fireteam game type is called Dirty Bomb, which we’ll have more information on as we get closer to launch!
Health bar in Black Ops Cold War can be disabled
Health bars make a return in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but Treyarch is making it optional this time around.
In a new blog post on their site, the studio says there are customizable experiences in the HUD for players to tailor how it looks while they play.
Health Bars are optional in Black Ops Cold War.
And, health is auto-regen again in Black Ops Cold War unlike Black Ops 4.
- Auto health regeneration has returned to ensure players can focus on gunplay and movement.
- Players can toggle several HUD elements in Settings, including the ability to see health bars over enemies and allies.
SOURCE: Treyarch
Black Ops Cold War Scorestreaks system explained
Scorestreaks are back in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
But, it’s not the same as before.
A big change with this game is that scorestreaks do not reset on death. This is a massive change for Treyarch, who has not really had this as the default option before.
In Black Ops Cold War, scorestreaks continue and build as you get more kills. The more kills you chain together in a single life, the more score you start to earn. The HUD will show “Chain Score” on it to signify an increase in score earned for getting multiple kills.
And, you’ll also earn score for helping your team in objectives and more.
But, we know many people will wonder how scorestreaks spamming will work with everyone being able to earn streaks as you get kills progressively in a single game. But, to avoid that, Treyarch has added in a system where each scorestreak has a cool down time – that varies by each one – to prevent spamming of streaks on the map.
Here’s Treyarch’s official description of the new system:
A dynamic and rewarding Scorestreak System means score is no longer lost on death, and you’ll earn score multipliers for stringing together multiple kills in the same life. You’ll also earn score for helping your team to play the objective, and each Scorestreak goes on a cool down after it’s used to prevent spamming.
Black Ops Cold War Loadout system: Gunsmith, Wildcards, & more
The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Create-A-Class system looks to combine Pick 10 with Modern Warfare system into one.
It’s a different system than what fans have seen before, as it tries to take the best of Pick 10 and MW’s system and combine it into one holistic system for this title.
Treyarch is bringing new variation for how classes can be crafted for the best way for each player to play.
Players have the choice to pick a Primary Weapon, Secondary Weapon, one tactical equipment, one lethal equipment, one Field Upgrade, three Perks, and a Wild Card as the base way to create a class.
Let’s breakdown the different key features.
Gunsmith
The Gunsmith system also returns from Modern Warfare allowing users to build out how they want attachments to create the weapon for them to use in game. There are 7 different attachment slots to pick for each weapon, and the attachments have an unlock and upgrade path similar to Modern Warfare.
The standard amount of attachments you can pick is 5.
We did not get to see the camo selection in action, or how players can unlock camos in Black Ops Cold War.
Weapons have their own progression level system, similar to Modern Warfare, and leveling up the weapons will unlock more attachments in each category.
Players can pick the following attachment slots for each weapon:
- Optic
- Muzzle
- Barrel
- Under-barrel
- Body
- Stock
- Magazine
- Handle
Wildcards
Black Ops Cold War also features Wildcards that allow players to change up some of the rules in the create a class to add in different system variations that exist.
One of the Wildcards, which is Gunfighter, allows you to equip 1 attachment per every single attachment slot in Gunsmith for the primary weapon.
Here’s a the Wildcards in the Alpha build:
- Danger Close – Equip extra lethal and tactical equipment, and start with max ammo
- Law Breaker – Equip any weapon in either slot and equip any perks
- Gunfighter – Unlocks 3 additional attachments slots of your primary weapon
- Perk Greed – Equip 3 extra perks
Field Upgrades
Field Upgrades also return from Modern Warfare.
There were four Field Upgrades available in the Alpha build of Black Ops Cold War.
Here’s what the options are:
- Proximity Mine – Throwable mine, explodes shortly after one enemy runs or drives over it. Can be avoided by crouching. Destroys any vehicle that runs over it.
- Recharge Time: 2:00
- Sam Turret – Launches missiles at enemy air scorestreaks and player-piloted helicopters.
- Recharge Time: 3:45
- Jammer – Creates an electronic disruption field, disabling enemy Field Upgrades and degrading enemy mini-map information.
- Recharge Time: 2:30
- Field Mic – Deploys a recording device that highlights enmity sounds on your mini-map
- Recharge Time: 3:15
All in all, Treyarch is trying to combine the best of Black Ops and Modern Warfare class selection into one here in the game.
In terms of our impressions from our hands on experience, it seemed like majority used the Gunfighter Wildcard to unlock 7 attachment slots for the primary weapons instead of just 5. The class system is interesting, but also a little confusing if you’re new to Call of Duty. Lots to learn, and a lot of ways to put this together to make it work for you.
Black Ops Cold War next-gen version features: new audio, ray-tracing & more
Treyarch has provided first details on the next-generation support of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on their blog.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be a launch title for the PS5, when the console launches later this year.
The studio has confirmed that Black Ops Cold War support the new PS5 specific features including 3D audio and haptic feedback on the DualSense controller.
In addition, the game will support 120Hz on next-generation console (Xbox Series X, S, and PS5) and PC for reduced latency and more with ray-tracing.
The audio system is called the “Threat Priority Audio System”:
We’ve also incorporated a new Threat Priority audio system that dynamically assigns higher priorities to direct threats during a firefight, so you always hear what you need to be successful. Shots are louder and sound different when an enemy is firing toward you; directional footsteps help determine the proximity and position of your enemies above, below, and around; directional bullet cracks and bullet impacts let you know where the highest threats are located; and improved occlusion provides more detail about the direction and distance of events all around you. On top of all this, next-generation hardware supports awesome 3D audio features, like HRTF on the PlayStation®5.
In the heat of a Multiplayer shootout, these new audio systems more clearly communicate where the danger is coming from at all times. In a game where sound can sometimes mean all the difference between victory and defeat, players will have every bit of information they need to win based on their awareness, map knowledge, and talent.
On next-gen consoles, players can expect 120Hz support for reduced input latency and a smoother gameplay experience, and hardware-based raytracing will be possible on next-gen, along with DirectX raytracing on PC for more realistic lighting and shadow effects. And on the PlayStation 5, haptic feedback and HRTF 3D audio will provide the most tactile combat experience yet in a Black Ops game.
SOURCE: Treyarch
Map voting set to return in Black Ops Cold War
It looks like map voting will be present in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
A screen grab from NoahJ456’s stream showcases the option to pick a map while in the lobby.
There was an option to select “Next” and Featured” map in the lobby screen.
Map voting was removed from Modern Warfare for unknown reasons, but for fans hoping for its return, it looks like it’s back for this year.
Executions & Weapon Inspection to return in Black Ops Cold War
Activision has confirmed that both execution feature and weapon inspection feature will be returning in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Fans were wondering about these features since it was not shown in the Alpha build that was played by us and streamers over the last week.
Executions were heavily used in Modern Warfare and Warzone, as new executions were tied to different Operators.
In addition, Activision has confirmed that gun inspection will also be in Black Ops Cold War.
Modern Warfare did not have that feature at launch, but it was added in the recent seasons to the game. Weapon inspection allows fans to press and hold a certain button to get a closer look at their weapon in-game.
Black Ops Cold War dev: scorestreak system not designed to reward bad players
One of the big changes in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War MP is the scorestreak system.
For the first time in a Treyarch game, the scorestreaks do not reset on death. The system is built in a way that promotes those players who get multiple kills in a single life, and lets players earn towards streaks over the course of the game.
Of course, fan reaction to this was mixed as players worried about lower skilled players getting streaks easily. But there’s a cool down timer for each streak which prevents spam, and it takes a decent amount of kills in order to get the higher streaks in game.
Treyarch’s Lead Designer, Tony Flame, has commented further on Twitter stating that the new system incentivizes ‘greater play styles.’ He also says that in order to get the higher streaks, you still have to ‘rack up’ multiple kills in the same life.
In addition, Flame also says that the system was not designed to reward ‘bad players.’ The system is designed to award ‘middle-tier’ players who invest in the game to have a shot at earning streaks.
**Rewards bad players
— Thomas (@PunkXBL) September 11, 2020
I wouldn’t say that at all. Trust me we’ve still gotten plenty of feedback internally that some Players cant earn streaks, and that’s ok. But we do want more of the middle-tier players who invest so much time in our game to also participate in the fun.
— Tony Flame (@Tony_Flame) September 11, 2020
He also said that are always reviewing the in-depth model for the points it takes to earn each streak and it is subject to change once the beta hits.
What if you just made obj worth more points for scorestreaks, so it gives players more of an incentive to help the team and also “rewards” the newer players who can’t really get killstreaks
— Dom (@AjaxxEsports) September 11, 2020
This is something we are actively working on. We’ve built an extremely in depth economy model for this system, and we’re ready to pipe in and review analytics data from when everyone starts playing so we can dial it in.
— Tony Flame (@Tony_Flame) September 11, 2020
Lastly, he confirmed that the esports rule set is still in development and more info to come on how scorestreaks will work for esports.
Stay tuned for the latest news on Black Ops Cold War.
Damage flinch redesigned to not affect aim in Black Ops Cold War
Treyarch’s Tony Flame has confirmed on Twitter that there are changes to the Flinch system in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
In a tweet, Flame says that the system has been redone to not affect your aim while you take damage.
It is now more so a feedback mechanism to help understand damage “without affecting the aim position of your weapon.”
He says that “Your weapon will move with your screen to stay on target. No more flinch headshots.”
Some content creators, including ourselves, part of the Alpha noticed there was changes to how Flinch works especially when aiming for headshots. Now, with this system, the feedback of getting hit exists but your aim is not being affected by it.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War — Campaign Gameplay Trailer
Activision has released a new trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War during the PlayStation 5 Showcase event.
The new trailer showed the ‘Nowhere Left to Run’ campaign mission in action.
It’s rumored that Perseus is in play again, and planning an attack that threatens the balance of power. A Black Ops team comprised of Frank Woods, Alex Mason, and Russell Adler infiltrates an airfield in Turkey to eliminate a high-value target. The following is a portion of ‘Nowhere Left to Run’ the first campaign mission in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, where players will use the cover of darkness and plausible deniability to fight a battle that “never happened.”
BrutallyBree#7600409
Black Ops Cold War side missions features puzzle to unlock more content
As announced back with the reveal of Black Ops Cold War, the campaign of the game features side missions, alongside the main campaign story that exists.
Players can unlock and get these side missions as they continue to progress and play through the campaign. The campaign has a lot of player choice compared to the past in Call of Duty, with players picking their characters and even setting up their story for the multi-ending story.
Now, speaking to the PlayStation Magazine, Raven’s Dan Vondrak says that these side missions have another level to them that allows for more depth.
Vondrak says that, based on 80s theme, there’s a puzzles that can be solved in each of the side missions that will let players unlock more of these side missions.
“I was like, dude, if this was an ’80s game, you would have to solve some kind of puzzle,” said Vondrak . “People thought I was crazy. [Now] you have to use the evidence to solve these puzzles and that’ll unlock a different part of the side mission, so even here we wanted to make a call back to the ’80s.”
Vondrak says that Black Ops Cold War’s campaign is ‘breaking out of the normal traditional Call of Duty structure.’
Some of the campaign missions will be left up to players to see the next objective they want to complete, unlocking new possibilities for gameplay.
“This culmination of ideas and experiences are crystallized and harnessed into Black Ops Cold War,” said Treyarch dev Miles Leslie. “So you’ve got some RPG and some action. […] We’re throwing in all the experience-ingredients into the pie and what comes out of the oven is Black Ops – Cold War, which hopefully is gonna be super-tasty.”
Stay tuned for more information on the Black Ops Cold War campaign as November 13 approaches.
Black Ops Cold War scorestreaks reportedly leaked
It looks like the scorestreaks available in Black Ops Cold War have apparently leaked.
The game’s beta offered fans a first look at just some of the new streaks that Treyarch has been working on, but now new images, from what appears to be a PC build, have leaked all the options available. It’s not clear when this build or how old this build it, so the streaks and icons could change.
There isn’t images of each streak individually, but this image does show the icons for all of them. We’ve removed image to avoid DMCAs. Again, this is not 100% confirmed as the final build, but here’s the list:
- Incendiary Bow
- RC-XD
- Armor
- Spy Plane
- Counter Spy Plane
- Flamethrower
- Care Package
- Sentry Turret
- Death Machine
- Cruise Missile
- Artillery
- Hand Canon
- Napalm Strike
- Air Patrol
- War Machine
- Strafe Run
- H.A.R.P.
- Attack Helicopter
- Chopper Gunner
- VTOL Escort
- Gunship
The icons, in the images shown across social media, reveal what looks to be an AC-130 variation, advanced UAV, annihilator pistol, and more options for the game.
It’s not 100% clear yet as to how users have gotten access to the game, or if this is an internal leak from the final build of the game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War officially launches on Friday, November 13 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
We’re expecting more information about the game to come as the launch date approaches. The potential for leaks also increases as we get closer to the date, with some people getting early copies illegally.