It’s been almost three years since we’ve seen Treyarch’s take on Call of Duty, but the Black Ops 3 Beta proves that the veteran studio hasn’t lost its expert touch. The addition of selectable Specialist characters, wall-running shootouts worthy of a Wachowskis movie, and powerful new weapons all add up to a fresh and dynamic experience.
Whether you’re a series veteran or new to Call of Duty, this PlayStation.Blog post is dedicated to getting you ahead in the Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Beta, currently live on PS4 through the end of the weekend.
Basics
Slow down! Simple, but critical. When you sprint, you draw attention from enemy combatants. It’s better to creep quietly and use nearby cover to keep a low profile.
Keep it simple. Black Ops III adds new Combat Movements, or special stunts you can chain together to zip fluidly through the maps. You can do just fine without any of them, though, so don’t lose yourself in Wall Running just for the sake of it.
Fire when ready. Firing your weapon will set off enemy radars and draw the wrong kind of attention. Be mindful of when and where you fire your weapon, and be prepared to deal with enemies who may be drawn to the scene.
Learn to dominate. If you’ve been away from the Call of Duty scene for some time, Domination mode may be your more accessible way to level up without having to sport an elite kill-death ratio. As long as you can capture and defend territories, you can die as much as you like with no consequence.
Specialists
Ruin's special weapon is called Gravity Spikes. They are two spikes that will kill anyone within a small area when stuck into the ground.
His special ability is called Overdrive, and gives him a massive speed boost.
Outrider
Outrider's special weapon is the Sparrow. It's a compound bow that fires bolts with increasing range the longer it is drawn. Furthermore, the bolt will explode upon impact with an enemy!
Her special ability is called Vision Pulse. It's a a Sonic pulse that pings the surrounding area and reveals enemies within range.
Prophet
Prophet's special weapon is the Tempest, a charge-shot weapon that fires an arc of electricity, instantly killing enemies and chaining to all nearby hostiles.
His special ability is called Glitch. This allows him to flash back to a previous position while keeping all other conditions intact.
Battery
Battery's special weapon is the 'War Machine. This is a grenade launcher that fires bouncing grenades which detonate after a short time. They will also auto detonate if they directly hit an enemy.
Her special ability is called Kinetic Armor. This is reactive armor that deflects enemy bullets away from the body for five seconds. However, headshots and non-bullet damage will still be active!
Sereph
Sereph's special weapon is the Annihilator, a one-shot kill pistol with great penetration power.
Her special ability is called
Combat Focus. While active, all score earned will trigger a bonus multiplier towards
Scorestreaks.
Nomad
Nomad's special weapon is the H.I.V.E., which fires out pod traps that release nano drones upon enemies.
His special ability is Rejack. When he’s near death, Nomad can quickly boost himself back to full health. It’s a good way to turn the tables or buy enough time for an ally to show up and kill your attacker.
Reaper
Reaper's special weapon is the Scythe. This turns his arm into a quad barrel mini-gun.... nuff said.
His special ability is called Psychosis, and allows him to create three decoys of himself.
Spectre
Spectre's special weapon is the Ripper. These are twin blades that dissect enemies with surgical precision.
His special ability is Active Camo. As you would expect, this allows Spectre to become temporarily invisible on the battlefield.
CLASSIFIED
A ninth Specialist will be available in the full game, but no information was given in the beta.
