A Nerdy Dwarf here and great news – Black Ops 4 has just come out and it’s taking the world by storm!

Though surprisingly nostalgic in the way it plays, there’s a few new things to learn, and after covering all betas, demos and playing since the midnight launch, I’ve learnt a thing or two that may be able to help you all out.

It’s no secret that this call of duty is missing a campaign

A bold move some would say, but it DOES have a single player story based mode, this is found in the specialist HQ, where you will play as each individual specialist, learn their abilities and ways of playing before being thrust into a match against bots to master your new found skills. You are rewarded with (gorgeous looking graphics may I add) cut scenes which all piece together to form the black ops 4 story and the origins of the specialists. It’s worth doing and in my opinion, they’ve done it well and due to this drastic change and the ability to choose and try different specialists makes me not miss having a full campaign.

Split Screen!

I know, I know, this isn’t big news, call of duty has had split screen for years, but this is better, other than the usual multilayer and zombies, you can now split screen with a friend in blackout, a battle royale first! Having a friend by your side at all times can be the drastic difference between losing in duos to getting that tasty win.

Attachments

Okay so this can be seen as negative too, I personally find myself running around with a silenced weapon and extended mags, because, I’m just that kind of gamer. Only problem with black ops 4, is now attachments vary not just between gun types, but the guns themselves, it may be worth looking at the available attachments before finding a gun to commit to grabbing that gold camp.  Joining game after game and waiting to unlock that one thing you need, that may never come…..

Online progression

You know the drill, jump in, get kills, level up. One thing you may of noticed however, is that end game leader board doesn’t include kills, only score. This is because it’s now based on the damage you do, an armoured enemy will be worth more seeing as you do more, and having your kill ‘stolen’ doesn’t affect much seeing as you’ll get the points for the damage you caused, so now you don’t have to worry about emptying a clip into somebody and having nothing to show for it if someone else at the last minute takes that fatal shot (I’m looking at you snipers.)

Zombies

Anybody that knows me knows I’m not a fan of zombies mode, however I do enjoy this one, not to go into the game itself but more the options to play with bots, so even when alone, you will always have someone with you. They’re pretty intelligent too, drawing away the crowd, picking you up when you’re downed, you can now enjoy the full zombie experience even when playing solo.

Blackout merits

Those of you who played the blackout beta may of been stumped by the 1 merit per kill attitude it brought, and seeing that you need over 40,000 to get anywhere near the top tier can put off even the most hardcore grinders. Luckily, it’s not like that, it’s actually 10 merits per kill, with a large sum being offered for how you come from 10th place onwards, plus the challenges themselves grant you bonus merits from anywhere between 25 to 100.

Dark Ops are back

These tricky little challenges only unlock once you’ve done them so it’s almost impossible to find without going to the Internet first, some, are rather particular, such as survive an RCXD explosion and kill the owner in the same life, others, you can randomly find, such as scoring a basket in the basketball court in black out, that one got me a lovely 25 merits, so they’re worth doing.

It doesn’t particularly matter which specialist you choose

They all have useful abilities and weapons you may prefer over others, but there are no equipment or gun locks between them, so you can use whoever you like with whatever you like, in the grand scheme of things, if you’re focused more on gunplay than specialist abilities, you’re free to be whoever you want and it shouldn’t affect your game. This holds true for blackout too, though not available immediately, you can unlock the characters via a means of hidden missions, such as finish a game holding 3 pieces of damaged armour plating for Ajax, or get a kill with your fists and another with a shotgun ending the game holding the locket for Menendez, although they look cool to own, they don’t change the game play in anyway.

Specialists are limited, one per team

If you’re with a buddy and you both want to be recon, only one can I’m afraid, this is why it’s good to get to know another specialist and learn to use them before jumping in to a competitive game, if you do have a preference, make sure you’ve got one or two spares in case they are taken.

Score-streaks are actually kind of scary now

You’ve got your typical UAV and RCXD but with the addition of specialist abilities giving people an extra edge, the streaks themselves feel a lot more powerful than previous games. I used to brush off lightning strikes and attack helicopters,  but the new thresher which clears entire paths multiple times from above and the snipers nest helicopters, when you’re told to get in cover, I’d listen to that warning, especially now there’s no foreseeable way to earn one if you get killed mid-streak and you can sacrifice a piece of equipment to earn them cheaper, earning them is a challenge, and it’s very very rewarding.

Good news for those run and gun or defensive sniper players

Shotguns are now found in the secondary weapon slot, so you don’t need to sacrifice being able to shoot a far away opponent or fear being snuck up upon. A simple weapon switch is all it takes to go from whatever weapon you choose to a lead filled punch.

Operator mods are now a thing

Completely new to call of duty, a large majority of the guns now have a new feature called operator mods. These are different from your conventional attachments and can change the gun completely, from making it single shot to burst, or adding a suppression aura to pin down your enemies. They require a wildcard to use as well which can make them seem rather costly, but it’s worth it.

Those are just a few of the things I’ve personally discovered in Black Ops 4 that if I’d of known about them, would’ve made my first few hours so much easier. Hopefully they can help you out too. If you’ve found any of these useful or have anymore to share, feel free to drop me a tweet or even join a game! See you on the game soon.

George Shine
@DwarfsDigs