Blackout will feature major changes at launch – Level 3 Armor, audio fixes, player counts, and more
Call of Duty’s new Blackout battle royale mode is set to feature some major changes from its beta version when it launches as part of Black Ops 4 on October 12.
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In a live-stream called “Road to Launch” on October 10, Treyarch Studio Design Director David Vonderhaar revealed some of the changes that have been made to Blackout.
The changes come in response to the feedback that was given during the mode’s beta phase, which took place over a whole week in September, when players on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC all got their hands on the game.
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During the beta week, Treyarch made daily changes to Blackout, some of which was due to feedback and some were forms of experimentation.
With all of the experiments done, feedback analyzed, and testing completed, here are some of the major changes that will be featured in the day one version of Blackout.
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- Level 3 Armor, which was clearly the biggest talking point of the Blackout beta, will have a reduced spawn rate on the map, and all Armor will have its own health bar shown on the HUD.
- The player count at launch for all three modes has been officially revealed: 88 for Solos and Duos, 100 for Quads.
- Muzzle flash has been reduced to not only offer less impact on a player’s field of view, but also to become less apparent in dark rooms and surroundings.
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- Changes have been made to what players will see on their screen when outside of the zone. Redness has been reduced, and it “feels appropriate to being outside.”
- Major adjustments have been made to how certain sounds work in Blackout, which was another big point of contention during the beta.
- Faulty audio issues between walls and structures have been fixed.
- Footsteps of teammates are now quieter.
- New mixer settings have been added to the Audio Options menu in the Settings.
- Tap to pick up items is an option added to consoles, and there is active discussion for making it the default setting. Players will now be able to pick up items much faster and without having to look down.
- Several updates have been made to the HUD, including notifications for when teammates are down and a counter for both Kills (knocking down enemies) and Clean Ups (finishing knocked enemies).
- The After Action Report screen has been updated and will now also display teammates’ stats.
- The rewards system of Blackout has been revamped. Players will be awarded a new character for every 20 levels they level up. Also, points will be awarded for kills, although placement still earns the more merit.
- Hit markers have been updated and there will now specific ones for hitting vehicles vs players.
The entirety of the Blackout portion of Treyarch’s October 10 ‘Road to Launch’ live-stream can be viewed down below:
