Heat map of the Blackout beta shows where all the action took place

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 developer Treyarch have released a heat map showing the hottest locations on the Blackout map from the beta, so you can see where to land for a ‘hot drop’.

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If you are going for a high kill game on Blackout when it drops on October 12, this heat map will be a useful guide to make sure you’re always landing in a hot spot with plenty of action.

It also shows just how well Treyarch have managed to balance the map, which is one of the key components to a successful battle royale, perhaps even more so than weapon balance.

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The heat map shows that while there was definite hot spots, such as Firing Range, Nuketown Island and Rivertown, the action was still fairly evenly spread.

• More: Where are the top 5 best places to land in Blackout?

Locations like Train Station, Array and Estates were slightly less populated, perhaps due to being off center, but still got a fair share of the action.

Even the open areas, such as the wide expanse between Firing Range and Estates at the north of the map, which could have easily turned into a dead zone, saw plenty of combat during the beta, likely as an area players would be travelling through as they move to the safe zone.

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Treyarch confirmed that this map was cross platform, so included data from PS4, Xbox and PC. It will be a valuable tool for them to decipher how to better balance the map, item spawn locations.

It will also be crucial data when Treyarch come to considering adding new areas or removing/replacing current ones. They have already stated their intention to constantly evolve the Blackout map.

• More: What are the best guns to use in Call of Duty Blackout?

The launch of Blackout on October 12, along with the full Black Ops 4 game, is only the ‘half way’ point Treyarch says, with lots of new content and changes planned over the game’s life cycle.