Every New Perk in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | Screen Rant
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set to release on November 13th across all major platforms and next-gen, with an Open Beta spread through the middle of October. However, PlayStation 4 users were graced with an exclusive Alpa version of the game offering a limited look at things to come.
Players were able to experience Black Ops: Cold War’s take on Ground War as well as a few basic Mosh Pit game modes such as Team Deathmatch and Domination. Players had access to 3 smaller Multiplayer maps: Miami, Moscow, and Satellite, as well as the large scale maps: Crossroads and Armada. Players had access to a variety of weapons, some old and some new, as well as 3 Perks across 3 classic categories. This guide will focus on Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s revealed perks, how they work, and what can be expected of them.
Through the many iterations of Call of Duty, players have learned that the right perks are just as important as the right attachments. Players have seen all sorts of perks come and go, some certainly more useful than others. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has revealed a total of nine perks that will be included in the game. Let’s dive in:
Tier 1
Engineer - “Detect enemy equipment & scorestreaks through walls” - A popular perk that has seen a few different names through Call of Duty’s history. Great for avoiding a well placed Claymore or Proximity Mine.
Tactical Mask - “Maximized resistance to Flash and Stun Grenades. Immune to gas.” - Perhaps some Warzone implications, however, the effect of Stun Grenades seemed lackluster in the Alpha, perhaps some tuning to tactical equipment will give this perk more value.
Flak Jacket - “Take less damage from enemy explosives and Molotov fires” - Players know darn well how much C4 they can withstand with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s version of this perk ‘E.O.D’. Let’s see how that measures up in Cold War.
Tier 2
Scavenger - “Replenish Ammo from fallen enemies” - Scavenger has been included in almost every (if not every) Call of Duty game since Modern Warfare 2. Scavenger’s Warzone implications are certainly pointless as players will find ammo scattered around the map. However, we’ll have to wait and see how Cold War tweaks the Warzone formula.
Quartermaster - “Recharge Equipment over 25 Seconds” This one might be game-breaking if used properly. Cold War gave players Frag Grenades and C4 in the Alpha. While C4 didn’t seem as threatening as it is in Modern Warfare & Warzone, the ability to recharge after 25 seconds is huge during a drawn out Warzone engagement.
Tracker - “Reveal enemy footprints. Aim at enemies to reveal them on your team's mini-map’ Tracker has been a toss-up perk since its appearance in Modern Warfare. It’s one of those things that’s useful if one squad member has it on, but isn’t a necessity to win. However, the addition of tagging enemies while aiming at them may turn one squad member into the team's scout.
Tier 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” Cold Blooded has worked in a similar way every time it pops up in a Call of Duty game. It began as a ‘must-have’ perk in Warzone, but as thermal scopes decline, and the C4 meta rose to the top, Perks like E.O.D took its place. Cold Blooded has more practical uses in multiplayer, but there is room for arguing its validity in Warzone.
Ghost - “Undetectable by enemy Spy Planes whenever you are moving, planting or defusing bombs, or controlling scorestreaks” It’s safe to say that Ghost is a ‘must-have’ perk when looking to win Warzone games. However, the movement requirement is a huge monkey wrench and will inhibit players from pitching their tents and camping their favorite buildings. Ghost will most likely see a love-hate relationship when the game is released on November 13th.
Ninja - “Sprint more quietly. Resistant to Field Mic” Players are all too familiar with how heavy their footsteps really are when running around in both Multiplayer and Warzone. Ninja may just rise to the top as far as the Perk Meta is concerned.
Probably the most important change in Cold War is the fact that ‘Overkill’ is now a Wildcard called 'Lawbreaker'. Players were having to choose between Ghost and Overkill in Warzone when their Loadouts fell. There is, of course, the two Loadout strategy used to grab both primaries and Ghost. Depending on how Cold War shakes up the Warzone meta, this strategy will most likely see some validity, however, this time it will be taking advantage of multiple Wildcards instead of perks. For example, players may want to start by grabbing their double primary weapons, with Perks like Ghost & Ninja already equipped, and then grab another Loadout with the Perk Greed wildcard in order to carry three additional perks. All that being said, the community will just have to wait and see how Black Ops: Cold War changes Warzone. There may just be another handful of new perks awaiting players in the Open Beta.
The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Alph taught players a lot about the game to come. Developers have openly stated that they gave Snipers a big ‘boost’ to see how their Sniping mechanics adapted to controller players. The Cold War Open Beta will be around for a few weekends in October. PlayStation 4 players will be granted early access from October 8-9, followed by the full PlayStation 4 Open Beta from the 10th-12th. Xbox and PC players will have to wait until October 15-16 for early access before all platforms have full access to the Open Beta from October 17-19.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 13, 2020.