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It goes without saying that the Call of Duty franchise has mostly become known for its award-winning multiplayer mode.
franchise has mostly become known for its award-winning multiplayer mode. As it happens, ever since Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 ‘s first non-cinematic trailerwas revealed a few months ago, many fans of the series have been looking forward to the game solely to experience its online deathmatch component. Luckily enough, for gamers’ whose trigger-fingers started to get too itchy, Treyarch confirmed a couple of weeks back that the first-person shooter’s multiplayer beta begins on August 19.
Even so, due to an exclusive deal between Activision and Sony, PC gamers and Xbox One owners are expected to wait until August 26 to test the multiplayer component, as all content related to the upcoming FPS will come to the PlayStation 4 first. Even so, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 fans can at least live vicariously through today’s official trailer for the beta, and it reveals a ton of fresh and interesting gameplay features.
As shown in the above footage, the online beta for Black Ops 3 is comprised of at least 3 maps and 7 modes. According to Treyarch, the levels have been constructed specifically with the game’s new momentum-based chained-movement system in mind, and are called Hunted, Combine, and Evac. The first map mentioned is a hunting lodge in the mountains of Ethiopia, the second is a vertical farming and sustainability research facility in the remote Egyptian Sahara, and the final one is an abandoned emergency evacuation area in a flooded Singapore quarantine zone.
Additionally, those participating in the beta will be privy to fan-favorite game modes such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, Demolition, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, Capture the Flag, and Search & Destroy. Not to mention, much like Destiny ‘s Guardians, Black Ops 3 ‘s multiplayer will feature upgradable Specialists that players can choose from, each with their own unique weaponry and abilities. While there will also be certain Specialists that gamers can select after progressing and leveling up (of which fans should check out at Treyarch’s blog), the initial choices are as follows:
Callsign: Ruin
Real Name: Donnie Walsh
Weapon: Gravity Spikes – Creates a shockwave in the surrounding area.
Ability: Overdrive – Initiates a burst of speed that accelerates all movement for a short period of time.
Callsign: Outrider
Real Name: Alessandra Castillo
Weapon: Sparrow – Compound bow with explosive bolts and variable range.
Ability: Vision Pulse – Reveals the location of all enemies within range.
Callsign: Prophet
Real Name: David Wilkes
Weapon: Tempest – Charge-shot that fires an arc of electricity, shocking targets and chaining to all nearby enemies.
Ability: Glitch – Flash back to a previous position with a system mod that hacks the battlefield simulation grid.
Callsign: Battery
Real Name: Erin Baker
Weapon: War Machine – Grenade launcher that fires bouncing grenades which detonate after a shot time or by hitting an enemy directly
Ability: Kinetic Armor – Reactive armor that deflects enemy bullets away from the body. Still vulnerable to headshots and non-bullet damage while active.
What’s more, Treyarch is also including a pretty neat new property called the Weapon Paintshop, which will let folks make custom graphics to display on the sides of their guns. The feature has up to 64 layers for each of the weapon’s three sides, so players can “paint” practically anything they want.
In order to gain access to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 ‘s multiplayer beta, gamers need to pre-order the title, which will give them an access code that is redeemable on Call of Duty ‘s official website. However, those of us who own a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360 are ineligible to enter, as the beta is not available for either console. At any rate, should fans miss out on the forthcoming shooter’s multiplayer preview, players can always look forward to the game’s popular zombies mode.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is set to release on November 6, 2015 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Source: Treyarch(via Polygon)