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TRU

Banned
Nov 9, 2017
521
Question, if I want to get better at engagements in Blackout, which are the best places to land for firefights?

It usually depends on where the "drop line" is. Jumping along the line early will usually create hectic drops wherever. Typically Firing Range, RiverTown, On top of Construction, and Fracking normally have a high volume of people drop there.

Also playing Alcatraz mode isn't a bad place to get used to fighting either.
 

PeskyToaster

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,312
Question, if I want to get better at engagements in Blackout, which are the best places to land for firefights?

Firing Range and the barns around it are usually places that people either end up or pass through. As the center of the map there's a high probability the first circle is around there or people have to go through it to get into the first circle. Leads to consistent action. Hot drops are found usually in the first named locations the line is near.

For some general rules, play a hot drop like you play multiplayer. Like a bloodthirsty weirdo on speed. The mid-game is all about having a loadout that covers as many combat roles as possible. You want a sniper + a close range AR (KN, VAPR) or a Tactical Rifle and an SMG. Do not overlap. You don't want a sniper and an ICR or an SMG and a shotgun. The end game is all about knowing where the remaining threats are and being able to recover (heal up) from an engagement before the next one.

Don't sleep on perks. With Dead Silence or Skulker you can destroy a squad without anyone knowing. With Consumer you can get off a clutch heal really quickly. Paranoia is essential in solos.

If you hear a sensor dart it's too late, back off if you can't see it.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
FML, I found out my target assist was disabled. No wonder I've been eating shit in multiplayer and Blackout. Hopped into HC TDM and did excellently (38 kills, a new record).

I'm kicking myself right now. No fucking wonder my game's felt so off for the past few weeks.
 

PeskyToaster

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,312
Just went on an absolute tear in Blackout this weekend. Saturday night I think we won 10 games out of maybe 12 or so. I was putting up double digit kills with 2K+ damage pretty consistently. Not a PB (which is 19 kills in a duos) but it just happened so many times in a row on Saturday. Felt good. Even on Sunday, my whole team was dead and I killed two full squads, survived one engagement with two health left.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands
Blackout broken for anyone else since yesterday's Playlist update? Played 5 matches since, in 3 my HUD was broken, teammates weren't marked as teammates at all or had the same color as me and I don't load into the lobby until the Helicopters are already flying ready to drop the players.
 

PeskyToaster

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,312
Which platform? I don't recall any issues like that after several PS4 matches. I have seen the teammates not marked thing and it's super annoying. I had it in MP once or twice too. I've killed my teammates in blackout because of it.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
Just went on an absolute tear in Blackout this weekend. Saturday night I think we won 10 games out of maybe 12 or so. I was putting up double digit kills with 2K+ damage pretty consistently. Not a PB (which is 19 kills in a duos) but it just happened so many times in a row on Saturday. Felt good. Even on Sunday, my whole team was dead and I killed two full squads, survived one engagement with two health left.
Take me with you, all my main Blackout-playing friends are gone.
 
Oct 25, 2017
29,414
At least it sounds like they wont have to worry much about BO5's campaign too much as Sledgehammer and Raven will do that, and they can probably also salvage stuff like weapons, player models etc. for re-use in Zombies and MP.

I really hope MP is overhauled, either return to 3's or revert to 2's.
The current patchwork is awful.

Blackout should be easy.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
I don't care what kind of return to form it is, so long as manual healing returns as well. Gear can stay behind, though.
A return to 1 would be best
So long as we get back BO1's sniping. It was supremely difficult and would be a breath of fresh air after BO4's easy mode snipers turned Barebones into One Shot 2.0.
 

Doctor Doggo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,370
I really really can't get over how bad Artifact is. It is legit one of the worst CoD maps I've ever played. And I've played every single CoD except Ghosts
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands
I really really can't get over how bad Artifact is. It is legit one of the worst CoD maps I've ever played. And I've played every single CoD except Ghosts
Well, you did skip the CoD with the worst maps.
No joke here: if we ever see a map as bad or worse than Stonehaven (not sure if the latter is even possible), the map designers behind that map should be fired on the spot.
 

Doctor Doggo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,370
Ha, good to know I didn't miss much. I've been playing since the very first one on PC. It's kind of amazing how much I dislike Carentan now. And that was considered THE map back in the day.
 

PeskyToaster

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,312
If they go with Specialists again, their abilities should be non-lethal. It's not fun to just get one-shot. Manual healing or not, I hope they keep the health pool of this game. It's in a really good spot where you can still get multi-kills but also allows for outplays.

Take me with you, all my main Blackout-playing friends are gone.
Do you play on PS4? Same name as here if you want to add me.
 

HiLife

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
39,593
Goddamn I didn't know they had specter back. Started using him and the MW2 commando cheese is amazing lol.
 

Hispanicguy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,432
It's utterly hilarious that Activision give us the best CoD experience and release it on mobile.

I'm excited to try out the mobile version.

https://charlieintel.com/call-of-duty-mobile-battle-royale-map-revealed/54219/

They released the battle royale map for the mobile version and they've combined maps from MW and BO:

Proloco_NYY_2019-May-20.jpg


Can we get this on consoles, please? Would love to see the best of both worlds on one game.

I still think Blackout is fun but it's become 2nd place in my eyes next to Apex.

The biggest thing I hope they do for Blackout is make the wait for a new round much shorter. My biggest reason for not playing anymore. I don't want a pregame lobby. Throw me into a match. If I lose, give me the ability to quick join another match.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands
Mobile BR apparently allows you to switch between 1st and 3rd person, which is enough for me to not even try it. Hate it when I get killed because someone was just standing behind a wall while still seeing me due to them being in 3rd person.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
If they go with Specialists again, their abilities should be non-lethal. It's not fun to just get one-shot. Manual healing or not, I hope they keep the health pool of this game. It's in a really good spot where you can still get multi-kills but also allows for outplays.
Agreed, but sniper body multipliers and shotgun damage profiles need to change dramatically. Treyarch has a good foundation with 150HP and manual healing, but the actual core of the experience stinks once the MOG and snipers are introduced. Gear also needs to go, as well as 2nd level attachments (high caliber 2 was an enormous mistake). Hit detection and server tick rate also need to improve dramatically.
Do you play on PS4? Same name as here if you want to add me.
Yep. PSN is Triscuitable.
 

HiLife

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
39,593
I'm actually a fan of the specialist kits. OW and Siege spoiled me with character classes that feel different from one another. I guess they could tweak it next time to be passive in MW4 but I don't want them to remove it completely.




Sliding under the trip wire is so clutch lol.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands
I'm actually a fan of the specialist kits. OW and Siege spoiled me with character classes that feel different from one another. I guess they could tweak it next time to be passive in MW4 but I don't want them to remove it completely.




Sliding under the trip wire is so clutch lol.

Just get rid off them being free, overpowered pieces of weaponry and equipment.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
Spitballing how to make Specialists work:
  • Scorestreaks are simplified, with each streak being earned at 500, 1000, and 1500 points
  • Any streak can be assigned to any tier, with the streak increasing in power based on each tier (i.e., standard UAV at 500, real-time UAV at 1000, and indestructible real-time UAV at 1500)
  • You can assign your specialist weapon to the second tier, replacing your second streak with a specialist weapon usable after earning 1000 score (it will not generate meter over time)
  • Specialist weapons that aren't one-and-done, such as the Death Machine and War Machine, would persist through deaths as they did in BO2
Specialist Gear goes the way of the dodo. This isn't perfect, obviously, but if Treyarch wants to have their cake and eat it too, this is one solution (though not a perfect solution).
 

HiLife

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
39,593
Alcatraz is fun as hell when you have randoms who aren't scared to engage. Gets boring pretty fast with people that just slow play all the damn time. There's time for both and it's even more lame when you camp all match with 0 kills just to die in your first encounter in the final collapse.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
I'm getting so tired of crappy reserve drops. This is the worst loot box system I've seen in years. Worse than BO3's, really. At least in BO3 you could only get weapon camos on a per-gun basis. In this game, it's camos, charms, and "death effects". It's so fucked.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands
I'm getting so tired of crappy reserve drops. This is the worst loot box system I've seen in years. Worse than BO3's, really. At least in BO3 you could only get weapon camos on a per-gun basis. In this game, it's camos, charms, and "death effects". It's so fucked.
I'm trying to remember the last time I got something I actually used from them..... Don't think that's happened yet. The loot pool is just 99% filler, which also just devalues Reserves and probably hurts mtx sales. They're 2 bucks a piece, I wouldn't pay 20 cents.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands
Black Ops Pass owners now get a 2x tier boost for the Contraband Stream. I also can't confirm this yet, but I think the boost also applies to Party members who are a party with a Black Ops Pass holders. I don't have the Pass but are in a party with someone who does, and it's mentioning the tier boost and it does indeed seem quite a bit faster.
 

TRU

Banned
Nov 9, 2017
521
Black Ops Pass owners now get a 2x tier boost for the Contraband Stream. I also can't confirm this yet, but I think the boost also applies to Party members who are a party with a Black Ops Pass holders. I don't have the Pass but are in a party with someone who does, and it's mentioning the tier boost and it does indeed seem quite a bit faster.

Wonder if I have to wait a week for the boost/loot boxes? #psfirst
 

HiLife

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
39,593
Did they change the Hades in anyway the past few weeks? I fell out for awhile and came back to it two days ago and the crossbar just feels....different. And skullsplitter on the Mozu I swear isn't registering my headshots lol.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
I'm trying to remember the last time I got something I actually used from them..... Don't think that's happened yet. The loot pool is just 99% filler, which also just devalues Reserves and probably hurts mtx sales. They're 2 bucks a piece, I wouldn't pay 20 cents.
Out of those five crates we just got, I pulled a whopping one epic item: yet another Afterlife camo, this time for the Hades.

Hooray. Last season, I was pulling an Ultra roughly every other week, meaning I had two Mk2 guns and all three Blackout characters by the end of Grand Heist. This time around? Nothing.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands
Party members also getting 2x tier progression and having access to DLC maps if they are in a party with a Black Ops Pass owners lasts throughout the 28th


Out of those five crates we just got, I pulled a whopping one epic item: yet another Afterlife camo, this time for the Hades.

Hooray. Last season, I was pulling an Ultra roughly every other week, meaning I had two Mk2 guns and all three Blackout characters by the end of Grand Heist. This time around? Nothing.
And Activision wonders why Black Ops 4's post-launch revenue isn't as good as they had hoped lmao. Black Ops 4's microtransactions aren't just anti-consumer, they're also overpriced. Maybe Reserves would actually sell decently if you we're guaranteed to get something decent you might actually use out of it. The fact that each of the Reserve gun camouflages have to be unlocked on a gun by gun basis is just a pisstake, even if you get a cool camo there's still a 90% it's for a gun you'll never use.
 
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Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
And Activision wonders why Black Ops 4's post-launch revenue isn't as good as they had hoped lmao. Black Ops 4's microtransactions aren't just anti-consumer, they're also overpriced. Maybe Reserves would actually sell decently if you we're guaranteed to get something decent you might actually use out of it. The fact that each of the Reserve gun camouflages have to be unlocked on a gun by gun basis is just a pisstake, even if you get a cool camo there's still a 90% it's for a gun you'll never use.
It's mostly Treyarch's fault, from what I can tell. Infinite Warfare at least allowed you to craft the stuff you wanted, and WWII not only let you do that, but also made supply drops extremely easy to earn in large quantities. I remember kicking off the summer event last year with nearly 150 combined SDs, RSDs, ZSDs, and RZSDs. In BO4, not only is the earn rate for drops way too slow, but the items within are unrewarding, stupid, and often copy-pasted a dozen times over, if not more.
 

JG_Lionheart

Member
Dec 3, 2018
3,004
Man I get wrecked on Barebones Moshpit. I dunno seems like it's sweaty matches in that playlist 24/7 (or I'm used to specialist cheese I guess?).

It's the first time in quite a while that COD isn't my go to shooter. I keep jumping between BLOPS4, TF2, Apex and BF5 these days. I tried Siege but I'm just not feeling it.
 

HiLife

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
39,593
This whole time I never realized I didn't have the new maps auto downloaded 🙄🙄🙄

Missing out on 5 new maps lol. Bout to see what they're like.
 

PeskyToaster

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,312
Almost won a blackout with just the Strife last night. There were 7 people left and I got fourth. Ran into the three man squad. Managed to down two but only finished one. Killed another 3-man squad with it earlier that match so pretty good game. I was the only one left on my team in Quads and I could've easily won that. I tried to heal and reload but I only got the heal off before they were on me so I ran out of ammo.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands


Nuketown 24/7 is interesting as well, 3 years ago they used Nuketown in Black Ops 3 to tease Infinite Warfare, I wonder if they're gonna do the same for MW4 tomorrow?
 

HiLife

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
39,593
These maps are so forgettable to me. I have days of playtime and maps like Arsenal still don't ring a bell and I couldn't picture the layout until I saw the thumbnail.

As soon as I read that WMD is coming I could already remember the best line of sights. Trash maps nowadays lol.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485


Nuketown 24/7 is interesting as well, 3 years ago they used Nuketown in Black Ops 3 to tease Infinite Warfare, I wonder if they're gonna do the same for MW4 tomorrow?

I forgot that BO3 teased Infinite Warfare. What an odd crossover that was. So rarely do CoD devs do things like that. At most, you'll see an ad for the next game in the current title once the new one nears launch. I believe BO2 and Ghosts both had pre-order camos advertising the next games, too.
 

Racketpunch

Member
Oct 26, 2017
611
My buddy and I just tried to play some Blackout on PC after not playing since the game was hot months ago. What the hell happened to Blackout? Did they remove duos and can we not choose just to play the standard mode?
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
My buddy and I just tried to play some Blackout on PC after not playing since the game was hot months ago. What the hell happened to Blackout? Did they remove duos and can we not choose just to play the standard mode?
IIRC the population is so low that to facilitate people finding games, Solos, Duos, and Quads rotate out every week or so.
 

poklane

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,856
the Netherlands
Played a bit of Nuketown the past few days, how the fuck do people enjoy this shit? 50% of games are you spawntrapping the enemy, the other 50 is you being spawntrapped. Nothing can convince me otherwise that shit maps like this simply shouldn't exist.
 

HiLife

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
39,593
Black Ops 4 is fast paced compared to Black Ops in addition to the more ridiculous KS and specialist kits it just makes Nuketown a clusterfuck in general. Can't stand that map.