Activision has revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer, confirming a number of key changes compared to Black Ops 4 and indeed last year’s Modern Warfare.
The highlight is the decision to ditch the specialists that proved so divisive in Black Ops 4. Specialists were unique soldier characters with special abilities and traits, which some players ended up hating because of the impact their powers could have on the battlefield.
Black Ops Cold War uses the operators model seen in Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare. These soldiers do not have unique abilities, although they are of course unique in terms of aesthetic.
Elsewhere, Black Ops Cold War revives the traditional Call of Duty mini-map that shows all enemy players who fire their weapon as red dots. Modern Warfare controversially ditched the mini-map in default multiplayer modes, and even when it is available, it does not highlight enemies when they fire their weapons. Black Ops Cold War’s mini-map displays non-suppressed gunfire on the map for all players.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – PC Max Settings – A First Look At Next-Gen Multiplayer Visuals? Watch on YouTube
Like Black Ops Cold War’s campaign, the multiplayer is set in the 1980s, although timeline wise it takes place after the events of the campaign. Factions include the CIA, MI6 and the KGB. Developer Treyarch said to expect narrative elements based on historical operations “built into the fabric of multiplayer storytelling”. Maps are set in a variety of locations including the Black Sea, the deserts of Angola, the streets of Miami’s South Beach, and urban Moscow.