Call of Duty Black Ops 4: Blackout update - What's changing?

With the update of December 11, 2018, developer studio Treyarch introduces comprehensive improvements for "Blackout", the Battle Royale mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Here you can learn:

  • what changes will be made to the map in Blackout
  • how you can repair your armor in the future
  • how the new audio design will make itself felt
  • how the weapon balancing will be adjusted thanks to the update

Treyarch has detailed all the features that the update brings in a Reddit article. If you want more information on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, check out our overview article. We have compiled some survival tips for the Battle Royale mode Blackout in our beginner tips for Blackout.

Table of contents

1. Listen up! Better sound design

With update 1.09, developer Treyarch has launched extensive changes to the audio design. The main focus was on the importance of the perception of other players in your environment - if you already can't see them.

Blackout gets the following adjustments thanks to patch 1.09:

  • The update will prevent situations where it happened that the running sounds of other players were absorbed when they were not in the field of view.
  • New balancing of hearing distances. Means that you will always hear other players from the same distance - whether they are running, sliding, or otherwise moving. At the same time, all audio-related perks will be adjusted accordingly.
  • Thanks to the update, you will also be able to better perceive the direction from which footsteps are approaching in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

An update for even more fun in Blackout

  • You will hear your own footsteps and those of your team members more quietly than before.
  • The latest patch also revisesambient sounds: When garage doors or crates open, for example, they will be quieter from now on. This makes important but subtle sounds like footsteps more audible.

2. Armor durability & repair options

When you're really hitting the ground running in Battle Royale's Blackout mode, you'll be glad to have durable armor. Treyarch has worked on this so that every collision with enemies no longer destroys your armor. Now you can find armor parts that you can use to repair armor in a matter of seconds.

The parts appear in equipment crates when you kill and loot enemies. Every now and then they just lie around. In general, armor in Blackout now lasts longer and its condition is more visible.

3. Update of the Blackout maps

For now, there are no new maps for the Blackout mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, but there are changes to the existing map:

  • Hydro Dam now has elevators so you can access more levels. New rooms are now open - there are more cover options.
  • In the factory, three additional buildings, containers and more areas become accessible.
  • In Nuketown Island, you can now enter four garages that were previously closed.

A revision of the visibility of map borders, among other things, makes them more visible on the mini-map. Fences or power lines now mark them. In addition, there are a few seasonally appropriate, atmospheric effects such as winter light.

Fresh update for Blackout

4. Weapon balancing: What has been adjusted?

To make the gameplay more balanced, the latest Blackout update adjusts the weapon balancing . This affects the following weapons:

  • The SDM sniper rifle will cause less damage in the future. Furthermore, the ADS time ("aiming down sights" - the time between sprinting and firing a weapon) and the recoil will increase.
  • The Spitfire submachine gun will also have its damage reduced and recoil increased.

5. Other features brought by the update

A few more features will ensure that the Battle Royale mode is even more addictive from now on. These include smoke signals, for example, which signal that players have been dropped. In this way, you can see where other players are hanging out.

You also decide in the options menu whether you want to reload by pressing a quick button or whether the reload process is triggered by holding the button. Valuable seconds that can mean a real time gain in matches.

Undead also play a bigger role in the new Blackout: with a little luck, zombies will drop ammo when you shoot them over the top.

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