Over the past year I have personally become consumed with Modern Warfare 3 and the Call of Duty series as a whole, learning the intricate details of what makes the series so appealing to the mass market, learning the tricks of the trade and scrambling for inside information on the future of the series and how the next instalment will differ from the one I spend quite a large portion of my current gaming time playing. It’s been quite an arduous process sifting through all the apparent ‘in the know’ leaks that have emerged, with lists of possible weapons, perks, maps and a bunch of ideas and features that were claimed to be coming to the final code. Thankfully, with the multiplayer trailer coming out earlier this month and now a tonne of gameplay streams readily available from Gamescom most of it can be pieced together and with that I’ve compiled a list of what I feel you guys will be most interested in and my opinions on the direction they’ve chosen to take.

* Any of the items and features listed here are subject to change as they’re not based off of the final code, but most - if not all - are highly likely to be included.

Perks

As has been the pattern with previous Call of Duty games the Perk system is back and as expected they are split into three categories, with just one this time around from each allowed, unless you use a Wild Card to choose a second from the same group. They’re made up of a mix of previously seen Perks and a couple of new ones thrown in to stir things up. Having a look at each group there are definitely some interesting combinations that can be created, such as Ghost, Cold-blooded and Awareness to completely stay out of enemy sight and allows you to hear them coming. The interesting thing to note though with Ghost is you must stay moving to stay off of those enemy UAV’s, which may deter some campers, unless of course moving around in a confined space counts as moving and then I can’t see it making too much of a difference.





Here is a list of currently confirmed Perks that should appear in the multiplayer.



Tier 1 Perks

Flak Jacket - Less damage from explosions

Ghost - Undetectable by enemy UAV while moving

Blind Eye - Unaffected by AI-controlled perks

Hardline - Receive bonus points towards your score

Lightweight - Move faster, take no damage from falling

Tier 2 Perks

Hard-wired - Immune to counter-UAV and enemy EMPs.

Scavenger - Replenish ammo and grenades from fallen enemies.

Cold-blooded - Resistance to targeting systems including player-controlled aircraft.

Toughness - Less flinching when shot

Fast Hands - Swap and use grenades and equipment faster

Tier 3 Perks

Engineer - Show enemy equipment, delay explosives, booby trap care packages

Dead Silence - Less noise when moving

Extreme Conditioning - Sprint for longer distances

Tactical Mask - Reduce the effect of flash, concussion and shock charges.

Awareness - Enemy footsteps and movements easier to hear

Dexterity - Climb ladders and objects faster, aim faster after sprinting and using melee attack

So there you have it, all the confirmed Perks, although with six perks in the last tier and only five in the others there may just be two more that haven’t been uncovered yet. If not then it’s kind of a strange choice stacking more into one but I guess only time will tell. Dexterity to me sounds a little overpowered in the fact that it helps do a lot more than most. Aiming faster would have been a welcome Perk on its own, but it also comes with a bunch of stuff to help navigate the map more efficiently. Engineer could also be a sneaky Perk, especially if you can partner it with Dead Silence to sneak up and arm enemy Care Packages and watch as they blow up in their face.

Killstreaks

Some of the more memorable moments from Call of Duty online are when using the Killstreaks to best your opponents and here there are some really exciting ones that I’m dying to try out. This time though they’re not called Killstreaks as much as they’re now Scorestreaks but work in pretty much the same way, with the main difference being instead of getting a certain number of kills you’ll now gain points for every kill, assist, flag capture, kill while someone is capturing a flag, kill while you’re capturing a flag, etc. and for me this is exactly where this game needed to go. This will promote more objective-based gameplay as oppose to guys who like to sit in a corner picking people off every now and again. Now those who are putting themselves on the line for the good of the team will reap the biggest rewards and take advantage ofthe higher Scorestreaks and the guys who like to sit back won’t be rewarded in nowhere near the same way.

In the words of someone who can describe it better than I, “grabbing a flag gets you 100 score points, and then killing someone while you have the flag will double the score you receive for that kill giving you 200 extra score points. Finally returning that flag to its base can notch up another 100 points and that quick scenario gains you 400 score points.”

Each user will be able to pick three Scorestreaks from the list and thankfully these won’t affect your 10 point Create-a-Class system. Each streak also represents a different score meaning means that unlike Modern Warfare 3 where you had to choose from a Predator Missile or an Air-strike for example, here you get a full choice of every one the game offers. They’ve also done away with the Specialist and Support packages in favour of one big package with both the Assault and Support combined, with the Specialist achievable through means of Perk stacking, but unlike Modern Warfare 3 this will cost you in other areas, which I feel is a just compromise.

Here is a list of currently confirmed Scorestreaks that should appear in the multiplayer.

RCC - 325 Points - A remote-controlled car packed with explosives

This will work much like it did in Black Ops and due to it being the easiest to unlock on the list it is also pretty flimsy and if spotted early should be taken out with ease.

UAV - 375 points - Shows enemies on the mini-map

Not only will this show enemies on the mini-map, but whilst up it will also provide you with an assist for every member of your team that gets a kill during that time. This to me sounds a little overpowered for such a low Scorestreak and this will definitely be the first I personally try out in the hopes of escalating my score early on.

Hunter Killer - 400 points - Airborne drone that seeks out and destroys a nearby target

Judging from the gameplay coming from Gamescom this thing is pretty beastly and even if it misses as it comes hurtling towards you the blast radius is high enough to kill you anyway.

Care Package - 450 points - Air drop a random Scorestreak

This works pretty much the same as it has done in the past, air-dropping in a random Scorestreak, with the lesser point scoring streaks the most likely to appear.

Counter-UAV - 475 points - Temporarily disables enemy radar

Unlike the UAV this doesn’t seem to provide you with assists and will work as expected.

Guardian - 500 points - Projects microwave field which stuns and impairs enemies

From early impressions these are pretty damn annoying and once you’re caught in their beam it’s a tough ask to get back out again before your character fries.

Hellstorm Missile - 525 points - An air-to-surface missile which can be scattered into a cluster bomb while falling

This will work much like the Predator Missile only if you want it to hit a wider target area you can choose to detonate it earlier and turn it into a cluster bomb to take out multiples.

Lightning Strike - 550 points - Launch a coordinated lightning strike on three locations

This will mimic the Mortar from Black Ops and can be game changing in a game such as Domination where you can strike all three Domination capture points simultaneously.

Death Machine - 600 points - Your own personal handheld mini-gun

I’ve never been a fan of hand-held gun streaks and this one will be no different. You won’t even lose it upon death and will last until all ammo is depleted.

Sentry Gun - 650 points - An automatic sentry gun which can be remote-controlled

A mainstay of the multiplayer and teaming one of these up with a Guardian is going to make defensive play a very fun thing indeed.

War Machine - 700 points - Grenade launcher with rapid, semi-automatic firing

I’ve never been a fan of hand-held gun streaks and this one will be no different. You won’t even lose it upon death and will last until all ammo is depleted.

Dragonfire - 725 points - Remote-controlled quad-rotor with lightweight machine gun

This was the first Scorestreak to be unveiled some months back and looks pretty badass. Apparently it’s pretty ease to take down unless evasive measures are taken and you stay high and out of sight. I can see these being as annoying as the Recon Drone, only with a machine gun for company.

AGR - 800 points - Air drop an autonomous ground robot that searches for and destroys enemies and can be remote controlled

The most intriguing thing about this is you can throw it into the enemy spawn and have it drop out of its crate early and massacre the enemy; moving in and out of automatic and manual control whenever you feel like. A must for spawn-trapping it seems.

Stealth Chopper - 850 points - Call in a stealth helicopter which does not appear on the enemy’s mini-map

The first unlockable chopper with the added bonus of the enemy not being able to predict its movements easily. On paper it sounds great, but in the Gamescom code they’re being dispatched a little too quickly and this may need addressing.

Orbital VSAT - 900 points - Shows both enemy position and direction on the mini-map, cannot be shot down

This will work in the same way as the Blackbird did in Black Ops in showing off the enemy position and even what way they’re facing for a period of time and cannot be shot down. I personally thought this was overpowered the first time around and will be no different here.

Escort Drone - 1000 points - Get personal air support from an escort drone

The second unlockable chopper that will do the same job as the Little Bird Guard in Black Ops and the AH-6 Overwatch in Modern Warfare 3 in protecting you from directly above your position.

Warthog - 1025 points - Jet aircraft that provides close air support with several strafe runs

Not a whole lot is known of the Warthog on my part having not having seen many people using it. It will serve a similar purpose to the Strafe Run in Modern Warfare 3, but hopefully its flight pattern isn’t as predictable and flies at different tangents.

EMP Systems - 1050 points - Temporarily disables enemy electronics

I’m so happy this is one of the latter Scorestreaks as it can effectively disable an entire enemy team and has been reflected as such.

Lodestar - 1150 points - Laser missile targets remotely from the Lodestar

Another Scorestreak that hasn’t been shown all that much, but it will work much in the same way as the Reaper in seeking out the enemy with guided rockets.

VTOL Warship - 1200 points - Be the gunner of a powerful VTOL Warship

Works the same way as the gunner from Black Opsand some Pros are already singing its praises as being something that guarantees 8-12 kills on a regular basis.

Canine Unit - 1275 points - Attack dogs that hunt down the enemy

A community favourite in Black Ops and I’m sure many welcome its return. One of the more effective ways to hunt down and dislodge the enemy.

Swarm - 1400 points - Call in a swarm of lethal Hunter Killer drones that search and destroy enemies

Undoubtedly the most powerful of them all and it’s no surprise giving it’s a whopping 1400 points. Like the Hunter Killer only the sky is now filled with them, reigning down on the enemy like a scene from Independence day.

Well that’s it for the second part of our Black Ops 2 Multiplayer Blowout, here’s hoping there’s something in there that tickles your fancy – I personally cannot wait for that special moment when I get the Swarm for the first time and watch as people scurry for their lives. Be sure to check out the third part of our feature coming soon highlighting Maps, Modes, Equipment and so much more.

Black Ops 2 Multiplayer Blowout – Part 1

Black Ops 2 Multiplayer Blowout – Part 3



Craig Bryan, NoobFeed

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