Battle royale games have demonstrated strong staying power in the industry since the rise of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. Other titles have found success and even thrived alongside these titans, too. Apex Legends stands out with its three-player squads and different heroes that are reminiscent of Overwatch. Developer Treyarch has established its own strong player base with its Blackout battle royale, a mode that comes as part of the package on Black Ops 4. Arguably, it’s the best aspect of the newest Call of Duty game, overshadowing the multiplayer and zombie modes.
There are reasons why it has done so well—and why it continues to perform. It blends the best elements of the other battle royales and ties them together into one package. It includes the strongest features from other games and consolidates them into one first-person shooter experience. Let’s look at the best decisions—and some of the worst—that have helped Treyarch create a memorable experience on an otherwise lackluster game.
10 Best: The Map
The first choice Treyarch solidified that has helped Blackout is the map that players wingsuit down onto in the mad rush to victory. New meets old in this stellar combination of uncharted territory and classic Black Ops maps.
Buildings, towns, and open land that haven’t featured in previous games help fill in the rest of the map while landmark locales from previous entries in the franchise make a return. You might find these locations on multiplayer, but in Blackout, they are spread out over the map. The decision to create a battlefield that shifts between familiar and alien is rewarding to the loyal fans who’ve been playing the series for so long and is engaging for those new to the game.
9 Worst: Black Ops Pass
Black Ops 4 was priced at the usual $60 that is standard for brand new AAA titles in the industry. That makes sense. The Black Ops Pass, which is supposed to provide players with rewards and exclusives as new seasons and new content rollout, was priced at $50 originally. That doesn’t make sense, because the pass has yet to really give any meaningful content to the players who purchased it.
When you pay more than $100 for a game, you expect that the developer would be willing to reward the loyalty of its audience, but the pass has only given us a few playable characters, a few cosmetics, and a lot of disappointment. Especially when characters and cosmetics are still locked behind microtransactions.
8 Best: Gameplay
The gameplay toes a line that has kept the battle royale enticing and—when you finally win in solo, duos, or quads— satisfying. You can’t buy your way to better weapons or gadgets. It levels the playing field by relying on a player’s skill.
The arsenal of primary and secondary weapons can all be enhanced or modified through attachments that are scattered across the map. That customization enables a player to tweak their inventory according to preference. Most importantly, it runs smoothly and plays like a fast-paced, action-packed first-person shooter.
7 Worst: Paint Cans
What do paint cans have to do with a shooter like Blackout? Excellent question, and one that doesn’t have a good answer. In past Call of Duty games, weapon camos, or skins, were rewarded upon the successful completion of certain tasks. It was a badge of honor to have certain camos that reflected difficult achievements. Rather than implement the same system, Treyarch decided to litter the map with paint cans.
These paint cans can be redeemed for camos on primary and secondary weapons, and the higher-tier camos cost a large number. So, players are forced to go out of there way, in maneuvers that rarely make tactical sense, to snag paint cans that are on top of rocks, perched on pillars, and strewn in the grass.
6 Best: Limited-Time Modes
Sometimes, players want a break from the same old routine, and battle royale games can feel sluggish if you run it back again and again. So, Treyarch has devised limited-time modes that give players something new to try out.
Massive fifty-versus-fifty ground wars. Pursuit games centered on vehicles. Respawn-friendly modes with zombies. Close-quarters fighting. Snipers and knives. The developer has brought enough unique game types to Blackout that players always have something different to fall back on if they want a break. However, the key here is that these modes are only available for a limited time.
5 Worst: Vehicles
Vehicles are a necessary evil. The map is large, and you occasionally need to cross long distances in a short amount of time. You might also need space for your teammates as well. So, Blackout has to have vehicles. It has a big boat, a small boat, an ATV, a convertible, an SUV, a construction truck, a military Humvee, and a helicopter. Quite the variety. They’re helpful, too. Until you get run over by someone who’s circling the map in an ATV and trying to kill people.
It sours the mood whenever this happens. It’s a natural progression once vehicles were introduced, but it takes the spirit out of the game. Vehicles are mandatory. They’re needed. They need to be easier to destroy, though, because in their current state they enable the worst kind of player to ruin the experience for everyone else.
4 Best: Frequent Updates
Outside of limited-time modes, new content is always desirable. Players want new weapons, new obstacles, and new areas to explore. So far, Treyarch has been up to the challenge. Every thirty to sixty days, changes to the map and the overall Blackout experience arrive.
New additions to the map, like the yacht and the ghost town. New weapons to diversify your arsenal, like the bowie knife and the explosive bow. Operator mods on primary guns, dropping in crates throughout the map. The destruction of the hydro dam, which flooded the water-adjacent locations. All of these changes mix up the style of play and the atmosphere of the game. As long as Treyarch continues to innovate, the game remains fresh and engaging.
3 Worst: Cosmetics
Microtransactions may be here to stay, and that’s a dilemma for another time, but the move to cosmetics in battle royales is consistent across the genre. Treyarch, however, has made the feature tedious and frustrating.
In an effort to encourage more monetary commitment to Black Ops 4, the developer has made cosmetics, each and every one, specific to each of the weapons in the game. That means if you unlock one camo using a crate, you’ve unlocked it for one gun, and there are a lot of guns. This decision cheapens the cosmetic element of the game.
2 Best: Gestures
Fortnite dances are everywhere. In competitive games, the ability to express yourself beyond your gameplay has become a phenomenon. Which makes it a smart move for Treyarch to include gestures in Blackout.
When there is a lull in the combat, or when you’ve just secured an awesome victory, there is the chance to show off or to be downright silly. Just downed an opponent? Great, now dance over their body while they spectate. Pull off some crazy stunt with your friends? Celebrate with some zany dance moves or a comic reaction. It enriches the game, and it was the right choice.
1 Worst: Prestige
The prestige system has existed in the Call of Duty franchise for some time. But it doesn’t really translate into Blackout. All it gives players is a continual need to level up. From 1 to 81. Time and again. With a changing icon next to your gamertag.
There should be more of a reward system. Exclusives for players as they reach certain prestige levels. Instead, there is a hollow feature that doesn’t provide much in the way of compensation. The prestige system is lacking right now, and Treyarch needs to beef it up.