Stages of a match - advice | Blackout Mode in Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Guide and Tips
Last update: 22 October 2018
In order to successfully play a game in the Blackout mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, you need to develop a strategy and refine it every time you play. In this chapter you will find some tips and tricks on how not to get killed at the very beginning of the game, how to survive the subsequent stages and how to win in the endgame.
- Choosing the landing place
- How to properly get off the helicopter?
- First stage
- Second stage - survival
- Final stage - battle for victory
Choosing the landing place
The first stage of the game is to choose a place to land. Even before you can jump out of the helicopter, you can already take a look at the map and the planned flight route of the helicopters. This way you can determine the locations most players will go to. If you are going to play offensively, jump out right at the start (not recommended for beginners). However, if you prefer a safe strategy, it is worth getting off at one of the smaller locations near the center of the map (e.g. petrol stations, small settlements), or places where you can find mystery boxes. Here are my recommendations for beginners:
- Cemetery near the Asylum - rarely visited by players;
- Hydro Dam - if the helicopter doesn't fly directly above it, you'll probably find almost no opposition there;
- Houses near the Estates - a good spot, usually chosen as hideout by players that leave the Estates. You can get some good gear here, and set up a nice ambush.
- Lighthouse - there's always someone here, but if the helos weren't flying nearby, it usually won't be more than 2 persons.
How to properly get off the helicopter?
If you want to jump out of the helicopter immediately, along with most players, hold down the jump key before you get a message that you can disembark. To cover much distance and land faster than others, go straight down in a sharp dive. When you speed up to 65-70m/s (shown on the right), start leveling your flight if you want to cover a large distance. Do not do this too early to maintain speed. The green line indicates when the parachute will open: level the flight as much as possible to delay the opening of the parachute. When the parachute opens, head down as quickly as possible: you'll want to cut this phase of the flight short, as it is quite slow and you are clearly visible to enemies who can then look for you in the area where your parachute was last seen.
First stage
First you are looking for a weapon: if there is an opponent nearby, who gets a weapon, any weapon, first will determine who will continue the game. Next, look for an armor and collect first-aid kits (if they are not nearby, then at least some bandages) and try to locate a backpack - it adds 5 slots to your inventory and has no negative features.
When you are sure you have collected basic items and the area is safe, wait for the first zone restriction to determine which location you would like to go to next. The speed at which the zone limits itself is close to the speed at which you move: however, it's a good idea to leave yourself a small reserve. When you're outside of the game area, you'll be receiving damage. Optionally, it's a good idea to have an escape vehicle ready.
Second stage - survival
In the second stage begins a roughly 20-minutes long battle for survival. Rely on your hearing, try to stay out of sight and constantly expand your inventory. It's better to defeat enemies using their own negligence and ambushes: don't try to shoot your enemy from a distance when you know they're unlikely to die - instead of scaring them away, you'll usually have them hot on your heels.
Always be prepared for relocation and don't let yourself be trapped at the edge of the zone: players like to hunt people who failed to escape to the safe area. At this stage of the game it is worth having two weapons: one for close range, e.g. a shotgun or a handy rifle with a collimator; something that will allow you to fight effectively in closed spaces; and the main weapon - a heavy machine gun, a sniper rifle, or your favorite assault rifle - the choice is yours in this matter. It's worth getting to know the weapons while playing multiplayer games. Good equipment can often be found in the boxes periodically dropped from the plane. But remember that this will be a trap in 9 cases out of 10: many players are waiting for other, greedy players instead of trying to collect the contents of the drop for themselves.
To sum up: the second stage is the most important one. Your goal should be at least the highly rewarded TOP 15, but in order not to be passive, search through the locations and check for signs of possible ambush (open doors, broken windows, running vehicles standing nearby) and don't expose yourself too much: while walking through the forest, keep to trees and bushes to hide; don't use continuous sprint - it's audible from a very far away.
Final stage - battle for victory
At this stage you can find two notable strategies: fight or survival. If you are going to fight, try to predict where the last narrowing of the zone may occur and choose the most convenient position for the fight; then prepare for the coming opponents. If there are only a few players left, it's worth staying on the move, but at the same time remaining unnoticed: numerous grenades and other gadgets will soon be flying in your direction.
If you've managed to stay unnoticed, let the last remaining opponents take out each other - then you'll confuse the last opponent and knowing their location, you can make the final push.
If you have chosen a purely defensive strategy (yes, the game can be won without killing even a single opponent!), you only need to equip yourself with numerous first-aid kits and the following perks: Outlander - significantly reduces damage from the circle; and the Medic or Consumer - increase the speed of healing; because in the last zone the rate of health loss is faster than regeneration (this does not apply if you have the Outlander perk). If prepared in such a way, you can hide even a few meters from the center of the circle, where the opponent is most likely to be hiding. However, with good equipment, you will last longer in the zone, especially when the enemy is already weakened by fighting.