Black Ops 4’s launch is just barely behind us, and the response from the community has been incredible. Here at Treyarch, we’ve aggressively tracked daily community feedback, and we’re proud to say that many new features and content included in this update have been inspired by player input.

As you’ve seen with some of the information that we’ve already begun to share, we’re dropping our biggest game update yet next week with Operation Absolute Zero, a massive new series of content and the next phase in our commitment to making Black Ops 4 the most frequently-updated and best-supported game in our studio’s history.

Operation Absolute Zero: Multiplayer

Operation Absolute Zero introduces our first new post-launch Specialist: Zero, a versatile and deadly hacker available in both Multiplayer and Blackout. In Multiplayer, Zero can disrupt and distract her enemies using the powerful hacking tools at her disposal, bringing new counteractive measures to the table in Black Ops 4. Players can unlock Zero by completing Tier 1 in the newly revamped Black Market and immediately start testing out her wonderful new toys.

Three new earnable Multiplayer weapons make their debut in Operation Absolute Zero via Contraband tiers in the Black Market – the Daemon 3XB SMG, SWAT RFT assault rifle, and Secret Santa melee weapon – along with new Weapon Camos, Reactive Camos, and Reticles to unlock along the way. Players can also immediately get their hands on these new weapons in Blackjack’s Gun Game, one of our Featured Multiplayer playlists starting next week on PS4, and through Blackout weapon drops.

Watch for more Featured MP playlists throughout the rest of the year, as well as our new Holiday Event starting Dec. 13 on PS4 with new seasonal items to unlock. Also, read on below for details on the evolution of the new Black Market with this update, and all the ways we’ve improved how players will unlock exciting new content for Multiplayer and Blackout through gameplay in all three modes.

Operation Absolute Zero: Blackout

Next up: Blackout. Everything changes next week with Operation Absolute Zero.

On December 10, we’re setting the stage with several hotly-anticipated updates to the core Blackout experience for all platforms, including our new Armor repair system, audio improvements, SDM and Spitfire weapon balancing, and seasonal changes across the entire map.

Players will immediately notice the map’s new visual updates as soon as they jump out of the helicopter, from seasonal changes in foliage and softer winter lighting, to new smoke trails to better indicate where everyone is dropping. Subtle environmental improvements are also coming to Nuketown Island, Hydro Dam, and Factory – see if you can spot what’s new on Monday, and watch for our patch notes with more details on these updates next week.

Then, we turn things up a notch on December 11 when Hijacked debuts on PS4 as our newest Blackout destination, located on the peaceful waters of the map’s northwest quadrant. Inspired by the classic Treyarch Multiplayer map, our favorite luxury yacht becomes everyone’s new favorite hot drop in Blackout.

Once you make it to dry land, hop into the new ARAV armored vehicle with a friend and light up your foes with its turret-mounted machine gun. Players can also drop in as Zero after unlocking her, or as one of the four zombie-killing gladiators from IX after finding and completing the brand-new set of Blackout Zombies Character Missions.

We’re also amping up our collection of personalization items that can be used in Blackout in the new and improved Black Market, including new unlockable Blackout characters, new Epic Specialist Outfits, shared Warpaints, and more personalization items to use in the world of Blackout. Players will also find new weapons throughout Blackout starting December 11 on PS4 – try dropping into Firing Range next week to get your hands on the new hardware before anyone else does.

On top of the free content kicking off next week, there’s even more coming to Blackout soon with the addition of Custom Games, Weapon Camos, Stash interface updates on consoles, holiday map decorations, throwable Snowballs, new seasonal Special Event Tiers, in-game promos, gameplay improvements, and more.

Operation Absolute Zero: Zombies

For our Zombies players, the team has been fiercely dedicated to making our biggest day-one collection of Zombies experiences even better with each new update. We’ve made continuous gameplay and stability improvements since launch across all four maps, and next week, we’re proud to introduce three new free features for Zombies players on all platforms: Daily Callings, the Black Ops Authenticity Stamp system, and Daily Tier Skips for Zombies.

Daily Callings provide new gameplay challenges that reward Zombies players with bonus XP and Nebulium Plasma upon completion. Be sure to check the Zombies Barracks for each day’s new challenge to maximize your earnings, level up faster, and concoct even more Elixirs and Talismans for your next record-breaking run.

Want to prove your zombie-slaying prowess to the world? For the first time in Zombies history, the new Black Ops Authenticity Stamp system gives players the ability to verify and share the results of their game online with a personalized code generated at the end of each match. The Black Ops Authenticity Stamp website tracks a variety of stats, including:

• Number of kills, deaths, downs, revives, headshots, and rounds survived
• Map selection, game type, numbers of players, and difficulty attempted
• Special Weapons, Equipment, and Talismans used
• Perks and Elixirs equipped
• Number of Elixirs consumed
• Match duration, score spent, final score, and more

We’ve also heard the community’s requests for a path to earn Black Market Tier progression by playing Zombies, and we’re happy to announce the addition of the Daily Tier Skip for Zombies! Starting next week, simply complete 15 rounds in one game of Classic Zombies each day for your daily bonus Black Market Tier.

With an unprecedented amount of Zombies experiences released by the end of this year, we’ve never been more committed to delivering new and exciting content for our Zombies community. Next week’s launches of Daily Callings, Black Ops Authenticity Stamp, and Daily Tier Skip in Zombies are just the beginning, as we’re also kicking off our limited-time Winter Calling event in Zombies with new seasonal personalization rewards to unlock starting December 13 on PS4.

We’ll continue to roll out more new features and gameplay content in 2019, including Factions, new seasonal Event Callings, Phase 2 of the Black Ops Authenticity Stamp system featuring deeper player stats, and additional gameplay improvements, free for all players. More details to come!

Evolution of the Black Market

The Black Market has been newly revamped for the launch of Operation Absolute Zero to streamline the system, make Tier progression simpler and more rewarding, and add new types of content that have been commonly requested from the community. Players have also asked for the ability to mix and match Warpaints with different outfits, and gain access to Warpaints without having to own a corresponding outfit. Starting December 11, we’re bringing all of this... and then some.

The new Contraband stream kicks off with 100 Tiers designed to deliver a more diverse and exciting collection of items to earn, with themes built around every 25 Tiers and more opportunities to use personalization items in new ways. Here’s what to expect on day one:

• 100 Clearly Defined Tiers: We’ve streamlined the progression experience by reducing the initial Tier showcase from 200 to 100. Every reward for the first 100 Tiers can be previewed in the Black Market right off the bat, so you can always track your progress toward your next favorite new item.
• New Earnable Weapons: We’re introducing our first batch of new earnable weapons in the Operation Contraband stream to deploy in your Multiplayer loadouts, including the Daemon 3XB SMG, SWAT RFT assault rifle, and Secret Santa melee weapon.
• New Specialist Unlock: Operation Absolute Zero begins in the Black Market with our new Specialist, Zero, unlockable at Tier 1 for use in Multiplayer and Blackout.
• New Item Categories and More Diverse Content: Weapon Camos, Reactive Camos, Reticles, shared Warpaints and new Mastercraft cosmetic weapon variants have been added to the Black Market by popular demand! Each Reactive Camo unlocked in the Black Market is uniquely designed for its designated weapon, while new Weapon Camos can be equipped across multiple weapons.
• New Mastercrafts: Players can now earn new Mastercraft weapon variants in the Black Market, including new ABR 223 Mastercraft for tactical rifle fans.
• New Blackout characters: Our Ultimis Zombies heroes are coming to Blackout in the Black Market! Keep an eye out for old-school Nikolai, unlockable at Tier 45.
• New Shared Warpaints: To give players more freedom to personalize their Black Ops 4 experience, Warpaints can now be equipped with outfits across different Themes on the same Specialist.
• Reserves Now Start at Tier 101: Players will earn cosmetic Reserve content after unlocking the first 100 Tiers of Black Market content, including all-new personalization items and a new Mastercraft. And if you haven’t completed the collection of Reserve items from Operation First Strike, don’t worry – they’re still included in Reserves for Operation Absolute Zero.
• Content Changes: While we’re also introducing new Gestures, Calling Cards, and additional personalization items along with the new content mentioned above, we aren’t adding any new Decals for Specialist Outfits to the loot pool to ensure every item earned can be immediately equipped and enjoyed in the game. As with the rest of the game, we’ll continue to refine the Black Market experience as the Operation continues.
• Daily Tier Skip for Zombies: As we mentioned above, all Zombies players can earn a bonus Daily Tier Skip in the Black Market by completing 15 rounds in a game of Classic Zombies each day.

The Black Ops 4 Competitive Season

Finally, as we kick off the new Call of Duty World League season this weekend with our first major CWL event in Las Vegas, we’re already looking ahead to early 2019 with the upcoming debut of the World League Hub in Black Ops 4.

After laying the initial groundwork for our CWL feature set with CWL Custom Games, CODCaster, and the Live Event Viewer on PS4, our sights for competitive play are now set on delivering the full suite of World League Hub features as soon as possible. While many of these features were initially planned to release in December, we are spending a little more time in development to give these features the polish that our competitive players expect and deserve. Here are the upcoming feature plans:

• December 7:
  • Live Event Viewer (launching with CWL Las Vegas on PS4)
• Scheduled for early 2019:
  • League Play Events
  • Gauntlets
  • Clans and Teams

Stay Connected for More Intel

Keep an eye on our social channels below for the full details on what’s coming to MP, Zombies, and Blackout starting early next week, and tune into our Treyarch Studio Livestream on December 11 to get all the juicy intel straight from the developers.

It’s an honor to create the world of Black Ops 4 for the millions of players who enjoy our game, and we’re even more excited about all the content coming this month and beyond. Thanks for coming along on this ride with us.

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-Treyarch