I’m a huge battle royale nerd, and have been enjoying the genre ever since Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds ushered it into the limelight. When Call of Duty Black Ops 4 was released I was excited to jump into their version of Battle Royale which they dubbed BLACKOUT. The premise of Blackout is simple. Anywhere between 88 to 100 individuals drop into a battlefield where they duke it out to be the last remaining survivor. There’s a certain satisfaction that can only come from winning a round of BR. I have put hundreds of hours into CoD: Blackout, and wanted to help others get 1st place! Here’s a few lessons and tips to get better and get victory in Blackout!
Don’t Waste your Perks
You may be tempted to use all of your perks the moment you pick them up, but this would be a huge mistake. Specific perks can provide a massive advantage if used at the right time during a match. For example, the Dead Silence perk is great for close quarters when you’re trying to quickly sneak up on an enemy. If you have Iron Lungs you should wait until you’ll be making a lot of “hold your breath” sniper shots. Many people might think that “Outlander” is a crappy perk, but if you’re far outside the circle you will be glad that you saved that sucker.
Don’t Get Loot Crazy
Everything inside you will want to loot that guy you just killed, but before you dip into his stash ask yourself one question “Am I safe to get this loot?” Too often you’ll dive onto a backpack to score fresh goodies only to immediately get killed by an onlooking enemy. Before you dig into the loot do a quick look around to make sure there’s no obvious enemies around. After that go as fast as you can picking up loot. Don’t dilly dally trying to decide what loot to pick up. Grab what you need and move to a safe location!
Assume That People Hear You Driving
There’s five different vehicles in Blackout. There is the massive truck, the ARAV, the quad ATV, the helicopter, and the boat. All of these vehicles make a lot of noise during use. The noise will alert any enemies within proximity. It’s easy to get careless and assume that no one is around. Anytime you get into a vehicle you must assume that not only can the enemies hear you, but they are running in your direction to fight.
Personally – I don’t take a vehicle unless it is absolutely necessary to get into the circle. It’s too easy for enemies to hear you coming, and get the jump on you.
The Light Machine Guns Suck
The Titan, the Zweihander, and the VKM 750 are the three LMG’s you can loot in Blackout. You may be tempted to think they’re crazy killing machines based off their size, but they are trashy guns. They can pump out some decent damage, but the issue is their rate of fire. You can get the jump on an enemy and start hitting them with a LMG only for them to turn around and kill you. Don’t be fooled! Leave these guns on the ground (unless you have no other options of course!).
Learn to Parachute Quickly
The main trick to parachuting in Blackout is to dive straight down until you get the three downward arrows on the parachute bar. This signifies that you’ve reached top speed. Once you max out you’ll want to point yourself in the direction of your drop location. At this time you will be able to maintain a speed of 66 even if you’re perfectly horizontal to the ground. With most drop locations it’s faster to drop out of the plane and start heading to your location rather than sit on the plane waiting for it to get closer.
Sensor Dart in the Right Situations
One of the blessings of the sensor dart is that you can immediately know if a house is loaded with four guys camping in a closet. Just fire it off and you’ll be able to see on the map where the enemy is. You’ll only want to use the sensor dart if it is absolutely necessary that you know where the enemy is. It’s very helpful in situations where you already know an enemy is lurking around, but you need the extra edge to take them down.
The sensor dart is great to use when you plan to go into a building, but are not confident that it’s empty. Why go into a possibly enemy encamped building when a sensor will spot them for you?
The one downside of the sensor dart is that the enemy can hear it. If you’re going for the element of surprise than you will want to hold off from using the dart. Sometimes in quads I’ll kill off one of the four, and than pop the sensor to quickly see where the remaining three are.
Grapple Hook for the Win!
The grapple hook is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment that can be used to quickly rush an enemy, dodge out of sticky situations, and used to reach hard to get locations. Naturally most people look for enemies at ground level. Whether camping a spot for enemies or rushing an enemy player it can be incredibly helpful to use the grapple to get onto a roof or higher elevated location. Generally speaking, whoever has the high ground has an advantage. Plus most players scan the ground level before looking higher up. Use that grapple to climb up higher!
Lone Rangers Die Alone
One of the reasons why Call of Duty’s Battle Royale Blackout is so fun and addictive is that a single player can win the game even if teammates aren’t pulling their weight. There are many first person shooters (i.e. Overwatch) that are so team-oriented that an individual cannot carry their team. With Blackout it’s entirely possible for a single player to carry their team to victory. With this said, even if you’re the best Call of Duty in the world you’re stacking the cards against you if you decide to not go with your teammates. A lone ranger may be a hero if he wipes out an enemy team, but the chances statistically are lower without your teammates by your side. Want to win Blackout in Duos or Quads? Stick close to your teammates.
Don’t Peak from the Same Spot Twice
While behind cover and engaging an enemy you’ll be tempted to side step left and right to peak and take quick shots. This is especially common during sniper battles where you’ll take a shot, take cover, and than side step out for another. While taking these shots from behind cover you’ll want to come out from different angles and sides each time. If you come out to peak the enemy from the same spot over and over it’ll make it very easy for the enemy to line up a shot to take your head off as soon as you peak out. This Blackout tip is very simple – don’t peak from the same spot twice!
Prepare for the Proper Circle
Take an educated guess based on the first circle of where you think the final circle will be and plan accordingly. You want a sniper rifle for a final desert circle. You’ll be wanting a SMG, Shotgun, or CQC if it’s going to be a close quarters finish in the forest or in buildings.
Only “Thirst” Downed Enemies When It’s Safe
You have downed one of the enemies and everything in you wants to throw another 10 rounds into them to finish them off. Most of the time this is fine, but restrain yourself for a split second and ask yourself, “Is this safe?” You don’t want to waste bullets on a downed enemy if there’s a living, running, gunning enemy right next to them who’s about to put a few rounds of 5.56 into your skull. Too many times have I played with people who went for the clean up rather than saving those few bullets to fight off another approaching enemy. Don’t get thirsty to clean up a downed enemy when you should be focusing on another enemy.
Don’t Stop For Anything Until You Get a Gun
Your number one priority when you hit the ground from parachuting is to hunt down a gun. Don’t stop for anything until you’ve got a trusty bullet slinger in your hand.
Aim for that Head
Compared to other first person shooters headshots aren’t as impactful damage-wise, but they still do more damage than a torso shot. Aim for the head to kill enemies quicker.
Use Trauma Kits as Needed
I was playing with a guy who held onto his trauma kit without using it, because he wanted to use it once he took damage first. I understand where he’s coming from, but it is smarter to use a trauma kit as soon as you need it. You don’t want to have 150 health when the possibility to have 200 is there! The point of Blackout is survival. You want to progress through the round with as much health as possible at all times.
These are a few Blackout Tips and Tricks to help you get a victory in Call of Duty’s battle royale! What tips would you add to this list to help others win a round of Blackout? Put them down in the comments below!
