Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare is having multiple betas next month on PS4 and Xbox One, which will give the public ample opportunity to try out the game’s multiplayer features. In preparation for the big event, here are five combat details that everyone should know in advance.
1) Classes And Abilities Are Back: Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3, focused a lot on classes, and its successor will too. In place of Specialists, the 2016 title will feature six Combat Rigs tailored to marksman, assassin, support, assault and close-quarters combat. Each rig has three traits that are always accessible but can only be used one at a time. The sniper-like Phantom has a trait called Rearguard that briefly offers protection from behind.
Combat Rigs will also have Payloads which are essentially supers that charge based on performance and streaks. Each rig has three of these as well. Two are weapons and one is an ability. Synaptic, for example, is designed for close combat. His Reaper Payload offers a speed boost with insta-kill melee attacks. Between each tier and what players select, there are more than 50 possible combinations to suit different play styles.
2) New Gear And The Expansion Of Gear: As every new Call Of Duty game should, Infinite Warfare places lots of emphasis on gear that can be used to further customize a loadout. Some notable examples are the knife-like Bio Spike, Seeker Grenades that find enemies before exploding, a Black Hole Projector that sucks in foes and a Personal Radar that should help provide more accurate defense.
A neat little mechanical addition as that all gear can also be deployed while the player is firing a weapon. Considering the expected increases in gun customization, this added layer of sustained offense could create some interesting situations.
3) Crafting Makes Its Debut: We have our doubts this feature will make it to the PS4 or Xbox One beta, but it might. New to Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare is a crafting system that essentially brings a loot loop to the game. During battles, salvage is dropped that can be used to create guns on common, rare, legendary or epic tiers.
Depending on that level, crafted weapons have built-in perks like increased ammo, less recoil or special abilities that are tied to number of kills. Legendary weapons might even drop more XP per kill when used. This system sounds a bit complex to be used in a test, but maybe there will be a trimmed-down version of it to tinker with.
4) Modes: Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare has more than a dozen confirmed multiplayer modes, and a few of them are new. The lion’s share, like Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed and Capture The Flag, have been standard in shooters for years. A fresh entry to the roster, however, is Defender. In this match type, a drone waits for teams at the center of the map, and it must be secured. It can be passed between allies, and the goal is to simply hold onto it for as long as possible. Frontline is previously unseen as well, but we’re unsure how it works. Considering Defender has been demoed by press already, it might make sense for the beta.
5) The Movement Feels The Same: Despite tons of new ways to customize your player and gun, the basic movement of Infinite Warfare should feel familiar to anyone that previously enjoyed Black Ops 3. The action is fast, fluid and it includes a whole bunch of wall running. In other words, the multiplayer meta of Infinite Warfare is more about understanding how the new weapons, classes and gear work rather than mastering anything mechanical.
Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare begins beta testing on Oct. 14 - 17 exclusively on PS4. Another trial will start on PS4 and Xbox One on Oct. 21 - 24. As it stands now, access will only be granted to those that pre-ordered the game. The finished product hits stores on Nov. 4 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
What do you expect from the Infinite Warfare beta? Do these multiplayer features make you excited for Call Of Duty? Tell is in the comments section!
