How to Prepare for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Beta

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta starts on Wednesday at midnight, and if you cannot wait to play there are a few things you can do now to prepare for the short, but feature filled beta.

Activision and Treyarch outlined the three map, seven mode beta that includes eight new specialists last week and with all of our new information in hand we want to make sure you are ready to play the beta as soon as you get the Black Ops 3 beta token in your email.

Update: Start Your PS4 Black Ops 3 Beta Download Early

In case you forgot the PS4 Black Ops 3 beta starts August 19th at midnight and the PC and Xbox One beta starts on August 26th. These are short betas that end the Sunday after they start.

Here is how you can get ready for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta right now, so you have a smoother process on Wednesday.

Sign Up for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Now

When you pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 you get a beta key, but you need to register this with Activision so that you can get a email with your beta token that authorizes your console or PC to play.

Odds are good that the registration site will be slammed on Wednesday and it takes at least a day to get the beta key when you pre-order. How to register for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta.

If you need to pre-order do it now so you get the code and have time to use these directions to register for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta.

Learn the New Black Ops 3 Controls and Movements

There are new gameplay mechanics that allow for unlimited sprinting, the option to jump higher, run on walls and fire when you jumping hurdling, swimming and running.

The video above shows off the new movement controls and walks through how you can use them to quickly change direction and take out your opponents. Plan out how you might chain the combat movements together to be a better player in the beta, and in the final release.

Check Out the New Black Ops 3 Maps

Watch the two-minute video to see a sneak preview of the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 maps so that you can scout out some places to ambush the enemy or grab some cover.

Get #Ready4BO3Beta – Prep for next week with an up-close look at the three Beta maps: Hunted, Combine, and Evac.https://t.co/FqVSH5Co0I

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 12, 2015

The video shows some of the bomb points and highlights funnels that will direct the enemy right at you. This is also a great way to see the Hardpoint locations and to identify walls to run on, windows to knock out and other tactical locations.

Learn About the Black Ops 3 Specialist Powers

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta includes access to eight out of nine specialists. Each specialist offers a special weapon and skill.

Your choice of Specialist will dictate your playstyle in the #BO3Beta. Who will you pick? #Ready4BO3Betahttps://t.co/sVLHVhVP2x

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 14, 2015

Watch the video below to see how this works and learn a little more about the role Black Ops 3 specialists will play in the beta and the final release.

Free Up 15GB of Space

If you already have a tone of games on your PS4 or Xbox One, or you ran into the PS4 storage error recently this is a good time to delete some games to make sure you have room for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta download.

Activision confirmed that this is a 15GB file due to all the options that the company packed into it. Not only will this take some time to download, but it needs a good amount of space on your console or PC.

You may want to temporarily run a wired cable to your console or PC for the download, depending on how far it is from your router.

Check Xbox Live and PS Plus Memberships

You will need a Xbox Live membership or a PS Plus membership to play online. This is a good time to make sure your membership is still good. Most of the time the membership will auto renew, but we recently discovered that our PS Plus membership did not.

Renewing takes a few minutes, but if you know ahead of time you can look for deals that might save you $10 to $30 on a subscription.

Follow TreyArch, Join Forums

This is a beta so there will be some downtime and there may be a few problems during the first day of each beta. If you are on Twitter you should follow Treyarch so you can see any updates for server downtime and official statements on problems.

Register or bookmark the official Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 forums so you can also look for help, tips and support if there are any issues. There are dedicated forums for each console, and there is a general forum where you will likely see some updates.

The Reddit Black Ops 3 subreddit is another great place to go to find other people to play with, get info about the game and if there are problems, learn how other people are solving them.

Black Ops 3 Release Date

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The Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 release date is November 6th. This is a Friday and Treyarch explains that this is timed to allow gamers to set aside a weekend to enjoy and immerse themselves in the game without the looming arrival of work that a traditional Tuesday release entails. Gamers can pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 on disc or digital now, with multiple versions of the game available. If you choose not to pre-order you will have no trouble finding a game on the release date, unless you want a special edition. The Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 release date arrives simultaneously for Xbox One, PS4, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The PS3 and Xbox 360 version of Black Ops 3 comes from another developer and will not include all the same features and upgrades. Standard versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 start at $59.99 and go up to $199.99 for a special edition. There is also a Season Pass for $49.99 with access to DLC content in 2016. The PS4 gets DLC content a month ahead of the Xbox One.

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