What to Expect From the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Beta

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta is so close we can almost hear the bullets flying past our heads and see ourselves trying out the new Black Ops 3 specialist abilities. After digging into the official information about the Black Ops 3 beta we want to help you know what to expect from the beta when it arrives on August 19th, and a bit later if you are playing on Xbox One or PS4.

Unlike some of the EA Access options, this is a beta, which means it is not the full version of the game. This is a place for Treyarch and Activision to test the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 features, gameplay, weapon balancing and servers and adjust as needed before the final release.

There are two distinct Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta periods, but the content should be largely the same for gamers. The PS4 Black Ops 3 beta starts on August 19th and ends on August 23rd. The PC and Xbox One Black Ops 3 beta starts on August 26th and ends on August 30th.

You must pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 to get access to the beta, and you must sign up for the beta with your Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta code.

Read on to learn what you can expect from the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Big Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Beta Download Size

We don’t know the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta download size yet, but you can count on something that is fairly large.

Expect a Black Ops 3 beta download that is larger than 5GB, but not the full 40GB or higher that a final release will bring. This is a limited beta that does not include every option and map. Plus there is no need for a single player mode.

Count on a lengthy download and it is unlikely that there will be a pre-load option for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta.

Many Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Modes & Options

The new official Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta trailer tells us that we can unlock weapons, perks equipment and score streaks in the beta. When you download the beta you will gain access to the following maps, modes, specialists and options according to Treyarch.

7+ Multiplayer Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Multiplayer Modes

• Team Deathmatch
• Domination
• Demolition
• Kill Confirmed
• Hardpoint
• Capture the Flag
• Search & Destroy

3+ Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Maps

• Hunted: This big game hunting lodge is situated beneath a waterfall in the lush mountains of Ethiopia, where rugged terrain opens up to long sightlines and a stealthy underwater pathway.
• Combine: Set in the remote Egyptian Sahara, this vertical farming and sustainability research facility plays fast and frenetic with tight interiors, an open middle and a dangerous flank path.
• Evac: An abandoned emergency evacuation zone atop an overgrown rooftop in the middle of Singapore’s flooded quarantine zone.

8 Multiplayer Specialists

Ruin

• Weapon: Gravity Spikes – Creates a devastating area of effect shockwave in the surrounding area.
• Ability: Overdrive – Initiates a burst of speed that accelerates all movement for a short period of time.

Outrider

• Weapon: Sparrow – Compound bow w/explosive bolts and variable range.
• Ability: Vision Pulse – Pulses the surrounding area to reveal the location of all enemies within range.

Prophet

• Weapon: Tempest – Charge-shot weapon that fires an arc of electricity, shocking targets and chaining to all nearby enemies.
• Ability: Glitch – Flash back to a previous position with this system mod that hacks the battlefield simulation grid.

Battery

• Weapon: War Machine – Grenade launcher that fires bouncing grenades which detonate after a short time or by hitting an enemy directly.
• Ability:  Kinetic Armor – Reactive armor that deflects enemy bullets away from the body. Still vulnerable to headshots and non-bullet damage while active.

Seraph – Unlocked at level 22

• Weapon: Annihilator – Massive high-caliber revolver that fires devastating rounds with increased bullet penetration.
• Ability: Combat Focus – Triggers a bonus multiplier to score earned towards Scorestreaks for a period of time.

Nomad – Unlocked at Level 22

• Weapon: H.I.V.E. – Deploys pod traps which release a deadly swarm of nano drones when triggered.
• Ability: Rejack – Recover from near death by injecting a nanoparticle serum into the bloodstream.

Reaper – Coming later in the beta

• Weapon: Scythe – Robotic arm that transforms into a high power Mini-Gun.
• Ability: Psychosis – Infiltrate enemy DNI systems to simulate three decoy clones.

Spectre – Coming later in the beta

• Weapon: Ripper – Spectre deploys mono-edged twin blades before gracefully dissecting victims with lethal, surgical precision.
• Ability: Active Camo: Advanced meta-materials rapidly change their properties, guiding photons over their surfaces instead of reflecting them, rendering Spectre temporarily invisible.

Weapon Customization Including Paintshop in the new Gunsmith that allows adding up to 64 layers.

This is not access to everything in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 release, so you’ll still have a chance to play new maps and modes when the official game arrives in November.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Beta Key Problems

Count on problems getting a Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta key from some retailers who send it separate from your actual order. As soon as you get the key you should register it as there is a chance that the registration will run into issues on August 19th and August 26th when the beta starts due to heavy demand.

We are still waiting for our Best Buy Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta key after a month, but Amazon delivered the beta key within a day. If you have problems, contact your retailer well ahead of the beta start date.

Count On Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Beta Problems

After you register and download the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta, you aren’t out of the woods just yet. Part of the reason for a beta is to fix problems so you may experience connectivity issues while you play the Black Ops 3 beta.

This is something we almost always see with a multiplayer beta, so it is a good idea to go into it knowing that there may be problems and that you need patience to join a party and to play games, especially if you are playing on the first day.

Level Caps and Progress That Doesn’t Carry Over

Treyarch confirmed that there are, “gated progression caps”, to help the team stress test the game in specific areas. These may change through the week as the team tests various items and options.

We also learned today that Arena is not in the beta. Treyarch previously confirmed that your progress within the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta will not carry over to the release.

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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