Black Ops 4 January 15th Update Preview: Zombies Features, Blackout Looting, and More

On Reddit, Treyarch has provided a first look at what’s coming with the January 15th update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

The latest patch update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will become available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 15 with new features in Zombies (some are first on PS4), updates to Blackout, and some requested MP features.

League Play is still in development and is expected by the end of this month.

Here’s what’s coming:

From Treyarch:

Black Ops 4 gets even bigger next week with our 1.11 update, including new Zombies content and 2XP promos for our 115 Day Celebration Event on 1/15! Here’s a preview of what’s coming in all three modes, with full patch notes to follow early next week.

Zombies: 115 Day Celebration Event, Gauntlets and New Epic Elixirs on PS4, Elixir Balancing Updates + More

January 15 is 115 Day, and this year’s Zombies celebration is bigger than ever.

We’re kicking off our 115 Day Celebration Event with 2XP, 2X Weapon XP, and 2X Nebulium Plasma in Zombies starting 10AM PT Jan. 15 through Jan. 18 on all platforms, along with the debut of Gauntlets and three new Epic Elixirs on PS4 and Elixir balancing updates! We’ll also be testing out some new Concoctions in the Laboratory over the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for additional bundles for your newly-earned Nebulium Plasma.

But that’s just the beginning. On Tuesday, we’ll have news detailing several features and new content coming to Zombies over the next few months, including a preview of what’s already in the works for our 1.12 update for late January. Zombies Director Jason Blundell will also be in attendance later in the day, so mark your calendar and clear your schedule.

Now, to address the 800-pound zombie gorilla in the room… what are Gauntlets and how do they add to the overall Zombies experience? Glad you asked.

Gauntlets in Black Ops 4 Zombies are curated 30-round challenges with unique rules for each round, kicking off with “Unsinkable” in Voyage of Despair. Players will receive Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals and special tier-based rewards upon completing rounds 10, 20, and 30, as well as a unique reward (and bragging rights) for completing round 30 without failing a round. Players will also earn bonus Nebulium Plasma rewards when reaching each new milestone for the first time, so it pays to give every Gauntlet run your best shot.

Rules can vary wildly round-to-round, ranging from weapon restrictions and time limitations to area defense challenges with dangerous enemy modifiers, and everything in-between. If you and your crew fail to complete a round as instructed, you’ll earn a Strike. If you receive three Strikes, it’s game over and you’ll have to start from round 1 again. While getting to round 10 will prove challenging for casual players, completing all 30 rounds will test even the most seasoned Zombies veterans… and only the best of the best will emerge victorious with no downs or Strikes.

Because we’ve also designed Gauntlets to be endlessly replayable in a competitive setting, the rules for each of the 30 rounds are permanently set and all Gauntlet matches are timed, so we expect to see some incredible speed runs from the community long after you’ve achieved your first Gold medal!

“Unsinkable” in Voyage of Despair is just the first of many Gauntlets to come in 2019, each with their own set of all-new challenges to master. Let us know what you think when this new feature launches next week on PS4. We’ll also have more details to share on our three new Epic Elixirs, existing Elixir balance updates, and some additional surprises on 115 Day.

Blackout: Improved Looting Interface on Consoles, New Limited-Time Modes

This update also delivers our new looting interface to Blackout on consoles, allowing players to scroll through a multi-row grid, loot the items they’re looking for, and get back to the action as quickly as possible. This should also alleviate some other interface issues that console players have experienced in the past, and we’re excited to hear what you think when the update drops next week.

We’ve also got two new limited-time modes coming soon to Blackout starting next week! We’ll have all the details on what each of these new modes brings to the game in an upcoming update, plus the reveal of more Blackout news coming soon.

Multiplayer: Black Ops Pass Maps in Full Rotation, Featured Playlist Updates, Setting the Stage for League Play

With the upcoming 1.11 update, Elevation and Madagascar will be added to full map rotation for Black Ops Pass holders, including Hardcore playlists. Moving forward, we’ll add new MP maps into full rotation as they’re released.

Speaking of playlist updates, we’ll have a fresh batch of rotating Featured Playlists coming into MP with 1.11, along with additional stability fixes and other quality-of-life improvements. Stay tuned for next week’s patch notes for all the details.

This update will also help to set the stage for League Play’s launch by the end of January, which we announced in our community update on January 8. Watch for more details on League Play as we get closer to launching the World League Hub, and tune into the CWL Pro League Qualifiers on Jan. 16-20 to watch all the action unfold as 28 teams compete to secure their place in the Black Ops 4 Pro League at twitch.tv/callofduty..

SOURCE: Treyarch