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Black Ops 2 Multiplayer: Type 95, Perks, Killstreaks - What The Campaign Suggests

Dave Cook

Black Ops 2’s campaign was revealed in a live Treyarch gameplay demo last week, giving us many hints as to what Black Ops 2 multiplayer might involve. Join us as we connect the dots.

Published on May 22, 2012



Black Ops 2 is shaping up to be a bold new take on the Call of Duty template. Treyarch recently lifted the lid on two full campaign levels – The Los Angeles-based mission Protect P.O.T.U.S and a Strike Force Operation battle in Singapore – which were both set in 2025 and showed off tons of future tech.

The demo was rather awesome, and you can read all about it in our massive eyes-on preview.

Treyarch revealed tons of new campaign gadgets and weapons that gave us a glimpse of what we might see in Black Ops 2 multiplayer. Along with current rumours surrounding multiplayer, we look at the evidence to see just what Black Ops 2 multiplayer might involve. Read on to find out more.

Black Ops 2 multiplayer ‘will be rebalanced from scratch’, says Treyarch

The original Black Ops boasted a thoroughly balanced multiplayer component, aside from the FAMAS perhaps – which is no mean feat, as any FPS developer will tell you. Balancing is tricky, but entirely worthwhile, and Treyarch understands the importance of fair and balanced online play.

NowGamer asked Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia about the developer’s approach to multiplayer balancing, and he stressed that, “Weapon balance is critical”, while going on to say, “With Black Ops multiplayer, there was a certain balance of gunplay and gameplay that we wanted to strike. We really enjoyed the gunfight that occurs.”

Black Ops 2 looks set to throw out all of the old balancing and to re-establish a new weapon set that is fairly balanced and rammed full of attachment options, which bring us neatly to a highly controversial Call of Duty gun.



Black Ops 2’s multiplayer gun set will see the Type 95 & KSG return

During Treyarch’s single player demonstration, we spotted hero David Mason firing a Type 95 rifle. Modern Warfare 3 fans likely know that this is a controversial assault rifle among the online circuit, due to its high power and miniscule kick back.

Those who dislike the gun often refer to it as a cheap and bemoan others for spamming it. We asked Mark Lamia if he was expecting backlash for putting the Type 95 in Black Ops 2 multiplayer.

Lamia replied, “I think our weapons and balance are going to be unique to Black Ops 2, so I think any preconception you have about any weapons in the Call of Duty franchise, you need to set aside when you’re playing Black Ops 2. It’s being rebalanced from the ground up for this game that we’re creating.”

Other weapons seen in the campaign demo include the KSG shotgun, which is a rapid fire monster, and the Vector SMG, a lightweight single-handed gun that boasts a massive fire rate, but is balanced by some pretty horrific recoil. Balancing then, seems to be top of Treyarch’s online agenda.

Black Ops 2 multiplayer killstreaks could extend to gun attachments

As Mason let rip with his Type 95 rifle, we noticed he was aiming down an x-ray ACOG scope. This enabled him to see enemy troops hiding behind cover, and gave him the option of firing through surfaces to kill them. It was a rather helpful tool in a chaotic and tricky situation.

According to recent rumours, the x-ray ACOG scope is available in multiplayer, but only as a killstreak reward. Allegedly, players can activate the killstreak and attach the x-ray scope to whatever gun they are using for a limited time only. If true, this would give players a huge advantage over the enemy.



Black Ops 2 multiplayer could enable players to hack enemy gear

During the LA mission Protect P.O.T.U.S, Mason uses a wrist mounted hacking dart tool to shoot then hijack a quadrotor and a CLAW mech, before control them from a first-person viewpoint. This would give multiplayer an espionage slant, with both teams hacking each other’s gadgets and drones.

In the Strike Force Operations missions ‘Singapore’, friendly troops can be seen placing small hacking beacons below capture points to automatically hack armoured trucks after a few seconds.

This could hint at an extension of the recurring Call of Duty multiplayer perk Hacker, which enables players to hijack enemy tech and explosive devices. Hacking at a distance with wrist dart tools could make the process much more tactical.



Black Ops 2 multiplayer delivers a ‘4v4’ zombie mode

Mark Lamia confirmed to NowGamer that Black Ops 2 would include a 4v4 zombies mode, which could hint at two teams fighting each other – and hordes of the undead – to ensure survival. In addition, Lamia previously revealed that zombies mode is now an integral part of the Black Ops 2 multiplayer engine, and is not a throwaway side offering.

If allegedly leaked screen grabs are to believed, Black Ops 2 will also feature a full zombies campaign that shows the story of the infestation unfolding before you, along with the tag line “You will understand everything”, hinting that we may finally learn where the zombies came from.

Black Ops 2 multiplayer could throw free roam vehicles into the mix

One of the most surprising moments of Treyarch’s Black Ops 2 demonstration saw David Mason hopping into a jet and tearing around a wide, sandbox area of downtown Los Angeles, completely off rails and offering free movement. It is something the Call of Duty series has needed for a while.

Every vehicle shown in the presentation – quadrotors, CLAW mechs, treaded turrets and jets – were not on rails and could be used at will by hacking or jumping into them at certain story points.

Quadrotors seem to control like Modern Warfare 3’s recon drone killstreak, but come armed with a brutal chaingun. It’d be surprising if quadrotors were absent from Black Ops 2 multiplayer.

Similarly, CLAW mechs are small four-legged walkers that scurry across the ground slowly, armed with rocket launchers and a menacing minigun that spews rounds at an alarming rate. These robots are like bigger, badder assault drones from Modern Warfare 3.

Finally, the use of free roam jet killstreaks could be a real coup, adding a layer of dogfight combat seen previously in the Battlefield series. We’re not sure how this would detract from the boots on the ground action down below, but seeing as the original Black Ops had a ‘Gunship’ killstreak that let you pilot a chopper, jets could be a possibility.



Black Ops 2 multiplayer perks could be revised entirely from scratch

During the Black Ops 2 demonstration, Mason is knocked over by an explosion and enters a familiar ‘Last Stand’ position on the ground, suggesting that the perk is set to return in Black Ops 2.

However, recent rumours suggest that Last Stand will not be returning, and that a whole new perk system will be introduced, but Treyarch is yet to confirm or debunk the return of Last Stand.

The new perk system will allegedly give you the option of levelling up perks to Pro and Elite status. Pro is a simple extension of your perk, while Elite perks only unlock if that perk is paired with another.

For example, using Spy Pro and Pilot Pro together will unlock a third, more powerful effect. It’s a neat idea that, if true, could make for even greater class customisation.



Black Ops 2 perks supposedly include the following:

Audiophile - enemies shooting at you with silenced weapons will still appear on your mini-map, but only if they are nearby.
Bladesman – You can hold two knives, meaning you pull of melee kills faster
Consciousness – Your accuracy while standing upright is just as good as shooting while prone
Deep Impact – Bullets penetrate through surfaces with greater success.
Defuser - can throw grenades and equipment further.
Diver – you can shoot while diving to prone
Escape Artist - can fake death when going prone, but you sacrifice the option of shooting.
Focus – You can shoot while sprinting, although the accuracy is drastically reduced
Pilot – Your airborne killstreak kills count towards your overall killstreak chain
Spy - appear as an ally on the enemy mini-map.
Technician – Ground-based killstreak kills count towards your overall killstreak chain



Black Ops 2 multiplayer modes could involve hacking and chopper drops

The second mission shown by Treyarch is Singapore, which is one of Black Ops 2’s new Strike Force Operation missions. In this demonstration, a team of special forces troops rappel from a chopper to hack two control points in a dockyard swarming with soldiers and enemy drones.

This shadows another recent rumour that Black Ops 2 will deliver a new game mode called Split Spawn, in which both sides rappel from a chopper controlled by a member of their team. The pilot can position the chopper to create strategic troop drops. Once the chopper is destroyed however, your team cannot spawn.

The objective is to capture a control point in the middle of the map, or failing this, wipe out the opposing team across two rounds. Watching the Singapore mission in action, you can see how this mode would work. We’re hoping Treyarch confirm this one at a later date.
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