Treyarch has released a new Black Ops 4 roadmap for fans to pore over. Titled “Operation Grand Heist,” this latest big installment to the game brings a wealth of changes, updates, and new things to Blackout, Multiplayer, and Zombies for players to try out. Check out everything you need to know about the new Black Ops 4 roadmap with our expert guide.
New Black Ops 4 roadmap | Release date
We know, you’re desperate to know when this will be released. Luckily for PS4 players, the update is available to download today i.e. Tuesday, February 19. There’s no official release date for Xbox One or PC gamers yet. Judging by past staggered launch dates, however, you can expect the update to land a week later on Tuesday, February 26.
New Black Ops 4 roadmap | Operation Grand Heist
Operation Grand Heist is the next three-month long installment for Black Ops 4. There’s a ton of new content coming to the game, including a new specialist for Multiplayer, game modes, weapon tuning, and special events.
To start with, the new Black Ops 4 specialist is called Outrider. Coming equipped with specialized equipment, such as the automatic enemy tagging drone called Hawk and Sparrow combat bow with explosive-tipped arrows, Outrider is destined to be your new favorite pick. Players will unlock her once they complete Tier 1 of the new Operation in Black Market.
There’s a slew of information on Black Ops 4‘s main game modes too, so let’s dive into those next.
New Black Ops 4 roadmap | Multiplayer
Party games make their long-awaited return, including a new game type called “One in the Chamber.” Players have three lives and one bullet in their pistol, so you’ll need to make the most of your shot. If you do miss, you can try meleeing your opponent to kill them instead. Doing either earns you another bullet and 100 points, so be sure to rack up that score up to be crowned the victor.
Other confirmed game modes, which will drop between now and April, include Prop Hunt, Infected, Barebones, and Fracture.
Three new weapons are available to be unlocked: a folding SMG called Switchblade X9, the full-auto Rampage shotgun, and Cha-Ching! money bag melee weapon. Different lighting and weather versions of popular maps will have also been added. Treyarch has also fine-tuned a number of weapons and the mode’s armor to make for a fairer playing field.
Finally, the World League Hub will make its grand Black Ops 4 entrance on Thursday, February 21 on PS4. The first League Play event begins on that date, and players have the chance to make it like the pros and show off their amazing competitive skills. You can find more details on what the World League Hub entails at this Treyarch blog post.
New Black Ops 4 roadmap | Blackout
A new location is available to players to test out in a new destination called Ghost Town. Comprised of two sections called Outlaw and Buried, these locales give gamers different ways to play and attempt to come out on top in Black Ops 4‘s battle royale game mode.
A new Blackout Prestige system is also on offer for those who haven’t been able to progress past Echelon 80. You can prestige up to 10 times with this new system, and show off to your friends that you’re a Blackout Prestige Master. New icons, calling cards, and victory coins are just some of the rewards available to those who are the best.
The inclusion of a new game mode, Hot Pursuit, will give players something unique to try out in Blackout too. Dubbed as a new respawn mode, players can use three new vehicles to their advantage. The SUV, Muscle car, and PBR all have special abilities to help you secure victory, so find out which is best for your squad.
Looking further ahead into the spring, a St. Patrick’s Day event, called “Shamrock & Awe,” will land in Black Ops 4 in March. New equipment will be continuously patched into the game mode, too, the introduction of a Hardcore Mode isn’t too far away, and a secret in-game event will arrive at some point around early April.
New Black Ops 4 roadmap | Zombies
Heaven forbid we forget to mention the new content for Zombies mode. Starting off with a new Gauntlet called “Death-Con Five”, players are tasked with taking on the dead in 30 rounds of new challenges as part of the “Classified” series. As an olive branch to the community too, Treyarch will allow players to buy Classified missions as a standalone experience, beginning on Tuesday, February 19.
Players can test out a new Zombies perk called Ethereal Razor, which causes massive damage to enemies when you melee attack them. Signature weapons can now to be equipped and customized in the Zombies armory too, so if you’ve been after that unique looking weapon, now is the time to make it.
Daily Callings rewards have received an upgrade in Zombies as well, with the ability to earn an extra Tier skip available for those who complete these challenges in the Zombies Barracks. This enables players to earn up to two Tier skips per day, and rank up faster.
More new missions, such as the “Blood of the Dead” Hellcatraz Gauntlet, new elixirs, splitscreen and server pause, and host migration will all be patched into Black Ops 4 between now and Operation Grand Heist’s end date in April.
New Black Ops 4 roadmap | Black Market
An update to the game’s Black Market brings the return of Blackjack, who specializes in illegal goods. The returning character has new gear to offer players, as well as three new Black Market additions in the shape of Inventory, My Deals, and Cases. These allow you keep track of your illegal goods, and combines Special Orders and Item Shop into one, easier to use system.
There are 100 new Tiers for players to work their way as part of the Operation Grand Heist update too, with new weapons, characters, Specialist outfits, and more to unlock as you progress through the ranks. These include:
- New Epic outfits for multiple specialists allow you to dress your favorite character as a cop or robber
- Reactive camos for your favorite weapons including the Maddox RFB and VAPR-XKG
- Signature weapons, which provide a 25% XP boost when you use the MK II version of any weapon
- New Blackout characters including Misty from Black Ops 2’s Zombies crew, and undead warden Brutus from “Blood of the Dead”
- New Blackout jump-packs, which allow you to jump from the helicopter with a new style of wingsuit, parachute, and contrail
New Black Ops 4 roadmap | Battle Pass
For those who have purchased Black Ops 4‘s battle pass, there’s new and upcoming content for you to enjoy. Gamers can instantly access new Multiplayer maps in the form of Lockup and Casino as part of the Core and Hardcore rotation playlists, access a new Blackout character called Cosmic Silverback, and look forward to a new Zombies Experience, which will drop sometime in March.
New Black Ops 4 roadmap | Further updates
Treyarch has announced that three more operations will be inbound in the spring, summer, and fall. The game’s developer declined to elaborate on the names of these, but we imagine they’ll land around April, July, and October. Given Treyarch’s three-month-long operations plan so far, these seem like logical dates for more new content down the line.
