Want To Get Started With Call Of Duty Multiplayer? Here's How To Break Through
Call of Duty may be an annual tradition, but that doesn’t mean everyone can play autumn’s hottest first-person shooter every year. With each new edition, countless new players pick up the franchise for the first time, and then immediately put it back down because sweat-lords dominate multiplayer and scare away newcomers.
But we’re here to help you gain some traction, clamber those first few hurdles, and find enjoyment with a few helpful multiplayer tips for Black Ops 6!
Complete the campaign
I know, In a guide about improving at multiplayer, I’m recommending you spend six to seven hours playing through the campaign. But bear with me. First off, it’s one of the best Call of Duty storylines in recent memory, but it’s also an excellent introduction to the gameplay and mechanics you’ll encounter in multiplayer. It’s similar to the Training Course, providing you with a foundation.
While the AI may not pose a significant challenge, especially on normal difficulty or lower, they will allow you to test out your aim, learn cover mechanics, time your abilities, and memorize hotkeys for gadgets and equipment, all of which transfer over to multiplayer.
Practice in the training course
When you load into the Black Ops 6 multiplayer, sure, you can jump straight into the core playlist and dive into Team Deathmatch or Hardpoint. But first, we recommend you test out your abilities in the Training Course. It’s a single-player match featuring seven stations, teaching you the basics of directional movement. You can and should work your way through:
Basic Movement
Essential Equipment
Omnimovement Basics
180-degree Combat Dive Drill
Combat Supine Drill
Combat Slide & Dive Drill
Body Shield Drill
These all prove valuable in competitive multiplayer, but especially the Omnimovement basics and combat drill mechanics. You’ll use them frequently, and even a basic grasp of these can put you ahead of your competition, and lead you to the winning circle.
Begin mastering the Omnimovement system
You’re liable to blame it on age, waning reflexes, or children who have nothing but free time, but learning Omnimovement in Black Ops 6 initially feels downright painful. Everyone feels faster, more fluid, than you. But they’re not. They’re using the same control schemes and hotkeys as you, but more effectively.
The best way to learn Omnimovement, aside from spending considerable time in the Training Course, is to throw yourself into the fray. Load into the core playlist, ideally Team Deathmatch, Domination, or Hardpoint—a team-oriented game mode—and practice. You’ll likely lose, and you may wind up suffering text or voice abuse from your teammates—this is Call of Duty after all—but you’ll find that after a few rounds of leaping around like a fool, you’re beginning to gain ground with Omnimovement.
Find a gun that suits your playstyle
If you ask anyone online, especially on social media, they’re going to tell you to stick with the meta—the best weapons in the game that everyone uses. Right now, most players opt for the AS VAL or C9. They’re excellent, fast-firing, and hard-hitting weapons that make quick work of players. But they’re only a small part of the game.
Personally, I almost always use the AK-74. I like its crosshairs, powerful feel, and its sound design. Do those aspects make for a meta weapon? No, but I still frequently place in the top three on my team. The point is, find a weapon that you enjoy using, then practice with it. You don’t have to stick with the meta, you can still dominate Black Ops 6 multiplayer with any gun in the game.
Stick to Team Deathmatch and Domination
At least in the beginning. While everyone certainly has a few favorite game modes, Team Deathmatch and Domination offer team-centric matches with simple objectives that give new players an opportunity to learn. They’re not overly dramatic or complex, but straightforward, in-your-face gunfights and a point-scoring method that doesn’t demand too much of beginners.
Inevitably, you’ll move on to test other game modes, and quickly find favorites. But starting with the basics allows you to plant a foundation down that will resonate down the line.
Prioritize your daily challenges
Every weapon, attachment, and Scorestreak in the game remains locked behind specific ranks. As such, if you have your sights set on a specific gun, for instance, you’ll want to level quickly. How? The best way is, of course, by playing multiplayer. But more importantly, focus on your daily challenges. These swap out every 24 hours, and they include challenges such as scoring specific types of kills, or a certain number of headshots.
Every time you complete a daily challenge, you’ll earn a few thousand XP. Once you complete all three, you’ll unlock the fourth bonus, rewarding you with even more XP. It’s an excellent way to jump two or three levels simply by playing the game.
Once you nail down the basics of multiplayer, don’t forget to check out the other modes. It’s worth finishing the campaign, as mentioned, but Kotaku’s own Moises Taveras believes the return of classic Zombies is the best thing about the new FPS!
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