Black Ops 7 release: Treyarch drop launch update that nerfs aim assist - key patch notes
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has not been released yet - but developers are already making changes to the multiplayer.
The beta in October gave players a glimpse at what was to come from Treyarch’s latest Call of Duty game, which will be a direct sequel to 2012’s Black Ops 2.
Weapons from games gone by such as the M8, MSMC and Maddox are all set to return, as well as iconic maps like Raid and Express.
Ahead of Black Ops 7’s launch on Friday, November 24 (although there is a way to start playing early) Treyarch has released a launch patch that makes some pretty major changes.
Among these updates is a nerf to aim assist on controllers, movement changes and adjustments to multiplayer maps, modes and perks.
The key adjustment is rotational aim assist, which tracks the opponent in front of you as they move through your crosshairs.
A Treyarch spokesperson said: “When looking at engagements between similarly skilled controller and keyboard/mouse (KBM) players, we found that controller is slightly favored to win at close ranges and KBM is favored at long ranges. In addition to collecting data, we have also followed community discussions on the effectiveness of rotational aim assist.
“Based on the data and feedback, our launch adjustments focus on the strength of Rotational Aim Assist at short and long range, as well as the requirements to fully activate rotational aim assist.”
Here are the major patch notes for you to be aware of:
Movement
Adjusted mantling for smoother, faster, and more consistent mantles.
Addressed an issue where players could dive when moving slower than intended.
Slightly reduced slide acceleration, speed, and duration.
XP earn rates
Increased Weapon XP earn rates. Weapons will progress faster than they did in the Beta, and will reach max level roughly 25 per cent faster than they did in Black Ops 6.
Increased Daily Challenge Bonus XP reward from 3,000 XP to 5,000 XP.
Maps
Exposure: Updated spawn points across all modes; slightly increased some Hardpoint zone sizes; Overload zones have been moved slightly deeper toward the ends of the map; adjusted Domination A zone for minimap clarity; new Search and Destroy bomb site locations.
Imprint: Inclinator button prompt text updated for clarity.
The Forge: Updated starting objective device locations for Overload.
Cortex: Updated spawns for all modes and polished objective locations.
Modes
Overload: Updated device reset timer from 60 seconds to 15 seconds; UI string and visual updates for gameplay clarity; medal additions and updates; general bug fixes.
Perks
Combined certain perks into other existing perks to create more meaningful choices.
Gearhead gets Quartermaster benefits; Assassin gets Vendetta benefits; Close Shave gets Bruiser benefits; Engineer gets Shadow benefits; Tracker gets Hunter’s Instinct benefits
Viigilance: Added increased minimap visibility
Charge Link and Blast Link: Slightly increased assist score radius
Tactician: Increased combat speciality elimination score