Playing Call of Duty: Black Ops online is no walk in the park, especially for those of us that haven’t played since the very beginning like some elitists out there. There’s nothing better than practice really when it comes to first person shooters, but there are some basic things you can keep in mind when playing online that might help your game a little bit.
Please note that these are in no way advanced tips, these are tips to help people new to the CoD line play more competitively online. Comments flaming me on this will be deleted, so please don’t bother.
1. Use Combat Training
One of the best practice modes I’ve seen so far in a first person shooter is new in Call of Duty: Black Ops called Combat Training. It brings in AI players made up from your friends list and lets you battle it out on any map you choose. You can play with your real friends as well in this mode if you need to practice some tactics.
The main thing this mode can help you with is to unlock guns and perks much faster to help you get more familiar with the ones you may like without having to spend your hard earned credits in the regular online play. Use this mode to get familiar with everything from maps, to guns, to perks, and figure out what you like most. The only downfall is that you can’t carry over these unlockables to online play, but the knowledge you’ll receive from this mode is invaluable.
2. Become Familiar With Maps
Map knowledge is one thing that can really make or break your success in most first person shooters, and this game is no exception. Most maps have choke points, and hot spots that most people will travel through. Knowing the map and knowing where the best spots are will change your game dramatically, no matter which mode you play on.
3. Use the Theater
To help you become more familiar with maps, the Theater is one of the best tools to do this. The Theater has copies of your games over the past few days. Not only can you see hot spots (places where the majority of people die on the map), but you can also view the game from the perspective of other people you played with. Want to see how that unstoppable guy played, what weapons and perks they use, and where they hide out? Pull up the Theater and watch from their perspective. You’ll quickly pick up on better tactics, locations, and equipment you may not have noticed on your own.
4. Find a Comfortable Class
Black Ops has a lot of class options, with a lot of perks and weapons to choose from. Use this to your benefit to figure out what class suits you best. If you like sneaking around the map more than running and gunning, then use the Ghost and Ninja perks, with a suppressor on your weapon. Playing outside of your comfort zone is fine once you get really good, but it’s best to start off with something you are comfortable playing instead of something that’s popular with the masses.
5. Use Your Equipment
It’s easy to get caught up in a match and forget about your equipment, but don’t make this mistake. In my opinion, the Claymore is the best beginner equipment, so I would suggest buying it first. Place your claymores on flags, domination points, around corners with heavy traffic, or guarding your back when you’re camped in a room. Even the best players get caught in claymores, so use them frequently to bump your kill count.
6. Always Be Moving
One of the biggest blunders new players make is to stand still. It doesn’t matter if you’re just scanning the area, or if you’re scoped into someone.. someone most likely has you scoped in as well. Don’t let them get the easy kill, constantly move left and right even while you’re shooting so they can’t hit you as easily.
7. Try to Keep Cover
You’ll notice that the better players rarely run out in the open. If you have to run in the open, you had better run fast. If there’s an alternate route to where you need to go that has more cover, take it instead. Running out in the open is just asking for death.
8. Think Like a Good Player
If you were a good player guarding a domination point or a flag, would you sit out in the open or shoot from an open window in a nearby building? Thinking this way, you’ll start to analyze your surroundings and possibly turn the tables on your would be attackers. Instead of running right for that flag, check the area first. You’ll more than likely find a hidden enemy that wasn’t expecting your presence.
9. Play Your Favorite Gametype
This one might seem silly, but a lot of new players choose deathmatch and don’t stray from it much because it’s popular or it’s what they’re familiar with. Personally, I play my best in Domination, so that’s where I usually spend most of my time. You’ll start to notice that you play a lot better on your favorite maps and gametypes, so this is where you want to practice most.
10. Customize to Your Gametype
Your favorite custom class might work well in Domination, but not as much in Deathmatch. Customize your classes to the gametypes you use most. Personally, I have several custom classes that are almost identical, but with one perk different, or different grenades or equipment, etc. Remember, just because you start with five custom classes doesn’t mean they all have to be widely different.
11. Always Check Those Corners
Just like you see in the movies, always expect someone to be ready to kill you right around every corner. If you’re coming around a corner, pull up your zoom and take it slowly, because there could very well be an enemy around the corner already zoomed in on you.
12. Choose Killstreak Rewards You Can Achieve
When you first start playing, you probably won’t get a lot of killstreaks, so why not set your killstreak rewards lower so you can achieve them? I would recommended setting them to 3, 4, and 5 killstreaks at first so that you can actually get them once in a while. Once you get better and start to see higher killstreaks, set them higher.
13. Talk to Your Team
You don’t have to talk a lot, but even just a “camper in the building next to C” will help the rest of your team quite a bit. Don’t be annoying, don’t talk too much or complain, but keep your team informed about what’s going on. Good team coordination can sway a match incredibly.
14. Lay Low
If you’re a beginner, then lay low and take it slow. Follow your team mates and see where they hang out. Sure, you won’t have the top kills, but you won’t have the top deaths either. Trust me, your team mates will appreciate you a lot more if you have 5 kills and 5 deaths than 5 kills and 20 deaths.
15. Practice, Practice, Practice
More than anything, you just need to play a lot. Remember that a lot of Black Ops players have probably been playing for a long time, and hardcore CoD players don’t play much else, so they have a lot of experience. Watch them, learn from them, be patient and keep practicing.
