Treyarch continues to expand on Operation Absolute Zero in their latest patch (for more information on this limited time event, check out the official release here). PS4 players had early access to Specialist Zero, due to Activision’s deal with Sony, but the controversial specialist is now available to players on both Xbox One and PC as well.

Fortunately, Black Ops 4 Patch 1.10 introduces a nerf to Zero and other gameplay changes, such as an adjustment to the Blackout armor repair system added in the previous patch.

Blackout Updates (All Platforms)

Custom Games Come to Blackout

Custom games are no longer just a feature for standard multiplayer, Blackout players can now enter a private match and work on their battle royale skills. At the moment, up to twelve players may join a custom game. Treyarch plans to increase this amount over time. Private match options will include solos, duos, and quads.

Weapon Camos

Treyarch has stated that they will update the community throughout the week about the addition of weapon camos to Blackout and changes to the armor system as well. Gamers can monitor the Call of Duty: Blacks Op 4 subreddit, where those details will be posted.

Fans have been aching to use camos in Blackout since the public beta test — and it looks like Black Ops 4 Patch 1.10 changes will finally address that demand.

Armor Tweaks

Blackout became too unbalanced after the addition of armor plates. Players could simply use the armor plates, which are easy to find around the map, like medkits to repair their damaged armor one plate at a time. This created an issue where players experienced almost no threat from being shot because of how easily they could restore their armor to full — it also made level three armor almost impossible to destroy. Treyarch has hinted at armor tweaks in the next patch.

Specialists Available to Everybody

Treyarch is granting players easier access to their favorite characters in Blackout. On PS4 (probably on Xbox One and PC soon after) all specialists are now unlocked.

Don’t worry, players who did those grueling character missions to unlock specialists will unlock a unique outfit (only available for use in Blackout) called “The Numbers.” If you did not complete the missions before, the previous character missions are now known as “Outfit Unlocks,” so players can still earn the new skin for their favorite specialist by completing those challenges.

Zero Specialist Nerf (All Platforms)

• Increased amount of time it takes to earn the Ice Pick.
• Increased time required to hack UAV, Care Package, and Counter UAV.
• Greatly increased time required to hack Sentry, Drone Squad, Sniper’s Nest, Mantis, Thresher, Attack Chopper, and Gunship.
• Increased time required to hack Torque’s Barricade.
• Hacking an enemy no longer prevents their healing cooldown.
• Hacking an enemy Assault Pack now causes it to expire.

The Black Ops 4 community is upset over this specialist, mostly because of her ability to instantly destroy and steal scorestreaks. It appears Treyarch is still giving her the power to do that, but making her wait longer to unlock her abilities.

I think this is a good first step in adjusting her because it allows more counterplay toward her powerful scorestreak stealing skill. Players are alerted of Zero’s location when she uses Ice Pick, so it can be stopped if she is killed while using it. However, I believe that won’t be enough, and further changes need to be made. A specialist that punishes a player for performing well and earning scorestreaks has no place in Call of Duty.

General Updates (All Platforms)

An auto sprint feature, available in all modes, has been added in the Black Ops 4 Patch 1.10. This should bring relief to the fingers of players that constantly jam down the thumbstick to sprint.

There are also several new featured playlists: Half Off Heist (Heist mode, but the items are…half-priced), BlackJack’s Gun Game (gun game with the new weapons), Map Pack Moshpit (a variety of game types with the new maps), Mercenary Deathmatch Moshpit, and Mercenary Objective Moshpit.

For a more detailed look at the patch notes see the official release here.