Treyarch has given COD fans a lot to look forward to in April. A bunch of new content has come to Black Ops 4, and it’s headlined by the new Blackout map Alcatraz. Alcatraz is certainly a battle royale map, but it’s much smaller than the other Blackout map — this island location is all about close-range combat. They’ve even added a respawn feature to the Alcatraz Blackout game mode, which encourages aggressive gameplay.

There’s also the new Barebones playlist (now live on all platforms), which removes Specialist abilities from the game. And if you’re a Zombies fan, you’ll have a blast on the new Ancient Evil map that brings some creepy Greek mythical creatures into the fold.

Furthermore, if you still haven’t tried out Blackout, now is a good time to check it out. From April 2-30, Blackout will be free on all platforms (neat).

Let’s take a closer look at all the major Black Ops 4 April updates.

Multiplayer Update

Barebones Playlist (All Platforms)

• 6v6 with Specialist Weapons, Special Equipment, Gear, and Operator Mods disabled.
• Equipment will now be single-use with no cooldown. Equipment is fully charged after you respawn.
• Spawn Select has been disabled.
• Team Deathmatch and Domination are the featured game types in this playlist.
• Healing cooldown has been reduced from 7.3 seconds to 5 seconds.

A lot of Black Ops 4 fans were disappointed with the significant impact that Specialist abilities had on matches (stop hacking my chopper Zero!), so Treyarch has given the fans a Barebones playlist.

There are no Specialist shenanigans in this playlist; Barebones is all about gun skill, and it feels like you’re playing old-school Call of Duty again (which is nice).

Zombies Update

Ancient Evil (All Platforms)

• The Ancient Evil map is a cursed underground city located in Delphi, Greece.
• Characters: Scarlett Rhodes, Diego Necalli, Bruno Delacroix, and Stanton Shaw.
• Players can ride the mystical creature Pegasus to travel around the map.

The new Zombies map Ancient Evil is now available to all Black Ops Pass holders.

I heard that a famous Greek monster, who loves a specific reptile, might make an appearance.

Blackout Update

Alcatraz (PS4)

• This a free DLC map and it will be available for Xbox One/PC on April. 9.
• Quads-only and a maximum of 40 players are allowed per match.
• Every player can be redeployed up to 5 times before the final circle, but at least one of your teammates needs to be alive when you redeploy; otherwise you’re eliminated.
• All players will deploy from portals in the sky.
• Some of the destinations include the Warden’s House, Docks, New Industries, and Cellhouse.
• The “Wall Buy” feature from Zombies has been added to Alcatraz; players can purchase weapons off certain walls on the map.
• There’s a new Zombies-themed weapon that can be found in the Mystery Box.

Alcatraz is unique because it feels like a mix of the Black Ops 4 multiplayer and Blackout.

It’s a battle royale mode, but the actual Alcatraz island is rather small, so sometimes it feels like you’re playing a MP map.

But I’m not complaining…Alcatraz is a fun, chaotic experience that’s all about fast-paced gameplay, close quarters gunfights, and you can respawn (up to 5 times), so it’s not an absolute bummer if you die.

I like what Treyarch did with this map, and I hope they eventually add a Solo/Duo option to Alcatraz.

Other Changes

Those are all the significant April updates that have come to Black Ops 4, but there were a few other updates that might interest you. Here they are:

• PC’s Multiplayer, Blackout, and Zombies modes all received weapon tuning updates.
• League Play and the World League Hub were improved on all platforms.
• Zombies mode received some new elixirs (and a new perk) on PS4/Xbox One.
• Blacks Op 4 players can now access their Combat Record on mobile devices and the web.

If you want to read more about the new Combat Records, take a look at Treyarch’s official April 4th Update.

And for more details about all the other updates, check out the official patch notes.