Choose your soldier
Gone are the no-name soldiers, the generic ghillie suits, and the standard issue fatigues. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 3's multiplayer, you no longer play as a grunt, but rather a highly skilled Specialist soldier. Each of these soldiers will have their own progression system (of which we have zero details, for now), can equip various special weapons and abilities, and have their own background story. Each Specialist is...well, special. And in this article, we're going to show you why.
Black Ops 3 has a total of nine Specialists to choose from. Each has a special weapon and one unique ability you can equip before each match, which can be used once you fill up your ability gauge. We've finally seen all nine characters and their abilities in action. Take a look at everything we know about each Specialist in the following slides.
Battery is an armored powerhouse
Unlocked at level 1
Coming from a long-standing family tradition of joining the military, Erin 'Battery' Baker signed up immediately after high school to follow her older siblings. Before long, she was at the top of her class and specialized in explosives and heavy armor tech.
In combat, Battery is a tank. Her Specialist ability, Kinetic Armor, protects her from a limited amount of enemy fire, allowing her to burst into rooms with a close quarters weapon and clear the place out. She's no slacker on the offensive, either: her special weapon The War Machine is a grenade launcher that shoots bouncing projectiles which explode when they come in contact with an enemy. It's perfect for taking out enemies in tight spaces, and a direct hit is a guaranteed kill.
Prophet is a high-tech trickster
Unlocked at level 1
David 'Prophet' Wilkes is a man who just loves to get his hands on the latest tech. Earlier in his military career, when he was a member of the British Engineering Corps, he started replacing his biological body parts with cybernetic enhancements, making him one of the most technologically enhanced soldiers on the battlefield.
While in a firefight, Prophet can deploy an ability called Glitch, which allows you to teleport back to wherever you were a few seconds before - perfect for getting you out of enemy crossfire or tight situations. Prophet's special weapon, called Tempest, charges up and fires a bolt of lightning which chains to nearby enemies. Anyone who groups up while waiting for a capture point will be toast when you fire this thing into the crowd.
Outrider is an assassin with explosive weaponry
Unlocked at level 1
The hooded Outrider looks like she might just be a futuristic Assassin's Creed assassin. She grew up in the mean streets of a Favela; a street rat that eventually ended up using her skills in the Brazilian Special Forces. If the hood and the sneaky demeanor didn't give it away, Outrider is definitely the hunter of the Specialist group.
Outrider plays out the hunter role with her Sparrow, a compound bow that shoots explosive arrows. The arrows have variable range. Quick shots will arch, which creates the potential for impressive skill shots. Fully-charge your shot and the arrow will pick your target off their feet and then explode in mid-air. Outrider's Vision Pulse ability sends a radar pulse out that highlights any nearby enemy for a short time, giving you a huge advantage over the competition.
Ruin is a cybernetic Viking
Unlocked at level 1
At first glance, you might think Ruin is just your average futuristic soldier, but this guy is missing a few organic appendages. Ruin was so dedicated to becoming the ultimate super soldier that he got his own arms cut off to replace them with a set or more powerful bionic limbs.
With this newfound bionic tech he likes to approach battles not unlike the Incredible Hulk: get right up in his enemy's faces and smash them. Ruin's first equippable skill are his Gravity Spikes. When your ability gauge is full, activating the Gravity Spikes launches Ruin into the air as he slams the ground, sending a wave of destruction all around him. His alternate ability, called Overdrive, accelerates all movement for a short period of time. Perfect for capturing flags.
Seraph is a gangster with a big gun
Unlocked at level 22
Seraph is a brutal enforcer of the 54I cartel. We don't have too many details on the crime syndicate as of now, but we can safely assume it's full of fearsome, militant killers. She doesn't have much in the way of bionic appendages, but she definitely makes up for it with her astonishingly powerful hand cannon.
The Annihilator is Seraph's weapon of choice. It's a one shot, one kill weapon with a sight that allows you to quickly zero in on your target and a kick that lets you know it ain't messing around. This thing is seriously powerful. On the other hand, Seraph can equip her Combat Focus ability, which gives her a bonus multiplier to the score she earns towards Scorestreaks. It makes it easier to reach those expensive (and more devastating) Scorestreaks, or allows you to keep the inexpensive ones coming at a constant pace.
Nomad is a lethal survivalist
Unlocked at level 28
The lone survivor of his elite jungle warfare unit, Nomad is a soldier who's incredibly skilled at staying alive. He's all about getting the drop on his enemies - and really, what better way is there to combat an opposing force in the jungle than to go along with this guerilla warfare mentality?
Nomad's special weapon is called The Hive. This gun shoots sticky proximity grenades that release a swarm of nanobots on whichever unlucky enemy sets them off. These are perfect for keeping enemies off your back or setting up a defensive perimeter around map objectives. Meanwhile, the Rejack ability allows Nomad to revive himself after being gunned downed, giving him a chance to immediately get back into the fight and exact revenge on whoever murdered him.
Reaper is a robot with weaponized, transforming arms
Unlocked at level 34
Reaper's kind probably would have been the beginning of the end for the human race. Sentient machines with gatling guns for arms practically spells armageddon. This soldier is an Experimental War Robot consisting of cutting-edge robotics and weaponry that was supposed to replace humans in the field, only Reaper (the first prototype) is exceptionally expensive, so production was halted after just one was built.
In battle, Reaper brings its Scythe, the aforementioned robotic arm that turns into a high-powered mini-gun. When deployed, the gun takes a moment to rev up and get blasting, making a better defensive weapon than an offensive one. Reaper also has the Psychosis ability allowing it to create non-combative clones of itself to confuse opponents. It's a great way to shake a pursuer, or get a leg up on a tough firefight.
Spectre is a futuristic ninja
Unlocked at level 40
Spectre is as mysterious as you'd expect from a cybernetic ninja of the future. All we know is that he's an accomplished assassin who likes to get in close to his targets and take them down quickly and quietly. Everything else on his record has been redacted, so you just know this killer's been into some serious stuff.
In multiplayer, Spectre plays the part of the stealthy backstabber. He can equip the Ripper as his special weapon, which is a gauntlet that houses two short, retractable lightsaber-like blades. When you earn the Ripper in combat, you can lock on to your enemies from a short distance and perform a one-hit-kill melee attacks (normal melee hits are no longer instant death, FYI). Spectre's special ability is Active Camo, which lets him turn invisible for a total of four seconds. Better make that brief window of time count.
Firebreak is a close-quarters specialist with a flamethrower
Black Ops 3's ninth specialist has been revealed. Though we don't know the details of his background (our guess is ex-firefighter), we do know that Firebreak carries a flamethrower into battle - but really, with a name like Firebreak what else would his special weapon be? The name of his mobile incinerator is Purifier, and it is an absolute terror in close-quarters combat. All it takes is a quick sweep of his searing stream of flames to clear a room, leaving your enemies flailing as they burn.
Firebreak's special ability is called Heatwave. When activated, Heatwave sends out a paralyzing blast from Firebreak that will stun and disorient enemies making them easy targets. Like the Purifier, the Heatwave ability is excellent for clearing out crowded rooms. Just set it off as you come through the door, then mop up your enemies.
