Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has added a ton of post-launch content via its seasonal Operations, and now that Operation Absolute Zero is over, Operation Grand Heist is adding an entire marketplace. Treyarch laid out an extensive roadmap for all the additions coming in Grand Heist, which is live now on PS4 and coming to Xbox One and PC next week. Alongside new characters, weapons, and maps, we'll also see the return of the Reserves and its randomized loot boxes.
Before you bristle at the mention of loot boxes, note that this is merely an additional layer atop the 100 tiers of Operation rewards you can earn simply by playing. The Reserves have been reopened by Blackjack, a familiar face from Black Ops 3 (and a member of Seraph's 54 Immortals faction) who's offering up loot boxes called Cases which contain a random cosmetic item. Cases can be earned by playing multiplayer and Blackout modes, or you can purchase them in packs of three called Crates for 200 COD Points, aka $2. The Reserves also bring us Signature weapons which grant 25% bonus XP per kill - not an actual power advantage, but a handy way to grind a bit quicker if you're chasing higher Prestige levels. You may also notice the addition of one personalized deal slot in the Black Market, which will refresh daily.
Speaking of Black Ops 3, Operation Grand Heist brings back one of its fan-favorite heroes as a Specialist character in multiplayer: Outrider, a stealthy hunter who wields an extremely lethal bow that'd put Rambo to shame. Her unique equipment slot is the Hawk, a pilotable drone that you can park anywhere in the air; once it's hunkered down, it'll tag any enemies with a little red box that you can see through walls. If that sounds overpowered, don't worry - it has an extremely long cooldown and can easily be shot out of the air. Meanwhile, Outrider's special issue weapon is her iconic Sparrow, a bow with explosive-tipped arrows that'll insta-gib anyone you hit dead-on. Unlocking Outrider is easy - she's available at Tier 1 of Operation Grand Heist, so she should be available after one or two games.
Along with the usual suite of colorful costumes and nameplate customizations, Operation Grand Heist also includes three new weapons. There's the fully automatic Rampage shotgun, a nifty folding SMG called the Switchblade X9, and the novelty Cha-Ching melee weapon so you can deck your enemies with a big ol' sack of coins. If you bought the Black Ops Pass (read: season pass), you can also jump into two new multiplayer maps: the outdoor Lockup map that'd be right at home in Rainbow Six Siege, and the grandiose Casino resort full of tables and slot machines that are about to be full of bullets.
Blackout players can take refuge in a new area called Ghost Town, featuring an Old West town based on Black Ops 2's Standoff map - resting atop a cavernous mine full of zombies - as well as new structures which have been added added all over the map. This Friday, February 22, a cops-and-robbers-themed mode called Hot Pursuit will arrive with three new vehicles that should speed up Blackout's pacing. Things will also get goofy now that you can drop into Blackout as a trigger-happy zombie or the Cosmic Silverback, a bloodthirsty ape who makes Overwatch's Winston look tame.
Those are the main highlights of Operation Grand Heist, but Treyarch has outlined all the additions, big and small, in its blog post, including teases of new content (Zombies mode included) that's coming later in the Operation. As with the previous Operations, Grand Heist will run for just over 8 weeks, after which its items will be gone, presumably for good (or at least a very long time).
If you want to show off your hardcore skills, here's how to get all the Black Ops 4 Dark Ops Challenges.
