Specialist Abilities & Weapons

Specialist Abilities & Weapons

In the RPG-infused campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Specialists are more than just cosmetic choices; they are integral to your tactical approach, offering unique abilities and powerful weapons that can turn the tide of any engagement. Mastering your chosen Specialist's kit is crucial for success, especially on higher difficulties or during specific mission objectives.

Unlocking Specialists

Specialists are unlocked progressively as you advance through the main campaign missions. Each Specialist becomes available after completing a specific mission, usually accompanied by an introductory cinematic or a brief tutorial segment within the safe house. Pay attention to the mission briefings; they often hint at which Specialist you'll gain next.

• Ruin (Overdrive & Gravity Spikes): Unlocked early in the campaign, often after the first few combat encounters.
• Outrider (Vision Pulse & Sparrow): Typically available after completing a mission involving stealth or reconnaissance.
• Prophet (Tempest & Glitch): Becomes accessible once you encounter advanced AI enemies or technological threats.
• Battery (Kinetic Armor & War Machine): Usually unlocked after missions featuring heavy combat or defensive objectives.
• Seraph (Combat Focus & Annihilator): Often tied to missions involving high-value targets or precision takedowns.
• Nomad (Rejack & H.I.V.E.): Becomes available after missions where environmental control or area denial is key.
• Reaper (Scythe & Psychosis): Unlocked later in the campaign, often during missions with intense enemy pressure.
• Spectre (Active Camo & Ripper): Typically accessible after missions requiring infiltration or close-quarters combat.
• Firebreak (Heat Wave & Purifier): Unlocked after missions involving crowd control or combating armored foes.

Specialist Abilities: Tactical Deployment

Each Specialist has a unique ability that charges over time during gameplay. These abilities are often defensive or utility-focused, providing crucial advantages in various combat scenarios. Effective use of abilities requires understanding their cooldowns and optimal deployment.

• Overdrive (Ruin): Grants a significant burst of movement speed for a short duration.
  • Strategy: Ideal for flanking heavily fortified positions, escaping overwhelming enemy fire, or quickly reaching objective points. Combine with a close-quarters weapon like a shotgun or SMG for devastating hit-and-run tactics.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In the mission "Provocation," use Overdrive to bypass the initial turret emplacements on the left flank, allowing you to get behind the enemy lines and disable them from the rear.
• Vision Pulse (Outrider): Pings the immediate area, revealing enemy locations through walls for a short period.
  • Strategy: Excellent for pre-empting ambushes, clearing rooms safely, or providing intel to your squad in co-op. Particularly effective in tight, urban environments.
  • Walkthrough Tip: During the "A Darkened Shore" mission, when navigating the flooded research facility, activate Vision Pulse before entering new sections to identify lurking Warlocks or hidden Drones, preventing surprise attacks.
• Glitch (Prophet): Teleports you back to a previous position a few seconds prior.
  • Strategy: A powerful "get out of jail free" card. Use it to escape grenades, reposition after a failed push, or avoid being surrounded. Requires good situational awareness.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In the "Demon Within" mission, when facing the large P.A.W.N. units, if you find yourself caught in their area-of-effect attacks, immediately activate Glitch to return to a safe distance and re-engage.
• Kinetic Armor (Battery): Hardens your armor, deflecting incoming bullets for a short duration.
  • Strategy: Perfect for pushing through choke points, absorbing heavy fire while reviving teammates, or engaging multiple enemies head-on. Still vulnerable to explosives and melee.
  • Walkthrough Tip: When assaulting the main courtyard in "Vengeance," activate Kinetic Armor as you breach the main gate to absorb fire from the numerous snipers and assault riflemen, allowing your team to establish a foothold.
• Combat Focus (Seraph): Temporarily increases the rate at which your scorestreak meter fills.
  • Strategy: While less direct in combat, Combat Focus is invaluable for players who rely on scorestreaks to dominate the battlefield. Activate it before clearing a large group of enemies or completing an objective for maximum benefit.
  • Walkthrough Tip: During the "Retribution" mission's final defense sequence, activate Combat Focus just as waves of enemies begin to spawn to quickly earn your chosen high-tier scorestreaks, such as the Wraith or H.A.T.R.
• Rejack (Nomad): Allows you to revive yourself after being downed, returning to the spot where you fell.
  • Strategy: Provides a second chance in critical moments. Use it to recover from a fatal mistake, or to draw enemy fire and then re-engage from a more advantageous position. Be aware of enemies camping your rejack point.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In the "Rise and Fall" mission, if you're downed by a sniper while attempting to cross an open area, immediately Rejack to regain your footing and find cover, rather than waiting for a teammate or restarting a checkpoint.
• Psychosis (Reaper): Deploys three decoy clones that mimic your movements, confusing enemies.
  • Strategy: Excellent for distracting enemies, drawing fire away from yourself, or creating openings for flanks. The decoys are fragile but effective at drawing aggro.
  • Walkthrough Tip: When facing the heavily armored "Goliath" units in "Life," deploy Psychosis to create diversions. While the Goliath focuses on your clones, you can maneuver to its weak points for critical damage.
• Active Camo (Spectre): Renders you nearly invisible for a short duration.
  • Strategy: The ultimate stealth tool. Use it to bypass enemy patrols, get behind unsuspecting targets for melee kills, or reposition without being detected. Movement speed affects visibility.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In the "Hypocenter" mission, when tasked with infiltrating the secure facility, activate Active Camo to slip past the patrolling robots and security cameras, reaching your objective undetected.
• Heat Wave (Firebreak): Emits a powerful burst of heat, stunning and damaging nearby enemies and disabling electronics.
  • Strategy: Ideal for clearing rooms, disabling enemy turrets or drones, and creating breathing room when overwhelmed. Has a short range but a wide area of effect.
  • Walkthrough Tip: During the close-quarters engagements in "Sand Castle," if you find yourself cornered by multiple enemies or a hostile robot, deploy Heat Wave to stun them, allowing you to eliminate the threat or escape.

Specialist Weapons: Game Changers

Each Specialist also comes equipped with a unique, powerful weapon that charges up over time. These weapons are often designed for high-impact plays, clearing multiple enemies, or dealing significant damage to tougher foes. They have limited ammunition but recharge, making their deployment strategic.

• Gravity Spikes (Ruin): Delivers a devastating ground pound, killing all enemies in a small radius.
  • Strategy: Best used when surrounded by a cluster of enemies or to quickly clear an objective point. Jump from a height for increased impact and range.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In the "Blackout" mission, when defending the data upload point from waves of enemies, save your Gravity Spikes for when multiple hostiles converge on your position, wiping them out instantly.
• Sparrow (Outrider): A compound bow that fires explosive arrows.
  • Strategy: Excellent for taking out groups of enemies, destroying enemy equipment, or dealing heavy damage to armored targets. Requires precise aim for direct hits, but the explosion offers forgiveness.
  • Walkthrough Tip: During the "Ramses Station" mission, use the Sparrow to eliminate the clustered enemy snipers on elevated platforms with a single explosive arrow, clearing the way for your advance.
• Tempest (Prophet): A charge-shot rifle that chains electricity between enemies.
  • Strategy: Ideal for crowd control and taking down multiple enemies in a line or close proximity. A single charged shot can incapacitate several foes.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In "Provocation," when the enemy deploys multiple Warlocks in a tight corridor, a well-placed Tempest shot can chain through them, disabling or destroying several at once.
• War Machine (Battery): A grenade launcher that fires bouncing grenades.
  • Strategy: Perfect for clearing entrenched positions, flushing enemies out of cover, or dealing splash damage to groups. Learn to bounce grenades off walls for indirect attacks.
  • Walkthrough Tip: During the "Vengeance" mission's urban combat sections, use the War Machine to clear out enemies hiding behind cars or in buildings, bouncing grenades around corners for maximum effect.
• Annihilator (Seraph): A high-caliber revolver that instantly kills enemies with a single shot.
  • Strategy: A precision weapon for eliminating high-priority targets like heavily armored enemies, snipers, or enemy Specialists. Has limited ammo, so make every shot count.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In the "Retribution" mission, when facing the heavily armored "Wraith" units, a single Annihilator shot to their weak point (often the head or exposed core) will instantly destroy them, saving valuable time and resources.
• H.I.V.E. (Nomad): Deploys proximity mines that release a swarm of nanobots, instantly killing enemies.
  • Strategy: Excellent for area denial, setting traps, or protecting flanks. Place them in high-traffic areas or around objectives.
  • Walkthrough Tip: During the "Rise and Fall" mission's defensive segments, strategically place H.I.V.E. pods at entry points and choke points to create deadly traps for incoming enemy waves, securing your position.
• Scythe (Reaper): Transforms your arm into a powerful minigun.
  • Strategy: Provides sustained, high-volume fire, perfect for shredding through groups of enemies or suppressing large areas. Has a brief wind-up time.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In "Life," when you encounter the large enemy assault forces in open areas, activate Scythe to mow down multiple targets simultaneously, providing crucial suppressive fire for your team.
• Ripper (Spectre): Extends blades from your arms for devastating melee attacks.
  • Strategy: A close-quarters instant-kill weapon. Combine with Active Camo for stealthy assassinations or use in tight spaces when overwhelmed.
  • Walkthrough Tip: During the "Hypocenter" mission's stealth sections, use Active Camo to get close to patrolling enemies, then activate Ripper for silent, instant takedowns, maintaining your stealth.
• Purifier (Firebreak): A flamethrower that incinerates enemies at close range.
  • Strategy: Excellent for clearing rooms, dealing with groups of enemies, or denying access to tight corridors. Effective against organic enemies and some robotic units.
  • Walkthrough Tip: In "Sand Castle," when breaching enemy strongholds, use the Purifier to clear out rooms quickly and efficiently, incinerating any enemies hiding behind cover or attempting to ambush you.