Multiplayer Challenges & Rewards

Welcome, Specialist! Beyond the thrill of competitive play, Black Ops III's multiplayer offers a robust system of challenges designed to test your skills, encourage weapon mastery, and reward your dedication. Completing these challenges not only provides valuable XP to accelerate your progression but also unlocks exclusive cosmetic items, calling cards, and even weapon camos that showcase your prowess on the battlefield.

Understanding Challenge Categories

Challenges are broadly categorized, each focusing on different aspects of gameplay. Regularly checking your Barracks menu will keep you informed of your progress and upcoming objectives.

Weapon Challenges: These are specific to individual weapons and encourage diverse loadout choices.
Specialist Challenges: Focus on utilizing each Specialist's unique abilities and weapons effectively.
Game Mode Challenges: Reward proficiency in various multiplayer game types, from Team Deathmatch to Uplink.
Perk Challenges: Encourage strategic use of different perks to gain an advantage.
Scorestreak Challenges: Require skillful deployment and effectiveness with your chosen scorestreaks.
Miscellaneous Challenges: A broad category covering everything from headshots to specific killstreaks.

Weapon Mastery: The Road to Dark Matter

The most sought-after cosmetic reward in Black Ops III multiplayer is undoubtedly the Dark Matter animated camouflage. Achieving this prestigious camo requires an immense amount of dedication to weapon challenges. Here's a breakdown of the path:

Base Camos: For each weapon, you must unlock a series of base camos by achieving specific kill counts, headshots, and other weapon-specific objectives. These include:
- Kill Count Camos: Simply accumulate kills with the weapon.
- Headshot Camos: Focus on precision aiming to land critical headshots.
- One-Shot Kills (Shotguns/Snipers): Eliminate enemies with a single, well-placed shot.
- Bloodthirsty Medals (5 Kills without Dying): Achieve five consecutive kills with the weapon without being eliminated. This is often the most challenging for many players.
- Long Shot Medals: Secure kills from a significant distance. Maps like Combine, Evac, and Redwood offer excellent opportunities for these.
- Kills with Attachments/No Attachments: Some camos require a certain number of kills with a specific number of attachments equipped or, conversely, with no attachments at all.
Gold Camo: Once all base camos for a specific weapon are unlocked, the Gold camo becomes available for that weapon.
Diamond Camo: To unlock Diamond camo for a weapon class (e.g., all Assault Rifles, all SMGs), you must first unlock Gold camo for *every* weapon within that specific class.
Dark Matter Camo: The ultimate prize! To earn the animated Dark Matter camo, you must unlock Diamond camo for *every* primary and secondary weapon in the game. This includes all Assault Rifles, SMGs, LMGs, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, Pistols, Launchers, and Melee weapons.

Strategy for Weapon Challenges:

Hardcore Modes: For headshot challenges, Hardcore game modes (e.g., Hardcore Team Deathmatch, Hardcore Domination) are invaluable. The reduced health means headshots are often one-shot kills, making them easier to consistently achieve.
Attachments for Specific Challenges:
- For Long Shots: Use optics like the ELO or Recon Sight, and attachments that improve accuracy and range, such as Long Barrel and Grip.
- For Bloodthirsty Medals: Equip perks like Ghost and Awareness, and consider using a suppressor to stay off the radar. Play defensively and pick your engagements carefully.
Melee Weapons: For melee weapons like the Combat Knife, focus on flanking routes and surprise attacks. Game modes with clear objectives like Domination or Hardpoint can create predictable enemy movement.
Launchers: Destroying enemy scorestreaks is key. Equip the Blind Eye perk to avoid detection by air support and Cold Blooded to avoid detection by ground-based AI scorestreaks. Aim for UAVs, Counter-UAVs, and Sentry Guns.

Specialist Challenges & Gear

Each of the nine Specialists has a unique set of challenges tied to their Hero Gear. Completing these challenges unlocks distinct cosmetic items for their head and body, culminating in the prestigious Hero Gear set. Hero Gear is often animated or has unique visual effects, making your Specialist stand out.

Steps to Unlock Hero Gear:

Specialist Body Challenges: For each Specialist, you must complete a set of challenges related to their unique ability (e.g., Ripper kills for Spectre, Gravity Spikes kills for Ruin). These are tracked in the Specialist menu.
Specialist Head Challenges: Similar to body challenges, these require specific achievements with the Specialist's unique weapon (e.g., Annihilator kills for Seraph, Scythe kills for Reaper).
Hero Gear Unlock: Once both the body and head challenges are completed for a Specialist, their full Hero Gear set becomes available.

Strategy for Specialist Challenges:

Objective Modes: Game modes like Domination, Hardpoint, and Safeguard are excellent for Specialist challenges. Enemies are often grouped around objectives, providing prime opportunities for multi-kills with abilities like Gravity Spikes or War Machine.
Scorestreak Synergy: Use scorestreaks that complement your Specialist's ability. For example, a H.A.T.R. can reveal enemy positions, allowing you to effectively deploy a Vision Pulse or use a Ripper.
Practice: Don't be afraid to experiment with different Specialists and learn their optimal playstyles. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses is crucial for efficient challenge completion.

Daily & Weekly Challenges

Beyond the long-term grind for camos and Hero Gear, Black Ops III also features dynamic Daily and Weekly Challenges. These offer smaller, more immediate rewards like bonus XP, Cryptokeys (for Supply Drops), and Calling Cards.

Daily Challenges: Refresh every 24 hours. They are typically straightforward, such as "Get 10 Headshots" or "Win 3 Team Deathmatch games."
Weekly Challenges: Refresh every seven days. These are usually more demanding, requiring higher kill counts, specific game mode wins, or more complex objectives.

Benefits of Daily & Weekly Challenges:

Consistent XP Gain: A great way to boost your rank and unlock new gear faster.
Cryptokey Accumulation: Essential for earning Supply Drops, which can contain new weapon variants, cosmetic items, and Rare Supply Drop-exclusive weapons.
Variety: Encourages players to try different weapons, Specialists, and game modes they might not typically play.

By actively pursuing these challenges, you'll not only become a more versatile and skilled player but also unlock a treasure trove of exclusive rewards that truly demonstrate your mastery of Call of Duty: Black Ops III.