Snipers intentionally overpowered in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha test

By Aaron Mamiit Published April 25, 2023

Treyarch revealed that sniper rifles are intentionally overpowered in the PlayStation 4 alpha test of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, as players noticed how lethal the weapons are in the game.

Recommended Videos

The Black Ops Cold War alpha test, which was announced at Sony’s recent PlayStation 5 livestream, gave players their first glimpse at the gameplay of the next entry in the Call of Duty franchise. It was also an opportunity for Treyarch to receive early feedback ahead of the game’s official release.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the PS4 Alpha! Be sure to leave us your feedback here: https://t.co/VhlqVOXx2z

We'll see you soon in the Open Beta. 👊

— Treyarch (@Treyarch) September 20, 2020

Players who logged on to the alpha test quickly realized the effectiveness of sniper rifles, particularly the speed of the weapons’ ADS, or aim down sights. The combination of power and nearly instant aiming made sniper rifles the weapon of choice for most players who participated.

Apparently, Treyarch deliberately buffed sniper rifles to evaluate their performance, according to lead game designer Tony Flame.

Ok let's talk Sniping in Cold War.

Crossplay is coming, but we knew it wouldn't be in Alpha. We buffed Snipers to evaluate their performance in this Alpha specifically. Sniper Rifles WILL have balance changes for the upcoming Beta based on our analytics data this weekend.

— Tony Flame (@Tony_Flame) September 18, 2020

This will be a welcome change to bring balance to Black Ops Cold War in future tests and its launch, though sniper specialists are hoping that Treyarch maintains the power of the weapons in the game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta

The next test for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will be on October 8, in a beta test that will be made available to players who pre-ordered the game through the PlayStation Store. The beta will open up to all PlayStation 4 players on October 10, and then to Xbox One and PC players on October 15.

Black Ops Cold War will send players back to the struggle for world dominance between the U.S. and the Soviet Union when it releases on November 13.

Contributor

Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…

Topics

Computing

The best PC settings for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty Black Ops 6.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is the latest in a long line of high-paced shooters, and like its predecessors, it brings with it not only a new campaign and multiplayer features but enhanced graphics too. Although upgrading your graphics card or processor is always a great way to boost performance in new and demanding games, you can also have a big impact by adjusting its settings to the best ones for you and your PC.

However, even if you’re the most competitive player, you won’t want to just turn all the settings off to maximize your frame rate. You still need clarity to make out your opponents at distance, and what’s the point of playing the latest Call of Duty, if you can’t enjoy some of its new visual flair?

Gaming

Black Ops 6 just can’t compete with these 2 RPGs on Steam

Lucanis in Dragon Age: The Veilguard in center frame.

Despite Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on its way to being one of the biggest Call of Duty launches of all time, two role-playing games are giving it a run for its money.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the latest RPG from BioWare and the first Dragon Age game in over a decade, is currently selling better on Steam than Black Ops 6 just a day after release. According to the Steam top sellers list, The Veilguard is just barely outranking Black Ops 6's single-player campaign as the top seller on the platform, followed by MMO Throne and Liberty and Monster Hunter Wilds, an open beta for which launched on Friday.

Gaming

The best Augments in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

A screenshot from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's zombies mode.

Longtime fans of the Zombies mode in past Call of Duty games are no doubt loving the return to the round-based structure Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has taken. Between the Perks, Pack-A-Punch machines, and Easter eggs, there's already a ton of content to explore in the first two maps. Whether you're new to the mode or know all the tips and tricks from past games, there's one element that has most players scratching their heads. Augments are hardly explained in Black Ops 6 and are largely ignored because of this. However, ignoring this mechanic will only make life harder for you and your team. We've done all the research required to tell you how Augments work and which ones you should try to get first in Black Ops 6.
How Augments work in Black Ops 6

In short, Augments are equippable passive perks that add an additional minor or major effect to either a Perk, field upgrade, or ammo mod. Each one of these has six possible augments -- three minor and three major -- that each give a different buff. But there are two things you need to do before you can even begin tinkering with these Augments.