The next Call of Duty is a departure from recent entries in the series in a number of ways. The starkest is the focus on a historical setting, rather than a futuristic one, but developer Sledgehammer Games is also overhauling a number of Call of Duty staples. Some of those will be present in the upcoming beta, giving PS4 gamers the first look at what a contemporary CoD game looks and plays like.
The basics of the private beta are that players can expect three multiplayer maps: Point Du Hoc, Ardennes, and Gibraltar, offering varied battlefields of the European conflict. Available game modes in those regions will include classics like Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Hardpoint, but also a War Mode. Sledgehammer’s new take on objective driven combat, its singular “Operation Breakout” scenario will let gamers try out the more narrative-driven experience.
Another new addition to the Call of Duty franchise in this game is Divisions. Instead of giving all players various classes to pick and choose from, Divisions asks them to join a particular branch of the military: Infantry, Expeditionary, Airborne, Armored, or the Mountain Division. While you can pick and choose from each of them, you’ll need to progress through them separately to secure new unlockable weapons and equipment.
While much of the private beta will showcase what the final game will have, Sledgehammer has made it clear that we shouldn’t expect other additions like Headquarters, supply drops, and loot, nor any of the esports focused aspects of the game. There are also a tonne of additional maps and War Mode scenarios which will be added when the game is released on November 3.
The zombies mode will only be included in the final game, too, no matter how you feel about that mode’s inclusion in the more seriously toned game.
For those who can’t wait that long, the private beta begins on PS4 on August 25. The Xbox One and additional PS4 beta will be playable in early September, while PC gamers are still waiting on on an announcement for their beta.
