Free For All

This week’s Black Ops III Featured Playlist update is for those looking to fight one-against-the-world, or at least the other 7 players in a Free-For-All match. This week, there’s an added incentive to do so: Double Cryptokeys.

For those new to Free-For-All, it’s pretty straight forward: it’s every man for himself. No teammates, no allies – no guts, no glory. The matches have a max of 8 players – the first to 30 kills (or is ahead in the kill count when the 10 minute timer is up) wins. A few thoughts for you to consider as you head to the battlefield…

• Choose Your Specialist Wisely: It’s important to choose a Specialist for your playstyle, but also for the game mode.  Do you want Vision Pulse to know where your enemies are or Glitch to take out a foe that’s right on your tail? Whatever you choose keep in mind a specialist that brings tactical support, agility, or increased weapon damage is what you are going for.
• Watch Your Ammo: In a match where an enemy is literally around every corner, you don’t want to get caught with a few bullets short of a kill. When you get a chance to reload, do it. If you have a good secondary weapon, don’t be afraid to use it. Consider combinations that will help you conserve your stockpile, like Scavenger to pick up bullets or adding an extended mag attachment (especially if you’re a slayer, capable of going on longer runs). Whatever you choose, make sure you have enough ammo to take out your opponents.
• Know the Maps and Play to Your Playstyle: The size of the playing field can really affect the outcome, especially when playstyle is factored into the equation. If you’re a run-and-gun-SMG/shotgun-type of player, you’ll likely find greater success in tighter spaces, reducing those longer sightlines. If you’re a sniper or AR-style player, you’ll want to put yourself in a position to take advantage of the mid-to-long-range game. Ultimately, it’s the score that matters, so do what feels best and gets you across the finish line first.
• Map It Out: The mini-map in Free-For-All constantly shows locations of active players which you can use to find nearby enemies, and adding UAV as a scorestreak only makes finding targets easier. Decide if you want perks like Sixth Sense and Awareness to find players, or if you want to stay hidden maybe Ghost, Hard Wired and Blast Suppressor is more your speed. Pick a combination of perks that works best for you to gain the advantage.
• Capitalize on Core Movement: Utilizing verticality can offer you a great vantage point, and a well-timed thrust can throw off an opponent’s aim. Just be advised that if you can see everyone, then everyone can probably see you. If you can strategically scope out the demise of the other players when you’re in the air, when you come down, racking up the kills will be easy.

Now that you’re thinking about how best to load-out, hop into Free-for-All this week, rack up some Double Cryptokeys, and assert your dominance!