All Articles: Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Activision and Treyarch have announced the second downloadable expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops III will launch next month. The Eclipse DLC Pack will include four new multiplayer maps (including one based on CoD: World At War‘s “Banzai”) and a new chapter in the Zombies saga:

• Spire: Spire takes Multiplayer combat to a futuristic sub-orbital airport terminal set high in the clouds. Multiple levels and open areas promote intense, mid-range combat around a clean, high-tech civilian environment. Watch your step, because one wrong move could send you plummeting back through the stratosphere.
• Rift: Head to the core of a harsh futuristic military complex, set high above an active caldera. Rift funnels and forces tight, intense engagements, where the only way through is forward. Utilize the unique core movement opportunities to outsmart and outplay enemies as you traverse the suspended rail system.
• Knockout: Housed in a traditional Shaolin Temple with a retro twist, Knockout sets the stage for a bloody Kung Fu tournament. This mid-sized map showcases a sharp contrast between the mid-range engagements of the traditional exterior architecture and the tight close-quarters of an eclectic 1970’s styled interior.
• Verge: In this re-imagination of the classic Call of Duty: World At War map, “Banzai,” Verge drops Multiplayer combat into the center of a distant post-apocalyptic future, where two warring factions are entrenched in constant battle. Take control of the key bridge, fortresses, tunnel systems and waterfalls as you engage in high-speed action through this medium-sized map.

Eclipse also sets the stage for “Zetsubou No Shima,” the highly-anticipated, all-new entry in the Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies storyline that spans the four DLC Map Packs for Black Ops III this year. The Origins characters continue on their mission to stop the zombie apocalypse not only in this universe but in all universes. Our heroes find themselves stranded on a remote Pacific island which is home to the Division 9 facility: a secret biological research lab whose experiments with Element 115 and its effects on human, animal, and plant biology has created horrors beyond belief. “Zetsubou No Shima” features a foliage rich island map including new terrifying zombie enemies, a variety of innovative transport mechanics, more devastating traps and classic Zombies side quests.

The Eclipse DLC Pack will be available for PS4 owners on April 19 as part of the Black Ops III Season Pass or as a standalone download. And if Activision follows their standard operating procedure for Call of Duty DLC, PC and Xbox One owners should be able to download the new maps sometime in late May.

A lot of Call of Duty: Black Ops fans will be happy to tell you that “Nuketown” is one of the best multiplayer maps the series has to offer. So it made perfect sense when Activision announced they were going to remake it (as “Nuk3town”) for Call of Duty: Black Ops III and release it as a pre-order bonus.

But Activision wants everyone to get a chance to play a round or two in “Nuk3town,” so they’ve announced (via the Activision Games Blog) that the map is now free to download on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

The publisher also revealed that all players will also receive access to the Nuk3town Personalization Pack, which includes a Nuk3town-themed Weapon Camo, three Nuk3town-themed Weapon Reticles, and a Nuk3town-themed Calling Card.

Your wait for more Call of Duty: Black Ops III content is over as Activision and Treyarch have announced the Awakening DLC Pack is now available to download for the PS4. The Awakening DLC Pack is part of Black Ops III’s Season Pass (priced at $49.99) and it’s also available to download individually (priced at $15).

As usual, players who partake in Call of Duty’s DLC offerings will receive access to four new multiplayer maps, along with a new level for Zombies Mode:

• Skyjacked: High above urban Zurich, Skyjacked is a modernized version of the popular Call of Duty: Black Ops II multiplayer map Hijacked. Utilizing the new core movement system featured in Black Ops III, this map gives players new ways to explore the environment, while still retaining the same fast and frenetic gameplay players love.
• Splash: Dive into battle in this abandoned water park, featuring a vibrant and colorful environment, including waterslides, a wrecked pirate ship and a lazy river. Splash encourages an open flow of combat with opportunities for underwater gameplay.
• Gauntlet: Delivering three unique environments within one action-packed map, Gauntlet showcases Treyarch’s classic three-lane map structure, transporting players into battle through a sprawling jungle, sub-zero arctic zone and rainy urban cityscape.
• Rise: A versatile multiplayer map, Rise is set in the snowy outskirts of Zurich in the middle of an ongoing construction site for a massive subterranean Coalescence research campus. With multiple engagement areas throughout this larger map, each section caters to different styles of gameplay.

Awakening also introduces the first chapter of Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s Zombies DLC adventure with “Der Eisendrache” picking up where “The Giant” left off. Set in a chilling medieval Austrian castle during World War II, players will embark on an epic four-part journey with the Origin characters Richtofen, Nikolai, Takeo and Dempsey, spanning the DLC season. The ancient site on which the castle sits was the scene of unspeakable horror where massive deposits of Element 115 have recently been discovered. Players will discover a variety of exciting plot twists and surprises as they survive waves of the undead.

The Awakening DLC Pack will be available exclusively for PS4 players for at least the next 30 days, so PC and Xbox One owners likely won’t get a crack at the new maps until March. But for now, you can check out a video preview of each new multiplayer map after the break. (more…)

Activision will release Call of Duty: Black Ops III‘s Awakening DLC Pack on February 2 (for PS4 owners), but first they want to introduce would-be players to the newest Zombies Mode map: “Der Eisendrache.” German for “The Iron Dragon,” players will definitely have to deal with some kind of fire breathing monstrosity as they move further into the deadly castle:

Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s epic Zombies DLC season begins here. In “Der Eisendrache”, Origins characters Richtofen, Nikolai, Takeo, and Dempsey embark on a suicide mission to an enemy research facility built upon an archaic site of unspeakable horror. Massive deposits of Element 115 have recently been discovered, delivering inspired new gameplay and — in Zombies tradition — a variety of plot twists and surprises to discover at every turn.

The Awakening DLC Pack will be exclusive to the PS4 for 30 days and should appear on the PC and Xbox One sometime in March.