Black Ops III is making a pretty big change to its multiplayer by giving players the ability to select Specialists going into each match. These Specialists are upgradeable and customizable, as well as each having one unique weapon and ability that you choose between for each match. Treyarch has revealed that there will be nine total Specialists in the final game, but as of right now, we have information on four of them, all of which I had a chance to try out in my hands-on time with the game at Treyarch. Let’s meet the first four Black Ops III Specialists.
Ruin
Ruin’s real name is Donnie Walsh (pictured above). He was raised in a military family and had a tough upbringing, so he is the epitome of the infantry soldier. His abilities focus on rushing into the battle and overwhelming his enemies with speed and force.
Unique Weapon: Gravity Spikes – This weapon allows players to do a ground pound attack with a shockwave. A great attack for clearing out groups of enemies. This was my go-to selection in my hands-on preview with Black Ops III.
Unique Ability: Overdrive – Ruin uses this ability to boost the speed of all his movements for a short duration. This is a great ability to use in Capture the Flag matches, or if you need to get into or out of the fray quickly. This ability is surprisingly more useful than it seems it would be and is very utilitarian in the right circumstances. I often defaulted to this one when we played Capture the Flag.
Seraph
As a pugnacious enforcer for the 541 crime syndicate, Seraph — real name Zhen Zhen — shows an immense amount of discipline in her combat skills. Her abilities focus on a militant impact and utilizing her discipline to boost her score.
Unique Weapon: Annihilator – Seraph has a high caliber revolver with penetration rounds. This gun will usually kill an enemy in one hit, and can puncture through multiple bodies. This is a fun all-around ability that is useful in nearly any circumstance, and offers far more stopping power than standard weaponry.
Unique Ability: Combat Focus – This ability gives Seraph a multiplier to her score so that she can work on building up for Scorestreaks. Best used right before completing an objective that would give a lot of points. I personally never went with this one as I am not traditionally a Scorestreaks style of player, but it can be a very valuable ability to players who want to get to Scorestreaks faster.
Outrider
Alessandra Castillo grew up on the streets of Favela. By using the rooftops to watch the city, she gained sharp skills of observation. Due to this trait, she found her place among the ranks of the Brazilian Special Forces. Her abilities center around striking from afar and finding her enemies before they can find her.
Unique Weapon: Sparrow – Outrider uses a compound bow and explosive bolts with variable range. A fun weapon for long distance combat and surprising your enemies. A lot of fun if you aren’t necessarily one to run right into the fray but want to put some hurt on enemies from a distance.
Unique Ability: Vision Pulse – This ability sends out a pulse that reveals the location of enemies in the surrounding area for a specific period of time. Great for stealth and seeing where your enemies might be hiding or coming from. I used this more in modes where I needed to defend an area and see where enemies might be coming from.
Reaper
Reaper is an EWR — Experimental War Robot — starting out as a very expensive military project for supporting Spec Ops soldiers in the field. The most advanced robot in the world was reduced to scrap metal when the budget couldn’t keep up with the project, not to mention embarrassing political incidents it caused. Reaper is the only prototype that remains active.
Unique Weapon: Scythe – Reaper’s arm transforms into a high power mini-gun. Yup, that’s right. This weapon is all about wrecking shop with a hail of bullets, and the distinct sounds of the Scythe often had me running the other direction on the battlefield.
Unique Ability: Glitch – Reaper flashes back to the position he was in approximately six seconds earlier. He accomplishes this by hacking into the Direct Neural Interface of the other soldiers to alter their perception of his location. A difficult ability to master, but one that is ripe with possibilities on the battlefield when used in the right circumstances
Which of the four Black Ops 3 Specialists revealed so far appeals the most to you? What weapons and abilities do you want to see make an appearance for the remaining five Specialists that we have yet to hear about?
