Black Ops 6 leak reveals hilarious ‘human meat shield’ feature

Call of Duty players can finally use their enemies as human meat shields in Black Ops 6, as early leaks revealed the new feature in action.

With each new entry in the CoD franchise comes new iterations in the tried and tested FPS formula. For 2024’s Black Ops 6, we already know a few ways in which Treyarch is looking to shake things up.

Omnimovement tops the bill as players can now sprint and dive in all directions, keeping momentum around every turn. But alongside that, early leaks have now revealed our first look at a game-changing feature in multiplayer.

While first teased back at the Summer Game Fest Showcase in June, we’re now able to see the hilarious ‘meat shield’ mechanic in action in the game’s multiplayer component. As hours of multiplayer footage spill out online ahead of the Beta, attention has been drawn to this game-changer of a feature.

So far, leaked footage of the upcoming #CallofDuty: Black Ops 6 has revealed:

– Intro of a Human Meat Shield feature in multiplayer mode. Will this come to Warzone?
– Confirmation of weapon inspect animations. Glad they aren't going away.
– 1st CoD to have a full 4-year… pic.twitter.com/IxHYsOaWET

— Carlos (@CarlosBitMe) August 5, 2024

By getting the jump on an enemy, rather than simply triggering a flashy animation, you can now use the surprise to your advantage. Holding down the melee button to ‘execute’ your foe will instead grab hold of them.

With your enemy in one hand and a pistol in the other, you can briefly move around and use them as a human shield. Those on the opposing team have to place their shots perfectly to avoid tagging their ally. Tap the execute button again at any point, however, and you finish off your target.

While not everyone is sold on this first look, others are calling for one addition to make this feature complete. “Make it so when you do this, you can talk to the person you grabbed,” popular content creator Wildcat suggested. “I will pay absurd amounts.”

“Imagine getting the guy to snitch out his team,” another player chimed in. “Hearing them scream for their life would be incredible,” one more echoed.

For now, it’s unclear if this mechanic is prevalent across all game types in Black Ops 6, or just specific playlists. It’s also unclear if it will be enabled in competitive settings. We’re sure to find out plenty more in the coming weeks though, especially as the Open Beta gets underway soon.