Top five changes Black Ops Cold War needs to make after the Alpha

With the Black Ops Cold War Alpha now in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at five changes we’d love to see ahead of the game’s full release on November 13.

The PlayStation exclusive Cold War Alpha was live for just one weekend to give fans their first hands-on experience with Treyarch’s upcoming release. While it may have been short-lived, the handful of maps and modes on offer provided our first real glimpse at how the full game will play.

Plenty of changes have already been made behind the scenes, such as sniper adjustments. However, there’s still plenty of room for improvement now that thousands of avid fans have jumped into the action.

After a weekend of grinding, here are the things we’d love to see changed ahead of Black Ops Cold War’s official release.

Separate playlists with SBMM enabled

Skill-based matchmaking quickly became the hot topic on day one of the Alpha. While your first few games may have felt great, it wouldn’t have been long before you were thrown in the deep end.

A few consecutive wins and your next match would feel like the final map at the Call of Duty League Championship Weekend. SBMM felt more prominent than ever and countless pro players were quick to lash out against it.

While SBMM has been present under the hood in almost every CoD since 2007, a dev confirmed, social media still erupted due to its presence in Cold War’s alpha.

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Playing against tough competition is great at times, but there should be more casual options available. The best pros in the world shouldn’t be reverse-boosting just to enjoy their time in public games.

In order to keep everyone happy, SBMM can still have a place in Black Ops Cold War. Though It should be limited to its own, separate playlists. Incorporating a ranked mode would be highly praised by the community.

This is where SBMM could shine.

Having teams square off against tough competition in a dedicated environment. It would be a welcome change to see it left out of regular modes upon the full release, however.

A buff to the Ninja perk

Ninja has been a popular perk in CoD multiplayer for many years. Instead of sounding like an elephant on the map with extremely loud footsteps, it allows you to sneak around. In previous games, all movement sound would be reduced by a considerable amount if it didn’t make you outright silent.

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In the Black Ops Cold War Alpha, this critical perk wasn’t quite what it used to be. Rather than changing all character sounds, it specifically targeted sprinting. Without providing an exact value, the perk allowed players to “sprint more quietly.”

This meant that every other form of movement was still exceptionally loud. You could crouch and move at a snail’s pace in the Alpha. Yet more often than not, you’d still get turned on as the enemy hears you coming from a mile away.

Ninja should absolutely be in line for a buff ahead of the full release if it hasn’t already been tweaked behind the scenes.

Improved lethal throwing speed

If you found yourself rarely using your lethal equipment throughout the Alpha, you weren’t alone. It was one of the more surprising changes, but Treyarch decided to make the throwing animation far longer than usual. It would take a good couple of seconds from hitting the input to actually throwing your grenade, for instance.

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This is definitely something that should be reverted back to normal ahead of the full release. In objective-based game modes, lethal equipment can be essential when clearing out hardpoints or flags in domination. Players need to be able to throw them out quickly and continue on with their assault.

Added flinch when scoped in using snipers

There’s no denying that sniper rifles were extremely powerful in the Alpha. They’re already being addressed ahead of the beta, and one key way they should be adjusted is through added flinch. 

While scoping speed is among the fastest it’s ever been in a CoD game, another key issue is the lack of flinch. If you land the first shots on a distant sniper, they can quickly snap onto you and land one-shot without issue.

Their aim isn’t impacted by the incoming damage whatsoever. At least, that was the case throughout the early playtest. This could be just one way in which snipers are addressed in the upcoming Beta.

A slight adjustment to the game’s visuals

Regardless of which map you were playing on, or which Operator you came across, there would be times in the Alpha where you simply couldn’t see your opposition. Darker sections across the core maps would let players blend in with the environment. From the hotel room high ground on Miami, to the B Flag section of Satellite, it was quite a prominent issue.

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There are a few key ways in which this could be addressed. Lightning could simply be tweaked in various problematic areas. Or Operator models could be adjusted on the whole. A slight character outline or even just brighter colors could do the trick to help players stand out from the environment.

The Black Ops Cold War Alpha may be behind us, but the next playtest is right around the corner. Treyarch is set to launch the Beta on October 9 for PlayStation gamers. Following the first weekend of exclusivity, players across all platforms can go hands-on from October 15.

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming beta.