'Call of Duty: Black Ops 4' Update Removes 9-Bang from Blackout

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s latest update removed the problematic 9-Bang equipment from the [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's latest update removed the problematic 9-Bang equipment from the Blackout mode.

Treyarch shared the notes for its latest update on the game's subreddit to explain everything that's changed in Blackout and in the traditional multiplayer mode. Included under the "Equipment" category of Blackout, one of two notes pertaining to different throwable equipment said the 9-Bang had been removed while Treyarch evaluates its position in Blackout.

Equipment (Blackout Only)

  • 9-Bang
    • Removed the 9-Bang from Blackout while we evaluate its place in the gameplay loop.
  • Concussion Grenade
    • Increased throw distance.
    • Increased stack count to 2.

The 9-Bang has been a hot topic among Black Ops 4 players due to how powerful it is in the battle royale setting. Acting similarly to a concussion grenade that blinds and deafens enemies, the 9-Bang can be found all throughout the Blackout map with players able to stack several of them in their inventory. It's powerful item that's also found in the multiplayer mode but is much more plentiful in Blackout, therefore making its disorienting effects much stronger by comparison. Players have turned the 9-Bang into a meme following discussions and complaints about how strong it is, some players joking that it should automatically queue them up for another game once 9-Banged since death seems almost inevitable.

It's unclear what Treyarch plans on doing with the 9-Bang now that it's been removed, but pulling weapons and items out of rotations in games' battle royale modes isn't an uncommon occurrence. Fortnite, for example, occasionally "vaults" items and pulls them from the game until Epic Games can find a better way to implement them, so it appears that this is a similar route to what Treyarch has planned.

Several weapons were also tweaked in the Blackout update including assault rifles, submachine guns, and more, those changes found through Treyarch's notes on the update. More character missions for Blackout have also been unlocked to give players the chance to bring some Zombies characters into the battle royale mode.

"We've also unlocked the Blackout Character Missions for our Black Ops 4 Chaos Storyline crew and increased Character Mission quest item spawn rates, so get out there and complete those hidden challenges to drop in as Bruno, Diego, Scarlett, and Shaw," Treyarch's update said.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's latest update is now live for all players.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of