'Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout Pre-Game Lobby Helps You Learn the Map

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will have a pre-game lobby for its Blackout mode like other battle [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will have a pre-game lobby for its Blackout mode like other battle royale games, but this lobby will help players familiarize themselves with the map and the weapons they'll find.

While waiting for a full battle royale lobby to fill up in other games, it's common practice to drop players in some type of closed-in area where they can mess around with different weapons or structures until there are enough players to start a match. The same will happen in Blackout, but the location that players will find themselves is the actual map that they'll play on after jumping out of a transport helicopter and soaring to the ground. Treyarch's new Blackout Field Manual for the battle royale mode that's becoming part of a Call of Duty game for the first time ever said that getting players in the game as soon as possible is a priority with the pre-game lobby being the exact map that people will play on.

"The Blackout Beta will toss you into the level even before the game officially starts," the Blackout Field Manual said. This pre-game lobby is called the Drop Zone. Here you can learn the map and try out some weapons and understanding of the game systems and mechanics. But note, once the match begins, you won't bring any of the weapons or equipment used in the Drop Zone with you into the match. Once a number of players have joined the lobby a countdown clock will start and then it's time to get down to the business."

While players will be able to familiarize themselves with the map, joining the lobby early won't give any real advantage compared to those who join late. Every match starts with the helicopter drop-off sequence, so you won't have to worry about other players already being holed up somewhere with weapons while you're just then joining the game.

Like other battle royale maps, the Call of Duty Blackout map is a big one, so it looks like it's worth learning. While it's not as large as other battle royale maps, it is the largest Call of Duty map that's ever been made with locations from previous games mixed into the layout. Nuketown, for example, has ben recreated as Nuketown Island with other locations from past Call of Duty games being mixed with new venues. Treyarch revealed a first look at the map recently with the full layout seen below.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 releases on October 12 with the Blackout beta going live on September 10.

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