Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has officially released, so naturally players are spending countless hours mastering every aspect of this FPS. With the new battle royale mode – Blackout – taking the world by storm, it will be critical for players to understand the new mechanics introduced. One is a Perks system, that allows users to obtain a temporary buff that can give them a distinct advantage in-game.
With a little over a dozen Perks, it can be difficult to know which ones you should prioritize over others. When deciding upon our ranking, we prioritized Perks that are less situational and can give you a general advantage in-game. This isn’t to say any of Black Ops 4’s Perks are bad, just simply some are better than others.
Here is our ranking of Blackout’s Perks from worst to best:
14. Squad Link
I desperately want to like Squad Link, but I just can’t. Being able to see your teammates through walls is so niche that it’s rarely ever useful. Unless you’re fighting in a complex building with multiple floors and rooms, you shouldn’t need to see where your team is.
This is especially true if you’re playing in a squad of friends since simple communication can clear up any issues. Squad Link is a pretty useless perk and really shouldn’t take up any slot in your inventory.
13. Outlander
No one wants to be caught out in the storm if they can help it. Taking damage for no other reason than not being able to outrun the circle is never optimal. This is why Outlander is such a hit or miss Perk. Once triggered, that player will move faster in the storm and take less damage from it. This is great if the safe area spawns on the other side of the map, but completely useless if you find yourself inside said safe zone.
Unless you have a long way to run and cannot find a vehicle, then Outlander is basically useless. There are some scenarios where you want to use the storm to surprise enemies, but this is few and far between. Outlander is an especially mediocre Perk and rarely deserves a spot in your inventory.
12. Brawler
Brawler is the definition of a situational Perk. While meleeing is quite powerful, it should be the last option in almost every scenario. When activated, Brawler increases your melee attack damage and gives you 50 pts of health back per hit. This may sound great, but there are very few scenarios where you need to start clubbing someone to death over just using your firearm.
The only time we found Brawler useful is if we dropped in a crowded area. You can usually kill someone looting a body before they know what’s coming. That being said, you really shouldn’t rely on fisticuffs in any fight.
11. Engineer
Engineer is basically Looter for Vehicles and any equipment that is active. Given how important some gadgets are in Blackout, being able to see them through terrain and cover can be quite useful. The problem is, like the previous Perks mentioned on this list, this is very situational. It’s not difficult to find vehicles in Blackout – especially if you don’t need to fit four people in a truck – so having them highlighted gives minimal benefit.
This Perk is at its most useful when you’re already engaged in a battle. Popping this will allow you to see if your opponents are up to any sneaky tricks. The problem is, Engineer relies on equipment being active for it to even be useful. If your foes just hold onto their gear then you are getting no benefits at all.
10. Looter
Having all the loot around you highlighted can be a lifesaver if you need to quickly ransack a location. Given the scramble to find a firearm when the match starts can be a tense experience, Looter can easily alleviate any concerns. That being said, Looter gets worse the longer a game goes.
In most cases, you should be scavaging from the bodies of fallen opponents instead of wasting time looking in structures. However, Looter can still be useful and is certainly worth considering if you constantly find yourself in need of meds or ammo.
9. Consumer
When activated, Consumer will reduce the use time of consumable and health items by 50%. This sounds great and in some scenarios, it can really save your butt. Yet, the time it takes to stab yourself with a syringe and heal is pretty quick already. The same goes for activating Perks, which is already a fairly fast action.
Where Consumer shines is in the middle of a hectic firefight, as it allows you to quickly out heal your opponents. While Consumer won’t give you a massive advantage over your foe, sometimes a faster heal can mean the difference between life and death. This is especially useful in Squads where there are a ton of chaotic firefights between groups.
8. Reinforced
People really, really like to use explosives in Blackout. Because of this, you may find yourself using the Reinforced Perk a lot in urban locations. Buildings can be a nightmare to clear, so many simply rely on using flashbangs or grenades to flush enemies out of hiding. Reinforced helps mitigate the damage and effects from these items, making it quite useful.
While you won’t always use Reinforced, we like the improved resistance to any debilitating projectile like a 9-Bang. This perk also gives you more resistance when walking through Razor Wire, but honestly, you shouldn’t ever need to walk through this item anyway.
7. Iron Lungs
If you enjoy using snipers or tactical rifles then Iron Lungs is the perk for you. Having increased steady time when aiming down a scope can make all the difference. Even though this doesn’t affect a majority of the weapons in Blackout, the prevalent use of snipers and tactical rifles makes Iron Lungs quite useful.
Using Iron Lungs also lets you swim underwater for a longer period of time. It’s a nice side effect, but you should only use Iron Lungs if you’re planning on using a sniper.
6. Paranoia
Paranoia is one of the most intriguing Perks in Blackout, as it gives you an audible alert when someone is aiming at you. There are a lot of places that people can hide in this mode, so it’s impossible to cover every angle. Paranoia can alleviate some of these issues, especially if you are traveling in open territory.
This Perk is also fantastic for the last circle when everyone else is hiding and waiting. Just make sure to wear headphones, otherwise, you might miss the audio cue.
5. Mobility
Mobility is perhaps the most versatile Perk in Blackout as it gives you several different buffs at the same time. Along with a general movement speed increase, users can swap weapons quicker, take no fall damage, move faster when reloading, and use weapons and equipment while sprinting. This turns your average Blackout soldier into a speed demon that can quickly push an opponent’s position.
The vast number of buffs you obtain really gives Mobility users a lot of options. The lack of fall damage lets you pounce on foes from above, which can be quite useful in areas like Turbine, River Town, or Construction. Equipment use while sprinting is also strong since you can set traps or quickly block off exits without making yourself an easy target. This is a great Perk that is absolutely worth holding onto if you see one.
4. Skulker
At a glance, Skulker might appear to be a useless Perk, but it can be surprisingly useful in a lot of scenarios. For those unfamiliar, Skulker allows you to walk at sprint speed while crouching. This means you are vastly limiting not only your hitbox but reducing the amount of noise your character makes.
Skulker makes it easier to sneak up on enemies or move into cover without alerting everyone. There are no drawbacks to using Skulker since you maintain your movement speed, so this is a very strong Perk that is fantastic for initiating engagements. While it’s not on the level of Dead Silence, Skulker is a sufficient substitute.
3. Medic
No matter how good you are, at some point, you’re going to get shot in Blackout. When this happens you’ll need to heal and having the Medic perk active will give you a distinct advantage. Once triggered, the afflicted player can revive downed teammates faster, heal themselves quicker, and gain more health from healing items.
This is a very strong Perk, since being to out heal your adversaries will typically end with you winning a fight. Being able to pick up your teammates faster is the cherry on top. Battles are swift and chaotic in Blackout, so being able to pick up your buddy before the enemy push your position can mean the difference between life or death. Medic is a must have Perk and we highly recommend you always carry one with you.
2. Awareness
Information is one of the most important things you can have in a battle royale game. Awareness makes enemy footsteps significantly louder, allowing you to quickly determine where a foe is coming from. This may sound inconsequential, but it actually makes a huge difference in how you can approach battles. Knowing not only that an enemy is around you but what direction allows you to easily ambush and kill your opponent.
Awareness is also a superb recon Perk since you can hear people above and below you as well. This is wonderful for the final few circles when everyone is hiding in different locations. Since footsteps are fairly quiet without this Perk, having Awareness active in high traffic areas is vital. Always grab this Perk if you have the chance, it might just save you.
1. Dead Silence
Hearing your foes coming is one thing, but what happens if they can’t hear you at all? Dead Silence makes the user move and search way quieter. This lets you fly under the radar of anyone in your vicinity both int he early and late game. If you land in a hot area, pop Dead Silence and you can quietly loot without anyone knowing.
As for the end game, Dead Silence lets you move from cover to cover without anyone hearing. This is great if you are playing outside of the circle and need to move in at the last moment. Despite the simplicity of the buff, Dead Silence is perhaps the single best Perk in all of Call of Duty’s Blackout. By removing a foes ability to hear, you are effectively handicapping them for 240 seconds – which can seem like forever in a battle royale game.