Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Specialist Abilities and Classes

This feature breaks down all nine Specialists and their abilities in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. Players must choose one of these unique characters before joining a match. Their powers charge up over time and do not disappear upon death. Although every player can make use of them, Specialists greatly benefit novice gamers, who can still take advantage of a powerful weapon if they can’t achieve Scorestreaks. 

Battery 

This Specialist wields the War Machine, a powerful launcher that fires bouncing grenades that explode after a short time or immediately after striking a target. The large blast radius makes this weapon ideal for killing multiple enemies at once. 

Additionally you’ll wear Kinetic Armor. It basically doubles your health for a few seconds, making you difficult to kill from body shots. However, headshots and explosions still take you down.

Nomad

Pester enemies with the H.I.V.E., a weapon that lets you strategically plant pods of Nano-Drones around the map. These trigger whenever someone is nearby, so go ahead and stick them in doorways, on ledges and ceilings. Perfect for highly trafficked areas. 

Meanwhile, the Nomad’s Rejack ability lets you respawn from the place where you died. It’s great for ambushing people, but not 100 percent effective. Using Rejack causes a cloud of green smoke to appear, informing the enemy you’re about to return. Now they can aim down the sights and kill you again. 

Outrider

If you enjoy killing enemies from range, the Outrider’s Sparrow Compound Bow lets you fire explosive arrows without having to obsess over the arc of the shot. These arrows detonate upon impact and you don’t need to impale a target to kill him or her. A “missed” shot can produce an explosion big enough to KO someone. 

The Outrider also carries a Vision Pulse that reveals enemy locations not on the mini-map but through actual walls and other barriers. The flip side of this is they know the Pulse is active. Equip a weapon capable of penetrating walls and score a few easy kills.

Prophet

The Prophet wields arguably the coolest sniper rifle in Black Ops 3, the Tempest. This single-shot weapon’s electricity one-hit kills anyone it touches. Even better, the electrified victim remains on the map for a brief period of time and will damage players who get too close. Keep in mind you will need to wait for the Tempest to recharge, and Battery can withstand a Tempest blast with her Kinetic Armor. 

Next up is Glitch, which allows the Prophet to rewind time similar to the Forza and Prince of Persia games.  If you turn the corner while reloading and run into an enemy, activate Glitch and you will return to a previously occupied position, allowing you to better prepare for the other player or escape. 

Reaper 

A personal favorite, the Reaper has a mini-gun for an arm called the Scythe. It features a short spin-up time and is extremely accurate. Then there’s a defensive ability known as Psychosis. Activate this to spawn three clones that run towards the enemy. Your character will become camouflaged, and so long as you don’t make any noticeable movements (thrusting, for instance), it’ll be difficult to tell you apart from the doppelgangers.  

Ruin

Surprise the opposition with Ruin’s Gravity Spikes, which produce a lethal shockwave when they hit the ground. There’s a short delay before the ensuing shockwave, so use this weapon to get the jump on one or more adversaries. 

Ruin also benefits from Overdrive, which grants superhuman speed. Use it to quickly reach an objective or escape someone’s clutches, but be careful! Burning Overdrive during a jump may result in your character plummeting to his doom.

Seraph 

Seraph whips out the Annihilator, a revolver that one-hit kills enemies no matter where the bullets land. You also have Combat Focus, allowing for a bonus multiplier for the points earned during a match, bringing you closer to achieving Scorestreaks.  

Spectre

We’re big fans of using the combat knife during CoD multiplayer, so the Spectre’s Ripper feels custom made for us. In addition to being able to kill someone with a single hit, you also have an increased lunge. Brings us back to the Modern Warfare 2 days. 

Active Camo makes you almost invisible, sort of like the Predator. It’s the best way to counter the Outrider’s Vision Pulse. 

Firebreak 

Roast the opposition with the Purifier, a devastating flamethrower best used in close quarters.  Sticking with the theme of fire, Heatwave allows you to encase Firebreak within a sphere. Whoever comes too close receives blurry vision and has trouble moving. Similar to the Purifier, you want to activate Heatwave indoors where there’s less area to move around. Both it and the flamethrower are easily avoided in wide-open spaces.

Visit Prima’s free Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Walkthrough for information on collectibles and check out the Official eGuide.