The Black Ops 6 beta has been brilliant so far, but it’s not been perfect. So, as it opens up its doors to everyone for one final weekend, Treyarch has decided to iron out a few issues to make it even more enjoyable. As well as a nerf to an extremely overpowered weapon and some movement speed changes, it has made a vital tweak to weapon XP gain, meaning you’ll be able to rank up guns and unlock new attachments faster.
Ahead of the Black Ops 6 beta, I was quietly confident that we’d have a really strong entry in the Call of Duty series this year. Everything Treyarch and Activision was saying, on paper, sounded like music to my ears. Since getting hands-on during the first beta weekend, I’d say I’m now loudly confident that it’s going to be banger. The FPS game’s new dynamic movement system is so fun once you get adjusted to it and the gunplay has felt super slick. But Treyarch sees that, even in its short beta phase, there is still work to be done and has rolled out a Black Ops 6 patch that makes some important changes.
For me, the biggest is this: “Increased awarded weapon XP, which will decrease the amount of time needed to gain weapon levels.” Treyarch says that the speed at which players were grinding through weapon levels was “slower than expected” so you can now blast through and get better attachments for each weapon much faster.
Even though the beta is ending in just a few days, and there’s only a small selection of weapons available, there’s also some weapon balancing in this patch. As we alluded to prior to this update, the Jackal PDW submachine gun has received a sizable nerf. I haven’t had time to test it out post-nerf yet, but early reports from players on social media are claiming that it still feels strong, so maybe your best Jackal PDW loadout is spared for now. Rival SMG the C9, however, has received a small buff thanks to an increase in medium damage range.
Elsewhere, spawn locations on maps have been improved and increased, three scorestreaks (the RC-XD, the Watchdog Helo, and the Hellstorm) have all received slight buffs, and Treyarch has sped up how long it takes to swap weapons. Movement speeds for each weapon class have also been tweaked, with increases across the board (although the already-mobile SMG class is getting less of an upgrade). You can read the full beta patch notes right here.
The final weekend of the Black Ops 6 beta is live right now, and it concludes on Monday, September 9, at 10AM EST / 1PM PST / 6PM BST. This weekend is free and open to all players, regardless of platform or if you’ve pre-ordered the game.
Alongside the balance changes and improvements, a heap of new content is also arriving for this second weekend. The level cap has been increased from 20 to 30, allowing you to unlock more new weapons, equipment, scorestreaks, and perks. There are also a few new maps to play on as well.
If you’re looking for something else you can play this weekend without spending a penny, here are the best free PC games right now. Or if you and your pals get bored of the Black Ops 6 beta, here are some other amazing multiplayer games to try out.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.