How Many Perks Can You Carry in Black Ops 3?
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The base number of perks you can carry in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 zombies mode is four. This is a fundamental mechanic of the game and has been a series staple since World at War. However, the game offers various ways to circumvent this limit, allowing players to significantly increase their survivability and combat effectiveness. Understanding how to acquire and utilize these extra perk slots is crucial for mastering the game’s higher rounds. In essence, while you can only actively benefit from four perks purchased at a time in the standard way, there are multiple in-game methods that will let you extend that limit.
Understanding the Base Perk System
The foundation of the perk system in Black Ops 3 lies in the Perk-A-Cola machines. These machines are scattered throughout each zombies map and offer unique abilities that aid players in surviving against the undead hordes. Each perk has a specific effect, such as increased health, faster reload speeds, or the ability to carry an extra weapon. Once purchased, a perk remains active until the player is downed. Players are initially limited to purchasing four of these perks, creating a crucial decision-making element on which perks to choose for any given run. This ensures that every player needs to consider their play style and the map that they are on when making perk decisions.
Methods to Exceed the Four Perk Limit
While the default four perk limit is rigid, Black Ops 3 offers a range of methods to obtain additional perks, making the game more complex and rewarding for experienced players. These methods include map-specific features, Gumball power-ups, and specific game mechanics. Here’s a breakdown:
Map-Specific Perk Slots
- Origins Map: Empty Perk Bottles: The Origins map features a unique mechanic involving digging for “Empty Perk Bottles” using the Golden Shovel while in Zombie Blood mode in specific glowing dig sites. For every Empty Perk Bottle dug up, an extra perk slot is granted, potentially allowing up to eight perks. This additional perk slot is permanent through the duration of the game, even after going down.
- The Giant Map: Perk Bottles: On The Giant, players have a chance to receive perk bottles by teleporting using the teleporters. This is random, but any extra perk bottles will let you go over the standard four-perk limit, allowing you to gain an extra perk without the need for a “special” slot.
- The Giant Map: Sixth Perk-A-Cola Machine: On the Giant you can activate a secret laser to melt snow in the central courtyard to reveal a sixth perk-a-cola machine. This allows access to an extra perk to be purchased, taking your total up to five.
Gobblegums
Gobblegums are consumable power-ups that add another layer of strategy to Black Ops 3 zombies mode. Several Gobblegums can directly or indirectly impact the number of perks a player can have active at once:
- On the House: This Gobblegum grants the player a free perk. When used at the beginning of a game it is an extremely helpful boost, especially if you get one of the perks that are extremely valuable to have, such as Jugger-nog or Quick revive.
- Perkaholic: This rare Gobblegum gives the player all of the perks available on the current map, breaking the four-perk limitation in a huge way.
- Unquenchable: This Gobblegum lets players recover lost perks immediately after being downed, allowing you to rebuy your full perk list. When combined with extra slots this can be extremely useful.
- Soda Fountain: This gives you a random perk every time that you buy a perk from a machine. If you have extra slots this can let you get a large array of perks.
Mule Kick
While not increasing the number of active perks, the Mule Kick perk directly influences your combat capability by allowing you to carry a third weapon. This effectively gives you more options to fight off the zombies.
Maximizing Your Perks
Understanding the ways to get additional perks is one thing, but knowing how to use them efficiently is key to success in the game. For high round attempts, players should plan their perk acquisitions in advance, keeping in mind their play style and the map they are playing on. Always remember to look at the map mechanics and Gobblegums to make the right choices in your build, taking you to the highest round possible.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why is there a limit of four perks in Black Ops 3?
The four-perk limit is a longstanding feature of the Call of Duty Zombies mode, dating back to World at War. This limitation adds strategic depth and forces players to make challenging choices about which perks to prioritize.
2. Does going down remove the extra perk slots obtained from Origins?
No. The extra perk slots acquired from digging up Empty Perk Bottles in Origins are permanent for the duration of the game. If you go down, you lose your perks, but you can simply rebuy them and fill your extra slots again.
3. What is the “Der Wunderfizz” machine?
The Der Wunderfizz machine is a multi-perk machine that randomly offers any perk available on the map. It’s often used to access perks that are not available through normal perk-a-cola machines, and also helps to access perks faster.
4. Is there a way to get more than eight perks?
No, in most situations, eight is the maximum amount of perks a player can obtain in Black Ops 3.
5. Can you randomly receive 100 points by going prone in front of perk machines?
Yes, similar to finding stray change, players can sometimes receive 100 points randomly by going prone in front of perk machines. This can be a small advantage at the beginning of a round.
6. What is the Banana Colada perk?
The Banana Colada perk is not a regular perk; rather, it’s an effect that creates trails of yellow slime which damages and slows down the zombies that slide on it. This is achieved through a different item or power up, and not through a perk-a-cola machine.
7. What is the Overkill perk in Black Ops 3?
Overkill is a perk in the Multiplayer portion of the game, not Zombies. It allows you to carry a primary weapon in your secondary weapon slot.
8. What are some of the best perks in Black Ops 3 Multiplayer?
Some of the best perks in Black Ops 3 multiplayer include Dead Silence, Flak Jacket, Cold Blooded, and Gung-Ho. Each has its own advantages in the multiplayer game mode.
9. What does the Mule Kick perk do?
The Mule Kick perk allows players to carry a third weapon. This increases the player’s versatility in combat but does not change the number of perks that they can have.
10. What is the hardest achievement in Black Ops 3?
Some of the hardest achievements in Black Ops 3 include “No One Will Believe You”, and the high difficulty related achievements, along with “Curator” and “Walking Encyclopedia”.
11. How long does it take to 100% complete Black Ops 3?
Completing Black Ops 3 with a focus on the main objectives takes about 9 hours. For 100% completion, gamers should expect to invest around 79 hours.
12. Can you get more perks on Kino Der Toten?
No, Kino Der Toten has no specific mechanics to get extra perk slots beyond the standard four perks. However, you can still use Gumballs to gain additional perks for your game.
13. Does the order in which you buy perks matter?
Generally, no, however some perks such as Jugger-nog and quick revive are considered more valuable than others and so it is more common to buy these first. Perk order does not give any additional gameplay benefit.
14. Are the perk limits different in custom zombies maps?
It depends on how the custom maps are designed. Custom maps can change and alter the game mechanics, some maps will keep the standard 4 limit, while others will include methods to go over this limit.
15. What is the highest Prestige in Black Ops 3 zombies?
Players can achieve 10 levels of Prestige and, after surpassing Level 55 at Prestige 10, unlock Master Prestige. Players who reach Master Prestige on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC can continue to earn XP and gain levels up to Level 1000.