User blog:AdvancedRookie/Perk Review of the week - Tactical Mask

Hello there fellow wikians! This is my first of (hopefully) many perk reviews I shall be doing. This week I will be reviewing the Tactical Mask perk from Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Overview
Tactical Mask is a Tier 3 perk featured in the game Call of Duty: Black Ops. The effects of the regular version of Tactical Mask are that it makes the user immune to the effects of Nova Gas Grenades. The pro version of the perk reduces the effectiveness of Concussion Grenades and Flash Grenades on the player by 90% and reveals the general direction of an enemy hit by the player’s flash or concussion grenade. The perk is unlocked at Level 4, the same time Create-A-Class is unlocked.



Benefits
Being immune to Nova Gas does have its uses. Anyone who uses it often won’t be expecting their enemy to be able to walk straight through the gas. Tactical Mask can also be used well in conjunction with the Nova Gas grenade as well. A player can throw the grenade into an area, denying its use to the enemy, while at the same time being able to walk through it. This is especially useful at objective sites where Nova Gas can often be thrown. Being immune to both side’s gas can be a huge advantage.

The Pro variant is by far the more useful side of the perk. Flash and Concussion grenades are very common in multiplayer, so being near immune to their effects is extremely helpful. Combined with Flak Jacket, this perk can help a player render large parts of the enemies’ inventory useless. These two special grenades are used in nearly every game mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops, so this perk can be applied to a wide range of applications, everything from room clearing to defending a bomb site. The indicator that tells the player the direction of an enemy hit by the player’s Flash or Concussion is handy too. When clearing a room, the player can get a good idea of where an enemy is in a room. This can stop the player falling trap to the common tactic of shooting straight forwards after being blinded. Coupled this with reduced effects of flash and concussion grenades, a smart player can use their enemies’ grenades against them.

Drawbacks
While Tactical Mask doesn’t have any real drawbacks with the perk itself, it does suffer from external issues. For one thing, Nova Gas is fairly rare in multiplayer, meaning that the un-upgraded version of the perk is usually redundant. Another problem is the tedious Pro Perk challenges. All three require you to kill enemies affected by special grenades. This can take a long time, especially with the Nova Gas section of the challenges.

Pros

 * Versatile, can be used in a large array of situations
 * Unlocked early on
 * Rewards both defensive and offensive players

Cons

 * Non pro effect is rarely used
 * Pro Perk challenges are tedious

Overall rating of perk: 9/10

That's all for this week, I'll see you next time!