Cut Content/Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

The subject matter of this article was cut from the final version of a Call of Duty game. Since some information can lack context, the content on this page may not be accurate and is subject to change.

During the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, many features were cut, including the planned Career mode along with the original vision for Multiplayer. The time period also underwent last-minute changes, becoming a 2040s prequel instead of a sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Several weapons, game modes, Zombies maps, and other mechanics were also discarded during the development phase.

Campaign

Career Mode

Menu preview for Career.

Career is a scrapped mode that would've replaced the traditional Campaign mode. It featured a two-versus-two multiplayer mechanic where opposing factions, the Free People's Army and World United Nations, fought to complete asymmetrical objectives whilst gunning down AI in a globe-trotting story with a dynamically changing narrative path.

Despite an attempt to rework the work done on Career into a more traditional single-player story, the entire campaign was cut in February 2018 and replaced with the Blackout mode. Many assets such as vehicles, character models and locations were reused in the final game.

Specialist Stories

Specialist War Stories

After the Career mode was scrapped, Treyarch and Raven Software started development on a new singleplayer campaign set during the 2050s, internally called Specialist War Stories. Despite numerous missions and gameplay prototypes being created between February and May of 2018, the mode was also cancelled.

Specialist War Stories would've explored the backstories of each Multiplayer Specialist, allowing you to experience each mission with their respective weaponry and equipment. Several narrative elements and story locations from Career were reused for the story, including missions in Colombia, Iceland, Australia, Singapore, Cairo and several others. It's believed there was a mission developed for at least every Specialist character.

Mission	Image	Description
Outback Roadhouse		Set within the Australian outback. During the mission, Battery would ambush a caravan that was holding Torque hostage.
Vengeance		Set within Singapore. Little is known about the mission, only that it would've featured Seraph.

Specialist HQ

Cutscene

The intro cinematic to Specialist HQ originally had a combat segment set within a Shanty Town, however it was cut entirely. Additionally, there was meant to be story cutscenes including "laser targeting sequences"; however nothing else is known about their planned appearance.

Storyboard for the Specialist HQ opening.

Storyboard for the Specialist HQ opening.

Storyboard for the Specialist HQ opening.

Storyboard for the Specialist HQ opening.

Storyboard for the Specialist HQ opening.

Concept art for the Shanty Town.

Breaker Prototype

Breaker was a tutorial mission prototype set on Seaside and featuring Ajax, focused on finding the Aquilus CEO in a counter-terrorist scenario. The level had civilians running around, and hostages who needed to be rescued with the help of local law enforcement.

The prototype was created in March 2018 by Drew Goheen, who worked at Raven Software as a Senior Visual Effects Artist. He described the prototype as "a 'Hero' scenario focused map that would showcase specific hero classes and their unique abilities."

Gameplay image of Breaker.

Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Cut campaign

Gameplay video of the Breaker prototype.

Onboarding Missions

Onboarding Missions were small experiences that served as a tutorial for each Specialist in Multiplayer, but were scrapped entirely and replaced by the current Specialist HQ tutorials in mid 2018.

Their existence can be proven through datamined audio files and leftover scripts. Note the narration by Savannah Mason, which wasn't present in earlier prototypes such as Breaker.

Specialist	Audio	Description
Nomad		During the mission, Nomad would've needed to steal critical data from three terminals.
Recon		During the mission, Recon would've needed to track down a rogue asset who has defected to the enemy side.
Ruin		During the mission, Ruin would've needed to use his Grav Slam to destroy military stockpiles of microchips.

General

Weapons

Many primary and secondary weapons were cut from the game, some potentially being placeholders.

Name	Internal	Icon	Description
KN-44	ar_standard		Full-auto Assault Rifle. KN-44's can still be seen in the map Hacienda.
HVK-30	ar_cqb		Full-auto Assault Rifle. Leftover HUD icon can still be found in the game files.
FFAR	ar_famas		4-round burst Assault Rifle. Appears in pre-alpha build from early 2017.
BRM	lmg_light		Full-auto Light Machine Gun. Leftover HUD icon can still be found in the game files and can still be loaded into Multiplayer through modding.
SVG-100	sniper_powerbolt		Bolt-action Sniper Rifle. HUD Icon appears in UI concepts.
Drakon	sniper_fastsemi		Semi-auto Sniper Rifle. Appears in the IX trailer.
MR6	pistol_standard		Semi-auto Pistol. It can still be loaded into the Multiplayer through modding.
KRM-262	shotgun_pump		Pump-action Shotgun. Leftover HUD icon can still be found in the game files.
205 Brecci	shotgun_semiauto		Semi-auto Shotgun. Appears in Chaos Story trailer.
Minigun	death_machine		Only an icon remains. When loading the Death Machine in Zombies, the Minigun icon is used to represent the weapon on the HUD.

Attachments

Several attachments were scrapped. The base scope from the Hybrid Optic without the Hybrid mechanic is still usable in Blackout.

Name	Icon	Description
Hybrid Optic		Optic Attachment for Assault Rifles. As the name suggests, the Hybrid Optic featured two optics that could be switched between.
AP Rounds		Attachment for several weapon types. Destroys enemy armor. Increases damage to equipment and vehicles. Replaced by FMJ.
Steel Pellets		Attachment for the MOG 12 that appears in concept art.
Slug Shot		Attachment for the MOG 12 that also appears in concept art. As the name suggests, it would've replaced the default pellets with Slug Rounds.

Concept art for the MOG 12's attachments.

Operator Mod

Name	Icon	Description
Uber		Underbarrel Grenade Launcher for the Rampart 17 that fires an explosive round which deals high damage on impact.
Wilfire		Fire rate modification for the GKS. The Wild Fire Operator Mod can still be equipped with the Spitfire, however it's unknown if it would've behaved the same.

Concept art for the Rampart 17's attachments.

Integral Attachments

Certain weapons were planned to have Integral Attachments, with concept art revealing the VAPR-XKG was originally designed with a built-in Suppressor.

VAPR-XKG concept art by Rick Zeng. Note the built-in suppressor.

Folding Stock

Folding Stock icon.

An icon featuring what appears to be the KN-57 with a foldable stock can be found in the game files. It's unknown if it would've been an attachment or an in-game option. Note that the KN-57's model does have a built-in folding stock, however it remains cosmetic in-game.

Mastercrafts

Four scrapped Mastercraft Variants have remnants in the final game, still being able to be equipped. All of the weapons except the Paladin HB50 are identical to their base counterpart. According to menu descriptions, all of them were planned to be obtained through Blackjack's Shop and would've had visual changes based on kills.

Weapon	Information
VAPR-XKG	Base code remains in the game files, can still be equipped.
Saug 9mm	Base code remains in the game files, can still be equipped.
Paladin HB50	Base code remains in the game files, can still be equipped. Scope has updated textures.
Mozu	Base code remains in the game files, can still be equipped.

Paladin HB50 Mastercraft in-game. Note the red scope.

Ditto, inspecting the Paladin HB50.

Multiplayer

Maps

Several maps were scrapped during development, including from the standard Multiplayer and the scrapped War Mode.

• Standard
• War Mode

Scrapped maps intended for the standard Multiplayer.

Map	Internal	Image	Description
Breakers	mp_breakers		Set on a tropical island in Colombia. Note the name 'Breakers', shortened from "Shipbreakers".
Iceberg	mp_iceberg		Set on an iceberg harvesting plant off the coast of Ireland.
Museum	mp_museum		Set within a Museum in Sydney, Australia.
Urban	mp_urban		An earlier iteration of Arsenal. Concept art reveals the map was originally set in a futuristic facility. Full concept art can be viewed here.
Unknown			Set on a desert runway. Only a single preview image remains of the map, with the actual name of the level being unknown.

The War Mode from Call of Duty: WWII was planned to return, with several maps being created for the mode.

Map	Internal	Image	Description
Tekezé	mp_war_ethiopia		Set within Ethiopia. Nothing else is known.
Valencia	mp_war_valencia		Set within a Village in Spain. Attackers needed to capture an area before collecting batteries to power a Quad Tank, before escorting it into enemy territory.
Shipbreakers	mp_war_breakers		Set within a ship disassembly area in Colombia. Attackers needed to blow open a sea wall and then escort a robot to clear the path to a large ship with a capture zone.
Glacier Dam	mp_war_glacierdam		Set within a Glacier Dam in Spain. Attackers needed to capture an area before escorting a robot into enemy territory, then blowing up a crane with C4

Game Modes

Many game modes were scrapped during development. Game modes such as Infiltration, Payload and Stronghold were originally created for testing individual objectives for the War Mode, however they were still considered for stand-alone inclusion.

Gamemode	Icon	Description
Demolition		Remains in game files along with Hardcore variation. Crashes the game on load.
Escalation Game		Players start with a Pistol and must gather Specialist Weapons from the ground, which are stored on the HUD. When killed, the held Specialist Weapon is dropped, losing a score point. Held Specialist Weapons can also be burned, losing a point. Gain the most score by eliminating enemies to win.
Frontline		Both teams always spawn at their base and must use teamwork to eliminate players on the opposing team. The first team to reach the score limit wins.
Hostage		Only mentioned within code strings as Hostage. No other information is known.
Infiltration		Teams alternate in attacking and defending. Attackers must deliver two power cells to a designated delivery point, while the enemy team attempts to stop them. The icon for Control was for Infiltration, according to file names.
Payload		Teams alternate in delivering a non-combative payload into enemy territory, successfully deliver the payload to win.
Stronghold		Teams alternate in capturing or defending a singular zone, with the objective itself being closer to the defenders spawn.
Uplink		Temporary text-to-speech announcer lines for Uplink exist within the files of the Multiplayer beta, along with leftover assets in the full-game. The Uplink ball can still be loaded into Multiplayer.
War Mode		War from Call of Duty: WWII was planned to return, but was scrapped during development. Several maps were created for the mode before it's cancellation.

Blackjack Specialist

Blackjack in a pre-alpha build.

"Weapon's expert who dominates mid-range gunfights."

— Pre-alpha description

The character Blackjack was originally a Specialist and was featured in several early 2017 builds. Blackjack was going to be a Slayer, and early 2016 builds reveal Blackjack had Traits such as increased reserve ammo and reduced flinch.

Escalation

HUD Concept showcasing an Escalation level next to the heal cooldown.

Escalation was a gameplay mechanic that allowed every Specialist to progressively become stronger throughout a match. By earning score through objectives and EKIA, the Escalation meter would increase over time, upgrading to new levels and unlocking several progressive perks.

Escalation had five levels with a variety of unlocks, such as increasing health and firepower, along with enhancements such as the Thrust Pack. It's believed the Escalation meter didn't reset on death, and that Escalation upgrades were tied to your Specialist's role. The mechanic was scrapped in early 2018 after playtester feedback.

Escalation Wheel

Escalation Wheel from a 2016 build, playing War on Valencia as Blackjack.

An earlier iteration of the Escalation system featured a wheel of Specialist-tied abilities and weapons that could be customized in your loadout. Instead of earning progressive perks by leveling up the Escalation meter, the player would earn Tokens to unlock single-use items with the wheel.

The Escalation Wheel was created for the War Mode but was replaced by the dynamic Escalation system in early 2017, with abilities and equipment being tied to a cooldown rather than an unlock.

Position Roles

Position Roles would've gave each Specialist a role that granted an exclusive passive ability and dictated the weaponry and equipment in their Loadout. The confirmed roles of each Specialist character can be found within the script mp_charater_customization.

Position	Icon	Description
Slayer		Slayer Specialists could unlock the Thrust Pack through Escalation. Includes Blackjack, Ruin, Seraph and Spectre.
Objective		Objective Specialists could capture and decay objectives faster. Includes Ajax, Battery, Prophet and Reaper.
Support		Support Specialists could create a Forward Spawn. Includes Nomad, Firebreak, Recon, Torque, Outrider, and Crash.

Loadouts

Loadouts were the original Create-A-Class system before being scrapped and replaced by the Pick Ten System in early 2018. Each Specialist had customizable Loadouts connected to them, including Primary and Secondary Weapons, Attachments, Equipment and Gear.

The available weaponry and equipment was exclusive to individual Specialists and Position Roles - for example, only Ruin could equip the Grapple Gun in his Loadout, and only Slayer specialists coup equip the Rampart 17.

Role Exclusive Weapons

Each Specialist Role had exclusive weaponry alongside universal weapons. Note the full list of weapons is unknown, and that some weapons may have changed roles during development.

• Slayer Weapons
• Objective Weapons
• Support Weapons

Name	Icon	Role	Description
ICR-7			Assault Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Rampart 17			Assault Rifle. Exclusive to Slayer Specialists.
Maddox RFB			Assault Rifle. Exclusive to Slayer Specialists.
MX9			Submachine Gun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Auger DMR			Tactical Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
SwordFish			Tactical Rifle. Exclusive to Slayer Specialists.
Titan			Light Machine Gun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Paladin HB50			Sniper Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Strife			Pistol. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
MOG 12			Shotgun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Hellion Salvo			Launcher. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.

Name	Icon	Role	Description
ICR-7			Assault Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
KN-57			Assault Rifle. Exclusive to Objective Specialists.
MX9			Submachine Gun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
GKS			Submachine Gun. Exclusive to Objective Specialists.
Cordite			Submachine Gun. Exclusive to Objective Specialists.
Auger DMR			Tactical Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Titan			Light Machine Gun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Paladin HB50			Sniper Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Strife			Pistol. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
MOG 12			Shotgun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Hellion Salvo			Launcher. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.

Name	Icon	Role	Description
ICR-7			Assault Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
VAPR-XKG			Assault Rifle. Exclusive to Support Specialists.
MX9			Submachine Gun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
SAUG 9mm			Submachine Gun. Exclusive to Support Specialists.
Auger DMR			Tactical Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Titan			Light Machine Gun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Paladin HB50			Sniper Rifle. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Koshka			Sniper Rifle. Exclusive to Support Specialists.
Strife			Pistol. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
MOG 12			Shotgun. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.
Hellion Salvo			Launcher. Universal weapon, available to all Specialists.

Specialist Equipment

Many pieces of Specialist Equipment were scrapped or replaced. Note that some Equipment was exclusive to individual Specialists via the scrapped Loadout system.

Name	Internal	Icon	Description
Alarm	eq_alarm		Notifies when enemies are within proximity of the alarm.
Ammo Crate	ammo_station		Teammates can use to refill their weapon ammunition.
Arm Blade	eq_arm_blade		Unleash a lethal melee attack with a dedicated melee weapon.
Armor Generator	armor_station		Restores lost and damaged armor to nearby allies.
Armor Regen	gadget_armor_regen		Regenerates armor.
Breach Launcher	eq_breachlauncher		Grenade Launcher that fires sticky demolition projectiles.
Camera Spike	camera_spike		Several Specialists have leftover voice lines mentioning the Camera Spike.
Claymore	claymore		Plantable directional mine, that explodes based on enemy proximity.
Cleanse	gadget_cleanse		Removes debuffs and status effects.
Collapse Grenade	eq_collapse_grenade		Internal name remains.
Concussion	concussion_grenade		Earlier iteration of the Concussion using the model from Call of Duty: Black Ops III.
Semtex	eq_sticky_grenade		Grenade that sticks to surfaces before detonating.
Deaf Grenade	eq_deaf_grenade		Tactical grenade that deafens those caught in its radius.
DoT Grenade	eq_dot_grenade		Lethal Grenade that damages its targets over time.
Field Engineering Kit	barrier_builder		Engineering kit which allows for the building and destroying of barriers and cover.
Frag Gun	eq_frag_gun		Shoots fragmentation grenades which arm on impact, and detonate after a short delay.
Flashbang	flash_grenade		Blinds targets and impairs hearing. Uses the model from Call of Duty: Black Ops III.
Foam Grenade	foam_grenade		Foams nearby enemies on explosion, trapping them and forcing them to melee out to escape.
Grapple Axe	grapple_axe		Grapple and zip onto nearby locations and enemies, executing them with a hatchet. Replaced by the Grapple Gun.
Hacker Tool	hacker_tool		Manipulate and take control of enemy equipment.
Health Boost	gadget_health_boost		Internal name remains.
Health Regen Squad	gadget_health_regen_squad		Internal name remains.
Invulnerability	gadget_invulnerable		Internal name remains.
Jammer	gadget_jammer		Scrapped piece of equipment for Zero. Can still be loaded.
Mini RAPs	mini_raps		Replaced by the Seeker Shock Mine.
Mini Turret	mini_turret		Targets and harasses nearby enemies with non-lethal damage.
Mute Smoke	mute_smoke		Can still be loaded but does nothing in the launch build.
Nightingale	eq_decoy_grenade		Plays footsteps and gunfire sounds to simulate an enemy nearby.
Pulse Grenade	eq_pulse_grenade		Tactical grenade that pulses those caught in its radius.
Self Destruct	gadget_self_destruct		Self-destruct yourself in an explosion. Intended for Reaper.
Shock Charge	proximity_grenade		Throwable stick that electrocutes and stuns enemies once triggered. Can still be loaded.
Smoke Screen	willy_pete		Creates a field of smoke. Can still be loaded.
Sprint Boost	gadget_sprint_boost		Grants the user and near-by allies a speed boost and unlimited sprint for a duration.
Team Sprint	sprint_boost_grenade		Grants unlimited sprint energy to nearby allies for a short time.

Claymore in-game.

Concussion in-game.

Zero's Jammer in-game.

Beta video of the Mini RAPS.

Smoke Screen in-game.

Specialist Weapons

Several Specialist Weapons, sometimes refereed to as Specialist Abilities in pre-alpha, were scrapped during development.

Weapon	Internal	Icon	Description
Combat Rally	gadget_combat_efficiency		One of Seraph's specialist abilities that creates an AOE boost.
TAK-5	gadget_medicalinjectiongun		Earlier version of the TAK-5 shown at the May 17th reveal event. Hand-held single-shot PDA that heals through walls.
Tempest	hero_lightninggun		Earlier iteration using the model from Call of Duty: Black Ops III can still be loaded.

Earlier TAK-5 in-game.

Tempest in-game.

Specialist Ultimates

Example of the original Ultimate UI.

The Specialist system originally included an Ultimate ability on a score/time system. After feedback from playtesters, Treyarch decided to scrap the Ultimates entirely and implement Scorestreaks.

The Ultimate would've been activated by holding down the "swap weapon" button on console, which would be reused for the Scorestreak controls. The original UI can be seen in several pre-release images, with the healing ability being next to the Specialist portrait. In the final game, the Specialist Weapon charges similarly to the Ultimate.

• Slayer Specialists
• Objective Specialists
• Support Specialists

Role	Icon	Description	Equip	Weapon	Ultimate
		Ruin had the Grapple Axe as his default Equipment and Grav Slam as his Specialist Weapon. His Ultimate was the Hellstorm.
		Seraph had the Tac-Deploy as her default Equipment and Combat Rally as her Specialist Weapon. Her Ultimate was the Annihilator.

Role	Icon	Description	Equip	Weapon	Ultimate
		Ajax had the Flashbang as his default Equipment and the Ballistic Shield as his Specialist Weapon. His Ultimate was the Riot Squad.
		Battery had the Cluster Grenade as her default Equipment and the War Machine as her Specialist Weapon. Her Ultimate was the Artillery Barrage.
		Prophet had the Mini R.A.P.S. as his default Equipment and the Tempest as his Specialist Weapon. His Ultimate was the Mini Quadtank.

Role	Icon	Description	Equip	Weapon	Ultimate
		Crash had the Assault Pack as his default Equipment and the TAK-5 as his Specialist Weapon, which gave a speed boost to himself and allies. His Ultimate was Recharge, the current TAK-5.
		Firebreak had the Molotov Cocktail as his default Equipment and the Reactor Core as his Specialist Weapon. His Ultimate was the Purifier.
		Nomad had the Mesh Mine as his default Equipment and the RC-XD as his Specialist Weapon. His Ultimate was the K9-Unit.
		Recon had the Sensor Dart as his default Equipment and the Vision Pulse as his Specialist Weapon. His Ultimate was the Drone Squadron.
		Torque had the Razor Wire as his default Equipment and the Barricade as his Specialist Weapon. His Ultimate was the Mini Turret.

Scrapped Ultimates

A few Ultimates were scrapped during development.

Ultimate	Internal	Icon	Description
Orbital VSAT			Ultimate for Recon. Reveals the directional position of enemies on the mini-map. Replaced by the Drone Squad.
Reaper Shield	sig_reaper_turret		Ultimate for Reaper. Similar to the Scythe from Call of Duty: Black Ops III with an additional transforming shield for protection. Reworked into Ajax's Ballistic Shield.
Poison Bow	sig_bow_poison		Ultimate for Outrider. Fires poison arrows that damage enemies over time.
Quickshot Bow	sig_bow_quickshot		Ultimate for Outrider. Rapid fire bow. Arrows are quickest to nock and fire. Replaced by the Sparrow. Note that the sig_bow_quickshot is used for Outrider's Sparrow in-game, however it's original design is overwritten.
Sensor Bow	sig_bow_sensor		Ultimate for Outrider. Tracking bow. Arrows reveal the mini-map around them. Replaced by the Sparrow.
Swivel Mounted MG	sig_minigun		Ultimate for Reaper. Similar to the Scythe, with the added ability to mount on any waist-high surface for a fire rate boost.

Quickshot Bow in-game.

Swivel Mounted MG in-game.

Perk

The Reveal Perk appeared in the May 17h build. It would've heavily increased the Fog of War reveal radius around the user and their teammates. Reveal was replaced by Team Link.

Icon for Reveal.

Reveal in menu.

Thrust Pack

The Thrust Pack, internally called gear_thrustpack, would've been exclusive Gear for the Specialist Crash in the original Loadout system. The Thrust Pack would've also been accessible to Slayer specialists such as Ruin and Seraph through the Escalation upgrades. Additionally, strings suggest the final implementation of the Thrust Pack before being scrapped was as a standard Gear available to any Specialist.

The base code for the Thrust Pack was reused for the Blackout mode Heavy Metal Heroes, meaning it can be reequipped into Multiplayer through modding, albeit with the updated visual/audio effects and extremely boosted stats for Blackout's traversal.

The icon for Crash's Thrust Pack.

Escalation icon for the Thrust Pack.

Ruin's model with the Thrust Pack.

Scorestreaks

A few Scorestraks were cut, with some being holdovers from the scrapped Ultimates.

Scorestreak	Icon	Description
Power Core		Only sound files remain. All of the Specialists have finalized voice lines mentioning the Power Core.
Riot Squad		Appears in game files and pre-alpha gameplay. Originally the Ultimate for Ajax, the Scorestreak icon for it still exists within the files. Replaced by the Strike Team.
Tank Robot		Also known as the Mini Quadtank. Originally the Ultimate for Prophet, the Scorestreak icon for it still exists within the files. Replaced by the Mantis.
Wraith		Appears in game files and pre-alpha gameplay. Prophet has leftover temp voice-lines mentioning the Wraith.

Firebreak with the Riot Squad equipped.

Recon with the Wraith equipped.

Resistances

Pre-alpha build of Battery and her Radiation resistance.

Resistances were static passives that provided Specialists with one or more built-in Perks, granting them statistical resistances to status effects, such as reduced explosive damage or increased stun resistance. It was replaced by Gear.

The March 2017 build featured six Resistances. Note that Resistances had unique stats per Specialist, allowing for different buffs on the same instance of a Resistance.

Resistance	Icon	Description
Blind		Applies resistances against visual and audial impairments.
Damage		Applies resistances against general damage and explosives.
Paralyze		Applies resistances against paralyzing and stun debuffs.
Radiation		Applies resistances against effects such as poison and burning.
Shell Shock		Applies resistances against handling distortion and flinch.
Slowed		Applies resistances against slowing and movement hindering effects.

Traits

Traits were Specialist-tied passives with neutral, positive or negative perks. Specialists would have several permanent Traits, such as Blackjack having increased reserve ammo and reduced visual flinch. The system was scrapped and replaced by Resistances.

Specialities

"Specialty" is the internal name for passive abilities applied when equipping Perks or using abilities. For example, equipping Lightweight will apply the specialties sprintspeed and fallheight.

Many unused specialities remain in the files that were not present in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, however it's unknown how they would've been implemented. They could've been used for Perks, Specialist Abilities, Gear or upgrades earned through Escalation.

Speciality	Internal	Description
Armor Regen	specialty_armorregen	Passively regenerates the Player's armor.
Armor Pickups	specialty_spawnarmorpickups	Spawns armor pickups that repair the Player's armor, similar to Scavenger.
Double Jump	specialty_doublejump	Enables Thrust Jumping.
Forward Spawn Fast Interact	specialty_forwardspawnfastinteract	Interact with a Forward Spawn faster.
Wall Run	specialty_wallrun	Enables Wall Running.

Sprint Slowdown

Icon for sprinting

In early builds of Multiplayer, a sprinting meter can be seen. Once the meter is depleted, the Player can still run but at a significantly slower speed. The UI assets for this feature can still be found in the game files, with other scrapped mechanics referring to limited sprint stamina.

Mag Dropping

Feature for Multiplayer that was cut in early 2018. When a Player reloaded their weapon and still had ammo left within a magazine, the ammo would be lost instead of going back into the reserves. Despite the feature being cut, the stylised HUD showing mag icons instead of a reserve ammo count remained in Multiplayer.

Spawn System

The original spawn system allowed Players to choose where they wanted to respawn between several locations marked as beacons. These beacons were located at team-owned objectives, and could be selected between alongside Seraph's Tac-Deploy. There were also Forward Spawns that could be constructed at objectives by Support Specialists.

Medal

Cut Medal for eliminating an enemy who is trapped within foam can be found within the files. Meant for the Foam Grenade.

Icon for the Foam Kill medal.

Blackout

Milovan Hotel

The Milovan Hotel teaser billboard in-game.

According to a vista billboard on the map Lockup, the Days of Summer event was going to feature a finished version of the Construction Site, known as Milovan Hotel. The billboard features an in-game render of the updated hotel, with Days of Summer props in their exact locations as the summer-themed event. Despite being teased outside the map, the update didn't feature the finished hotel, only adding the few summer-themed props.

Bosses

The Avogadro and Brutus were developed for Alcatraz but were scrapped. Both can still be loaded into the game through modding, and drop a large amount of loot when killed.

TranZit Bus

According to David Vonderhaar, the Bus from TranZit was planned to return in Blackout as a form of transportation, however it was scrapped for unknown reasons.

Items

Some items in Blackout are still available through modding.

Item	Internal	Icon	Description
Double Jump	perk_item_doublejump		Perk. Allow to do double jump, no fall damage, usage: 2, durability: 240.
Stimulant	perk_item_stimulant		Perk. Increase the maximum health by 100 points.
TAK-5	health_item_squad		Health. Hold for 4 seconds to restore 100 health to yourself and your teammates within 30 meters.

Halloween Blackout Event

Not to be confused with the Halloween Event. The Halloween Blackout Event was a cut event adding 6 Paint Cans. Each Paint Can gave a spray to the player after the game.. Most of these sprays were reused in Call of Duty: Mobile.

Internal	Icon	Spray
hw_event_item_mc
hw_event_item_kk
hw_event_item_wb
hw_event_item_th
hw_event_item_tod
hw_event_item_jk

Zombies

Zombies Map Schedule

The original DLC plan was to release a Zombies map every Operation. The first season of Black Ops Pass content would feature four premium Chaos Zombies storyline maps and two free Aether Zombies maps.

Maps

Pre-Aether Development (2017)

Before the planned inclusion of Aether storyline content, two planned DLC Zombies maps were scrapped. As listed within an early 2017 content schedule for Black Ops 4, the maps Titanic (ZOD), England (DLC1), Morocco (DLC2) and Russia (DLC3) are mentioned as maps within development.

Map	Internal	Description
Morocco	zm_morocco	Scrapped Chaos storyline map. Morocco would've been DLC2 for the Chaos story, releasing after DLC1 "England" (Dead of the Night).
Russia	zm_russia	Scrapped Chaos storyline map. Russia would've been DLC3 for the Chaos story, releasing after Morocco.

Post-Aether Development (2018-2019)

A Chaos storyline map codenamed zm_blue which was meant to release after Tag der Toten. Files also reveal TranZit, Buried and Origins from Call of Duty: Black Ops II were meant to return for the second season of the Aether storyline.

Map	Internal	Map Index	Description	Release
Blue	zm_blue (Console) / p8_zm_blu (Model Source)	47	Scrapped Chaos storyline map. Datamined model strings reference an "Earth Throne Room Waterfall". Blue would've released after Tag der Toten according to playlist files, and narratively followed from Ancient Evil. Originally planned to release as DLC3 in the Black Ops Pass, the map was delayed to the second pass ("Second Season") before being cancelled, according to Jason Blundell.	Black Ops Pass / Black Ops Pass 2
Chaos DLC 4	Unknown	48	Scrapped Chaos Storyline map. Nothing else is known other than it would've released after zm_blue, and taken the spot of DLC4 in the Black Ops Pass.	Black Ops Pass / Black Ops Pass 2
TranZit	p7_zm_tranzit /p8_zm_tranzit (Model Source)		Scrapped Aether storyline map with hundreds of leftover T8 model strings and textures referencing zm_tra. Additionally, several mechanics for the map, including a "Meteorite Buildable", the Bank, Jetgun and fully implemented Zombie AI for the Bus can be found. TranZit would've narratively taken place after Tag der Toten.	Black Ops Pass 2
Buried	p8_zm_bu (Model Source)		Scrapped Aether storyline map with a single leftover T8 model string p8_zm_bu_wood_door_frame. Note the zm_bu prefix, the same used for Buried in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, distinct from the wz_buried prefix used for Ghost Town in Blackout.	Black Ops Pass 2
Great War	p8_zm_ori (Model Source)		Scrapped Aether storyline map based around The Great War that would've ended the Aether Story. Unique textures, strings and sound files of Great War Crusader AIs tagged "DLC4" can be found internally. Unused T8 model strings referencing p8_zm_ori (Origins) can also be found. Note that Tag der Toten is not called "DLC4" internally.	Black Ops Pass 2

Gamemodes

Two modes were known to be scrapped, including Grief from Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Treyarch Custom Mutations.

Gamemode	Internal	Icon	Description
Grief	zgrief		Four-vs-four competitive gamemode where two teams fought to outlast the other. During gameplay, both sides have opportunities to grief each other.
TCM	ztcm		Treyarch's Custom Mutations (TCMs) was a planned series of game modes which would've offered specialized sets of Custom Mutations tailored to specific Zombies maps.

The spawn locations for Grief in Blood of the Dead.

Newtons Cookbook

Menu icon for Newton's Cookbook.

Newton's Cookbook was announced for Zombies, but was quietly scrapped for unknown reasons. It would've allowed for the crafting of Elixirs and Talismans. Internal code and menu placements imply the feature was fully functionable before being cut.

Factions

Factions would've allowed players to earn seasonal rewards such as calling cards and cosmetics by completing Callings exclusive to their preferred faction. The four primary Factions were known as Bloodfaith, Tempus Novi, Dustborn and The First Legion. It was planned to release for Zombies at launch, but was delayed to Q2 of 2019 before being quietly cancelled.

Datamined logos of the four Zombies Factions.

Concept Art for Zombies Factions.

Calling Artifacts

Models for several "Calling Artifacts" can be found internally, connected to the scrapped Factions system. Strings imply being able to discover and possibly inspect several artifacts tied to specific Zombies Factions. There were 13 total collectable Artifacts per Faction.

• Bloodfaith
• Dustborn
• The First Legion
• Tempus Novi

Calling Artifacts for Bloodfaith.

Artifact	Internal
Bird Skull	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_bird_skull
Claw	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_claw
Crow	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_crow
Dagger	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_dagger
Demon	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_demon
Mask	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_mask
Ruins	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_ruins
Skull	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_skull
Stickman	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_stickman
Sun Symbol	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_symbo_sun
Eye Symbol	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_symbol_eye
Tri Symbol	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_symbol_tri
Voodoo	p8_zm_artifact_calling_bloodfaith_voodoo

Calling Artifacts for Dustborn.

Artifact	Internal
Bat	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_bat
Beetle	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_beetle
Drop	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_drop
Fire	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_fire
Fish	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_fish
Hawk	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_hawk
Mushroom	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_mushroom
Ram	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_ram
Ruins	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_ruins
Skull	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_skull
Snake	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_snake
Spider	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_spider
Wind	p8_zm_artifact_calling_dustborn_wind

Calling Artifacts for The First Legion.

Artifact	Internal
Amulet	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_amulet
Coa	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_coa
Drop	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_drop
Eagle	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_eagle
Helmet	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_helmet
Knight	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_knight
Lion	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_lion
Parchment	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_parchment
Pawn	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_pawn
Ring	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_ring
Ruins	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_ruins
Swords	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_swords
Treasure	p8_zm_artifact_calling_legion_treasure

Calling Artifacts for Tempus Novi.

Artifact	Internal
Atom	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_atom
DNA	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_dna
Gears	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_gears
Infinity	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_infinity
Jupiter	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_jupiter
Key	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_key
Paper	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_paper
Planet	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_planet
Ruins	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_ruins
Scale	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_scale
Scroll	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_scroll
Test Tube	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_test_tube
Zodiac	p8_zm_artifact_calling_tempest_zodiac

Alpha Omega Cutscenes

In January 2019, Travis Wong, the mocap artist for Diego and Takeo revealed he was doing mocap work for both characters. Due to the timing, it can be presumed the work was for Ancient Evil and Alpha Omega, however the latter map would feature no in-game or cinematic cutscenes.

Old Dempsey

An asset created by High Moon Studios in early 2019 showcases an older version of Dempsey. It's unknown what the asset would've been used for.

Old Dempey's head model and mesh.

AI

Enemies or other AI that were specifically programmed to move around the world or attack the player. Includes the Steiner, an earlier version of the Megaton, and a Crusader NPC.

Name	Image	Description
Steiner		The Steiner is a scrapped Miniboss. The asset was created by Activision Shanghai, implying it would've debuted in a DLC map. Reworked into the Megaton in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Crusader		The Crusader is a scrapped AI. Datamined textures, strings and sound files from a map codenamed dlc4 references the Crusader. The remaining body texture is identical to the Crusaders from The Great War, and distinct Great War Richtofen's texture set. Note that the Templar Zombies from Origins are internally called "Ancients", and that Richtofen from Blood of the Dead is internally called richtofen2.

Wonder Weapons

Several Wonder Weapons were scrapped.

Name	Internal	Description
Amulet Fist		Scrapped Chaos Story Wonder Weapon. Hand-held Amulet with a melee attack and secondary ability, similar to the Primordial Hands from Ancient Evil. Reworked into the Eye of Apophis melee weapon.
Thrustodyne Aeronautics Model 23		Also known as the Jet Gun. The string zm_devgui_jetgun_never_overheat can be found internally. It would've appeared on the TranZit map.
Wunderwaffe DG-2	ww_tesla_gun_t8 ww_tesla_gun_t8_upgraded	Orginally meant to appear on Tag der Toten, the Wunderwaffe DG-2 can still be loaded along with its upgraded counterpart.

Wunderwaffe DG-2 (With HUD)

Wunderwaffe DG-2 (Without HUD)

Wunderwaffe DG-2 Upgraded (With HUD)

Wunderwaffe DG-2 Upgraded (Without HUD)

Riot Shield

An unused Zombie Shield can still be loaded under riotshield, with the in-hand version of the riot shield using a custom model. Once on the ground, the model of the Assault Shield from Call of Duty: Black Ops II can be seen.

In-hand Riot shield (With HUD)

In-hand Riot shield (Without HUD)

Riot shield (Front)

Riot shield (Back)

Equipment

Several pieces of cut equipment are listed in code relating to Zombies Loadouts, with a few still being loadable.

Name	Internal	Icon	Description
Thermite	incendiary_grenade		Creates a radius of fire on explosion. Replaced by the Molotov, which was also scrapped in favor of the Wraith Fire. Can still be loaded under m202_flash.
Cluster Grenade	sticky_grenade		Explodes into deadly cluster munitions. Can still be loaded, albeit mostly overwritten by the Acid Bomb.
Shock Charge	proximity_grenade		Electrocutes and stuns nearby enemies.
Molotov	incendiary_fire		Creates a radius of blue fire on explosion. Replaced by the Wraith Fire. Can still be loaded under eq_molotv.
Concussion	concussion_grenade		Disorients enemies and slows movement.
Flashbang	flash_grenade		Blinds and deafens targets
EMP	emp_grenade		Disables electronic systems.
Tesla Coil	tesla_coil		Unknown.
Tomahawk	tomahawk_t8		Retrievable throwing hatchet that causes instant death on impact.

Thermite in-game.

Cluster Grenade in-game.

Molotov in-game.

Perks

The perks Juggernog and Speed Cola were scrapped in 2018 due to wanting to balance the game and eliminate crutch perks. Widow's Wine was also cut and replaced by Winter's Wail. The reload speed buff was reintroduced post-launch as a bonus ability for purchasing a Modifier perk.

Perk	Internal	Icon	Description
Juggernog	specialty_armorvest		Increases maximum health by 100. Cut to eliminate crutch perks, according to Jason Blundell.
Speed Cola	specialty_fastreload		Increases reload speed. Cut to eliminate crutch perks, however the speed buff still exists in-game.
Widow's Wine	specialty_widowswine		When hit by a melee attack, create an explosion that will slow enemies nearby. Replaced by Winter's Wail.

Juggernog and Speed Cola in an early 2018 build.

Juggernog and Speed Cola in an early 2018 build.

Elixirs

Three cut Elixirs still have internal remnants.

Name	Icon	Description
Board Games		Fixing one board at a barrier fixes all the boards at that barrier. You only get the points from the first board repaired.
Crawl Space		All nearby zombies become crawlers.
Respin Cycle		Re-spins the weapons in the Mystery Box after it has been activated.

Talismans

Icons for two unused Talismans for both cut equipment can be found.

Name	Internal	Icon	Description
Extra Cluster Grenade	extra_semtex		Icon remains in the files. Despite the Cluster Grenade being cut, the icon is still used for the extra Acid Bomb Talisman.
Extra Molotov	extra_molotov		Icon remains in the files and goes completely unused.

Death Machine

The Death Machine power-up can still be loaded under death_machine, which uses the model of Reaper's Scythe. It was likely cut due to the Overkill Special Weapon filling a similar role.

Death machine (With hud)

Death machine (Without hud)

Narrative Rooms

Almost every map has an inaccessible room hidden within the level that was originally meant to be accessed. The rooms can still be loaded into the level through modding, internally named lore_room and narrative_room. AI bots still have movement logic for entering these locations.

The last map to feature a hidden room is Alpha Omega. The hidden room in Blood of the Dead can be accessed within the Alcatraz map in Blackout.

Voyage of Despair's hidden room.

Table inside of Voyage of Despair's room.

Voyage of Despair's room location.

IX's hidden room.

Another view of IX's hidden room.

IX's room location.

Blood of the Dead's hidden room.

Blood of the Dead's room location.

Blood of the Dead's hidden room in Blackout.

Blood of the Dead's room location in Blackout.

Classified's hidden room.

Classified's room location.

Ancient Evil's hidden room.

Ancient Evil's room location.

Alpha Omega's hidden room.

Alpha Omega's room location.

Customization

Hats

Concept art for Specialist Warpaints reveal they were originally going to include cosmetic additions such as hats and horns.

Concept art of Warpaints.

Camouflage

Camo	Image	Description
Singularity		Appears in pre-release build. An earlier version of Dark Matter Camouflage.

Features

Music Player

The Music Player was going to return from Call of Duty: Black Ops III, as the menu icon and name can be seen in pre-alpha gameplay. It would've been accessible during gameplay or within a lobby.

DLC

Operations

Internal strings references six additional seasons of content, with specific references to Factions. Only six operations were released during the life cycle instead of the planned twelve.

Second Black Ops Pass

Store code and UI placements imply a second Black Ops Pass was to exist alongside the six cancelled operations