- "Dive into the stories of Specialists in the Specialist Headquarters. Through Combat Immersion, learn to master the gameplay of each Specialist before diving into a Multiplayer match."
- — Description
The Specialist HQ, also known as Specialist Headquarters is a training mode introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, functioning as a training ground for the Specialists featured in the Multiplayer mode as well as serving as the main narrative for the game (replacing the traditional campaign seen in previous Call of Duty titles).
Overview[]
Specialist HQ features 10 playable tutorial missions for each of the specialists. Once the initial tutorial is completed, the player will complete in a Skirmish against bots on a Multiplayer map. The Skirmish can be replayed on three difficulties (Recruit, Regular, and Veteran) to earn extra story intel. Completing a tutorial mission will reward the player with a cinematic, however these can be viewed within the dossier without unlocking them directly. Below are all of the maps and modes associated with each Specialist:
Plot[]
In the year 2043, during a covert mission involving a mercenary group, US Army Specialist Jessica Mason-Green is presumably killed. Her two squad mates, Donnie "Ruin" Walsh and Erin "Battery" Baker escape with critical injuries. Two years later, Savannah Mason-Meyer, a trillionaire researcher and Jessica's sister, recruits ten of the world's most elite soldiers, including Ruin and Battery, for a top-secret project against an unknown threat. Savannah uses a Combat Immersion program to train the Specialists in a virtual simulation, with Sergeant Frank Woods acting as their instructor.
While taking a break from training, Ruin discusses with Battery about their survival two years prior, and that he received a warning message from a mysterious individual. At some point, the individual contacts Ruin at his home, tipping him off to an ambush by mercenaries. Ruin survives the ordeal, and arrives at a warehouse where he confronts the individual, revealed to be Jessica who remained alive and went undercover. It is implied that Savannah intends to eliminate all the Specialists she hired, and that she was somehow responsible for the botched mission in 2043.
Intel files unlocked from completing Specialist tutorial missions reveal additional stories. Savannah is revealed to be running Project Blackout, an experiment that is implied to be about resurrection of the dead through unknown means. The project was successful in reviving four subjects, referred to as "archetypes": Viktor Reznov, Alex Mason, Frank Woods and Raul Menendez; the latter is tasked with overseeing the project alongside Savannah. Jessica, who disapproves of Savannah's actions, was revealed to have been actually shot by Savannah during a heated argument between the two sisters. Battery is revealed to have been seeing flashes of numbers, an effect of the brainwashing technique that Alex Mason previously experienced during the Cold War, further hinting that the event of the mission in 2043 may not have been real. Woods, who is involved in a relationship with Savannah, is tasked with brainwashing Mason, using the same technique from before, for an unknown purpose.
Gallery[]
Concept Art[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
Specialist HQ level icon.
- Specialist HQ features a levelling system that caps at 30, alongside a single level icon. It's impossible to view your level progression, and the system itself doesn't serve a purpose besides being a cosmetic feature.
- The intro cinematic to Specialist HQ originally had a combat segment set within a Shanty Town, however it was cut entirely.
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