Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – five things we learned from the beta test

From wall runs to underwater shoot-outs, developer Treyarch has sought to up-end the game's multiplayer experience. Here's what a pro player makes of the changes

Treyarch, the LA-based studio behind the Call of Duty: Black Ops series, first revealed its plans for the third game in the series back in April. At the time, the setup looked like an intriguing extension of the tech-focused Advanced Warfare, with its exoskeletons, directed energy weapons and jet pack manoeuvres. However, Treyarch was promising an even more fluid experience, complete with wall running, underwater fights, and the ability to string together moves into Tony Hawk-like environmental combos.

The studio also introduced the idea of Specialist classes, a selection of nine super-powered combat archetypes offering online players access to a range of devastating attacks as well as interesting defensive options. These effects can be earned during a match and then triggered at key moments - just like the eponymous mech suits in Titanfall.