Black Ops 7 makes huge changes to Perks, Aim Assist, and more before launch

For the first time in several years, a Call of Duty is making several high-profile changes prior to its launch. Earlier today, Treyarch released another installment of its "Dev Talk" series, which features developers fielding questions from the community and answering them in a thoughtful and explanatory way. The most recent Dev Talk focuses on Black Ops 7 multiplayer, and developer Matt Scronce explained some major changes that are coming to the game for launch. At the forefront of those changes are adjustments to aim assist and perks in Black Ops 7.

The Dev Talk on Oct. 21 went over a slew of changes that are planned for the launch of Black Ops 7. Speaking of which, the new video seemingly confirmed that Activision is not changing the release date of Nov. 14.

You can watch the four-minute Dev Talk below to get the full scope of the changes coming to Black Ops 7, but we'll also break everything down underneath the video.

Perhaps the biggest talking point in the community during the Black Ops 7 beta, aside from SBMM and its changes, was how strong controller aim assist felt compared to the keyboard and mouse input. Popular streamers all commented on how they felt they had no chance on KB+M when going up against controller players, especially at close ranges.

Matt Scronce said Treyarch dug into the data after the beta and discovered that controller players did, in fact, have an advantage over KB+M in close range. However, the dev also stated that Treyarch found KB+M players actually won more long range fights against controller players in the beta. With all of this new data available, Scronce explained that Treyarch will be making rotational aim assist changes for the launch of Black Ops 7.

We didn't get any specifics about the aim assist changes, but it sounds like aim assist is getting nerfed at close range, at least. We'll learn more about the adjustments closer to launch on Nov. 14.

The next massive change coming to Black Ops 7 at launch deals with the entire perk system. Treyarch is adjusting where certain perks are slotted and has even combined some perks, which results in a few perks being removed from the game altogether and absorbed by other perks.

Here are all the perk changes planned for the launch:

Slot changes

New combinations

In addition to all of these changes, Treyarch is taking one of the biggest pieces of community feedback from the beta and making elements of the Dexterity perk default in Black Ops 7. Specifically, you can now aim down sights (ADS) while sliding, jumping, and diving in Black Ops 7 without needing Dexterity. The Dexterity perk is still in the game and makes this process faster and more fluid, but it's not an absolute crutch perk for multiplayer anymore.

In response to community feedback during the beta, Treyarch is making the default footstep volume in Black Ops 7 slightly louder. The footstep volume in the beta was simply too low, and it made the Ninja perk essentially useless. However, now with louder footsteps, you can use Ninja effectively and be rewarded for stealthy play.

Matt Scronce stated that the developers are very happy with where the current footstep volume is at, but they'll likely continue to take feedback after launch.

The final changes Treyarch announced for Black Ops 7 multiplayer are adjustments to movement.

First, sliding in Black Ops 7 is now slower and has a shorter distance. Matt Scronce stressed that sliding still feels fluid, but Treyarch wants sliding to be more balanced in relation to other movement mechanics. For reference, the new slide should be significantly toned down compared to the way it is in Black Ops 6.

The other movement change is faster mantling speeds in multiplayer. The team at Treyarch is going through every mantle across all maps and making them all faster and more fluid by default.

And that sums up all of the changes coming to Black Ops 7 at launch on Nov. 14. Treyarch and Activision are proving community feedback is being taken to heart this year, so make sure to continue giving critical feedback after the game launches.

If you're interested in more Call of Duty news, make sure to check out our piece on when Season 1 is coming to Black Ops 7 and Warzone.