Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s new battle royale game mode, Blackout, allows players to suit up as different characters from throughout the Black Ops series. There are 28 characters available to unlock in Blackout, and unlocking each one requires players to complete specific tasks called Character Missions. In this guide, we’ll go over what you need to do to unlock characters like Woods, Reznov, Richtofen and others in Black Ops 4: Blackout.
How to Unlock Characters in Blackout
While some Blackout character skins can be unlocked by earning Eschelon levels, many of the characters in Blackout are unlocked through Character Missions, which involve collecting special items and completing specific tasks during a Blackout match. Some Character Missions also require you to achieve a certain match placement with the appropriate mission items in your inventory.
Character Mission items in Blackout are typically found within Supply Drops. Character Mission items may also be occasionally looted from fallen players or found somewhere on the Blackout map as well. These items are usually an object related to the character based on their role in the Black Ops games.
The Character Mission items will list a series of objectives that players must complete during the match in which they obtained the Character Mission. If you don’t complete the list of activities during the same match, then you’ll need to find the Character Mission item again and redo the objectives.
You must also keep the Character Mission items in your inventory throughout the entire match while completing its objectives, so make sure not to drop any mission-related objects from your inventory.
So, the steps for unlocking a character in Black Ops 4: Blackout are as follows:
- Step 1: Find a Character Mission item in Blackout
- Step 2: Complete the Character Mission objectives while keeping mission items in your inventory.
- Step 3: Finish the match with the necessary items and placement.
Below, we’ve listed the requirements and objectives for unlocking each character in Blackout, based on what the community has discovered so far on the Black Ops 4 subreddit.
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Blackout Character Missions
| Character | Character Item | Character Mission Objectives |
| Reznov | TBA | |
| Mason | TBA | |
| Woods | Collect the Bandana | Get in a helicopter during the match. |
| Menedez | Collect the Locket | Kill an enemy with melee. |
| Ranger | N/A | Reach Echelon 20 |
| Frogman | N/A | Reach Echelon 40 |
| Airborne | N/A | Reach Echelon 60 |
| Seal | N/A | Reach Echelon 80 |
| Battle Hardened | N/A | Reach Echelon 80 (Prestige) |
Zombies Character Missions
| Character | Character Item | Character Mission Objectives |
| Shadow Man | Blackout Pass | Own Blackout Pass |
| Dempsey | Collect Death Machine | Kill zombies. Finish in Top 10. |
| Nikolai | Collect Cymbal Monkey | Kill zombies. Finish in Top 10. |
| Richtofen | Find the Ray Gun. | Kill zombies. Finish in Top 5. |
| Takeo | Find the Katana. | Kill zombies. Finish in Top 10. |
| Bruno | TBA | |
| Diego | TBA | |
| Scarlett | Find Racing Goggles Find Scarf | TBA |
| Shaw | TBA | |
| Samantha | TBA | |
| Maxis | TBA | |
| Samuel Stuhlinger | TBA | |
| Marlton Johnson | TBA | |
| Misty | TBA | |
| Russman | TBA |
Multiplayer Character Missions
| Character | Character Item | Character Mission Objectives |
| Battery | Find the War Machine | Get kills with the War Machine. Finish in Top 15. |
| Firebreak | Find the Burned Doll | Get a kill with fire. |
| Nomad | TBA | |
| Prophet | TBA | |
| Ruin | Grapple Gun | Craft the Grapple Gun. |
| Seraph | Find the Annihilator | Get kills with the Annihilator. |
| Ajax | Broken Armor Plates | Collect 3 Broken Armor Plates from enemies. |
| Crash | Find the Poker Chip | Finish the match with 15 healing items. |
| Recon | Find the I Ching Coins | Avoid damage from the Collapse. |
| Torque | Find the Note from Torque | Deploy 2 Razor Wires. Deploy 1 Barricade. Finish in Top 7. |
We will continue to update these charts as new information is discovered, so be sure to check back here for updates. For more Blackout tips and tutorials, check out our Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 guide coverage.
