Wondering which perks will give you the edge in Black Ops 7? While the Call of Duty developers haven’t completely reinvented the wheel, there are some fresh names and a more adaptable Hybrid Combat Specialty system that you’ll absolutely want to master to dominate your lobbies.
With the Black Ops 7 beta and full release date on the horizon, we’ve compiled a complete breakdown of every perk. We’ll also share our top predictions for the most impactful perks to help you hit the ground running in what’s shaping up to be one of this year’s must-play FPS titles. Let’s dive in!
Our Top Perk Picks for Black Ops 7
Based on our early analysis, we predict the most impactful Black Ops 7 perks at launch will be Flak Jacket, Ninja, Shadow, and Tac Sprinter.
Flak Jacket proved indispensable in Black Ops 6, especially given the sheer volume of explosives in play. It’s a reliable, “set it and forget it” option that guards you against annoying traps and grenades, and we expect it to be just as crucial in BO7. Pair it with Shadow, which renders you undetectable to enemy traps and mines, and you’ll be free to navigate the maps without constantly worrying about where you step.
Given Black Ops 7’s commitment to fast-paced, arcade-style gunfights, it’s no surprise that Ninja and Tac Sprinter will be essential choices. The ability to silently maneuver across the map and maintain high mobility, confusing enemy awareness, offers massive advantages.
A key debate will revolve around the utility of Ghost, particularly with the introduction of the Scout Hybrid Specialty. While Scout isn’t a permanent effect, and its full scope is still being clarified, in intense, high-engagement matches, you’ll ideally maintain its uptime. Ghost will still be a potent pick on larger maps or with loadouts that don’t trigger Scout. However, if Scout delivers on its promises, you might find yourself foregoing Ghost in certain scenarios.
Complete List of Black Ops 7 Perks
Just like in Black Ops 6, perks in Black Ops 7 are organized into three distinct categories: Enforcer (Red), Recon (Blue), and Strategist (Green). Each perk fits into one of three available slots, with only specific perks from each category accessible for each slot.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of every Black Ops 7 perk:
| Perk | Description | Slot |
| Gung Ho (Enforcer) | Can fire while sprinting. Reloading or using equipment improves movement speed. | 1 |
| Dexterity (Enforcer) | Reduces weapon motion and grants full ADS while sliding, diving, and wall jumping. Reduces fall damage. | 1 |
| Lightweight (Enforcer) | Increases movement speed and increases jump, slide, and dive distance. Faster recovery after sliding and diving. | 1 |
| Scavenger (Enforcer) | Can resupply ammo and equipment from dead enemies. | 2 |
| Assassin (Enforcer) | Enemies on a kill streak are marked on the minimap and drop Bounty Packs when killed. Packs provide more score. | 2 |
| Close Shave (Enforcer) | Performing a weapon butt attack automatically uses your dedicated melee attack. | 2 |
| Hunter’s Instinct (Enforcer) | Killing an enemy marks the direction of the next closest target on the minimap. | 2 |
| Tac Sprinter (Enforcer) | Enables tactical sprint at the cost of reduced normal sprint speed. | 3 |
| Bankroll (Enforcer) | Starts each respawn with +150 score towards scorestreaks. | 3 |
| Bruiser (Enforcer) | Melee kills and finishing moves restore health and provide extra score. | 3 |
| Looper (Enforcer) | Scorestreaks can be re-earned in the same life. | 3 |
| Cold-Blooded (Recon) | Become undetectable to AI targeting and thermal optics. Cannot be highlighted by player-controlled scorestreaks. | 1 |
| Ghost (Recon) | Become undetectable to Scout Pulse and UAV when moving, planting, defusing, or controlling scorestreaks. | 1 |
| Ninja (Recon) | Move more quietly. | 1 |
| Vigilance (Recon) | Displays an icon in the HUD whenever you appear on enemy minimaps. Become immune to CUAV, Scrambler, and Vendetta. | 2 |
| Blast Link (Recon) | Marks enemies impacted by your explosive damage on the minimap. Grants this benefit to all allies, and you earn score when they deal explosive damage. | 2 |
| Engineer (Recon) | Can see enemy equipment and scorestreaks through walls, and scorestreaks on the minimap. Aiming at them provides target information. | 2 |
| Vendetta (Recon) | Marks your killer’s last known location for a short duration upon respawn. Killing them grants bonus score. | 3 |
| Tracker (Recon) | Shows rough enemy locations on the minimap, and their footsteps show up in the world. Aim down sights to auto-ping enemies. | 3 |
| Tech Mask (Strategist) | Become resistant to enemy flash, concussion, and gas. Become impervious to being EMP’d or hacked. | 1 |
| Flak Jacket (Strategist) | Reduces incoming explosive and fire damage. | 1 |
| Shadow (Strategist) | Become undetectable to enemy traps and mines. | 1 |
| Fast Hands (Strategist) | Faster reloading and weapon swapping. Extends fuses when throwing grenades back. | 2 |
| Gearhead (Strategist) | Grants two Field Upgrade charges. Booby traps Care Packages. | 2 |
| Quartermaster (Strategist) | Recharges equipment over time. | 3 |
| Charge Link (Strategist) | Faster Field Upgrade charge rate. Grants this benefit to all allies, and you earn score when they use their Field Upgrades. | 3 |
| Guardian (Strategist) | Faster healing while capturing and holding objectives. Faster reviving of downed teammates. | 3 |
Understanding All Black Ops 7 Specialties
Specialties in Black Ops 7 have received a significant overhaul. Beyond the familiar mono-type Specialties, you can now combine perks to activate powerful Hybrid Specialties. These require at least two perks from a single category, complemented by a third perk from a different category. If Perk Greed is active, your Hybrid Specialty will be determined by the perks equipped in your first three slots.
Here’s a complete list of all Black Ops 7 Specialties:
| Specialty | Effect | Activation requirement |
| Enforcer | Buffs movement speed and health regeneration speed for a short time after scoring an elimination. | Three Enforcer perks |
| Recon | Upon respawn, the minimap shows the direction of the closest enemy. The HUD’s edge pulses for enemies beyond your view. You do not leave death skulls. | Three Recon perks |
| Strategist | Increases score for objectives and sabotage. Equipment deploys faster. Can see enemy content through walls for a short distance. | Three Strategist perks |
| Scout | Completely hides you from the enemy minimap for five seconds after scoring a bullet elimination. Additional eliminations during this window reset the timer. | Enforcer and Recon perk mix |
| Tactician | When earning assists, earn bonus score from bullet eliminations for ten seconds. | Enforcer and Strategist perk mix |
| Operative | Stealthy eliminations grant Field Upgrade charge. Suppressed weapons, melee eliminations, eliminations while out of line of sight, etc., all count as stealth eliminations. | Recon and Strategist perk mix |
This covers our predictions for the top Black Ops 7 perks and a full breakdown of what each perk and Specialty offers. Prepare to master your loadouts and dominate the battlefield!