Basic tips and tricks for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 League Play

League Play is finally available in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on PlayStation 4—and players can’t wait to grind the ranked playlist.

The highly-anticipated competitive mode and the esports-centric World League Hub were officially added to Black Ops 4 at 12pm CT on Feb. 21. But new players or those who aren’t familiar with competitive Call of Duty might have some questions about this playlist.

League Play is the ranked mode in Black Ops 4 that uses the Call of Duty World League ruleset. Players will compete in three game modes: Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, and Control. After playing placement games, you’ll be ranked—and your rank will increase or decrease depending on whether you win or lose League Play games.

Whether you’re new to League Play or a seasoned Call of Duty veteran, here are some basic tips and tricks for the ranked playlist in Black Ops 4.

Communication is key

In all Call of Duty games, it’s extremely important to relay information to your teammates. But in League Play, communication is even more crucial.

If you have a mic, plug it in and use it. If you don’t have a mic, League Play might not be the best mode for you to play. Not only will it likely be difficult for you to hear enemy footsteps, but it’ll also put your teammates at a disadvantage if they’re expecting someone who can call out with them.

League Play doesn’t have an intricate ping system like Apex Legends—so having a working headset to hear enemies and speak to your teammates is very important for this ranked playlist.

Squad up whenever posbile

One way to ensure that you have effective communication for League Play is to squad up with your friends. It’s much easier to play this mode with people you know rather than random teammates.

We recommend getting a full five-man squad together whenever possible for League Play. Depending on the skill level of you and your friends, this should give you a much better chance at winning.

Even if your friends can get on your nerves a little bit, it’s always better to team up with them instead of “SniperBobJoe46” who doesn’t even have a mic.

Use the best guns in the game

It’s also important to make sure that you’re using the best guns in the game when playing League Play. Playing with a random teammate who doesn’t talk is frustrating, but it’s even worse when that person is running around with a bad gun or using strange attachments.

In the current meta, the best guns to use in Black Ops 4 League Play are the Saug 9mm, ICR-7, and Maddox RFB (despite recent balance changes). The best attachments include Stock, Grip, and Quickdraw. These are the weapons and attachments that are used by the pros, so that should be enough of a reason for you to use them, too.

Don’t be the player who runs around with a semi-automatic sniper in respawn game modes—stick to the best guns and traditional attachments for the most success.

Please don’t leave the game

Although teammates who don’t talk or use bad guns are annoying, nothing is worse than someone who leaves in the middle of a game. If someone on your team rage quits or backs out of a match, it puts your team at an instant disadvantage.

It’s hard enough to win a League Play game when it’s five-vs-five—but it’s almost impossible to do so if you’re playing four-vs-five. If you’re going to play League Play, commit to the game and don’t back out. If the shoe were on the other foot, you know that you wouldn’t want someone on your team to leave mid-game.