Black Ops 6’s human shield mechanic already sounds toxic

Black Ops 6 introduces a host of new features to multiplayer, including a human shield system that already sounds destined to be used for evil.

Treyarch’s next multiplayer is set to look and feel very different from what’s come before. Not only can players expect the usual new guns and Perks, but they’re also mixing up the formula with brand-new features like omnimovement and a customizable HUD.

One of the biggest additions is a system that lets you sneak behind an enemy and use them as a human shield to soak up damage. This appeared in the Black Ops Cold War campaign but Treyarch have decided to implement it into multiplayer this time around.

At CoD Next, the devs also revealed that while using this feature you will enter proximity chat, allowing you to talk one-on-one with your hostage or captor for as long as the shield is alive.

While this will lead to some hilarious interactions between opposing players in the middle of a match, it’s also not hard to see how it could be used to terrorize a team.

The ability to use an enemy as a meat shield alone could lead to some toxicity. There’s no doubt that high-skilled players will use this feature to humiliate their opponents in a way that’s even more degrading than the usual Finishing Moves.

But with the extra layer that you can also talk trash directly into their headset while you’re doing it, don’t be surprised to occasionally run into teams of players who just want to spam the feature to try and force a rage quit.

In a multiplayer that clearly puts plenty of emphasis on mobility, this seems like a feature that’s guaranteed to be used by sweatier players to punish those who haven’t mastered omnimovement.

Of course, proximity chat will likely be an optional setting that can be disabled in the settings, just like in Warzone. Plus, it’s only really an issue if you use game chat, so console players who talk with their squad in Xbox or PlayStation party chat can avoid any verbal showdowns.

We won’t have to wait long to see the human shield mechanic in action, as the Black Ops 6 beta gets underway on August 30 for anyone with early access.