Detailed Breakdown of Specialist Ability Earn Rates
Each specialist ability in Black Ops 4 takes a specified amount of time to unlock, but these values are not explicitly identified in-game.
As such, let’s take look at the earn rates for each specialist ability in the game. All values below assume the player has gotten 0 score and only built up the ability through time alone. This will give us a standard value for each weapon for comparison’s sake.
All values listed here at up-to-date as of Patch v1.11 – January 22, 2019.
| Ability | w/ Equip Charge | Equipment | w/ Equip Charge | |
| Ajax | 10 minutes, 5 seconds | 6 minutes, 39 seconds | 1 minute | 40 seconds |
| Battery | 8 minutes, 25 seconds | 5 minutes, 33 seconds | 1 minute | 40 seconds |
| Crash | 9 minutes, 30 seconds | 6 minutes, 16 seconds | 1 minute, 40 seconds | 66 seconds |
| Firebreak | 10 minutes, 58 seconds | 7 minutes, 14 seconds | 1 minute, 50 seconds | 73 seconds |
| Nomad | 10 minutes, 57 seconds | 7 minutes, 14 seconds | 1 minute, 10 seconds | 46 seconds |
| Prophet | 8 minutes, 25 seconds | 5 minutes, 33 seconds | 1 minute, 35 seconds | 63 seconds |
| Recon | 12 minutes, 38 seconds | 8 minutes, 20 seconds | 1 minute, 35 seconds | 63 seconds |
| Ruin | 8 minutes, 25 seconds | 5 minutes, 33 seconds | 15 seconds | 10 seconds |
| Seraph | 8 minutes, 25 seconds | 5 minutes, 33 seconds | 1 minute, 35 seconds | 63 seconds |
| Torque | 5 minutes, 2 seconds | 3 minutes, 19 seconds | 1 minute | 40 seconds |
| Zero | 10 minutes, 5 seconds | 6 minutes, 39 seconds | 1 minute, 8 seconds | 45 seconds |
Important to note are the rules by which these items abide.
All abilities are additionally affected by score earned by the player. Equipment is unaffected by score and can only be modified through the Equipment Charge gear.
The Equipment Charge reduces equipment cooldowns by 33% and reduces ability cooldowns by the same 33%. For example, Battery’s Cluster Grenade is reduced to 40 seconds and Torque’s Barricade is reduced to 3 minutes, 19 seconds.
As far as score’s effect on the cooldown times, each 100 points will net you around 30 seconds of time off of your ability cooldown. Keep in mind that some game-modes grant more or less points per EKIA. Armored targets also grant an additional +25 points per EKIA.
With this detailed information, you can better plan the usage of your abilities and equipment. Keep the timings in mind and you’ll get a better feel for that perfect moment to pull out your Specialist’s killer move.
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