Since the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, the flashbangs 9-Bangs have caused a lot of frustration and anger – especially in connection with the specialist Ajax. Even after their partial nerf, they still drive many fans insane.
The flashbangs are called 9-Bangs in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. They are used to blind, stun, and incapacitate opponents simultaneously in the traditional multiplayer and in the battle royale mode Blackout. However, according to fans, the developers may have gone a bit overboard with their implementation.
The 9-Bangs – Nerfed in Blackout but still too powerful
This is the problem with the 9-Bangs in Black Ops 4: In Blackout, as well as in traditional multiplayer, the 9-Bangs flashbang is extremely powerful. It can be charged in multiple stages, thereby increasing its effect even further.
The grenade takes away the visibility of its target and disorients it. Additionally, during the effect, one cannot lie down or crouch, and normal movements are very restricted. Healing is also not possible during this time.
If you get caught, you have no choice but to helplessly wait until the effect wears off. It feels like 9 out of 10 times you die during this. Because the character stands there as if on display. The tactical mask helps a bit, but provides no guarantee of survival.
The Deadliest Part of a 9-Bang is the 9th Bang! (Face Palm Moment) from r/Blackops4
Many players are annoyed – Reddit is full of posts demanding a nerf or even the complete removal of this grenade from the game. Especially in Blackout, where you only have one life, the flashbang is disproportionately strong.
This is how the developers are responding: Treyarch has heard the calls from the community. They have weakened the flashbangs in an update, but only in the Blackout mode. The following changes have been made to the 9-Bangs:
- The flashbang can no longer be stacked in an inventory slot. One grenade now takes up one inventory slot.
- The charging time has been increased.
- After throwing, the 9-Bangs now detonates a bit later.
In traditional multiplayer, the 9-Bangs are a specialist ability of Ajax and are firmly tied to this character. Their effectiveness has not been changed there.
This is how the fans are reacting: The fans are still annoyed by the flashbang in Black Ops 4. The nerf of the 9-Bangs in Blackout mode hasn’t really changed anything. Because basically nothing has changed about the effectiveness of this grenade.
Many fans would prefer to see the intensity of the stun effect or its duration reduced. In its current state, even one grenade from it is still too much.
In traditional multiplayer, Ajax’s specialist ability continues to cause a lot of frustration. Paired with the “impenetrable ballistic shield,” it is particularly strong. Little chance against it unless you are in a well-coordinated team. And even then, one usually has to sacrifice themselves.
This specialist combo is considered by many fans to be one of the most annoying things in the entire game. The best strategy to counter this combination has already been found and presented in a post with over 14,000 upvotes: Just leave the match.
How to properly counter a 9-bang like a pro from r/Blackops4
Even though Treyarch is continuously working on Black Ops 4 and has recently, for example, restored the servers to full performance – they will need to quickly and intensively improve in the future if they truly want to appease the fans.
What do you think of the current state of the 9-Bangs? What experiences have you had with it so far?
