[though i guess it looks like im complaining, in truth im just getting excited for a new game. i like putting research into a game, debating what can be done, and coming up with different scenarios. its kinda like sex; the physical action may be great (though short-lived) but its the anticipation and mental process that gives it such appeal.]

there are several perks that were proven to be almost worthless in mw1/mw2 that they left in. namely: hardline, flak jacket (blast shield-ish), hardened (deep impact), scout (iron lungs), second chance (last stand), hacker (sitRep), tactical mask (new=unaffected by flash/concussion nades).

of course, each has its positive points, but only if used in a very specific scenario: hardline will never be used as it similarly wasnt in mw2 because there are more useful all-around perks in that tier (ghost, scav, lightweight). i will use it for my LMG class though, should be a good fit. flak jacket is worthless compared to the other useful perks, unless u are a straight up suicide player going for flags/objective only. hardened? an average player may get one or two kills through walls, and since scout is only for hard-snipers, that leaves 3 useful perks that would be much smarter choices all-around. maybe useful for LMG class, but warlord (grip + ??) is usually even more helpful. scout fucking pisses me off... why do they continue to penalize snipers for wanting to take time and aim from long distances? (penalized by having to waste a perk in order to have longer breath...) second chance; i mean, really? i guess its kinda cool that u have the ability to revive another downed last stand player. which might be fun if we had 5 guys in a party using it and reviving each other! hacker(sitRep) is occasionaly useful in obj games or just saving u from a few random Claymores each game. but with L/M u just run right past claymores unscathed, and ninja obviously will be used alot, so this wont be used as much. however, i like the pro version; turning enemy killstreaks friendly(!) and boobytrapping care packages. sounds kinda fun. tac mask? wow, absolutely a joke of a perk, unless u despise moving and dont need marathon/ninja/hacker. this better have an exceptional pro version, like being able to shoot napalm from your dick.

Edit: i take back what i said about hacker. i think this is going to be a premier perk, since the equipment slot will be used often (or should be with all the useful tools). hacker pro version will enable the player to turn some killstreaks (im assuming the sentry gun and SAM) plus equipment (im assuming infrared cam, jammer, sensor) FRIENDLY. hacker will be huge IMO.

but one of my main gripes is that they have basically given the go-ahead for major Lightweigh/Marathon abuse (sry for complaining Ban..but i can see this coming from a mile away). not only can they choose their Light/Mara combo, they can also choose any 2nd tier perk to make themsevles even more deadly with steady aim, sleight of hand, or warlord(bling)... i think this is kinda disgusting to be rewarding those L/M noobs. although its an effective and fun strategy, i just wish things werent so focused on hyper LSD run-n-gun. COD4 was fine the way they didnt give bonuses to up-close fighters. u could still do very well with just a regular 'ol MP5 or P90(though i hated this gun). i feel that they are just encouraging players to use and abuse this combo even more so than in mw2. only saving grace is that they removed commando. (but who knows? kniving may still be extremely popular when used with this combo..) and wheres my stopping power!!??

since they have made alot of useless perks (or only for specific objectives in mind) not suited for all-around play, u can already guess some of the typical sets that will be seen over and over:

noobtoober: scav/war/2nd
stealth: ghost/SA or SOH or war/ninja
kamikaze: flak/--/hack or mask
runner: light/SA or SOH/marathon

also, they only added ONE new perk (tac.mask) which has got to be one of the most boring and uncreative perks around. resistance to flash/concussion grenades only?? wow. i know adding new, funky, abusable perks that mess up the game (OMA, super-lock-on-teleport Commando, etc.) is risky, but i just wish they would have put more thought into it than this. a monkey could come up with something more useful to add more depth to the game. absolutely no innovation went into the develpment of perks this time around. sad.

add some combos that u think would be useful or u wanna try out.

Kuzu stealth-attacker: ghost/SOH/ninja (+ silenced AR or SMG)
Kuzu quasi-camper: scav/SOH/hack (<-- main class; +silenced/loud AR)
Kuzu runningman: light/SOH/mara (+ SMG, knife, or shotty)
Kuzu macho man: hardline/hardened or war/hacker (+ LMG)

Also, don't think complaining is bad, in principle lol!

@Al what, ur baked? no way. yah i wish they had scav and ghost separate too... then i could camp and still be invisible. bleh!

example: i mainly use the scar. 40 bullet clip isnt gonna get me far. 120 however with extended mags.....

Mara/LW 'scrubs' weren't the problem in MW2. Commando paired with those two is what most people bitched about. Rarely did I see someone with Mara/LW and a different 3rd perk. Mara/SP/Ninja was what most people ran. Either that or SoH/SP/Ninja, IMO.

I can see much more balance in the allotted placements of perks this time around.

You can't SoH+FMJ, Scav+Ghost & Ninja+Mara. Those would have been great combinations & abused, IMO.

Also, you are aware that Mara no longer grants infinite sprint, right? It's supposedly just an elongated one. That's good news too.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with what they are doing.

As I said before, the most common & abused load-out was Mara/SoH/Scav, SP & Ninja. Those perks were so strong that it left no variety. The assholes stabbing people used Mara, LW, Ninja/Commando. I got those fuckers in games too & they were damn annoying, but I hardly ever saw SHOOTERS using Mara, LW. I guess this where I needed to clarify my previous statement.

Still, no Commando will do the game good. I have also yet to see the extended distance knife stab from MW2 in any videos from BLOPS. I've only seen the swipe. Anyone seen other animations? I think this will also help with that MW2 problem.

If the deal is beef with stabbing, I'm of the opinion that melee should ALWAYS be two fresh hits to kill unless in the back. They should really look into doing something like that. How fresh would it be to see your dude straight up sock your opponent if their life bar was more than half full & stab their asses if it was 50% or less?! I'd get hella pumped seeing that shit. LOL.

edit: Fuuuuuuuck. I just watched the new 'Jungle' map vid. Guess what was right in the beginning of it? The goddamn lunge stab. Gay.

I didn't mean these kits. I just meant the Mara/LW abuse. These all seem sound. I don't know if I'll use Hack, though.

Scav/SoH/Ninja might be beastly. Get them bullets, nades & stuns while I run killing people.
LW/Steady/Ninja might also be sick. Why ADS in CQB, especially if Ninja lets you get the jump on people?

Hardline+RC Car might get a bit annoying. 2 kills then VROOM VROOM! LOLZ @ having a team of people that all rock this.

i completely agree with u on the melee dmg thing. 2 to kill. unless back of the head? hehe

i think they have really tried to lessen the impact killstreaks have on the game. meaning, they dont overpower them or make them automatic kills. of the few vids ive seen for the RC car, they actually seem quite hard to control. the only time it kills is when a dude is sitting out in the open, in the middle of the street. if someone goes up a level, very hard to get killed or find them.

btw guys: some more pro versions have been updated in OP.

Thx for putting all of this info. up, Kuzu.

Not at all, it would be like RFoM. The player would be forced to actually aim their gun for at least half an opponent's life bar. This would make it such that "panic" stabs would lessen significantly. I'm always down for nerfing get-out-of-jail-free shit in FPS"s (like the R2 Hedgehog).

Lightweight

Ability to move faster. If Lightweight is selected as the Tier 1 perk, the player's character model will appear to be somewhat 'lighter', not unlike to the appearance of the Militia in Modern Warfare 2. Just like Modern Warfare 2, after sprinting, the user's weapon will re-adjust to firing position quicker for pro version. The pro version of Lightweight is unlocked by completing three challenges.
* Escape Death: Escape death 5 times after being shot.
* Melee: Unknown. Presumably for getting melee kills with Lightweight.
* Offense Medal: Unknown
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Scavenger

Scavenger returns in Black Ops as a tier one perk. It only replenishes ammunition and lethal grenades. It will not replenish launchers, equipment, or tactical grenades. The pro version will be the same as in Modern Warfare 2, the player will start out with extra magazines. Using Scavenger gives the player's model multiple ammo bags attached to his body.
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Ghost

Ghost is a Tier 1 Perk in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It has the same effect as UAV Jammer and Camouflage from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: World at War, respectively, but with the addition of making the user undetectable by the SR-71 Blackbird. Unlike Cold-Blooded, it does not make the user invisible to the Infrared Scope or any other killstreak rewards. The Pro version is the same as Cold-Blooded Pro. Ghost gives the user a ghillie suit on certain maps.
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Flak Jacket

Flak Jacket will reduce explosive damage received by the player in a very similar way to World at War. The explosive damage is not only reduced but capped at 75% of the player's maximum total health allowing the player to survive almost all explosive attacks. The pro version of this perk will give the player the Toss Back and Fireproof perk abilities from World at War. Players using the Flak Jacket perk will wear significant amounts of armor.
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Hardline

Hardline is set to return in Call of Duty: Black Ops, this time as a Tier 1 perk. Like the Modern Warfare 2 version, Hardline will decrease the number of kills needed for a killstreak by one. The Pro version of this perk allows you to get a second chance on the result of care packages.When this perk is chosen, a belt, appearing similar to a sash, is added to the player's character model.

Hardened

Hardened is a Tier 2 perk going to be featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It is the Black Ops version of Deep Impact. It will increase surface penetration. Its pro version increases bullet damage to killstreaks and causes the player to recoil less when shot. (when shooting?)
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Scout

Scout is a Tier two perk that will appear in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Like Iron Lungs from Call of Duty 4 and World at War and Steady Aim Pro from Modern Warfare 2 it increases the amount of time that a player can hold their breath when steadying a scope. The pro version of this perk allows the player to have less scope sway with a sniper rifle.
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Steady Aim

Steady Aim is set to return in Black Ops as a Tier 2 perk and will increase hip-fire accuracy.
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Sleight of Hand

The perk returns in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It is similar to its Modern Warfare 2 version, and the only currently known differences is that Sleight of Hand appears in the Tier 2 section of perks, and has a different emblem. The pro version allows aiming down the sight faster, but it will not work with sniper rifles
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Warlord

Warlord is a Tier 2 Perk due to be featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It is the Black Ops equivalent of Bling.