Black Ops 3 PS4 beta gets higher level cap, new map and more

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 developer Treyarch is currently running a multiplayer beta of the shooter on PlayStation 4, and the studio expanded the beta today with some new ways to play it, the company said on its blog.

The beta began on the night of Aug. 18 with a level cap of 28; Treyarch raised it to 34 today, unlocking new weapons, equipment, perks and scorestreaks. "Gating progression like this has helped glean invaluable information about how people progress through the game and how we should fine-tune our balancing," said Treyarch.

Players who make it to level 34 will be able to try a new specialist, the Experimental War Robot (EWR) known as Reaper. The only remaining prototype from the EWR project, Reaper is equipped with a robotic arm that can turn into a minigun, and can infiltrate enemy DNI systems to drop three decoy clones.

Today's update also brings in a new map, Stronghold, which is set in an asymmetrical high-tech chateau in the Swiss Alps. You can see Stronghold, the beta's fourth map, in the screenshot above. In addition, Treyarch added a new game mode, Uplink, in which two teams fight for control of a satellite.

Black Ops 3's multiplayer beta will run through Aug. 23 on PS4, and will be available Aug. 26 on Windows PC and Xbox One. We asked Activision if these features will be available when the beta launches on the other two platforms, and a representative said that the beta content rollout for PC and Xbox One is yet to be determined.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will be available Nov. 6 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and it is also in development on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. For more on the game's multiplayer component, check out our beta preview below and our hands-on impressions from E3.