Read full details on the six Combat Rigs that players will be able to use in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, including what Payloads and Traits are available for each.

If there is one bullet point to put next to Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer to differentiate itself from all other CODs it would be Combat Rigs. Variations on the Specialist concept in Black Ops 3, Combat Rigs are essentially hero characters that lack personalities or any overly distinct styles. These Rigs are more about the play styles they support, rather than offering anything special in the looks department. That isn’t to say the Combat Rigs don’t have some cool designs, but these are a far cry from the very personality driven heroes of a game like Overwatch.

At launch Infinite Warfare will have 6 Combat Rigs available to the player, each supporting a different play style. All six of these Combat Rigs can be swapped on the fly, but our hands-on time did not allow for any customization within the Rigs mid-match. We simply could switch out to any of the 6, but couldn’t change any of the two major options during a match. Only in Create a Class did the full options become available.

Payloads and Traits for Combat Rigs

Those options would be the Payload and the Trait, which come in three different flavors per category. Payloads are a different name for the Rig’s Super ability and are activated by hitting both shoulder buttons once a meter is full. Some Payloads are more active and geared towards damage, while others are for the defensive-minded player. For our Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare demo at Call of Duty XP there were only two Payloads to choose from for each Combat Rig, but there was usually a solid mix between some form of Super weapon that was good for dealing out massive damage or taking out large groups of enemies and an actual ability that made the player more formidable in combat.

Traits, on the other hand, are mostly passive, giving the player a slight boost like faster movement after a kill, or the option to resupply tactical equipment by picking up scavenger bags. These were the most fun to play around in our demo session, because it was never clear which ones would be the most useful. For Payloads it was easy to find clear favorites, but Traits have a little more nuance on offer.

As Infinity Ward’s multiplayer designer Joe Cecot explained it, the Combat Rigs are meant to give more options than ever to the player. The player and the play space are key for this year’s game, according to Cecot, and the Combat Rigs certainly help establish the player customization side.

Infinite Warfare's 6 Combat Rigs

So, without further ado, here are the 6 Combat Rigs available in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare:

1. Warfighter

Warfighter is Infinite Warfare’s mobile mid-range Combat Rig. He’s billed as the most accessible rig and offers options that favor offensive, defensive, and objective-focused play.

Payloads:

  • Claw – Rapid fire spread-shot weapon with ricochet ballistic rounds, designed to take out the enemy in front of you and around blind corners.
  • Combat Focus – Gain double streak points for a limited time.
  • Overdrive – Grants a temporary speed surge.

Traits:

  • Ping - Kills and assists will send out sonar from that enemy's death location, highlighting any additional nearby hostiles.
  • Persistence - Scorestreaks don't reset after death, but they cost more to attain. However, you can only earn one of each scorestreak per match.
  • Resupply - Lethal and tactical equipment can be resupplied via scavenger bags.

2. Merc

Merc is Infinite Warfare's defensive-minded Combat Rig and is built for the player that wants to deliver maximum damage with high amounts of armor.

Payloads:

  • Steel Dragon - A heavy beam weapon that can track multiple targets.
  • Bull Charge - The player pulls out a riot shield and charges at opponents, killing any in the way.
  • Reactive Armor - Protects the player from small arms fire for a limited time.

Traits:

  • Man-At-Arms - The player can carry maximum ammo and heavier weapons without any penalty to movement.
  • Infusion - The player regenerates health faster after taking damage.
  • Shockwave - Pressing a button while midair unleashing a slam on the ground.

3. FTL

FTL players favor running and gunning and love to get into combat as quickly as possible. They also want to zip away whenever things get a little too hairy.

Payloads:

  • Eraser - An energy handgun that turns enemies into dust.
  • FTL Jump - The player basically teleports a short distance in the direction they are moving.
  • Phase Shift - FTL enters another dimension where it cannot take damage, unless another player is in the same dimension.

Traits:

  • Power slide - The player can slide further, faster, and can aim down sights while sliding.
  • Supercharge - Enemies drop packs that boost friendly teammates Payload charge meters.
  • Perception - The HUD will notify the player when an enemy is looking in their direction.

Head to Page 2 for details on three more Combat Rigs in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare!

4. Stryker

Stryker is the support-focused Combat Rig in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare that, in conjunction with other Rigs, can help significantly weaken the enemy team.

Payloads:

  • Gravity Vortex Gun - Launches a gravity distorting projectile that pulls in enemies and then damages them.
  • Micro Turret - Stryker puts a turret down that tracks enemies.
  • Centurion - An augmentation that will destroy enemy projectiles and acts as a portable EMP.

Traits:

  • Trophy drone - Like the Trophy System from past Call of Duty games, the Trophy Drone can destroy incoming ordinance, but needs time to recharge between cancellations.
  • Relay - Placed equipment acts as radar, letting the player know when enemies are near it.
  • Hardened - Equipment and drones have extra health and don't despawn after the player's death.

5. Phantom

The Phantom is the sniper or stealth Combat Rig in the game. These players want to stay out of the action, and avoid detection by enemy players.

Payloads:

  • Ballista EM3 - A high powered projectile launcher that can pierce enemies and pin multiple to walls.
  • Pulsar - Advanced radar that tracks enemies on the player's HUD.
  • Active Camo - The player turns almost completely invisible.

Traits:

  • Marked Target - Doing damage to an enemy prevents them from regenerating health for 5 seconds.
  • Heightened Senses - Audio awareness increases while zooming in with a sniper rifle.
  • Rearguard - A back shield that will mitigate some damage to the player from behind.

6. Synaptic

The Synaptic Combat Rig is for the player that loves extreme close quarters combat and tends to favor those types of weapons.

Payloads:

  • Equalizer - Dual wield two suppressed machine guns.
  • Reaper - Synaptic gets down on all fours with increased movement and a one-hit melee strike.
  • Rewind - The player can "rewind" back to a previous position with their health and ammunition in-tact.

Traits:

  • Combat Burst - Each kill boosts the player's movement speed for a short time.
  • Rushdown - The jump pack recharges faster and damages enemies below its blast.
  • Propulsion - Clicking the right stick allows the player to dash horizontally.

For more Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare coverage make sure to read:

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare releases November 4, 2016 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.