How to use a body shield in Black Ops 6

If you thought riot shields were annoying, just wait until an enemy uses you as one in Black Ops 6, thanks to the new Body Shield feature.

Black Ops 6 overhauls movement in Campaign, Multiplayer, and Warzone with the introduction of omnimovement. For the first time in Call of Duty history, operators can sprint, slide, and dive in any direction at the same speed. In addition, you can dive and shoot simultaneously, opening new doors of movement possibility.

Meanwhile, intelligent movement makes it possible to sprint, mantle, crouch, and move around a corner with fewer button presses. Treyarch emphasized movement fluidity, and that extends to the Body Shield.

If players want to take advantage of the new defense mechanism, it only requires one simple step.

Activision

Body Shield feature explained

Black Ops 6’s Body Shield mechanic lets you grab an enemy and hold them in front of you, turning them into a human defense system. You are able to walk around while holding their body and still use your primary weapon while they absorb enemy bullets for you.

How to use an enemy as a Body Shield

If you’re behind an enemy at close quarters, you can use them as a Body Shield by double-tapping the Melee button. After letting them absorb some bullets for you, players can drop the foe with a quick dispatch or finishing move before they expire.

If you’re using a PlayStation controller, then press O (Circle) to melee an opponent. If you have an Xbox controller, then you need to double-tap B. This is only accurate for those using default schemes though, so if you’ve changed your controller layout in the settings, you’ll need to check what the melee button is.

Can I talk to enemies I use as a Body Shield?

Treyarch confirmed that the Body Shield feature enables voice chat between the attacker and their victim. This will undoubtedly result in some hilarious clips as players either role-play or beg for mercy.

Why is Body Shield useful?

Black Ops 6’s Body Shield lets you grab enemies and use them as cover, protecting you from enemy damage. This can let you push into Hardpoint hills or break through doors with an added layer of protection.

Of course, your enemy can only absorb so much punishment, so don’t expect the Body Shield to last forever.

This feature is used in Multiplayer and Campaign, but it won’t be available in Warzone at launch. It will be interesting to see if this feature makes it in the Call of Duty League or if pros decide to ban the use of Body Shields.

For more on Black Ops 6 Multiplayer, check out our guides on every mastery camo in the game mode and how fast the time-to-kill speed will be.