Down But Not Out

Overview

In games, when a player takes enough damage they traditionally die and must restart, or respawn in the case of multiplayer. Some games instead put the player into a 'down' state, where their movement is slowed or stopped and their view is distorted. In certain cases, such as in the Call of Duty series, limited attacking is still possible, usually with a sidearm. Generally the player will bleed out and truly 'die' after a set period of time in the 'down' state, but in some games they can be revived by a teammate and resume playing. However, their death will often still be counted regardless.

Examples

Call Of Duty

Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2, World At War, and Black Ops all have multiplayer perks that allows players to go into "Last Stand", where they take out a sidearm in an attempt to get a kill before they inevitably bleed out and die.

Modern Warfare 2 also has a death streak perk called "Final Stand" that allows the user to go into Last Stand with their primary weapon instead of their handgun and can later be upgraded so equipment can be used. With this perk, if the player can survive long enough, they will not die and will eventually be able to stand back up and continue playing. In addition, Black Ops allows players to be revived by their teammates if they have Second Chance Pro.

Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 use a system similar to Call of Duty's. Whenever a player loses all health, they will be downed and will have to defend themselves with a sidearm until a teammate runs over and rescues them.

Borderlands

In Borderlands, if the player kills an enemy while downed, they receive a "Second Wind" and are instantly revived.

Battle Royale

The Down But Not Out state is a staple of duo and squad modes in battle royale games such as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite. It gives players a chance to bring their teammates back into the fight while also letting enemy players know when a squad has surviving members.