Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is the latest addition to Activision’s popular long-running FPS franchise. Returning to the series’ roots, Black Ops Cold War plays similarly to that of older CoD titles.
It steps away from the slower gameplay that defined Modern Warfare and instead offers plenty of old school run and gun action. These guides will equip you will both the tools and knowledge to improve your gameplay and dominate the battlefield.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War guides hub
Reviews
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War review – This year’s Call of Duty was a completely different beast compared to Modern Warfare. Treyarch opted for a Hollywood style, over the top campaign partnered with some of the fastest multiplayer action we’ve ever seen. Here are our thoughts on how it worked out.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War technical review – A respectable effort – This year’s Call of Duty is widely considered to be a technical step backward from Modern Warfare. And even though that may be so, that doesn’t mean that Black Ops Cold War doesn’t have plenty to give.
General tips
How to quickly raise your KD ratio in Black Ops Cold War – The best way to measure yourself against others is by comparing kill to death ratios. So if you’ve got a bad KD, it’s not a good look. Here’s how to start improving your KD fast.
How to level up guns fast in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Gun leveling in Cold War can feel like a long, unrewarding grind. But if you optimize your methods you can at last speed it up a little.
How to use prestige keys in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – When you prestige you’ll receive a prestige key but Cold War doesn’t make it clear what they actually do. Don’t worry though, I’ve got you covered.
What does bullet velocity do in Black Ops Cold War? -Of all Cold War’s various gun stats the one that tends to confuse newcomers the most is bullet velocity. This guide covers what bullet velocity is and why it’s so important.
Dark Matter grind
How to earn easy point blank kills in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Of all the challenges required to unlock the Dark Matter mastery camo, point blank kills stand above the rest. Thanks to how close you have to be for these to count it can be tricky to earn the hundreds required for Dark Matter. But there is a way to speed that grind up.
How to earn easy Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War headshot kills – As per Call of Duty tradition, you aren’t going to earn any mastery camos until you start hitting some headshots. Even though this challenge sounds simple enough, there are some methods to make hitting headshots a little easier. And in the long-term, this could save you hours of grinding.
How to earn easy longshots with Black Ops Cold War submachine guns – SMGs aren’t exactly built for long-range gunfights which can make getting longshot medals for Dark Matter somewhat annoying. Here’s how to get them easier and speed up one of the most tedious parts of the mastery camo grind.
Gun guides
Assault rifles
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War XM4 customization for multiplayer – The M4 assault rifle always seems to be one of the best primaries in just about every CoD game it has appeared in. Although its Black Ops Cold War rendition isn’t quite top tier, it can still be nasty when built right.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War AK-47 loadout – Arguably the most iconic assault rifle in history, the AK-47 has appeared in just about every relevant modern action movie and game you can think of. And Black Ops Cold War is no exception to that. Except unlike many of its previous renditions, this AK-47 is one of the best guns in the game. Here’s our recommended build.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Krig 6 loadout – Every Call of Duty comes with its signature heavy assault rifle. These tend to fire a little slower but pack a nasty punch assuming you can land your shots. Last year it was the Oden. But in Black Ops Cold War it’s the Krig 6 that takes the crown.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War QBZ-83 loadout – This highly mobile assault rifle/SMG hybrid may not be the most popular gun but in the right hands it’s still formidable. Truly the rusher’s choice.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War FFAR 1 loadout – After its nerf the FFAR 1 isn’t exactly the best gun in Black Ops Cold War but make no mistake, if you can control its recoil then its potential might be higher than any other gun in the game.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War guide — The best Groza loadout – It may suck out of the box with some grinding the Groza can become one of Cold War’s most dominant assault rifles.
Submachine guns
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War MP5 attachments – Coming off of the back of Modern Warfare, many had hoped the end of the MP5’s dominance had finally come. But just like CoD 4 and Modern Warfare before it, Black Ops Cold Wars‘ MP5 is amongst the very best guns in the game.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Milano 821 class – Based on the real-life Socimi Type 821, this legendary design would go on to be a primary inspiration for the Israeli Uzi submachine gun. The Uzi isn’t a gun that’s gotten too much love in Call of Duty in the past but this year’s version is surprisingly competitive. Here’s our go-to build.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War attachments for the AK-74u – Bored of everyone using the MP5 and want to stand out from the crowd? I’ve got just the gun for you. The AK-74u is amongst the very best guns in Cold War but getting the most out of it isn’t easy. Here’s our build to do just that.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War KSP 45 loadout – What do you get if you cross the Striker 45 with the Chicom QBC. Something kin to the KSP 45, I’d imagine. This burst SMG isn’t overly versatile but has a frighteningly fast potential time to kill if used right.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Bullfrog loadout – Ever ran into that irritating situation in Call of Duty where you run out of clip just before pulling off an unreal play? Then the Bullfrog might be the gun for you.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War MAC-10 loadout – The first season expansion of Black Ops Cold War has brought with it two new guns to work towards. The Groza is decent but it’s the Mac-10 that has caught everyone’s attention.
Tactical rifles
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War M16 loadout – Modern Warfare‘s tragic FR 5.56 left me believing we had seen the end of good burst rifles in Call of Duty games. But Treyarch had a different idea. Black Ops Cold War features some of the strongest burst rifles in Call of Duty history and having at least one on your loadouts is essential.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Type 63 loadout – Not to be confused with the SKS, the Type 63 is a designated marksman rifle with a fast fire rate and reliable three-shot kill. It might not be the most mainstream option in a game so fast-paced but for those who are confident in their aim, there’s little that kills faster.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War AUG loadout – Statistically speaking, the Cold War AUG performs similarly to the M16. In other words, it’s kind of broken. But thanks to its short burst delay and better range damage, this thing might be even better. Here’s a scary build that guarantees consistent one burst kills.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War DMR 14 loadout – If you’re a man of precision then look no further than the DMR 14. This tactical rifle takes what makes the Type 63 decent and then improves just about everything. The end result? The DMR 14 is one of the nastiest semi-auto guns in Call of Duty history.
Light machine guns
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Stoner 63 loadout – It’s easy to try out a light machine gun, see the awful aim down sights speed and take it off your class immediately. I almost fell for the same trap but make no mistake, these big boys can be nasty when used right. This build I’ve come up with can beam down enemies at range, melt them up close, and doesn’t even handle that badly.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War RPD attachments – Although on paper the RPD is outclassed by the Stoner, that doesn’t mean it’s pointless. After all, stats alone don’t always make a gun strong. And in the RPD’s case, it’s the incredible lack of recoil and long-range accuracy that makes it niche but devastating.
Sniper rifles
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Pellington 703 attachments – Fancy yourself a good shot? Of Cold War’s three launch snipers the Pellington is the best choice for most higher skill players. It can aim faster than the alternatives yet still has a surprisingly forgiving one-shot kill range. Here’s our recommended build.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War LW3 – Tundra loadout – The Pellington is a strong sniper rifle but at times it can feel like a hitmaker machine. If you want something that packs a little more of a punch, the LW3 – Tundra is the way to go.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War M82 loadout – The Barrett range of anti-material rifles have become some of Call of Duty‘s most iconic weapons of choice. Unfortunately, Treyarch didn’t get the memo and has given us the worst rendition of a Barrett ever since in CoD. Still, here’s how to get the most out of it to ease the pain of Cold War‘s Dark Matter grind.
Pistols
The best attachments for the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War 1911 pistol – Pistols didn’t cope well in Modern Warfare. Unless it was a broken pocket shotgun or akimbo burst pistols, they were never overly viable. But Black Ops Cold War gives pistols a new lease of life and makes them surprisingly decent. Even the good old fashioned 1911 can kick some ass.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Magnum loadout – One magnum? Nothing special. Akimbo Magnums? The most broken secondary in Black Ops Cold War.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Diamatti loadout – One Diamatti? Nothing special. Akimbo Diamattis? Wait, I’ve heard this somewhere before.
Shotguns
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Hauer 77 loadout – When I heard that shotguns were going to be secondaries this year, I sighed. Why? Because they were always going to be broken when built properly. And guess what? I was right. Here’s my filthy Hauer 77 pump action build that will have your enemies crying on voice chat in no time.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Gallo SA12 loadout – Even though it can one-shot up to 10 meters, the Hauer 77 can be a little tricky to use. But the Gallo SA12? This is a shotgun anyone can throw on their class and dominate with.
The best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Streetsweeper loadout – With neither the Hauer 77 nor Gallo SA 12 being particularly impressive, shotguns have been left in a rough state in Black Ops Cold War. But perhaps the new fully automatic Streetsweeper can change that.
The Standard Edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available on Battle.net for $59.99 or your regional equivalent.
Published: Nov 25, 2020 09:00 am