Black Ops Cold War guides: weapons, maps, streaks, perks, Warzone, more

❘ Updated: 2020-12-07T11:02:44

Treyarch

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is finally nearly here, and to help you land on your feet once the game launches, we’ve put together numerous guides and informational articles on the game’s important areas.

Black Ops Cold War might be the most intricately designed Call of Duty titles to date, filled with various ins and outs that players will have to figure out before they can truly master the game.

But don’t let that intimidate you – we’re here to help! Below, you can find various guides and “how-to” articles walking you through all the important aspects of the game and preparing you to be the best BOCW player you can be.

Weapon Guides

Gold, Diamond, and Dark Matter ultra camos are back again in Black Ops Cold War.

Every weapon in Black Ops Cold War & how to unlock them

It comes as no surprise that Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer is full of dozens of different weapons. Learn about each gun and all the stats, as well as the levels that they can be unlocked at.

Fastest killing weapons in Black Ops Cold War: TTK & damage stats

Time to kill is a very important stat in Call of Duty multiplayer, and Black Ops Cold War features a slightly slower TTK than Modern Warfare. Catch up on how long it takes for each weapon to eliminate an enemy as well as the relevant damage stats.

How to get Hauer 77 shotgun blueprint for free

Opting in to receiving emails from Call of Duty will earn you the Hauer 77 shotgun blueprint in BOCW, free of charge. Click the link above to find out what you need to do.

How to unlock Gold, Diamond, & DM Ultra camos

Mastery weapon camos like Gold, Diamond, and Dark Matter Ultra are all the rage when a new CoD comes out, so for those who want to grind and unlock them, we’ve got all the challenges for all the guns, all in one place.

Fastest ways to level up weapons in Black Ops Cold War

It’s no secret that leveling up guns in BOCW can be a bit of a drag, so to help you speed up that process, we’ve put together some tips on the best ways to gain Weapon XP.

Best weapons to use in Black Ops Cold War

Black Ops Cold War has a number of guns that prove incredibly popular amongst the competitive and casual community. Find out which ones to use here.

“Broken” reticles you should avoid using in Black Ops Cold War

Unlocking the best reticles for each gun is important, and a video by YouTuber ‘JGOD’ has exposed some huge issues with the game’s current reticle choices.

Best loadouts

There are a lot of viable weapons in Black Ops Cold War

5 Best Ak-74u loadouts for Black Ops Cold War

Whether you prefer to frag while running and gunning, or simply want to rack up time in the objective, we’ve got you covered with the best AK-74u loadouts for every playstyle in Black Ops Cold War.

Best Hauer 77 loadout for Black Ops Cold War

If you’re looking to one-shot enemies in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War with a shotgun, there’s an incredible Hauer 77 loadout that will help you dominate your Multiplayer matches in no time.

Best Pellington 703 loadout for Black Ops Cold War

The Pellington 703 is the perfect weapon for players looking to play aggressively with a sniper rifle in CoD Black Ops Cold War.

5 best MP5 loadouts in Black Ops Cold War for all playstyles

Even after being nerfed, the MP5 is still the most popular submachine gun in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and no matter your playstyle there’s a great loadout just waiting to be used.

Best Type 63 loadout for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

The Type 63 is capable of dishing out some incredible damage thanks to its methodical firing pattern and excellent precision. Here are all the attachments you should be using when running and gunning with the Type 63.

Best Krig 6 loadout for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

The Krig 6 has slowly been creeping into the meta spotlight after the recent FFAR and M16 nerfs, so find out which attachments you should equip to increase this gun’s lethality.

Best Gallo SA12 loadout for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

With the return of shotguns as secondary weapons, many Black Ops Cold War players have been bombarding their foes with deadly buckshot rounds. Here are the attachments you need to make the Gallo SA12 even more lethal.

Best LW3 Tundra loadout for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Despite not being everyone’s favorite sniper rifle in Black Ops Cold War, the LW3 Tundra is still a respectable choice because it packs a bigger punch than its fellow bolt-action rifle, the Pellington 703. Here’s what you need to build one of the best loadouts for the Tundra.

Best M16 loadout for Black Ops Cold War

The M16 is one of the most iconic weapons in all of Call of Duty and it makes yet another appearance in Black Ops Cold War. During the beta, the M16 proved to be one of the strongest guns in the game, and we nailed down a very strong loadout that maximizes the rifle’s potential.

Best MP5 loadout for Black Ops Cold War

Much like in Modern Warfare, the MP5 is once again one of the go-to guns and we’ve put together the best class to use in multiplayer featuring the powerful SMG.

Best Bullfrog loadout for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

The Bullfrog is capable of unleashing plenty of highly-damaging rounds in a matter of seconds. A great SMG for run and gun play.

Best Milano 821 loadout for Black Ops Cold War

If you’re trying to be as quick as possible on the map, this speedy Milano setup is as good as it gets in BOCW.

Best AUG loadout for Black Ops Cold War

The AUG has proven itself to be a very strong Tactical Rifle in BOCW multiplayer; make sure to try out our loadout and see if you can shred with it as we did.

Best FFAR 1 loadout for Black Ops Cold War

Assault Rifles don’t come any faster than this in BOCW but we’ve got you covered with an optimal loadout to tame the FFAR 1.

Best XM4 loadout for Black Ops Cold War

You might overlook the starting weapons in BOCW, but the XM4 can hold its own against any AR with this ideal setup.

Best quickscoping loadout for Black Ops Cold War

If you’re all about snapping onto targets and making montages, we’ve got the absolute best sniper loadout designed just for quickscoping.

Best RPD loadout for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Despite not being an extremely popular weapon within Black Ops Cold War, the RPD light machine gun has incredible potential for a variant that has extremely low recoil but keeps its high rate of fire.

5 best M60 loadouts in Black Ops Cold War for all play-styles

Light Machine Guns are far more versatile than you might think in Black Ops Cold War and we’ve got you covered with five of the best loadouts for every playstyle.

Best Stoner 63 loadout in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

The Stoner 63 is one gun you’ll want to try giving a go. With the right attachments, it can be a real winner for you in Black Ops Cold War.

Best M82 loadout in Black Ops Cold War: Attachments, Wildcard, more

A gun that can drop your enemy in one or two shots, this is one to take note of.

Best KSP 45 loadout Black Ops Cold War: Attachments, Wildcard, more

This SMG shares the assault rifle’s burst pattern. Check out how to make the gun incredibly lethal.

Best QBZ-83 loadout in Black Ops Cold War: Attachments, Wildcard, more

The QBZ-83 is by no means as strong as the AK-47, but its superior mobility and handling make it a great pick.

Map & Mode guides

Black Ops Cold War only has eight maps at launch.

Every multiplayer map in Black Ops Cold War

Maps are arguably the most important factor when it comes to how good a Call of Duty game’s multiplayer is. In BOCW, there’s plenty of maps to choose from, all of them themed after or tied in with the Cold War era of world history.

Every multiplayer mode in Black Ops Cold War

Alongside the abundance of maps, Black Ops Cold War also comes boasting a huge set of unique game modes. From classic deathmatch playlists to more honed in objective-based modes, there’s plenty to see and do. Make sure you’ve brushed up on how every mode works before diving in.

Hardpoint rotations for every map in Black Ops Cold War

Familiarize yourself with all of the Hardpoint locations and their order on every multiplayer map.

Perks, streaks, Operators etc

There are plenty of scorestreaks in Black Ops Cold War.

All scorestreaks in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Scorestreaks and killstreaks can turn the tide of any Call of Duty multiplayer match, and Black Ops Cold War a brand new system filled with streaks that players can earn. Get to know each of them, as well as how the new system works, with our comprehensive info hub.

Best Perks to use in Black Ops Cold War

Familiarize yourself with all of the Perks that are available in multiplayer and which ones are worth equipping over others in your loadouts.

All Field Upgrades in Black Ops Cold War and how to use them

Having first been introduced in Modern Warfare, Field Upgrades are back in BOCW multiplayer, giving you yet another tool to shift the balance of gunfights in your favor. Learn all about this game’s set of Field Upgrades and how to best use each one.

Black Ops Cold War trophies & achievements confirmed: full list

While this may not be the biggest thing of note when it comes to BOCW, there are many out there who care about unlocking trophies and achievements. In this game, there are a whopping 44 in total, combined between Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies.

How to unlock all Black Ops Cold War Operators

A set of new operators will arrive with the release of Black Ops Cold War. To unlock them all, you’ll need to complete a set of challenges. This guide will show you exactly how to unlock each of them.

Best scorestreaks to use in Black Ops Cold War multiplayer

Black Ops Cold War provides players with a range of scorestreaks to utilize in multiplayer, but it can be difficult to choose which ones will aid you the most within your games. Well, here’s what we think are the best scorestreaks to run in Cold War multiplayer to rack up your kills.

Guides for leveling up & completing challenges

Completing challenges is key to leveling up in Black Ops Cold War.

How to level up fast in Black Ops Cold War

Without Double XP, leveling up in BOCW isn’t the easiest thing in the world, so we’ve put together some tips to help you maximize your earned XP.

How to complete all Dark Ops challenges in BOCW

Dark Ops is an area of multiplayer challenges that are actually kept hidden, at least in-game. The requirements to complete this secret set of challenges are never officially revealed, but we’ve got them here for you if you’re interested.

Prestige & Progression

Black Ops Cold War has brought Prestige ranks back to Call of Duty!

Black Ops Cold War’s Seasonal Prestige system explained

Due to popular demand, Treyarch is bringing back Prestige ranks in a brand new seasonal system for Black Ops Cold War. The details for this can be a little confusing, so make sure to view our guide on how all of this works.

Black Ops Cold War, Warzone, Modern Warfare to share progression

Acting on their promise to use Warzone as the tying bond between various CoD sub-franchises, it will share a progression system with both BOCW and Modern Warfare – the details of which can all be found in the link above.

Warzone

Players can use both Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare guns in Warzone.

Warzone integration for Black Ops Cold War & Modern Warfare explained

It’s already been announced that the Black Ops Cold War integration in Warzone won’t take place until the new game’s first season kicks off on December 10. Find out more about this whole process and what it means with our linked info page.

5 best loadouts in Call of Duty: Warzone

If you’ve just unlocked the ability to edit classes but aren’t sure what guns, perks, and wildcards to pick, check out our top 5 recommendations to get you started.

Best Black Ops Cold War weapons to use in Warzone

Here are seven guns that you should be leveling up ahead of the cross-progression update.

Roadmaps & post-launch content

The first content roadmap released for Black Ops Cold War.

Black Ops Cold War: Nuketown ’84, Season 1 roadmap, more

Some of the post-launch content for Black Ops Cold War has already been announced, so catch up on the next iteration of the iconic Nuketown map, everything coming in Season 1, and more.

PlayStation-exclusive Black Ops Cold War content

As per Sony’s ongoing exclusivity deal with Activison, BOCW features a plethora of content that will be exclusive to those on PS4 and PS5, so if that’s you, make sure to take advantage

Zombies Guides

Zombies are back and better than ever in Black Ops Cold War.

How to build Pack-a-Punch in Die Maschine Zombies map

Pack-a-Punch is back in Zombies although not everything about is the same as previous iterations. Catch up on how it works in BOCW as well as how to build it.

Best perks to buy in Black Ops Cold War Zombies

Choosing the right perks could be the difference between an early death, and completing Die Maschine. Use our BOCW guide to pick out the best ones.

Best settings, download info, PC specs,

You can preload Black Ops Cold War ahead of its release date.

You can also follow us on Twitter, @DexertoINTEL, to receive all the latest news, updates, leaks, and more pertaining to BOCW and Call of Duty in general.