Table of Contents
lLet me guess: you recently bought Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, veered into multiplayer, and now you’re being beaten mercilessly by hundreds of teenagers with suggestive usernames? Don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal. Call of Duty has always been the arcade fest of the online shooter scene, but Black Ops 6 has a whole new feel thanks to its omni-motion system, which lets you dive, roll, and run in all directions. And all weapons have been completely redesigned. It is, as Olivia Rodrigo said, brutal out there.
So I asked two excellent professional players, Ethan “Fifakill” Pink and Liam “Jukeyz” James, for advice. Instead of laughing and pointing at me, they agreed.
Use the right weapon
If you’re just getting into CoD, stick with assault rifles or submachine guns (SMGs) – they suit the smaller maps and intense engagement speed in Black Ops 6. “My favorite assault rifle (AR) is probably the Model L, although it is so good that professionals have agreed not to use it and have moved to AMES,” says Jukeyz. “The SMG would be the Jackal, which is fun to use, or the KSV, which is tougher but quite powerful.”
Meanwhile, Fifakill recommends the Kompakt 92. “It has a super high rate of fire and a very good movement speed, you can absolutely destroy with it. But if you’re more of a mid-range player, I’d say the Model L assault rifle is a very good option. It will take a while to unlock, but it is worth the effort: super TTK (time to kill) and very low recoil.”
Become a gunsmith
Gunsmith is where you can add modifications to your weapon and is vital to giving you an advantage in encounters. “For most players, it’s best to start by reducing recoil,” says Fifakill. “Focus on attachments that reduce horizontal recoil: If the gun bounces up or down, it’s fairly easy to correct. But with the left and the right, while trying to track an enemy player, that is more difficult.” Jukeyz prioritizes aim-down speed (how quickly the gun can be brought into an aiming position), but also suggests attaching a vertical foregrip to counteract recoil. “I would also suggest the Gunfighter wildcard,” adds Fifakill. “It gives you eight attachments per weapon, so you can have it all: better movement, a larger magazine and less recoil.”
Cheer up
Black Ops 6 lets you choose from 20 perks that give you advantages in specific areas. They are divided into three categories: Enforcer (red), Recon (blue) and Strategist (green), and if you choose three of the same type, you get an additional special benefit. “I’ve been running the red perks because they give you a super speed bonus and you get extra health regeneration after kills – it really benefits you if you try to run and gun,” says Fifakill.
“If you’re trying to get kills, use three red perks: I like Gung Ho, Assassin, and Double Time. If you are a slower player I would go for the blue perks and the specialty for that is useful. And if you are a target player, use the three green advantages.”
Jukeyz prefers Dexterity, Assassin, and then Double Time: “And since they’re all red, it gives you the Enforcer specialty, which means killing enemies gives you a temporary boost to movement speed and health regeneration. It is perfect for AR or SMG.”
Maximize your XP
Earning experience points (XP) unlocks new items and score streaks, so leveling up quickly is a good idea. “Use BankRoll as benefit three,” suggests Jukeyz. “Once you get double or triple kills, you will unlock UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), Counter UAV, and HARP (High Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft) much faster. If you have all three activated at once, you’ll get a lot of support XP from your teammates using them all over the map. It’s constant XP.”
Use a monitor and headphones
Stop playing on the giant OLED TV in your living room – the response time will be slower than a dedicated monitor and it will be difficult to see everything on the screen while checking the minimap and ammo count. Our two pros use a 27-inch monitor, with a resolution of 1440p and a refresh rate of at least 144 Hz. Also, switch from speakers to headphones. “I use JBL,” says Fifakill. “But as long as you have a headset with decent spatial audio, you’ll be fine, and there are in-game settings you can tweak, for example enabling Dolby Atmos, which will help you hear where footsteps are coming from.”
Be a team player
Call of Duty multiplayer is a team game, so you have to think tactically even when you’re with a group of strangers. “If you really want to win an Objective mode (a multiplayer mode like Control or Hardpoint that has a specific objective) on a public server, focus on spawn points,” says Fifakill. “It’s about advancing to a new area where you know there will be an objective and trying to lock the spawn point in that position for your team. It’s not the most glamorous role, but it’s useful. It means that when the objective arrives, your team will appear nearby, so you can get reinforcements much faster.”
Jukeyz recommends a more social approach. “A little communication is a good start,” he says. “Who’s watching what, who’s taking the hard point. Get your friends to play with you or start chatting with people you know on public servers who you think are good. Get some structure into your game; Even yelling ‘left’ or ‘right’ (to indicate threats or where to run) is a start.”
Use the minimap
Fifakill estimates that you spend 70% of a match looking at the minimap, which becomes much more viable once you learn the maps backwards. Keep an eye out for red markers showing the position of opposing players and enemy fire; Watch where your teammates are running, listen to anything they do (mark on map). Or as Jukeyz says: “pay attention to all”.