Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Tips and Tricks for All Modes, Game Guide

“Something big is going to happen that could shift the balance of the Cold War.” – Russell Adler, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War is finally here and you know how to start the game and what each game mode is all about – now it’s time for Boot Camp, a crash course of the Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies through a collection of tips and strategies for success. No matter where you start your Black Ops Cold War journey, you can go in with confidence knowing these tips centered around the first few hours of gameplay.

Whether it’s driven by Perseus, fellow elite Operators, or unexplained phenomena that involve the undead... the fate of the world is at stake, and you may be the only one to save it. Here are some tips for saving the world and dominating the opposition both the living and the undead.

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Campaign Guide

Work Your Way Up to Veteran

The single-player experience offers five difficulty modes. Especially if this is your first time playing a Call of Duty game, it might not be wise to start on Veteran or Realism difficulty. If you’re unsure where to start, begin on Recruit or Regular, and feel free to change the difficulty in the pause menu.

A Note on Realism

Realism, the difficulty above Veteran, removes part of the heads-up display along with tuning enemy soldiers to have phenomenal accuracy. Although this is an incredible way to experience the Campaign visually, you’ll want to brush up on your skills before choosing this setting.

Nowhere Left to Run

This first mission acts as a great way to learn in-game mechanics, such as aiming, firing, equipment usage, taking cover, and movement. Use this opportunity to tune your difficulty and learn your individual strengths and weaknesses with Alex Mason before you create an operative for the rest of the Campaign.

Psych Up for Character Creation

From damage buffs to being able to carry additional equipment and more, the Psych Profile is the most important part of creating your own operative. Be sure to spend a few minutes here and explore every option to fit how you want to experience your current playthrough.

Recommended New Player Psych Profile

If you find yourself losing health often, or want a bit of a buffer from an untimely death, make one of your Psych Profiles Survivor, which increases your health by 25%, and the other Dependable, which reduces damage taken while stationary by 30%.

Explore the Safehouse

The Safehouse is more than just a mission hub; it gives you the opportunity to talk to your fellow team members and look at all the intel they gathered so far. Whenever you take a break from the Campaign, take a few minutes to settle in with the Safehouse to get the context you need to jump back into the story.

Red Means Dead

When your screen starts turning red, it means your health is getting dangerously low. Whenever this happens, it’s best to get out of an enemy’s sights and wait a few seconds to regain health... otherwise, prepare to resume the mission from the last checkpoint.

Take Cover Early and Often

On harder difficulty settings, a guns-blazing approach to a lopsided fight can be a recipe for disaster. Try finding and crouching behind cover, peeking out only when the enemy reloads to retaliate with return fire or a well-placed piece of equipment.

Don’t Turn Down a Chance to Takedown

Holding the command to melee triggers a Takedown, which is where you grab an enemy and use them as a shield before finishing them off or throwing them toward an enemy group with an explosive surprise. Use this whenever possible, as it can be extremely effective against large groups of enemies and when cover is limited.

Leave No Corner Unchecked

Along with protecting yourself from enemy soldiers, use this adage in exploring the Campaign, especially when it comes to dialogue options. Don’t hesitate to replay the Campaign and explore different ways to gather enemy information, even if it means breaking a few of their bones along the way.