5 tips to get better at Black Ops Cold War

Liam Mackay

Whether you’re brand new to Call of Duty or have some experience under your belt, these five tips will help you improve at Black Ops Cold War.

With Call of Duty being one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world, many players have dedicated time to be the best. The obvious best way to improve is playing the game. You can be maximizing your time in the game, however.

Whether you’re a new player, or a returning player looking to improve, follow these five tips to see a marked improvement in your gameplay.

How to get better at Black Ops Cold War

Use the ‘meta’ weapons

Players will criticize using meta weapons but if you’re trying to improve at the game, there’s no point in using weapons that put you at a disadvantage. Using the wrong weapon and getting repeatedly killed by the best weapons won’t help you improve. Sometimes when an enemy is using a vastly better weapon, there’s nothing you can do.

Currently, the MP5, FFR, and burst-fire rifles will provide you with the best chance of doing well.

Once you’re confident and can consistently do well, try experimenting with some off-meta weapons. You never know, you might find your new favorite.

Go into custom games with bots

Cold War custom game settings

Aim and movement are two of the most important things in Call of Duty. You need to hit your shots, but you also need to be a hard target for enemies to hit. The best way to improve your aim and movement is to go into custom games with bots.

Set up a custom free-for-all game with bots set to the lowest difficulty and take away the score and time limit. They’ll hardly fire back, giving you a stress-free place to practice as much as you need. Put some music on and run around the map shooting the bots from a range of different distances and positions and you’ll soon find your aim improving.

You should also practice movement techniques you’ve seen the pros use such as jump shots and ducking in and out of cover.

Practice these techniques against bots and implement them into multiplayer matches to see a vast improvement in your gameplay.

Learn the maps

As you play the different maps in Black Ops Cold War, you’ll gradually begin learning the different routes, spawns, power positions, and flanks. If an enemy player has repeatedly killed you from the same spot, try out that spot next time you play that map. If you managed to flank that player and get the kill, be mindful of the same way you flanked from.

Also, pay attention to the mini-map. Look where your teammates are and where they’re dying. Either avoid that area or take another route to try and take the enemies by surprise. If you notice your team spawning at one side of the map, it’s very likely the enemy team will be spawning from the other side. Set yourself up to counter their push into the map.

Watch professional players and content creators

Watch professional players and skilled content creators to learn their techniques and tactics.

Don’t compare yourself to these people, however. They have put hours upon hours into improving at shooters, so they’ll be vastly better than the average player. And that’s okay. You won’t be able to copy their aim, but you can try to copy everything else.

Some top players to check out on Twitch and YouTube include:

  • Simp: If you’re an aggressive player who likes running an SMG
  • FormaL: A more methodical, Assault Rifle player, with deadly aim
  • Scump: Also an aggressive SMG pro player, but one of the best ‘pub-stompers’ too.
  • Arcitys: Known as a ‘flex’, Arcitys is a jack-of-all-trades.

Watch what they’re doing and implement some of their tactics into your gameplay. Watch how they check rooms before entering, or how they try not to take firefights in the open. Also, watch their positioning on the map, and how they will avoid unfavorable engagements.

Don’t take it too seriously

This is probably the most important: have fun!

If you have a bad game, just forget about it. Don’t over-analyze your gameplay and pick at the little mistakes. Sure, pay attention to points you can improve on but don’t beat yourself up. Expecting too much of yourself will take away the fun and you’ll end up burnt out.

Don’t compare yourself to content creators and professional players. Keep an eye on your own progress; it doesn’t matter if your K/D isn’t considered top tier. If you’re actively trying to improve, just make sure you’re better than your previous self.

About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam made use of his passion for FPS games, including Call of Duty, by writing for sites such as The Nerd Stash, Red Bull Gaming, and GAMINGbible before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].