The AUG is arguably one of the meta weapons in Black Ops Cold War, so here are the best attachments and perks to maximize its potential in multiplayer.

The AUG appeared as an Assault Rifle in the original Black Ops and as an SMG in Modern Warfare. In Black Ops Cold War, it comes as a burst-fire Tactical Rifle. With a fast fire-rate and high damage, it’s capable of killing a player in one burst at almost any range.

With the Gunfighter Wildcard equipped, the AUG can carry eight attachments, maximizing its potential for all situations. Here are the best attachments and perks to run with it.

Best Black Ops Cold War AUG loadout

• Optic: Millstop Reflex
• Muzzle: SOCOM Eliminator
• Barrel: 18″ Rapid Fire
• Body: Ember Sighting Point
• Underbarrel: Field Agent Foregrip
• Magazine: 45 Rnd Drum
• Handle: Airborne Elastic Wrap
• Stock: Marathon Stock

This AUG loadout takes full advantage of its one-burst potential with increased fire rate and accuracy.

For optics, it’s mostly up to you. We’ve had the most success with the versatility of the Red Dot Sights but if you want to be stronger at range, consider using a higher optic. To ensure you can take down multiple enemies without reloading, you should add the 45 Rnd Drum magazine.

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To reduce recoil and keep your burst shots accurate, you should run the SOCOM Eliminator muzzle attachment and Field Agent Foregrip. These attachments combined will give a huge reduction to vertical recoil. This is vital to ensuring that all shots in a burst hit the target, increasing the one-burst potential.

Due to this weapon being so powerful as is, the only barrel you need is the 18″ Rapid Fire. This gives a 13% increase to the fire rate, allowing you to either quickly finish the target with a second burst or take out multiple enemies in quick succession. There are no negative attributes to using this barrel, making it the best choice.

The Ember Sighting Point torch gives the AUG a boost to both its long and close-range potential. The torch reveals enemies, which makes it especially effective when players blend into the environment. It also increases hip-fire accuracy by 30%, helping you out in a tight spot.

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To counter the weight of these attachments and speed it up, you should add the Airborne Elastic Wrap and Marathon Stock. These increase both your ADS and sprint-to-fire time. When moving around the map or quickly snapping onto a sniper glint at range, weapon speed is vital.

Best perks for Black Ops Cold War AUG

Flak Jacket

With the power of explosives in Black Ops Cold War, Flak Jacket is vital. When attacking a point, there are only so many places you can be, so expect a barrage of explosives coming at you.

One Semtex or Grenade could be enough to bring you down, and you especially don’t want a random grenade ending your scorestreak.

Scavenger

There’s nothing worse than running out of bullets mid-fight, and the Scavenger perk will allow you to keep supplying as the match progresses. With Scavenger equipped, you can keep hold of your AUG all match without having to swap it out for a weapon with more ammo.

Ninja

When running around the map with the AUG, being silent will give you an extreme advantage. Whether flanking an objective or clearing out a building, having the enemies not being able to hear you will give you an easy multi-kill.

• Read more: 5 best Black Ops Cold War Scorestreaks setups

And as a bonus, having quiet footsteps means its unlikely the enemies will hear you.

The AUG is currently one of the strongest weapons in Black Ops Cold War, so try it out with these attachments and perks for yourself.

Image Credit: Activision

Call of Duty League 2021 Stage 1 begins on February 11, and at the CDL Kickoff Classic, the groups and fixtures for this first stage were officially announced.

While it was fun seeing the new 4v4 rosters facing off against each other in the Kickoff Classic event, perhaps the most important part of the weekend was seeing Stage 1’s group selection take place.

Before the highly-anticipated OpTic Chicago v LA Thieves show match, we saw members and owners of each CDL team choose who would be playing in opposing groups, officially revealing the Stage 1 groups.

Here are the groups going into CDL 2021 Stage 1, how they were chosen, and what this first stage will look like.

CDL 2021 Stage 1 groups

How the CDL Stage 1 groups were chosen

In a slightly confusing format described as a ‘reverse snake draft,’ teams chose who would play in the opposing group.

• Read more: How to get Call of Duty League Stage 1 rewards

As the top two teams from CDL 2020, Dallas Empire and Atlanta FaZe were placed into different groups, A and B. Teams then picked who would be competing in the opposing group, beginning with Dallas Empire.

Dallas Empire, last year’s champs, chose first, and then FaZe chose after. The selection process went like this:

1. Dallas Empire chose OpTic Chicago for Group B
2. FaZe chose LA Thieves for Group A
3. OpTic Chicago chose Minnesota RØKKR for group A
4. LA Thieves chose Florida Mutineers for Group B

Teams continued to choose teams turn about until each group had been decided.

Atlanta FaZe Home Series

Each stage consists of three Home Series weekends, with Atlanta FaZe hosting the opening weekend on February 11. Group A will be playing on Thursday and Saturday, with Group B playing on Friday and Sunday.

It kicks off with newcomers LA Thieves going against Minnesota RØKKR, and champs Dallas Empire taking on Seattle Surge.

• Read more: H3CZ explains why LA Thieves aren’t OpTic’s biggest rivals

After getting knocked out by Atlanta FaZe in the 2020 semi-finals, OpTic Chicago (formerly Chicago Huntsmen), will be looking to settle the score on Sunday. To add further rivalry, FaZe’s Arcitys played for the Huntsmen in last year’s league.

You can check out the fixtures for the entirety of Stage 1 on CallofDutyLeague.com.

The top two teams from Stage 1 will have first pick in Stage 2, which is set to begin on March 18.

Image Credit: Activision

Black Ops Cold War season 1 brings a new Zombies map, Firebase Z. Here’s everything we know about Cold War Zombies’ second map.

Firebase Z, also called Outpost 25, is the brand new Zombies map coming to Black Ops Cold War during Season 1.

Set in the jungle of Vietnam, Firebase Z continues the storyline that started in Die Maschine. As described in Activision’s blog, “with the destruction of the WWII-era “Projekt Endstation” site after investigating the otherworldly Dark Aether anomaly in Poland, Requiem now sets its focus on the latest Dark Aether outbreak site: Outpost 25, known by the code name “Firebase Z.”

A picture uploaded by Treyarch in their 115 Day blog post gives us a grainy, aerial view of the map. However, like any Zombies map, expect many more areas to be discovered when Firebase Z drops.

When does Cold War Zombies Firebase Z map release?

The new Black Ops Cold War Zombies map, Firebase Z, is set to launch on February 4 and will be free for all players.

• Read more: How to freeze the timer in Cranked Zombies

It comes during Season 1, as part of teased new Zombies maps and modes that were announced in the roadmap. In the weeks leading up to its launch, a reveal trailer and more information surrounding the zombie-infested firebase will be revealed.

Tombstone perk coming to BOCW Zombies

Along with the launch of Firebase Z comes the return of an old perk: Tombstone.

If you don’t know already, when downed, Tombstone will allow you to “become a shadow in the Dark Aether armed with your weapons that can revive you.” Be careful though, “if your shadow loses all its health, you die.”

• Read more: How to unlock Thor’s Hammer in Black Ops Cold War Zombies

New to Black Ops Cold War Zombies, perks can be upgraded. Spending Aetherium Crystals will grant Tombstone the following upgrades:

• Tier I – Shadow form can regenerate health.
• Tier II – Increase downed duration to 60 seconds.
• Tier III – On death, drop a Tombstone stash that saves your weapons, equipment, and resources.

Tombstone will be available through its perk machine in Firebase Z on February 4, and can also be purchased through the Der Wunderfizz machine in Die Maschine.

Can you still play Die Maschine?

Die Maschine will still be available to play in Black Ops Cold War Zombies.

We know this through the confirmation that the Tombstone perk will be available to purchase through the Der Wunderfizz machine on Die Maschine on February 4.

Treyarch provided a friendly reminder that if you haven’t discovered all of the in-game intel hidden on Die Maschine and Onslaught yet, you should try to find it all before the story moves on. It will be crucial to understanding the overarching Zombies story.

Keep an eye on this article, as we’ll update it with every new piece of information we learn about the upcoming Black Ops Cold War Zombies map, Firebase Z.

Image Credit: Treyarch