"COD: Black Ops Cold War" Arsenal Associator Quiz

Answer: Assault Rifles

This is the classic M4 from the "Modern Warfare" series. Only, for some reason, Treyarch has had a history of placing an 'X' at the front of these weapons, as they did so with the 'X'M8 in the second and third iteration of "Black Ops" as well.

In terms of practical performance, this thing was an absolute monster on launch. It was easily the strongest AR in the game. It was nerfed harshly, and its damage output suffered the most in the process. In the end, it was still a very well rounded AR with no serious weaknesses, making it well suited for both Multiplayer and Zombies.

Answer: Submachine Guns

Like the XM4, the MP5 was egregiously overpowered at launch. It had the damage to kill in three hits from a distance, and the laser sharp accuracy to land said hits. Subsequent nerfings continuously targeted the MP5's accuracy, and eventually brought it in line with the other SMGs. It is still dominant in close quarters as an SMG should be, but it is not as lethal from a distance as it once was.

In Zombies, distance is irrelevant as the legions of undead aren't exactly trying to snipe you. As such, a weapon that dominates close quarters is set to succeed in this mode. The MP5 is not particularly flashy in doing so, but in a nutshell, it gets the job done in all aspects of this mode.

Answer: Tactical Rifles

The Type 63 was one of two semi automatic rifles in the game at launch. Unfortunately for it, the DMR 14, its competition, was so overwhelmingly good that it simply outclassed the Type 63 entirely. The Type 63 has never been a bad or even simply middling choice, as it actually has very strong damage, low visual recoil and manageable everything else.

It's simply a matter of being a silver medalist standing next to the towering gold medal that was the DMR 14.

Answer: Light Machine Guns

This was the first time since the very first "Black Ops" that the Stoner 63 appeared in a game in this franchise. It brought the nostalgia back in full force, being an excellent all around LMG. Compared to its much older counterpart, this game's Stoner63 was not quite as mobile, but featured the same high fire rate, excellent accuracy and faster than average reload speed.

Answer: Sniper Rifles

In the weeks and few months that followed after the release of the game as a whole, the Pelington 703 was basically your "highlight reel" gun. It was the armament of choice for people who love recording flashy, hype inducing kills and creating YouTube montage videos of them. The Pelington being a bolt action sniper rifle with a very slim model enhancing mobility is all it takes to achieve this status. This gun is a guaranteed one shot kill in Multiplayer to the chest and up. People would run around maps, jump and do 360 degree twirls or other fancy movements, and finish their maneuver with a precise "quickscope" shot that killed in one hit. You could also use it like an actual sniper rifle if you wanted, holding down a position with the looming threat of a one shot kill to any enemy who crossed your path.

In Zombies, sniper rifles were not as good in the mode as they were in "Black Ops" games past. The Pelington was strong enough to perform in a pinch, it just didn't do anything to stand out from other weapons.

Answer: Secondary Weapons

This was a very standard, classic M1911 pistol. This gun has appeared literal dozens of times across the "Call of Duty" franchise and is arguably the single most well known gun, period, in all of that time. While it has generally never held a massive presence in any particular bullet meta, it has always been a serviceable side arm. It reprised that role nicely in Multiplayer.

Zombies, sadly, is one place where the M1911 took a massive step back in this game compared to games' past, although this was mostly due to game mechanics than anything to do with the pistol itself.

In "World at War" and the first two "Black Ops" titles, the M1911 is the pistol the player begins the game with. It is intentionally designed to be weak, but it has the promising prospect of Pack-a-Punch creating a handgun that fires explosive rounds. It forces the player to be patient, but rewards that patience with a massive, super fun to use, upgrade.

In "Cold War", things are largely different. Players can choose to start the game with any gun in the entire game they have unlocked. The M1911 is no longer extremely weak at the start of the game should the player choose it. However, while the floor is raised, the ceiling is lowered with it. Pack-a-Punching the 1911 does not yield the super fun explosive pistol seen in games' past. The M1911 is a perfectly strong weapon when PaPed to be fair, but it no longer fires explosive rounds; it instead receives a simple, flat damage boost and that's it.

Answer: Assault Rifles

Like the 'X'M4, the AK47 is a classic "Call of Duty" assault rifle that has appeared in many, many games across the franchise. It is a classic rifle originating from Russia.

In this game, it has virtually the exact same profile that it has always had. It features above average damage output, slightly bouncy visual recoil and average or above average everything else. There is not really a situation the AK47 isn't at least competent in dealing with. So if the player isn't sure what map they're about to step into, perhaps because they are unfamiliar with the layout, they can take an AK47 with them and at least have a reliable gun to help them learn the layout with.

In Zombies, the above average damage output this weapon features lets it be right at home. It is a perfectly solid weapon fit to handle all situations competently, just like Multiplayer.

Answer: Submachine Guns

Despite the flashy name, this thing is basically an Uzi, which is a weapon that has appeared in many "Call of Duty" titles over the years. Like the Uzi, the Milano 821 dominates at close quarters with massive fire rate. However, like the Uzi, it is basically toothless at any significant distance.

Answer: Tactical Rifles

In early days of "Call of Duty", the M16 was simply an Assault Rifle. "Black Ops 4" is the first game which decided to divide rifles into 'assault' and 'tactical' categories. The M16, which was a 'tactical' rifle in "Black Ops 4", reprised this role in this game.

As this game does not feature the same super fast movement found in the third or fourth "Black Ops", the M16 is far better suited to succeed in this game's Multiplayer than it was those games. It is a pretty reliable, albeit not guaranteed, one-burst kill and it has strong accuracy with good fire rate and an average cyclic speed to deliver that burst. In a game where nobody has jet packs to soar over the M16's bursts, it can perform.

In Zombies, the M16 gets to be a fair bit better. When Pack-a-Punched, it gains the Skullcrusher moniker that it had held since "Black Ops 1". However, this may arguably have been the Skullcrusher's finest outing. It may lack the grenade launcher that "Black Ops 1" and "Black Ops 2's" Skullcrushers had, but it more than makes up for that by adding a bullet to its bursts, making it a four-round burst rifle. Featuring the same fantastic headshot multiplier that it has always had, and the Skullcrusher more than lived up to its name in this mode.

Answer: Light Machine Guns

At the time, the RPD had not been in a "Call of Duty" game at all since "Black Ops 2", and it was not available in that game's Multiplayer. It is available in this game's MP. It featured the highest fire rate of LMGs at launch, although everything else about it was highly unwieldy; middling damage, iffy accuracy, horrendously slow reload and very poor mobility. It was very difficult to take the RPD on the offensive, making the Stoner 63 typically preferred in most cases.

In Zombies, low damage output and poor mobility would've made the RPD a non-starter in any other game. Fortunately, this game debuted the armor system and massively buffed the Stamin-Up perk, which helped save the RPD from uselessness. That said, if the player is trying to do something challenging, such as an Easter Egg Main Quest, they would be better suited choosing many different weapons instead of the RPD.

Answer: Sniper Rifles

This was the gun featured in trailer gameplay when the game was first announced. It is a lookalike of the L96A1 or the L118A, which are both classic sniper rifles across the "Call of Duty" franchise.

Like its predecessors, the LW3-Tundra is a guaranteed one-shot to the chest and up in Multiplayer. Sadly, it is distinctly outperformed by the Pelington 703, simply because they share identical damage profiles and stability, and the Pelington is simply lighter, affording more mobility. The LW3-Tundra has never been a bad sniper rifle, there has just never been a reason to use it over the Pelington. Although, if making a YouTube montage, there could be some entertainment value in using a 'different' sniper rifle from everyone else.

In Zombies, much like the Pelington, it is difficult for the LW3-Tundra to stand out. However, on the Die Maschine map specifically, there is a very conveniently placed LW3-Tundra wall buy of the Epic rarity. It is the fastest method the player has on this map to obtain an Epic weapon, which at least counts for something.

Answer: Secondary Weapons

On launch, the Diamatti was disgustingly overpowered. This was a pistol with the same effective range as Tactical Rifles, featuring a way faster cyclic speed than the M16 and a similar damage profile. It was hardly uncommon at all to get lasered by someone using this from halfway across the map. The Diamatti is a pistol, so it featured the same incredible mobility, speedy reload and fast fire seen in most pistols. Yet, it featured the damage and range of a rifle.

The Diamatti was ultimately nerfed exactly one time, and the nerf was scorched earth in nature. It did not render the Diamatti bad by any means, but it drastically cut down on its damage and effective range. This let it stay relevant at close quarters but prevented it from basically being a better M16 that someone could equip as a secondary weapon.

In Zombies, this weapon being nerfed hurt it very badly here. Reducing its damage output at no beneficial gain made a weapon which was simply decent in the mode out to be arguably outright bad. Ironically, there is no reason to use the Diamatti over the M16 in this mode, as the M16 features far better damage output at very little expense compared to the Diamatti, as handling speed is much less of an issue here compared to Multiplayer.

Answer: Assault Rifles

This was my personal favorite weapon in the game, simply because it had a visually amazing (in my opinion) skin, the Ice Drake variant. This put a small icy dragon atop the barrel of the gun, giving the player a special emote where they could let the dragon come to life while examining the gun.

As for practical performance, the Krig 6 has always been a very average assault rifle. It is fully automatic with slightly above average damage, below average fire rate, above average handling and mobility, and way, way, way above average aesthetic val- I mean, um, the clip size was pretty good too.

In Zombies, this is a perfectly average weapon with average performance. That Ice Drake skin slaps even harder on Die Maschine or the Lodge part of Outbreak, as the icy terrain of the map really suits it well. Sadly, the ice dragon can't make the rifle do more damage. But you can emote it with it endlessly while a horde chases after you, which is pretty cool.

Answer: Submachine Guns

A classic submachine gun with appearances all over "Call of Duty", the AK74U was once again a good choice in this game's Multiplayer. It retained its trademark excellent stability as per an SMG, letting it compete at a distance with ARs and LMGs. As always, there were really no weaknesses to this gun, and in tandem with its status as a fan favorite, this was one of the more used guns in the game for this mode.

Funnily enough, the AK74U had more of a narrative than mechanical impact on this game's Zombies mode. After the Firebase Z map was released, astoundingly, Samantha Maxis herself was added to the game as a playable character. In conjunction with this, access to her in this capacity was being sold for real world currency alongside a Samantha Maxis themed AK74U. This character had been part of "Call of Duty" for, at the time, fourteen real world years, and she had a unique emote and unique cutscene aesthetic if the player opted to play as her in a game, and started the game with her themed AK74U.

Answer: Tactical Rifles

This *was* my personal favorite gun in basically every "Call of Duty" title up until this one. For some reason, the AUG fires three round bursts and is not fully automatic in this game. It retains it exclusives ACOG scope that it originated with in the first "Black Ops", so visually and aesthetically, it's the same gun. The fact it is a burst rifle here makes it play very differently. Unfortunately, basically all of the things that made it 'cool' in "Black Ops 1" are gone; no Flamethrower, no Masterkey and, again, not fully automatic.

Practically speaking, it is difficult to justify using the AUG over the M16. The M16 has the AUG beat in everything except for fire rate. Crucially in Multiplayer, the M16 will often one-shot if it lands a full burst on a target, while the AUG won't achieve this unless one shot from the burst hits the head.

Answer: Light Machine Guns

For as cool as it has always been, the M60 has never been a great or even good gun wherever it has appeared throughout "Call of Duty". This game was arguably its best ever performance. Yet, it remains somewhat mediocre, with the same sluggish fire rate, obnoxious iron sights, super slow reload and middling damage output.

However, all of those negative traits are even more comically bad in games that came out before "Cold War", so the M60 actually had it comparatively good in this game.

Answer: Sniper Rifles

Exactly like the RPD, the M82 hadn't appeared in a "Call of Duty" game since "Black Ops 2", a game where it was not even available in Multiplayer.

In this game, the M82 has the wrong combination of being the heaviest (thereby, worst mobility) sniper rifle, the weakest damage output and the tiniest magazine size. The M82 has awful recoil and, though it can guarantee a one shot to the head, it cannot do so to the chest and up like the Pelington and LW3-Tundra can.

Simply put, the M82 was easily the worst sniper rifle of the three by a million miles. It also never ultimately received a buff, forcing it to stay stuck in their shadows.

Answer: Secondary Weapons

The Magnum is another gun with a huge history across "Call of Duty", and has been a very up and down weapon in terms of its general viability in each game. In this game, it's more of a "mid" than an up or down. The Magnum guarantees a two shot to the chest and up in Multiplayer, but its slow fire rate and standard six shot clip can make it hard to secure these two shots.

In Zombies, the Magnum has an ultra high headshot multiplier, and being a pistol makes it mobility very good. That said, if not landing headshots, this thing will seem noticeably weaker than shotguns and sniper rifles. Landing headshots is an absolute must, but in doing so, the Magnum is very sturdy on any of this game's maps.

Answer: Assault Rifles

This was essentially the fan favorite Famas from "Black Ops 1", although it was nowhere near as dominant as its "Black Ops 1" persona was. Still, this was an exceptionally strong weapon for Multiplayer. It held the same blistering fire rate as its ancestor, with solid damage and big clips to boot.

The drawback was accuracy, as this thing had very noticeable visual recoil and struggled greatly at a long range because of this. It was as good as anything at a mid or even close range, though.

Answer: Tactical Rifles

This was God's gift to "Call of Duty Warzone". In that game, this was the single most dominant gun in the entire game for a stretch of just over three whole years.

In "Cold War", it's arguably just as dominant. It is a semi automatic rifle with peerless accuracy and massive effective range. It can two shot someone from more than half of an average map's length away. It is extremely versatile, capable of performing well at all ranges due to its fast fire rate and excellent mobility.

In Zombies, this weapon was a force of nature as well. It featured excellent handling and a great headshot multiplier. It was as reliable as they could come for just about anything the player wanted to do, be it a simple high round push or an Easter Egg Main Quest.

Answer: Secondary Weapons

This is a very standard pump action shotgun. At the game's launch, it was arguably overpowered, as it featured one-shot damage potential and had a surprisingly high effective range for a shotgun. Moreover, shotguns in this game are secondary weapons, greatly reducing the opportunity cost of putting the Hauer 77 on a build.

It was eventually drastically, arguably overtly nerfed. In nerfing it, both the damage and effective range took nosedives. The Hauer 77 was now very difficult to one shot with, though it at least featured a fast enough rechamber to make getting off a second shot actually feasible.

In Zombies, the nerf was felt extremely hard, so much so that the Hauer 77 would go on to become a thoroughly mediocre choice in this mode. This was especially so when DLC weapons started coming out that the Hauer simply couldn't stand up to.

Answer: Secondary Weapons

This is basically the classic SPAS 12 which has shown up in several "Call of Duty" titles. For some reason, Treyarch opted to give it a silly, goofy name in this game.

The 'SPAS 12' began this game's life cycle as arguably the most hated and spammed weapon in the game. This thing is a super fast firing semi auto shotgun with one shot kill potential. Shotguns are also secondary weapons in this game, making it easy for people to include it in their build. The 'SPAS 12' was easily the most brainless weapon in all of Multiplayer. Anyone of any skill level can run around and just spam shots at people, recording kills off of pure, fanatic, barbaric and brainless button mashing.

In Zombies, this weapon was also incredible for basically the same reasons it was great in Multiplayer.

Bizarrely, unlike the Hauer 77, the 'SPAS 12' was never, not even once, nerfed a single time. This may be because, once DLC weapons came out, the 'SPAS 12' actually received competition for its exact role from the Street Sweeper. The Street Sweeper was somehow even more efficient, and bizarrely even more brainless, to use, outclassing the 'SPAS 12' completely.

Answer: Submachine Guns

More than any other gun, DLC or not, the KSP 45 had a wild time in development and ultimately proved nightmarish for Treyarch to properly balance. This is a two round burst SMG with handling akin to the AK74U and excellent accuracy.

When the game first launched, this SMG was utterly toothless. It's damage output was way too bad to justify being a burst SMG, so it was almost always passed over for anything else in the category.

Then, about two months after the game launched, the KSP 45 was buffed to the one thousandth power. It was now easily the best SMG, with two-shot kill potential no other SMG could compete with. Even Assault Rifles were now at a loss competing with the KSP 45 from a mid range. It was arguably the best bullet weapon in the entire game, period.

Then, the KSP 45 was hammered with nerfs that essentially returned it to its state post-launch. It would receive minor buffs from here that elevated it almost unnoticeably, and that was that.

In Zombies, the KSP 45's above average headshot multiplier made it so it was never a truly hopeless weapon, even during its "down time" periods. It could be used competently here for anything the player wanted to do.

Answer: Submachine Guns

Not to be confused with the Bull"Dog", a shotgun which featured in "Advanced Warfare" and "Ghosts"

The Bullfrog features the highest clip size of any SMG in the game. It also has relatively average damage, good accuracy and even decent effective range. Moreover, the Bullfrog had a wide capacity of attachments it could accept, letting it stand out among its SMG brethren for Multiplayer.

In Zombies, the Bullfrog gains 400 round clip sizes when Pack-a-Punched, which literally beat out the game's LMGs. This thing is a spray and prey machine for the mode. Although its damage output is nothing fantastic, reload speed is literally just a suggestion due to this thing's unbeatable clip size, giving it teeth for the mode.

Answer: Secondary Weapons

The good ol' Thumper, a fan favorite classic from "Modern Warfare 2", finally made its triumphant return twelve years later in this game. The very same weapon, legendarily hailed as the "Noobtube", was back in full force as a secondary weapon. This is a break action grenade launcher guaranteeing a kill from full health if the grenade fired lands a direct impact against the target. It can also be used to quickly blow up cars or other vehicles enemies are hiding behind, letting it be the ultimate trump card during a gun fight.

In Zombies, the M79 is just a blast to use, figuratively and literally. It does essentially force the player to purchase PHD Slider before they can go too haywire with it, but once this is done, the player will have arguably the most fun weapon to try and high round with in the entire game. Sadly, because it is a little unwieldy, it may not be the best choice if the player wants to do an Easter Egg Main Quest. Killing a boss with this is quite difficult, especially one such as the time sensitive Legion boss fight on Outbreak.