Best Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War class: six of the strongest classes

Start strong with the best Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War loadouts for multiplayer

Best Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War class

Looking for the best Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War class or loadout? It may be Treyarch’s time at the helm of the FPS series, but the create-a-class system for Cold War is pretty similar to what we experienced in Modern Warfare, so you’ll still be agonising over attachments via the Gunsmith system, picking between three perk slots, and using Field Upgrades to give you the occasional boost.

So, what’s changed? Well, killstreaks are no more, replaced by scorestreaks. Also, we can now choose between a variety of Call of Duty Cold War Wildcards that shake up the rigid class structure, allowing you to break the rules by mixing up perks, carrying extra utility, and equipping up to eight attachments on a single weapon – that last one is going to have a huge impact on which are the best Call of Duty Cold War guns.

If you’re eager to dive into the multiplayer of Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War then you’ll want to make sure you’re leveling up fast, and to do that you’ll want the best Cold War class and loadout.

The best Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War class and loadouts

Here are our picks for the best Call of Duty Cold War class:

  • XM4
  • AK 47
  • Pellington 703
  • Milano 821
  • Stoner 63
  • MP5

XM4

XM4

  • Quickdot LED
  • Agency Suppressor
  • Field Agent Grip
  • Airborne Elastic Wrap
  • Buffer Tube

Gallo SA12

  • Duckbill Choke
  • 21.6″ Reinforced Heavy
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • STANAG 12 Rd Tube
  • No Stock

Tactical: Stimshot
Lethal: Molotov
Field Upgrade: Field Mic

Perk 1: Flak Jacket
Perk 2: Scavenger
Perk 3: Gung-Ho

Wildcard: Danger Close

This setup is all about ease of use, low recoil, and capitalising on those headshot multipliers. It’s a simple class setup, too, so no drastic Wildcards or anything like that to factor in. Play smart, hit your shots, and win.

You’ll find the XM4 is built for low recoil first, but also has high bullet velocity making it strong over longer distances. It’s mobility isn’t too shabby either thanks to the Buffer Tube and its suppressed thanks to the Agency Suppressor. The Airborne Elastic Wrap will also keep aim punch away, which can win you a surprising amount of 1v1 fights.

Same same but different: Our best Cold War M16 loadout

This particular Gallo SA12 setup is our favourite and is one of the best solutions to finding yourself in a tricky situation. It fires very quickly, deals damage with ease thanks to a wide pellet spread, and can be equipped quickly because of the Gung-Ho perk. The other two perks, Flak Jacket and Scavenger, are designed to keep you in the fight longer – plenty of ammo and no dying to randomly thrown grenades. There’s no trick to using this class, and really that is the trick to this class setup.

Check out our in-depth best Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War XM4 loadout here.

Best Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War class

AK 47

AK 47

  • Millstop Reflex
  • Muzzle Brake 7.62
  • 18.2″ Takedown
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • Infiltrator Grip
  • 40 Rnd Speed Mag
  • Spetsnaz Field Grip
  • Tactical Stock

Hauer 77

  • Duckbill Choke
  • 21.6″ Reinforced Heavy
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • STANAG 8 Rnd Tube
  • Shotgun Stock

Tactical: Stimshot
Lethal: Molotov
Field Upgrade: Field Mic

Perk 1: Flak Jacket
Perk 2: Scavenger
Perk 3: Ghost

Wildcard: Gunfighter

Another assault rifle class designed to mitigate recoil, this best Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War class tames the notoriously volatile AK 47 so you can make the most out of its high DPS. The attachments we’ve chosen will extend its damage range, make landing long-range shots easier, and help out with mobility a little, too.

We’ve opted for the Hauer 77 for the secondary, and a build that’s all about doing all of your damage with one blast and not really having to aim in the process. If you need to panic-swap to your secondary then this shotgun is capable of finishing the job.

Finally, in terms of perks we’ve chosen Ghost over Gung-Ho as this class works best when you’re a little further away from the action, and you don’t want someone flanking you based off a Spy Plane. Flak Jacket save you from getting instantly and unceremoniously taken out by a rocket or nade, and Scavenger will feed you more and more ammo as you slay through the scorestreaks. You’ll need Gunfighter to get the eight attachments for the AK 47, but the Field Upgrade is largely up to you.

Pellington 703

Pellington 703

  • Sound Moderator
  • Tiger Team Spotlight
  • Bipod
  • 7 Rnd
  • Airborne Elastic Wrap

1911

  • Muzzle Brake .45 ACP
  • 5.63″ Takedown
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • 12 Rnd
  • Airborne Elastic Wrap

Tactical: Stimshot
Lethal: Molotov
Field Upgrade: Field Mic

Perk 1: Flak Jacket, Tactical Mask
Perk 2: Scavenger, Tracker
Perk 3: Gung-Ho, Ninja

Wildcard: Perk Greed

If you’re a quickscoper then this is the best Call of Duty Cold War class for you. The Pellington 703 is only a one-shot kill to the upper torso or head, but its aim down sight and rechambering speed is unmatched in the sniper rifle category, lending it a silky smooth feel when it comes to quickly popping heads from distance. The setup keeps your sniper very mobile, adds some velocity and damage, and buffs your reload speed for good measure.

The 1911 will serve as a steady backup that can dish out some finishing damage in a pinch, and Gung-Ho will guarantee you can swap to it in a blink of an eye. The Law Breaker Wildcard provides you with the ability to equip both Flak Jacket and Tactical Mask, so you’ll never get stunned too hard or blown up by a random grenade.

Check out our in-depth best Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War Pellington 703 loadout here.

Best Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War class

Milano 821

Milano 821

  • Agency Suppressor
  • 10.1″ Reinforced Heavy
  • Field Agent Grip
  • Fast Mag
  • Airborne Elastic Wrap

1911

  • Muzzle Brake .45 ACP
  • 5.63″ Takedown
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • 12 Rnd
  • Airborne Elastic Wrap

Tactical: Stimshot
Lethal: Molotov
Field Upgrade: Field Mic

Perk 1: Flak Jacket, Tactical Mask
Perk 2: Scavenger, Tracker
Perk 3: Ghost, Ninja

Wildcard: Perk Greed

The Milano 821 SMG is so good it’s already been nerfed once in Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War’s pre-release life. High damage and muzzle velocity trump a slightly slower rate of fire, making the Milano 821 a great ‘pocket assault rifle’. This attachment setup buffs the Milano 821’s base stats, with better range, muzzle velocity, reload speed, recoil control, aim down sight speed, and flinch resistance.

We’ve paired it with our favourite 1911 setup for a quick weapon swap. The 1911 packs a punch and is highly mobile, making it great for chasing down wounded opponents. The Stimshot will keep boosting you up between kills, while the Molotov can lock off flanking routes or buy you valuable seconds for a reload.

Finally, we’ve opted for the Perk Greed Wildcard in order to give you the best survivability and stealth for going on killstreaks. Tracker helps snuff out any foes who might be camping in corners, Scavenger keeps your ammo count topped up, Tactical Mask and Flak Jacket will stop the worst effects of explosives and flash grenades, and Ghost and Ninja will make your footsteps quieter and keep you off Spy Plane radars. This is a simple, but effective SMG class for players who like to run ‘n’ gun their way around the map.

Stoner 63

Stoner 63

  • Kobra Red Dot
  • Agency Suppressor
  • 20.7″ Match Grade
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • Infiltrator Grip
  • Tactical Stock
  • Fast Mag
  • Field Tape
  • SAS Combat Stock

Gallo SA12

  • Duckbill Choke
  • 21.6″ Reinforced Heavy
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • STANAG 12 Rd Tube
  • No Stock

Tactical: Stimshot
Lethal: C4
Field Upgrade: Field Mic

Perk 1: Flak Jacket
Perk 2: Scavenger
Perk 3: Ghost

Wildcard: Gunfighter

LMGs aren’t particularly meta in Call of Duty, but the pinpoint accuracy and fast rate of fire of the Stoner 63 make it easy to use and effective in most situations. We’ve opted for the Gunfighter Wildcard to max this LMG out, allowing us to buff its effective damage range, mobility, muzzle velocity, hipfire accuracy, flinch resistance, suppress it, and help with vertical recoil control.

This really does feel like a laser beam over mid-range, which is why we’ve paired it with the best Gallo SA12 setup so you can confidently clear out rooms up close, where the Stoner 63 can struggle.

The best way to play this class is posted up somewhere relatively far from the action, overlooking busy lanes, so Stimshot will allow you to recover faster and C4 can be used to halt rushes or clear out a path ahead. As for perks, Flak Jacket will keep you from being insta-killed by an enemy rocket or grenade, Scavenger gives you a chance to pick up more ammo to keep a streak going, and Ghost will keep Spy Planes from revealing your location.

Best Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War class

MP5

MP5

  • Sound Suppressor
  • 10.1″ Cavalry Lancer
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • Foregrip
  • 40 Rnd Drum
  • Speed Tape
  • Collapsed Stock

Hauer 77

  • Duckbill Choke
  • 21.6″ Reinforced Heavy
  • Steady Aim Laser
  • STANAG 8 Rnd Tube
  • Shotgun Stock

Tactical: Stimshot
Lethal: C4
Field Upgrade: Field Mic

Perk 1: Flak Jacket
Perk 2: Scavenger
Perk 3: Ninja

Wildcard: Gunfighter

If you’re familiar with Call of Duty then you’ll know the MP5 is always one of the strongest guns in the game. Black Ops Cold War is no different: this thing is accurate, has decent range for its class, deals high damage per shot, and rattles off rounds at a very high rate of fire. This our best Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War MP5 loadout improves as many of the SMG’s traits as possible, giving the best option possible when going into a close-quarters 1v1.

We’ve opted for the Hauer 77 shotgun as a backup thanks to its absurd damage and range for a shotgun, ensuring you can keep the pressure on if you run out of ammo or can’t fit in a reload. C4 will give you a great introduction to any fight, while Stimshot will aid your recovery between duels. Finally, we’ve opted for Flak Jacket , Scavenger, and Ninja to grant you as much survivability as possible.

And that’s your lot. We’ve done thorough breakdowns of the best Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War perks, a look at the Cold War Zombies mode, and some of the Black Ops Cold War maps we’ll be fighting on. For our full verdict on the game, see our Call of Duty Black Ops – Cold War review.