Best weapons for CoD Black Ops Cold War Zombie mode, ranked

Maybe you’re a veteran Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War player who eats zombie hordes for breakfast, but maybe you’re a newcomer to the CoD world and haven’t yet gotten to grips with the very best weapons the game has to offer.

Regardless of which category you fall under, we’ve put together the go-to weapons on Cold Wars for taking on the zombie apocalypse.

Even if you aren’t an SMG fan or well-versed in the ways of the shotgun, there are countless melee weapons or launchers that might be more your speed. No matter how you play, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we have a weapon to suit every style.

The best weapons to take on Zombie mode in Black Ops Cold War

7. Streetsweeper

The Streetsweeper is a rapid-fire, high-capacity shotgun that many players will overlook due to its incredibly long reload speed.

However, despite taking a century to reload, the Streetsweeper can take on large hordes of zombies with a hefty pile of rounds. If you Pack-A-Punch the Streetsweeper, you’ll find yourself holding a whopping 38 rounds at one time.

You have to pick your poison a little with the Streetsweeper and decide if a long reload time is worth an extra few rounds, but depending on your play style, that could be exactly the tactic you thrive with.

6. AK74u

The AK74u is a returning weapon from previous Black Ops games even non-CoD players would be able to name. The regular AK47 is one of the most well-known gun models in real life, so it comes as no surprise CoD players would fawn over it. Some may overlook the AK47u because it deals less damage than others, but this SMG still deals a decent amount of damage while also allowing players to remain agile.

The ability to dodge quickly and create distance between oneself and the horde is an important method for surviving longer. Additionally, Pack-A-Punching this weapon will increase the damage further, thus making this lightweight gun even more useful for later rounds.

5. M79 Launcher

The severely underrated M79 Launcher is often unfavorably compared to others of its class and practically nobody used it in the early stages of Cold Wars Zombies. Originally, there was no PhD in Cold Wars, which meant utilizing this weapon dealt way more damage to yourself than it did the zombie hordes.

Once the PhD Flopper perk was added, the M79 no longer deals explosive damage to the player, making it more justified to use such a powerful gun.

Since the M79 is a special weapon and not just your standard launcher, it’s a must-have for dealing considerable damage. Even without Pack-A-Punch or Ring of Fire, the M79 can shoot multiple bullets in one shot—three bullets, to be exact. The only issue with the M79 is it consumes a lot of ammo, so you’ll find yourself spending a lot of time and money at crates.

4. M16

The beloved M16 does a lot of damage compared to most SMGs or ARs, but it also maintains good mobility compared to SMGs. The M16 is reliable all round to get you through each wave and see you through to the later rounds. For beginners or anyone looking to navigate the map more easily, the M16 can be an effective weapon to fend off zombies while also allowing you to jump around and get your bearings.

The M16 is incredibly steady when aiming, but with moderate levels of recoil, it can be tricky to land a headshot. If you’re farming for XP, it might not be a good gun to bring alone, but if you aren’t too concerned with the grind and want a more fun, easy-going experience, the M16 is an excellent starter weapon.

3. AMP63

When used by itself, the AMP63 isn’t all that good. However, when you choose to dual wield (a feature available for all pistols), the AMP63 becomes one of the best guns by a long shot. Not only does dual wield allow for greater mobility, but the use of multiple attachments can increase the AMP63’s accuracy for steady aiming rather than strictly hip fire.

It goes without saying that shooting twice as fast with dual wield equals double the firing rate, hence killing many, many more zombies than the average solo gun would. The AMP63 is also effective at killing mini-bosses without breaking much of a sweat. The only downside to the AMP63 is it must be levelled up to unlock its full potential, so if you have the patience to persevere, this is your kind of weapon.

2. The Sai

The only melee weapon on this list, the Sai (along with every other melee weapon, if we’re being honest) is notoriously overpowered.

Triple Pack-A-Punching the Sai gives you access to infinite damage—and they obviously never run out of ammo—so you can keep killing zombies endlessly. The Sai also allows you to move about quickly, so many streamers choose the Sai to complete speed runs.

The biggest drawback of the Sai comes from the restriction of close-range kills only. If you need (or want) to kill zombies from afar or rain bullets down on a mini-boss, the Sai isn’t great for long-range killing, and getting up close and personal with the hordes can get dangerous.

1. Gallo

All this brings us to the Gallo. The Gallo remains the best gun in all of Cold War, a fact that has held true since the game first came out. It outperforms most other weapons, delivers a lot of damage compared to most other shotguns, and it’s a lot more generous with consuming ammo.

The Gallo is easy to use as a semi-automatic and constantly spits bullets for a non-stop assault. It’s proven to be worthy against Zombie mini-bosses and it’s one of the first guns ever released, so everyone—including CoD newbies—has either levelled it up to its maximum potential or at the very least understands how it works.