Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warhas arrived, taking players back to the Cold War setting of the originalBlack Opsseries. As with all of the franchise’s titles, a lot of the hype surroundingCall of Duty: Black OpsCold Waris focused on its multiplayer mode. With a week to understand the new weapons, maps, and scorestreaks, players are already developing a strong meta.
One gun that’s become surprisingly popular is the AUG Tactical Rifle. Although it’s been featured in many previous titles, the AUG has rarely been hailed as atop-tier weapon inCall of Duty. However, inCold Warits combination of burst-fire damage, high precision, and solid DPS make it an excellent pick for almost any range. Combine this with the Gunfighter Wildcard, which allows players to use the full 8 Attachment categories, and the AUG becomes a top-tier killer.
RELATED:Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War: Best AUG Loadout
Optics
The AUG gets a fairly standard set of Optics for Tactical Rifles inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War,which gives players a lot of choice for how best to use the burst-rifle’s precision. The best picks to be effective at any range inCold War’smultiplayerare the Hawksmoor and the Millstop Reflex.
Muzzle
The AUG has six MuzzleAttachments available inCold War, all of which boost either Vertical Recoil Control, Muzzle Flash, Sound Suppression, or a combination of the three. The most powerful of these attachments have penalties too, usually to Movement Speed, Horizontal Recoil Control, or Bullet Velocity. Two of the most effective Muzzles are the Infantry Compensator and SOCOM Eliminator. Each of these heavily boosts Vertical Recoil Control, while the Eliminator also provides Sound and Flash Suppression.
Barrel
Of all theWeapon Attachments inCall of Duty, the Barrel is certainly one of the most important. The AUG has six Barrels to choose from, offering a wide range of unique bonuses and penalties. These go from the Anti-Vehicle 17.9" Cavalry Lancer to the close-quarters 18.2" Strike Team. The best picks include the 18" Rapid Fire, for a ridiculous DPS, and the 19.8" Task Force, for long-range engagements.
Body
The AUG has sixBody Attachments inCold War, all of which boost Hip-Fire Accuracy, Reveal Distance, or both. The penalties for picking up the larger bonuses are all about slowing things down, and include Sprint To Fire Time and Aim Down Sight Time. The Ember Sighting Point combines both bonuses with both penalties, for a powerful package overall. While the Tiger Team Spotlight gives the biggest bonus to Reveal Distance, though not while aiming down the sights.
Underbarrel
The Underbarrel Attachments for the AUG are mostly about speeding around inCall of Duty Black Ops: Cold War’s maps. Their bonuses range from Move/Sprinting-Move Speed to Melee Quickness and Horizontal Recoil Control. While the first four come without penalty, the Field Agent Foregrip and SFOD Speedgrip both lower another speed stat. Despite this, the Field Agent Foregrip remains one of the best picks, with its massive boost to Horizontal Recoil Control.
Magazine
If Barrels are often themost influentialCall of DutyAttachment, then Magazines run a close second. The AUG has six to choose from, with most offering serious bonuses without equivalent penalties. Overall however, the simplicity of the 45Rnd Drum is often the best choice, with its 50% boosts to Magazine Ammo Capacity, Ammo Capacity, and Max Starting Ammo.
Handle
There are six different Grips, Tapes and Wraps on offer for the AUG in the Handle Attachment section. Their bonuses include Aim Down Sight Speed, Aim While Going Prone, and Flinch Resistance. Those that have penalties reduce Shooting Move Speed and Sprint To Fire Time. On balance, the Airborne Elastic Wrap offers the biggest advantage for the AUG, with its massive boosts to Aim Down Sight Time and Flinch Resistance. These are countered with large penalties, but not crucial ones forthe bestCold WarTactical Rifle.
Stock
The six Stock Attachment options for the AUG offer a wide range of bonuses, mostly themed around movement and agility. The Duster Pad even offers a tiny 5% boost to Slide Speed, following a heftynerf inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Beta. Overall, the best picks for AUG Stock are those that boost Sprint To Fire Time. This can be the Marathon Stock, which boosts it 10% without penalties, or the CQB Pad, which boosts it 30% with a -15% Hip-Fire Accuracy debuff.
Overall, the AUG is in a great place in the currentCold Warmeta. When fully-outfitted with the Gunfighter Wildcard, it’s certainly one of the best choices in the Tactical Rifle category, and a good one among all Primary Weapons.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE:Call of Duty Zombies YouTuber Reaches Round 50 With Black Ops Cold War’s Worst Weapon
