Guns in Call of Duty games are such an opinion-based thing. Some people swear by specific weapons, while others switch every other game. The amount of attachments, customizables, and challenges each gun has is staggering in all these games, and Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War is no different. 

RELATED: Call Of Duty Warzone: 5 Guns That Have Been Overpowered (& 5 That Are Well Balanced)

Though, the guns in this feel more similar to each other than in other games. And, what’s good in Multiplayer isn’t necessarily good in the Zombies mode, since players can now bring their loadouts into Zombies. So, let’s go over some of the weapons people might not expect to carry them in the Die Maschine map or the upcoming Firebase Z map.

The D.I.E Machine and Ray Gun: The Most Obvious Inclusions

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: Looking At The D.I.E Machine Skeleton With The Ray Gun

Obviously, the Wunder Weapons have to come first. It’s such a given that these weapons would be first, as they usually are in CoD games. The Ray Gun is as strong as it’s always been, especially when P.A.P'ed into Porter's X2 Ray Gun. The D.I.E Machine, on the other hand, is new to the franchise and is part of the incredibly long "Seal the Deal" sidequest. But, which of its five Elements is the strongest? Let's go from best to worst:

  • Shockwave: Default Element and oddly enough the strongest. Has no trigger delay, unlike every other Element, so it's also the most dependable. Has a low clip size and effective range, but makes up for it in raw damage. 
  • Electrobolt: The best non-default Element, at least as far as the player base is concerned. This variation takes the form of a beam that melts zombie HP at an astonishing rate.
  • Cyro-Emitter: Up at third is the steady beam of Cryo energy that slows zombies and freezes them in place, the Cryo-Emitter. While its immediate damage isn’t amazing like the Electrobolt, the crowd control it offers is pretty useful.
  • Thermoplasmic: The last of all the Elements and probably the most polarizing. It launches a projectile similar to Shockwave’s that goes much farther with a narrower hitbox. Sadly, it takes almost a full second from trigger-pull to discharge which can be pretty annoying.
  • Nova-5: The Brain Rot Element is sadly the worst. This Capsule turns the D.I.E Machine into a pseudo-grenade Launcher, that leaves a deadly cloud of Brain Rot behind. Problem is, the immediate damage and the range of every other Element outclasses the Nova-5 in every way. 

Gallo SA12: The "H-NGM-N" Is Unabashedly Overpowered

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: Leveling Up The Gallo SA12 In Zombies

The Gallo SA12 is this game's version of the Spaz 12 and it’s just so obviously strong! And, players can buy the Rare version of this gun, with four attachments, off-the-wall in Crash Site.

Once the Task Force barrel is unlocked and equipped, this gun almost doubles its damage output. And, the H-NGM-N is everything great about the Gallo, but automatic.  

Pros:

  • Amazing hip-fire weapon.
  • Becomes fully-automatic when Pack-A-Punched.
  • Has insane damage by default, only gets better with Task Force Barrel.
  • Amazing clip size for a Shotgun when Pack-A-Punched.

Cons:

  • Relatively low Effective Range.
  • Slow Fire-Rate.
  • Low clip size compared to other weapon types.
  • Requires a lot of reloading.

Hauer 77: The Powerhouse and Boss-Slayer, The "Orion 777"

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: Getting The Hauer 77 From The Coffin Dance Easter Egg

The Hauer 77 is the weapon anyone who isn’t using the Gallo ends up using. It’s another Shotgun, but this one trades out clip capacity and slight range in exchange for pure damage. It’s by far our favorite gun to use in Zombies and does better when Pack-A-Punched against Megatrons than even the Ray Gun does in most circumstances. Frankly, with the right attachments, this regular gun feels like a sneak Wunder Weapon in disguise.

Pros:

  • Awe-inspiring damage output.
  • Fantastic at dispatching Megatons.
  • Another great hip-fire weapon.
  • Respectable clip size after it becomes Orion 777.

Cons:

  • Low clip size compared to other weapon types.
  • Slow rate-of-fire.
  • Doesn't "mow down" hordes as other guns do.
  • Low effective range.

Stoner 63: An Endless Rain Of Bullets, The "Psychotropic Thunder"

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: Reloading The Psychotropic Thunder

Much like the Spaz 12, the Stoner 63 is another Black Ops classic returning in Cold War. But, unlike the two Shotguns above, this LMG needs players to ADS (aim-down-sight) pretty often to bring out its full potential. And, in Zombies, where standing still is insanely risky, relying on the slow startup of an LMG might seem like bad news.

Luckily, there are fire-rate and ADS attachments for this gun that sort of alleviate that problem. And, the Vandal Speed Loader also helps out with the long reload animation as well. 

Pros:

  • High damage-per-round.
  • Insane clip size.
  • Admirable fire-rate.
  • Attachments resolve most issues.

Cons:

  • Long reload time.
  • Slow ADS animation.
  • Low mobility.
  • Needs a bit of startup.

M16: The Old Faithful Of Zombie Weapons, The "Skullsplitter"

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: Frank Woods Holding The M16

The first burst-fire weapon on this list, the M16 is a real beast burst-fire Tactical Rifle for those with good aim. It goes from a three-round to a six-round burst after becoming the Skullsplitter and its headshot damage is no joke. Much like the Gallo, players can take advantage of grabbing this weapon off the wall at Pond rather than Crash Site. The M16 is a CoD classic that really surprised players in Zombies with its damage and versatility. 

Pros:

  • Powerful headshot damage.
  • Low recoil overall.
  • Lightning-fast reload.
  • Actually changes after being Pack-A-Punched, unlike most other guns.

Cons:

  • Burst Fire can get annoying.
  • Almost requires ADS and headshots in higher Rounds.
  • Mediocre mobility
  • Best at long-range

Combat Knife and Wakazashi: Otherwise Known As "Closing Argument" and "Yamikirimaru"

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: Portnova In A Motorcycle Outfit Using The Wakizashi

Melee is unequivocally the way to go in the early rounds of Zombies, especially while leveling up. Sure, players can add the Combat Knife to all their guns after upgrading the Melee Weapon Class to the max, but that doesn’t unlock until level 50. But, their single-target emphasis and locked-in kill animation can be pretty risky in her rounds.

For those wondering where the Sledgehammer falls, it's sadly much weaker in comparison to both knives, as its animation takes twice as long for the same effect. 

Pros:

  • Insane speed-per-kill.
  • Useful Un-Pack-A-Punched and still considerably useful after upgrading.
  • Great for generating Essence.
  • Amazing mobility.

Cons:

  • That forced kill animation.
  • Can only focus on one Zombie at a time.
  • Lets Zombies easily swarm players.
  • Falls off pretty heavily in the latter Rounds.

AK74U: An "AK-74NOFU" Right Off The Wall

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: AK-74U In The Inspect View

Yet another wall weapon as well as the first SMG on this list. The AK47U is basically the baby AK47, but without cutting much power. The best part is, this is buyable as a Rare weapon off the wall like the Gallo is. Quite frankly, between this and the Milano, it's really up to the player, but Pack-A-Punched the AK-47NOFU feels much better to use. 

Pros:

  • Light-Speed reload animation.
  • SMG means high mobility.
  • Good rate-of-fire.
  • Large increase overall after being Pack-A-Punched.

Cons:

  • Damage-per-round isn't great.
  • Pretty dependant on Weapon rarity and attachments for damage.
  • Not Huge Effective Range.
  • Loses out to the Milano in a lot of ways.

Bullfrog: An SMG Disguised As An LMG, The "High Anxiety"

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: Reloading The Bullfrog In-Game

Going from one SMG to another, the Bullfrog is really only an SMG in name, especially when Pack-A-Punched. After it turns into the High Anxiety, this thing has a 165-round magazine! But, unlike LMGs, the reload animation for the Bullfrog is amazingly short, like, one of the shortest animations in the game. Plus, while its rate-of-fire is low compared to other SMGs, the damage each bullet inflicts is comparable to an Assault Rifle.

Pros:

  • High ammo count and damage-per-round
  • Great mobility
  • Quick reload
  • Admirable effective range for an SMG

Cons:

  • Noticeable recoil.
  • Needs 43 levels to unlock.
  • Slow bullet velocity and fire-rate.
  • Not great for hip-firing.

XM4: The "Xeno Matter 4000" That's Dependable In Every Way

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War: Holding Up The XM4 In-Game

The XM4 is a perfect little middle ground between an Assault Rifle's moderate clip size, a Tactical Rifle's damage-per-round, & an SMG's fire-rate. It doesn’t excel in any of these categories, but it is respectable in all of them & that adds up to a pretty great Zombies weapon.

Pros:

  • Unlocks at Level 4.
  • Barely any recoil at all.
  • Solid in all categories.
  • Dependable & versatile.

Cons:

  • Needs attachments & upgrades to show its true colors.
  • Low mobility.
  • Solid in everything, but also doesn't excel in anything.
  • Much better options after leveling up to 50+.

QBZ: The AR For Close Range, Better Known As The "Yaoguai"

A player aiming a QZB at another player in Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

And finally, there’s the QBZ, the middle-road brother of the XM4. While its effective range and ammo count is lower than the XM4's, its rate-of-fire & damage-per-round turns it into a laserbeam of sorts as the Yaoguai. Luckily, undead stay relatively close to the player at all times, so it's mediocre accuracy/effective range isn't too noticeable. All-in-all, just a very good mid-range Assault Rifle that's equally as dependable as the XM4.

Pros:

  • Great for laying into giant groups.
  • Good rate-of-fire.
  • Decent at just about everything.
  • Big upgrade after Pack-A-Punching.

Cons:

  • Needs attachments & rarity upgrades to show its usefulness.
  • An Assault Rifle that's best at mid-range is an oddity.
  • Should be a wall buy.
  • A bit forgettable compared to other weapons.

Next: Black Ops Cold War Zombies: 5 Boss Zombies That Need To Return (And 5 That Don't)