Tips and Tricks for All Multiplayer Game Modes - Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Guide - IGN (2024)

This page is part of IGNs Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Wiki guide and details every Multiplayer game mode that is available to play, along with several tips and tricks to you get started in each mode.

For more information and tips on each game mode available in Black Ops Cold War, be sure to click the links below to be taken to that particular section.

• Fireteam: Dirty Bomb
• VIP Escort
• Combined Arms: Assault
• Combined Arms: Domination
• Team Deathmatch
• Domination
• Hardpoint

Looking for more? Don't forget to check out our helpful Beginner Loadouts, along with our detailed list of over 30 Multiplayer Tips and Tricks that will have you dominating the battlefield.

Fireteam: Dirty Bomb

Fireteam is described as a massive Multiplayer experience that features 10 teams of four players as they are dropped into some of Black Ops Cold War's largest maps.

During the Dirty Bomb game mode, teams will be required to collect and deposit uranium into "Dirty Bombs". These bombs will have the potential to wipe out entire parts of the map from play as they are exposed to radiation.

With Loadouts and Vehicles playing a major factor in the game mode, teams will need to eliminate their opponents and detonate bombs in order to win. Teams can earn points by eliminating enemies, depositing uranium, and detonating bombs, with the first team to the score limit receiving the victory.

Tips and Tricks for Fireteam: Dirty Bomb:

Get the advantage on your opponents with these tips from Matt Scronce, Lead Designer at Treyarch.

• Plan your attack during infil wisely. Dirty Bombs around the perimeter of the map will be less chaotic, but you’ll need to scavenge more for Uranium and other items since there will be fewer enemies to eliminate and scavenge from.

• Arming a Dirty Bomb for detonation only requires 1 teammate to plant the charge, but the time to arm the bomb will be reduced with each teammate that is nearby. Any player helping arm the bomb will see a progress bar on their Heads Up Display with a count of how many teammates are helping arm that bomb. Huddle up and protect the player arming the bomb to ensure your Fireteam gains the detonation score that you fought for.

• Detonated Dirty Bombs will trigger expanding radiation zones. While these won’t immediately kill players, they will cause players to become radiation sick. Radiation Sickness has 3 levels:

• • Weakness which disables all of your Perks

• • Fatigue which will reduce the effectiveness of your health regeneration

• • Internal Bleeding that will cause damage over time eventually leading to your death

• Throughout the match, there will be several sets of Dirty Bombs revealed. Once the first set of bombs have been detonated and taken offline, there will be a short period of time before a completely new set of bomb come online. Use the time between sets to pick your next target and scavenge for Uranium, Armor Plates, Scorestreaks and more.

• Your Loadout is key to success. If you plan on playing the objective and being the one to arm the bombs, you’ll want to drop in with Perks like Flak Jacket or a Trophy System Field Upgrade to survive incoming explosives. More savvy teams will assign roles, with some teammates working on intelligence gathering with Cold War gadgetry like the Field Mic Field Upgrade to watch out for nearby enemies while other teammates may focus on taking out vehicles with Perks like Engineer and Cold-Blooded and Weapons like the Cigma 2 Launcher.

VIP Escort

VIP Escort is one of Cold War's newest multiplayer modes, which sees one random player from the Escorting side become the designated VIP each round. The VIP team will lose should the VIP be eliminated or the two-and-a-half minute timer reaches zero.

If the opposing team is unable to stop the escorting team from reaching one of the two Excavation sites or are simply wiped out, they will lose the round, awarding the other team a point.

With up to six players on each team, you'll want to avoid dying as the game mode prohibits respawns, with the only exception being made to the VIP who will instead be downed.

Tips and Tricks for VIP Escort:

• If you happen to be selected as VIP, it's vital that you stick with your team as running off can result in some rather disappointing results.
• VIP's should always remain at the back of their team and when possible be sure to voice your strategy.
• Equip with only a pistol, two smoke grenades, two frags, a Field Mic and a Spy Plane, you will want to avoid engaging with combat as much as possible.
• VIP's should utilize their Smoke Grenades, Field Mic and Frags as much as possible when their team is being targeted while traversing the map. You would be surprised at how a simple cloud of smoke could be all that you need to reach the extraction point.
• With two potential extraction points, try throwing grenades or drawing attention to a particular point as you make your way to the opposite site. This is just one creative way to draw your opponents attention, missing leading them as they head towards the commotion indicated on their radars.

Combined Arms: Assault

Supporting teams of up to 12v12, Combined Arms: Assault will see two teams tasked with capturing every objective on the map. With a neutral starting point in the middle of the map, the first team that captures the objective will activate a new objective zone closer to the enemies base - essentially acting as a game of tug-a-war.

As each team gets kills and captures zones, they will build momentum. This can be used to reduce the amount of time needed to capture the next zone.

Should your game reach overtime, the first team to capture the neutral zone will win.

Tips and Tricks for Combined Arms: Assault

• Combined Arms: Assault is all about team work and sticking together. Leaving teammates behind will only place you at a disadvantage, as the game mode utilizes a unique set of majority rules when both teams are inside of a capture area.
• Should your team have the advantage in numbers while inside of a capture zone, you'll actually end up capturing it a slower rate.
• An Assault Zone can only be contested when there are an equal number of players from each team inside the zone.
• Grenades will be your best weapon during the mode, as they'll be handy for clearing zones that are packed with enemy opponents.
• Don't go rushing in to Assault Zones, instead have several of your teammates wait just outside of the populated zones, ready to flank your opponents when needed.

Combined Arms: Domination

Combined Arms: Domination is essentially a larger scale take on the classic Domination game mode. Instead of just three potential capture zones, you'll potentially have to secure several more depending on the map.

With team sizes increasing to 12v12, you'll now have access to vehicles that range from Tanks, Snowmobiles, Wakerunners, and Gunboats.

Featuring no half-time, the first team to reach 400 points will win the match.

Tips and Tricks for Combined Arms: Domination:

• Team strategy is key in these larger scale Domination matches as you'll want to work with your team to secure areas in numbers. Being able to outmatch and outnumber your opponents will make securing these objective zones significantly easier than working as a solo player.
• With even more areas the capture, you may just find it easier to focus on primarily on defending a group of zones that are easier to manage.
• Running across the battlefield towards your enemies spawn location to simply secure areas could set you at a large disadvantage and cause you to lose your secured areas.
• Remember, Domination isn't Team Deathmatch, so be sure to stick to your objectives and avoid killing your opponents to simply rack up your kill count.
• With larger maps in play, keep a close eye on your surroundings, as you'll be surprised at just how often your opponents can sneak up on you.

Team Deathmatch

Team Deathmatch sees two teams go head to head in the classic elimination-based mode. With team sizes ranging from 6v6 and 12v12, games will be limited to just 10 minutes.

Don't be too surprised though if the match ends early, as the first team that reaches the set target of kills will automatically win the game.

Unlike VIP Escort, players will have unlimited respawns throughout the match.

Tips and Tricks for Team Death Match:

• As obvious as it may be, don't go in guns blazing as you'll want to try to keep your deaths to a minimum. While racking up kills may be nice, there's no worse feeling than seeing your death count surpass your actual kill count by the end of the match.
• Team Deathmatch is all about utilizing your map knowledge, as the more you learn about the map the easier it will be to predict player paths, popular routes, and finding sneaky locations to catch your opponents off guard.
• Play smart and try to avoid running through the middle of the map. Instead, stick to the outskirts and pick off your opponents as they cross your path as they head towards the action in the center.

Domination

Domination is essentially a more simplified version of its Combined Arms variation as the mode sees two teams of 6v6 go head to head as they attempt to control three different locations that are marked as A, B, and C on the map.

Teams can capture these objective zones by standing inside them for a short period of time. Each time an area is captured, your team will earn one point every few seconds, which is then multiplied by the amount of objective zones that your team currently have captured.

Halftime will occur once a team reaches 100 points, which will see the two teams switch sides.

Tips and Tricks for Domination:

• Team work is key in Domination! You'll want to stick together as you attempt to take control of the three different zones.
• The more team members that you have inside the each capture zone, the fast you will capture it.
• If an enemy is taking a Domination zone, you may want to risk rushing into the area, as Domination zones can be contested. This means that if one player from each team is inside the zone, the area can not be captured until only one team remains.
• Capturing all three zones, especially the one found closest to your enemy, can often lead to a spawn change. So keep this in mind when rushing to secure the different zones.

Hardpoint

Similar to Domination, Hardpoint is yet another classic Call of Duty game mode that sees two teams of 6v6 go head to head for a rotating objective area known as the Hardpoint.

Lasting for 5 minutes, player will gain points for the amount of time they they control the Hardpoint. These objective zones will rotate every minute, keeping players constantly on the move.

Teams can win a match by either reaching 250 points first or having the highest point total after the 5 minute timer is up.

Tips and Tricks for Hardpoint:

• Unlike other game modes, it will only take one player in order to capture the area and start earning points. So, consider having your team position nearby, waiting to flank the enemy as they near the Hardpoint objective.
• Do note, teams can not earn points while the area is contested, so be sure to clear your opponents as quickly as possible.
• Don't go waiting or running towards zones that are low on time. Instead, start preparing for your next move.
• Over time, you'll start to learn where each new Hardpoint will move to. Learning the rotation will put your team at a massive advantage.