Introduction
Cold War Zombies takes the classic undead survival experience to exhilarating new heights. Building upon the core gameplay that fans know and love, this iteration introduces a myriad of innovative features designed to enhance player abilities and offer a deeper level of strategic customization. Among these game-changing elements, the augment system stands out as a particularly crucial component, capable of turning the tide of battle and shaping diverse, personalized gameplay styles.
This article serves as your comprehensive guide to mastering augments in Black Ops Cold War Zombies. We’ll explore exactly what augments are, how they function, the various types you can find, effective strategies for utilizing them, and how they can unlock your true potential against the endless hordes. Consider this your roadmap to achieving zombie domination.
What Exactly Are Augments?
In the chaotic landscape of Cold War Zombies, augments represent temporary but powerful enhancements that drastically improve your character’s capabilities during a match. Think of them as customizable, in-game modifications that influence everything from your weapon handling to your defensive resilience and even your team’s overall effectiveness. Augments are not permanent upgrades; they exist only for the duration of the match, making strategic acquisition and usage all the more critical.
Unlike perks, which offer persistent benefits, augments provide a dynamic and evolving advantage throughout your zombie slaying adventure. Their temporary nature incentivizes continuous scavenging and adaptation, ensuring every match feels fresh and engaging.
The acquisition of augments is a central element of Cold War Zombies’ resource management and risk/reward cycle. You can secure these valuable enhancements through several different methods, each presenting its own unique challenges and opportunities:
- Salvage (High-Grade and Normal): Salvage forms the backbone of your crafting economy in Cold War Zombies. Both high-grade and normal salvage can be used at augment stations to construct these helpful items. Gathering salvage becomes a paramount concern as the rounds progress, making you decide between immediate upgrades and hoarding for future augment acquisitions.
- Loot Crates: Keep an eye out for loot crates scattered throughout the map. These crates offer a randomized assortment of resources, including salvage and sometimes, even pre-made augments. Opening them becomes a risk-reward decision: brave the zombie onslaught to potentially unearth a game-changing advantage.
- Trials Rewards: Trials are a fantastic way to test your skills and earn valuable rewards. Completing trials awards you with randomized items, these rewards have a chance of being an augment, if you are lucky.
Once you’ve gathered enough salvage or secured an augment through other means, you need to visit an augment station, these stations are easily found throughout the maps and will show you which augment you can acquire. At these stations, you can craft and equip your desired augment, but be sure you make the correct choice as your salvage can be easily depleted.
The Augment Variety: A Look at the Possibilities
The power of augments lies not only in their raw stat boosts but also in their specialized effects, allowing you to fine-tune your character to suit your preferred playstyle or adapt to the specific challenges of each round. The augment system offers a multitude of options, so let’s explore some of the key categories and examples:
Weapon Augments
These augments focus on enhancing your weapon performance, making you a more lethal force against the undead hordes.
- Deadshot: Increases damage dealt to enemy weak spots. Headshots become even more devastating, rewarding accuracy and tactical aiming.
- Muzzle Brake: Decreases vertical weapon recoil. Improves weapon stability and control, making it easier to stay on target during sustained fire.
- Extended Mags: Grants your weapons an extra magazine, and greatly increases your ammo capacity.
Armor Augments
Armor augments bolster your defenses and survivability, allowing you to withstand more punishment from the relentless zombies.
- Reinforced Plating: Increases armor durability. Makes your armor last longer before breaking, giving you more time to react and re-armor.
- Blast Dampeners: Reduces damage taken from explosions. Essential for dealing with explosive zombies or players relying on explosive weaponry.
- Emergency Repair: Triggers an automatic armor repair when health gets critical. Can save you from fatal situations.
Support Augments
Support augments enhance your ability to aid teammates, making you a valuable asset to the team.
- Quick Revive: Increases revive speed. Allows you to quickly get fallen teammates back into the fight.
- Healing Aura: Heals nearby teammates. Provides sustained healing to yourself and your allies, keeping you all alive.
- Ammo Box: Grants you an extra ammo box per augment.
Perk Augments
These augments will enhance the benefits of your perks, making your perks even more useful to your play style.
- Juggernog: Increases maximum health. Significantly increases survivability, making you much harder to kill.
- Speed Cola: Increase reload and weapon swap speed. Streamlines weapon management, allowing you to switch weapons and reload faster.
- Stamin-Up: Enhances movement and sprinting speed. Allows you to quickly navigate the map and evade zombies.
Ammo Mod Augments
These augments will increase the efficiency of your ammo mods, making them more deadly for the undead.
- Brain Rot: Chance to convert enemies to allies. Turns zombies to your side to fight for you.
- Cryofreeze: Slows enemies. Slows enemies around you making it easier to escape or gain the upper hand.
- Napalm Burst: Enemies will explode on contact.
Unlocking Synergies: Augment Strategies for Success
The true power of augments lies not just in their individual benefits but also in the synergistic combinations you can create. Building a character loadout that leverages the interplay between different augments can dramatically enhance your overall effectiveness.
Consider the combination of Blast Dampeners and Reinforced Plating, if you are a person who loves explosive weapons such as the RPG or Grenade Launcher. These augments will provide you with more armor and reduce the damage taken by explosions.
Your augment choices should also align with your chosen playstyle. If you prefer a supportive role, focus on support augments like Quick Revive and Healing Aura, while a damage dealer might prioritize weapon augments like Deadshot and Muzzle Brake.
Effective team coordination can also elevate your success. Designate team members to focus on specific roles and choose augments that complement each other. A dedicated support player can keep the team alive while the damage dealers focus on eliminating threats.
The Power of Tier: Unlocking Augment Potential
Each augment in Cold War Zombies has a tier system, each tier greatly enhances the performance of each augment. Upgrading the augment tier is necessary to maximize the augment.
The higher the tier of augment the more salvage it costs, so be sure to manage your salvage so you can acquire your augment tiers.
Tips and Tricks for Augment Mastery
Mastering the augment system requires strategic thinking and efficient resource management. Here are some tips to help you maximize your augment potential:
- Prioritize Wisely: Don’t blindly grab the first augment you see. Consider your current loadout, playstyle, and the challenges you’re facing. Some augments may be more useful in certain situations than others.
- Salvage Management: Salvage is a precious commodity. Don’t waste it on augments that don’t align with your goals. Focus on acquiring augments that have the greatest impact on your build.
- Trial Optimization: Master the trials, these can award you with free augments and other useful items.
- Team Communication: Coordinate with your teammates to ensure a balanced distribution of augment roles. Share salvage and prioritize augments that benefit the team as a whole.
Conclusion: Elevate Your Game with Augments
Augments are a game-changing mechanic that significantly enhances the Cold War Zombies experience. By understanding their function, exploring the diverse range of options, and mastering strategic combinations, you can unlock your true potential and dominate the undead hordes like never before.
Experiment with different augments, explore new strategies, and discover the synergies that best suit your playstyle. Master the art of augments, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a true zombie slaying champion in Black Ops Cold War. Now get out there, gather your salvage, and unleash the power of augments!
