Perks have been a staple ofCall of Duty’s Zombies modes since Verruckt introduced the iconic Perk-a-Colas inCall of Duty: World at War.Black Ops 6 is no different.
However, what is different isthe introduction of augments. You can choose 1 of 3 major augments and 1 of 3 minor augments for every perk, with each augment giving the perks new abilities.
The lineup of available perks is also slightly different this time, with some perks becoming augments, some perks missing entirely, and a new addition.
Together, this means your go-to lineup of 4 perks might not be the same as in other Call of Duty titles.
8Melee Macchiato
They Punch Back
Increases melee damage
Requirement To Unlock Augments
Research 9 total augments
The newest perk is, unfortunately, the weakest by far. Melee kills no longer give bonus points, so there’s not much of a reason to melee outside the rare situations where you’re out of ammo or in the middle of a long reload, or if you findsmacking zombies with a baseball bat really fun.
However, this perk will only take out one zombie at a time. It’s also the furthest perk from where you start in both Liberty Falls and Terminus, meaning it’s pretty useless by the time you get to it.
With the Triple Shot major augment, you can take out up to three zombies with one punch, making it a bit more useful, but it still becomes obsolete by round 15.
There’s also the Vampiric Extraction major augment, which heals a small portion of your health on melee attack, and Hidden Impact minor augment, which reloads a small portion of your gun’s ammo. Both of these augments give the perk a bit more utility but fall flat in practice.
7Quick Revive
This Perk Needs A Revive
Increases the speed of reviving and health regeneration
Research 3 total augments
This classic perk has lost its way. With craftable self-revives, Quick Revive isn’t as useful anymore. The quicker health regeneration keeps it from being useless when playing solo, but it’s barely noticeable.
It’s great if you’re playing with inexperienced players who keep going down, but otherwise, you’re better off betting on not going down.
The EMT major augment, which allows allies you revive to keep all of their perks, would be game-changing if it was in older Call of Duty games. However, in Black Ops 6, you will often only use one perk when going down, so it’s not nearly as useful.
The Equivalent Exchange major augment allows you to revive yourself up to 3 times by killing a zombie when down is only useful if you happen to have the Ray Gun or a Pack-a-Punched pistol, as killing zombies with the 9mm PM you normally go down with becomes impossible after a while.
The Dying Wish major augment, named after the perk fromCall of Duty: Black Ops 4, sacrifices the perk to make you immune to damage when receiving fatal damage for two seconds.
This can be super useful, but not when it’s at the expense of other, often more useful perks.
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6PhD Flopper
A Bit Of A Flop
Grants immunity to self-inflicted explosive damage, and diving creates an explosion
Research 15 total augments
This perk can cause more problems than benefits. In past games, the explosion could be great for clearing hordes of zombies. However, in Black Ops 6, the zombies can and will hit you multiple times as you soar through the air. This makes diving near zombies very risky, and often not worth it.
The main reason you would want this perk is the immunity to self-inflicted explosive damage, which takes away the risk of rocket launchers, the Ray Gun, and the Pack-a-Punched GS45.
It does have some useful augments, such as the Dr. Ram major augment that allows you to knock down zombies with tactical sprint.
There’s also the PhD Slider major augment, named after past iterations of this perk, which allows you to trigger explosions by sliding into enemies. Both of these augments make the perk a bit more practical and can save you when cornered.
5Deadshot Daiquiri
Boom, Headshot!
Increases critical hit damage, and ADS locks onto heads
Research 18 total augments
Deadshot Daiquiri can be very strong, especially if you’re going for camo challenges. It increases critical damage, crucial for clearing large waves of enemies with anything that isn’t a wonder weapon or explosive.
Most of the augments further increase critical damage, which is great, but there are other strong options as well.
The Dead Again major augment also gives you a chance to add a bullet to your magazine on each headshot which can greatly extend your time mowing down zombies before you have to reload.
Then there’s the Dead Break minor augment that increases damage to armor pieces, which is great when fighting armored zombies and Manglers, which you will often be doing.
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4Speed Cola
Don’t Get Caught With Your Plates Down
Increases reload and armor replating speeds
Research 12 total augments
Speed Cola is nearly a necessity with certain guns as it increases the speed of reload animations. Weapons like rocket launchers and many SMGs must be reloaded frequently, and LMGs can take a long time.
You also replate armor faster with it, which is a nice bonus.
Most augments for Speed Cola are a bit lackluster compared to other perks' augments. The Classic Formula major augment further increases reload speed, and the Supercharged major augment recharges field upgrades quicker, both of which are moderately useful.
However, the Phantom Reload major augment is very strong. It refills magazines over time. The fastest possible reload is when bullets magically appear in the magazine.
3Stamin-Up
Outrun Death
Increases movement speed
No requirements
Zombies move fast in this game, and Stamin-Up lets you move faster. Being able to quickly run through small, quickly closing gaps between the zombies will save you in tough situations.
Most of the augments aren’t particularly strong, but there are two to take note of.
Hard Target, a minor augment, reduces projectile damage when tactical sprinting. With Manglers and Parasites constantly shooting at you on Terminus, this can come in handy.
Stalker, a major augment named after the multiplayer perk from the original Modern Warfare 3, increases your movement speed when aiming. This augment is extremely useful for backpedaling as you clear out a line of zombies coming at you. Remember, the primary goal is to not get hit.
2Elemental Pop
It’s Every Flavor
Gives attacks a chance to trigger an ammo mod’s effect
Research 21 total augments
With augments, elemental effects are stronger than ever. A single trigger of Dead Wire can wipe out a large crowd, while Shadow Rift has a chance to one-hit Manglers, and even Abominations and Amalgams with augments.
As for augments for the perk itself, the Imperil Peach major augment creates a chance for enemies to trigger an elemental effect when hitting you, which can save you when cornered.
Perhaps even more useful is the Electric Cherry major augment, named after the classic Zombies perk introduced in Mob of the Dead inCall of Duty: Black Ops II, which creates an electric discharge that stuns zombies when reloading. That’s a strong perk on its own, so you’re getting two-in-one with this perk.
1Jugger-Nog
The Series Juggernaut
Increases health
Research 6 total augments
The classic, Jugger-Nog has been a priority in every Call of Duty Zombies mode, and for good reason. Increased health is simply incredibly strong.
The augments, unsurprisingly, make it even stronger.
Turtle Shell, a major augment, makes you immune to damage from behind, much like riot shields when unequipped in previous Zombies modes.Riot Shields aren’t in Black Ops 6 at all, so this takes its place for Zombies.
There are also the Hardened Plates and Durable Plates minor augments to buff armor, Reactive Armor major augment that stuns enemies when an armor plate breaks, Probiotic major augment, which further increases health, and Retaliation minor augment, which increases your damage when your health is low.
All of these are extremely strong, making Jugger-Nog a must-have.
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