Summary
Returning fromCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris the Loadout system, which allows players to load into their nextCall of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombiesgame with a few of their preferred weapons. This gives players not only the ability to level up their favorite guns with cross-progression but also use attachments to push the strongest weapons in the game to their fullest potential.
On top of this, players can also bring in their preferred Lethal and Tactical equipment, which have vastly different uses and are potent enough to undo run-ending mistakes if deployed correctly. This list will detail the best weapons players can drop in with, as well as detail what each weapon brings to the table over others.
Updated by Nathan Halsey on July 19, 2025: The second season of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched a bit ago and is longer than the first one due to delays. The season added nine total weapons, including four ranged and five melee weapons, as well as many events. From Terminator to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is continuing the trend of licensed property events that started in Season 1 with the Squid Games event. There have also been additions in the form of both Multiplayer and Zombies perks, as well as scorestreaks that can be used in both modes. As a result, this article was updated with these additions as well as any balance changes, including the addition of the AMR Mod 4 as one of the best weapons to start with in Black Ops 6 Zombies.
9Tanto .22
Best of the Submachine Guns
The Tanto .22 punches way above its weight, pushing much further than many of the other submachine guns in terms of power. This is due to the fact that its damage is competitive against many assault rifles while having all of the mobility benefits of a submachine gun.
The gun intrinsically has good hip fire, and has its fire rate increased withPack-a-Punch, making it a decent offhand gun that can still get used when not aimed. It also has really good stability, making the attachments that detract from that stat, like Rapid Fire and the CHF Barrel much more bearable.
8AK-74
The Best Pick For Assault Rifles
Most of the Assault Rifles are usable for early-mid rounds ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies, but the AK-74 pushes a bit further than the rest. This is thanks to the fact that it has incredibly high critical hit damage. At full auto, the only Assault Rifle that comes close is the Model-L, which has the same damage output but with an 8% worse fire rate in exchange for better stability.
This makes the AK-74 a really easy weapon to use and build around, with rapid-fire being a viable option for players who can handle the recoil and want a higher damage-per-second, and many stability perks making the weapon in line with others of the same archetype for those who find the weapon a little hard to wield. While no wonder weapon, this gun can push into the high 30s before it starts to slow down and is incredibly good on ammo thanks to having a slower fire rate.
7Cigma 2B
Rapid-Fire Launcher
So this entry has some caveats, and that’s for two reasons: This weapon shouldn’t be used as a conventional weapon, and this weapon cannot have attachments put on it. Because of this, the Cigma 2B players spawn in with will be the same as any Cigma 2B that they get their hands on in the field. However, spawning in with one does guarantee that players have the weapon, and can save a lot of money that would be spent trying to get the weapon from the Mystery Box.
For the other caveat, this weapon is not good on ammo, and as a result, is less useful as a main weapon. However, what this weapon does do very well is buy space. Absurd damage and the ability to fire in full-auto when Pack-a-Punched make this weapon an extremely useful tool for getting out in a pinch when things go south. Pair this weapon with PHD Flopper to avoid self-inflicted explosive damage, and the Frenzy Fire trait for Frenzied Guard which makes weapons fire from reserves, and players can empty a dozen rockets in a matter of seconds.
6Shock Charge
Best Tactical Equipment
The Shock Charge is probably one of the bestpieces of equipmentin the game, and this is because it has both incredible defensive and offensive power. Defensively, the shock stick stops any enemy that walks into its radius, and most importantly, does not affect the player. It’s faster to deploy than decoy grenades, and players can hold three of them. One button press is all it takes to stun all of the zombies around players, and they get stunned for a great bit too.
Offensively, these stun all enemies; even Elite enemies like Amalgamations and Abominations. This means that many of the game’s spongier enemies can be held in place, allowing for weapons that rely on critical hits ample time to dish out damage uncontested.
5SWAT 5.56
Best Marksman Rifle
The SWAT 5.56 is a mix between a Sniper Rifle and an Assault Rifle, taking the best elements of both classes with few of the downsides. Its defining feature is its headshot damage, which is insane, not showing signs of slowing till the rounds reach the early 40s.
The weapon needs a little help with its slow sprint-to-fire, but its movement speed is fantastic for the amount of damage it does, making it better than assault rifles in terms of damage but just as fast. It’s simple and reliable.
4SVD
Best Shotgun
No, that’s not a typo. The SVD, whenPack-a-Punched, turns into the best shotgun in the game, easily beating out the Marine SP and the ASG-89. This weapon has incredible range, does insane damage against bosses, and still has great hip-fire for clearing basic zombies. Building around sprint-to-fire and mobility can be great, but even with a scope the weapon is incredibly useful, allowing for long-range take-downs, or the ability to chip away atManglerswhile staying well ahead of the horde.
Because the attachments help it lean more into being a shotgun, or more into being a sniper, there is a lot of reason to tweak this gun before players drop, as opposed to just grabbing it from the Mystery Box.
3LW3A1 Frostline
Easy Critical Damage
The LW3A1 Frostline Sniper is a ridiculous weapon when Pack-a-Punched, firing as fast as a Marksman Rifle while doing significantly more damage. On top of increased rechambering speed, the weapon also gains increased aim-down-sight speed, allowing it to still find use even after round 41 hits and the game starts spawning Super Sprinters.
This weapon is one of the best weapons to use against bosses, just because of how fast it can dish out critical damage. Pair this with the aforementioned Shock Charge, and it’s easy to dispose of Elites before their stun animation even ends.
2AMR Mod 4
Consistent Headshot Damage
This gun plays similar to the LW3A1 Frostline and SVD, but is a little easier to use. It’s less efficient on ammo, but the trade-off is that it has a significantly higher fire-rate once Pack-a-Punched. The gun is slow and difficult to use in the early rounds, especially when unlocking the Pack-a-Punch onCitadelle Des Mortes, but it’s all uphill from here.
The gun fires nearly as fast as players can pull the trigger, giving it a lot of burst damage that’s useful for bosses or whenever high critical damage is needed.
1LR 7.62
Best Overall Weapon
This weapon is not only one of the best weapons a player can bring in but also one of the best weapons a player can use in Zombies. It’s damage output, ammo economy, and explosive damage when Pack-a-Punched puts even theRay Gunto shame, and it can be brought into the game from Round 1. This weapon basically has it all; explosive damage to destroy armor faster, high precision damage for bosses and Elites, customizability in the form of attachments, and compatibility with Ammo Mods.
With ammo that costs 5,000 Essence instead of the Ray Gun’s 10,000 Essence, and the ability to kill more zombies with less, it really isn’t a surprise that this weapon is as powerful as it is. This weapon can also be used against normal zombies completely in hip-fire, obliterating Super Sprinters without even needing to aim. And while this gun isn’t as consistent with boss damage as the LW3A1 Frostline, the LR 7.62 makes incredible companions with just about any gun, be they focused on critical damage like the Frostline or focused on horde-thinning like theThrustodyne M23.
