How to survive Dead Ops 3 in Black Ops Cold War: Tips & tricks

Andrew Highton
dead ops 3 logo in dead ops 3 in bocw

The underrated Dead Ops mode is back and better than ever, so here’s a handy guide on how to survive Dead Ops 3 with useful tips and tricks.

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Understandably, CoD: Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer and Warzone will get lots of attention. However, there is plenty of love for the returning brilliance of the twin-stick shooter spin-off. Dead Ops could easily be a standalone release in its own right and its hours of entertainment shouldn’t be scoffed at.

As with the previous two entries, Dead Ops 3 requires you to equip an infinite firearm that chews its way through the undead. But there’s a lot more to it than just that. Similar to the much-loved Zombies mode, Dead Ops requires teamwork and skill to persevere to the end.

Here are our best tips and tricks to master Dead Ops 3.

Best tips & tricks

teammwork in dead ops 3 cod black ops cold war
Work together. This is vital.

Whilst you can do just aimlessly run around pointing your right analogue stick at anything that moves, there is a lot more to it than that.

Some subtle features and hidden aspects make Dead Ops 3 seem deeper than it appears.

Don’t bolt for treasure

There’s nothing more frustrating than watching your ally see a single silver bar and lose a life trying to get it. It’s worth nothing that your score is mostly inconsequential. Yes, you will earn bonus lives through your score, but you’ll accrue them naturally from surviving so long. How will you survive so long? By not running through a pack of zombies trying to earn a nickel.

Help your teammates

Instead of padding your own score, go and help your teammates in two different ways.

  • If they’re downed, go and fight near their body and their revive time will shorten if they have no lives left.
  • Don’t try to be Rambo. Stand next to enemies and shoot zombies, more concentrated fire, plus it’s easier to revive each other.

Let lesser teammates have weapons if you’re skilled

bonus room in dead ops 3 bocw
These rooms are the best.

Yes, yes. Put your ego to one side John McClane, you know you’re talented. Perhaps monitor your teammate’s scores or lives and see who could use a helping hand. If a great weapon drop appears, don’t instinctively go for it. If you’re skilled enough with the base gun, then let someone else, less-skilled, use it to help them.

Don’t just keep firing weapon pickups

Just because you have it, doesn’t mean you need to flaunt it. If you get the Ray Gun, then use it conservatively, don’t keep firing beams at empty doorways where zombies stopped coming from five years ago. You could just continually fire a special weapon pickup and exhaust its ammo in time at all, but it’s not the wisest of moves.

Save bombs and boosts

Panic bombing is the worst. Getting surrounded by a few zombies and using a bomb isn’t a good use of resources. Always think, can I use a boost to escape? Plus bombs are great for Zombie totem heads as it will get rid of the huge swarm around them and let you deplete their health quickly. Plus, it’s useful to have this stuff for later on when it gets tough.

Don’t get cornered

Unless you’re prepared to use a boost or a bomb, then you will die. If too many crowd you and you’re a trapped rat, then it will be your demise.

Ignore the first-person pickup

mamaback in dead ops 3 bocw
The beginning of your torment.

Just avoid this at all costs. It doesn’t help and it restricts your field of view. If you accidentally pick it up, drop it straight away. It can help with finding secret areas, but is that enough to counteract all of its downsides?

Look for hidden areas

Each area seems to have hidden areas and rooms. Look for stone switches to step on as they’ll open up hidden doors for teammates. There are holes to all in that take you to bonus rooms, and there are hidden doorways too that will reward you.

And that’s it for our tips! Use even just a few of these and you should be able to survive longer in Dead Ops 3, moving ever closer to getting consistent victories in the mode.


For more news and guides on Treyarch’s CoD: Black Ops Cold War, check out our Call of Duty hub for all the latest information and help!