You have the ability to equip a single loadout when entering a Zombies match in Black Ops 6, so make sure it’s the right one.
Zombies has returned in full force in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. At launch, players have access to two round-based maps, Terminus and Liberty Falls, in addition to a slew of features. Many of these features are returning from Black Ops Cold War, and this includes the ability to craft your own loadouts to bring into matches.
The traditional version of Zombies forced you to use a pistol at the start of matches and work your way up to purchasing another weapon. However, the recent iteration of Zombies has done away with this and instead allowed you to bring whatever weapon you want into the match with you. While this gives you more freedom in Zombies, it can also be overwhelming trying to figure out the best weapons and attachments to use.
Fortunately for you, today we’re going over the five best weapons to use in Black Ops 6 Zombies along with all the attachments you need to equip on each one. This list differs from the top five loadouts guide we did for multiplayer, which features completely alternate weapons and attachments.
Before we jump in...
Check out the Call of Duty x SteelSeries 2024 Collection
Inspired by fan-favorite Call of Duty® characters, Mister Peeks and Monkey Bomb, bring out these special touches to your gear to showcase your fandom. Exclusive to SteelSeries.
- QcK L x Call of Duty®: Monkey Bomb Edition
- Booster Pack x Call of Duty® Mister Peeks Edition
- Performance Thumbsticks for PS5 / and for Xbox
- Arctis Nova 7X x Call of Duty® Bundle (for Xbox) / and for PlayStation
1. ASG-89
- Muzzle: Full Choke
- Barrel: CHF Barrel
- Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
- Magazine: Extended Mag II
- Rear Grip: CQB Grip
- Stock: Light Stock
- Laser: Fast Motion Laser
- Fire Mods: Rapid Fire
At the time of writing, the ASG-89 shotgun is arguably the best weapon to use in Zombies. The semi-auto shotgun excels at close and medium range, possessing the ability to mow zombies down at a blisteringly fast rate.
The loadout we have designed for the ASG-89 focuses on your hipfire spread and mobility with the shotgun. While you can aim down sights with it, you’re best off firing from the hip and aiming for a zombie’s head in the process. Aiming for the head is vital for this loadout to work since we have incorporated the CHF Barrel, which boosts headshot damage.
2. Tanto .22
- Optic: Kepler Microflex
- Muzzle: Ported Compensator
- Barrel: CHF Barrel
- Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
- Magazine: Extended Mag II
- Rear Grip: CQB Grip
- Stock: Balanced Stock
- Fire Mods: Rapid Fire
Next up, we have the Tanto .22 submachine gun, a terrific weapon by default and one of the best when it’s Pack-A-Punched. The Tanto .22 has a slow fire rate, which is boosted by the Rapid Fire attachment, but a huge damage profile. If you aim for a zombie’s head, you can kill them with just a single shot or two until the later rounds.
Once again, the CHF Barrel is in place to boost headshot damage and there are accuracy attachments surrounding it to ensure you stay on target. While you might think the slower fire rate of the Tanto slows it down compared to other SMGs, the opposite is true. If you can hit headshots with the Tanto, which is fairly easy, you’ll be surprised by just how fast it kills.
3. AK-74
- Optic: Kepler Microflex
- Muzzle: Ported Compensator
- Barrel: CHF Barrel
- Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
- Magazine: Extended Mag II
- Rear Grip: Commando Grip
- Stock: Balanced Stock
- Fire Mods: Rapid Fire
The AK-74 is another surprisingly strong weapon in Zombies. It has a tremendous time-to-kill and if you can control the recoil of the assault rifle, you’re in some serious business.
To deal with that pesky recoil, we’ve added the Ported Compensator and the Vertical Foregrip. These attachments should help you manage the recoil even after the addition of the CHF Barrel and the Rapid Fire attachments, which boost the rifle’s time-to-kill. The rest of the attachments are fairly basic and improve magazine size and mobility. Once again, aiming for the head is key with the AK-74 but hipfiring in a sticky situation isn’t a bad move either.
4. PU-21
- Optic: Kepler Microflex
- Muzzle: Compensator
- Barrel: CHF Barrel
- Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
- Magazine: Extended Mag II
- Rear Grip: CQB Grip
- Stock: Balanced Stock
- Fire Mods: Recoil Springs
In classic Zombies fashion, a light machine gun is next up on the list. LMGs have always been fan-favorites in the undead mode thanks to their large magazine sizes and low recoil. The PU-21 in Black Ops 6 delivers on both of those fronts along with possessing decent damage and mobility.
The loadout for the PU-21 largely looks the same as the others on the list, but we’ve added the Recoil Springs to bring down the LMG’s recoil even further. The one aspect of the loadout you could change is replacing the Extended Mag II with the Extended Mag III. However, the loss in mobility is substantial, so keep that in mind. Of course, you could mitigate that loss by following our guide to omnimovement in Black Ops 6.
5. GS45
- Barrel: CHF Barrel
- Magazine: Extended Mag II
- Stock: Akimbo GS45
- Laser: Steady Aim Laser
- Fire Mods: Rapid Fire
You might be surprised to see a pistol on this list, but you wouldn’t feel that way if you’ve used the GS45 in Black Ops 6 Zombies. This pistol hits like a truck and our loadout features the akimbo attachment, allowing you to wield two of them at the same time.
This vastly improves your firepower with the GS45 but takes away the ability to aim down sights. As such, we have equipped the Steady Aim Laser attachment to increase the hipfire spread of the pistol, as all you’ll be doing is shooting from the hip. Naturally, with this limitation, you want to keep engagements with zombies up close and personal. This isn’t a problem damage-wise, though, as the GS45 shreds through zombies like butter.
And that completes our list of the top five loadouts for Black Ops 6 Zombies. It’s possible other weapons will be buffed to make them more viable, but this is the list for the start of the year.