Call of Duty: Cold War’s Outbreak mode is already one of the most ambitious additions to Zombies in years, and by now, you might think you’ve seen it all. But even veteran players can level up their game with these ten powerful, lesser-known tips and tricks that will instantly give you an edge. Whether you’re grinding solo or squadding up with friends, here’s how to outsmart, outlast, and outgun the undead in Outbreak.

1. The Best Loadout Setup – The Hauer Shotgun If you’re serious about surviving, the Hauer is hands-down the most powerful weapon in Zombies when fully kitted. Equip it with the Infantry V-Choke (muzzle), the 25.2″ Task Force barrel (which has a damage bug, sometimes displaying 50 but actually giving up to 222% boost), Ember Sighting Point (body), STANAG 8 Round Tube (mag), and Marathon Pad (stock). With this loadout, you’ll be turning bosses into mulch with ease.

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2. How to Instantly Unlock Tier V Weapon Upgrades for Free If you’re playing in co-op and hit Round 4 or later, you can respawn with a fully upgraded Tier V weapon – for free. Just bleed out entirely, wait 60 seconds spectating a teammate, and when you respawn, you’ll return with 20,000 points and a Tier V version of your chosen loadout weapon. You’ll skip all the early Salvage grind, giving you an insane head start.

3. Spotting Mimics Before They Strike Loot chests get riskier the longer your run goes – they can transform into mimics. To avoid getting ambushed, use the ping system. If your ping highlights the chest as a “Medium Loot Chest,” it’s real. If nothing gets marked, brace yourself. It’s a mimic.

4. Death Machine Ammo Resets on Teleport One of the most useful killstreaks in Outbreak is the Death Machine, and here’s the trick – when you teleport to a new area, your Death Machine’s ammo refills automatically, even if you’ve only got a few rounds left. Always leave a few bullets in the tank and use the objective warp to get a fresh magazine.

5. Swap Field Upgrades Strategically Mid-Game Here’s a criminally underused feature: you can swap your field upgrade at any time by switching your loadout from the pause menu. Use Ether Shroud for holdout and retrieve objectives (Tier V gives speed and invisibility), Frenzied Guard for escort and defend, and Ring of Fire for elimination objectives. Smart switching equals easier survival.

6. Survive Holdouts by Going Down – Seriously If you’re overwhelmed in a holdout or defend phase, and there’s less than 30 seconds left, consider letting yourself go down (especially if you have Tier III+ Tombstone). The revive timer lasts 60 seconds, so you can sit the last phase out and pop back up right as the objective ends – no more wasting resources or risk.

7. How to Cheese Defend Objectives When defending an Uplink or other structure, and you’ve only got ~20 seconds left, run toward the anomaly instead. Zombies can’t destroy the structure fast enough in the remaining time, and you’ll be first to warp when the countdown ends. Just don’t leave too early – keep the structure’s health above a safe threshold.

8. Use Vehicles for Retrieve Missions (But Watch for Tempests!) Instead of slogging with the canister on foot, bring a full-health vehicle and place the canister inside. You’ll move full speed, but beware – the canister damages the car over time, and a Tempest zap will disable your ride instantly. Time it right and you can deliver both canisters with one vehicle.

9. Exploit Holdout Room Cheese Spots In Golova, you can climb onto small shelving units in the lockdown room, and zombies can’t hit you – they’ll just throw body parts. It’s borderline exploitative, but highly effective. Similarly, in Alpine, standing on the center room bookshelves makes you immune to melee attacks. Just watch for projectiles and be ready to hop off if things get chaotic.

10. Ammo Mod Pairings for Elite Bosses Use Dead Wire Tier V for Megatons – it shreds their health fast. Brain Rot is perfect against Mimics and Tempests, and Napalm Burst is best for Manglers. For Panzers, equip Shatter Blast. If you’re struggling to get Wonder Weapons, pair your secondary with one of these to maximize your boss-slaying efficiency.

Master these ten tips, and you’ll elevate your Outbreak game overnight. Whether you’re playing smart with field upgrades, exploiting movement and timers, or kitting the best builds, this is how top-tier players stay alive when the chaos cranks up. Now get back out there, and show those elites who’s boss.