Perks are essential to any loading in Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War. There are three categories of perks, and you can pick one from each category for each of your loadouts. You can equip an extra from each category by using the Perk Greed Wildcard, for a total of six. Here’s a complete list of all perks in Black Ops Cold War.
Perks provide a passive bonus to your loadouts, such as decreasing Field Upgrade cooldowns, being undetectable to enemy Spy Planes, and more. The optimal choice depends entirely on your loadout and gameplay style. For example, a submachine gun loadout benefits a lot from Gung-Ho, allowing you to fire your weapon while sprinting and move at full speed while reloading.
Perk 1: Red
| Perk | Unlock Level | Description |
| Engineer | 4 | Detect enemy equipment and Scorestreaks through walls. See enemy Scorestreaks on your minimap. Allows you to re-roll care packages. |
| Paranoia | 8 | Hear an alert whenever an enemy aims at you. Your vision also pulses if the enemy is outside of your vision. |
| Tactical Mask | 20 | Maximize resistance to Flashbangs and Stun Grenades, and become immune to gas. |
| Flak Jacket | 32 | Take less damage from enemy explosives and Molotov and Combat Bow flames. |
| Forward Intel | 44 | See indicators for enemy reinforcements on your minimap. Minimap also displays a larger area. |
Perk 2: Blue
| Perk | Unlock Level | Description |
| Assassin | 4 | Enemies appear on your minimap as a crosshair instead of a red dot if they are on a killstreak. Earn bonus points for taking them down. |
| Gearhead | 14 | Reduce Field Upgrade cooldown. Store up to two Field Upgrade charges. |
| Scavenger | 23 | Replenish Ammo from fallen players. |
| Quartermaster | 35 | Recharge equipment for over 25 seconds. |
| Tracker | 48 | See enemy footsteps. Aiming at enemies reveals them on your team’s minimap. |
Perk 3: Yellow
| Perk | Unlock Level | Description |
| Gung-Ho | 4 | Fire your weapon and use Equipment while sprinting, reload at full speed, and switch weapons quicker. Take less damage from falling and fire more accurately when sliding. |
| Ghost | 17 | Undetectable by Spy Planes whenever you are moving, planting, defusing, or controlling killstreaks. |
| Cold Blooded | 26 | AI-controlled Scorestreaks do not target you. Other Scorestreaks do not highlight you. You do not show up on thermals, and players in vehicles do not see your nameplate. |
| Ninja | 38 | Sprint more quietly, and get resistances to Field Mic. |
| Spycraft | 53 | Hack enemy Field Upgrades and become immune to Counter Spy Plane, Jammer, Tracker, and Paranoia. You do not trigger Proximity Mines, Gas Mines, and Booby Traps. |
Best Perks in Black Ops Cold War
The best perks depend a lot on your loadout and the game mode. In most multiplayer games, every loadout benefits from either Tactical Mask and Flak Jacket from the Red Perks. For yellow perks, most close-range to mid-range loadouts always run Scavenger, because ammo becomes an issue if you stay alive for long enough. Finally, Gung-Ho is a great option for highly mobile classes. Alternate perk options include Ghost and Cold Blooded.
