With the release of the Black Ops Cold War mid-season update, Treyarch added Cranked to the game’s Zombies mode – and is quite different from the standard version, requiring some completely separate strategies.
Although the Cranked in Call of Duty games are nothing new, having debuted in Ghosts 2013, which It’s different is a Zombies version of the mode, which was just added to Black Ops Cold War during the game’s mid-season update.
The concept is simple: you get a timer, and when that timer reaches 0, you explode and die. With each death, however, your timer is reset, giving you more time to continue working. It’s an incredibly fast mode in regular multiplayer, and the Zombies version is even more exciting – but there are a few tips you can use to help you survive longer.
Speed up your deaths
Controlling your deaths in Cranked is important due to the fact that you only need one death to reset the timer.
In the standard Cranked, players often struggle to kill. On a 5v5 or 6v6, it makes sense, considering that there are only a limited number of potential targets and, if you can’t find anyone, you will easily die due to time running out.
With BOCW Zombies Cranked, the opposite is true. There are always plenty of enemies, and while it is not impossible to run out of targets, in general, they will continue to emerge (there is not even a pause between rounds).
Because of this, there is no need to take down Zombies like you do in normal mode. Instead, if you are feeling overwhelmed (or want to do something like Pack-A-Punching your weapon), try to evade enemies for a while to get your bearings.
Remember, one death is enough to reset the timer. If you notice that you are running out, just look back at the horde that certainly mounted, kill a Zombie and then move on with your business. Wasting your time taking down any and all zombies can cost your game.
With all that said, don’t think that you can run away from the Zombies without any problems; if you stay too far, you will find yourself struggling to kill, so you better stay close.
Use fast reload weapons and accessories
You will want to use weapons that can be reloaded quickly in Cranked.
In normal Zombies, using an LMG is somewhat necessary during conflicts at the end of the game, as it allows you to take down Zombies with greater power. In Cranked, speed is paramount, so it may be better to use something smaller, like an SMG.
Fast charging is essential in Cranked, as you can easily become overloaded. Even if you have a lot of power, you don’t want to waste your time with the terribly slow reload time found in LMGs. If you want an even faster recharge time, you can even put a quick charger on your SMG and do it even faster.
In addition, SMGs have the added benefit of allowing you to run faster, which means that you will be able to escape from the Zombies even better than before.
Always go to turn on Timer Freeze
Remembering these tips can be the difference between surviving or dying early.
Treyarch implemented a new exclusive power-up for the Cranked game mode: Timer Freeze. With that, players will be able to stop their countdown for about 15 seconds or more, giving them a break.
While it may seem obvious to point out, you will want to go for them as much as possible. Getting one at the beginning of the game is not very important, but it is especially critical when you reach the end of the game.
As the mode continues, your timer gets shorter and shorter, which means that each pause you get becomes more and more important. Having that 15-second break feels like an eternity after you get it, so losing one can hurt a lot – sometimes costing your life.
Although Cranked is incredibly fast, it’s not too bad if you know what you’re doing. If you remember these tips, you shouldn’t have that much of a problem.