With the launch of Black Ops Cold War’s mid-season update, Treyarch added Cranked to the game in Zombies mode – and it’s quite different from the standard version, which requires some completely separate strategies.
While Cranked in Call of Duty games is nothing new, he has already made his debut in 2013’s Ghosts, which is otherwise a Zombies version of the mode, which was just added to Black Ops Cold War during the mid-season update of the game.
The concept is simple: you get a timer and when the timer reaches 0, you explode and die. With each kill, however, your timer is reset, giving you more time to keep grinding. It’s an incredibly fast mode in normal multiplayer, and the Zombies version is even more hectic, but there are some tips you can use to make you survive longer.
Pull your death
Exercising your Cranked kills is important because you only need one kill to reset your timer.
In standard Cranked players usually scramble to kill. In a 5v5 or 6v6 it makes sense, as there are only a limited amount of potential targets, and if you can not find any, you will easily die due to the timer running out.
With BOCW Zombies Cranked, the opposite is true. There is always an abundance of enemies, and while it is not impossible to stop targets, they will generally continue to appease (there is not even a break between rounds).
Therefore, you do not have to mow down Zombies as in normal mode. Instead, if you feel overwhelmed (or if you want to do something like Pack-A-Pons your weapon), try running away from the enemies for a while to get your bearing.
Remember, all it takes is to reset your timer. If you notice that it’s running out, just look behind you at the horde you surely ran into, kill one Zombie and then move on with your business. Wasting your time mowing down every zombie can cost you your game.
With all that said, do not think that you can run away from the Zombies without any problems; if you get too far away you will struggle to kill, so it is best to stay in the area.
Use fast rechargeable weapons and attachments
You want to use weapons that can be quickly reloaded into Cranked.
In normal Zombies, using an LMG is a kind of requirement during late-season conflict, as it allows you to cut off Zombies with greater force. In Cranked, speed is best, so it’s better to use something smaller like an SMG.
Fast recharging is essential in Cranked because you can be easily overwhelmed. Although it has a lot of power, you do not want to waste your time with the awful slow recharge time found on LMGs. If you want an even faster recharge time, you can even throw a fast power on your SMG and get it done faster.
Plus, SMGs have the added benefit of being able to run faster, which means you can dodge Zombies even better than you would before.
Always go to the startup of the Timer Freeze
Remembering these tips can be the difference between surviving early or dying.
Treyarch has implemented a brand new power generation exclusive to Cranked game mode: Timer Freeze. This allows players to stop their countdown timer for about 15 seconds, giving them a break.
Although it may seem obvious, you will want to go for it as much as possible. Getting one at the start of your game is not too important, but it is especially critical when you get into the late game.
As the mode goes on, your timer will get shorter and shorter, which means that every interruption you get becomes more and more important. If you have a 15-second break, it seems like an eternity once you get it, and it can hurt you a lot if you miss it, and sometimes it costs you your life.
While Cranked is incredibly fast, it really is not that bad if you know what you are doing. If you remember these tips, you should not experience so many problems.