Hot off the heels of the community earning a Double XP event thanks to the Call of Duty Endowment Revival Challenge, this past week of Call of Duty® has been great for those looking to hit Prestige Master… and the best is still yet to come.

Following up on last week’s Prestige Primer, this edition covers another 10 Season Challenges so you can get a serious boost in XP, pulls back the curtain on a new Mastercraft Bundle available on May 16, and breaks down a three-round burst SMG Blueprint to add to your loadouts.

With all that said, let’s level up:

This Week’s Featured Operators

Are you ready to rock and roll over the competition? Then get prepared to shred with our first featured Operator: Wolf and his “Rockstar” Operator Skin, part of the new “Music Legend Mastercraft” Bundle set to headline the store on 

This bundle also comes with the “Shredder” Ultra-rarity Mastercraft Weapon Blueprint, a five-attachment, six-string tool that drops power chords on the competition and leads your squad’s jam session to a victory encore.

Opposite NATO’s Wolf is Antonov from the Warsaw Pact, the newest Operator in Black Ops Cold War. Learn more about him and his new bundle in this biographical breakdown and keep reading to see how the SMG Blueprint included in it can be an effective weapon in your loadouts.

Also featured this week is the official Call of Duty League Operator wearing the Dallas Empire Home uniform in honor of the team’s Home Series, which happened this past weekend. It’s also because they recently established a presence in Warzone^TM outside the Stadium. Right now, you can see their 2020 Championship trophy and the five talented stars who won the inaugural 2020 Call of Duty League Championship… just don’t take too long to admire the monument, as it’s placed well within a hot drop zone.

Outside of the new monument and the start of the Stage III Major, the Call of Duty League is also celebrating the release of a new mid-season pack: the Call of Duty League Supporter Pack.

This pack is stuffed with over 80 unique Calling Cards, Emblems, and Stickers representing all 12 teams. A special note on those Stickers: these are over four dozen signatures from Call of Duty League pro players, coaches, and personalities, including all five members of last year’s championship squad.

Visit the Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Store today to pick up your Call of Duty League Team Supporter Pack, then tune into the Stage III Major over the weekend here and see who takes home 75 CDL Points and the largest share of the $500,000 prize pool on offer.

Top Tip – First 10 Season Three Multiplayer Season Challenges

Last week, we covered the first 10 Season Challenges for Zombies. Now, let’s talk about the first 10 for Multiplayer.

Three’s Company (Level 1) — Earn 25 Triple Kill or better Medals — 8,500 XP (Three Tiers)

Aggressive play is key to this challenge, as you’ll need to earn three kills in rapid succession to earn that Triple Kill medal.

No matter the weapon you use, consider equipping it with an extended magazine, as those few extra rounds could be the difference between a squad wipe and an untimely reload. Also, offensive Scorestreaks do not count toward multi-kill medals, but defensive and reconnaissance ones – such as the Spy Plane and Armor – could seriously help you earn them.

Prepare & Survive (Level 10) — Get 100 kills while near your deployed non-lethal Field Upgrades— 8,500 XP (Three Tiers)

The most useful non-lethal Field Upgrades for this challenge are the Field Mic, which provides recon on enemy positions in a small radius, and the Jammer, which disrupts enemy Tac Maps and technology across a wider radius. Kills earned near your Trophy System will also count toward this challenge, if you’d like to provide some extra defense for your team at the same time.

It may be a good idea to use a CQB weapon, such as an SMG or shotgun, for this challenge, as these have an ideal range within your chosen Field Upgrade’s radius.

Nothing Special (Level 20) — Get 150 Eliminations using Special Weapons — 8,500 XP (Three Tiers)

Have you tried out the Ballistic Knife or R1 Shadowhunter yet? Give them a try after unlocking this Season Challenge.

These two weapons are one-shot, one kill machines in Multiplayer, so it may be better to use them in Core game modes rather than Hardcore where weapon lethality is boosted across the board due to low health, making Special Weapons less “meta.” Sticks and Stones is also a great playlist to knock this one out, where Special weapons are all you’ve got.

It’s a Banger (Level 30) — Get 100 kills with Lethal Equipment — 8,500 XP (Three Tiers)

Over time, you’ll complete this objective so long as you remember to use your favorite Lethal Equipment frequently, whether it’s lobbing Frags up and over enemy defenses or planting some C4 on their vehicles.

Want to switch up your strategy? Try Tomahawks. These are one-hit kills upon impact, so line up those throws just right and account for the arc to land some impressive eliminations.

On a Roll (Level 40) — Get 250 total kills while on a streak — 15,000 XP (Five Tiers)

Whether you have only one kill so far in a life or one off a Nuclear, any kill while on a streak will count toward this challenge.

Besides doing your best, communicating with squadmates, and using reconnaissance tools like Spy Planes, another piece of advice we can give is to “play your life” when on a streak. Whether your squad is too far behind to provide reinforcements, your weapon is only half full of ammo, or your health is dangerously low, it’s not a bad idea to pause for a few seconds to heal up, reload, and prepare for the next engagement tactically.

Batteries Not Included (Level 50) — Get 25 kills with the RC-XD — 2,500 XP

The RC-XD is a low-cost Scorestreak, making this challenge seemingly easy up until you deploy one.

After deployment, you’ll have to avoid enemies until you’re ready to trigger it, as an RC-XD can be easy to seek and destroy. If you have to drive through hostile territory, make use of the built-in boost and jump features and pull off some evasive maneuvers to ensure this RC delivers its payload.

Lost Signal (Level 60) — Destroy 100 enemy deployed Field Upgrades — 8,500 XP (Three Tiers)

Remember that “Prepare & Surprise” challenge? It’s time to give those Operators some payback.

Pay attention to your mini-map for certain Field Upgrades, such as enemy Jammers, and always use the Engineer Perk, which will highlight these devices in a bright red light within the world.

Death from Above (Level 70) — Get 50 kills with player-targeted airborne Scorestreak or Killstreak strikes – 8,500 XP (Three Tiers)

For Warzone, this challenge is specifically geared toward the Cluster Strike and Precision Airstrike. We recommend using them against downed enemies or as a disruptor for multi-team fights.

In Black Ops Cold War, the Artillery, Cruise Missile, Napalm Strike, and the newer Strafe Run Scorestreak all count toward this challenge. We recommend playing objective game modes, as they can more clearly define routes where you can place one of these deadly Scorestreaks for maximum damage.

Top Performer (Level 80) — Complete 25 matches in the top 25% of players — 8,500 XP (Three Tiers)

Besides going on long streaks in a single life, what’s another great way to get within the top 25% of players in Multiplayer?

Playing the objective.

For game modes like Domination, Hardpoint, Search & Destroy and more, tallying up kills near objectives or simply completing objectives can provide massive boosts to your score.

Another strategy is to use Scorestreaks that assist your squadmates, such as Spy Planes and H.A.R.P.s, or Field Upgrades like S.A.M. Turrets.

Let’s Get Tactical (Level 90) — Get 500 Eliminations with Tactical Rifles — 15,000 XP (Five Tiers)

Long, yet simple. Here are two quick reminders for this season regarding tactical rifles:

First, Sims has an Operator Mission unlocked at Tier 30 of the Season Three Battle Pass. The first objective on it is to get 25 eliminations with a tactical rifle attached with a scope with 2x magnification or larger. Try completing this objective once you unlock this Season Challenge to stack up those XP rewards.

Also, the CARV.2 arrived recently to add an even faster-firing three-round-burst rifle to the mix, so if you’re looking to level it up and unlock attachments, this challenge is your excuse to do just that.

Gunsmith Weapon Blueprint of the Week

Released earlier this week, the “Tracer Pack: Antonov Operator Bundle” includes two Weapon Blueprints, both of which come with Nuclear yellow and green tracer rounds, in addition to the new badass Operator.

Both Blueprints are also three-round burst weapons; one tactical rifle and one SMG. And since we already covered two three-round burst tactical rifles in previous Prestige Primers (and the most recent one yesterday in its own blog), it’s time to shed some light on the lone burst SMG in Black Ops Cold War:

As-is, the “Nuclear Response” SMG is built for covert yet aggressive tactics, making use of a Sound Suppressor to remain off the radar and the Serpent Wrap for quick Aim Down Sight (ADS) Speeds. The Laser Sight is here to combat any Hip Fire Accuracy Penalties from the Raider Stock, which offers significant Sprint to Fire and Aim Walking Movement Speed buffs.

It’s a great setup for someone looking to lurk around corners and one-burst Operators up close. However, there are hundreds of other configurations for this weapon. Here’s how you can use the Gunfighter Perk to build an eight-attachment combo, and what we think of these selections across the board for Multiplayer:

Optic: This is all down to personal preference. The iron sights are manageable, but a low-zoom Optic never hurts.

Muzzle: Suppressors will cut the weapon’s effective range, which may not be great for longshots. However, because this weapon’s burst grouping can be wide enough to make longshots difficult anyway, vertical recoil control is recommended, and the Agency Suppressor handles both control and sound suppression.

Barrels: We highly recommend taking one of these, given the weapon’s slow Bullet Velocity. Here we took a Reinforced Heavy Barrel to boost both velocity and Effective Range, countering the range penalty on the Suppressor.

Body: Lasers are nice to have for better hip-fire spread, while Flashlights are useful for revealing enemy intel at a distance. We went with a Steady Aim Laser, as it does not cut into ADS time like the 5mw does.

Underbarrel: This category will help tighten bullet spread within bursts significantly due to the weapon’s horizontal recoil. The Field Agent Foregrip does the best job at combatting recoil in general with Horizontal and Vertical Control, but does come with detriments to Shooting Movement Speed.

Magazine: More ammo means more bursts in a single magazine, or you could go for faster reloads like we did with a Fast Mag. Just keep in mind any ADS penalties with larger or faster reloading magazines.

Handle: The Serpent Wrap is a prime example of a great attachment that makes ADS quicker, which is good for an SMG built on dealing accurate and deadly bursts. The Airborne Elastic Wrap is great as well, but note the heavier Sprint to Fire penalties there.

Stock: The Raider Stock is a solid choice, although No Stock keeps a great Sprint to Fire time without hurting Hip Fire Accuracy as much.

Execute the mission.

For more information on Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty and follow @Treyarch, @RavenSoftware, and @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

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