What better way to head into the new year than by grinding it out in Nuketown. Leading the charge at the start of Season 13 in Call of Duty: Mobile, Nuketown Russia moves the iconic map to the Soviet Union in the dead of winter. For Nuketown veterans and new players alike, this is Call of Duty at its finest.

Read on for a full map overview, tips, and tactics for beating the opposition, and a recommended Gunsmith configuration that’s sure to boost your slay numbers.

Lay of the Land

The king of classic maps in the Black Ops franchise, Nuketown is mayhem at its finest. In place of Nuketown’s original Everytown, America design, here we have a Soviet outpost being used as a nuclear testing site in snow-strewn Chernobyl.

To the west is a two-story green building with onion domes facing the eastern orange building, also two stories with a near identical layout. Both buildings feature a second story front-facing window that can be used to fire down at enemies on the street or across on another. The upper floors are also open to the back, where a small deck provides a vantage point over the rear yard, connected to a staircase for exterior access to the upper floor.

Replacing the bus and semi-truck are two train cars, which obscure views down the middle and are often the scene of frenetic close-quarters fighting. The eastern orange car has an open interior, great for launching attacks against either building or up north by the car. To the south, a solitary 4x4 provides one of the strongest power points on the map, with the vehicle offering cover as you take out players left, right, and center.

Yards behind each house offer some respite from the central chaos, yet can become quite active themselves in objectives modes and during times when a team pushes into enemy territory. Take note of the far rear fencing where much of the spawning takes place — this is the most isolated area on either side of the map, a great place for taking out enemy aircraft with a launcher.

Tips and Tactics

Every map presents a game of angles, but on a tiny map like Nuketown the concept gains extra importance. You always want to think about which lanes of attack you’re open to at any moment. If you’re caught up in heated close-range battles, avoid the top and bottom lanes where long-range weapons reign, and watch those upper floor windows for enemies ready to shoot down at you.

Take up a position between the two train cars so that an enemy in either building can’t get a good look at you. Attack enemy players racing over the tracks and move up to the car or down to the 4x4 when you need a wider angle of attack. Or equip a shotgun and hold down the lower floor of either house, blasting enemies attempting to reach a second story vantage point.

As you get to know the map, you’ll discover where each weapon type performs best. Don’t hesitate to switch between your loadout slots mid-game, moving from an aggressive close-range class to a defensive mid-range kit when you need to hold a position, and vice versa. The more versatile you are, the better your chances of keeping the enemy at bay, no matter their tactics.

Blast and Boom: Cordite Gunsmith Configuration

Nuketown is full of in-your-face engagements, so a close-range weapon with a large ammo pool makes for the perfect choice to slay here. For these reasons we’ve chosen the Cordite. Here’s how we configured it in Gunsmith, and the loadout we used with it.

Primary Weapon: Cordite

Attachments: MIP Laser 5mW, Merc Foregrip, Red Dot Sight 1, YKM Light Stock, Stippled Grip Tape

Secondary Weapon: FHJ-18

Perks: Flak Jacket, Amped, Dead Silence

Equipment: Smoke Grenade, Molotov Cocktail

This Gunsmith configuration makes for an SMG that performs quickly and accurately. The MIP Laser 5mW and Merc Foregrip both improve hip fire accuracy along with sprint-to-fire speed and vertical recoil control. Stippled Grip Tape helps you snap onto enemies fast, and the YKM Light Stock keeps you light on your feet while aiming down sights. Lastly, the Red Dot Sight 1 offers a clear sight picture when firing at distant targets.

Because you’re a team player, mix in the Amped perk with the FHJ-18 for fast swaps to your launcher when you need to shoot down aerial threats. Flak Jacket ups your defense against explosive damage — particularly important in objective modes — and Dead Silence prevents snipers on the upper floors from hearing you when you race up the stairs and take them out from their position.

Use your Smoke Grenade and Molotov Cocktail to momentarily shut down an area through either smoke or fire, or throw both for a devastating combo. The Smoke Grenade can be especially useful in shutting down long sight lines where the Cordite struggles against heavier weapons. Keep up the pressure and close in on your enemies.

Scorestreak Field Guide

Except for the confined interiors of the two buildings, Nuketown is open to the skies, meaning all Scorestreaks are good to go. Even Care Packages can be called in relatively safely, provided you’re hunkered down in a backyard away from the action.

UAVs and Counter-UAVs are always helpful, and from the enemy side can be a useful source of points if you’re active with a launcher or utilize the SAM Turret. For attacks on the ground, set up a Sentry Gun on the top or bottom lane.

For the heavy slayers, Scorestreaks like the MQ-27 Dragonfire, the Cluster Strike, and the Stealth Chopper can all inflict devastating damage to your opponents. Decide whether you want to work up to one of these with the help of lower tier streaks, or choose all three and be handily rewarded when you go off on a killer run.

Objective Play

Objective modes further focus the fight on even tighter points of engagement. This is where your map knowledge and mastery really come into play, when positioning and speed can mean the difference between success and failure.

In Domination most of the effort is on capturing and holding the B flag. Let your teammates capture A or C first and head straight to B when the match begins, since an early capture of this objective can transform into a substantial lead. If you have trouble breaking through a strong middle defense, try sneaking into their territory to steal their flag, even if only to call enemy players off the center as they scramble to reclaim A or C.

Use your grenades in Hardpoint, and save earned Scorestreaks until they’ll be most effective: there’s little value in calling in an aerial attack on a Hardpoint that’s rotating in a few seconds. Wait for a fresh Hardpoint to activate and then use everything in your power to keep the enemy away.

In kill-based modes, aggression beats caution nine times out of ten. Stay on the move and keep up the pressure. If you find yourself in a power position, take the advantage to land several kills, then move on before reinforcements can come up from behind to get their revenge.

10 Tips

10. First time here? Don’t get stuck fighting on your back foot. Always keep close to your spawn and rely on the nearest building for protection. Move up into the center and ambush enemies in the heat of the action. Get comfortable fighting in all corners of the map.

9. Don’t get greedy in the widows. While these power positions may offer a great advantage for a brief time, it won’t be long before the enemy starts charging in after you. Stay on the move and keep them guessing.

8. Can’t beat that sniper covering the B flag in Domination? Drop a Smoke Grenade to cut off their view and force them to move in closer.

7. High Alert is a lifesaver here, for both you and your team. Not only will your vision pulse alert you to enemies outside of view, you’ll also automatically mark enemy players, equipment, and Scorestreaks by aiming down your sights. On a small map like this, the more intel, the better.

6. Try to anticipate enemy reactions to your Scorestreaks. Before calling in a Cluster Strike, set up inside the building nearest the attack and prepare to flush out enemies racing in for cover. 

5. Have a loadout with a Trophy System equipped just in case, especially in objective modes like Domination and Hardpoint. Placed at the right time, the added defense can mean all the difference in capturing a flag or holding a Hardpoint.

4. Pat yourself on the back after successfully pushing into and clearing out the enemy spawn, then turn around and fight the other way. Events like this often cause a spawn flip, resulting in enemy reinforcements appearing on the other side of the map.

3. Operator Skills can be absolutely deadly on Nuketown. Try rushing in with Season 12’s Ballistic Shield or see how many kills you can land inside a building with the Shadow Blade.

2. Whenever possible, stick near your teammates. The more area you’ve got covered, the less likely you are to be flanked. Watch your teammate’s back and they’ll watch yours.

1. Keep your cool. Nuketown is chaos and sometimes you’ll win big and other times lose out hard. Celebrate the victories and learn from the defeats. Whatever the outcome, it’s sure to be epic.

See you online.

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