Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has a ton of different weapons to use, but as is usually the case, some rise above and become more popular. Right now, one of the most used is the XM4, in part, I guess, because it’s one of the first ARs that you get your hands on. But it is also strikingly good.
It’s so good, in fact, that the pro players for this season’s Call of Duty League have already voted not to use in official play. It isn’t banned, rather covered by a GA (Gentleman’s Agreement) that league players won’t use it. And certainly from my time in the game, there are plenty of folks using it in every match.
But obsessing over a single weapon means you’re missing out on what the rest of the pool has to offer. After getting the gold camo on the XM4, I switched to the AMES 85 to start working towards gold on that, and actually discovered it’s pretty good. Now I’ve been using it for a while, I’m absolutely beaming with it. Here’s how I’ve set mine up, and I think you should definitely give it a try.
How to get the AMES 85 in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Before you can join in shooting laser beams with the AMES 85 in Black Ops 6, you need to unlock it. Fortunately, it doesn’t take very long.
Once you’ve progressed yourself to level 19 you’ll unlock the weapon to use in your custom loadouts. To set expectations, it’s not going to be a beast out of the gate, you need to persevere and put in the time to level the weapon up. This is so you can unlock the necessary attachments that will really make it kick.
If you haven’t yet reached level 19 and want to make it go quicker, I recommend playing game modes like Hardpoint, Kill Confirmed, Control, and Headquarters. These have more opportunities to score points in each match, more points makes a higher score, and better XP.
My preferred AMES 85 build in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
I’m a very average Call of Duty player by any standards, but this build I’ve put together on the AMES 85 is working really well for me. It’s got a good fire rate, quick reload, and minimal recoil, and it’s been working out at both close and longer range.
Of course, you can’t use all of these attachments right away, you’ll need to put in the time and work on it piece by piece as you level up.
Here’s what I have equipped:
- Compensator
- Reinforced Barrel
- Fast Mag
- Ranger Foregrip
- Quickdraw Grip
- Light Stock
- 5.56 NATO Overpressured fire mod
- Pinpoint Holoscout
There are variations you could try instead, such as the Ported Compensator, or the Ergonomic Grip. The former adds in first shot recoil control, while the latter will trade a small amount of ADS speed if you’re the type of player that would benefit from increases in slide to fire and dive to fire. I’m not, so I’ve stuck with the maximum ADS speed from the Quickdraw grip.
The choice of optic is entirely up to you. I haven’t settled on the Pinpoint Holoscout for any reason other than I’m in the process of unlocking all the reticles, so if you want something different, perhaps with higher magnification, go for it.
What is important is that you’ll also need to apply the Gunfighter Wildcard to be able to add all of these attachments to the weapon. Gunfighter gives you more attachment points to use, and honestly, it’s worth it. Being able to add extra attachments transforms the AMES 85 from just OK into something good.
Paired with the Enforcer specialty, the AMES 85 set up this way fits right into how I like to play Call of Duty. It’s fast and accurate, and the buffs to movement speed and health regen on kill from Enforcer keeps you moving and keeps you attacking.
I’d also recommend using the Assault Pack field upgrade if you find yourself running out of ammo a lot. Someone on your team will usually pack one, but it can certainly help keep you firing for longer.
If you’re gunning for the camo unlocks, and you’ve been struggling with this one, this setup will also help you knock off those headshot requirements really quickly. It’s so stable that assuming you can aim for the head, you’ll hit them more often than not.
