Call of Duty: Cold War takes an unusual approach to suppressor mechanics this year through muzzle flash. A CoD expert has examined the feature, and MeinMMO presents his findings.
The muzzle flash in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War encompasses several effects in CoD from 2020 that occur when your weapon is fired:
- Acoustic Effect: Noise when firing a bullet
- Mini-Map Effect: You are briefly visible on the mini-map
- Optical Effect: A brief flash that illuminates the surroundings
- Optical Effect: Gas or flames often emit when firing
To know what disadvantages these effects bring and how you can minimize them, the YouTuber and CoD expert “TheXclusiveAce” has looked closely at the mechanic. MeinMMO summarizes his results in this article and provides tips on which attachments you should use. We have embedded Ace’s video here for you:
Cold War: Muzzle Flash Suppressors Affect All Shot Effects
How does muzzle flash suppression affect? When you fire your weapon, it is usually the muzzle flash that is responsible when an enemy detects you. With the suppressors from the “Muzzle” attachment category, you can diminish these effects.
- Acoustic Effect – Volume of the shots
Enemies can better locate you when they are nearby and hear your shots. Suppressors reduce the volume of your shots.
- Mini-Map Effect – Briefly visible on the map
Once you fire an unsuppressed shot, your symbol is visible on the map for 3 seconds. Suppressors can shorten the display time and even completely suppress the effect.
- Optical Effect – Flash when firing
This effect can be particularly tricky in dark environments but is usually rather irrelevant. When firing, your weapon emits a small “flash” that illuminates the surroundings. The suppressors suppress this effect.
- Optical Effect – Gas or flames emit
When firing a bullet, fire flashes emerge from the muzzle due to the mechanical process. Of the effects that fall under muzzle flash in Cold War, this one is most related to actual muzzle flash. Suppressors can alter and minimize these effects.
Only One Type of Suppressor is Really Worth It
Suppressors are particularly important if you like to operate close to the enemy lines or behind them. Every shot makes you immediately visible to the enemies in the area. However, to secure this complete protection, only one type of suppressor is really worth it.
What should I use? If you want to work with suppressors, always choose a suppressor with 100% muzzle flash suppression.
There are many muzzle attachments that only partially suppress your muzzle flash. As a result, you also receive only partial suppression, especially regarding the effect that makes you visible on the mini-map. XclusiveAce has measured this accurately:
- 100% Suppression – You are not visible on the mini-map when shooting
- 90% Suppression – Visible on the mini-map for 200 ms
- 85% Suppression – Visible on the mini-map for 300 ms
- 50% Suppression – Visible on the mini-map for 1 second
Do I always have full protection? Not entirely. If an enemy field upgrade “Directional Microphone” is nearby, enemies can still detect you on the mini-map.
What about the other effects? All suppressors with muzzle flash suppression also alter the other effects that occur during a shot.
Your shots generally become a bit quieter. However, the suppression is not so great that an enemy nearby wouldn’t detect you. The flash disappears completely with all suppressors. But since the effects aren’t that significant anyway, you can disregard this fact. Also, the gases/flames emitted when firing change with the suppressors. With 100% suppression, you minimize the disturbance of the field of view, but suppressors with a lower value can even increase the effect and lead to a stronger emission of flames/gases.
In the end, the mini-map effect is by far the most important one you should pay attention to. And since suppressors with a lower value can even worsen visibility when firing, always choose an attachment with 100% muzzle flash suppression.
In the zombie mode of Cold War, you should completely avoid suppressors. The zombies pay less attention to your sounds here and will come at you even without noise. If you want to try your luck on the map “The Machine,” you can find an beginner’s guide here that shows you how to become strong enough to survive many rounds.
