Gaming
Games
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's best weapon at launch is the Hauer 77
Here's how to make the most of Black Ops Cold War's most OP secondary.
Each year Call of Duty releases a brand-new multiplayer experience, and everyone dives in to try and find the most powerful loadouts. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War continues the trend of every game having one early contender for gun of the year, and the sure to be nerfed option is the Hauer 77, a shotgun that can dominate entire lobbies in the right situation.
The Hauer is modelled after the Stevens Model 77E, an era-appropriate pump action shotgun. Here, it's a close-range monster capable of taking down an enemy in a single-shot up close, and dropping most opponents with a follow up as soon as you've racked the pump.
There are problems: the pump speed means you're completely defenceless if you miss your first shot, while the reload time feels like an eternity in combat. However, with the right set up you can accentuate the weapon's positives and feel like a god.
How to get the most out of your Hauer 77
The Hauer tears up in the game's campaign too, as it goes
© Activision
The Hauer 77 is best used for close-range putdowns of anyone silly enough to try and push into you. For this, you want a laser-sight for hip-fire accuracy. Elsewhere, a shotgun stock will allow you to bring up your weapon from sprint faster, and a duck-bill choke will spread the pellets out, meaning you have a little room for error with your shots, as it'll still hit people around your crosshair.
If your enemy isn't within the golden 3-4 feet that ensures a one-hit kill, keep firing anyway: most enemies will go down in two shots within 15-20 feet, and in the chaos of a standard Call of Duty map, chances are they won't even notice your attack until it's too late.
The best loadout for the shotgun at the second is:
- Duckbill Choke (Muzzle)
- 24.1" Ranger (Barrel)
- SWAT 5mW Laser Sight (Body)
- SASR Jungle Grip (Handle)
- Shotgun Stock (Stock)
This gives you a little more mobility, and the positives listed above, and although the Hauer is designed as a secondary weapon, this can be used as a primary to get huge scorestreaks. Take note of the 24.1" Ranger barrel, which increases the effective range, meaning your window for taking down an enemy with one hit is higher.
Note that the Agency Choke (barrel) mod also increases your spread and offers more hip-fire accuracy, but it hits your sprint-to-fire speed. You might want to experiment with that yourself, but it's outside of recommendations.
What loadout fits the Hauer 77
Pre-order the game and you get a special variant, the "Sucker Punch"
© Activision
So, close and medium range is handled with the Hauer, leaving you with one simple problem: what do you do when you want to shoot at someone really far away. The answer is simple: pair the Hauer with a tactical rifle: perhaps an M16, capable of burst-firing down mid-range opponents and lining up accurate rounds on enemies further out.
Elsewhere, a Sam Turret for equipment will let you engage killstreaks, while the Stimshot equipment will let you recover lost health. Sadly, with the way the Hauer works you're going to be trading damage with anyone you don't knock down in one hit, so the Stim, a quick recharging tactical gadget that immediately kicks in your health regeneration, will let you stay in the fight even against superior numbers.
Use the Lawbreaker perk to let you pick perks from anywhere you want, and you can play with Gung Ho (for firing while sprinting, using equipment or just about anything else) pairs nicely with the stealthy stylings of Cold-Blooded and Ghost.
Get out there, try Black Ops Cold War's most OP weapon, and get your thrills with it before they nerf it.
