Call of Duty: Black Ops 6: Augments explained and best ones to research first

Longtime fans of the Zombies mode in past Call of Duty games are no doubt loving the return to the round-based structure Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has taken. Between the Perks, Pack-A-Punch machines, and Easter eggs, there’s already a ton of content to explore in the first two maps. Whether you’re new to the mode or know all the tips and tricks from past games, there’s one element that has most players scratching their heads. Augments are hardly explained in Black Ops 6 and are largely ignored because of this. However, ignoring this mechanic will only make life harder for you and your team. We’ve done all the research required to tell you how Augments work and which ones you should try to get first in Black Ops 6.

How Augments work in Black Ops 6

In short, Augments are equippable passive perks that add an additional minor or major effect to either a Perk, field upgrade, or ammo mod. Each one of these has six possible augments — three minor and three major — that each give a different buff. But there are two things you need to do before you can even begin tinkering with these Augments.

First, the Augment system doesn’t even unlock until you reach level 11. That shouldn’t take too long, however, but you need to pay attention to when it unlocks and start taking advantage of it early. Once the Augment section opens up in the Zombies menu, enter it and you can select an available Augment for a Perk, ammo mod, or field upgrade to begin researching. Research is done in a linear fashion, so you will follow the outlined path unlocking minor and major Augments alternating in the order shown.

Research isn’t time-based but is tied to XP you earn during Zombies matches. As long as you have an Augment selected to be researched, any XP you earn while playing will contribute toward filling it up. Once you hit the threshold, you will unlock the next Augment for whatever specific upgrade you were working on. If you play without any Augment selected for research, you won’t unlock any new ones so make sure you always have something set to be researched in the menu.

You can equip one minor and major Augment for one Perk, ammo mod, and field upgrade before each match. That means you can never have all minor or major upgrades active at once, nor Augments applied to every eligible Perk, ammo mod, or field upgrade.

Best Augments to research first

Which Augment you will want to prioritize earning first will somewhat depend on your playstyle, but these are the most universally useful from our experience.

Jugger-Nog

Major Augments:

• Probiotic – slightly increases maximum health even further
• Turtle Shell – Armor completely negates damage from behind
• Reactive Armor – Stuns enemies when an armor plate breaks

Minor Augments:

• Retaliation – Deal extra damage while at low health
• Hardened Plates – Armor plates are more effective
• Durable Plates – Armor plates have more durability

Cryo Freeze

Major Augments:

• Big Game – Cryo Freeze can slow elites
• Ice Cloud – Enemies killed while frozen might leave a cloud that slows enemies
• Frozen Stiff – Freezes enemies in place

Minor Augments:

• Extension – Increases the duration of slow effect
• Freezer Burn – Deal more damage to frozen enemies
• Liquid Nitrogen – Greater chance of inflicting freeze

Healing Aura

Major Augments:

• Resilience – All affected players have less delay for health regen and an increased rate of healing
• Enduring Radiance – Healing effects continue for a short time after leaving the AoE
• Persistence – Players keep their Perks on their bleed-out bar when revived

Minor Augments:

• Inner Strength – Affected players get a small damage buff
• Protection – Affected players take slightly less damage
• Stoic Presence – When activated, Special and Elite enemies are stunned and normal enemies knocked down