Perks have been part of the Call of Duty series for over 15 years now and will likely continue to be included in future releases. They’re an integral part of Call of Duty: Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale game that’s home to over 125 million players. Players who use the right Perks will be at an advantage, as these special abilities can turn the tide of any given match and sometimes be the difference between winning and losing a gunfight.
As of Season 5, there are 21 Perks in the game, but only a handful of them are worth using. While most of them are useful in their own ways, some options are superior to others, especially since many Perks were originally designed with Modern Warfare multiplayer in mind. But which Perks are the most useful?
These are the best Perks to use in Call of Duty: Warzone, taking into account the Season 5 update.
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About Perks
Perks are tied to your custom classes and become active once you acquire your loadout in a match. There are three Perk slots, meaning you can carry three Perks — one from each slot — at any given time. All three of the Perks associated with that particular loadout will remain active for the duration of your life. In other words, if you’re eliminated after you’ve acquired your loadout, the Perks will be removed. If you acquire another Loadout Drop, you’ll be able to utilize Perks once again. Perks are automatically activated once you acquire your loadout, meaning you don’t have to press a button or do anything else to trigger them.
The main thing to consider is picking Perks that adhere to a particular build while complementing your playstyle. For instance, it doesn’t make much sense to use the Tracker Perk (which reveals enemy footsteps temporarily) with a sniper since you’ll be picking enemies off from afar. Likewise, the Quick Fix Perk doesn’t work well if you’re a slow-paced player. Below are the best Perks in the game, with details on how they work and why they’re so effective.
Another thing to consider is that Perks now spawn as floor loot or from chests. Nearly every Perk can be acquired as floor loot, with the exception of Overkill and Shrapnel. Lootable Perks stack as well, so it pays to open chests as much as you can.
Perk slot 1
E.O.D.
Take reduced damage from non-killstreak explosives and fire.
E.O.D. is an excellent choice for Perk slot 1, especially following the nerf to Serpentine. It’s a Perk that can save your life, even if you aren’t an aggressive player. It reduces the amount of damage you take from explosives, which can come in handy, especially since lethal equipment was buffed as part of the Vanguard integration. Though, it’s worth noting that the Perk might go to waste if you don’t actually get hit with explosives, so your mileage may vary. We recommend E.O.D. if you’re a player who likes to take things a little slower, especially if you plan on holding down a building. Players who do will likely get grenades chucked at them, allowing E.O.D. to shine.
Cold-Blooded
Undetectable by AI targeting systems and thermal optics. Does not trigger High Alert warning and negates Combat Scout.
Since Ghost was nerfed in 2022, other Perks are far more valuable, which, in turn, has made Cold-Blooded more useful. Most players likely won’t use thermal optics, so you won’t necessarily feel the positive effects in that regard, but considering Cold-Blooded negates High Alert — a Perk that is used more often, now the Ghost nerf — it’s way more powerful than it used to be. Cold-Blooded also counters Combat Scout, which allows players to see you through walls if they land a shot on you. With that in mind, there are plenty of reasons to run Cold-Blooded, especially if you’re a less aggressive player. This is a passive Perk that you’ll reap the benefits from without having to play a specific way.
Quick Fix
Killing players immediately starts health regeneration. Capturing and holding objectives increases your health regeneration rate.
Next up is Quick Fix, a Perk that is best suited for more aggressive players. This is best used when taking on back-to-back gunfights, as eliminating one opponent will immediately start health regeneration, which could keep you alive. You don’t always have enough time to apply armor plates in between eliminations, but Quick Fix can certainly get you out of a bind. If you’re a less aggressive player, this Perk might not be as useful since it’s very situational. For newcomers, we advise skipping this one, but veterans will probably gravitate toward Quick Fix.
One important point is that this Perk was buffed in spring 2022, allowing your health to immediately start regenerating as soon as you begin using armor plates. The overall speed at which your health regenerates was also improved and is now around two seconds faster than if you didn’t have the Perk equipped. For this reason, running Quick Fix is highly recommended, even if you don’t plan on challenging multiple enemies at once.
A great strategy is to combine this Perk with Tempered and Stims, giving you the ability to step back momentarily to quickly gain health/armor, resetting the gunfight before your opponent can make a move. If you know how to use these Perks in conjunction with one another, your opponents will never know what hit them.
Perk slot 2
Restock
Recharge all equipment over 25 seconds except the Stim (60 seconds).
Following the buff to Restock (and nerf to Ghost), this Perk is much more effective now. The most notable improvement is that equipment now recharges in 25 seconds (as opposed to 50) while Restock is active, making it incredibly useful. A popular strategy is to use Snapshot grenades alongside Restock, allowing you to constantly know where nearby enemies are. Remember, Snapshot grenades highlight an enemy’s location for a brief moment, even through walls and ceilings — not just for you, but for your whole squad. This, in combination with the Combat Scout Perk (which we’ll get to a little later), along with the FMJ weapon Perk/ammo type, will allow you to easily spray enemies through walls with ease.
Specifically, throw a Snapshot grenade at a building, which will highlight your opponent(s). Then, begin spraying at them through the walls, and as long as you continue to deal damage, they will remain highlighted (for you and your squad), thanks to the Combat Scout Perk. You can repeat this process often with the use of Restock, allowing you to constantly retain a supply of Snapshot grenades. Also, if you plan on holding down a position, place a Claymore at an entryway, and if an enemy detonates it, you’ll be able to place another if you’re running Restock. Just keep in mind that a maximum of two Claymores can be placed at any given time.
Tempered
Refill armor plates to full with two plates instead of three. Equipping this Perk fully restores armor.
Tempered is an interesting Perk, and now that Ghost is no longer as important, there’s much more reason to gravitate toward other options. With Tempered, you maximize your armor plates with two instead of three, allowing you to quickly reach max armor faster. This can greatly improve your chance of winning a particular gunfight, especially if you back off momentarily to plate up and reset the engagement. The other strong aspect of this Perk is that it fills your armor plates when you obtain it, which can also save your life. Your armor plate reserve will last longer since you only need two rather than three, so Tempered is well worth using, even more so if you’re aggressive.
Ghost
Undetectable by UAVs, Radar Drones, and Heartbeat Sensors.
Full stop, Ghost is a great Perk, even after being nerfed. The best player in the world can still be at a disadvantage against someone who knows where they are first, so having Ghost equipped is still recommended. While UAVs aren’t always active, many players opt to use Heartbeat Sensors, especially on Rebirth Island or Fortune’s Keep. These devices track nearby players within a 50-meter radius, so it’s easy to know where your foes are if they aren’t Ghosted. For this reason, it’s easy to see why players gravitate toward Ghost.
However, as of the end of March, Ghost was nerfed significantly, allowing other tier-2 Perks to shine. The biggest change is that Ghost only takes effect if you’re moving, making it less viable. You’ll now notice an arrow on the mini-map indicating when Ghost is active, which is a nice touch. The main point is that Ghost is still OK, but depending on your playstyle, it might not be as useful anymore. For instance, players who like to sit in one spot and play slowly might not find Ghost to be as effective.
Overkill
Carry two primary weapons.
Overkill is another highly used Perk since it allows you to carry two custom primary weapons right away. This is extremely effective, as you’ll be able to cover your bases from afar and up close (as long as you bring a short-range and long-range weapon with you). Now, we still recommend using other tier-2 Perks, but there’s a little trick you can do to get the best of both worlds. Advanced players will first grab a loadout with Overkill, allowing them to obtain their two primary weapons early on. Then, they’ll grab another loadout with a different tier 2 Perk applied. You’ll drop the second primary weapon on the ground after picking up the new class, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick it back up. This will allow you to carry your two primary weapons while utilizing a more useful Perk 2 slot. It’ll cost extra cash and take a bit of luck to get the second loadout, but it’s worth it.
High Alert
Your vision pulses when enemies outside of your view see you. Footsteps from players using Dead Silence are audible.
There’s one more Perk we recommend giving a try, at least if you’re an expert player. High Alert is neat because it causes your screen to pulse in the direction an enemy is targeting you from. This can save your life, allowing you to quickly turn around on a player looking at you from behind. Of course, it’s hard to pass up using Restock or Tempered, but if your reflexes are fast and your aim is accurate, it can sometimes be better. After all, just because an enemy knows where you are, that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically defeat you — but if you know where your opponents are, it can even the odds.
Pointman
All members of your team earn more money from completed missions.
We don’t recommend using Pointman regularly, but we did want to give it a shoutout for XP grinding purposes. Weapons take forever to level up in Warzone, and unless you’re using the best attachments (which are often locked toward the later levels), you’ll be at a disadvantage. However, the Pointman Perk should be used when you’re grinding for XP, as it boosts the amount you earn when you complete contracts. The amazing thing is that this stacks across all your teammates, meaning you’ll earn four times the XP if all members of a squad have the Perk applied. From there, you can go on a spree, completing Supply Run contracts over and over for maximum results. Again, we don’t advise using this Perk if you’re trying to win a match, but for leveling purposes, it’s fantastic.
Perk slot 3
Amped
Faster weapon swap and rocket launcher reload speed.
When it comes to practicality, Amped is one of the best Perks in the game. Being able to swap weapons faster can steer a gunfight in your favor, especially if you get caught in between reloads. Now, it’s worth mentioning that if you have certain weapons with large magazine sizes, this might not be as useful to you. Or if you’re sniping from afar, where you can easily get behind cover, it could be best to pick a different Perk. But in most close to midrange battles, Amped should be your go-to, especially if you’re using a rocket launcher.
Combat Scout
Damaging an enemy briefly highlights them for you and marks them for the entire squad.
Combat Scout is a newer Perk, and it’s one that didn’t quite catch on at first. However, it’s one of the best Perks in the game if you’re taking on battles with an assault rifle or LMG. The beauty of this Perk is that it “live pings” enemies you damage — not just for you, but for the whole squad. This means you can shoot an enemy, and your teammate will see exactly where they are, giving you supporting fire while making it much easier to take down the opponent. It eliminates the need to give specific callouts since the enemy will be pinged in real time for around a second.
The other major factor here is that it easily allows you to shoot through walls. If you shoot an enemy, they will typically run behind cover, but since they’ll be pinged, you’ll know exactly where they are. You can then continue to shoot at them to reset the ping counter, meaning you’ll always be able to see them through walls as long as you keep hitting them. And remember, your teammates will see them, too. This is one of those Perks that work great under the right conditions, but if you’re using a close-range SMG or sniper, it might not be as effective.
Tracker
Enemies leave behind a footprint trail. See markers at enemy death locations and hide the death markers of enemies you kill.
For the final Perk, we’re going to recommend Tracker. This one is nifty because it allows you to temporarily see an enemy footprint trail for around 15 to 20 meters. You’ll find this one useful when following an opponent who disappears within a densely populated building or even within a confusing wooded area. If you’re using an SMG or shotgun, this Perk can be highly effective, especially on Rebirth Island.
