Master the battlefield with the AMES 85, Black Ops 6’s assault rifle that blends lethal precision and mobility for mid- to long-range dominance. Whether you’re a sharpshooter aiming for devastating headshots or a versatile player seeking a balanced loadout, this guide reveals the ultimate attachments, perks, and class setup to transform the AMES 85 into your most formidable weapon. Ready to outgun your opponents with pinpoint accuracy and relentless firepower? Here’s everything you need to build the best AMES 85 loadout for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Sitting near the top of our list of the best guns in Black Ops 6, the goal with our AMES 85 loadout is to improve both the damage range, recoil control, and aiming speeds. You’ll want to hold down positions, picking enemies off from behind cover, taking advantage of the fast fire rate to shred through enemies.
Here’s our pick for the best AMES 85 loadout in Black Ops 6, alongside the best class to run with it and how to unlock the gun to begin with.
How to unlock the AMES 85 in Black Ops 6
To unlock the AMES 85 in Black Ops 6, players need to reach Player Level 19. Once this milestone is achieved, the AMES 85 becomes available in your loadouts alongside the HE-1 launcher, allowing you to customize and level up the weapon immediately. This unlock requirement is straightforward, with no special challenges or tasks needed-just consistent gameplay to reach the required level. Grinding XP through daily challenges and objective-based game modes like Hard Point or Domination can speed up the process. The AMES 85 is a versatile, fast-firing assault rifle well-suited for mid to long-range combat, making it a valuable addition to your arsenal early in the game.
To unlock the AMES 85 in Black Ops 6, you need to reach level 19. You’ll get your hands on the AMES 85 at the same time as the HE-1 launcher, so you can whack it on a custom loadout and start leveling it up right away.
If you bought the Vault Edition of Black Ops 6, you’ll also have the Plague Doctor blueprint of the weapon, or if you picked up the Endeavour Pack in the store you’ll have the Seaworthy Strength blueprint available instead.
Best AMES 85 loadout in Black Ops 6
The AMES 85 stands out in Black Ops 6 as a top-tier assault rifle, offering an excellent balance of high fire rate, accuracy, and damage-especially when optimized with the right attachments and perks. The best AMES 85 loadout focuses on maximizing headshot damage and recoil control, making it ideal for players who excel at precision shooting in mid- to long-range engagements. Key attachments include the CHF or Reinforced Barrel for increased damage range and headshot multipliers, the Vertical Foregrip and Quickdraw Grip for improved handling and faster ADS, and an optic like the Merlin Reflex or Merlin Mini for clear target acquisition. Pairing the AMES 85 with perks such as Assassin, Dexterity, Double Time, and Ghost, and gear like Flashbang and Semtex, rounds out a versatile and deadly class setup. This build allows players to dominate on any map, leveraging the AMES 85’s strengths for both aggressive pushes and holding angles.
Here’s the best AMES 85 loadout in Black Ops 6:
- Optic: Accu-Spot Ultra Holo
- Muzzle: Ported Compensator
- Barrel: Long Barrel
- Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
- Fire Mods: Recoil Springs
For this AMES 85 loadout, we’re leaning fully into the fact that we can essentially turn the gun into a laser beam with the right attachments, and we don’t even need to use Gunfighter to do it.
The Optic is mostly personal preference but since the aim is to fight at range, we’ve gone for the 3x zoom of the Accu-Spot Ultra Holo, but if you want something a little less zoomed in, the Volzhskiy Reflex is a good shout.
All the other attachments focus on killing enemies from a distance. The Ported Compensator buffs both the vertical and first shot recoil control, the Vertical Foregrip focuses on the horizontal recoil control, and the Recoil Springs – as you’d expect – buff both the horizontal and vertical recoil control. That’s a lot of recoil control. Meanwhile, the Long Barrel attachment massively buffs the damage range, so your shots deal more damage at a longer distance.
If you do decide to opt for Gunfighter – which adds an additional three attachments for your primary weapon – some other recommended attachments alongside these would be the Extended Mag I to save yourself from reloading as frequently, the Quickdraw Grip to buff the aim down sight speed, and the Combat Stock to help you stay on target when you’re being shot at.
Best AMES 85 class in Black Ops 6
The best AMES 85 class in Black Ops 6 is designed for players who excel at mid- to long-range combat with a focus on precision and mobility. This setup pairs the AMES 85 assault rifle with attachments like the CHF Barrel for increased headshot damage, Vertical Foregrip for recoil control, Quickdraw Grip for faster aiming, and Extended Mag I for a larger magazine. The class includes the GS45 pistol as a reliable secondary, a Knife for melee, Flashbang and Semtex grenades for tactical and lethal options, and the Assault Pack field upgrade to replenish grenades. Key perks are Assassin, Dexterity, Double Time, and Ghost via Perk Greed, unlocking the Enforcer specialty for additional buffs after kills. This build balances high damage output with excellent control and versatility, making it a top choice for skilled marksmen in Black Ops 6.
Here’s the best class to use with the AMES 85 in Black Ops 6:
- Secondary: Jackal PDW
- Melee: Knife
- Tactical: Flashbang
- Lethal: Impact Grenade
- Field Upgrade: Trophy System
- Perk 1: Ghost
- Perk 2: Forward Intel
- Perk 3: Cold-Blooded
- Specialty: Recon
- Wildcard: Overkill
For the most part, this AMES 85 class is fairly standard to go alongside an assault rifle build, but there are a couple of things to highlight.
The first of these is – to jump to the very bottom – the fact we’re going to run Overkill as the wildcard, so you can equip the Jackal PDW in the secondary slot. Ideally the Jackal PDW is well-suited here because it’s built for close-range engagements, so you can switch to it whenever you find yourself in a sticky situation that the AMES 85 cannot deal with.
The Knife is always the best melee option, as is the Flashbang for the tactical slot. We’ve opted for Impact Grenades in the lethal slot here though as they don’t require cooking and you can use them to quickly flush out enemies behind cover. Using a Trophy System is recommended to protect you from incoming grenades, but if you find yourself running out of ammo regularly, go for an Assault Pack instead.
With the perks, we’ve opted for the blues, solely for the Recon specialty which shows you the location of enemies through walls for a moment after you spawn. Ghost protects you from enemy UAVs, Forward Intel makes your minimap bigger and shows you the direction revealed enemies are traveling in, and Cold-Blooded stops you from being targeted by enemy killstreaks.
If you decide you’d rather run a different wildcard, replace the Jackal PDW with the Grekhova pistol as it’s also fully automatic, and go for either Gunfighter with the additional three attachments mentioned above, or Perk Greed to use Flak Jacket or Tac Mask on your class.
How can I maximize the damage potential of the AMES 85 in Black Ops 6
To maximize the damage potential of the AMES 85 in Black Ops 6, focus on a loadout that enhances fire rate, accuracy, recoil control, and damage range. Key attachments include:
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Barrel: Reinforced Barrel or Gain-Twist Barrel to significantly increase damage range and bullet velocity, improving hit registration at longer distances.
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Muzzle: Compensator for better recoil control and reduced flash, or Suppressor for stealth while maintaining accuracy.
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Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip or Precision Foregrip to drastically reduce horizontal and vertical recoil, making shots more precise.
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Fire Mod: Rapid Fire to boost the weapon’s fire rate, minimizing time to kill.
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Magazine: Extended Mag 1 to increase ammo capacity and mitigate reload issues.
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Stock: Light Stock or Balanced Stock to improve mobility without compromising control.
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Optic: Prismatech Reflex or Microflex for a clear sight picture and minimal obstruction.
Pair this with the Gunfighter Wildcard to equip up to eight attachments, optimizing every aspect of the weapon’s performance.
Complement the weapon with perks that enhance survivability and mobility, such as Dexterity, Assassin, and Double Time, and use tactical equipment like Stim Shot to maintain health and speed during engagements.
This setup transforms the AMES 85 into a highly accurate, fast-firing, and deadly assault rifle capable of dominating mid- to long-range fights with minimal recoil and maximum damage output.
What attachment combo gives the highest damage output for AMES 85 in BO6
The attachment combo that delivers the highest damage output for the AMES 85 in Black Ops 6 centers on maximizing damage range and bullet velocity, while maintaining control and accuracy. A top recommended setup includes:
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Barrel: Reinforced Barrel or CHF Barrel (both significantly boost damage range and bullet velocity, with CHF Barrel offering a notable headshot damage boost).
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Muzzle: Compensator or Ported Compensator to reduce recoil and improve shot stability.
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Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip or Ranger Foregrip to enhance recoil control, especially horizontal recoil.
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Fire Mod: Rapid Fire to increase fire rate, boosting damage per second despite some recoil penalties.
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Magazine: Extended Mag I for increased ammo capacity without downsides.
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Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip or Quickdraw Grip to improve handling and ADS speed.
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Stock: Balanced Stock or Light Stock to improve mobility without sacrificing control.
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Optic: Accu-Spot Reflex or Merlin Reflex for clear sight picture aiding precision shots.
Using the Gunfighter Wildcard to equip up to eight attachments allows combining these to maximize damage output and control simultaneously. This setup leverages the AMES 85’s high fire rate and accuracy to deliver lethal damage, especially at mid- to long-range engagements where damage range enhancements matter most.
In summary, the highest damage output comes from pairing a damage-boosting barrel like Reinforced or CHF Barrel with recoil-reducing attachments (Compensator, Vertical Foregrip), Rapid Fire to increase fire rate, and Extended Mag for sustained firing, all optimized through Gunfighter for eight attachments.
