In what’s become a heated race for best AR in Black Ops 6, the AMES 85 has rightfully turned some heads and is a lethal weapon with the correct set of attachments.
The AMES 85 is without doubt one of the better assault rifles in BO6. Although the weapon has a slower time-to-kill speed than the XM4 and AK-74, reliable accuracy and devastating power make it an appealing option.
As with any weapon, you’ll want to build it out right to make sure you’re getting the most out of your AMES. Here’s what we recommend.
Best Black Ops 6 AMES 85 loadout
- Optic: Accu-Spot Reflex
- Muzzle: Ported Compensator
- Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
- Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
- Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
First, we recommend using an optic as this weapon doesn’t have a visually pleasing iron sight. It comes down to personal preference, but we like the Accu-Spot Reflex because of its clean sightline.
To help improve accuracy, the Ported Compensator addresses first shot and vertical recoil control. Along the same lines of of thinking, the Ranger Foregrip improves horizontal recoil control, but also helps sprinting and movement speed.
Winning a gunfight in Black Ops 6 comes down to which player fires first, bullet placement, and range. With that in mind, the Reinforced Barrel improves damage range and bullet velocity, and the Quickdraw Grip improves aim down sight speed.
If you use these set of attachments, there shouldn’t be any issue taking on any medium or long range engagement. In addition, the improved mobility will even make it possible to get up and close and personal with enemies.
Best Perks, Equipment & Combat Specialty for AMES 85
- Wildcard: Perk Greed
- Perk 1: Ghost
- Perk 2: Gung-Ho
- Perk 3: Double Time
- Perk 4: Dexterity
- Lethal: Thermo Grenade
- Tactical: Concussion
- Field Upgrade: Trophy System
Treyarch put a heavy emphasis on movement in this title. Regardless of whether you use and AR or SMG, being able to outmaneuver the opposition with omnimovement and other mechanics is paramount.
And because of that, three of our four Perks address mobility. Gung-Ho improves speed while reloading or using equipment, keeping you moving faster at all times, while Double Time greatly improves Tactical Sprint duration.
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Finally the Perk Greed wildcard lets us take a fourth perk, and we’ve gone with Dexterity here, giving you reduced weapon motion while jumping, sliding, and diving, as well as taking less fall damage.
By using the three red Perks, you unlock the Enforcer combat speciality which grants a temporary buff to movement speed and heal regeneration rate after killing enemies.
Weapon pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very accurate | Bulky iron sights |
| Good rate of fire | Poor mobility and handling |
| Lower damage than most ARs |
Where is AMES 85 in the meta?
The AMES 85 is currently the fifth most popular assault rifle in Black Ops 6, with a pick rate of just 2.23%.
This may change somewhat significantly over the coming weeks as players start trying out different guns and the meta levels itself out. For example, some of the most popular weapons right now are the XM4 AR (6.25%) and the C9 SMG (6.84%), which are automatically unlocked for players once they get custom loadouts.
How to unlock
The AMES 85 can be unlocked by reaching Player Level 19.
This is pretty early on so you won’t have to wait too long to start using this AR.
AMES 85 alternatives
If you’re looking for something different from the AMES, you might want to look at the more aggressive GPR 91 assault rifle for a change of pace, while the Model L is a great option with a far more impressive damage profile, albeit at a cost of accuracy.
Make sure to check out our Black Ops 6 gun tier list to be ahead of the competition. Also, you’ll want to make sure that your controller settings are optimized to avoid being hindered.