Note: In this article, the phrase 'camo farming' refers to the act of playing rounds and killing opponents for the sole purpose of unlocking weapon camos.
Camo farming has become quite popular recently, in part because of the love for skins like the Gold camo, the Damascus camo, and the Diamond camo, and in part because of a good majority of us being "achievement whores" (myself included). If you are looking for some tips on efficiently (key word there) unlocking your weapon camos, you've come to the right place!
If you don't want to read the entire article (which I do recommend doing), you can click on a topic via the Table of Contents below to jump right to it. And as always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, leave a comment below the article. Happy farming!
Table of Contents
1. Play Hardpoint Matches
Hardpoint is, by far, the best game mode to play if you want to farm, well, anything, including camos. This is thanks to multiple factors, including the length of time that Hardpoint matches last, as well as how this mode is played, the most important being the following.
It is points-based.
One of the things that makes Hardpoint perfect for farming is the fact that its win condition is points-based instead of kill-based. In other words, the game doesn't end when one team reaches a certain number of kills but instead lasts until a team reaches 150 points. This is great because, since you aren't limited by the kills you can get in a match, you have the potential to get dozens of kills, allowing for much more efficient farming.
It lasts the longest.
Game modes that have a kill count win condition don't last long, and other game modes, like S&D, aren't relevant in this analysis (unless you think that a total of 16 possible kills is "efficient"). This brings us to Domination vs. Hardpoint.
While Domination and Hardpoint are both points-based game modes, Hardpoint is miles ahead of Domination in terms of farming. This is thanks to several factors, including the fact that Hardpoint lasts much longer, due to a multitude of reasons. Domination, for example, only lasts until one team gets 100 points over the course of two rounds (50 points each), whereas Hardpoint lasts until a team gets 150 points.
In addition to this, the points in a Hardpoint match accumulate much more slowly because the Hardpoint will stop generating points under a few different conditions, like when there is nobody occupying the hardpoint. In contrast, once a circle is captured in Domination, it will continue to generate points until the round or match is over, whether it's for one team or the other.
You always know where opponents are or are heading.
Due to the base-capturing nature of Hardpoint, you don't have to search for enemies because you always know exactly where the majority of them are heading - the hardpoint! Less time spent searching means more time spent killing, and every bit of time saved counts.
2. Play on Shipment
Don't allow the game to select a map for you at random. Instead, select a map for yourself. The map that you pick should depend on the camos you are working on.
For the majority of camos, you'll want to play Hardpoint on Shipment. Shipment is the smallest COD: Mobile map and has a uniform layout, meaning you're never far from your next kill, and that you never have to travel far (or at all) to kill opponents.
The exception to this is if you are working on "long-range" camos. This refers to a) camos for long-range weapons, like sniper rifles and marksmen rifles, and b) camos that require you to kill players from a long range. Shipment is terrible for long-range kills. Instead, you should select a map on which you can get long-range kills relatively easily and relatively often.
Two of my favorite choices for long-range kills are Crossfire and Rust, but you can select any map that you think works. Just keep in mind that if you aren't getting very many long-range kills on a specific map, you either need to change your strategy, or change the map!
3. Select Defensive Perks
This may seem counter-intuitive (after all, you're trying to kill people, not hide from them), but I promise you, it isn't. We've all heard the old adage "The best offense is a great defense", am I right? If you are going for efficiency, you should be trying to get as many kills per game as possible. To achieve this, the less you die, the better!
Perk 1: Fast Recover (Increase HP recovery rate by 35%)
As mentioned before, the longer you survive, the better. I will admit that I am not 100% sure how effective this perk is in comparison with the other perks in this slot; all I know is that, if it helps your HP regeneration, then that's good enough in my book! There aren't necessarily any other "defensive" perks that make fantastic options for camo-farming within this first perk slot, so you may as well just... survive more.
Perk 2: Vulture (Pick up ammo from kills equal to the magazine of the current weapon.)
If you follow my advice and decide to play Hardpoint on Shipment for a majority of your camo farming, you'll need this perk; I know I always regret it when I forget to include it in my loadout.
It is inevitable that you will enter lobbies that are mainly occupied by bots when playing this map-and-mode power duo. When you do, consider yourself lucky - bot lobbies are awesome! Not only is your match not full of tryhards that kill you every time you spawn, but bots themselves are easy to kill, allowing your kill count to soar well past 50 (depending on your skill, of course).
The one downside to this combo is that it is easy for your ammo to run out - hence why you should use Vulture. Having to die to get more ammo wastes time and is not efficient whatsoever. When you use Vulture, however, you are able to continuously run through your kills and collect full magazines of ammo, increasing your kill streaks (and your overall kill count) by a considerable amount.
Remember, even partial bot lobbies are better than a game full of real players, so take advantage of these opportunities every time they come around.
Perk #3: Launcher Plus (Adds single reserve ammunition to all launchers.)
Before you scoff and skip ahead, hear me out on this one. I realize that this perk may seem an odd choice to you. However, in the very next section, I discuss why launchers are your best friend when farming camos for a primary weapon. This perk gives you an additional launcher round, which will certainly come in handy. Trust me.
REMINDER: Let me take this opportunity to remind you that, as with most sections in this guide, these suggestions are largely based on my experience and overall opinion. If you feel that you have a viable alternate option in terms of perks or anything else, by all means, go for it! I do recommend that you at least try my ideas, but regardless, feel free to give me your suggestions in the comments below this article. I'm always down for improvements.
4. Use a Launcher as Your Secondary Weapon
Note: 'Launchers; refers to the two launchers in the game, the SMRS and the FHJ-18.
If you don't have the gold camo unlocked for your launchers yet, you're going to want to start working on them ASAP because unlocking gold for these bastards is a little tougher than the other weapons. The FHJ-18, for example, requires you to destroy 10 VTOLs and 10 Goliaths, among other scorestreaks. This may or may not seem like a big deal to you upon reading this. However, when you're actually trying to complete the damn thing, you'll realize just how rarely these scorestreaks show up.
If you don't have gold on your launchers yet, you're going to want to start working on them ASAP. Unlocking the Gold camo for the launchers is actually kind of tough, especially when it comes to the FHJ-18, which requires you to kill 10 VTOLS and 10 Goliaths, among other scorestreaks. VTOLs and Goliaths appear rarely enough as it is; you may as well have your FHJ-18 ready when they do appear.
Beyond that, if you are working on camos for a primary weapon, having a pistol or a melee weapon in that slot is a bit of a waste. You will be too busy using that primary weapon to use the secondary, and, since you're going to have the Vulture perk, you won't run out of ammo and be forced to use your secondary to kill opponents.
Even if you already have Gold on your launchers, I recommend keeping them. They are very useful for killing UAVs, Sentry Guns, VTOLs, Goliaths, Helicopters, and other scorestreaks, and you're going to regret not bringing one in when you keep getting blasted by a VTOL, a Sentry Gun, or a Chopper immediately upon spawning back in.
5. Lethal and Tactical
When it comes to the "grenades" of the game (aka your lethal and tactical weapons), you're going to want to save your kills for the weapon you're working on. Instead of choosing grenades that kill your enemeis, choose defensive types.
Lethal
As far as Lethal goes, I'd pick whatever; all of the lethal options have the potential to kill the enemy (after all, they are "lethal"). Simply don't use whatever you pick. 🤷
Tactical
Tactical options include the Smoke Grenade, the Flashbang Grenade, the Stun Grenade, the EMP Grenade, the Cryo Bomb, and the Trophy System. There's also the Heartbeat Sensor, but I personally find it to be pretty useless. Any viable options are simply those that can assist you in getting kills with your weapon and doesn't kill the opponent itself.
6. Scorestreaks
Once again, you're going to want to pick scorestreaks that are "Defensive", not "Offensive". The more they help you get kills for your camos, the better.
Some potentially helpful scorestreaks include:
UAV - Know where your enemies are at all times.
Shock RC - Shock your enemies into staying still for you.
Care Package (if working on the FHJ-18 camos; more details below).
Counter-UAV - Helpful if against good players instead of bots.
SAM Turret - Helpful if against good players with airborne scorestreaks.
Advanced UAV - Helpful if against good players instead of bots.
Goliath (if working on the FHJ-18 camos; more details below).
EMP Systems - Destroy your enemies' electronics and disable their HUD for a while.
I personally like to use the Shock RC, the UAV, and the EMP Systems, but your choices are up to you.
7. Gunsmithing/Specific Weapon Tips
When it comes to building your gun, you're going to want to select attachments based on the camos you're working on.
Assault Rifles, SMGs, LMGs, Shotguns, Pistols
Assault rifles, SMGs, LMGs, shotguns, and pistols all have the same camo requirements. Some of them don't require any advice (such as the ones that require the weapon to have full attachments or no attachments, or the ones that simply need you to kill a specific number of opponents). As for the others, I recommend trying out the following.
Long range kills:
- Classic Red Dot Sight
- Attachments with + ADS Spread %
- Attachments with less recoil % (if your gun has bad recoil; otherwise, not a necessary thing to focus on.)
- + % Damage range
Hip-fire kills:
- Hip-fire spread %
- Don't bother with any ADS attachments
- Movement speed
- Ammo and reload speed
Headshot kills:
- Classic Red Dot Sight
- Attachments with + ADS Spread %
- Attachments with less recoil % (if your gun has bad recoil; otherwise, not a necessary thing to focus on.)
* Note that, for guns that have camos that require "No attachments" and "Hip-fire kills", I recommend working on both camos at the same time. It makes things more difficult if you are trying to pair "No attachments" with camos that require "Headshot kills" or "Long range kills", since it's much easier with attachments.
* Another note: For pistols specifically, if the Secondary Weapons game mode is available, play it! Although this option is supposed to pick randomly between a pistols-only mode and a melee-only mode, it's only been doing the pistols-only mode as of late. This is much better for farming pistol camos because you're on a level playing field, as your opponents are playing with pistols, too.
Melee Weapons
While melee weapons don't have any attachments, I do have a couple of tips for these bad boys.
1. For the camos that require you to kill opponents while crouching, don't just walk around the map in a crouched position, swinging at people in vain. Instead, go into your settings and do the following:
Turn off "Always Sprint". When it's off, make sure that your "Always Sprint" sensitivity is very low.
Adjust the length of the line between your joystick and the Sprint icon so that it's the shortest it can be.
Under the "Slide" setting, switch "Tap Crouch" to "Hold Crouch".
The idea is that you're going to go into the game and, instead of sprinting all the time (which makes it really hard to go into Crouch because it makes you slide instead), you will either walk or run instead. Once you get close enough to an opponent, go into a crouch and kill them. Note that you could technically, maybe, get away with just option c (Changing "Tap" to "Hold"). However, this may not be enough because, while the sliding problem is solved, if you are sliding your joystick into the "Sprint" icon the whole time, you only go into a crouch for a moment before standing up and sprinting again.
2. If it's available, I highly recommend playing the melee-only game mode(s) to level up your melee weapon camos. Not only are they fun, but you are also on a level playing field because everyone else is forced to use a melee weapon, too! They are also great for the camos that require you to get 2 and 3 kills in a row without dying. These game modes don't seem to be around as often as they used to, so when they do come back, take advantage.
Launchers (SMRS and FHJ-18)
As mentioned earlier, the launchers can be difficult in terms of their camo requirements.
SMRS
The only camos that are really an issue are the Reptile camos, which require you to get a double kill with one launcher a total of 18 times. For this, follow the advice above; play Hardpoint on Shipment, and make sure you have the Launcher Plus perk. Wait until there are a couple of enemies in the hardpoint, and boom! Easy peasy double kills.
FHJ-18
Apart from having the Launcher Plus perk equipped and making sure you have the FHJ equipped as often as possible, there isn't much more that you can do to help you get these camos, except:
For the VTOLs and Goliaths, run the Care Package and Goliath scorestreaks. If the care package rolls a VTOL or a Goliath, leave it alone and cross your fingers that an enemy takes it. Similar concept for the Goliath scorestreak; let it land, and then leave it alone and hope that an enemy takes it. This will get you these VTOL and Goliath kills a little bit faster.
8. Use the CamoTracker Tool
I recently released a tool that I call the CamoTracker. You can use this tool to track the progress of your camo farming much better than you can in-game. Click the button below if you're interested.
Conclusion
There you have it - tips for helping you get your camos more efficiently! If you follow all of this advice, you are sure to get these camos much more quickly. And, as always, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, etc., feel free to either leave a comment below or use the Contact form on this website.
Happy farming!
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