CoD: Mobile | Best Operator Skills (2024)

Activision via Mike Bruton

Human Made

Penned by Mike Bruton

Michael is our expert Call of Duty writer.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

CoD: Mobile provides players with a virtually limitless combination of weapons, skills, attachments, perks, and scorestreaks to capture points, win gunfights, and triumph in battle royales. In this guide, we’ve got a operator skills tier list and then after that, we take a closer look at the top 10.

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What Are Operator Skills?

Operator Skills offer yet another tool to take the fight to the enemy. As a match progresses, players accumulate points, as shown in the yellow meter just below the radar. 

Throughout the match, the yellow bar will fill as players capture points, score hits on enemies, or fulfill whatever mission the game mode assigns. Once this meter reaches 100%, players gain temporary access to the skill they choose by tapping the circle or pressing both shoulder bumper buttons if using a controller. 

Upon activation, the amount of time a player has with their skill depends on three things: time, ammunition supply, or death. Some skills will end when they run out of ammunition, others when the timer runs out, but the death of a player will always reset the percentage back to zero. 

Choosing which skill to equip and how to use it can be a tad overwhelming; there are nearly two dozen to choose from, and each offers exclusive powers and abilities.

CoD: Mobile Operator Skill Tier List

A Closer Look at the 10 Best Operator Skills

Come along as we break down each operator skill from first to worst.

#1 War Machine

➡️ Best Game Mode: Free-For-All

Our number 1 pick for the very best operator skill in CoD: Mobile is the War Machine. The War Machine is a fully automatic grenade launcher with limited range but devastating firepower. While not as far-reaching as its close cousin, the Death Machine, this grenade launcher doesn’t require as much accuracy thanks to its ammunition. 

Explosive grenade rounds lay waste to anything within proximity. Coming around the corner with this thing in hand ought to scatter the enemy before you even start shooting.

Brute force wins the day as often as not. The War Machine may be an advanced piece of kit, but using it is as simple as pulling the trigger. Point at a nearby enemy and pull that trigger. Be careful not to blow yourself up, as the explosive rounds damage you as effectively as your enemies.

#2 Death Machine

➡️ Best Game Mode: Hardpoint

This Gatling gun turns every player into a Predator-hunting commando. Performance statistics are unavailable for the War Machine, but its triple barrels deliver rounds fast enough to virtually melt anyone in its path. 

The player can initially be vulnerable when equipped with the War Machine, as it can be unwieldy. But the fire rate continues to rise as players use it, meaning that surviving the first few moments with the War Machine turns players into veritable map-clearing juggernauts. 

The War Machine is especially effective in point-based domination modes in which enemies tend to bunch close together to hold a point. Spraying into the crowd under the full force of the War Machine 

#3 K9 Unit

➡️ Best Map: Hacienda

Upon activation, the K9 unleashes a war rottweiler that acts as a mobile knife, delivering one-strike kills if it gets near an enemy. 

The dog is fast, low to the ground, and challenging to shoot before it gets close enough to score a kill. It tracks enemies by scent, essentially making the K9 unit a homing missile with teeth.  

The best way to defend against the K9 unit is by spotting it at range and getting good shots before it closes the distance. The best offensive use of the K9 is on maps with many corners and short sightlines, making it more difficult for enemies to locate and destroy it. The K9 also has the advantage of being a passive operator skill. 

Let the dogs of war slip and go about your rampage as the K9 unit ravages the enemy. 

#4 Ballista EM3

➡️ Best Map: Hijacked’s small size and balconies facing a central point make the most out of the Ballista’s two powerful projectiles. 

CoD: Mobile tips toward the sci-fi realm with our first A-tier selection: the Ballista EM3. Though it sounds like a medieval siege weapon, the Ballista is an electromagnetically powered projectile launcher that outlines enemies in red for easy targeting.  

Keeping the Ballista from the S-Tier is its low capacity. Players only have two shots with the Ballista, so make them count. Additionally, holding the trigger powers up the shot, making the Ballista EM3 the anti-Death Machine, requiring deliberate and careful use to maximize its power.

#5 Gravity Vortex Gun

➡️ Best Game Mode: Search-and-Destroy

Another space weapon adapted to the CoD universe, the Gravity Vortex Gun is just plain fun in a banishing-your-foes-to-another-realm sort of way. The gun fires gravity blasts that stick in the air and suck enemies inside, never to be heard from again.

The gravity bubbles serve as both an offensive weapon and as traps, as they hang in the air waiting to consume a rushing enemy. Placing a gravity bubble in the center of a high-traffic area or around blind corners, and odds are you’ll snare a handful of the other team in your sci-fi trap. 

The cat-and-mouse playstyle of Search and Destroy merges perfectly with the Gravity Vortex Gun’s passive and active abilities. 

#6 Equalizer

➡️ Best Game Mode: Team Deathmatch

Seeing someone armed with the Equalizer charging your position is luckier than it sounds- usually, players are cold in the ground before they know what hit them. This dual-wield pistol, reminiscent of a Skorpion sub-machine gun, gives players an ultra-fast fire rate and range that belies the short barrels.

Though they are pistols, the Equalizer(s) are effective at long range in addition to putting a lot of lead in the air at once. The barrels glow red-hot, which doesn’t impact strategy, but it sure does look cool. 

Bolster your team with this shredder of a weapon, clearing holes and capturing points. 

#7 Tempest

➡️ Best Map: Crossroads

The Tempest is aptly named. It unleashes lightning bolts that down enemies with a single shot, and it doesn’t run out of ammunition. Use it until the timer runs out or someone gets the better of you. 

The Tempest can be finicky to aim, so it is not necessarily a crowd-destroyer like some of the blunter weapons on this list. Activating it at a point where you can make controlled shots will be the best bet with Thor’s favorite gun. 

Crossroad’s plethora of second-floor windows and long central sight lines give players the time to line up shots. 

#8 Claw

➡️ Best Game Mode: Kill Confirmed

Spread shot fire modes should bring fond memories to anyone who enjoyed the original Contra on NES. Forget aiming; the Claw sends projectiles flying laterally, catching anyone in your path with an onslaught of damage. What puts the Claw squarely in the B-tier is that the shots themselves do not have particularly excellent range or damage.

It’s all about closing with and destroying the enemy with the Claw. Though the Claw puts out several projectiles at a time, each individual piece of lead is not especially damaging. So get up close and overwhelm the enemy with death by a thousand shots. 

By design, close-range combat is ideal for Kill Confirmed, as players need to physically collect dog tags in addition to killing the enemy- something the birdshot approach of the Claw does well. 

#9 Ballistic Shield

➡️ Best Game Mode: Domination

The Ballistic Shield provides armored protection and offensive capability for the defensive-minded among us. Calling in the Ballistic Shield is like having a personal turret, as it gives armor protection and a machine pistol, allowing players to defend points with tenacity. 

Running around with the Ballistic Shield is fun, but with limited visibility and heavy handling, it’s not the best deployment strategy. Post up with protected flanks or enter a crowded room to mow down enemies who can’t strike back with their conventional weapons.

Keep watch over the crucial point from behind your personal fortress wall. 

#10 Shadow Blade

➡️ Best Map: Crash

The Shadow Blade is the most out-of-place weapon in the game. They call it a first-person shooter for a reason, but seasoned veterans have a soft spot for humiliating the enemy with a bladed kill. 

The Shadow Blade is all about speed, surprise, and violence of action. When activating the Shadow Blade, the camera pulls out of 1st person mode, giving the player more situational awareness while increasing movement speed—holding the trigger results in a swirling blade that would make Geralt proud. After that, it’s just a matter of running through enemies before they shoot. 

Close quarters and narrow paths give the Shadow Blade the best opportunities to carve off a hunk of the enemy team. 

Join the High Ground

Though we have favorites, Operator Skills are highly subjective and depend on which game modes and maps players prefer. Try out some of our favorites, or mix and match your own to maximize your battlefield effectiveness.

The sheer variety of choices can be overwhelming. Fortunately, High Ground has you covered with guides for everything from building custom loadouts to weapon rankings. 

Share some of your favorite combos in the comments, and happy gaming!