What’s the difference between Bullet Velocity and Damage Range in Black Ops 6?

When kitting out your weapon in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, it’s important to understand the difference between two core stats: Bullet Velocity and Damage Range. On the surface, these two stats may imply improvement in the same area, but what they alter on your gun is completely different.

Should you use Bullet Velocity or Damage Range in Black Ops 6?

Before answering the question in the headline, it is imperative that you understand exactly what Bullet Velocity and Damage Range additions do to your gun. This way, when I give you the answer, you understand the nuance behind it. Let’s start by defining both these terms.

Bullet Velocity

When you equip attachments that increase the Bullet Velocity of your weapon, you are effectively increasing the speed at which your bullets will hit your crosshair. In Black Ops 6, your bullets are fully subject to standard physics. Bullet drop is the main determinant for a slow Bullet Velocity, but, additionally, in the midst of a gunfight, you typically want a fast Bullet Velocity so your bullets hit your target before your opponent’s.

Since Bullet Velocity governs the speed of your bullets, at close ranges, your Bullet Velocity rarely matters. Instead, Bullet Velocity matters significantly more in longer range engagements. This is something to consider if you’re heavily into playing Warzone, but even in Multiplayer, a faster Bullet Velocity may outright win you firefights simply because your bullets flat out faster.

Damage Range

On the other hand, Damage Range increases your weapon’s effective range, sometimes even reducing the amount of bullets needed to kill a target. All weapons in Black Ops 6 have an inherent effective Damage Range, and firing at a target outside of that range tends to put you at a disadvantage. This is why SMGs are so dominant in CQC, but often fall flat at mid-ranges and above.

Just like Bullet Velocity, Damage Range doesn’t really matter much in close-range fights since most weapons already perform well within their ideal range at those distances. Where it does come into play, and this, is far more important, is at longer ranges. But here’s the catch: if an attachment doesn’t push your target into your weapon’s effective range, it’s not doing anything for you.

Bullet Velocity vs Damage Range

When combined, both Bullet Velocity and Damage Range will improve your overall weapon’s effective engagement distance. However, if you had to pick just one stat to improve, Bullet Velocity is far more important in a majority of cases. Regardless of the range, Bullet Velocity is always affecting your weapon performance, which is not the case with Damage Range. Having your bullets hit your target first means less time needed to fire at target, which equates to more kills and fewer 1v1 losses.