What SPEED COLA Really Does
I'm not sure how mods are for video links, but the callofdutyzombies subreddit enjoyed my last post on Deadshot Daiquiri so I wanted to share my findings for Speed Cola and deep testing here, as well. If you want to see the full video, my YouTube link is in my profile as well.
After extensive testing, here’s everything you need to know about Speed Cola, its augments, and why things might feel clunky during gameplay.
What is Speed Cola Supposed to Do?
The purpose of Speed Cola is simple on paper. It’s marketed as a perk that increases your reload speed and armor re-plating speed by 30%. Quick reloads. Faster plating. Simple, right? Well, not exactly.
During testing, there were a few lingering questions:
- Does Speed Cola truly improve reload speed by 30%?
- Does it apply those same improvements to your re-plating animations?
- Are there hidden downsides impacting gameplay?
These aren’t just theoretical questions—they matter to how you build your loadout and navigate tougher rounds.
Does Speed Cola Actually Improve Reload Speed?
Let’s start with its main selling point: faster reloads. Without Speed Cola, the standard reload speed for an assault rifle in Zombies clocks in at about 2 seconds. With Speed Cola equipped, that reload time improves by an average of 30%.
- Normal reload (partially emptied mag): ~1.59 seconds.
- Empty reload (fully emptied mag): ~2.06 seconds.
But here’s where things get more detailed. Empty reloads (reloads after completely exhausting your magazine) take more time due to the need to rechamber a round. Speed Cola reduces empty reload time by around 34–35%.
- Normal reload speed: 30% faster (~1.11 seconds).
- Empty reload speed: 34% faster (~1.36 seconds).
For reference, the perk works consistently across most weapons. Standard rifles, SMGs, and even under-barrel attachments saw similar performance boosts. That said, faster reload speeds alone won’t always save you from tricky situations.
Why Empty Reload Takes Longer
If you’ve ever noticed empty reloads take longer, here’s why: When you empty a weapon, the last round exits the chamber. To reset your firearm, the bolt has to cycle forward, pick up a new round, and load it. This motion adds extra steps, explaining the delay. Knowing this, Speed Cola becomes more essential for high-capacity weapons like LMGs.
Re-Plating Armor: The Real Issue
Unfortunately, Speed Cola’s functionality falls apart when it comes to re-plating, and it could cost you critical seconds during survival. Armor plating in BO6 isn’t one smooth action. There are four distinct phases involved:
- Plate activation time: ~10 milliseconds for starting the process.
- Insert time: ~1 second per plate.
- Plate recovery speed: Returning your hand to the weapon (~10 milliseconds).
- Plate stall time: ~0.5 seconds between plating multiple pieces of armor.
With Speed Cola equipped, the insert time (placing each plate) and recovery time (returning to your weapon) improve significantly, by 41% to 47%. This means you can restore one full plate faster and get your weapon ready to fire more quickly.
Here are the plating time reductions you can expect with Speed Cola:
- One plate: ~47% faster (most noticeable improvement).
- Two plates: ~41–42% faster.
- Three plates: ~45% faster.
However, the stall time remains completely unchanged at 0.5 seconds per plate. This stall creates unnecessary vulnerability. If you’re plating up in the middle of an intense Zombies round, that delay could give the horde just enough time to down you.
Compare this to MWZ (Modern Warfare Zombies), where plating only affects your armor health. In BO6, hits during plating reduce both armor and base health simultaneously, making the slower process a glaring issue.
Here’s the reality: Speed Cola improves plating times, but the unchanged stall phase still leaves glaring vulnerabilities in open combat.
Speed Cola Augments: A Mixed Bag
Speed Cola comes with six unique augments designed to boost functionality during gameplay. Some of these are essential. Others? Not so much. Here’s the breakdown:
Quick Swap
What it does: Speeds up your weapon-switching time by ~50%.
Quick Swap works well if you heavily rely on melee weapons, a secondary, or switch often during combat. For example, if you’re swiftly switching to melee weapons against Manglers or carrying launchers for special enemies, this augment shines.
That said, if your loadout prioritizes a main weapon or focused role, Quick Swap has limited use. Its only niche scenarios make it a ‘nice-to-have,’ not essential.
Classic Formula
What it does: Boosts reload speed by an extra 45%–50%.
Out of all the major augments, Classic Formula is your best bet. It drastically lowers the wait times for reloads—whether you’re using an LMG, rocket launcher, or even under-barrel attachments. Compared to Phantom Reload (explained below), Classic Formula’s instant impact keeps you ready for anything.
For reference:
- Normal reload speed: 45-50% faster.
- Empty reload speed: ~44% faster.
- Underbarrel reload speed: ~46% faster.
Where Phantom Reload gradually adds ammo over time, Classic Formula delivers immediate speed gains. This is critical for high-round success.
Phantom Reload
What it does: Gradually refills magazines over time (~25% every 5 seconds).
Phantom Reload’s slower, steady impact makes it ideal for snipers, shotguns, or other low-magazine weapons. This augment doesn’t activate until 5 seconds after you stop firing, making it extremely case based. Like in my Infinite Ammo Build, check out the YouTube channel for that video You won’t notice much benefit in fast-paced zombies fights, but if you’re camping or sniping from relative safety, this augment pays off. It can’t compete with Classic Formula for active reloads, though.
One thing u/snakemichael mentioned in the comments about phantom reload, is that it doesn’t matter how many rounds are missing from your mag, it’s always going to pull 25% from reserves.
So for a 16 round shotgun, if you shoot once, it’s still going to pull 4 rounds, fill the 1, and the rest are wasted. 200 round LMG, fire say 10 rounds, and it’ll still pull 50, reload the 10, and now you’ve lost 40 rounds.
Fast Pitcher
What it does: Deploys equipment 25% faster and shortens recovery time.
This is surprisingly one of the best minor augments in the Speed Cola setup. Base deployment for equipment (Molotovs, decoys, grenades) takes about 1 second. This augment cuts it down by ~25%, which feels decent. But here’s the kicker: It has a hidden ability, Fast Pitcher also lets you shoot 50% sooner after deploying equipment.
For escape strategies, this is a lifesaver. If you’re chucking a decoy and need to recover firepower immediately, this augment shines. It’s easily one of the most underrated tools in the game. In tight spots where reaction time matters, this augment proves invaluable.
The Problem with Speedy Roulette and Supercharged
Not every augment delivers as intended. Speedy Reload and Supercharged had more issues during testing.
Speedy Roulette
This augment affects Mystery Box mechanics, but it’s not the boost you’d hope for. It improves only the weapon settling animation in the box (from ~5.5s to ~3s). More time-consuming phases like returning or recovery times remain unchanged. There are four distinct phases involved:
- Activation time: ~13 milliseconds for starting the process.
- Settle time: ~5.5 seconds (Decreased by 45% to 3 seconds with Speed Cola)
- Weapon Return time: Returning the weapon and closing the box (~11 seconds).
- Recovery time: ~2.5 seconds between hitting the box again.
Is this good for Round Changes?
- Weapon pulls per regular round: Without Speed Cola, ~3 pulls; with Speed Cola, ~5 pulls.
- Weapon pulls during Rampage Inducer rounds: Without Speed Cola, ~1 pull; with Speed Cola, ~2 pulls.
Unless you’re in a rare position to spam the box, this isn’t worth equipping.
Supercharged
This one’s tricky. On paper, Supercharge reduces the number of zombie kills needed to build up field upgrades (like Energy Mine or Frenzied Guard). But in testing, it’s wildly inconsistent. For example:
- Energy Mine regular charge: ~100 kills.
- With Speed Cola equipped: Kill counts fluctuated between 65 and 88 per charge.
Even critical kills and specials didn’t correlate to the discrepancies, leaving it feeling random. Supercharge technically works, but relying on its effects might frustrate you. An additional note is that it requires more kills to charge your field upgrade as each round progresses. This perk is very helpful in reducing that number but not something that will be predictable. This is why you feel like you should have BEEN had a charge ready.
Best Speed Cola Augments For Your Loadout
Based on testing, here’s what you should prioritize:
Top Augments
- Fast Pitcher: Versatile and great when you need to recover quickly.
- Classic Formula: Perfect for immediate reload speed boosts, especially on heavy weapons.
Limited Use Cases
- Phantom Reload: Only helps slower shotgun or sniper builds.
- Speedy Roulette: Interactions like hitting the Mystery Box offer minimal value, mostly use if you've got the essence or during fire Sales.
- Quick Swap: This is a decent augment to use in case you are using a build meant to destroy Manglers with that melee weapon.
- Supercharged: Inconsistent recharge rates make for unpredictable matches.
Final Thoughts and What’s Next
Speed Cola still stands as a critical perk in BO6 Zombies, but it’s far from perfect. While reload speeds see meaningful improvements, setbacks like unchanged plating stall times and inconsistent augments (e.g., Speedy Reload and Supercharged) could cost you in the long run.
If you’re building an ideal loadout, prioritizing Classic Formula and Fast Pitcher is your safest bet. These will keep you alive longer and give you a practical edge during chaotic rounds.
And for everyone waiting on Quick Revive and Jug testing results—they’re on the way! In the meantime, drop your thoughts below and let us know your experiences with Speed Cola in Black Ops 6 Zombies. Check out the Zombies Information Hub at theeroyalfamily.com for complete weapon, perk, and upgrade guides.