At a Glance
Cold Relations is a named SMG with 25,000 base damage, 850 RPM, a 50-round magazine, a 1.8-second reload, and a 1.5x headshot multiplier. The 25K base damage is the highest in the named-SMG tier — it trades a small amount of cadence (850 vs the more common 900 RPM) for raw per-bullet output. Combined with the 50-round magazine, Cold Relations is the burst-and-sustain hybrid SMG: enough damage per bullet to compete with ARs at close range, enough magazine to dump on a boss without panic-reloading.
- Who this is for. Players running close-range Striker, Hunter's Fury, or any aggressive setup that wants the highest per-bullet SMG damage in the named tier.
- Tempo. 850 RPM with 50 rounds gives roughly 3.5 seconds of held fire. The 1.8-second reload is fast for the magazine size.
- Acquisition. Drops from Black Tusk and True Sons named bosses, with elevated rates during SMG Targeted Loot rotation. Common from Manning National Zoo Heroic and the Districts Federal Triangle.
- Best fit: Strikers Battlegear, Hunter's Fury, In Sync, Coyote's Mask, aggressive close-range Heroic loadouts.
Full Stats
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Base Damage | 25,000 |
| RPM | 850 |
| Magazine | 50 |
| Reload | 1.8s |
| Optimal Range | 18m |
| Headshot Multiplier | 1.5 |
Intrinsic Attributes (random roll)
Cold Relations rolls weapon damage as primary and a secondary like critical hit damage, headshot damage, or close-range damage. The god-roll is 14-15% weapon damage with 12-13% CHD as the secondary. Magazine size mods are usually skipped — 50 rounds is already deep — in favor of damage and accuracy mods.
Named Talent Slot (Locked)
The talent is locked. Cold Relations' fixed talent is its identity, and no reroll is available.
Built-in Mods
Standard SMG mod slots — optic, magazine, underbarrel, muzzle. Most builds run a red-dot or 3x optic, a CHD or weapon-damage muzzle, a vertical or angled grip, and an extended magazine if available. Because the base mag is 50 rounds, mag-size mods provide a smaller percentage gain than on shorter SMGs, so muzzle and grip mods take priority.
Weapon Talent: Cold Relations (Named)
"Cold Relations" — Critical hits within a short window grant stacking weapon damage. Stack resets if no critical lands in the window.
The talent is a sustain-crit ramp similar to Wild Wolverine's, scaled for SMG cadence. At 850 RPM with even a baseline 30-40% CHC, stacks build fast and decay slowly. The 50-round magazine means the stack can ride through an entire mag at full value — every shot after the ramp delivers full bonus damage.
Verified numbers in a Striker SMG + Memento + Vigilance setup:
- Body shot, no stacks: ~32,000 per bullet
- Body crit, full stacks: ~110,000 per bullet
- Headshot crit at full stacks: ~250,000 per bullet
- Sustained DPS on single target across full mag: ~3.0M
Sustained DPS at 3.0M places Cold Relations at the top of the named-SMG tier — comparable to or above Wild Wolverine's AR-tier numbers, just at shorter range. The trade is the 18m optimal — past 25m the falloff hurts, and past 35m the gun stops being useful.
Top Builds
Striker SMG Sustain
Striker's Battlegear 4-piece + Coyote's Mask + Vigilance chest with Vigilance talent. Memento backpack. Cold Relations as primary, an AR or shotgun as panic secondary. The build leans into Striker's stack mechanic and Cold Relations' high per-bullet damage. CHC and CHD on every roll, weapon damage primary intrinsic.
Hunter's Fury Aggression
Hunter's Fury 4-piece for the proximity damage and reload buff, Cold Relations as primary. The build is for cover-bouncing close-range fights — push to 10-15m, dump the 50-round mag with stacks ramping, reload behind cover. The Hunter's Fury reload buff stacks with the SMG's already-fast 1.8s reload for near-zero downtime.
In Sync Skill Burst
In Sync chest + Empress backpack + Striker gloves + Hunter's Fury knees. Cold Relations paired with a skill to chain In Sync's damage proc. The 50-round mag and the high per-bullet damage match In Sync's burst windows perfectly.
PvE vs PvP
In PvE, Cold Relations is the top-tier named SMG for sustained close-range DPS. The 25,000 base damage is the highest in the class, and the talent ramp pushes per-bullet output past most ARs at the 15-25m range band. Heroic and Legendary content reward the close-range commitment with one of the highest sustained DPS profiles in the named-SMG tier. Optimal range 18m is the limiter — past 30m the gun loses competitiveness.
In PvP, Cold Relations is one of the strongest SMG picks. 25,000 base damage at 850 RPM means very fast TTK against medium armor in close-quarters. The 50-round mag carries through extended fights, and the talent ramp can build inside a single PvP encounter if engagement holds. Coyote's Mask + headshot-damage rolls are the natural PvP pairing.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 25,000 base damage — highest in the named-SMG tier
- 50-round magazine, longest in the SMG class
- 1.8-second reload is fast for the mag size
- Talent ramps damage every crit, scales naturally with build CHC
- Strong in both PvE close-range Heroic and PvP close-quarters
Cons:
- Locked talent — no Frenzy, Perpetuation, or Concussive reroll
- 850 RPM is on the slow side for SMG class (most SMGs run 900+)
- 1.5x HS multiplier is standard, no edge
- Optimal range 18m is short — past 30m falls off hard
- Stack decays without crits, punishes spray on low-CHC builds
FAQ
Is Cold Relations better than Black Market T821? For raw burst and per-bullet damage, yes — Cold Relations' 25K base beats T821's 22K. For magazine depth, both are 50 rounds. For talent flavor, T821 ramps on sustained fire (any hit), Cold Relations ramps on critical hits. Crit-focused builds prefer Cold Relations; sustain-fire builds prefer T821.
Does the talent stack persist on weapon swap? The stack persists during weapon swap, but decays based on time, not actions. If you swap to a secondary and back within the window, the stack survives.
What optic should I run? Red-dot or 3x for most engagements. The 18m optimal range does not reward high-magnification optics.
Is the 850 RPM a downgrade from 900 RPM SMGs? Slightly — at 900 RPM the talent ramp builds 5% faster — but the 25K base damage and the talent's crit-focused mechanic compensate. Cold Relations puts up higher per-bullet numbers than 900 RPM peers.
Has Cold Relations been changed in TU22.1? No direct changes. The Striker rework in TU22.1 indirectly buffs Cold Relations because Striker stacks build very quickly at 850 RPM with 50-round mags, and the rework gives more stack retention on swap.
Closing
Cold Relations is the named SMG for high-damage close-range builds. 25,000 base damage is the highest in the class, the 50-round magazine matches Black Market T821 for depth, and the crit-ramp talent rewards exactly the kind of crit-focused gear most Heroic builds already run. Pair with Striker's, Hunter's Fury, or In Sync and the gun delivers sustained DPS that competes with ARs at half the engagement range. The 18m optimal is the trade, and for builds built around close-range commitment, it is a trade worth making.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-25 · TU22.1 · Verified vs in-game