The 20 Best Optics in Call of Duty History, From the Target Finder to a Trilogy of ELO Sights

Everybody loves being able to see their target in a Call of Duty game, but which optics have done that job best? Here is my ranking of what I think are the 20 best optics in Call of Duty history. This has probably been the most requested topic I have seen in a long, long time.

The list runs from thermals and digital scanners to red dots and even a set of iron sights. One optic ends up claiming three of the top spots in three different games.

20. The Black Ops 3 thermal sight was everything a thermal should be

Thermal sights have been up and down throughout the Call of Duty franchise, but the Black Ops 3 version was pretty top notch if you ask me. It was a mid range scope that turned most of what was on your screen dark blue, while enemies were highlighted in a super bright orange. It also did not blur out the background while you were using it, which made it really easy to track people and catch campers.

Some thermal sights in the series have been obstructive or blurry, or there just has not been enough distinction between the background and enemy players. The Black Ops 3 version, I think, was everything a thermal sight should be. It was the perfect way to start this list.

19. A shrunken reflex sight stood out in Modern Warfare 2019's optic overload

Modern Warfare 2019, the last great Call of Duty, was where we first started to experience optic overload if you ask me. Every gun had a huge number of optics you were never going to use, and they were basically only there to pad out the number of things you could unlock on every gun. That keeps you grinding the game instead of playing something else.

That does not mean all the optics were redundant. One compact reflex sight was a nice little twist on the classic reflex sight, shrinking down the frame and making the dot really small, which made it great for close to mid range fights. It would sometimes get a little shaky and hard to use beyond mid range, but that is okay. It is not a long range sight, so you probably should not have been using it like that anyway.

18. World at War's Aperture Sight made the STG one of the cleanest combos in the series

I love this thing. I am actually not sure how historically accurate the Aperture Sight is, but it was a great part of the World at War experience, so I am giving it a pass, even if it technically should not have been there. It was supposed to be the game's equivalent of the red dot sight, and it was really good, giving you a nice mid range look at the battlefield and an awesome looking reticle with a big cross through the frame to make it easier to line up your shots.

It was not available on everything, but if it was an option for the gun you were running, it was a good idea to equip it. I remember the STG with the Aperture as one of the cleanest combos in Call of Duty history. I really do not know why Sledgehammer did not bring this sight back for Call of Duty: WWII. I think there is something like it in Vanguard, but as for WWII, I have no clue why they skipped it. They missed an opportunity.

17. Black Ops 2's MMS could spot enemies through walls and smoke

The MMS, or Millimeter Scanner, in Black Ops 2 was a short range scope that was super powerful if you were a slower player on one of the smaller maps. Honestly, it had the potential to be insanely strong wherever you were playing, as long as you knew what you were doing. It gave you a really clear view of the field and a very appealing small reticle.

The gimmick was that it sent out a vision pulse every few seconds, identifying enemies anywhere in front of you, even behind a wall or two or in smoke. If you used it on a light machine gun or an assault rifle with FMJ rounds, you could see it used for some really cheesy wallbangs. Even without using the pulse to its fullest, it was a solid close range sight thanks to its thin borders and very thin reticle. It was largely overshadowed by a different digital scope in Black Ops 2, though, which brings me to the next entry.

16. The Target Finder was perhaps the most toxic optic in Call of Duty history

The Target Finder in Black Ops 2 was perhaps the most toxic optic in Call of Duty history, and it plagued the multiplayer for a long time. Even after it became known as the lame optic nobody wanted to be caught using, there were still people sitting in corners or hitting glitches with a Target Finder equipped LMG.

This close range scope blacked out the edges of your screen, but in exchange you got a big red diamond painted on anyone in frame, even if they were covered by a smoke screen. It became a legitimate strategy to spawn with smoke grenades and a Target Finder, find a comfortable corner, hold it up to your eyeball and open fire on anybody who came into view. What were they supposed to counter you with? It was an ultra lame way to play, but it was a core part of the Black Ops 2 experience and I had to put it somewhere on the list. Even if it was not a dignified way to play, it was good.

15. World at War's sniper scope felt rewarding because you had to earn it

A lot of people forget this, but the sniper scope actually had to be unlocked and equipped on the bolt action rifles in World at War, which makes it technically eligible here. It was one of my favorites because of how clean it was. Maybe it was something about the sound design or the weapon models, but using it felt extra satisfying, and it was super sharp.

The fact that you had to grind your weapon with iron sights to unlock it made it feel extra rewarding once you finally threw it on your gun and started going for long range kills. It might be cheating to include it, but it is technically an optic attachment in this game rather than just a default piece on a rifle.

14. Infinite Warfare's smoke scanning digital scope was a middle ground between the MMS and the Target Finder

This entry from Infinite Warfare was a cool little digital scope that was kind of like the MMS from Black Ops 2, but tweaked. The frame was bigger, giving it a larger area to scan, and while it did not see people through walls, it did give you a live look at them through smoke. Basically it was the middle ground between the MMS and the Black Ops 2 Target Finder, which made it a pretty powerful tool for mid range combat.

Hardly anybody remembers Infinite Warfare's tech, so I am betting a lot of you forgot about this sight. If you were one of the few actually playing Infinite Warfare back in the day, though, you probably saw a lot of it online. On the medium and large maps, this thing was super strong.

13. Infinity Ward nailed the red dot on the first try in COD 4

Sometimes the classics are just too good. The COD 4 red dot sight was arguably the best one in Call of Duty history because of how clear the frame was and how small the dot was. Sometimes a red dot can be weirdly obstructive if it is too big or an odd shape, or the dot itself will be fat and make the sight hard to use at mid or long range.

Not the COD 4 red dot. It was absolutely perfect: thin frame, small dot, literally everything you could ask for from a red dot sight, and Infinity Ward nailed it on the very first try.

12. The Thermal Dual Power Scope ruled original Warzone on the HDR

Who remembers this beauty? For a while, the Thermal Dual Power Scope in Warzone was the one and only sniper scope people were using. Not only was it one of the best thermal sights in the series, it was also a variable 5x and 12x sight, which made it the best optic in the game for the powerhouse known as the HDR.

If you played original Warzone, you remember all the times you got domed by somebody across the map with an HDR looking through this exact scope, and you could not blame people for playing that way because it was so good. The scope never returned. I did not snipe a lot, but I do remember the nostalgic moments I had thermal sniping in original Warzone, and this thing made me feel good.

11. The Black Ops 2 EOTech is my favorite holographic sight in the series

The EOTech was Black Ops 2's replacement for the holographic sight, giving you a dedicated mid range scope that was, let's just say, amazing for light machine guns. It would reduce your peripheral vision a bit, but it gave you a super clear view of mid range combat. It also had a secret recoil reduction, which made it even better for weapons where you held down the trigger for a long time, like the LSAT or the HAMR.

It was underrated. When people think of Black Ops 2 optics, most think of sights like the Target Finder or staples like the Reflex, but the EOTech was really, really good on the right weapons. I think it is my favorite version of the holographic sight in Call of Duty history. If you wanted a dedicated mid range optic, this was it.

10. Vanguard's World War II themed red dot made zero historical sense but was top tier

Sledgehammer completely gave up on keeping Vanguard historically accurate, which means it makes zero sense for an optic like this one to be in the game. With that said, it is a top tier optic and definitely one of the most frequently used in the game. It was basically a World War II themed red dot with a super thin frame and a tiny reticle that would never get in your way, whatever gunsmith abomination you were spamming at the time.

I do not have to like Vanguard to recognize there were some good optics in the game, even if 99% of them made zero sense in a World War II game. Vanguard defenders, I know there is a decent number of you out there. I am ready.

9. The VLK 3.0x was by far the most popular sight in original Warzone

The VLK 3.0x in Modern Warfare 2019 was by far the most popular sight in the original Warzone. It was available on almost every gun in the game, and it not only gave you a very clear 3x zoom on your target but also slightly decreased your gun's visual recoil. That made it a really good choice in a game where the time to kill was long and most people ran 60 round assault rifles as their primary weapon.

The Kilo 141 with a 60 round mag and the VLK on top was a staple of the classic Warzone era. The hidden recoil buff was a nice touch by Infinity Ward to keep people experimenting with optics, because there were a lot of 3x optics in the game, but not all of them actually assisted with recoil. It may have been spammed, but it was good.

8. Advanced Warfare's red dot was the most unique version before Warzone

I know I said the COD 4 red dot was perfect, but then I remembered Advanced Warfare's red dot, which looked a lot different from what came before. With the futuristic setting, Sledgehammer had the freedom to redesign the red dot to fit the times, and they came up with something that was not only unique but, I thought, awesome.

It was much taller than the Modern Warfare and Black Ops versions, with a very, very small dot in the middle and no top frame, giving you unprecedented visibility when you held it up to your eyeball. It was also integrated as an attachment on several supply drop variants, but nobody complained about that because there was nothing to complain about with this red dot. It is definitely the most unique version of the red dot from the era before Warzone, and I think it is one of the best.

7. The MK3 Reflector suited Modern Warfare 3's aggressive pace

You can tell Sledgehammer had a lot of fun making the attachments for Modern Warfare 3 (2023). The MK3 Reflector leaned into that game's super fast paced, aggressive play style. It was basically the Modern Warfare universe's version of the ELO, which comes up later in this list: a close range sight with a small hovering dot in the middle, excellent for close range fights.

It struggled a little at mid range and beyond, but overall it was a fantastic optic that was extremely common online because of how great it was for aggressive players who did not want to use a weapon's iron sights. Using it over the irons was pretty situational, since a lot of the guns already had good or great close range iron sights. But if you did choose it over the irons, you probably did not regret it.

6. Black Ops 6's Kepler Microflex handles recoil differently

There has definitely been a bit of optic overload in the recent Call of Duty games, so it is a little hard for the short range ones to stand out among so many choices, but I think the Kepler Microflex is pretty good. It looks like the old school COD 4 red dot, but shrunken down a bit with a slightly shorter zoom, which made it better for close range fights while keeping it very helpful at mid range.

Plus, as I put it, "I swear I'm not crazy, but I do think the visual recoil in this thing is a lot easier to control than it is with other red dot style sights." The Kepler kind of feels like the sight moves back and forth with the recoil instead of bouncing upwards like most reflex sights do, which to me makes sustained fire a lot easier to control. I do not think I am the only one who thinks that, but maybe I made it up in my head. I do not know.

5. The JAK Glassless Optic is my pick for the best optic in the new Modern Warfare trilogy

Many people say the JAK Glassless Optic is the best optic in Modern Warfare 3 (2023), and from what I can tell, I think those people are right. I am pretty sure it is just Sledgehammer's attempt at bringing the Advanced Warfare red dot into Modern Warfare 3, because it is basically the same thing: a classic reflex sight with a very tall set of side frames, no top frame and a small reticle for holding on to your enemy.

Since it was basically a buffed reflex sight, it was good at close and mid range, and on top of that it had a secret recoil reducer built in, so you were going to be more accurate during sustained fire than you would with something else. It is a top tier version of the classic red dot, and definitely my pick for the best optic in the new Modern Warfare trilogy.

4. Black Ops 2's iron sights attachment turned the Ballista into a threat

The iron sights in Black Ops 2 were technically an optic attachment in the game, and for that, here they are. But that is not the only reason. The Black Ops 2 irons attachment was absolutely iconic and led to some of the most amazing clips of the entire Black Ops 2 era.

Iron sights were only available as an attachment for the Ballista bolt action rifle, and you probably remember how amazing some people were with it. The Ballista was already a pretty difficult weapon to use effectively, and with iron sights it was really difficult to use, but now it was even faster and an extreme threat at close range as well as mid and long. The Black Ops 2 iron sight on the Ballista had to be here.

3. The ELO became the go to optic for aggressive Black Ops 3 players

Get ready for some ELO love. The ELO in Black Ops 3 stands for Emitted Light Optic, and it is a very simple concept: basically the standard reflex sight, shrunken down a bit, with the top part of the frame deleted so the reticle is just hovering above your weapon. I am honestly not sure how that works, but Black Ops 3 is a full science fiction game, so I do not have too many questions about it.

The ELO quickly became the go to optic for every aggressive player in the Black Ops 3 community because of how amazing it was for close quarters combat. Even though it was a short range scope, its clarity made it good for mid range fights too. Some people even got crazy and threw it on their snipers for the Black Ops 3 equivalent of iron sight sniping.

2. Black Ops 4's ELO added reticle customization

The ELO returned in Black Ops 4 for basically every gun in the game, and it was once again a top tier choice. It was once again basically a buffed red dot, with a closer zoom but even less obstructive framing and a smaller reticle, so you could perfectly track your enemies at close and mid range.

This time around there were also customization options for the reticle, so if you did not like the default one for some reason, you could pick something else, whereas the Black Ops 3 version only let you use the default yellow dot. The ELO is a fan favorite in Black Ops 3 and 4, and both deserve top three spots. You may disagree about which one deserves to be higher, but they belong here.

1. Infinite Warfare's ELO is the best optic in Call of Duty history

Completing the trilogy, the best Call of Duty optic is the ELO in Infinite Warfare. Infinite Warfare did not have a lot going for it, but its ELO was one of the best sights in the series. It had the smallest zoom of all the optics in the game, a super clear frame and a very nice yellow reticle hovering in the middle of the screen. It also activated a little ammo counter above your weapon, so you did not have to take your eyes off your target to check your bullet count.

You could also customize the reticle on this version, swapping the yellow hovering one for something smaller, a different color, a different shape, whatever you wanted. Even though Infinite Warfare may be one of the most hated Call of Duty games of all time, I think it had the best optic in the entire franchise, because it took a sight people loved from Black Ops 3 and made it better in every way, to the point that "there were legitimately zero flaws with it."

Which ELO do you think deserves the top spot, or is there another optic you would rank as the best in Call of Duty history?