Unlock the controversial Branson Attachment in COD: Mobile's ARea Control event.
There was disquiet amongst the Call of Duty: Mobile community this week when it emerged that one of the game's new premium weapon skins also debuted a brand new attachment—effectively putting a game mechanic behind a paywall.
That weapon skin was the ASM10 -Red Shadow and the attachment was the Branson barrel, released as part of the Shadow of the Blade lucky draw. A typical lucky draw can cost upwards of $100 USD to complete.
Thankfully, that paywall hasn't lasted too long, as the attachment will be rewarded by completing the ARea Control seasonal challenge, which is due to start on August 18.
We are going to take an in-depth look at the Branson attachment, as well as the event's challenges and rewards, in this ARea Control guide.
COD Mobile ARea Control - Start And End Time
According to the devs, the ARea Control seasonal challenge will kick off on Thursday, August 18, and run until the end of the season on Wednesday, September 7.
Following that, Season 8 will start, and you can check out everything we know about that in our Season 8 primer.
COD Mobile ARea Control Event - Challenges And Rewards
The ARea Control seasonal challenge is all about the assault rifle (hence the ARea), which is fitting considering the reward is the Branson attachment, a brand new barrel for the ASM10.
There are seven challenges in all; here they are:
- Play 2 MP matches
- Deal 1500 Damage in MP matches
- Kill 20 enemies in MP matches
- Kill 20 enemies with any assault rifle
- Earn the Berserker medal three times in MP matches
- Kill 3 enemies with headshots with any assault rifle equipped
- Win 3 mp matches with any ASM10 equipped (must be in-hand at end of match)
And here are the rewards:
The rewards for the ARea Control season challenge are as follows:
- 14,000 Battle Pass XP
- 200 COD Points
- Ranked Shield Card
- [Shard] Tengu - Black Gold
- Silver Crate Coupon
- Sticker – Death’s Grasp (Rare)
- ASM10 – Silver Bamboo (Rare)
- ASM10 Signature Attachment - Branson
A nice selection of rewards here and a great way to help complete the battle pass with 14,000 XP on offer.
Now, let's take a look at this Branson barrel.
The Branson Barrel
The Branson is what is considered a "Signature Attachment." These attachments are designed for a specific weapon and are usually unlocked by completing a certain challenge with that gun. Some guns even have two, like the AK-47, which has 5.45 Caliber Ammo, and the GRU Combo Grip.
The Branson is obviously for the ASM10 and, while offering up the expected advantages of an extended barrel (and disadvantages), also has a unique ability.
The Branson barrel's basic stats are:
- +15% Damage Range
- -12.7% Horizontal Recoil
- -14% Vertical Recoil
- -5% ADS Movement Speed
- -8% ADS Time
As you can see, the Branson barrel offers much-improved recoil and damage range, with a cost to ADS speed and time—pretty standard fare.
Where it gets interesting is the unique skill which sees the ASM10 fire the first two bullets at a faster rate, quickening that all-important time-to-kill (TTK).
It is still early days for this attachment in the game, but it will be interesting to see if and how it upsets the meta.
Check back with us on challenge launch day for a breakdown of the challenges and the quickest way to complete them.
Until then, check out:
- COD Mobile To Get New Bolt Action Sniper And Butterfly Knife, Leaks Suggest
- COD Mobile August 12 Update: All Weapon Buffs And Nerfs
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