The Ballistic Knife is a weapon featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Campaign

In the mission numbers there is a ballistic knife in one of Clarke’s weapon stashes, however it can be cannot be picked up by the player.

Multiplayer

The ballistic knife is a secondary weapon that you unlock at level 15. It always kills with one hit, no matter if you shoot or knife with it. Like the tomahawk, you can always pick up the blades of the knife after a shot, no matter where they landed. The trajectory of the knife in combat is similar to that of the tomahawk, but a bit more direct. It also flies much longer and does not lose speed and altitude as quickly. Before you can shoot with the knife, the character first pulls the safety, so it’s best to unpack it immediately when you spawn, so that it’s ready to use right away in case of emergency. After that, the time to get it out is as fast as pistols and can play an important role in survival. The ballistic knife also speeds up the time it takes to knife, so it is often spotted in knife classes because it allows you to stab faster and from a further distance.

The best way to use the ballistic knife is in combination with scavenger or lightweight. With Lightweight, you have incredible speed and can easily charge around corners into buildings to strike, or you can still quickly knife if a shot misses the enemy. With Scavenger, you recover lost knives when you might die trying to reach the missed knife. You get even better effects with Lightweight Pro and Ninja Pro, because with Lightweight Pro you can jump from any height and stab an enemy surprised on the ground, and with Ninja Pro you can quietly sneak into a building and take out an enemy. However, the ballistic knife is not meant for ranged combat, because once a knife misses, you’re basically dead, because the enemy can easily shoot you. In hardcore mode, it has no crosshairs and is therefore a rather less advisable secondary weapon for inexperienced players. What many don’t know – firing a blade appears as a red dot on the radar, so the weapon is not suitable for a sneak class.

The ballistic knife appears in the Weapon Game, Sniper, and Sticks and Stones competitive games. In the gun game it is the 20th and therefore last weapon. To win, you must shoot an enemy with the knife, stabbing does not count. In Sniper it appears as a random weapon and in Stick and Stone it is the secondary weapon that you cannot replace.

Survival

The ballistic knife is available at the mysterious crate. You can also get missed blades from zombies and stab faster, plus the knife is much stronger (without a sickle or bowie knife always a killed zombie until round 5). Although the ballistic knife can stab much faster than the regular knife, many players consider the weapon rather worthless in zombie mode because it doesn’t have much ammo, little damage per shot, and a low rate of fire. Buying the Sickle or Bowie Knife replaces the standard knife and the combination kills normal zombies instantly until round 20, gas zombies until round 13, and hellhounds until their third special round. After that, it loses the ability to kill with one stab, but it still kills with two stabs until round 20 and is a dangerous weapon in the right hands. When it comes to scoring points, the ballistic knife is an optimal option. Nevertheless, you should still buy the sickle or the bowie knife to be on the safe side and collect thousands of points. After it loses the ability to kill with a stab, you should consider punting it. If one dies, the player does not draw the gun, but the ballistic knife.

When you punch the ballistic knife, it becomes a “Krauss Defibrillator” and can instantly revive downed teammates when you shoot a blade at them, for which you also get an achievement/trophy. When you’re down, however, the knives don’t revive anyone, they knock out other players as well.

As with all tactics with knives, Juggernog is essential for survival, because if you get hit several times in close combat with a group of zombies, this perk decides over life and death. But even with Juggernog, it’s wise to back off a bit after each stab to avoid taking too many hits.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Campaign

The ballistic knife is unlocked in the campaign by completing five challenges in the Fallen Angel mission. The model from Black Ops reappears with the name “Jumping Knife” and is unlocked in the same way.

Multiplayer

The ballistic knife reappears in multiplayer and is unlocked at level 49. It now fires the blade much quieter than in the predecessor. Also, you can pick up the knives again by simply walking over them. The weapon reappears in the Weapons game, Sniper and Sticks and Stones.

Survival

The ballistic knife is available at the mystery crate and kills every zombie with one stab until round 4. It uses the same model as back in Black Ops and even punched you have the same effect again, that is, instant revival by shooting a blade. However, since Black Ops II introduced the Tombstone and Who’s Who perks, the weapon’s ability is questionable because it overlaps with the effects of the two drinks. It is available on every map except Mob of the Dead and Origins.

Info

Black Ops

• The ballistic knife is one of the cheapest weapons in multiplayer, as it only costs 1500 COD points. The other weapons almost all cost 2000.
• The knife had a different shape in the trailer and the handle looked slightly different as well.
• In game-deciding killcams, the blade often seems to miss the opponent because of lag, which is usually triggered by that very killcam.
• Interestingly, the ballistic knife causes recoil that pushes the player backwards slightly. The best way to see this is to lie down or fix an object at the edge of the screen, shoot, and then look at the object again.
• When you stab someone with it in multiplayer, it doesn’t count towards knife kills in the combat history. Instead, the ballistic knife has its own section.
• On the left side you can see the emblem of the Soviet Union.
• When you shoot the ballistic knife at the oil tanks on the map array, the blade either gets stuck in mid-air or slows down and slowly rolls to the ground.
• Buying the sickle will replenish the ammo for the knife.
• When you ride the cable car in Call of the Dead, the knife just floats in the air because the character’s hands disappear.
• When you shoot at the back of a mannequin on Nuketown, the blade doesn’t get stuck in it, but lands on the ground.

Black Ops II

• The ballistic knife in Survival uses the same model as its predecessor, and the knife animations have been carried over as well.
• Fired blades can be destroyed through a trophy system.

Call of Duty

The Call of Duty series has existed since 2003 and in addition to various spin-offs, including for the handheld systems Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, 14 major titles of the series have now been released. Ever since the first part of the series, great emphasis has been placed on the online multiplayer mode in addition to the single-player campaign, which is also reflected in the development of the shooter series. Since the first Call of Duty, World at War, which was developed exclusively by Treyarch, each part also included cooperative challenges that you could play together with friends. The latest installment, Call of Duty: World War II, also features an extended multiplayer mode that puts you and your friends in the combat zones and famous battles of World War II. Using the divisions, you’ll be able to choose between the deadly sniper and the brute armored division and support your comrades in battle. In addition, World War II also has a zombie mode “Nazi Zombies”, as in its predecessor Call of Duty: Black Ops. Face the monsters of the Third Reich and win glory and honor.