The Nail Gun: A guide to the new Special Weapon

SIDE NAV/BULLET POINTS:

• Tips for Unlocking the Nail Gun
• Nail Gun – Bundle
• Nail Gun – Weapon Detail
• Recommended Loadouts

Ready for a bit of DIY in the DZ?

The O.G. DIY 11 Renovator from Call of Duty®: Black Ops III and an O.G. in its own right for frenetic futuristic warfare, the Nail Gun arrives in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone as a unique special weapon that can rock the foundation of your meta.

From gameplay tips to an available bundle, to how you can unlock it in the first place, this is what you need to know about the Nail Gun:

Tips for Unlocking the Nail Gun

The Nail Gun’s in-game unlock challenge for Multiplayer and Warzone is as follows:

Using Special Weapons, Eliminate 5 enemies in 15 different completed matches.

And here is how you unlock this weapon in Zombies:

In Outbreak, get 25 Kills with Special Weapons in 15 different completed regions.

Now, let’s build a loadout for Multiplayer and go over a few tips for these challenges:

5. One Shot, One Kill. Repeat Five Times.

We used the following in Core game modes, where the R1 Shadowhunter and Ballistic Knife are both one-hit kills.

Primary Weapon: Any

Secondary Weapon: R1 Shadowhunter OR Ballistic Knife

Perk 1: Paranoia, Forward Intel

Perk 2: Tracker, Assassin

Perk 3: Ninja, Ghost

Equipment: Any Lethal Equipment, Decoy Grenade

Field Upgrade: Field Mic

Wildcard: Perk Greed

Those five eliminations don’t need to be done in one life, just in one game, so our loadout is built on seeking and destroying the enemy with one-shot kills.

Paranoia and Forward Intel are the two primary intel Perks in that red slot. Paranoia will alert you to enemies targeting you outside your field of view, while Forward Intel gives alerts will use an expanded mini-map to where enemies are respawning.

Tracker also helps with intel gathering via footsteps, while Assassin gives extra score bonuses to get a steady stream of UAVs operational. As for Perk 3, we went with a bread-and-butter Ninja and Ghost combo to stay silent and stay off radar respectively, but Cold-Blooded or Spycraft are also awesome options for this loadout.

The other important piece of this loadout is the Decoy Grenade; its simulation of footsteps throws even the most elite Operators off their game, allowing you to take advantage of their confusion long enough to get the lethal shot off.

As for the remaining loadout pieces, pick whatever Primary Weapon and Lethal Grenades you have outstanding challenges for; that way, when you earn those five eliminations, you can stay in the game to finish the fight while working towards other rewards.

4. A Job to Do at Your Own Pace

If you are struggling to get five eliminations in a single match, try playing respawn-enabled game modes that last for longer periods of time, such as Warzone Plunder or Combined Arms modes in Black Ops Cold War.

Conversely, if you are a skilled Operator who can earn five special weapon kills easily, you could play faster game modes like Team Deathmatch or Free-for-All to earn your Nail Gun faster.

3. A Brief Physics Lesson

Including the Nail Gun, the special weapon set is built on low-speed projectiles.

When using any special weapon, always account for distance and travel time, as your projectile will fire in an arc toward its target. In other words, when going for eliminations at longer distances, aim a bit above your target and ahead of where they are going to allow your shot to hit its mark.

2. Zombies – Upgrades In and Out of the DZ

Constantly upgrading your special weapon within an Outbreak match will allow it to handle tougher enemies as you complete Regions. Be sure to use your Salvage to upgrade its Rarity, which increases its damage with each step up, and use Essence to Pack-a-Punch it for massive damage boosts.

Also, put those Aetherium Crystals to use by upgrading the special Weapon Skill. This causes these weapons to deal increased damage against Special and Elite Enemies. They will also have greater penetration against enemy armor, and even give you a chance to pull ammo from the stock rather than your current “magazine,” which is great for the non-Nail Gun crop of special armaments.

1. Zombies – Pick Your Battles

Special weapons tend to shine against Elite and Special Zombies, especially when that skill is upgraded. Don’t be afraid to fight these monstrosities head on but know that the 50 Eliminations for the challenge count towards any and all undead.

Haven’t earned those 50 Eliminations yet? Start cruising around the region for roaming packs of the undead, or complete a World Event, where you will also get some great items and Essence for your troubles.

Remember, you can always pause to check your progress if you can’t count to 50 eliminations while fending off the horde.

Unlock the Nail Gun in the Store

Already have a space for the Nail Gun in your loadout’s toolshed and can’t wait to grab one? Then go to the Store and pick up its menacing cousin: the “Puncture Wound.”

Featured in the “Framework” Bundle, which launched at the start of Season Four, the “Puncture Wound” is crafted for those who can aim carefully and don’t want to build their houses out of bricks. This Bundle also comes with the “Switcheroo” Finishing Move, the “Celebratory Smoke” Gesture, the “Horrible Timing” Watch, and a Calling Card, and an Emblem for your profile.

Head to the Store now to grab the “Framework” Bundle and get your hands on this new special weapon before completing its challenge. Note: This Blueprint will not unlock the base version of the weapon, nor allow you to level up the weapon and progress through its camo challenges before you unlock the base version.

The Nail Gun – Weapon Overview

Introduced in 1950, following a high demand for housing due to a post-WWII population boom, the nail gun was instrumental in speeding up construction projects around the globe. In Warzone and Black Ops Cold War, the Nail Gun is a power tool that can be used in a loadout despite its lack of attachments.

In Black Ops Cold War, both in Multiplayer and Zombies, the Nail Gun does 50 damage up close and 30 at a distance. That means in Hardcore, this weapon is a one-shot kill, which may appeal to Operators who delve into the limited health and HUD modes.

But in standard Core modes against Operators with no armor, this damage profile translates to a three-shot elimination up close and five at a distance, with Headshots not increasing damage enough to have a significant impact.

Since its 15-nail magazine can be emptied in less than two seconds, this weapon can eliminate operators in less than half a second up close, competing with the likes of a strong SMG. However, its low “nail velocity,” due to using compressed air as a firing mechanism, means that you’ll need to lead your shots at a distance for them to land, and your enemy could get a lethal hit in on you before their health drops to zero. Its regular capacity also is low, as without Danger Close, you’ll enter a mission with only two additional magazines of 15 nails in addition to your starting one.

Still, its great mobility allows Operators to sprint and slide across the combat zone with ease or move well while in combat to throw opponents off their rhythm. That can be lifesaving when fighting Operators with high bullet velocity weapons, as a few well-timed crouches or strafes could sway the fight in your favor.

For Zombies specifically, the Nail Gun gets a beefy 4x damage multiplier for any headshots – 200 damage per headshot up-close, as a starting loadout weapon – and gets starting ammo capacity of 240 nails in addition to its starting magazine of 15.

Combined with the Special Weapon Skill benefits, the Nail Gun could be a versatile loadout weapon, having all the strengths of Special, Elite, and Armor Damage as a regular weapon but with the magazine capacity of a high-powered tactical rifle. And that’s not even counting the 25% chance of ammo being pulled from the stock instead of the magazine thanks to the Tier III skill; with that, or the benefits of a spec’d out Ring of Fire, the Nail Gun can put in some work against elite enemies in traditional Zombies or Outbreak regions.

As for Warzone, the Nail Gun gets an additional five nails per magazine (for total of 20 nails per magazine) and will reveal you on enemy radars for a shorter duration compared to most weapons. Also, because it uses nails instead of bullets, its tracer trail is smaller, but for this same reason, the Stopping Power Field Upgrade won’t work on it (as adding in rusted nails may not be OSHA compliant).

Moreover, the Nail Gun is considered an SMG in Warzone (compared to its usual role as a Special Weapon in Black Ops Cold War), which means it directly competes against the 19 other available armaments in the category as a Primary Weapon.

While the Nail Gun’s high mobility make it attractive for serious run-and-gunners, its low magazine size and lack of attachments might scare off less experienced players, especially those who want to use it in squad-based modes. Still, its reliability in the field could make it a good fit in experimental loadouts or in Solos and Duos, where having a larger magazine size may not be as important.

Zombies Loadout Suggestion – Construction Carnage

Primary: Nail Gun

Field Upgrade: Ring of Fire

The Nail Gun is built for ripping through Special, Elite, and Boss Zombies in close-quarters situations.

In addition to ensuring your Special Weapon Skill is upgraded, you’ll want to tune up your Ring of Fire to its maximum Tier as soon as possible. The chance of an insta-kill while within the Ring and always taking ammo from your stock are both phenomenal perks for this weapon, which will already reap the rewards of boosted damage from the Ring.

On its own, this loadout is great for Solo runs, and in squads, you’ll be the main damage dealer while your squadmates feed you with their own abilities like the Healing Aura.

Multiplayer Loadout Suggestion – No Task Too Tough

Primary: Any Weapon with Task Force Barrel

Secondary: Nail Gun

Perk 1: Tactical Mask

Perk 2: Quartermaster

Perk 3: Spycraft

Equipment: Molotov, Flashbang

Field Upgrade: Jammer

Wildcard: Danger Close

We are using all the tools in our utility belt for this loadout built around the Nail Gun.

First, our Wild Card is Danger Close, because the additional starting magazines from it directly benefits our Nail Gun and its usual reserve capacity.

We’re getting this benefit across both our weapons, so we’ll want to use a Primary Weapon with a “Task Force” or similar Barrel, as it usually reduces our reserves as a drawback to its major damage bonus. We took the “Kintek Burst” SMG for that very reason, since its Bundle, “Nefarious Tactics,” just came out in  the Store, but you can use any weapon or Weapon Blueprint with that barrel.

For Perks, Tactical Mask is always important for big projects where gas, bright lights, and disorienting effects can harm us, and Quartermaster ensures we get a fresh stream of Molotovs and Flashbangs – at double capacity, thanks to Danger Close – every 25 seconds. Then there is Spycraft, which allows us to hack into our enemy’s Field Upgrades and other technology, and use it against them.

Your Field Upgrade can be up to personal preference, but we chose the Jammer since it disrupts the enemy’s radar within a radius where the Nail Gun is most effective.

Warzone Loadout Suggestion – Nailing References Down

Primary: Nail Gun

Secondary: Kali Sticks

Lethal: Thermite

Tactical: Stun Grenade

Perks: E.O.D., Restock, Amped

This weapon is primed for those who like to experiment and have fun in Warzone, so let’s leave out Overkill and focus on a loadout built for speed.

Because the Nail Gun is a highly mobile weapon, we’ll use it with the fastest melee option in Warzone: the Kali Sticks. They are very effective when fighting turns to fisticuffs, as a few whacks will down an opponent. Just don’t accidentally nail those two sticks together, lest you get a weird-looking 2x4.

The rest of the loadout is an unconventional weapon user’s gold standard: Thermite guarantees downs if it sticks and is great against vehicles, Stun Grenades limit your enemy’s mobility to allow for Finishing Moves, Restock constantly refills those equipment pieces, E.O.D. protects against explosive equipment and other hazards, and Amped is great for when you need to quickly swap between your sticks and nails.

If you want to use the Nail Gun with Overkill, we recommend pairing it with a weapon for mid-to-long range engagements, like the Krig-6 and Groza assault rifles, or a your preferred sniper rifle, or throwing on a Riot Shield for back protection.

Now that you’re armed with these tips, it’s time to nail the competition.

Execute the mission.

For more information on Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty and follow @Treyarch, @RavenSoftware, and @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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