How to Unlock Every New Melee Weapon in Cold War Zombies

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War features new ways to unlock weapons in Season 3. Before Season 3, players had to complete complex challenges in either multiplayer or Warzone to unlock weapons they may have missed from previous seasons’ battle passes. These weapons include the Mac-10, the Streetsweeper, and the ZRG 20mm. Now, each of those weapons and more come with a special Zombie Mode unlock challenge for players who prefer the undead.

Each new season of Black Ops: Cold War comes with a new melee weapon to unlock. Currently, there are five melee weapons in-game for players to choose from. Each comes with its benefits as well as drawbacks. In Zombies, they can be Pack-A-Punched, upgraded, and modded to create some seriously lethal killing machines. Here’s how to unlock every new melee weapon in Cold War Zombies.

Cold War Zombies: How to Unlock Every Melee Weapon

The multiplayer challenges for melee weapons force players to camp corners and wait for enemies to pass by. In more difficult lobbies, completing such challenges can prove annoying, time-consuming, and K/D-ruining. Thankfully, the new Zombie Mode challenges will make unlocking new melee weapons more fun and more straightforward. Let’s dig in with each weapon, its unlock challenge, and how to best complete it.

Cold War Zombies: How to Unlock the Sledgehammer

The Sledgehammer is probably the easiest of all the Cold War melee weapons to unlock in Zombie mode. While other challenges have players killing special enemies, the Sledgehammer has players going on a triple-packed zombie-killing spree. To unlock the Sledgehammer in Cold War Zombies, players must get 250 kills with a triple Pack-A-Punched melee weapon. Here’s the easiest way to do this.

Load up a solo game of Outbreak Zombies or find a few friends to play with. Players should equip the Combat Knife or any other melee weapon previously unlocked to their custom loadout. Milk the first three rounds for everything they’re worth. Players should be able to triple-pack their weapon by the end of round 3 or the beginning of round 4 if done right. Outbreak will be the best game mode to complete these challenges because the early and easier rounds can be milked for points, salvage, and kills.

However, there is a little bit of luck involved with getting the right side-missions during these first three rounds. Eliminate the HVT, aka Skull and Bones, will grant players free perks. Hopefully, those trying to unlock the Sledgehammer will get Juggernaut for free. Juggernaut and Quick Revive are the two most important perks in these early rounds as they’ll keep players at max health and reduce their health regeneration delay.

Cold War Zombies: How to Unlock the Wakizashi

Many of these melee weapon challenges can be completed at the same time. The Wakizashi is no exception. To unlock the Wakizashi in Cold War Zombies, players must use a melee weapon to kill 150 zombies distracted by their Decoy Grenade or Monkey Bomb. As long as players are using a triple-packed melee weapon, they can also make progress towards unlocking the sledgehammer are the same time.

Progression towards the Wakizashi challenge can begin as early as wave one. Players do not need to upgrade their melee weapons. They will have to get their hands on Decoys and Monkey Bombs, though. Decoys and Monkies can be expensive and are best picked up off the ground. Keep an eye for them as loot box drops or zombie drops. However, there is a better way to go about this challenge.

Don’t try and get this one done in the early stages. Salvage is better spent upgrading those melee weapons rather than buying Decoy Grenades to only get a few kills with them. Decoys don’t last very long, and Monkey Bombs will damage players who get too close. Wait until the later rounds, when Salvage is plentiful and expendable. Buy three Decoys, the max players can carry, and go to town. Players, by then, will have triple-packed their melee weapon and will make progress towards the Sledgehammer as well.

One essential part of this challenge to remember is players must kill zombies distracted by their Decoy or Monkey Bomb, not a teammate’s.

Cold War Zombies: How to Unlock the E-Tool

Players who desire to slay zombies with a shovel are in luck. The E-Tool is relatively easy to unlock. Players will have to keep their eyes out for special enemies. To unlock the E-Tool in Cold War Zombies, players must use melee weapons to kill 50 special enemies. Special enemies include Mimics, Tempests, Manglers, Megatons, and Krasney Soldats. Here’s the best way to unlock the E-Tool.

Again, players should load into Outbreak with a melee weapon of their choice equipped to their custom class. Grind the first three waves to at least double-pack that melee weapon. If players can triple-pack, their lives will be even easier. One key here is armor. Melee weapons force players to get up close and personal with special enemies that will deal high amounts of damage, especially Krasney Soldats. Having at least two slots of armor will keep players in the fight. Melee weapons do enough base damage to still one-shot most enemies on rounds 4 and 5.

Players will want to grind until rounds 4 or 5 for the most special enemy spawns while keeping them on the weaker side. Remember, players can track their progression in-game by editing their custom class and scrolling over the weapon they’re trying to unlock. However, Outbreak Zombies has a weird field upgrade glitch that will change players’ current upgrade to Ring of Fire when they scroll through their custom classes. Change it back by ‘changing classes’ to the one currently equipped. It’s annoying, so be mindful of it, especially when trying to unlock the Machete. Speaking of which…

Cold War Zombies: How to Unlock the Machete

The Machete is the most classic zombie-killing tool of all time, and players can get their hands on one in Black Ops: Cold War. To unlock the Machete in Cold War Zombies, players must use a melee weapon to kill 200 enemies while Aether Shroud is active. The Machete unlock challenge is, by far, the most time-consuming. Aether Shroud does not last very long and still takes a while to charge up. Furthermore, zombies will ignore players while they’re Shrouded, making it more difficult to kill them. Players also move very quickly while in Aether Shroud, and the melee lunge is difficult to judge.

It’s up to players to decide if they’d rather try their hand at the multiplayer unlock requirements for the Machete. To unlock the Machete in multiplayer, players must get one Backstab medal in 15 different matches.

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Last-Gen

About The Author