Ballistic Knife

The Ballistic Knife is a secondary weapon featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Multiplayer
The Ballistic Knife is a special secondary weapon. It is a one-hit kill when fired (same as the Tomahawk) as well as when used to melee. Also like the Tomahawk, the fired knives can be reused if picked up off the ground or wherever it embeds itself. The trajectory of the knife in flight is similar to the tomahawk, but more direct; it goes much further before losing momentum and dipping below the aim point. The knife must be primed by pulling a pin before it can fire. It is recommended that as soon as possible, switch to Ballistic Knife after every spawn, and then back. After this is done, the second time it is drawn, its draw time is approximately as fast as a pistol's, and can make the difference between life and death. The Ballistic Knife also greatly increases melee speed, so it is often used in knife classes for the quick stab and the ability to reach out and touch an enemy from a distance.

The Ballistic Knife is best used when in conjunction with Lightweight or Scavenger. Lightweight allows the player to run quickly and melee opponents entering a building, or coming round a corner or miss up for lost knife shots, whilst Scavenger can replenish lost knives, which get the player killed if they attempt to retrieve it. An even greater advantage, is when used with Lightweight Pro, which allows the player to jump from high points, and knife enemies on the ground below, and Ninja Pro, which allows the player to silently slip into a building, and knife enemies inside. However the Ballistic Knife is not recommended at long range combat, as the enemy can easily shoot the player, and knives which are shot may miss the enemy. When used in Hardcore, it has no aiming reticule or ADS and as such is a poor secondary choice for inexperienced players.

The Ballistic Knife also appears in the Wager Match modes Gun Game, Sharpshooter and Sticks and Stones. In Gun Game, it's used as Tier 20 and the final weapon to be used. In order to win, the final kill must be made by firing the knife, not by stabbing with it. In Sticks and Stones, the Ballistic Knife is used as the secondary weapon and can not be replaced.

Zombies
It is available through the Mystery Box. The player is able to pick up knives after being stuck into zombies. Although the Ballistic Knife has a much higher stabbing strength in zombies (one stab up to about round 5 without the Sickle or Bowie Knife), it is not a favorable weapon, due to its low ammo count, low rate of fire, and low damage. However, if there are multiple players in the game, the Ballistic Knife can work as a good secondary should the player not need another secondary weapon, as when Pack-A-Punched, it can be very effective even at later rounds, in case the player's teammates are often down (more details on the Pack-a-Punched version below). If the Bowie Knife or Sickle is purchased, it will replace the regular melee knife when wielding the Ballistic Knife. This combination will be a one hit kill to regular zombies up until round 10, a one hit kill to gas zombies up until round 13, and a one hit kill to a Hellhound until the third hellround. The Ballistic Knife is very effective at making lots of points, due to its faster and more lethal knife attack. Therefore, if the player obtains the weapon at rounds 4-10, it's advised to use it with the combination of the Bowie Knife or a Sickle to make thousands of points. Once it loses its ability to kill with one knife attack, it should be upgraded and used until round 14. Even after round 14, it can kill the Crawler Zombies until round 16 with one stab. The user will also pull out the Ballistic Knife while downed instead of the usual pistol.

When Pack-a-Punched it becomes "The Krauss Refibrillator" and will revive a player instantly if hit by the blade, which will give the secret trophy/achievement "See Me, Stab Me, Heal Me". Note the fact that if the player is downed, his knifes will not revive other players.

As with all knife strategies, Juggernog is highly recommended, as in extremely close-quarters with a group of zombies, it is likely that the zombies will hit the player multiple times, making Juggernog necessary. However, even with Juggernog, it is still wise to back off after each knife to avoid getting hit too many times.

Trivia

 * The Ballistic Knife is one of the cheapest weapons in Black Ops multiplayer, costing only, as opposed to all other guns which cost.
 * The Ballistic Knife had a different Create-a-Class picture in game trailers: it had a bigger handle and a different blade shape.
 * It can be seen in the Campaign mission Numbers on a shelf next to the rack of the first available weapons cache. However this knife cannot be used and is only decorative.
 * Tally marks can be seen on the left hand knife that is used to melee with via Theater Mode.
 * In game-winning killcams, a fired Ballistic Knife will frequently appear to miss the target due to moderate lag commonly associated with killcams.
 * Interestingly enough, the Ballistic Knife produces recoil that pushes the player slightly backwards. This can easily be noticed if a player lines up the corner of the screen with an object or building and fires the Ballistic Knife. This is also easily visible while prone.
 * Its melee attack does not count as a knife kill if the player stabs someone in multiplayer. Instead it counts as a kill for the Ballistic Knife.
 * If the player quickly double taps the 'switch weapon' button while holding the Ballistic Knife, the character's hand goes through the Ballistic Knife.
 * It has the symbol of the Soviet Union on the left side of it.
 * In the Wii version of Black Ops, it is possible to camouflage the Ballistic Knife in the same way as it's possible to place a camouflage for the Crossbow in the console versions.
 * If the player shoots the Ballistic Knife at the oil tanks in Array, the fired knife will just either roll slowly in the air and then fall down, or just stay in mid air.
 * Meleeing with the Ballistic Knife is faster and makes one lunge farther than with a regular knife, making it more effective for close-range battles.
 * When the Sickle is bought, the Ballistic Knife's ammo is replenished.
 * On the Ziplines in Call of the Dead, the Ballistic Knives float in mid air, due to the hands disappearing.
 * Despite its instant revive abilities when Pack-a-Punched, the player cannot revive another player when they are also down.