Ballistic Knife

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

Overview
It depends on the player's range, if the enemy is far away, the the player needs to project and know where the knife is going to land to know if you can kill from a far away range. It's easier to fire the ballistic knife's blade from close range. When drawn, players can fire the knife's blade, which results in an one hit kill, much like the Throwing Knife and Tomahawk. Contrary to popular belief, the ballistic knife does appear on the enemy radar as a red dot when fired. It comes with two knives, but once fired, the knifes can be picked up from where they landed. It is much like Throwing Knife or Tomahawk in the sense that the blades will drop below the aimed point at distance. The blade travels far slower than the Tomahawk, which brings timing and anticipation into account when firing the weapon. It does not replace the normal melee knife, which is still wielded with the left hand during melee attacks. However, it does speed the melee attack up significantly and seems to increase lunging distance. Killing an enemy with the Ballistic Knife's ranged attack gives the player the multiplayer medal "Skewer" at the top of the screen.

Multiplayer
The Ballistic Knife is a secondary weapon in the "Specials" category and is unlocked at level 15. It is one of the few available weapons in the Sticks and Stones playlist in Black Ops, along with the Crossbow and Tomahawk. The Ballistic Knife is the Tier 20 weapon, the final one used, in Gun Game. It is important to note that while firing the Ballistic Knife makes little to no sound, the player will appear on enemies' minimaps (in the same manner as when firing non-suppressed weapons).

Tips

 * The ballistic knife is very effective against dogs to use as a stabbing weapon, as the animation for a stab/slash is faster than a dog's bite.
 * Due to its low starting ammunition count, Scavenger is favoured as it will replenish the knives without the player having to pick them up.
 * Lightweight is suggested to make up for missed shots by knifing the enemy.
 * Sleight of Hand is also suggested, so the blades are reloaded quicker.
 * The pro version of Steady Aim allows the player to maximize the increased knifing speed with quicker recovery after a knife lunge.
 * The pro version of Hardened allows the player to make a more precise shot without flinching too much.
 * In Black Ops, the ballistic knife can be used to destroy a sentry gun with one direct hit. This makes it useful for those trying to achieve Ghost (perk) Pro, as destroying one sentry gun is a requirment for acheiving pro version of this perk.
 * In Black Ops, the ballistic knife is also useful for those trying to achieve Ninja Pro, as using it can make it easier to meet the requirement of getting 5 Backstabber Medals.
 * As the player has to pull the pin before being able to fire the blade, it is advised to switch to the Ballistic Knife after spawning.
 * In Sticks and Stones, when a player has exhausted or lost all their ammo on the Crossbow, Tomahawk and the ballistic knife, keep the ballistic knife out for its quick knifing capability. Be aware of "pick-up" icons that appear on-screen since enemy Ballistic Knife ammo can be scavenged.
 * The ballistic knife is a good close compat weapon compared from firing it from it's maximum range.
 * When you knife with your original knife, it takes a certain amount of time until you can knife again, so use the ballistic knife.

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 (on 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. If the Bowie Knife or Sickle is purchased, it will replace the regular melee knife when wielding the Ballistic Knife.This combination will be effective up until around round 11 and up to the second Hellhound round. However, if it is used wisely the player can end up with a lot of points, a knife kill with a ballistic knife is still 130 points. You 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". If this is used with the Bowie Knife or Sickle, it will be a one hit kill up to round 15.

Trivia

 * The Ballistic Knife has one of the lowest ammo counts in the Call of Duty series, with only two knives to use in a life.
 * The ammo count doesn't change even when the player adds the Scavenger Pro perk.
 * When killing a Zombie by shooting it with a Ballistic Knife, the player will still gain as many points as if they stabbed the zombie.
 * A Ballistic Knife can actually be seen in the Single Player 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.
 * Strangely enough, it can be used to destroy killstreaks, including Helicopters.
 * It is the first melee weapon that can be Pack-A-Punched.
 * Tally marks can be seen on the left hand knife that you melee with via Theater Mode, the tally marks scratched on the knife are most likely just there for cosmetic purposes and not an actual score keeper.
 * In game-winning killcams, a fired Ballistic Knife will frequently appear to miss the target due to moderate lag commonly associated with killcams.
 * When the player points "The Krauss Refibrillator" at a downed teammate, the cross-hair turns a sky blue color.
 * Interestingly enough, the Ballistic Knife produces recoil that pushes the player slightly backwards, similar to the Wunderwaffe DG-2 or firing an RPG. 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.
 * In zombies, it is the first and currently only weapon that can utilize a blue reticle.
 * The "Krauss Refibrilator" is referenced in one of the loading screen notes for Zombies, stating "If red reticles mean enemy and green reticles mean friendly, what do blue reticles mean?" Blue reticles mean that you can shoot a Pack-a-Punched Ballistic Knife to revive a teammate.
 * The ballistic knife doesn't count as a knife kill if you stab someone in multiplayer.
 * The ballistic knife gibs enemies, despite the fact it only stabs them when it hits an enemy.