Bowie Knife

The Bowie Knife is a special melee weapon which can be bought for 3000 points in Der Riese, Kino der Toten and "Five". It is larger and wider than the standard combat knife in Call of Duty: World at War (or any Call of Duty game for that matter). It increases Knife damage from 150 to 1150, making it a one-hit-kill for zombies from Round 1 to Round 11. It is a one-hit-kill to Hellhounds all the way up until the third hellround. It first made its appearance in the Map Pack 3 television ad. One interesting thing to note is that the Bowie Knife will never be lost, even if the player completely dies, the knife will still be in the player's possession upon respawning (this is not the case in Black Ops), making this the only weapon kept after death.

Appearance
The Bowie Knife is very large, possibly one foot in length (by comparison to other weapons bought off the wall), and is anywhere from 3 to 5 inches deep (until the curve). Most likely made of cold steel or iron, shined and a light grayish tint. The Bowie Knife also has a large hand guard, with brass knuckles wrapped around it (this is known as a "knuckleduster" grip). These sorts of knives were used commonly during World War I and World War II, designed for punching the opponent to stun them before stabbing them. The weapon is similar in most respects to a trench knife, as well as the original design of Jim Bowie's combat knife.

Trophy/Achievement
There is a trophy/achievement for killing 40 zombies with this knife in one game, called 40 Knives, which is worth 25 gamerscore on the Xbox 360, or a Bronze Trophy on the PlayStation 3. A way to get this trophy/achievement is to buy the knife at around round 5 or so and go into the tunnel near the teleporter and to camp and knife Zombies and Hellhounds. It awards a lot of points, and the trophy/achievement. If not, then use it when Insta-Kill is active and slash through to the trophy/achievement. Juggernog is a huge boost for both methods.

In Black Ops zombie mode, the Bowie Knife on Kino Der Toten and "Five" is a one hit kill. It is (as said) 3000 points and kills hellhounds and most zombies until around wave 7, then it will take two hits or cause a zombie considerable damage that you could shoot it. If you happen to get the Ballistic Knife and or get the Bowie Knife it will take place as your melee knife for a Ballistic Knife and cause more damage to zombies

Tips

 * Although some players complain that it isn't worth getting, costing 3000 points in addition to 3750 opening doors if it is obtained early enough a skilled player should easily be able to rack up well over 15000 points before it is no longer a one hit kill.
 * The Bowie Knife is the only weapon in Der Riese (World at War only) that a player will never lose if killed/downed. This means that it is an investment that will never be lost (short of the game ending, of course), which makes it a very worthwhile purchase to get ASAP (even though many players generally ignore it).
 * The Bowie Knife works best when used in conjunction with Juggernog, due to the obvious risk involved with getting close enough to zombies in order to use the knife.
 * It is advised to use the knife only when facing one or perhaps two zombies at a time. If a player attempts to bowie knife a horde of a dozen or so zombies odds are that the player will get swarmed.
 * It is always a good idea to have a good CQC weapon (SMG, Shotgun, etc.) when using the Bowie Knife on zombies. This is because the Bowie knife is only capable of taking on one (or maybe two) zombies at a time, so something else is needed for when the trickle of zombies turns into a flood.
 * At round 12, the Bowie Knife ceases to be a one-hit kill against Zombies, however it is still far better to have than the regular knife (which at this point would take an unreasonable number of hits to take out a zombie). In Black Ops, the Bowie knife ceases to kill zombies in one hit at round 10, this is the same for the revamped Der Riese.
 * The Bowie knife remains a one-hit kill against Hellhounds until the third Hellround, and is arguably a better weapon against them when two people knife at once due to the fact the Bowie Knife doesn't require reloading, Hellhounds come one, two, or just maybe three at a time when camping against them, and plus that their health maxes at 1600 no matter what, unlike the zombies. So the maximum hits needed to kill a Hellhound with the Bowie Knife is two.
 * The Bowie knife is an excellent weapon for the purpose of guarding windows, next to the Flamethrower.
 * The Bowie knife is very useful if a player is downed, as this will allow them to do significant damage (or even kill) passing Zombies and making it easier for team mates to revive them. This is especially true if the only pistol the downed player has is an un-upgraded M1911, as it is virtually useless on later rounds unless Insta-Kill is in effect.
 * Beware that the Bowie Knife may occasionally miss a Zombie entirely, or even if it does connect it is possible to be simultaneously hit by the Zombie (with both the player and Zombie killing each other at the same time). Some people prefer to die than use it until they have enough points to pack-a-punch a colt.
 * If a player gets hit by a zombie it is advised to back away and maintain distance for a few seconds in order to heal up before attempting to knife the Zombie again.
 * Shooting a Zombie several times with a firearm (without killing it) can weaken the Zombie until it becomes a one-hit kill with the Bowie Knife. This is a strategy that can make the Bowie Knife useful on later rounds where it is no longer a one-hit kill on its own. The reasons a player would want to do this are because it yields more points, uses less ammo, and will help towards obtaining the 40 Knives Trophy/Achievement. This strategy can also be used with the default knife on the rounds early on.
 * In Call of Duty: Black Ops, you can combine the bowie knife with the ballistic knife by having both at the same time. It is even more point effective as it will kill a zombie in one hit up to round 11 or 12 and knife faster. It's even more effective when it is upgraded as it will one hit kill up to round 15-18 (depending on the amount of players are in the game) it will also revive downed players, which again, means you will receive more points.

Trivia

 * This is the third most costly upgrade, tied with Speed Cola, in Zombies; Pack-A-Punch being first, and upgraded ammo being second.
 * The Bowie Knife is the SECOND weapon available to buy in World at War that will never run out of ammo, with the M2 Flamethrower being the first. It is also the first weapon purchase-able off the wall that will never run out of ammo.
 * This is the first time in Call of Duty history where players can switch out their knife.
 * Upon buying the Bowie knife, the character examines and comments on it before holstering it, which can get them downed if zombies are nearby.
 * In the game files, the knife is treated as a perk, however, the Achievement "Perkaholics Anonymous" with be unlocked even when holding the Bowie Knife.
 * When the Bowie Knife is used, a sound of metal being sharpened is heard.
 * Sometimes in early rounds it is possible to behead a zombie with the Bowie Knife. This may be the result of a "headshot", with the knife connecting with the Zombie's head/neck.
 * If the Fly Trap is activated, a Teddy Bear holding a Bowie Knife will appear in one of the windows overlooking the Mainframe.
 * One of the strangest glitches involving the Bowie Knife occurs if a Flamethrower is used in combination with the bowie knife; the knifing noise will sound like a normal knife. Another glitch is a slow knife, which occurs if a player holds a Bouncing Betty whilst knifing.
 * Sometimes when Nikolai buys the Bowie Knife he says, "sweet Russian steel" even though the Bowie Knife originated in America.
 * The Bowie Knife is only a one hit kill up to round 10 in the revamped Der Riese.
 * The Bowie Knife seems to have blood stains on it even before you use it.
 * If the Ballistic Knife is equipped along with the Bowie Knife, the player's left hand will be holding the Bowie Knife instead of the usual default/SOG knife.
 * Fidel Castro is holding a Bowie Knife in the cutscene of &quot;Five&quot;, along with a Python.
 * The Bowie Knife has been known to cut off Zombies arms like a sword when slashing. When stabbing it also cuts off body parts even if it wasn't stabbed.
 * One of Richtofen's quotes are "I don`t know who Jim Bowie is, but I LOVE his knife!" when buying the Bowie knife in Kino der Toten.
 * Some times, on the Wii, it's impossible to buy the Bowie knife off the wall after a player has bought it.
 * The Bowie knife in third person has the same size as a machete. This can be seen if the player uses the Ballistic knife with a bought Bowie knife as a different player looks at that player's character model.