Ballistic Knife

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

Overview
When drawn, players can fire the knife's blade, which results in a silent one hit kill, much like the Throwing Knife and Tomahawk. The ammo held is only composed of two knives, but can be picked up from the ground or body. It is also 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. Blades can be picked back up and reloaded into the handle to be used again even though more than one blade can be carried at a time. 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 a player with the Ballistic Knife's ranged attack gives the player the message "Skewer" at the top of the screen.

Multiplayer
The Ballistic Knife is one of the few available weapons in the new 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 a secondary weapon in the "Specials" category and is unlocked at level 15.

Due to its low starting ammunition count, Scavenger is favored in most cases. Marathon is also suggested to make up for missed shots by knifing the enemy. As the player has to pull the pin before being able to fire the blade, it is advised to switch to the ballistic knife once spawned or respawned to avoid being stuck with the blade being unable to fire in a firefight.

Zombies
It is available through the Mystery Box. The player is able to pick up knives after being stuck into zombies. The ballistic knife fired to a zombie can be a one-hit kill at any rounds as long as it is a headshot. although the ballistic knife has a much higher stabbing strength in zombies, It isn't a favorable weapon, due to its low ammo count, low rate of fire, and low damage. When Pack-a-punched it turns to The Krause Refibrilator and will revive a player instantly if hit by the blade (which give the trophy/achievement "Stab Me, Heal Me. This is the hidden trophy/achievement). If the Bowie Knife is purchased it will replace the regular melee knife when wielding the Ballistic Knife.

Trivia

 * When knifing an enemy, if close enough the player will stab with both blades.
 * Like a grenade, when first pulling the knife out in a life, the player pulls a pin before being able to use it.
 * After pulling out the pin, the switching time is faster than the first switch.
 * If both blades are fired (i.e. no ammo) and a different weapon is equipped (the primary weapon), when a knife is picked up from the ground or a body the Ballistic Knife will be instantaneously reloaded (no reload animation), but only if it is not equipped when the knife is picked up.
 * It is possible to Pack-a-Punch the Ballistic Knife in Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombie mode. When upgraded, the player can shoot downed teammates to revive them instead of doing it the regular way. The upgraded version of the Ballistic Knife is called the Krauss Refibrilator. Also when upgraded, it will gain a bowie knife and 5 extra rounds. If a Bowie knife was bought before or after the upgrade, it will replace the knife in the player's left hand.
 * If the player uses the melee attack whilst brandishing this weapon, the attack will be noticeably quicker than if the player wielded any other weapon.
 * 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.
 * Fired knives will glow yellow if the player can pick them up.
 * It is possible to get a headshot with the Ballistic knife
 * When both blades are fired your character still seems to have a blade in his hand.
 * The Ballistic Knife is much like the Tactical Knife attachment in Modern Warfare 2 as your melee speed is doubled. However, instead of a handgun and a knife, you're using 2 knives.
 * Strangely, if the player fires the ballistic knife into an enemy's gun, it will count as a headshot.