Insta-Kill

"One slash to kill you!"

- Nikolai Belinski "INSTA-KILL!"

- Demonic Announcer



Insta-Kill is a power-up found in every Zombies map, excluding Dead Ops Arcade.

Insta-Kill lasts for 30 seconds and enables every player to kill any zombie in one hit until the power-up runs out. Insta-Kill's icon is a skull. The Demonic Announcer will say "Insta-Kill" (except in Call of Duty: World at War version of Nacht der Untoten, where there are no voices) once someone gets it. A "vanishing" sound is heard when the power-up has expired. Many players prefer to use a knife or grenades when Insta-Kill is running so they do not waste ammo. The knife is also preferred because players earn 130 points (110 in Call of Duty: World at War), rather than the usual 60-100 with other weapons. If it is dropped by a dead zombie, players will try to get it once they get the chance or one player runs for it while others cover them. In Nacht der Untoten and Verrückt, the player is only given 60 points per kill, regardless if the knife was used.

In the Call of Duty: Black Ops II maps TranZit, Die Rise and Buried, it is possible to obtain a Persistent Upgrade that allows players to get a "Insta-Kill Pro", which allows players to kill zombies with contact (worth 50 points per kill). To get this, a player must pick up the power-up and not kill a single zombie with it. When the same player picks up a second Insta-Kill, they will see a red Insta-Kill icon appear above the usual. The red Insta-Kill will disappear after 10 seconds.

While insta-kill is still active and the player throws a grenade at a zombies, regardless of where it hit the zombie, it will kill the zombie with the grenade bouncing off it. When the grenade hits the zombie, its head will appear to explode.

In origins, the panzer soldat is affected by the insta-kill, but not as a whole. It will still take the same amount of time to kill unless you peirce the glass infront of the zombies face, since it is still a regular zombie it will take damage with a hit from any weapon as long as it hits the zombies head in the suit.

Trivia

 * George A. Romero, Napalm Zombies, Astronaut Zombies, and the Ghosts are all unaffected by an Insta-Kill. Brutus takes extra damage but won't be killed in one hit.