Ballistic Knife

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

Overview
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 'rounds' 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 farther 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, you switch to Ballistic Knife after every spawn, and then back to your primary. After this is done, the second time you pull out your Ballistic Knife, 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.

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 regular knife, 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). Another important fact to note is that it increases your melee lunge by about 33%.

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 favored 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 Pro, as destroying one sentry gun is a requirement for achieving 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 combat 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 (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's multiple players in the game, the Ballistic Knife can work out 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. However, since the stab rate of the ballistic knife is so quick, the knife remains useful up until about round 20. 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". Note the fact that if you are downed, your knifes will not revive other players.

If this is used with the Bowie Knife or Sickle, it will be a one hit kill to regular zombies up until round 14.

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.

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. However, knives are replenished by picking up Scavenger Bags or getting them from the ground..
 * 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 however, the entire weapon is not for melee, as it is able to be shot.
 * Tally marks can be seen on the left hand knife that is used to melee with via Theater Mode, however 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, Ray Gun or RPG/RPG-7. 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.
 * 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?", and blue reticles appear when you aim at a downed teammate with the Krauss Refibrilator.
 * The Ballistic Knife's melee attack doesn't count as a knife kill if you stab someone in multiplayer. Instead however, it counts as a kill for the Ballistic Knife.
 * The Ballistic Knife gibs enemies, despite the fact it only stabs them when it hits an enemy, however this only occurs in Zombies mode.
 * Despite the fact that it is very quiet when fired it still appears on the enemy radar, this is due to it not being classified as a weapon of stealth in the game files.
 * When pulling out a Ballistic Knife, if one looks closely it almost looks like the character is pushing the Ballistic Knife into place.
 * If the player quickly double taps the switch-weapon button (Y or Triangle etc. depending on the console) while holding the Ballistic Knife, the character's hand goes through the Ballistic Knife.

Video
thumb|left|300px|Ballistick Knife Overview