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How to unlock the Nail Gun in Call of Duty: Warzone

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Each season, Call of Duty: Warzone gets a set of new weapons, most of which are typically worth using. One weapon that was added as part of the Season 4 update was the Nail Gun, an SMG/Special Weapon hybrid that deals tremendous damage. It’s definitely suited for players who like to run and gun while getting up close and personal. The only problem is that its unlock requirements are tough and arguably not very descriptive.

Of course, you can always shell out your hard-earned COD Points to just buy it from the in-game store, but if you’re short on funds, you’ll want to take a different approach. In this guide, we’ll show you how to unlock the Nail Gun in Call of Duty: Warzone.

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Nail Gun overview

Nail Gun in Call of Duty: Warzone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The reason so many players have gravitated toward the Nail Gun is due to its high-damage profile up close. This weapon won’t get you far at range, but when used at up to 10 meters, it deals devastating damage. According to TrueGameData, the Nail Gun does 64 damage to the chest, 50 to the stomach and extremities, and 81 to the head. This means you can get a four- to five-shot kill on a fully plated enemy at up to 10 meters. With stats like that, it’s easy to see why it’s such a popular choice.

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For comparison’s sake, the MP5 (CW) can eliminate a fully plated enemy in six to nine shots up close. Now, it’s worth noting that the Nail Gun has a slower fire rate of 515 rpm (rate per minute) compared to the MP5 (CW), which fires at 854 rpm. But even still, the Nail Gun has the potential to eliminate a player much faster than the MP5 (CW), even with a slower rate of fire. The other unique thing about the Nail Gun is that it doesn’t allow for any attachments. But that’s okay since it’s excellent as-is. Just make sure you get used to its small magazine size of 20.

Methods of unlocking the Nail Gun in Warzone

Challenge for unlocking Nail Gun in Warzone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The biggest issue with the Nail Gun is actually unlocking it. There are four methods to getting your hands on it, which we’ll go over in detail below:

Unlocking the Nail Gun through Warzone

The least expensive but most time-consuming method of unlocking the Nail Gun is to earn it through Warzone itself. In order to do so, you need to get five kills with Special Weapons in 15 different matches. The Special Weapons are:

  • M79 Grenade Launcher
  • Ballistic Knife
  • R1 Shadowhunter

Warzone doesn’t actually have a Special Weapons section, but rest assured, those are the weapons that fall into that category.

If you’ll be using this method, we advise jumping into a Plunder match, heading over to Storage Town on the west side of the map, and using whichever Special Weapon you feel comfortable with. Unfortunately, all of them are pretty terrible, but we had the most luck with the M79 Grenade Launcher. The strategy is to float above Storage Town and then drop down right above an enemy before shooting them with the grenade. Then pull your chute just before you hit the ground.

If you get close enough before hitting the ground, you’ll have a higher chance of eliminating them in one shot. Keep repeating this process until you’ve got five kills, then finish the match like normal. Repeat this 14 more times to complete the challenge and unlock the Nail Gun.

Based on our testing, it doesn’t seem like you’re able to quit the match before it’s over to still gain credit toward the challenge. Some players reported challenge tracking even after quitting early, but it seems like this has been patched. Also note that if you want to use the Ballistic Knife to complete the challenge, you must use the projectile as opposed to melee.

Plunder matches can take upwards of 20 minutes to complete, so it’ll take you several hours to unlock the weapon using this method. But it’s a free option!

Unlocking the Nail Gun through Black Ops Cold War multiplayer

Next up, you can unlock the Nail Gun in Cold War multiplayer. Since Warzone shares progression with Cold War, you can unlock the weapon in one game and use it in the other. For this one, the requirements are actually the same as in Warzone: Get five kills with Special Weapons in 15 different matches. The thing is, Cold War matches are a lot faster than Plunder matches in Warzone, so this method is actually the quickest, provided you have a copy of the game. For the quickest results, we advise playing on Nuketown ’84, as those matches only take around 10-ish minutes — sometimes less.

Unlocking the Nail Gun through Black Ops Cold War Zombies

The other way to unlock the Nail Gun through Cold War is by playing Zombies. To do so, you need to get 25 eliminations with Special Weapons in 12 completed regions in Outbreak. Let’s explain what that means because it’s confusing. Again, the Special Weapons are listed above, so use one of those in your loadout and boot up a match of Outbreak. A completed region is one that you’ve finished the main objective for.

The game will give you an objective at each of the regions, and once you’ve finished it and moved on to the next region via a teleportation device, this will count as a completed region. So, in essence, get your 25 kills, complete the region, and then check the in-game counter to make sure it’s giving you credit. Keep in mind that you don’t need to complete all 12 regions in a single match to unlock the weapon. Your progress carries over from match to match.

Unlocking the Nail Gun by purchasing it

The final and easiest way to get the Nail Gun is to buy it. The Puncture Wound blueprint gives you immediate access to the Nail Gun for 1,000 COD Points, which can be earned by leveling up the battle pass or purchased with real money. It will cost you around $10 to buy this blueprint with real cash.

Joseph Yaden
Joseph Yaden
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…
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