How to unlock Katana in Black Ops 7 and Warzone

The Katana is officially set to return in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Warzone as part of the Season 3 Reloaded update, launching on April 30, 2026.

This fan-favorite melee weapon first appeared in Black Ops 3, and now the Japanese sword is making a comeback in Black Ops 7 and Warzone for those who love stylish finishes in close-quarters combat. Here’s everything you need to know about unlocking it, along with its unique Prestige Camos.

Table of contents

How to unlock the Katana melee weapon in BO7 and Warzone

The sharp Japanese sword returns. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Katana is not available through standard progression. Instead, it’s tied to a limited-time in-game event during Season 3 Reloaded in both Black Ops 7 and Warzone.

The Katana is featured as the mastery reward in the Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Navigator Challenge, an event held for Military Appreciation Month in May. This is a challenge-based event, you need to complete specific objectives across BO7 Multiplayer, Zombies, Co-Op/Endgame, and Warzone to unlock rewards. Challenges include getting a set amount of objective score, winning matches, surviving for certain rounds, earning scorestreak kills, among others.

The Katana is available in this event. Image via Activision

Since the Katana is the mastery reward in this event, you need to unlock all seven standard rewards to earn it. The standard rewards include the “Liftoff” animated camo, a Battle Pass Token, and a slew of cosmetics.

If you don’t want to grind the event, there’s also a paid shortcut. The Katana is featured as a blueprint called “Laminar Flow” in the Tracer Pack: Transfusion Reactive Ultra Skin Bundle, which costs 2,800 CoD Points or around $25. The store bundle also features an ultra weapon blueprint for the Carbon 57 SMG, ultra skin for Grimm, legendary blueprint for the Echo 12 shotgun, and several cosmetic items.

The Katana delivers high damage, paired with moderate reach and attack speed, allowing you to chain together fluid slashes and overhead strikes to take down enemies at close range. There’s also a heavier attack option by holding the heavy attack button and releasing it to deal maximum damage in a single hit.

All Katana Prestige camos in BO7 & WZ

For those aiming to fully max out the Katana, these are the unique Prestige camos you can unlock through Weapon Prestige progression:

Colorful camos for such deadly weapon. Image via Activision

• Prestige 1: Splash
• Prestige 2: Sour Raspberry
• Prestige Max: Enamored

All Weapon Prestige Camos are universal, meaning once unlocked, you can apply them to other weapons in your arsenal as well. Unfortunately, the Katana doesn’t feature any animated Prestige Camos.

If you want to know all the content coming in the midseason, check our breakdown of the Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 3 Reloaded roadmaps.

---