BO7 Fired Up Camo & Swordfish Guide

The Fired Up camo is an animated weapon skin unlockable via the free track, somewhere around the mid-section of the pass. The internet's consensus is that it looks suspiciously similar to the Apocalypse mastery camo: the one you earn in Warzone after an experience best described as "voluntary psychological torment." Welcome to Black Ops 7, where the participation trophy looks better than the championship belt.

In fairness, it's genuinely one of the flashiest free animated camos added to the game. There's a spectrum of quality out there: on one end, you have this fiery beauty; on the other, you have the Rainfall camo, which is basically a PNG of rain loosely draped over your weapon like a wet napkin.

Why People Are Upset (Summarized So You Don't Have to Read Twitter)

• It resembles the Apocalypse mastery camo that Warzone players grind hundreds of hours for
• You can unlock this one in under a day of efficient play
• This has happened before in Modern Warfare 3, and people were also upset then
• No lesson was learned by anyone involved, including the players who keep grinding masteries
• The camo still looks great, which is the most offensive part

Mastery camos exist to reward dedication. Free event camos exist to reward logging in. Both can look great. Make your peace with this, or don't: the camo doesn't care either way.

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The Swordfish A1 is a four-round burst marksman rifle making its first appearance since Black Ops 4 in 2018. It has very low recoil and can delete a fully-armored enemy with a single well-placed burst at medium range. The Penta Burst prestige attachment bumps it to five rounds per burst: one extra bullet for the one extra enemy you're going to miss because of overconfidence.

What Makes It Good

• Four-round burst with minimal recoil: a precision weapon for people with patience
• Strong one-burst lethality at medium range when you land your shots
• Low recoil makes it consistent at distance where other ARs start to wobble
• Pack-a-Punch in Zombies turns it from "great" to "unfair"
• The Penta Burst attachment gives you 5 rounds: mathematically kinder to bad aim
• Works exceptionally well against armored enemies in Black Ops Royale and Warzone

What Makes It Annoying

• It's a burst rifle: miss half a burst at close range and you're dead before the next one fires
• Slow mobility and handling means you're committing to a lane, not winning a footrace
• The camo grind includes 1,000 critical kills in Zombies: not a challenge, a lifestyle
• You can buy a blueprint in the store, but it won't let you modify attachments until the free unlock: so enjoy your overpriced skin with no customization

If you miss the Counter Skies event, the Swordfish A1 and Echo 12 Backlash Launcher will move to the Armory when Season 3 starts on April 2. All other rewards: skins, camos, blueprints: disappear permanently. FOMO, as always, is the final boss.

The Counter Skies event is entirely XP-based. There are no specific kill challenges, no special objectives, no "kill 50 enemies from behind while crouching on a Tuesday." You just earn XP. All four modes count: Multiplayer, Zombies, Warzone, and Black Ops Royale. Endgame and Co-Op count too, for the three of you who play those.

1. Boot up Black Ops 7 or Warzone after the March 17 update. The free track unlocks automatically. No purchase required, no button to press. You're already enrolled. How convenient.
2. Navigate to the Events tab to see your Counter Skies progress bar. Stare at it. Accept that it will not fill itself.
3. Play Multiplayer objective modes: Domination and Hardpoint are the fastest XP per hour. Play the objective, not just for kills. The game rewards score, and score comes from flags and hills, not just bodies.
4. Pop a Double XP Token before every session. They exist. Use them. There is no prize for hoarding them until the event is over.
5. Complete Daily Challenges every day. They reset at midnight PT. Each one is worth a meaningful chunk toward your total. Ignoring them is leaving free progress on the table.
6. Complete Weekly Challenges. The weekly reward this week is also a conversion kit for the MXR, so you're grinding toward two things at once. Efficiency. Love to see it.
7. If you prefer PvE, run Zombies in a squad and push for high rounds. The kill density is absurd and progress accumulates fast. Bonus: you can simultaneously grind weapon camos so you're miserable on two fronts at once.
8. If you're playing Warzone or Black Ops Royale, Resurgence is your fastest XP mode. Standard BR gives more XP per match but takes longer. Black Ops Royale matches run longer and pay out well if you stay alive.
9. At roughly ~500,000 total XP, the free track completes. The Swordfish A1 unlocks as the final mastery reward. Claim it. You earned it. Or your thumbs did, at least.

The Echo 12 Backlash Launcher Kit (Nobody Asked, But Here We Are)

The Echo 12 is widely considered one of the worst weapons in Black Ops 7. The Backlash Launcher Kit converts it into a launcher variant, which somehow manages to be even less effective in multiplayer. It takes multiple shots to down an enemy, has minimal ammo, and will detonate near your own feet unless you're running Flak Jacket: which you'll need specifically to use a weapon you received for free and never wanted.

• May prove useful in Zombies after Pack-a-Punch (the universal solution to bad weapons)
• Could theoretically crack armor in Warzone if you hit your shots
• Useful for camo grinding if you've already exhausted every other reason to hold the Echo 12
• Otherwise: a collectible. A monument to ambition. A thing that exists.

Fastest Ways to Farm XP Without Losing Your Mind

The math is simple: the more XP you earn per hour, the sooner you're done. Here's how to maximize efficiency across each mode, ranked from "fastest but most stressful" to "slowest but you can do it in your pajamas."

Multiplayer (Fastest)

• Domination and Hardpoint generate more score than other modes: captures, kills, and assists all feed the bar
• Run Squad Link field upgrade to earn bonus score when your teammates score near you
• Spam UAVs and Counter-UAVs: they generate assist XP automatically
• Nuketown if you want chaos and fast cycling matches with high kill counts
• The Forge for longer matches with more total XP per session

Zombies (Relaxed & Efficient)

• Squad runs cycle rounds faster and generate more kills per hour than solo
• Push rounds aggressively rather than hoarding points: faster cycling equals more XP
• Excellent for simultaneous weapon camo grinding (two birds, one undead horde)
• XP doesn't cap until around Round 30, so stay in until then before extracting
• Paradox Junction is the current hot map if you want something fresh to look at while grinding

Warzone & Black Ops Royale (If You Were Going to Play Anyway)

• Resurgence is your best Warzone bet: faster respawns mean more engagements and more score
• Black Ops Royale matches run longer but reward survival time, contracts, and kills generously
• Complete contracts during matches: they drop bonus XP and keep you moving
• Assists count. Playing support is not cowardice; it's yield optimization.