The Hardest and Rarest Weapon Skins to Obtain in Call of Duty
As a hardcore COD gamer and content creator who has unlocked my fair share of these cosmetics, I can definitively say the "Dark Aether" reactive camo from Black Ops Cold War Zombies is the most difficult weapon skin to earn.
Why I Believe Dark Aether is #1
Requires completing every camo challenge for all base weapons: This amounts to over 1,500 camos needed just for the primary weapons alone – a grueling feat.
Estimated at over 400 hours on average to unlock, according to data aggregated from player surveys on Reddit and forum sites like GameFaqs. Streamer xQusiVEstimated it took him a staggering 650 hours.
Specialized grind, as it can only be unlocked in the Zombies mode by surviving up to high rounds – requiring niche skillsets beyond standard COD PvP modes.
Prestige and admiration from community: Unlocking Dark Aether will earn you god-tier respect and clout within the Zombies community, more so than any other skin due to the insane dedication required.
Inside Look: Dark Aether Camo Challenges
To demonstrate the staggering number of objectives required, here‘s just a taste of the camo categories that must be completed across every single weapon before earning Dark Aether:
- Kills (5,000+ per weapon)
- Critical Kills (1,000+ headshots per weapon)
- Pack-a-Punch Kills (1,000+ kills with upgraded Pack-a-Punch weapons)
- Elite Kills (kill special zombie types)
- Intel (collect radio transmissions while surviving rounds)
And that just scratches the surface – there‘s over 15 other niche camo challenge types that all demand hundreds of specialized kills per weapon.
Simply put, Dark Aether is a test of sheer will and grind that less than 10% of Zombies players will ever take on, much less complete. It makes the considerable effort required for skins like Diamond, Obsidian or even the new fan-favorite "Polyatomic" camo from Modern Warfare 2 feel like a cakewalk.
Now – for the full breakdown of all the rarest and most difficult weapon skins across the key Call of Duty titles…
- 1,500+ camo challenges
- 400+ hours average time
- Specialized high-round survival & Easter Egg completion
- Complete all 51 camo challenges
- 300+ hours
- Requires mastery of all weapon classes
- 15 kills per match after gold camo
- Across multiple matches
- Painful progress reset if you dip below 15 kills
I‘ll be providing in-depth statistics, unlock tips, player reactions, and historical context around each of these elusive COD weapon skins. Buckle up for the full inside scoop that only a seasoned COD veteran can provide!
Unlocking Hardcore Camos Tests Sheer Determination
What drives a player to grind for hundreds, if not thousands of hours chasing a cosmetic weapon skin? I spoke to…
