You’re Prestiging Weapons Wrong in Black Ops 7 – Here’s the Exact Method That Saves Hours

Why Weapon Prestige in Black Ops 7 Feels Confusing (and Why It’s Worth It)

After sinking about 60 hours into Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, I’ll admit I completely misunderstood weapon prestige at first. I thought it was just a simple “reset for a camo” system like older CODs. I prestiges my first AR, logged back into multiplayer, and suddenly half my favorite attachments were gone. I almost swapped off the gun permanently.

The breakthrough came when I realized three key things:

• Weapon prestige is per-weapon and starts when that gun hits Level 50.
• Prestiging resets the weapon’s level but unlocks exclusive camos and sometimes a prestige-only attachment.
• After two prestiges, that gun enters Weapon Prestige Master, where you can level it all the way to Level 250 for universal camos and special attachments.

Once I understood what I was really getting (and what I was giving up), the system clicked. This guide walks you through the exact steps I use now to prestige efficiently, keep my loadouts functional, and grind toward Weapon Prestige Master without feeling like I’ve bricked my favorite guns.

How Weapon Prestige Actually Works in Black Ops 7

Let’s quickly break down how the system behaves in practice, not just in theory.

• Weapon Level Cap (Pre-Prestige): Every gun levels up to Level 50.
• XP Sources: Weapon XP comes from multiplayer, zombies, and campaign – all three modes count, as long as you’re getting kills or completing objectives with that weapon equipped.
• Prestige Availability: Once a weapon hits Level 50, a “Prestige Available” prompt appears when you hover it in Gunsmith or Create-a-Class.
• Prestige Reset: Prestiging resets that weapon back to Level 1.
• What You Keep: You keep blueprints and your optics stay unlocked.
• What You Lose (Temporarily): Most other attachments are relocked and must be re-earned as you level the gun again.
• Prestige Rewards: You gain a weapon-specific prestige camo and sometimes a prestige attachment that doesn’t exist in the normal attachment tree.
• Weapon Prestige Master: After two prestiges on that weapon, you enter the Weapon Prestige Master track and can level it further up to Level 250.

Account level and weapon level are totally separate. Hitting Player Level 55 unlocks the account prestige layer, but you do not need that to prestige a weapon. If your gun is Level 50, you’re good to go.

Step-by-Step: How to Prestige a Weapon (With Platform Controls)

This is the exact flow I follow every time now. It takes about 10 seconds once you know where to look, but this step is where most people miss the prestige prompt.

1. Check Your Weapon Level

From the main menu, go to:

Weapons → Create-a-Class → Edit Loadout

Highlight the weapon you want to prestige. On the right-hand side of the screen you’ll see its current level. You must be at Level 50 on that specific gun.

Don’t make my early mistake: I kept wondering why “Prestige Available” wasn’t showing, only to finally realize I’d been grinding the wrong SMG variant for half the night. Double-check the exact weapon name and icon.

2. Open the Gunsmith for That Weapon

With the weapon highlighted:

• PlayStation: Press Square to open Gunsmith.
• Xbox: Press X.
• PC: Click the gun or press the confirm/select key (default Enter or left-click).

Now you’re inside the detailed view of the gun. This is where the prestige prompt actually appears.

3. Look for the “Prestige Available” Prompt

Hover the weapon’s name plate at the top of the Gunsmith screen. If the gun is Level 50, you’ll see a small text prompt on the right side that says something like “Prestige Available – Triangle/Y” depending on your platform.

This is where most people get stuck: If you just sit in the attachment tabs (Muzzle, Barrel, etc.) you’ll never see the prestige hint. You must hover the weapon card itself in Gunsmith, not its attachments.

4. Trigger the Prestige

When the prompt appears, press the indicated button:

• PlayStation: Press Triangle.
• Xbox: Press Y.
• PC: Press Y (default keybind – you can rebind, but Y is standard).

You’ll get a confirmation window explaining that the weapon will reset to Level 1 and listing the rewards you’ll gain (prestige camo and any prestige attachment, if applicable).

Confirm the action by selecting “Enter Weapon Prestige”.

5. What Resets and What You Keep (Immediately After)

As soon as you confirm:

• Your weapon drops to Level 1.
• Most attachments are relocked and rediscovered as you level up again.
• Optics stay unlocked – this is huge, because you can keep your favorite sight while you regrind.
• Any blueprints for that weapon stay available.
• You gain a new prestige camo for that weapon.
• If that weapon has a prestige attachment, it unlocks permanently once you’ve prestiged it.

Blueprints are what saved me from hating the grind. I’ll often jump straight into a blueprint that mimics my old build so the gun doesn’t feel like a naked peashooter while I’m working back up the levels.

Fastest Ways I’ve Found to Hit Weapon Level 50

If you just play casually, a single weapon can take many hours to hit 50. I tried that on my first AR and it felt endless. Here’s how I now grind weapon XP much more efficiently, depending on my mood.

Multiplayer: Objective Modes Are King

• Play Hardpoint / Domination / Kill Confirmed: Objective and tag XP stacks on top of your weapon kills.
• Play the Objective… with that weapon out: Capturing points, denying points, and escorting while holding the gun you’re leveling all feed XP into it.
• Abuse Double XP: When double weapon XP is live, I focus on one gun only per session. Splitting time between weapons wastes the bonus.
• Farm easy challenges: ADS kills, headshots, hip-fire kills – these add extra XP chunks on top of normal kills.

Pro tip: On smaller maps, I run a slightly faster, more controllable build (lighter barrel, shorter stock) to stay in fights constantly; more engagements = faster XP.

Zombies: Chill XP Grind

When I’m burned out on sweaty lobbies, I switch to Zombies with the gun I’m leveling:

• Stay in early to mid rounds where you can farm hordes quickly.
• Prioritize kills with the weapon itself, not equipment or field upgrades.
• Complete contracts or objectives that don’t force you off your weapon (avoid ones that rely heavily on explosives).

XP per minute can be slightly lower than a cracked multiplayer match, but you’re getting constant, low-stress kills, which adds up fast.

Campaign: Great for Early Levels, Less So for Late

Campaign is surprisingly decent for getting a weapon off the ground from Level 1–20 or so. I’ll sometimes start a new weapon there, then switch to multiplayer once it feels usable. Just make sure the gun you’re leveling is actually the one you’re using for most of the mission.

Attachments, Blueprints, and Camos After Prestige

This is the part I wish someone had explained to me before I prestiged my first gun.

• Attachments: Almost everything except optics gets re-locked. You regain them at the same level thresholds as the first time.
• Blueprints: Completely safe. You keep all blueprints for that weapon and can equip them even while the base weapon is Level 1.
• Prestige Camo: Each prestige grants a weapon-specific camo. After you hit Weapon Prestige Master milestones, some camos become universal and can be used on any weapon.
• Prestige Attachments: Certain guns unlock a special attachment only obtainable via prestige – these are permanent once earned and can be a big power boost or playstyle changer.

Warning: Don’t prestige a weapon right before a competitive session if you rely on niche attachments (like specific grips or barrels). Give yourself time to re-unlock your core build first.

Weapon Prestige Master: What Changes After Two Prestiges

Once you’ve prestiged a weapon twice, that gun enters the Weapon Prestige Master tier. This is where the real long-term grind starts.

• Your weapon can now level well beyond 50, up to about Level 250.
• You unlock high-end universal camos at specific milestone levels.
• Certain weapons get additional special attachments that only exist in this Master track.
• It becomes a true “main” weapon – others see your camo/levels and know you live with that gun.

I only push weapons into Prestige Master if I genuinely enjoy their playstyle. For me, that’s my main AR and one sniper. Spreading XP across too many weapons makes the Master grind feel endless.

Real Examples: How I Prestiged Three Different Weapons

To give you some concrete reference, here’s how it looked with three specific guns I’ve taken through prestige.

DS20 Mirage (Assault Rifle)

I used the DS20 Mirage as my “everything” rifle – pubs, Zombies, and some campaign missions. By the time it hit Level 50:

• I prestiged via Gunsmith (Triangle/Y) and unlocked its Mirage Tandem Launcher underbarrel prestige attachment.
• This gave me a flexible rifle-plus-explosive build for objective modes.
• I leaned on one of my Mirage blueprints while re-leveling so I still had a stable, competitive setup.

Akita (Shotgun)

The Akita I mostly leveled in Zombies and small-map multiplayer playlists. Once it hit 50 and I prestiged:

• I unlocked the MFS GD-7 Shock Stock prestige attachment under Stock, which helped with mobility and handling.
• I focused on hip-fire and point-blank challenges to power-level it back up quickly.
• Keeping my favorite optic made the restart much less painful.

Shadow SK (Sniper Rifle)

For the Shadow SK, I mixed long-range multiplayer maps with some slower-paced campaign missions. After prestiging at Level 50:

• I gained the MFS Convergence Box Laser, a prestige laser that tightened ADS handling.
• I deliberately ran it in modes where I could take long sightlines to keep my kill rate high while re-unlocking core attachments.
• Hitting shots felt way smoother once I paired the prestige laser with my preferred optic.

Seeing those prestige attachments show up in the Gunsmith for the rest of the game made the grind feel absolutely worth it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (So You Don’t Repeat My Pain)

• Prestiging by habit: Don’t reflexively prestige every gun the instant it hits 50. Ask yourself if you actually like using it first.
• Ignoring Zombies and Campaign: XP from all modes counts; switching modes when frustrated keeps you progressing instead of burning out.
• Expecting attachments to stay: Remember: optics stay unlocked, most other attachments reset.
• Not hovering the weapon card: You must select the gun in Gunsmith, not just sit in the attachment menu, to see the prestige prompt.
• Splitting XP across too many weapons: Focus one weapon at a time, especially during double XP, to hit Level 50 and Prestige Master faster.

Final Thoughts: When to Hit Prestige (and When to Wait)

Here’s my personal rule now: I prestige a weapon as soon as it hits 50 if I know it’s part of my long-term rotation. If it’s a gun I barely tolerate, I leave it at 50 for camo challenges and move on.

If you follow the flow above – check Level 50, open Gunsmith, hover the weapon card, hit Triangle/Y, and lean on your blueprints while you regrind – the entire prestige process becomes something you control instead of something that ruins your builds.

If I could figure this out after accidentally nuking my first AR loadout, you absolutely can too. Focus one weapon at a time, use all three game modes for XP, and chase prestige on the guns you genuinely love. Once you see your first Weapon Prestige Master camo on a Level 200+ favorite, the grind suddenly feels very worth it.