There usually isn't much commotion when the Call of Duty franchise introduces a new gun. Guns are the central component of the game and having thousands of varieties available has always been core to the experience. But the Ray Gun Mark II isn't just any gun. This isn't a shotgun, submachine gun, or sniper rifle. This is a scientific edition of a futuristic weapon planted in the middle of a series that usually plays it safe with the classics when it comes to weaponry.
The gun is now a staple of the Black Ops series and makes regular appearances on lists of people's favorite and quirky guns once they get the hang of it. Despite some occasional realism, these are, after all, video games complete with highly fictional components like widespread nuclear proliferation, single operatives taking out thousands of opponents in ten minutes, and, of course, zombies. So why not enjoy a little fun amidst the bleak realities of war?
10 Evolution In Technology
Frank Woods did a lot for the Black Ops story but the original prototype for the Ray Gun was developed by somebody else. In fact, the first appearance of the original model was used in Call of Duty: World at War.
Still, it was the first Black Ops game that made the gun mainstream and after a few tweaks and customizations, the Ray Gun Mark II made its debut in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Both guns are still present in the series, but the Mark II is the latest model.
9 Upgrades And Downgrades
Call of Duty has always been a franchise that opens itself up to fan theories about the latest seasonal content, but thanks to the community and some diligent mathematicians, nobody needs to theorize about the differences between the two guns.
The difference is starker than some may realize. The first version has splash damage and fired single shot rounds whereas the Mark II was modified to take away the splash damage, but added a three-round burst.
8 Complicated Relationship With Prior Version
Usually when a weapon is upgraded, that eliminates the previous version, but the Ray Gun never went anywhere. In fact, the Ray Gun was still a popular choice among gamers and this led to developers having to make an awkward decision.
Until Black Ops 4, players actually had to play favorites. They were not permitted to carry both guns in their inventory. This created some tough choices and generated heated debate about which gun was superior. Players will always debate which guns are best for the Zombies mode, but the Ray Guns took this battle to a new stratosphere level.
7 Headshot Champion
Headshots have remained consistent in the Call of Duty series despite occasional plotholes and missteps. Regardless of what is going on with the story, a headshot is a reliable way of killing enemies quickly.
The Ray Gun Mark II isn't messing around when it comes to headshots. Double damage and quadruple damage are standard for must guns, but each beam does 21.7 times the normal damage when fired from this beast.
6 Designed With Zombies In Mind
Though the gun is present and craftable in the regular game, there is no question that the Ray Gun Mark II was crafted with the Zombies mode in mind. It can be exhilarating to survive in a diamond Warzone lobby, but surviving against zombies with this is maximum amounts of fun.
The gun can one-shot kill zombies with a headshot all the way until round 58. After that, the full burst of headshots will kill a zombie until round 70. That isn't even the best part; the shots pass through targets, allowing whole groups to be wiped out with just a few blasts.
5 The Porter Improvement
Using The Pack-A-Punch machine turns the gun into Porter's Ray Gun Mark II. If the gun wasn't already hot enough, it then gains jaw-dropping upgrades to makes this weapon indispensable.
Sometimes settings in Warzone need to be adjusted and balanced, but there will be hell to pay if anybody messes with the Porter version in Black Ops. The magazine size and damage are doubled, while the overall ammunition total is increased. The beam also turns red, which is a nice touch.
4 It Started As A Secret
Though later Black Ops games would keep the weapon around via more conventional means, the initial way to find the Ray Gun Mark II was a carefully guarded secret. Thanks to a few creative wanderers, players eventually uncovered this fan favorite.
On the Buried map, players who took a combat axe and threw it at the dartboard in the Sheriff's Office would suddenly be able to interact with the question mark on the chalkboard. Completing that interaction rewarded curious minds with the Ray Gun Mark II.
3 Building A Variant
There will always be a healthy debate over which guns belong in the meta. By allowing players to use crafting, even those who see their favorite guns fall out of favor can still make these weapons viable by upgrading them.
All it takes is some tubing, a canister, a container of Element 115, and a trip to the Operations room. After that, the Ray Gun Mark II can be tinkered with to choose between four different customizations.
2 Getting Lucky With The Mystery Box
Nowadays, the standard way to get access to this gun is by good old-fashioned luck. This was a big deal when this opportunity was added because, before this, the gun was more of a gimmick than a consistent strategy.
Not everybody is thankful for the weapon, naturally, due to play style. However, fans of the Ray Gun Mark II felt vindicated that the developers had finally recognized this gun as worthy of a spot among the rest of the weapons. It ceased to be a sci-fi Easter Egg and had to be discussed in mainstream circles.
1 Gone So Soon?
There is a justifiable fear that the Ray Gun Mark II is a thing of the past despite how exciting it was to use. While the first Ray Gun has made its way into other Call of Duty games, like the recently released Black Ops: Cold War, the Ray Gun Mark II was last seen in Black Ops 4.
It's too early to say that it's gone for good. Plenty of gamers enjoyed the device and seeing the Ray Gun will only make them more ravenous for the modernized version. And as players get louder, the pressure will mount to keep the series in touch with the community by retaining this fan favorite.