BO7 AN-94 Free Unlock: ~1M XP Before the July Cutoff
The AN-94 and Executioner's Duet are free on the Nick Cage Event Pass in Black Ops 7 Season 4 Reloaded — but they're pure XP grinds on a deadline. Here's the fastest route before they leave.
The short answer
The AN-94 assault rifle is 100% free in Black Ops 7 right now — you unlock it by grinding Player XP up the free track of the Nick Cage "Uncaged" Event Pass, no COD Points required. The catch: it's the very last free reward, it takes a serious pile of XP, and the event is on a hard deadline. If you don't finish the track in time, the gun leaves the pass.
As of Season 4 Reloaded (live June 25, 2026), this is the freshest content in the game. Let me lay out exactly what changed, how much grinding it actually takes, and the fastest way to get there.
What changed and when
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 4 Reloaded launched on June 25, 2026, and its highlight is the Nicolas Cage operator, available via an Event Pass, playable across all modes. The event is nicknamed "Uncaged" by the community, and it works like the RoboCop and Fallout passes before it — an XP-based reward track.
Here's what actually matters for unlocks. The Nick Cage Event Pass free track hands out the AN-94 assault rifle and Executioner's Duet melee weapon. The premium track costs 1,100 COD Points and unlocks the Cage operator plus the "Unlimited" skin.
Pro tip: You do not need to buy premium to get the guns. The AN-94 and Executioner's Duet both sit on the FREE track. The 1,100 CP is only for Nick Cage himself and his cosmetics. If you just want the weapons, spend nothing.
Why it matters
Two reasons. First, the AN-94 is genuinely good. The AN-94 makes its return, last seen in Black Ops 4, featuring a unique burst mechanism where the first two shots fire at a faster rate before settling into a more moderate fire rate. That hyperburst makes it a strong long-range AR and a real loadout option for the back half of the season.
Second — and this is the part people miss — these are expiring free weapons. If you don't unlock the Executioner's Duet Melee Weapon and the AN-94 Assault Rifle, they will be available as an armoury unlock challenge when the event ends. So they're not gone forever, but the easy XP route closes when the pass does. After that you're grinding challenges instead.
One honest note on the deadline: sources don't fully agree. Some list the event running from June 25th to July 23rd, while others report it runs from now until July 16. Treyarch's in-game timer is the source of truth — check it and treat July 16 as your safe cutoff so you're not caught out.
How much XP you actually need
Here's the verdict: it's a grind, not a skill wall. The gun isn't hard to earn — the time is the enemy.
Estimates vary by source. Expect roughly 300,000–400,000 total XP to clear the free track. Other outlets put the full-pass figure higher, noting you are usually needed to earn around 1 million XP. Either way, plan for several hours of focused play, and remember the AN-94 is dead last. It's free-track reward 09 — the very last item on the free track. The Executioner's Duet melee unlocks earlier at 07 on the same track.
Both tracks fill from one bar, too. It's a two-track event pass — a free track and a premium track — that both fill from a single shared XP bar. Every point of Player XP you earn pushes both tracks forward at once. So if you buy premium later, you keep the progress you already banked.
The updated method, step by step
- Play the modes you win. Play the modes you can win and finish quickly, since the event progresses through XP milestones across all supported modes; steady XP beats bouncing between modes and slowing your pace.
- Pick high-XP playlists. In BO7, objective-based Multiplayer modes such as Domination and Hardpoint are among the best options because they reward both eliminations and objective play. In Warzone, focusing on Contracts and jumping into Resurgence playlists are among the most efficient ways to grind XP.
- Fire your XP tokens — the right ones. To level the Nick Cage Event Pass fast, use your standard Double XP Tokens, since you need Player XP to progress through each track. That said, don't waste tokens during a global Double XP Weekend — during those events, tokens are grayed out and can't be stacked on top of the live bonus.
- Clear daily and weekly challenges. They dump big XP chunks and stack with everything above.
- Grab the melee first, then push to the AR. Executioner's Duet lands at tier 07, so you'll have it in hand well before the AN-94 at 09.
Pro tip: Battle Pass XP tokens do NOT speed up the event pass. Do Battle Pass XP tokens speed up the Event Pass? No. Only Player XP counts, so stick to standard Double XP.
Free track vs premium — the quick call
| Free Track | Premium (1,100 CP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Nothing | 1,100 COD Points (~$10) |
| AN-94 | ✅ Included | — |
| Executioner's Duet | ✅ Included | — |
| Nick Cage operator | ❌ | ✅ |
| "Unlimited" Cage skin | ❌ | ✅ |
The free track wins on value for anyone here for the guns. Premium is purely for the Cage fantasy.
What to expect next
Endgame's story wraps this season, which is a big deal for the game's future. With Endgame's story wrapping here, attention is already turning to the next Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 4, marking the end of Endgame's seasonal Glitch storyline. Expect the usual pre-Season-5 lull, then a new content wave. For now, the Uncaged pass is the live thing to chase.
If you want the full lay of the land on what's live this mid-season, our Black Ops 7 new season catch-up guide breaks it down. And once you've got the AN-94, our fast weapon-maxing rundown covers getting it to Prestige Master.
Bottom line
Grinding ~300k to a million Player XP up the Uncaged track before the July cutoff is real time — several evenings of Domination and Resurgence, and that's if the tokens line up. If you'd rather actually enjoy the AN-94 instead of farming to reach it, our BO7 private bot lobbiesfrom $2.56 let you rack up XP and event progress fast, with you in the lobby and in control of your account.
