Look, we’ve all been there. You’re three hours into a Saturday session, your eyes are burning from staring at the Nuketown 24/7 playlist, and you’re still stuck on those last few headshots for a submachine gun that feels like it’s shooting marshmallows. The grind for bo6 multiplayer camo challenges is a beast. It’s supposed to be. But honestly, a lot of players make it way harder than it actually needs to be by following outdated strategies from three games ago.
Black Ops 6 changed the math. You don't have to wait until weapon level 40 to start your grind anymore. You can literally start chipping away at those military camos the second you unlock the gun. That’s a game-changer. But if you’re just running into the meat grinder hoping for the best, you’re going to burn out long before you ever see a hint of Dark Matter.
The Reality of the Military Tier
First things first: the Military camos. This is the foundation. For almost every weapon in the game, you’re looking at 100 headshots. It sounds simple, but it’s the longest part of the journey for most. You start with Granite at 5 headshots and work your way up to Red Tiger at 100.
Here’s the thing—stop aiming for the head.
I know, that sounds stupid. But if you’re "trying" to hit headshots, you’re probably tensing up and missing the kill entirely. Use the CHF Barrel if you’re in Core modes. It kicks like a mule, but that vertical recoil actually helps "walk" your shots from the upper chest right into the dome. In Hardcore, though? Throw that barrel away. The recoil will make you miss before the first bullet even connects.
Why Your Loadout Is Killing Your Progress
Most people build their guns for "meta" performance. They want the fastest ADS (Aim Down Sight) and the tightest spread. That’s great for winning games, but it’s trash for camos. If you’re doing the "Point Blank" special challenges for SMGs like the Jackal PDW, you need to be building for hipfire spread and movement speed.
Basically, you want to be a caffeinated squirrel.
Breaking Down the Mastery Tiers
Once you survive the 100 headshots and the two weapon-specific Special challenges, you hit the real stuff. The Mastery camos in BO6 are strictly sequential. You can’t skip ahead.
- Gold Camo: You need 10 double kills. This is usually the easiest part. If you’re struggling, go to Face Off. The maps are tiny, the players are aggressive, and you’ll stumble into double kills just by holding down the trigger in a hallway.
- Diamond Camo: This is where the gatekeeping starts. You have to get Gold on every weapon in that specific class (like all Assault Rifles). Once you do that, the Diamond challenge opens up: get 3 kills without dying 10 times.
- Dark Spine: This one is new and honestly looks sick. You need Diamond on all 33 launch weapons. The challenge? 3 triple kills. It’s a test of positioning more than aim.
- Dark Matter: The big one. The GOAT. After getting Dark Spine on everything, you have to get 5 kills without dying (Bloodthirsties) 3 times per weapon.
It’s a lot. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. But it’s manageable if you stop treating it like a job.
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The Hardcore vs. Core Debate
There’s this weird elitism where some people think "real" players only grind in Core. Ignore them. If you are doing pistols, marksman rifles, or the semi-auto swatters, you belong in Hardcore. Period.
Hardcore Stakeout is basically a camo factory. You can finish your 100 headshots for a pistol in three or four matches if you’re decent. The lack of a mini-map is a bit of a pain, but if you run the Recon combat specialty (that's the one with three blue perks), you get that brief wall-hack pulse every time you spawn. It’s invaluable for finding that one guy camping in the back with a sniper.
Special Challenges: The Hidden Speedbumps
Each gun has two unique challenges. These are the "Special" camos. Some are easy, like getting 50 kills while moving with the GPR 91. Others? They’re a nightmare.
The "get a kill without taking damage 30 times" challenge (looking at you, AMES 85) is the one that breaks people. You have to play like a complete coward. Sit in a corner, wait for someone to walk by, and then move immediately. It’s not "honorable" Call of Duty, but it gets the camo done.
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If you’re stuck on the underbarrel launcher kills for the AK-74, head to an objective mode like Domination. People cluster on the B flag like moths to a flame. One well-placed grenade and you’ve cleared two or three of those challenges in one go.
Efficiency Secrets for the 2026 Season
Since we're deep into the lifecycle now, the player base is sweaty. You’re not playing against "Christmas noobs" anymore. You’re playing against people who have memorized every head-glitch on Skyline.
- Vary your playlist. Don't just sit in Nuketown. Sometimes the flow of a standard Domination match on a medium map like Derelict is better for Longshots.
- Use the Gear. Tactical Insertions are your best friend for those "kills shortly after sprinting" or "point blank" challenges. Set your spawn near a high-traffic doorway and keep the pressure on.
- The "Stacking" Myth. People ask if getting 6 kills in one life counts as two "3 kills without dying" medals. In BO6, yes, it actually does. If you go on a tear and get a 9-streak, you just knocked out three points toward your Diamond progress.
Don't Forget the Launchers
Launcher camos like the CIGMA 2B are a different breed. You need direct hit kills. It’s frustrating. It’s slow. My advice? Secondary it. Don't make it your primary focus. Just keep it on your back and every time a UAV or a Counter-UAV pops up, swat it. By the time you finish your ARs and SMGs, your launchers will be halfway done without you even feeling the grind.
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The road to Dark Matter is a marathon. You'll have nights where you feel like a god, hitting every headshot, and nights where you can't buy a kill. That's just CoD.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Audit your classes: Ensure you have the Recon specialty equipped for the "wall-pulse" on spawn to locate targets faster.
- Target a "class" first: Don't hop between a sniper and an SMG. Stay on one category until you hit Diamond to keep your muscle memory consistent for that specific weapon weight and recoil.
- Check your reticles: Some of the best sights for headshots are actually locked behind Zombies challenges—take an hour to unlock the "Millereflex" reticles if the default red dot is obscuring your view.