If you are chasing the bo3 dlc weapons unlock list, the first thing to understand is that Black Ops 3 does not hand you a new gun the moment you buy a map pack. The DLC seasons (Awakening, Eclipse, Descent, and Salvation) came with fresh Zombies maps and multiplayer content, but the headline weapons that rolled out alongside them were dropped into the Black Market as supply-drop-only items. That means Cryptokeys, RNG, and a bit of patience stand between you and a full collection. This guide walks every DLC weapon pack by pack, explains exactly how each one is gated, and lays out the honest, ban-safe way to finish the checklist without gambling on a sketchy modded account.
How BO3 DLC Weapons Are Actually Gated
Unlike the base multiplayer arsenal, which you earn simply by leveling up and hitting rank requirements, the DLC-era weapons live inside the Black Market. You earn Cryptokeys by playing matches and completing contracts, then spend those keys on Rare Supply Drops. Each drop rolls a random cosmetic or weapon from the current pool, and the DLC guns share that pool with camos, gestures, calling cards, and taunts.
There are two ways a specific gun lands in your inventory:
- Rare Supply Drops — the standard 30-Cryptokey pull. You might get the weapon you want, or you might get your ninth epic taunt. It is pure RNG.
- Bribes — a special drop type that guarantees a weapon you do not already own from a defined set, which is the closest thing BO3 offers to targeting a specific gun.
Because the pool is shared and duplicate-heavy once you own a lot, the last few DLC weapons are always the most painful to land. That is the core reason people look for a shortcut once they have played enough to know how the grind actually feels.
Awakening (DLC 1): The First Weapon Wave
Awakening launched in early 2016 and introduced the first batch of supply-drop weapons alongside the Der Eisendrache Zombies map. These three are the guns most players think of when they picture "BO3 DLC weapons," and they set the template for everything that followed.
- M8A7 — a burst-friendly full-auto assault rifle that became a genuine meta pick. Fast fire rate, strong at mid range.
- KRM-262 — a pump-action shotgun with reliable one-shot potential up close.
- Marshal 16 — a dual-wieldable break-action pistol slotted as a special weapon, brutal in the right hands.
All three arrived exclusively through the Black Market. If you were pulling drops in early 2016 you had a shot at them; today they remain in the pool, so a fresh account still has to grind or gamble for them like any other DLC gun.
Eclipse (DLC 2): Sci-Fi Firepower
Eclipse leaned into the game's futuristic identity with two standout additions that dropped around the same time as the Zetsubou No Shima Zombies map.
- SVG-100 — a bolt-action sniper rifle with a punishing one-shot profile, rewarding for aggressive quickscopers.
- Rift E9 — an energy-based special weapon that fires charged rounds, unlike anything in the base secondary lineup.
Eclipse is where a lot of players first felt the duplicate wall. If you had already spent heavily during Awakening, your Rare Supply Drops started coughing up repeats, making these two feel further away than their small count suggests.
Descent (DLC 3): The Return of a Fan Favorite
Descent brought Gorod Krovi to Zombies and reintroduced a beloved gun to the multiplayer sandbox.
- Peacekeeper MK2 — a callback to the Black Ops 2 hybrid SMG, versatile at short and medium range and instantly popular with returning players.
Descent added fewer headline primaries than the earlier seasons, which shifted the Black Market's rotation toward melee weapons and additional cosmetics. That matters for completionists: by this point the pool was so large that landing one specific new gun through raw drops could take dozens of pulls.
Salvation (DLC 4) and the Ongoing Black Market Rotation
Salvation was the final map pack, headlined by the Revelations Zombies finale. Rather than a single flashy new primary, the late-game period leaned on continued Black Market rotations that folded in a deep bench of secondary and melee weapons over the game's lifespan. Across all four seasons the market also cycled in extras like the MX Garand and HG 40, plus a long list of melee options such as brass-knuckle and blade-style weapons.
The practical takeaway: "DLC weapons" in BO3 is really shorthand for "the full Black Market supply-drop weapon pool." Finishing it is not about buying four map packs, it is about grinding out enough Cryptokeys and Bribes to clear every remaining item, cosmetics included, because duplicates block your progress. Full Black Market completion runs into the hundreds of drops for a fresh account.
The DLC Weapon Checklist at a Glance
Here is the season-by-season breakdown of the marquee weapons and how each is unlocked. Every one of these lives behind the Black Market rather than a simple purchase or rank unlock.
| DLC Pack | Weapons Added | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Awakening (DLC 1) | M8A7, KRM-262, Marshal 16 | Rare Supply Drops or Bribes via Cryptokeys |
| Eclipse (DLC 2) | SVG-100, Rift E9 | Rare Supply Drops or Bribes via Cryptokeys |
| Descent (DLC 3) | Peacekeeper MK2 | Rare Supply Drops or Bribes via Cryptokeys |
| Salvation (DLC 4) | Continued Black Market rotation (melee and secondary weapons) | Rare Supply Drops or Bribes via Cryptokeys |
The Honest Grind Math
Let us be real about the time cost. A Rare Supply Drop costs 30 Cryptokeys, and you earn keys slowly from matches and contracts. Early on, drops feel great because almost everything is new. But the Black Market has no pity system for the weapon pool specifically, so once you own most items, each pull has a smaller and smaller chance of being a gun you still need. Bribes narrow the odds by guaranteeing an unowned weapon from a set, but there are only so many to go around.
Realistically, clearing every DLC weapon plus the cosmetics that clog the pool means grinding out hundreds of drops. That is weeks of steady play for most people, and considerably longer if you only get a few matches in per session. None of that is a knock on the system, it is just the design. If you enjoy the loop, it is a fine way to spend a season. If you just want the guns in your loadout, the math stops being fun fast.
Once you do own the DLC weapons, the natural next step is dressing them up. Each gun then has its own attachment tree and camo challenges, and if you want the full picture on kitting them out, our BO3 Gunsmith attachment unlock guide covers how those unlock as you level each weapon.
The Safe Way to Unlock Them All
Here is where a hand-done boost earns its keep. There are two broad options floating around, and they are not equal:
- A cheap eBay or forum "modded account" — someone sells you a pre-loaded account for a few dollars. The problem is you do not control it, save edits and injected unlocks are exactly what Activision bans for, and a $4-15 account is a coin flip on getting locked out or scammed outright.
- Hand-done progression on your own account — a real player logs in and grinds the drops and Bribes manually, with no injected code. It is slower than a fake instant unlock, but it is your account, your inventory, and there is no modded flag sitting on it waiting to trip a ban wave.
Nobody honest will promise a service is "100% safe" against a publisher that changes its enforcement whenever it likes. But hand-done work on your own account is fundamentally lower risk than buying a mystery account with edited saves, because there is no injected data for automated detection to catch. If you want the full arsenal without babysitting the RNG, that is the route worth considering. You can see what is on offer and current pricing at our BO3 services page.
If your goal is the entire game done in one pass rather than just DLC guns, the broader package is usually the better value. Our BO3 unlock-all guide breaks down what a full completion covers, and the Ultimate Unlock service runs around $30, with the wider BO3 catalog spanning roughly $15 to $220 depending on scope. For pricing on any specific service, check the BO3 page directly since the offerings rotate.
Weapons Versus Camos: Don't Confuse the Two Grinds
One common mix-up: unlocking a DLC weapon is not the same as maxing its camo. Owning the M8A7 or Peacekeeper MK2 just puts it in your loadout. Getting it to Gold, then contributing toward Diamond for its weapon class, then eventually Dark Matter, is a completely separate months-long grind that touches every gun in the game. The DLC weapons add more guns you have to gold if Dark Matter is your target, which is exactly why supply-drop weapons and camo completion get talked about together. If camos are your real endgame, our supply drop and camo grind guide explains how the two systems overlap and where the time actually goes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to buy the DLC map packs to get the DLC weapons?
No. The supply-drop weapons that arrived alongside each DLC season live in the Black Market and are unlocked with Cryptokeys, not tied to owning the map pack. The map packs gate the Zombies maps and some multiplayer maps, but the weapons themselves come from Rare Supply Drops and Bribes.
Can I target a specific DLC weapon I want?
Not with standard Rare Supply Drops, which are pure RNG. Bribes are your best tool because they guarantee a weapon you do not already own from a defined set, narrowing the odds toward the guns you still need. Even then, clearing the last few is slow.
Is buying a cheap modded account with the weapons unlocked safe?
It is the riskiest option. Activision bans accounts with save edits and injected unlocks, and a $4-15 eBay or forum account is a real scam-and-ban gamble. Hand-done progression on your own account carries no injected code, which makes it lower risk, though no service can honestly claim to be blanket-proof.
How long does it take to unlock all the DLC weapons by grinding?
Because the weapons share the Black Market pool with cosmetics and duplicates pile up, clearing every DLC gun realistically means hundreds of drops, which is typically weeks of steady play. Delivery on a hand-done boost depends on the service, queue, and size, so nobody should promise a hard deadline.
The DLC weapon list itself is short and satisfying: the M8A7, KRM-262, Marshal 16, SVG-100, Rift E9, Peacekeeper MK2, and the broader Black Market rotation that filled out the seasons. The catch is never the list, it is the RNG wall standing in front of it. Grind it if you love the loop, or get it hand-done on your own account if you would rather just run the guns.