Best Slot 1 Perks in Black Ops 7

Players can harness the power of 7 Perks in the Perk 1 Slot, but since you can only take one of these beauties into battle with you (unless you have a specific Wildcard, but more on that later), it’s best to know what Perk 1 is worth taking first. There are so many choices that can make or break your loadout in Black Ops 7, especially when the abundance of modes and maps. Therefore, we’ve gone through all Slot 1 Perks in Multiplayer so you will have a better idea of how they work, if they can benefit your style, and when they actually unlock for use.

How to Unlock All Perk 1 Slots

There are a total of 7 Slot 1 Perks for players to pick from, and since each of them offers a unique ability, we thought it best to show you how to unlock each one. Further below this table, you’ll see our ranking of all Perk 1s so that you have a better idea of what to run, based on your loadout and preference of playstyle:

Tac Sprinter

Sprint Faster for a Shorter Duration

• Level Unlock: 11
• Perk Type: Enforcer
• Description: Enables Tactical Sprint, but reduces your normal sprint speed.

Tac Sprinter is an infamous Perk that has been added for Black Ops 7’s lifecycle, as it’s the first COD in a while that does not have Tactical Sprint as a feature. Tactical Sprint used to be a way to essentially double sprint, meaning you’ll get a surge of energy to run faster, but for a limited time. This has now been removed, so for the few players who actually like Tactical Sprint, you can get the Tac Sprinter Perk. While this can be useful for sprinting across short gaps to get to cover before you’re shot up out in the open, the reduced speed to normal sprint makes it something that most players should avoid, especially when the speed isn’t that much of a game-changer, and there are far superior choices.

Ninja

Move as Quiet as a Mouse on the Battlefield

• Level Unlock: 53
• Perk Type: Recon
• Description: Move more quietly.

Ninja allows your footsteps to be quiet, but that comes at a cost. That cost? Being pretty much useless. Footsteps aren’t really an issue in Black Ops 7’s Multiplayer, unless you’re playing against a team that has their ears attuned and their audio settings adapted so that they can hear anything behind them. Ninja will only be useful for players who want to get the drop on their enemies by running behind them, but with such fast-paced and arcade-like combat, it’s rare that you’ll be in the fight for long before you yourself are gunned down, so we wouldn’t recommend Ninja unless your playstyle relies on getting behind the enemy or playing it a tad safer in Search & Destroy.

Gearhead

For Strategists Who Intend to Stay in the Fight

• Level Unlock: 4
• Perk Type: Strategist
• Description: Two Field Upgrade charges. Booby trap Care Packages. Recharge equipment over time.

Gearhead is a Perk that players will want to use if they intend to stay in the fight for longer durations, especially in lengthier game modes, as it will allow you to recharge equipment over time. Otherwise, Gearhead is pretty useless for players to use, as they will die and respawn before their equipment even recharges, so we’d save this one for players who intend to camp or sit around sniper nests in search of prey. The Two Field Upgrade charges can be nice, but it’s nothing that will turn the tides of warfare, and booby trapping Care Packages might sound fun, but the Scorestreak is rarely in the meta these days.

Gung Ho

Stay Agile and Faster Than the Rest

Level Unlock: 18

Perk Type: Enforcer

Description: Fire while sprinting. Improved movement speed while reloading or using Equipment.

Gung Ho has a run-and-gun feel to it that most players who enjoy buffs to their combat and movement experience will enjoy. With Gung Ho, you’ll be able to fire while sprinting, which is great for close-range encounters where you just want to spray and pray with an SMG, or run around and one-shot foes in the back with a Shotgun. The increase to movement speed while reloading or using Equipment is also great for just staying alive and keeping yourself agile to weave between the mayhem of gunfire in fast-paced modes.

Lightweight

A Fast-Paced Perk to Enhance Movement

• Level Unlock: 45
• Perk Type: Enforcer
• Description: Increased movement speed. Jump, slide, and dive further. Faster recovery from sliding and diving.

Lightweight is an Enforcer perk that will increase your movement speed and allow you to jump, slide, and dive further. With a faster recovery from sliding and diving, Lightweight becomes a great Enforcer Perk to use in Slot 1, especially for those who like to stay agile and always on the move. The increase in movement speed and overall benefit from sliding and diving is great for players who like omnimovement and intend to use this movement tech to their advantage to stay fast in the fight and evade gunfire while dealing damage themselves. Lightweight is definitely worth using, but it relies on a fast-paced playstyle.

Flak Jacket

Reduce Explosive Damage to Stop Lethal Equipment Spam

• Level Unlock: 21
• Perk Type: Strategist
• Description: Reduces incoming explosive and fire damage.

In smaller maps, Lethal equipment becomes a crutch to many players, in which they will constantly spawn time and again just to throw their annoying explosives that may or may not randomly kill you. This is inevitable on the small maps featured, especially in game modes like Hardpoint and Domination, where you have to hold certain zones, as all it takes is a lack of a Trophy System and a grenade to give you a bad time. Luckily, you can negate the bad time with Flak Jacket, a Perk that will reduce explosive damage and fire damage so that you can tank a few extra hits from those pesky pieces of Lethal equipment.

Ghost

Remain Invisible to Radars

• Level Unlock: 26
• Perk Type: Recon
• Description: Undetectable by enemy Scout Pulse and UAV when moving, planting, defusing, or controlling Scorestreaks. Undetectable by Prox Alarm.

An essential Perk for players who want to keep themselves quiet and away from enemy eyes is Ghost, a Perk that will ensure that you cannot be detected by Scout Pulse, UAV, and other Scorestreaks with radar ping. Players who run Suppressors will definitely want Ghost, as it will keep you hidden so long as you are moving, which can be imperative to a gunfight where the enemy doesn’t know where you are going to strike from. UAVs are very common in intense game modes, so negating their impact on your playstyle will keep you alive longer, as enemies can’t track what they can’t see (on the minimap).

Released

November 14, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs