You've probably noticed that the XM4 is basically the "old reliable" of Black Ops 6. It’s the first assault rifle you touch, and honestly, it’s one of the best tools for shredding through the undead. But if you’re looking at that Camo menu and wondering why you haven't unlocked anything past the basics yet, you're not alone. The xm4 zombies camo challenges bo6 system is a bit of a grind, but it's way more logical than it used to be in previous years.
Forget the old days where you had to max out your weapon level before even starting the challenges. In BO6, you can start chipping away at these the second you spawn into Liberty Falls or Terminus. It’s a huge quality-of-life change that makes the early game feel actually productive.
The Military Grind: 2,000 Critical Kills
Before you can even look at the shiny stuff, you have to run through the Military camos. There are nine of them. They all rely on one thing: Critical Kills. That’s code for "aim for the head."
For the XM4, you’re looking at a total of 2,000 critical kills to finish this tier. It sounds like a mountain, but in Zombies, that’s just a Saturday afternoon if you’re playing efficiently. The milestones are pretty standard, starting at 100 for the Slate camo and peaking at 2,000 for Purple Tiger.
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If you want to speed this up, you absolutely need Deadshot Daiaquiri. It’s non-negotiable. On a controller, it snaps your aim right to the head. On a mouse, it increases critical damage. Either way, it’s the only way to hit that 2,000 mark without losing your mind.
Unlocking the Special Camos: Machina and Muddled
Once you’ve finished those 2,000 headshots, two "Special" challenges open up. These are unique to the XM4 and are actually quite fun compared to the mindless headshot grind.
- Machina Camo: You need to get 30 kills without taking damage from enemies.
- Muddled Camo: You need to get 30 kills shortly after sprinting.
The Machina challenge is basically a "don't be a hero" test. Get a small train going, turn around, and pop them from a distance. If a stray Vermin bites your ankles, the streak resets. For Muddled, just keep your finger on the shift key (or left stick). Sprint, stop, shoot. Rinse and repeat. It’s more of a muscle memory thing than a difficulty thing.
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The Mastery Path: From Mystic Gold to Nebula
This is where people get confused. The Mastery camos—Mystic Gold, Opal, Afterlife, and Nebula—require you to complete specific feats after you've already done the Military and Special stuff.
Mystic Gold
For the XM4, the Mystic Gold challenge is to get 10 kills rapidly 15 times.
Don't overthink this. Get a horde of 10+ zombies, throw a Decoy grenade, and spray into the crowd. If your XM4 is Pack-a-Punched (which it should be), this will take you about five minutes.
Opal
To get Opal, you first need to unlock Mystic Gold on every Assault Rifle in the category. Once that’s done, the XM4 challenge is to kill 30 Special Zombies.
Go to Liberty Falls. Manglers and Abominations count as Specials here. Actually, Manglers are your best bet. They spawn constantly after round 11. Just make sure you're the one landing the finishing blow with the XM4.
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Afterlife
This one is for the true grinders. You need Opal on 33 different weapons. The actual challenge for the XM4 is to get 20 or more consecutive kills 10 times without taking damage.
This is Machina on steroids. My advice? Find a rooftop or a long hallway where they can only come from one direction. Use the Sentry Turret to cover your back, but remember, the turret kills don't count toward your gun's challenge.
Nebula
The final boss of camos. After getting Afterlife on 33 weapons, you have to kill 10 Elite Zombies with the XM4.
In BO6, Elites are the big boys. We’re talking about the high-threat targets that usually show up during Easter Egg steps or very high rounds.
Pro Tips for the XM4 Grind
- Ammo Mods: Use Napalm Burst or Dead Wire. They help with crowd control, especially when you're trying to get those rapid kills for Mystic Gold.
- The "Save Build" Trick: You can actually save your custom XM4 build in the menu. This ensures that if you buy the XM4 off a wall or get it from the Mystery Box, it already has your preferred attachments.
- Rarity Matters: Don't just Pack-a-Punch. Use your Salvage to upgrade the weapon's rarity (Green to Blue to Purple to Orange). A legendary (Orange) XM4 at Pack-a-Punch level 3 is a laser beam that deletes everything in its path.
Honestly, the XM4 is probably the easiest gun to gold first. It’s balanced, has a huge magazine once upgraded, and the recoil is almost non-existent. Just stay focused on those headshots early on, and the rest of the camos will naturally follow as the rounds get higher.
Next Steps:
Start by jumping into a Solo match on Liberty Falls. Focus entirely on headshots until round 15. By the time you exfil, you should have at least 3 or 4 of the Military camos knocked out. Once you hit that 2,000 critical kill mark, pivot immediately to the "no damage" challenges while the zombies are still slow in the early rounds.