Bullet Points

• R1 Shadowhunter Unlock Guide
• Archaic Range Store Bundle
• R1 Shadowhunter Weapon Details and Suggested Loadout

As the original precursor to Black Ops III’s NX ShadowClaw, the R1 Shadowhunter makes for a deadly addition to the Special weapon category.

Here’s what you need to know about this killer new weapon, as well as the bundle already available to give it a bonafide badass look, and how it can be used in both Warzone and Black Ops Cold War.

Unlocking the R1 Shadowhunter – Tips and Bundle

The R1 Shadowhunter’s in-game unlock challenge is as follows:

Using a weapon with no attachments, get 3 One Shot, One Kill medals in 15 different matches.

A challenge that ties into the R1 Shadowhunter’s minimalistic design, Operators will need to adjust their loadouts accordingly to knock out this challenge effectively. Here are our tips for doing just that:

5. Snipers and Shotguns

For this challenge, we used the following loadout in Core game modes:

Primary Weapon: LW3 – Tundra

Secondary Weapon: Hauer 77

Perk 1: Paranoia, Forward Intel

Perk 2: Scavenger, Tracker

Perk 3: Gung-Ho, Ghost

Equipment: Any Lethal Equipment, Stun Grenade

Field Upgrade: Field Mic

Wildcard: Perk Greed

Sniper Rifles and shotguns are the only two weapon categories that can get One Shot, One Kill medals in Core Game Modes, and the two we’ve chosen here are the ones with the best damage profiles for one-shot eliminations.

The LW3 – Tundra is lethal to the head, upper chest, and shoulders, while the Hauer 77 can blast enemies away with a single shell in close quarters. Play a game of extremes with these two weapons, aiming down long corridors or in open fields with the LW3 – Tundra before ducking into buildings to clear them out with your pump-action shotgun.

With no attachments allowed in this challenge, we recommend using Perk Greed to double up on powerful passive abilities across the board. This includes Tactical Mask for avoiding the effects of Flash and Stun Grenades along with gas, Tracker to help hunt down enemies, and Gung-Ho for a host of movement-based benefits, such as faster weapon swap speed and full movement speed while reloading.

Your choice of Lethal Equipment is up to you, as they won‘t help with this challenge, but your Tactical Equipment should be something that disorients for easier eliminations. We chose the Stun here to daze and slow enemies, allowing us to line up that lethal shot.

Last, but not least, your Field Upgrade should be one that cannot damage an enemy player, such as the Field Mic, which grants intel on nearby enemy movements within its radius.

4. Expand Your Options with Hardcore

Rather use other weapons to earn One Shot, One Kill medals? Play Hardcore modes, where Operator health is tuned down significantly for faster eliminations. You won’t have a problem earning these medals in Hardcore with pistols, tactical rifles, LMGs, assault rifles, or even some SMGs in close quarters… Just keep in mind that you’re just as susceptible to one-shot deaths as the enemy!

3. No Need to Beat the Clock

Other than playing Hardcore, you may find it easier to get three One Shot, One Kill medals in a single game when playing in larger lobbies, such as in Combined Arms. These types of modes tend to run longer than traditional Core modes, which can give you more than enough time to snag those medals. Worst-case scenario: if you earn three One Shot, One Kill medals early longer game, try doing some camo or Season Challenges and gain some XP. Whatever you do, just don’t back out of games early or those medals won’t count.

2. Level Up Your Arsenal

Have yet to touch some of the weapons within Black Ops Cold War? Especially if you plan on diving into Hardcore, this challenge is great for using weapons that you have not invested time and XP into, or ones that were recently unlocked in Season Two, like the FARA 83 and LC10.

1. When in Doubt, Go for the Head

Whether you’re diving into Hardcore or going for one-shot kills in regular Multiplayer modes, it’s safe to assume that a headshot will bring enemies from full health down to zero. Aim for just above center mass and away from the arms, and you’ll be hitting those one-shot kills in no time.

Unlock the R1 Shadowhunter in the Store

Can’t wait to get your hands on the R1 Shadowhunter? Then pick up its outlaw cousin: the “Lancehead” Weapon Blueprint.

Featured in the new “Archaic Range” Bundle in the Store, the “Lancehead” is built for a truly legendary archer, affixing the skull of a fearsome beast to the front of an old reliable hunting tool. This Bundle also comes with the “Medieval Archer” animated Emblem, “Olde Time Sniper” Sticker, and the “Stolen Idol” Charm that can be affixed to this crossbow or the more modern ranged weapons in your inventory.

Head to the Store now to grab the “Archaic Range” Bundle and get your hands on this new Special weapon before completing its challenge. Note: this Blueprint will not unlock the base version of the weapon, nor allow you to level up the weapon and progress through its camo challenges before the base version is unlocked.

The R1 Shadowhunter – Weapon Detail and Recommended Loadouts

After proving your marksman abilities, here’s what you can expect with the R1 Shadowhunter, and which loadouts you can build for Black Ops Cold War’s Multiplayer and Zombies as well as Warzone.

R1 Shadowhunter Overview

Silent and efficient, the R1 Shadowhunter goes back to the roots of ranged weaponry in warfare as a single-shot crossbow.

The R1 Shadowhunter deals enough damage to eliminate an enemy with just one bolt placed anywhere on their body. However, if that enemy is wearing Armor, you’ll need to land a headshot to get that one-shot kill, otherwise the bolt will only crack the Armor plating and deal non-lethal damage.

One unique property for the R1 Shadowhunter is that each of its bolts – six by default with a maximum of eight – can be picked up from wherever they land in-bounds. This makes the Scavenger Perk less of a necessity since an Operator can pry a bolt out of their target after they are eliminated and reuse it indefinitely.

Because it is a crossbow, the R1 Shadowhunter also leaves Operators off the radar, given that there is no muzzle flash and little noise besides the crossbow’s strings snapping forward and hitting the limb.

While those two benefits unique to the R1 Shadowhunter are nice to know, one is an absolute necessity: its “bolt velocity.” When firing the R1 Shadowhunter at far targets, Operators may need to “lead” their shot to account for the bolt’s travel time in the air. Furthermore, a bolt will tend to drop significantly after traveling a modest distance, which means Operators will need to adjust their aim vertically to hit targets at long ranges.

When engaging targets toward this dropoff range, it’s wise to aim down sights for a more accurate shot. By default, the R1 Shadowhunter has a circular iron sight, which can be replaced with one of four low-magnification Optic attachments, the only attachments available for this no-frills Secondary.

Up close, the weapon exhibits excellent hip-fire accuracy, allowing Operators to run-and-crossbow across the map with ease due to the weapon’s solid handling properties. The only thing that will slow them down is having to reload after every shot, as the weapon only holds one bolt at a time and takes an Operator just over two seconds to manually load a bolt back into position.

In essence, there is no other Secondary like the R1 Shadowhunter in Black Ops Cold War, but in Warzone, this weapon has some direct competition by way of Modern Warfare® Crossbow.

Although the contemporary Crossbow has more customization options than the more classic R1 Shadowhunter, they do share some similarities: both use the same ammo pool as sniper rifles and marksman rifles, and their hip fire spread is comparable. Their base damage is also the same, meaning that the R1 Shadowhunter will one-shot an enemy if that bolt hits their head, regardless of how much armor they have.

What the R1 Shadowhunter lacks in customization, it makes up for in three categories: velocity, reload speed, and bolt drop. Compared to the base Crossbow, the R1 Shadowhunter has 50% higher bolt velocity, 25% faster reload speed, and slightly less bolt drop.

Zombies Loadout Suggestion – Outbreak Archer

Primary: R1 Shadowhunter

Any Optic

Field Upgrade: Energy Mine

There isn’t much of a setup to the R1 Shadowhunter in Zombies, save for the Field Upgrade. We recommend using Energy Mine as a fail-safe for defending yourself during a reload.

The R1 Shadowhunter makes use of the Special Weapon Skill, including the Tier III upgrade that grants a 25% chance of taking ammo fired from the stock. Although it’s a rare occurrence, having two bolts flying in quick succession can help bring down more powerful zombies with ease, especially after upgrading and Pack-a-Punching this weapon.

Multiplayer Loadout Suggestion – Over Taped

Primary: Over Taped Sniper Rifle Blueprint (Available at Tier 89 of the Season Two Battle Pass)

Secondary: R1 Shadowhunter

Any Optic

Perk 1: Forward Intel, Tactical Mask

Perk 2: Assassin, Gearhead

Perk 3: Ghost, Ninja

Equipment: Tomahawk, Flashbang

Field Upgrade: Assault Pack

Wildcard: Perk Greed

There’s a case for pairing the R1 Shadowhunter with every Primary Weapon type. Here, we decided to take the “Over Taped” sniper rifle to make for a powerful loadout built for a true marksman. With this loadout, you can pick enemies off with your sniper, then switch to the R1 Shadowhunter for better mobility and a fantastic hip-fire weapon up close.

Our Perk Greed Wildcard allows us to double up on Perks across the board, and for this specific loadout we want a balanced, yet tactical build. The Perk 1 selections give us intel on where enemies are spawning in for respawn modes and a bigger mini-map (Forward Intel), while Tactical Mask keeps our shot from being thrown off too much by a Tactical equipment piece. Assassin is for the score boost on marked targets, while Gearhead speeds up our charge time for the Assault Pack, giving us extra ammo if our bolts start flying off the map. As for the third Perk slot, Ghost and Ninja keep us off enemy radars and quiet on the ground, allowing us to stealth around for when we use the R1 Shadowhunter for silent kills.

While every Tactical can be viable, we’re taking the Flashbang to blind and disorient foes who get too close for comfort. And for our Lethal Equipment, the Tomahawk is another one-hit elimination tool that can be picked up after use, just like the bolts from the R1 Shadowhunter.

Warzone Loadout Suggestion – The Legion of Crossbowmen

Primary: R1 Shadowhunter

Any Optic

Secondary: Crossbow

28-Strand Cable, XRK Thunder 200 Lb Arms, FTAC 20” Fury Bolts, XRK MidTrak 4.0x Scope, Sleight of Hand Perk

Lethal: Throwing Knife

Tactical: Flash Grenade

Perks: E.O.D., Overkill, Amped

Given that it counts as a Marksman Rifle in Warzone, the R1 Shadowhunter might not be considered a true meta breaker. However, its niche role as a one-shot, one-kill weapon can make for some fun loadouts with friends or to impress the Call of Duty community with your marksman abilities.

Again, the R1 Shadowhunter and Crossbow are two different weapons; for this loadout, we embrace these differences by building a Crossbow for more extreme ranges and the R1 Shadowhunter for fights at medium to closer ranges. That way, we can pick off the first enemy with an explosive Fury Bolt, then finish their friend up-close with the R1 Shadowhunter.

Should either crossbow not finish off a downed enemy, the Throwing Knife is a quick and effective way to send them to the Gulag. The other piece of Equipment, the Flash Grenade, provides great utility in the field, although you may need to watch out for Operators with Battle Hardened who can shake off its effects more easily.

For Perks, Overkill is a necessity for running dual crossbows, Amped is great to have for faster weapon swaps, and E.O.D. protects us from Launchers and explosive Equipment.

In theory, having two single-shot weapons drawing from the same ammo pool may not be the most elite loadout in Warzone, but it will earn you plenty of respect among the legion of elite crossbowmen should you survive in a Battle Royale long enough for Exfil.

Execute the mission.

For more information on Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty and follow @Treyarch, @RavenSoftware, and @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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