Comprehensive Guide To Free Items And Promotional Offers In Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War

Acquiring complimentary digital content within Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War involves a variety of methods, ranging from direct in-game distribution to external retail partnerships and competitive events. These opportunities allow players to obtain functional equipment, cosmetic items, and experience boosts without additional expenditure. The availability of these offers varies by region, platform, and specific promotional periods, requiring players to remain vigilant regarding active campaigns and redemption protocols.

In-Game Distribution Methods

Players can access free items directly through the game interface by utilizing standard account features and participating in specific game modes. These methods do not require external purchases or third-party codes.

• Welcome Packages: Activision account holders who download Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are eligible for welcome packages. These packs typically contain functional equipment, weapons, decorations, and other items designed to enhance the gameplay experience. The items are automatically added to the player’s inventory upon account creation or initial login.
• Zombie Mode Rewards: Players engaging with the Zombie Mode may receive free items periodically. It is recommended to check the in-game message inbox every time the mode is initiated to claim these rewards, which can include various in-game assets.
• Daily Store Visits: The in-game store may feature temporary gifts during special events. These gifts can include items such as camouflages, weapons, and armor. Players should visit the store daily to identify and claim any available temporary offers.
• Weapons Guide Exploration: Browsing the Cold War Weapons Guide within the game interface can reveal free items. Some of these items include weapons and camouflages. Players can access these by navigating through the guide to identify available complimentary assets.
• Friend Referral Rewards: When a friend playing Call of Duty: Cold War completes their first game, the referring player receives a reward. This reward typically consists of XP and various in-game items.
• Nuketown Weapon Bundle: All players who purchased Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and logged into the game before December 4, 2020, were eligible to receive the Nuketown Weapon Bundle. This bundle included an Epic Shotgun Blueprint, Sticker, Emblem, Calling Card, and Six Weapon Charms. The items were automatically added to the player's inventory upon meeting the login requirement, with no code redemption necessary.

Retail and Brand Partnerships

Several retail partners and brands offer exclusive digital content through the purchase of specific products. These offers are region-specific and require the purchase of eligible items to receive redemption codes.

• Walmart Exclusive: Purchasing the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War White Men's Tee (Style # TSM05CWCZU) at Walmart grants a Weapon Charm. The redemption code is printed on the receipt. This offer is available in the United States only. Codes must be redeemed at callofduty.com/redeem.
• Doritos Promotion: Specially-marked bags of Doritos offer 15- or 60-minute 2XP Tokens and digital content. The reward structure is cumulative:
  • First redemption: 2XP Token and a Calling Card.
  • Second redemption: 2XP Token and a Sticker.
  • Third code redemption: 2XP Token and a Weapon Charm.
  • Subsequent redemptions: 2XP Tokens only.
  • Limit: 40 hours of 2XP per account across all promotions, with a maximum of one hour used in-game per day. This offer is available in the United States only. Codes are redeemed at callofduty.com/redeem.
• Papa John’s Partnership: Purchasing eligible meals at participating Papa John’s stores unlocks in-game items. A maximum of three items per player is enforced:
  • First code: Calling Card.
  • Second code: Animated Emblem.
  • Third code: Weapon Charm.
  • Availability: UK, Russia, Spain, Netherlands, UAE, Turkey, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and El Salvador.
  • Redemption occurs at callofduty.com/papajohns.
• Nacon/Bigben Offer: Purchasing a Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War-branded controller includes a Weapon Charm. Codes are also distributed via contests on partner social accounts. Available in Europe, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand. Redemption is handled at callofduty.com/nacon.
• Astro Headsets: Purchasing Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War-branded Astro headsets through Astrogaming.com or GameStop in the US grants a Weapon Charm. Also available at select international retailers. Codes are redeemed at callofduty.com/redeem.
• KontrolFreek Performance Thumbsticks: Purchasing Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War-branded KontrolFreek Performance Thumbsticks caps grants an Animated Emblem. Available in the U.S. (KontrolFreek.com), U.K. (KontrolFreek.uk), and via Amazon, GameStop, Best Buy, and other participating major retailers internationally. Codes are redeemed at callofduty.com/redeem.
• Batchelors Instant Snacks (UK): Winning codes with purchases of specially-marked Batchelors products grants a Calling Card, Animated Emblem, and Weapon Charm (Rock On). Codes are obtained via batchelorsfullyloaded.co.uk. Available in the UK. The digital content code is issued via batchelorsfullyloaded.co.uk and redeemed at callofduty.com/redeem.

Promotional Events and Challenges

Participation in limited-time events and challenges offers opportunities to earn exclusive gear and prizes.

• Hammer Time Event: Occurring every Saturday between 12am GMT from April 9 to June 18, 2021, the "Hammer Time" event allowed players to obtain a large number of free items. Rewards included Zombies players, champagne bottles, hats, weapons, armor, and more.
• Operations and Dimension Challenges: Special challenges, specifically identified as Operations Challenges, Dimension Challenges, and Black Ops Cold War Challenges, offer exclusive gear and prizes. These challenges are typically time-limited, requiring completion within the specified window to claim rewards.
• Warzone Lounges: Players who complement their Cold War experience with Warzone can receive free items every week as a reward for joining Lounges. These packs contain exclusive items such as decorations, ammunition, and unique mods.
• Xfinity Challenge: Available to Xfinity residential service subscribers in the United States (excluding Arizona and Maryland) who participate and meet eligibility requirements. Participants receive an Operator Skin and a Calling Card. The grand prize includes an Alienware Ultimate PC Setup plus 2,400 COD Points. Players finishing 2nd to 75th receive 2,400 COD Points. Registration and progress tracking require connecting an Activision account to an Xfinity account at callofduty.com/xfinitychallenge.
• DRKN Promotion: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War codes are promoted on DRKN’s social media accounts. Users can obtain codes by using a hashtag and reposting. Codes are also available with every purchase. Available in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Redemption occurs at callofduty.com/drkn.
• Fiesta Kojak Promotion: Purchase of specially marked Fiesta Kojak products grants a code redeemable for one 15-minute 2XP Token. Select multipacks offer 30-minute MEGA XP codes. Limit: 40 hours of 2XP per account, one hour maximum per day. Available in Spain only. Redemption at callofduty.com/fiesta.
• Rockstar Energy Drink: Codes for 2XP are available with Rockstar Energy Drink purchases. Redemption for the 2XP code occurs at rockstarenergydrink.de/COD. The final 2XP code is redeemed at callofduty.com/rockstar.

Online Codes and Trading

External sources and community trading platforms offer additional avenues for acquiring free items, though these methods may require verification of code validity.

• Gift Codes: Gift codes can be found on forums and YouTube channels. Users should verify the validity of codes, as some may be expired or non-functional.
• Player Trading: Websites such as CoDTrading allow players to exchange items. This is described as a safe and efficient method to trade and obtain "free Coals" or other assets.

Redemption Protocols

Most digital content acquired through external partnerships or events requires redemption at specific Activision web portals. Common redemption sites include callofduty.com/redeem, callofduty.com/papajohns, callofduty.com/nacon, callofduty.com/drkn, callofduty.com/fiesta, and callofduty.com/rockstar. For the Xfinity Challenge, users must visit callofduty.com/xfinitychallenge for details and callofduty.com/xfinityfaq for account linking instructions. Batchelors codes are obtained via batchelorsfullyloaded.co.uk before final redemption.

Conclusion

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War provides a diverse ecosystem for acquiring free digital content through a combination of in-game activity, retail partnerships, and event participation. The most reliable and immediate method for all players is the utilization of in-game welcome packages and checking the message inbox during Zombie Mode. For retail-specific items, players must purchase eligible products within the specified regions (primarily the US, UK, and parts of Europe/Latin America) and follow the receipt or packaging instructions for code retrieval. Limited-time events, such as Hammer Time and the Xfinity Challenge, offer high-value rewards but require active participation during specific dates. All external codes must be redeemed through the official Activision redemption portals to ensure the items are added to the player's account.

Sources

1. Trucoteca - How to get free items in Cold War
2. Activision Support - Black Ops Cold War Bonus Content and Code Support