The AN-94 is the headline free reward of Black Ops 7's Uncaged (Nick Cage) Event Pass, and it is the single best reason to grind Season 4 Reloaded right now. This guide is the fastest, fact-checked route to unlocking it — exactly where it sits on the pass, how much XP you actually need, which modes farm that XP quickest, and the one token mistake that stalls half the player base.
Quick answer: how to unlock the AN-94 in BO7
Unlock the AN-94 by progressing the FREE track of the Nick Cage ("Uncaged") Event Pass with Player XP. It is one of the final free-track rewards, you do not need to buy the premium track to get it, and the event runs June 25 – July 23, 2026. Expect roughly 300,000–400,000 total XP to clear the free track. The gun is earned through normal play across BO7 Multiplayer, Zombies, Endgame, and Warzone — there's no separate skill challenge, just XP.
If you're short on time before the July 23 cutoff, the grind — not the difficulty — is the wall. That's the part you can shortcut.
What is the Uncaged / Nick Cage Event Pass?
The Nick Cage Event Pass (players are calling it the "Uncaged" event) launched alongside Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 4 Reloaded on June 25, 2026 as the mid-season's flagship event. It is a two-track event pass — a free track and a premium track — that both fill from a single shared XP bar. Every point of Player XP you earn pushes both tracks forward at once.
There are 20 rewards in total: 10 on the free track and 10 on the premium track. The two tracks at a glance:
| Track | Cost | Headline rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 — XP only | AN-94 assault rifle, Executioner's Duet melee, operator skins, a Battle Pass Tier Skip, a Double Weapon XP Token |
| Premium | 1,100 COD Points | Nicolas Cage operator (unlocked instantly), tracer blueprints, animated cosmetics, the "Unlimited" Cage skin at max mastery |
The free track is the one that matters for unlocks: it delivers the final two weapons of the season — the AN-94 and the Executioner's Duet dual-hatchet melee. The premium track is almost entirely the Nicolas Cage cosmetic fantasy. As Call of Duty's own Season 04 patch notes put it:
"And yes, there's a Mastery Camo for unlocking all eight Camos in the Event across all four modes."
In other words: the event also feeds a Mastery Camo for the grinders, but the weapons are the prize. (If you're chasing camos this season, our BO7 Mastery Camos unlock guide and the recent Illicit Cargo event guide cover the wider grind.)
Where does the AN-94 sit on the Event Pass?
The AN-94 is the very last reward on the free track — free-track item [09], the final unlock before the track caps out. The Executioner's Duet melee lands earlier at [07] on the same free track, and useful staples like the 2X Weapon XP token [02] and a Battle Pass Tier Skip [04] sit in between. Because progression is purely XP-tiered (no gated challenge), you can't skip ahead to the AN-94; you have to bank enough Player XP to walk all the way up the track to [09].
That's why the real question isn't "what do I do" — it's "how fast can I earn ~300k–400k XP."
The AN-94, explained: is it worth the grind?
Yes — the AN-94 is a genuinely distinct assault rifle, not a reskin. It's the classic AN-94 from Black Ops 2, and it keeps its signature mechanic: it fires its first two rounds faster (a hyperburst) before settling into standard full-auto. That front-loaded burst makes it strong at range and rewarding to tap-fire, which is exactly why it's a desirable pickup for both Multiplayer and Warzone loadouts. Pair the unlock with weapon leveling and you've got a fresh meta-relevant AR for the back half of the season.
The Executioner's Duet you'll grab along the way is dual hatchets — fast, short-range, no attachments, and 30 mastery camo levels of its own to chase if you're a camo completionist.
Fastest way to unlock the AN-94 (the XP route that actually works)
Event progression is tied directly to Player XP, so the entire game is "earn XP efficiently for ~28 days." Here's the priority order:
1. Run a Double XP Token the whole time — but the RIGHT one
This is the mistake stalling players. Use a standard (green) Double XP Token, not a Battle Pass token. The orange Battle Pass tokens only multiply Battle Pass progression — they do not speed up the Event Pass XP bar. One player put it bluntly when asked if BP tokens count: no — you need a normal token because the event tracks earned XP, and the orange ones are battle-pass-only. Stack a standard Double XP Token over your highest-XP sessions.
2. Pick high-XP-per-minute modes
- Multiplayer: Objective modes — Hardpoint and Domination — pump out the most XP per match because of constant objective ticks on top of kills.
- Zombies: High-round runs and dedicated XP setups are elite for raw XP and double as camo/Mastery grinding (see our BO7 Zombies XP farm guide for the exact map routes).
- Warzone: Lower-stress and surprisingly efficient — you can rotate, loot, and farm XP over long matches without the sweat of ranked MP. Our Warzone fast leveling guide breaks down the best modes and whether bot lobbies are worth it.
3. Don't waste XP windows
The event is a hard 28-day window (June 25 → July 23). If you only play casually, ~300k–400k XP is a real time sink. Banking your Double XP for objective Hardpoint sessions — or running Warzone with a XP token active — is how you finish with days to spare instead of scrambling on July 22.
If you simply don't have the hours before the cutoff, this is exactly the kind of limited-window, XP-gated unlock where a BO7 account leveling carry clears the free track for you so you keep the AN-94 and Executioner's Duet permanently — they don't disappear when the event ends, but the window to earn them does.
Get the AN-94 before July 23 without the grind:
- BO7 Account & XP Leveling — clear the Uncaged Event Pass free track fast and lock in the AN-94 + Executioner's Duet.
- Warzone Bot Lobbies — low-resistance lobbies to farm event XP efficiently.
- BO7 Mastery Camo Unlock — finish the event's Mastery Camo and the new weapons' camo tracks.
Free vs Premium: do you need to pay?
No. The AN-94, the Executioner's Duet, and the free operator skins are all on the free track — pure XP, zero COD Points. The 1,100 COD Point premium track only adds the Nicolas Cage operator (unlocked immediately on purchase), tracer blueprints, animated cosmetics, and the "Unlimited" Cage skin at max mastery. If you only care about the new guns, skip premium entirely and grind the free track.
A smart sequence if you want it all: level the event with XP, finish the free track first, then decide whether the Cage cosmetics are worth 1,100 CP — buying premium later still retroactively grants the premium rewards you've already passed on the shared bar.
Quick reference: Uncaged Event Pass facts
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Event name | Nick Cage Event Pass ("Uncaged") |
| Launch | June 25, 2026 (Season 4 Reloaded) |
| Ends | July 23, 2026 |
| Total rewards | 20 (10 free / 10 premium) |
| AN-94 location | Free track (one of the final rewards) |
| Other free weapon | Executioner's Duet (dual-hatchet melee) |
| XP to clear free track | ~300,000–400,000 Player XP |
| Premium cost | 1,100 COD Points |
| Modes that count | BO7 Multiplayer, Zombies, Endgame, Warzone |
FAQ
Is the AN-94 free in Black Ops 7? Yes. The AN-94 is unlocked on the free track of the Nick Cage (Uncaged) Event Pass using Player XP only — no COD Points required. You just have to progress far enough up the free track before the event ends on July 23, 2026.
Where is the AN-94 on the Event Pass? It's free-track reward [09] — the very last item on the free track. The Executioner's Duet melee unlocks earlier at [07] on the same track. Progression is XP-tiered, so you can't jump straight to it — you bank XP until the track reaches [09].
Do Battle Pass XP tokens speed up the Event Pass? No. Battle Pass (orange) tokens only boost Battle Pass progression. The Event Pass tracks earned Player XP, so you need a standard (green) Double XP Token to actually speed up the AN-94 grind. This is the most common reason players feel "stuck."
What's the fastest way to earn Event Pass XP? Run a standard Double XP Token over Hardpoint or Domination in Multiplayer, high-round Zombies, or long Warzone matches. Objective modes and Zombies give the best XP-per-minute. The event accepts XP from all four modes (MP, Zombies, Endgame, Warzone).
How much XP do I need for the AN-94? Roughly 300,000–400,000 total Player XP to clear the free track. With a Double XP Token and objective-mode play, that's achievable over the 28-day window; casual play makes the July 23 cutoff tight.
Does the AN-94 disappear after the event ends? No — once you unlock it, it's permanently yours. What expires is the window to earn it. If you miss the free track before July 23, you'll have to wait for a future store bundle or re-release.
Is the AN-94 good in Warzone and BO7? It's a strong long-range AR thanks to its hyperburst — the first two rounds fire faster before standard full-auto, a mechanic carried over from its Black Ops 2 original. It's a meaningful loadout option for the back half of Season 4.
