The Executioner's Duet is the free dual-axe melee weapon in Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 4 Reloaded — and it's the first of the season's two free weapons you'll unlock, sitting earlier on the Nick Cage Event Pass than the AN-94. If you only have time to grab one before the event closes, this is the quicker one. This guide is the fact-checked route: exactly where it sits on the pass, how much XP you need, which modes farm that XP fastest, and whether the axes are actually worth using.
Quick answer: how to unlock the Executioner's Duet
Unlock the Executioner's Duet by progressing the FREE track of the Nick Cage ("Uncaged") Event Pass with Player XP. It's free-track reward [07] — you do not need COD Points or the premium track — and the event runs June 25 – July 23, 2026. Because it lands at [07], it's reachable before the AN-94 (which is the final free reward at [09]), so you'll unlock the axes first on your way up the track. There's no skill challenge; it's pure XP earned across BO7 Multiplayer, Zombies, Endgame, and Warzone.
In short: the wall isn't difficulty, it's the grind — and the grind to [07] is shorter than the full free-track clear.
What is the Executioner's Duet?
The Executioner's Duet is a new dual-wield axe melee weapon — an axe in each hand — added in Season 4 Reloaded. Per the current weapon data, it has high damage, the shortest attack range of any melee weapon in the game, very fast attack speed, and the highest mobility rating in its class. You chain rapid slashing swings to delete enemies at point-blank, and the mobility rating means you move fast while equipped — it's built for players who close the gap and never stop moving.
Like most melee weapons, it has no attachments, but it does carry its own 30 Mastery Camo levels to grind if you're a camo completionist. It's the second of the two free weapons in the Uncaged event, alongside the AN-94 assault rifle that caps the free track.
Where does the Executioner's Duet sit on the Event Pass?
The Nick Cage Event Pass (players call it the "Uncaged" event) launched with Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 4 Reloaded on June 25, 2026 as the mid-season's flagship event. It's a two-track pass — a free track and a premium track — that both fill from a single shared XP bar. Every point of Player XP pushes both tracks at once.
There are 20 rewards total: 10 free, 10 premium. The Executioner's Duet is free-track reward [07] — earlier than the AN-94 at [09], with staples like the 2X Weapon XP Token [02] and a Battle Pass Tier Skip [04] sitting below it. Progression is purely XP-tiered (no gated challenge), so you can't jump straight to [07]; you bank Player XP until the track climbs there.
| Reward on free track | Slot |
|---|---|
| 2X Weapon XP Token | [02] |
| Battle Pass Tier Skip | [04] |
| Executioner's Duet (dual-axe melee) | [07] |
| AN-94 (assault rifle) | [09] |
Because [07] comes before [09], the Executioner's Duet is the faster, lower-XP unlock of the two free weapons — a good target if the July 23 cutoff is close and you can't guarantee the full free-track clear.
How much XP do you need?
Clearing the entire free track (up to the AN-94 at [09]) takes roughly 300,000–400,000 total Player XP. Since the Executioner's Duet sits at [07], you need meaningfully less than that to grab the axes — you're not walking the last two tiers. Either way the math is the same: this is a "earn XP efficiently for the ~28-day window" event, and how fast you finish depends entirely on your XP-per-minute.
The event is a hard 28-day window (June 25 → July 23, 2026). Casual play makes even [07] tight; focused sessions with a Double XP Token clear it with days to spare.
Fastest way to unlock the Executioner's Duet
Event progression is tied directly to Player XP and accepts XP from all four modes. Priority order:
1. Run a standard Double XP Token — not a Battle Pass token
This is the mistake that stalls players. Use a standard (green) Double XP Token, not the orange Battle Pass token. Battle Pass tokens only multiply Battle Pass progression — they do not speed up the Event Pass XP bar, because the event tracks earned Player XP. Stack a green token over your highest-XP sessions and the [07] unlock arrives fast.
2. Play high-XP-per-minute modes
- Multiplayer: Objective modes — Hardpoint and Domination — pay the most XP per match thanks to constant objective ticks on top of kills.
- Zombies: High-round runs are elite for raw XP and double as camo grinding — see our BO7 Zombies XP farm guide for the exact routes.
- Warzone: Low-stress and efficient — loot, rotate, and farm XP over long matches without the sweat of ranked MP. Our Warzone fast leveling guide breaks down the best modes.
3. Don't waste your Double XP windows
Bank your green tokens for objective Hardpoint sessions or long Warzone matches. Since [07] needs less XP than the full clear, a couple of focused, token-boosted evenings is usually enough — no need to grind to 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 Executioner's Duet and the AN-94 permanently — they don't disappear once unlocked, but the window to earn them does.
Grab the Executioner's Duet before July 23 without the grind:
- BO7 Account & XP Leveling — clear the Uncaged Event Pass free track fast and lock in the Executioner's Duet + AN-94.
- Warzone Bot Lobbies — low-resistance lobbies to farm event XP efficiently.
- BO7 Mastery Camo Unlock — knock out the melee's 30 camo levels and the event's Mastery Camo.
Is the Executioner's Duet worth using?
For a melee it's genuinely strong. Highest mobility + very fast attack speed + high damage makes it a lethal aggro tool: it's ideal on small, close-quarters maps and for objective play where you're constantly pushing points. The trade-off is the shortest range in the class — you have to be right on top of someone — but the mobility rating largely pays for that by getting you there. It's a fun secondary to run once your primary is dialed in, and the 30 camo levels give completionists a reason to keep swinging.
There's also a season-wide reason to chase every free reward. 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 feeds a Mastery Camo for grinders who complete the camo sets across MP, Zombies, Endgame, and Warzone — the Executioner's Duet's own camo track is part of that wider grind. If you're chasing camos this season, our BO7 Mastery Camos unlock guide and the Illicit Cargo event guide cover the rest of it.
Quick reference: Executioner's Duet facts
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Executioner's Duet (dual-wield axe melee) |
| Class traits | High damage · shortest range · very fast attack speed · highest mobility |
| Attachments | None (melee) |
| Mastery Camo levels | 30 |
| Event | Nick Cage Event Pass ("Uncaged") |
| Track | Free — reward [07] |
| Launched | June 25, 2026 (Season 4 Reloaded) |
| Ends | July 23, 2026 |
| Cost | $0 — Player XP only |
| Modes that count | BO7 Multiplayer, Zombies, Endgame, Warzone |
FAQ
Is the Executioner's Duet free in Black Ops 7? Yes. It's 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 to free-track reward [07] before the event ends on July 23, 2026.
Where is the Executioner's Duet on the Event Pass? It's free-track reward [07], which sits before the AN-94 at [09]. Progression is XP-tiered, so you can't jump straight to it — you bank Player XP until the track reaches [07], picking up the 2X Weapon XP Token [02] and Battle Pass Tier Skip [04] along the way.
Is the Executioner's Duet easier to get than the AN-94? Yes — because it's at [07] and the AN-94 is the final free reward at [09], you reach the axes with less total XP. If the July 23 cutoff is close and you can only guarantee one, the Executioner's Duet is the faster grab.
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 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, and all four modes feed the same event bar.
Does the Executioner's Duet disappear after the event ends? No — once unlocked, it's permanently yours. What expires is the window to earn it. Miss it before July 23 and you'll have to wait for a future store bundle or Armory re-release.
Is the Executioner's Duet good? For a melee, yes: high damage, very fast swings, and the highest mobility rating in its class make it a strong close-quarters and objective-push weapon. Its only real weakness is the shortest attack range of any melee — you have to be right on top of your target.
