Even after a dozen new additions to its arsenal, one gun still stands at the top of Black Ops 7 Zombies. No matter the map, no matter the Cursed Relics, and no matter the squad size, the M34 Novaline is the weapon to wield in BO7 Zombies.
As a humble marksman rifle, the M34 Novaline tends to get overlooked by plenty of casual Zombies players in favor of rapid-fire SMGs and reliable assault rifles, especially since people have gotten used to custom Zombies loadouts after their introduction in Black Ops 4. The Novaline still easily outclasses just about everything in BO7’s armory, however.
Marksman rifles have high critical damage—making them perfect for attacking bosses and special enemies with high health pools—but their slow fire rates and low ammo capacity make them impractical for large hordes at first glance.
After all, it’s COD Zombies. You’re going to spend your time running in circles and turning around every now and then to shoot at the horde trailing behind you. Something like an SMG is better suited for that. Marksman rifles and other situational weapons just don’t feel right outside of your secondary slot (or tertiary with Mule Kick).
The M34 Novaline already has a leg up on other marksman rifles because of its two-round burst and decent handling, but sticking with it rewards you with something even greater. When you Pack-a-Punch the M34 Novaline, it becomes fully automatic.
That’s where everything clicks. You basically get an assault rifle with the damage output of a marksman rifle, and if you add attachments to your Novaline loadout with that in mind, it’ll handle so smoothly that you’ll forget it’s a marksman rifle in the first place. It doesn’t have any weaknesses, and you’ll be hard pressed to find something stronger that’s not a Wonder Weapon.
To make the deal even sweeter, the M34 Novaline is available as a pretty common Mystery Box weapon if you’re playing Cursed or you’d rather just start with another weapon. It’s also a Wall Buy on both Ashes of the Damned and Astra Malorum if you’re using a Cursed Relic that disables the Mystery Box. It’ll also probably be a Wall Buy on any future BO7 Zombies maps, too, so you’ll never have to worry about missing it.
Even with the fully-automatic upgrade, the M34 Novaline still packs quite a punch (pun not intended). Renamed to the Desecrated Dualist, the Novaline doesn’t lose any stopping power. Every bullet still hits just as hard as you’d expect for a marksman rifle. You can even switch it back to semi-auto if you need some accuracy in a pinch.
Keeping a Pack-a-Punched sniper or something similar in your back pocket isn’t unheard of for Zombies players, especially if you want a specialized tool to take out Elites like Manglers, Doppelghasts, or Zursas.
With the Novaline, there’s no need. It shreds Uber Klaus’ shoulder shields, destroys Mangler cannons and armor, and even embarrasses main bosses like Veytharion and Caltheris.
There are some things to consider, however. Firstly, the M34 Novaline really needs the Cyclops-03 Barrel attachment to maximize its damage. Without it, headshots and critical shots won’t deal nearly as much damage.
There’s also a new contender on the block: the M8A1. This four-round burst rifle is a returning favorite from Black Ops 2, and with a new Conversion Kit, it can become fully automatic just like the Novaline. It won’t deal as much damage, but the better handling and larger magazine size can make it a better choice in some situations.
Still, even with new weapons, attachments, and Conversion Kits constantly dropping, the M34 Novaline remains the king of Black Ops 7 Zombies. Try it out in your next game and see for yourself.
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