Black Ops 6 & Warzone Merry Mayhem event: Start date & how to earn free rewards

Black Ops 6 and Warzone Season 1 Reloaded introduces two new weapons, one of which can be unlocked through the Merry Mayhem event.

Usually, players unlock new weapons through the Battle Pass, but Treyarch threw a curveball at players in the mid-season update. Similar to how players unlocked the Sirin 9MM Secondary Weapon in theHit List event, players have to do the same to unlock the Malestrom shotgun.

Merry mayhem event logo for Black Ops 6 CODMAS

Activision described the new shotgun as a weapon that requires players to get up close if they want to find any success. Heavy recoil and significant hip spread hold the Malestrom back at range, but Good range and handling make the fully automatic weapon dangerous in short-range engagements.

Here is everything you need to know about unlocking the weapon and everything else included in the Merry Mayhem event.

Merry Mayhem rewards in Black Ops 6

Merry Mayhem start and end date

The Merry Mayhem event starts onDecember 5 and ends on December 19. Players have until that end date to earn all of the required XP.

If players can’t unlock every reward, the Ammo Mod, Field Upgrade, Perk, attachment, and weapon will all be added to theArmory.

90s Action Heroes event in Black Ops 6 and Warzone

How to unlock the Maelstrom shotgun & other Merry Mayhem rewards in Black Ops 6 & Warzone

Players must earn enough XP to complete all 10 Merry Mayhem challenges to unlock the Maelstrom shotgun.

Activision only revealed the XP requirement for a few of the rewards, meaning we won’t know how much XP is needed to complete all 10 until the event officially starts.

Black Ops 6 and Warzone player with new LMG

Here is a look at every reward.

The Maelstrom Shotgun isn’t the only exciting reward from this event.Light Mendis a new Ammo Mod in Zombies, in which Zombies have a chance to drop healing glyphs that can heal you or nearby allies.

Warzone & Black Ops 6 90s Action Heroes event & all rewards

the replacer operator firing lmg in black ops 6 season 5

Every new Warzone & Black Ops 6 Season 5 weapon and how to unlock them

All weapon buffs and nerfs in Warzone & Black Ops 6 Season 5

In addition, the Ammo Mod can be augmented to alter the glyphs effects. Next,Tesla Stormis a returning Field Upgrade in Zombies that stuns and damages enemies for 10 seconds. New to this title, the lightning also connects to your teammates.

Meanwhile,Shrapnel Radaris a new Perk 3 slot option that marks injured enemies from lethals, tacticals, and Field Upgrades on your mini-map.

Last, theXM4 3-Round Burst Mod Conversionhelps preserve the AR’s ammo and makes it easier to hold a steadier aim on enemies than in full-auto mode.

For more on what’s coming in Season 1 Reloaded, check out our specificWarzone,Black Ops 6, andZombiesguides.