Rarity vs Pack-a-Punch Damage Chart

See the comparison for Pack-a-Punch vs Weapon Tier in Call of Duty Black Ops 6 (BO6) Zombies Mode. Learn about the damage comparisons between Rarity and Pack-a-Punch upgrades, as well as which upgrade is worth getting.

Rarity vs Pack-a-Punch Damage Chart

ⓘ The data has been derived from both Modern Warfare 3 Zombies and Cold War Zombies, as they had roughly the same Pack-a-Punch and Rarity damage multipliers.

Weapon Damage Comparison

PaP Level	Rarity Level
	Com.	Uncom.	Rare	Epic	Legnd.
None	1x	1.5x	2x	3x	4x
I	2x	3x	4x	6x	8x
II	4x	6x	8x	12x	16x
III	8x	12x	16x	24x	32x

ⓘ Pack-a-Punch levels have larger jumps in values compared to Rarity levels.
ⓘ These multipliers may be subjected to change on release.

Pack-a-Punch (PaP) upgrades are done at a Pack-a-Punch Machine and needs Essence, which drop from enemies. To get a higher PaP level, interact with the machine again with the upgraded weapon in hand. Each upgrade will cost more Essence than the last.

Rarity (or Weapon Tiers), on the other hand, is obtained randomly from wall buys or through the Arsenal Machine at the cost of Salvage. Salvage is also obtained from zombies and each Rarity upgrade will cost more than the last.

Rarity vs Pack-a-Punch Verdict

Get Both Upgrades

Let's assume the base damage value of the weapon is 350, which is close to Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War's XM4.

Whether you decide to go for one or the other, Rarity being the easier of the two, it is best to go for upgrading both since lacking in either will severely limit your weapon's damage potential: 4x for only focusing on upgrading Rarity, and 8x at most for only focusing on Pack-a-Punch.

Pack-a-Punch's Ceiling Potential Depends on Rarity

Having Pack-a-Punch (PaP) I on a Common weapon will give it the same damage multiplier as a Rare weapon. That's one tier skip over an Uncommon weapon. At PaP III, it will deal as much damage as a Legendary weapon — which seems alright at first.

But staying at Common, even with full PaP upgrades, will bottleneck you from reaching 4 other higher multipliers (12x, 16x, 24x, 32x); only being able to use around 21% (79% less) of your gun's maximum damage potential.

There is no holding you back from getting both buffs, so it is best to maximize both Rarity and Pack-a-Punch levels for your weapon if you want to go past that 8x damage multiplier up to a 32x.

Rarity Weapon Tiers Have Low Ceilings But are the Easiest to Get

While Rarity grades do not offer a damage ceiling higher than Pack-a-Punch levels, they will be easier to get compared since they are more likely to appear.

In addition to Rarity upgrades being available via the Arsenal Machine by spending Salvage, weapons can come with an upgraded Rarity already from a wall buy or a Mystery Box. Getting a Pack-a-Punch on a weapon will require more effort since you can only get it from its machine with Essence.

Balancing Upgrades

Multiplier	Equal Combinations
32x	Legendary + PaP III
24x	Epic + PaP III
16x	Legendary + PaP II Rare + PaP III
12x	Epic + PaP II Uncommon + PaP III
8x	Legendary + PaP I Rare + PaP II Common + PaP III
6x	Epic + PaP I Uncommon + PaP II
4x	Legendary + No PaP Rare + PaP I Common + PaP II
3x	Epic + No PaP Uncommon + PaP I
2x	Rare + No PaP Common + PaP I
1.5x	Uncommon + No PaP
1x	Common + No PaP

Should you decide on computing ahead how to balance out your damage between the two, the above table shows the expected combinations you can go for to get equivalent damage in a descending route (start at the bottom).

Black Ops 6 (BO6) Related Guides

Zombies Guide: Everything You Need to Know

All Zombies Mode Guides