Black Ops 6 Prestige explained and all rewards listed

With the release of Black Ops 6, the classic Prestige system has made its return for the first time in years.

Rather than bring it back in the exact same form it was, Treyarch have decided to upgrade this Black Ops 6 edition of the system with a whole slew of rewards and changes to make it fit into the newer era of Call of Duty.

In this guide, we’ll be running through how Prestige works, various features like Permanent Unlocks and Prestige Master, as well as a full rundown of all the rewards you can unlock for every Prestige rank.

On this page:

• Classic Prestige explained
• How to unlock Prestige Master
• All Prestige and Prestige Master rewards listed

Black Ops 6 Classic Prestige explained

With the return of Classic Prestige, Black Ops 6 features a more involved and lengthy levelling system available right from day one.

Since it's no longer tied to seasons, your levelling and Prestige progress is permanent.

Not just that, but there's cross-progression with Multiplayer and Zombies - and Warzone once it's integrated with Season 1 - meaning you're able to jump around the various modes and still work towards the same unified set of unlocks.

To enter a Prestige rank, you'll first need to reach the maximum level of 55 and earn enough XP afterwards as if you were levelling to 56.

Instead of reaching Level 56 though, you'll instead unlock the ability to enter Prestige 1 via its associated menu, resetting your level back to 1 in the process, and opening up challenges to complete and rewards to earn.

However, whilst your level is 1, you'll be classed as 'Prestige 1, Level 1' and so on and so forth for future Prestiges.

By returning back to Level 1, all items will be locked once again, requiring you to reach their respective levels to equip them again.

However, there are ways around your gear being locked again, thanks to the inclusion of a Permanent Unlock token that lets you bypass this for one item per Prestige. Additionally, any Blueprints you own will automatically unlock that associated weapon permanently.

How to unlock Prestige Master in Black Ops 6

If you continue to level and Prestige over and over in Black Ops 6, you'll eventually reach Prestige 10 and - upon completing the 1-55 climb once more - be able to ascend once final time into the 'Prestige Master' category.

This acts as the final Prestige in the game, but has a maximum level of 1000, and various rewards granted along the way, primarily as you hit each hundred milestones.

The primary feature here really is just a showcase of dedication, but once you're in this Prestige and beyond Level 55, none of your gear is locked behind any level requirements.

Functionally, Prestige Master is comparable to the season-based levelling seen in more recent COD titles - such as Modern Warfare 3 last year - whereas long-time fans will know this system back from when it was first introduced in Black Ops 2.

All Black Ops 6 Prestige and Prestige Master rewards listed

Part of the incentive to climb the Prestige ranks in Black Ops 6 is to unlock a slew of rewards that are exclusive to each tier.

Many of the most notable rewards include Operator skins, weapon Blueprints, animated emblems, and more. All of these commemorate various modes and moments of past Treyarch releases.

As mentioned earlier, each Prestige will also grant a single Permanent Unlock token, received as soon as you enter. This can be spent on any item of your choice to permanently unlock it through all future Prestiges.

Keep in mind, you might want to spare these for Perks and equipment more than weapons, particularly if you end up earning a Blueprint for a weapon which will also keep it permanently unlocked.

Alongside these, there are also a set of challenges for each Prestige tier that unlock which can be viewed within their respective menus, and their requirements reveal upon reaching the associated Prestige. Each of these rewards additional Calling Cards upon completion.

However, whilst each of the Challenges and Perma Unlock tokens are instant unlocks upon entering a Prestige rank, the rest of the more notable rewards are earned at every ten level intervals.

That means at Levels 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 within each Prestige, there’s a unique reward to earn. Prestige 1 starts off a little differently than the rest though, rewarding an Operator skin alongside bonus its unlock token.

You’ll also net a unique icon that’ll change as you climb the Prestige ranks, each reflective of their associated theme.

Below, you can see the full list of all of these rewards, covering each Prestige rank as well as Prestige Master:

Prestige 1

Rewards themed around World at War and the origins of Zombies

• Nacht Raider skin for Weaver
• Der Riese loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• Zombie Breach animated emblem
• Insta-Kill charm
• Teddy is a Liar Blueprint for the C9 SMG

Prestige 2

Rewards themed around World at War and its Campaign

• Jungle Warfare loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• Madness Unleashed emblem
• Berserker Death Card charm
• Warrior's Blood weapon Blueprint for the Model L Assault Rifle

Prestige 3

Rewards themed around the Black Ops Campaign

• Interrogation loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• The Numbers emblem
• MACV-SOG charm
• My Name Is… Operator skin for Payne

Prestige 4

Rewards themed around Black Ops and the first introduction of the map, 'Nuketown'

• Welcome to Nuketown loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• Doomsday emblem
• Nuked spray
• Atomic Commando blueprint for the XM4 Assault Rifle

Prestige 5

Rewards themed around Black Ops 2’s Campaign

• Battle for LA loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• CLAW emblem
• Cordis Die spray
• Absolute Loss Operator skin for Toro

Prestige 6

Rewards themed around Black Ops 2 Zombies

• The Docks loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• Tedd emblem
• Jailbreak charm
• Robot Abomination blueprint for the SWAT 5.56 Marksman Rifle

Prestige 7

Rewards themed around Black Ops 3 Multiplayer

• Miniature Mayhem loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• Have a Nice Day! emblem
• Tiny Treat charm
• Specialist Fan Operator skin for Maya

Prestige 8

Rewards themed around Black Ops 3’s Campaign

• Frozen Forest loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• Corvus AI emblem
• Boom Train spray
• VMP Elite blueprint for the Jackal PDW SMG

Prestige 9

Rewards themed around Black Ops 4

• Welcome to Blackout loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• Where We Dropping? emblem
• Wall Buy spray
• Samantha’s PJs Operator skin for Grey

Prestige 10

Rewards themed around Black Ops Cold War’s Campaign

• Break on Through loading screen
• Gobblegum Pack for Zombies
• 1-hour Double XP Token
• Red Door emblem
• Perseus charm
• Art of War Operator skin for Bailey

Prestige Master

Prestige Master's reward set works a little bit differently from the other tiers, partly due to it being the final Prestige and having a lengthier Level 1-1000 climb, rather than 1-55.

When entering Prestige Master, you'll instantly earn an operator skin for Marshall, and upon reaching Level 90, you'll unlock an animated Blueprint for the AMES 85, both of which are listed below:

• Sitting Bull Reborn Operator skin for Marshall
• Classified Arsenal animated Blueprint for the AMES 85 Assault Rifle

Beyond these, there are also additional unlocks linked to Challenges, and - at Level 100 - a unique customisation feature that allows for your level icon to be changed manually.

The challenges come in a set of six, each with their own Calling Card rewards, and a seventh also up for grabs.

As for the icon customisation system, it grants the ability to change your Prestige icon as you reach various level thresholds within the Prestige Master tier.

For example, with Levels 100-900, each hundred milestone lets you pick any of the Prestige icons from past games, all the way back from the 2009 release Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, to last year’s Modern Warfare 3.

These Prestige icons also include Prestige iconography from modes such as Zombies, and even Black Ops 4’s 'Blackout'.

Once you reach Level 1000 - the true maximum level in Black Ops 6 - you’ll be able to pick from an even wider pool of Prestige icons covering all games with Prestige ranks above 10, as well as their respective Prestige Master equivalents.

It’s an impressive feat to hit Prestige Master in the first place, and whilst you don’t receive any further rewards beyond the aforementioned Operator skin and Blueprint, you get access to a unique feature no other player can use, allowing you to pick from literally hundreds of classic Prestige icons - personally, I’m eyeing some of the Black Ops 2 and 3 Prestige icons.

For more on the rewards you can unlock by playing Black Ops 6, check out our how to unlock all weapons page, as well as other explainers like our run-through on Omnimovement and the various settings you can take advantage of to tweak how it plays.