If you've queued into Black Ops 7 during the Naughty & Nice event, you've seen it: everybody's trying to set the map on fire, and not just for laughs. The quickest way to keep up is to lean into burn damage early, even before your guns are fully built out, and if you're the type who likes stress-free practice, a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby can make it easier to test what actually stacks damage without getting farmed mid-experiment.

Why fire damage feels so strong right now

Burn isn't just "extra damage." It changes how people move. You tag someone and they back off, stop rechalling, or panic-slide into a worse spot. In tight lanes, that little damage-over-time also messes with healing windows and makes follow-up shots forgiving. You'll notice it most on objectives, where players have to stand still for a second and fire punishes that habit hard.

Start simple: Molotovs win flags

If you're not deep into weapon levels, Molotovs are the easy answer. You unlock them at player level 26, and they do exactly what you want in Dom or Hardpoint: block a doorway, flush a corner, or turn a capture point into a "not worth it" zone. Throw one at a crowded entry and you'll often get damage ticks even when you don't get the kill, which still helps event progress.

Perks and habits that make burns land

A lot of players toss fire and hope. Don't. Aim where people are forced to be, not where they are. Drop flames on the edge of a headglitch, the inside of a stairwell, the lip of a B flag, the path they sprint through after spawning. If you're running Overclock, it's even nastier because the fire zone does more work for you, and you can play a little lazier with placement.

Shotguns and Dragon's Breath: the event grinder

If you want consistent fire damage fast, shotguns with Incendiary (Dragon's Breath) are still the kings. The Akita becomes a monster once you hit weapon level 34 for the 12 Gauge Short Dragon's Breath. Inside about 10 meters it's brutal. The downside is obvious: you're committing to close-range chaos, so you've gotta keep moving and pick routes that force fights in doorways.

Zombies and range options for Multiplayer

Zombies players have it easier. The Echo 12 gets incendiary rounds at level 18, which is early enough that you'll feel the payoff in a single session. You can kite a train, tap a few shells, and let the burn finish the job while you reposition. If you'd rather keep distance in Multiplayer, the Maddox RFB with the Echo-Fire Barrel can keep burn pressure out to roughly 36 meters, but it's a commitment to unlock, so plan your grind around it.

Map choices and a smoother way to finish

Small, messy maps do the heavy lifting. Nuketown-style layouts and holiday variants like Sleighjacked keep players funneling into the same lanes, so your fire actually touches people. Run objective modes, play the hot lanes, and don't be shy about "wasting" a Molotov just to get ticks. And if you want to speed up testing loadouts or clean up the last stretch of challenges, a lot of folks look to buy CoD BO7 Bot Lobbies so they can dial in burn setups without the usual matchmaking randomness.