The new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has finally officially introduced its Zombie mode. We summarize the key information after the Zombies reveal and explain what is in the latest iteration of the popular co-op mode.
Many have been waiting for this: On the evening of September 30th, it was finally time. After both the single-player part of Black Ops Cold War and the multiplayer of the new CoD were introduced, Activision and Treyarch presented the latest interpretation of the popular Zombie mode.
A new trailer provided the first real insights and numerous new details about the co-op part of CoD Cold War.
What is Zombies anyway? “Call of Duty” – and especially Black Ops – veterans don’t need much explanation – here almost everyone knows the flagship of the CoD spin-offs from Treyarch. But if you don’t know Zombies yet: It is a very popular PvE survival mode that has complemented numerous parts of Call of Duty. The goal is to survive maps packed with puzzles while shooting through masses of the eponymous undead.
You start poorly equipped and usually collect money for weapons and equipment or power-ups to withstand the furious zombie hordes. The matches proceed in waves, with each wave normally increasing the difficulty level. The zombie maps are also sprinkled with traps and Easter eggs and tell a crazy story that often ventures into the supernatural.
What captivates many about Zombies is the high replay value of the co-op mode. It may take dozens of rounds and hours until you even come close to understanding what it’s all about and how to master the map. There are also special Easter eggs and small story fragments everywhere that reveal more about the dark backgrounds – all while under pressure, as the waves of the undead really make life difficult.
Check out the trailer for the Zombie mode in CoD Cold War here: If you don’t know Zombies at all or are curious about what the latest version of the mode has to offer, check out the Zombies reveal trailer here:
Zombie Mode in Black Ops Cold War – What we officially know after the reveal of the CoD 2020 co-op
Here we summarize the key information after the reveal of the new Zombie mode of CoD: Black Ops Cold War for you:
When will the mode actually be released? Zombies is an integral part of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, launching as a co-op mode alongside the main game on November 13, 2020.
The story of Zombies: Zombies from Cold War puts players in the roles of various characters from a team called Requiem. They are led by the iconic character Grigori Weaver from Black Ops 1.
The story of the latest Zombie addition elegantly combines the narrative of Cold War with the Zombie experience. After two teams have already disappeared without a trace, the CIA team Requiem is sent there to investigate an old Nazi bunker from World War II, where many “decade-old” secrets are buried. In the process, they uncover dark Cold War experiments surrounding “The Machine,” which unleashes a new Zombie threat.
Another team, dispatched by the Soviets, the Omega group, is also supposed to interfere in the story, as Treyarch mentions. Here you can watch the intro video for the Zombie mode. This gives you an initial glimpse of how the Zombie story unfolds in Black Ops Cold War:
The maps: The main map is called “Die Maschine” and will feature numerous references to old Zombie maps, such as a version of the popular map “Nacht der Untoten.”
It is still unclear how large the map will be, but it looks massive in the trailer. It will likely take a while for players to discover everything the map has to offer.
By the way, post-launch content is free. All upcoming new maps and Zombie experiences will be made available to all players for free – across all platforms. Previously, new Zombie maps were usually tied to DLCs or a season pass.
What’s new in gameplay: While the gameplay will stick to the beloved formula of classic round-based combat, several changes have been made.
Here’s the most important information about gameplay:
- Exfiltration: This is likely the biggest change. If your entire team is in trouble, you will have the opportunity to escape via helicopter. So you don’t have to wait for the otherwise inevitable death. While you wait for the helicopter’s arrival, many more additional undead will be unleashed, but if you succeed in holding out and then escape, you can expect some rewards.
- Perks: Classic Zombie perks will return – with a fitting Cold War aesthetic. Fan favorites like Juggernog and Speed Cola are included. There is no longer a limit to how many perks you can consume if you have enough points.
- Equipment: You can find (or craft) lethal, tactical, and support equipment all over the map. From grenades, turrets to helicopter gunners – there’s plenty there to help you survive against the zombies in a pinch.
- Field Upgrades: Another means are these proactive abilities that add extra tactical depth to teamwork. You charge these abilities by killing zombies and can activate them when things get tight. From offensive buffs to abilities that aid in healing or reviving, there’s a lot to choose from.
- Weapon Rarity: In addition to the return of the Pack-a-Punch machine, where you can transform your weapons, all weapons will now have a rarity level. The higher the rarity, the higher the damage output and the better the attachments for the weapon. For the first time, every weapon can also be important for later rounds. Additionally, it aims to bring more variety and fun to wall buys and the mystery box.
- You will be able to use weapons and your own loadouts that you assemble with the gunsmith feature.
- For the first time, you won’t only be able to use the 4 characters from Zombies but also some characters from the campaign like Frank Woods or operators from the multiplayer mode of CoD Black Ops Cold War.
Dead Ops Arcade 3 – popular arcade mode makes a comeback: Activision has teased that Dead Ops Arcade, a fan-favorite top-down shooter from the previous two Black Ops games (1 and 3), will return with CoD Cold War.
Instead of controlling a character in the traditional first-person view of Call of Duty, you controlled a character in the style of a twin-stick shooter from above, running across various maps, killing zombies, collecting power-ups, and more.
Unfortunately, aside from the teaser that Dead Ops Arcade will receive a sequel with Cold War, nothing else is known about the mode yet. There have been neither screenshots, nor gameplay, nor other details available.
Cross-progression: Black Ops Cold War will offer cross-progression – regardless of multiplayer or Zombies. You will be able to unlock and use weapons and equipment across all modes. Also, XP can be gained everywhere, meaning: progress (for rank and battle pass) can be made in all modes, weapons can be leveled up in all modes.
Crossplay and Cross-Generation Play: Like the main game, Zombies in Black Ops Cold War will offer crossplay and cross-generation play. This means: Your squads in Zombies can consist of players on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, or Xbox One simultaneously. There are no limits – neither platform nor generational.
By the way, soon you will be able to try Black Ops Cold War in a beta test yourself. You can find out more about it here: CoD Cold War: Beta starts in October on PS4, Xbox One, PC – Here’s how to participate
