Following a brief introduction to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode earlier this week, Activision and developer Treyarch have shared the first gameplay details for what they’re calling a “round-based only” Zombies experience for this year’s game.
Narratively, Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode begins after a group of former Requiem members are freed from the remote Terminus Island complex in the Philippine Sea by Maya Aguinaldo and Dr. William Peck. Maya is one of four playable Operators in this latest iteration of Zombies, joined by Grigori Weaver, Elizabeth Grey, and Mackenzie “Mac” Carver, and unfortunately for all of them, Terminus Island is a biological research station for the Janus Project, and those pesky Dark Aether undead are soon back at it, ruining everyone’s day.
Terminus Island is the first of two Zombies maps revealed so far for the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (the other is the West Virginia town of Liberty Falls), and here, up to four players must work together to discover and complete objectives to escape the maximum security complex, all while fending off waves (or “rounds”) of the undead.
Treyach calls Terminus Island “one of the largest round-based Zombies maps ever created,” and players can freely explore its landmarks, including the prison area, the ocean, and smaller islands accessible via Tactical Rafts. There's a main mission to complete (as with all Zombies maps), but exploration may also reveal hidden objectives or audio logs, documents, and other artifacts that point to further discoveries.
To progress through a Zombies map, players must spend Essence, accumulated by killing enemies, to unlock doors or remove obstacles, with some maps having multiple paths. However, Essence is also spent on Perks, to upgrade weapons, to purchase additional ammo and weapons, and more, meaning players must think carefully about how they use their supply.
Additionally, player-specific salvage materials can be acquired throughout the game world, which are used to access Ammo Mods that can apply elemental power to a current weapon, to upgrade a weapon's rarity level so that it deals more damage, and to craft specific equipment at workbenches.
While Black Ops 6's maps are said to be “more challenging” than those found in Black Ops Cold War, this latest Zombies iteration is introducing a new Guided Mode to help newcomers progress through a main mission. This will arrive “later in the season” after each map launches, and players who manage to complete a map's main mission before its Guided Mode arrives will earn a limited-time Calling Card. There are also unique themed rewards to earn, with an extra reward available for those who complete the main mission without using Guided Mode.
And that’s just the beginning. There’s a ton more Zombies info, including confirmation that Black Ops 6’s so-called Omnimovement system will be present, in Activision and Treyach’s very lengthy blog post. There’s a look at Augment customization, weapons, loadouts, and field upgrades, as well as a talk about GobbleGums and Wonder Weapons. And if you want a detailed breakdown of the creatures you’ll encounter, from shambling bipeds to the fleshy body horror of the Amalgam, that’s here, too.
Activision says to expect more details on Black Ops 6 and Zombies (including a look at the Liberty Falls map) as part of its next Call of Duty livestream, which airs on Wednesday, August 28. Black Ops 6 launches for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on October 25.