Zombies mode returns toCall of Duty: Black Ops 6, but new features to this entry in the series may switch up the undead horde battles you’re used to. While fighting off wave after wave of the undead, beginners may have to learn some tricks to survive the endless onslaught. To survive the longest, you’ll have to carefully prepare for anything and not be afraid to take some risks.
New weapons, Perks, and other features have been added to Zombies with the official launch ofCoD: Black Ops 6. Those looking toget ready for Zombies properlywill need to recognize thatthe complex quest systems return, allowing you to unlock a story if you meet the right goals. With gameplay changes for the base game, some tasks will be easier to accomplish than others.
10Adjust Your Weapon Loadouts
Make Sure Your Guns Are Ready
Notably,all the Attachments you add to your guns transfer into the Zombies mode, making your weapons feel familiar from the campaign or multiplayer. For example, if you added a Suppressor to a specificShotgun build inCoD: Black Ops 6, it’ll automatically apply to that weapon if you get it in Zombies. Keep in mind thatyou still have to find the weapon with your loadoutto use it at all.
Specific types of guns can be bought from Weapon Walls scattered throughout a Zombies map. These are in set locations, but each offers specific firearms in exchange for basic Essence currency you get from killing zombies.
You spawn onto a map with a Common variant of a starting weapon you choose. At least adjust the loadout of that weapon before going into the first wave of zombie defense. Not doing so will prevent your gun from having better accuracy, recoil control, or damage that could greatly help you or your squad reach deeper Zombie waves and complete various objectives.
9Understand The Augment System
Find Ways To Grow Stronger
One of the biggest changes toCoD: Black Ops 6Zombies is the newAugment system, which provides permanent buffs for yourself that you can gain during a run. Augments can improve weapon loadouts and give you special abilities that enhance your strength. There are three types of Augments, including:
Perks are found at machines located around a Zombies map, giving you small buffs that stack on each other.One Perk you have goes away if you get knocked down, so try to use these when you are confident in your current gear. Similarly, Ammo Mods arebought from the Arsenal Machinefor Essence, giving you elemental buffs that apply to your current weapon.
On the other hand, Field Upgrades are special abilities you can use once before they reset on a cooldown. You can equip Field Upgrades you research in Zombies from the loadout menu before loading onto a map. Some of the most valuable Augments, such asPerk-A-Cola inCoD: Black Ops 6, are essential items for getting through tough waves of zombie hordes.
Notably, some Field Upgrades canonly be unlocked when you reach a certain Research Level. By playing more Zombies matches, you can raise this level as you try to investigate different upgrades one at a time. Here are some of the unlock requirements for Field Upgrades and what they can do:
Energy Mine
1
Create a mine of pure energy that detonates in rapid succession, dealing lethal electric damage.
Frenzied Guard
9
Repair armor and force all enemies in the area to target you. During this time, kills repair a portion of your armor.
Dark Flare
20
You generate a massive energy beam that deals lethal shadow damage. The beam penetrates everything in its path.
Healing Aura
33
Summons beams of energy down on yourself and allies to instantly revive and heal to full health.
47
8Explore Each Map Between Waves
Find Out Where Every Machine Is
Maps inCall of DutyZombies have always been extensive places packed with secrets, with the two new locations inBlack Ops 6following this tradition. Both theTerminusandLiberty Fallsmaps have their own unique Wall Buy location spawn points that can be studied somewhat ahead of time. Each map has plenty of other individual traits, from special traversal methods to the size of the space you’re given to fight zombies.
One of the most important aspects of a Zombies map is theEaster Egg questsyou can complete to unlock better gear and progress a map’s"story.“you may activate Guided Mode to make these objectives easier to spot or keep them ambiguous in Standard Mode. Knowledge about a map’s layout makes it easier to know where zombies are coming from and where you should explore to finish Easter Egg goals.
7Farm Every Loot Key You See
Defeat Special Zombies For Extra Rewards
Loot Keys are items dropped by Special and Elite Zombie enemies that can be spent on random rewardsduring a run. When you or your squad take down a particularly challenging zombie type, like a Mangler or Heavy, you have a chance to gain a Loot Key. When you spend a Loot Key, you could get a random Perk, weapon, or piece of strong equipment to help you survive future undead waves.
Once you have a Loot Key, take it tothe Vault in Liberty Fallsorthe Armory in Terminusto spend it. Both maps have unique locations dedicated to accepting Loot Keys, but neither are guaranteed to give you certain items. For example, the Vault has the same chance as the Armory to give you anew type of Perk-A-Colafrom the same pool of options.
6Complete S.A.M. Trials Often
Go Through Challenges Whenever You Can
Occasionally during a Zombies run, you might see abeam of purple light in the sky indicating a S.A.M. Trial. According to the above video by YouTube creatorMrDalekJD, these Trials are miniature challenges you can take on to earn extra rewards. Similar to Loot Keys, S.A.M. Trials allow you to gain free weapons and equipment for you to use against future waves.
Sometimes, a S.A.M. Trial will reward you with an Aether Tool, a special item that can raise the rarity of one of your weapons to make it stronger.
It costs Essence to activate a S.A.M. Trial once you find a terminal for one, but once you do, you need to be ready. These Trials could be anything, from getting multiple zombie kills while crouching to eliminating certain types of zombies within a time limit. The more you meet a Trial’s challenge, the rarer the rewards you receive will be when you get finished.
5Upgrade The Rarity Of Your Arsenal
Gain The Right Tools For The Job
Items called Aether Tools can upgrade the rarity of your weapon, making its stats stronger inCoD: Black Ops 6. Although weapons purchased from Wall Buy stations eventually get rarer at later waves, this can take some time to unlock. Those looking to take fewer risks shouldsalvage old weapons at Arsenal machinesto upgrade the rarity of other guns they prefer to use.
For example, if you have a strong loadoutbuild for the Jackal PDW SMG weapon, you shouldn’t attempt to conserve an AK-74 Assault Rifle. Break down the Rifle to get resources needed to upgrade the SMG and give it more damage on its shots. This will help you deal with zombies that get extra health as waves go on, especially the Elite zombie types that are already tough to take down.
4Unlock Pack-A-Punch & GobbleGum Items
Raise Weapon Damage And Get Positive Bonuses
Beyond Augments and weapon rarity upgrades, you’re able to find other beneficial items to help you overcome zombie waves.Pack-A-Punches increase your gun’s damage, making them similar to Aether Tools, but with much bigger boosts to your weapon’s lethal abilities. To get a Pack-A-Punch, youhave to spend Essence, which gets more expensive every time you attempt to buy another damage increase.
Gobblegums are consumable items that give your Operator a random buff, as you may see in the above video by YouTube creatorCh0pper. You have to spend Essence at a Gobblegum machine you find on a map, but the random effects make these items fairly cheap. Since all the effects of a Gobblegum are good in some way, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t eat one before a wave starts.
3Spend Some Resources On Mystery Boxes
Try To Obtain Extremely Rare Weapons
Weapon Wall Buys and Armor Wall Buys offer standard offensive and defensive equipment you’re able to purchase during a Zombies match, but Mystery Boxes are also available for Essence. At first, these Boxes may not be worth buying, as they only provide a random weapon or support item. That being said,Mystery Boxes are one of the only ways to get Wonder WeaponsinCoD: Black Ops 6Zombies.
Mystery Boxescost 950 Essence to buyand even more Essence to Pack-A-Punch upgrade. Make sure you have the right currency to invest in Mystery Boxes so you aren’t relying completely on a random drop.
Wonder Weapons are some of the strongest weapons you can get, with wacky or extreme abilities beyond that of a normal firearm. Some Wonder Weapons only spawn in Mystery Boxes on certain maps, so you need to be aware of which ones you could get during a run. Here are all the different kinds of Wonder Weapons in the game:
Ray Gun
Terminus + Liberty Falls
Automatic pistol that deals powerful single shots with splash damage. Shots are very strong, but have a considerable reload time.
Thrustodyne M23
Liberty Falls
Has a Primary Mode that sucks in zombies and grinds them up and a Secondary mode that releases a shockwave when the weapon overheats. A great weapon for crowd control.
DRI-11 Beamsmasher
Terminus
Fires a beam of energy that stuns or instantly disintegrates enemies. Great against single targets with a lot of health.
2Know When To Use Power-Ups
Leave Abilities For When They’re Needed
As you can see in the above video by YouTube creatorJC Amaterasu, there areseven types of Power-Upsyou can get as drops from any zombie you kill. These glowing green orbs provide vastly different effects when your character walks through them. However, youdon’t want to use some Power-Ups right away, as many of them are more useful when activated to save you and your allies.
Instantly fills all players’ Field Upgrade.
Insta-Kill
Base zombies are dispatched with one hit, and more powerful enemies aren’t killed, but receive additional damage. Does not count towards Field Upgrade charging.
Refills all ammunition carried for every weapon and equipment.
Nuke
Destroys all base zombies, and more powerful adversaries aren’t killed, but receive additional damage. Enemy spawns are delayed by a few seconds.
Some Power-Ups may be needed right away, such as the Nuke when you are about to get overwhelmed by a zombie horde. Since some Power-Ups remain on the battlefield forever, you can wait to activate some. For example, you don’t need to use the Full Power ability right away if your Field Upgrade isn’t on cooldown yet.
1Gather Some Friends To Get Farther
Farm XP And Resources With Others
One of the easiest ways to succeed in Zombies is toplay with a group and coordinate against zombie hordes. The endless spawning of undead is managed easier when you have allies at your side to deal with the increasing numbers of every wave. Furthermore, it is far better to accomplish Easter Egg quests when you have others helping complete the tasks required for those mission objectives.
Every five rounds from Round 10 of Zombies, you will have the opportunity to Exfil to gain bonus XP and free Gobblegums if you want. When playing alone, this isn’t recommended as you are unlikely to gain much XP from doing this. However, with XP shared and multiplied by being with friends, this option can be a great way for everyone to grind experience and level up within the game mode.
Having more than one person in a Zombies match may seem chaotic, but not if your group communicates well. One of the best tricks a beginner can learn inCall of Duty: Black Ops 6Zombies is to support someone else, as more people with the same goal have a better chance of getting the job done.
