Now that we’ve been acquainted with pretty much everything in multiplayer in the upcoming Black Ops 7, it’s naturally time for Zombies, the co-op, undead-clearing mode that’s been a staple of the series for years.
Treyarch has now revealed a whole lot of information about the map, challenges, Wonder Weapons, GobbleGums, the new Wonder Vehicle and more.
Much like the multiplayer blog post from earlier in the week, the Zombies blog is also very extensive, offering a deep dive into almost the entirety of the mode’s different facets. Even more Zombies gameplay will be shown off at Call of Duty: Next next week, so there’s that to look forward to there as well.
Ashes of the Damned is the big new map for Zombies, and it’s the one that will be available at the game’s launch in November. It’s made up of several areas, each of which you can unlock and explore.
It’s large enough that you’ll need a vehicle to traverse between the main locations, which is where the pickup truck comes in. You’ll have to get it working first, of course, because nothing in Zombies works when you first find it. The vehicle can be upgraded throughout the journey, and the blog post talks about “some ways” to repair it when it gets damaged.
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One of the more interesting new additions is the Necrofluid Gauntlet Wonder Weapon, which we see a glimpse of in the gameplay trailer above. Normal and armored enemies return, but Black Ops 7 is also throwing a couple of new misshapen beasts into the mix – including a mutated bear.
Even going beyond the new additions, Treyarch is making several key changes to Zombies. For one, the number of super sprinter zombies will be lower, and they won’t spawn as often. Armored zombies will no longer be able to sprint in higher rounds, and their armor can now be more easily destroyed – though they will take less damage from explosives.
Zombies in Black Ops 7 has four modes: Standard, Directed, Survival, and Cursed. Standard is the base style, offering no guidance for main and side quests. Directed – introduced with last year’s Black Ops 6 – is more streamlined and designed for players looking to experience the core story content. Directed won’t be available at launch, so you can expect it a few weeks afterwards.
BO7 brings back Survival, which offers smaller, more focused experiences that take place in wardened off areas of the Ashes of the Damned map. Survival is designed for maximum carnage, with no quests or anything except trying to stay alive as long as you can. Finally, Cursed is designed for veteran players, hiding side quests for them to uncover, which in turn unearth cursed Relics. When activated, they spawn harder challenges for everyone to face.
The biggest news out of the blog, however, has to be the fact that Survival mode will be playable in the upcoming Black Ops 7 beta. This is the first time Zombies content has been playable in a Call of Duty beta, so it’s a big deal.
Black Ops 7 arrives November 14 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game’s beta kicks off next week, split across two stages and featuring a whole lot of content.