For as big of a fan of Call of Duty Zombies as I am, I have definitely felt burnt by its most recent offerings. Vanguard gave the worst Zombies experience yet. In just about every facet, that was a bad direction to take the mode. On the Modern Warfare 3 side, I know some enjoy the DMZ style of play, but it was never something I could get into. With all of that in mind, what I am seeing of Black Ops 6 Zombies has caught my intrigue, and I’m starting to get more excited about what the next iteration will be.
Finally picking up where Black Ops Cold War left off
While Vanguard and MW3 have soiled Zombies for me recently, the same can’t be said about Black Ops Cold War. By no means do I think this is the best experience the mode has gotten, but I think it’s very strong. I love the addition of salvage as a way to upgrade your weapons beyond just Pack-a-Punch. The loadouts let you bring what you want into every match, and the permanent upgrade system for perks and other aspects really gave a sense of long-term progression. Seeing many aspects of these features returning in Black Ops 6 Zombies has me excited.
It’s not just the return of features I enjoy, though. We have progression in the Zombies story in a meaningful way. BOCW left off with some major cliffhangers. Finally picking things back up directly, instead of the interesting stories in Vanguard and MW3, feels like a long time coming. We’re back to the aspects we care about. Richtofen’s plans and Sam’s health will be on our minds instead of Kortifex and whatever MW3 was trying to do. I tried to be optimistic when they came out, but these shallow experiences did not give the same shock and wow factor that the main Treyarch games do.
We’re also back to playing actual Zombies characters! While I can see the value in letting players use their cosmetics from multiplayer in Zombies, it did take away some of the charm the story gave in the past. I’m glad that starting with Terminus, we have fully voiced players totally dedicated to the story.
Will Black Ops 6 Zombies fix past stumbles?
While I totally acknowledge the downfalls of what came in Black Ops Cold War, I have faith in Treyarch to correct those mistakes in Black Ops 6 Zombies. For example, one common complaint has been that the main Easter egg story quests in BOCW were always too easy. While I don’t necessarily share the sentiment fully, these quests were definitely not as obscure as previous entries. That said, I think the new guidance mode is a perfect inclusion that could be a win for everyone.
When a new Zombies map launches, there will be no hints for how to get the main Easter egg done. All the Zombies YouTubers will dedicate their lives to finding all of the secrets and steps to these maps over a few weeks. During that time, you have your classic challenging Zombies experience. If you are doing an Easter egg quest, you likely will have your favorite YouTuber’s guide right there and ready to go. However, for the more casual base, the guided mode will come out a few weeks later and give those players a more direct way to complete those quests. The “hardcore” player gets their challenge, but the casual player doesn’t have to miss out on an experience. It’s a perfect way to keep everyone happy.
Terminus looks to bring what we love
While the recent Terminus trailer is what is driving much of my recent hype, I do think it is important to go into Black Ops 6 Zombies with a wait-and-see attitude. Recent years have really burned the dedicated player base. That said, the return of classic round-based Zombies can do a lot to appease those who feel Treyarch has forgotten them.
Watching the Terminus trailer was different. Sure, Call of Duty has a history of making pretty good trailers to excite its player base, but it was put together so well. It gave me feelings for an upcoming Zombies map that I haven’t had since Black Ops 3. So many of the other maps we’ve had in the last six years have been remakes and reworks of older maps. That’s fine once in a while, but it’s easy to look at the remake maps between Black Ops 4 and Vanguard and think that Treyarch has lost its mojo and creativity.
Of course, it’s still early, but Terminus seems to be bringing the right vibes and creativity. I highly recommend reading through the extensive blog to see the plans for Black Ops 6 Zombies. Sure, a lot of it is basic stuff you’ll know already, but there is a lot of information that shows the direction the game is going in. It’s been a rough run over the last few years, but hopefully, Treyarch Zombies is back in a good way this year.
