Ever since Treyarch showed the world Nazi Zombies inWorld at War, the entire gaming landscape shifted. Plenty of other games followed suit to create engaging horde modes that could rival the addictive nature ofCall of Duty Zombies.
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To this day, Zombies is still one of the best and well-crafted co-op experiences you can find in video games. Its adrenaline-pumped action and unique settings make it distinct from the dozens of filler game modes on the market. This list will look at the best Zombies maps made in Treyarch's Zombies mode, so you won't be seeingAdvancedWarfare or WW2 zombies here. Regardless, here are the 10 best Zombie maps in the Call of Duty series.
There aren't many video games that let you slay hordes of undead zombies while making witty quips as JFK or Fidel Castro.Black Ops lets players slay the unrelenting undead horde in itsFive Zombies map.
Members of the Zombies community often criticize this map for being too hard, having few train spots beside the second floor and having an awful boss wave. While the Pentagon Thief is rather annoying, running Mustang & Sally or the Ray Gun can make short work of him. This map is special because of its unrelenting difficulty, something seldom seen in modern zombie maps. If you make a mistake, it's all over. Nova crawlers can use teleports as you can, elevators are a deathtrap at higher levels, and most areas are hard to camp in. That is what makes Five special, however. No other map can get the adrenaline pumping like this one.
You spawn in with an M1911 in a small arena, clueless to where you are. Zombies slowly walk to your position when alarms begin to blare. Suddenly, its the last stand against an infinite amount of undead.
Moon, similar to Five, can be a rather difficult map. It can berough at times due to constant excavator drillings or the Moon zombie trying to ruin your day, but the zero gravity locations and fantastic No Man's Land endurance area make this one of the most satisfying Zombies maps to play. The easter egg was also a bittersweet ending to theBlack Ops Zombie storyline, having players swap bodies with Samanthathe game's main antagonistand blowing up theentire Earth. It's a fantastic send off for a great series of Zombies maps.
Originally a cut Zombies map for World at War, Kino Der Toten is a fantastic introduction to the Zombies game mode present inCall of Duty: Black Ops.
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There are no major easter eggs in this map, instead being mostly focused on surviving as long as you can.Black Ops introduced some iconic weapons like the Thundergun and Galil, both of which made their debut here. Nova crawlers were somewhat annoying to fight, but it made a nice break from camping and spraying down dozens of zombies. Instead, you would have to frequently move around the map to prevent their blinding gas from affecting you. Kino is a perfect example of how, sometimes, less is more.
This map was fantastic fan service for those who have stuck with the franchise since the beginning, bringing back the PPSH-41 and mounted MG-42's while including the modern Zombies mechanics fans came to love.
The easter egg herewas somewhat unenjoyable, requiring players to do plenty of fetch-quest objectives to progress. With that aside, the Russian town and mythical theming this map has is unique and hasn't been done since. Riding dragons is something you'd expect inSkyrim but is incredibly satisfying to do here. This map is so absurd at times but in every great way possible.
Black Ops 4's perk changes brought ire among many fans, dropping Juggernog and trying to make armor a proper replacement. The split between two timelinesmade many veterans groan over Treyarch's attempt to gain sympathy over a new cast of characters for the third time.
When the story is put to the side,Black Ops 4 made some good gameplay alterations to the Zombies game mode. Ancient Evil is the Magnum Opus ofBlack Ops 4, combining epic imagery with Greek mythology and engaging fights with zombies and bosses alike. The easter egg is also fantastic. If you can stomachBlack Ops 4's changes to gameplay, this is a fantastic addition to the series.
Nacht Der Untoten might have introduced the world to the frantic mania of Zombies, but Der Riese was when this game mode really took off with casuals and hardcore gamers alike.
Sweeping innovations, such as Pack-A-Punch and Teleporters, were all introduced in this map. The eerie vibe of this map makes it instantly recognizable as well, with the cold steel walls juxtaposing the flames and plentiful blood populating the environment. This map might be seen as rather easy by today's standards, but the number of strategies that were possible on this map kept plenty of Zombies fans playing for hundreds of hours.Black Ops 3's rendition called The Giant was also fantastic, but it didn't innovate as much compared to the original. If you don't ownWorld at War, however, The Giant is an amazing substitute to the original.
Black Ops 3 introduced a plethora of gameplay changes in both its multiplayer and Zombies game modes. Players could now slide, use GobbleGumspowerups players couldconsume at willto make rounds easier, and had specialist weapons they could use.
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With all of these innovations, Treyarch also decided to create an H.P. Lovecraft inspired Zombies map for their first entry inBlack Ops 3. Fans were initially mixed, angry that the original cast was missing and the map was heavily focused on the easter egg. Over time, this underrated map finally began to get the recognition it deserves for its sweeping mechanical changes and masterful execution of its visual design.
Take the epic easter egg present in Moon and set it within a Medieval castle. Then, addBlack Ops 3's gameplay systems and you have Der Eisendrache.
If this list was based on visual spectacle, this would be number one easily. A snowy castle in the mountains is just awesome. This easter egg is simple compared to other Zombies maps, meaning new players and Zombies veterans alike can enjoy it. Nuking the Moon was also a nice touch. Unfortunately, this map ispretty easy and can get boring at times.Besides that, this map is practically perfect.
Black Ops 2 received criticism from veteran Zombies fans for its boring cast of characters, lackluster maps, and lack of the original Zombies cast in this installment.
Treyarch took all of those criticisms to heart and created Origins, a map that took the glowing reception of Mob of the Dead and cranked it up to 11. Elemental staves gave a tangible sense of easter egg progress, and the easter egg on this map is pretty amazing. World War I aesthetics and themed weaponry was satisfying to experience, setting this map apart from every other Zombies map ever made, even comparing it to today's maps.
Many Zombies fans were disappointed with Treyarch's first map, Transit. It lacked interesting characters, had a lacking easter egg, and its segmented nature made it a chore to play.
Die Rise wasn't much better, but Mob of the Dead was a complete 180 in design and execution. Instead of surviving as long as possible, players had an actual objective in this map: create a plane to escape Alcatraz. Of course, escaping from Alcatraz is no easy task. Boss zombies had a massive impact on this map, perfecting the implementation originally seen in Shangri-La. The weapon sandbox on this map was superb. Neverending hallways of cells and stairs made Alcatraz seem incredibly expansive and like a real location. The easter egg was fantastic as well. Mob of the Dead's overall fun factor makes it the best Zombies map ever made to this day.
NEXT: The 10 Greatest Call Of Duty Maps In History, Ranked
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Charles Burgar is an expert on all things tech and gaming. Graduating from Pikes Peak Community College in 2018 with an Associate of Science, Charles has spent his time dissecting popular video games, movies, and technology. With an understanding of games for as long as he can remember, Charles has a large interest in understanding what makes things fun. He is currently a Freelance writer for TheGamer.
Excerpt from:
Call of Duty: Top 10 Zombie Maps In The Series | TheGamer - TheGamer
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Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero