"Survive the Zombie hordes alone or cooperatively. Repel wave after wave of increasingly deadly Zombies in a number of frightening locales. But be warned: there are more than just Zombies lurking these dark hallways..."
Zombies, originally known as Nazi Zombies, first appeared in Call of Duty: World at War. It became highly popular upon the game's release, and returned in its sequel Call of Duty: Black Opsand again in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. In Zombies, players face zombies of various nationalities depending on the location of the map, including Nazis, Americans, Russians and Asians. Zombies content is only considered canon in its own Universe.
Up to four players must survive endless waves of attacking Zombies, earning points from killing zombies and repairing barriers. These points can be used to purchase weapons and Perk-a-Colas in the process, or unlock new areas and activate other special objects. Zombies enter the player-accessible area of the map via windows, holes in walls, or climbing out of a "dirt" surface, which are initially barricaded but will be rapidly demolished by Zombies. They can be repaired, however, with the exception of the dirt surfaces. There is no limit to the number of rounds; the game will end when all players have been incapacitated or killed by the Zombies. Zombies become stronger and faster upon the completion of each round, forcing players to make tactical decisions about point spending and progressing through the map. On occasion, Zombies will drop Power-Ups such as Max Ammo, Nuke, or Insta-Kill upon their death, making the round easier.
Altogether, Zombies consists of 15 maps; the first, second, fourth, fifth, and seventh feature Nazi Zombies (Nacht der Untoten, Verrückt, Der Riese, Kino der Toten, Dead Ops Arcade), while the third features Imperial Japanese Army (Shi No Numa), the sixth features American civilians, military and scientists ("Five"), the eighth features Russian scientists, cosmonauts and military (Ascension), the ninth features Russian sailors and divers (Call of the Dead), the tenth features Himalayan civilians (Shangri-La), the eleventh features Astronauts and American military (Moon), the twelfth features various American civilians (Green Run), the thirteenth map features Russian Spetsnaz and American Zombies of various afflictions, including zombies wearing hazmat suits (Nuketown Zombies), the fourteenth features Chinese civilians Zombies and military Zombies, (Die Rise), the fifteenth features American prisoners and guards (Mob of the Dead).
The Zombies Game Mode is also known for carrying on the tradition of odd Easter Eggs within Call of Duty games. Some of the maps have "major" Easter Eggs, rather almost campaigns, which upon completion, grant the player(s) a Trophy/Achievement.
Nacht der Untoten (German: "Night of the Undead") is the first map of the Zombies Campaign. It is also the smallest and simplest, as there are only three rooms in this map. The Zombies in this map are less deadly than the ones in other maps, as they do not reach through windows and they're the least smart in terms of A.I.. The Zombies also look more human in this map and they just groan and moan. This was the only map to not include Perk-a-Colas until the September 27th, 2011 update that provided every map with Mule Kick, however, this only applies to Call of Duty: Black Ops. Because it is a last minute developer addition, this map simply acts as an introduction to the Nazi Zombies Game Mode and does not advance the Zombie Story Arc, it's more along the lines of an isolated incident for four unnamed soldiers. It takes various design elements from a bunker in the multiplayer map Airfield, the bunker in the map therefore earning the name "Zombie House". However, it has nothing to do with that map story-wise. The version in Call of Duty: Black Ops features the original Power-Ups, including the Carpenter Power-Up (which is first introduced in Der Riese) including the Power-Up icons, instead of the text and the remaining time at the bottom. Cold War weapons are available in the Mystery Box, Zombies can now reach through the windows to hit the players, and a new musical Easter Egg called "Undone" can be found. This map is set in Washington D.C., as the map can be seen in Green Run, TranZit, in the wheat field.
Verrückt (German: "Crazy") is the second map in the Zombies campaign. It is based off the multiplayer map, Asylum, as they share many traits. The Zombies in it are much more dangerous because they can attack through windows and can sprint. This is also the first map to include traps, Perk-a-Colas, and Bouncing Betties, as well as the first map to require the power to be turned on. There are 10 rooms in this map, which require points to open. This is the first map where the Mystery Box can be teleported by the teddy bear and reappear somewhere else. This map takes place in Wittenau Sanatorium in Berlin, Germany, and this is the only map to feature different factions. There is a German and American side, each with the faction's respective weapons. When playing with three or four players, they will be split up and have to reunite at the generator room unless two people activate the power, and you go through the doors that need power to open. This map also introduces the PPSh-41, available from the Mystery Box (In the Call of Duty: Black Ops version of this map, a new wonder weapon, the Winter's Howl, is introduced).
Shi No Numa (Japanese: "Swamp of Death") is the third map in the Zombies Campaign, and is the first not to feature Nazi Zombies. The maximum Zombie running speed has been reduced from a full sprint back to the original "Zombie Run", possibly for difficulty reasons. There are five main buildings in this map and four unlockable swamp areas connecting these buildings. Four of the buildings contain only one room, while the main building has three (Starting Room, Warning Room and Mystery Box Spawn). This is the second map where the electricity does not have to be turned on. This map, along with Shangri-La and Moon, has Perk-a-Cola Machines that spawn randomly (save for Mule Kick). This is also the second map where the Mystery Box can move, with a new feature: a yellow beam above the place which it has spawned. Players can now walk outside of buildings without glitching or cheating and zombies can spawn next to them without bypassing a barrier. The Zipline utility is introduced here, and returns in Call of the Dead. There are now special rounds in which the players ward off Hellhounds, a newly introduced enemy and are awarded with a Max Ammo afterwards. It is also the first map where the individual identities of the players are known. Shi No Numa also introduces a new Wonder Weapon, the Wunderwaffe DG-2, an electricity-casting weapon that can kill up to 10 zombies at once, in a chain reaction. This map is also the only one with the Flogger, a manually activated 'trap'. In this map, the Zombies backstory unfolds for the four main characters, Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belenski, Takeo Masaki, and Edward Richtofen. This is the first map that has not take design on a map built into the game.
"The Giant is rising. Face the might of the Nazi Zombies in their heartland. This is where it all began. This is where the master plan took shape. Is this where it all ends?"
Der Riese (German: "The Giant") is the fourth map in the Zombies Campaign. It takes some features from the multiplayer map Nightfire. It is the first map where zombies can climb over areas and jump down from an area towards the characters. It also introduces the Pack-a-Punch machine, which for 5000 points (upgrades weapons to have increased ammo capacity, more power, higher fire rate etc.) It is the second map where the power is required to be switched on. Der Riese is the third map where Perk-a-Cola machines are included, and the second where Perk-a-Cola machines do not spawn randomly. Der Riese is the second map to contain hellhounds, which spawn about every 5 rounds. It is the first map to have Teleporters, the Monkey Bomb, the Bowie Knife, and the Fly Trap. It is the second map where the identity of the characters are known, and sub-sequentially advances the plot. It is the second to have a small objective, which is turning on the power and connecting the three teleporters to the mainframe to access the Pack-a-Punch machine. Der Riese also features the new "Carpenter" power-up, which boards up all opened windows in the level and award the players 200 points. It is the first of two maps in which Hellhounds spawn alongside Zombies. This occurs after the third Hellhound round sometime after round 16. This map is set in Germany, near Breslau.You can also learn the story behind the zombies by turning on radios' hidden throughout the map by pressing the action button near the radio.
Kino der Toten (German: "Theater of the Dead") is the fifth map in the Zombies Campaign, introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops. The four original characters are playable. It has almost all the features from Der Riese, including the Bowie Knife, Teleporters, Pack-a-Punch Machine, and Monkey Bomb, although the Wunderwaffe DG-2 does not return. A new Wonder Weapon, the Thundergun, makes its debut, replacing the Wunderwaffe DG-2. It is the first map to have purchasable Cold War weapons, as well as the first map to have the new Gas Zombies. It is the third map to require the electricity to be turned on, and is the first Zombies map to not have the Mystery Box spawn in a fixed location. It is also available on the iOS version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies. This map is set in an abandoned theater in Berlin, some time in the 1960s.
s game mode, introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops. The playable characters in this map are President John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara, and Fidel Castro. A new Wonder Weapon, the Winter's Howl, has been introduced on this map. New features in this map include the use of elevators, the DEFCON control system, American zombies, and the Pentagon Thief. The Pentagon Thief substitutes the Hellhounds, which do not appear in the map. Also new to this map are the incomplete Electro-Shock defenses, which require one part each before being available for use. Unlike other maps featuring teleporters, this map has multiple teleporters and they can be used by zombies. It is the fourth map where the electricity is required to be turned on. The map may be based off a canceled multiplayer map titled "Pentagon." This is also the first map to not have the four main characters in it since they have been introduced. This map will be available on the iOS version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies in the future.
Dead Ops Arcade is an arcade based Zombies game in Call of Duty: Black Ops and the seventh in the game mode. The player can unlock this by breaking free from the chair and typing in "DOA" or "3ARC UNLOCK" in the computer. "3ARC UNLOCK" will also unlock all Campaign levels for Mission Select and "Five" if not completed. By doing this, the player will also unlock the "Insert Coin" achievement for 5G and can access Dead Ops Arcade from the Zombies menu. This map plays no role in the Zombies plot. 50 levels of Dead Ops Arcade feature on the iOS version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies.
Ascension is the eighth map in the Zombies game mode, released on February 1st, 2011, as part of the First Strike map pack on Xbox 360 and subsequently for PlayStation 3 and PC. It takes place in an abandoned Soviet Cosmodrome. There are two new perks, Stamin-Up and PhD Flopper. Double Tap Root Beer doesn't return, but was initially set to appear. Space Monkeys have replaced the Pentagon Thief and Hellhounds. There is a new power-up introduced here, the Random Perk Bottle, which grants the player a random perk. Two new Wonder Weapons made their debut, the Gersch Device and the Matryoshka Doll, both of which are tactical grenades. The Bowie Knife is not in this map, as it is replaced by a Russian counterpart (only for aesthetic purposes), the Sickle which works exactly the same. The four original characters, Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and Edward Richtofen return. It is the second map where players can have zombies spawn next to them. It is the only map with the Lunar Lander, a utility that works similarly to the Teleporter. It is the fifth map where the electricity is required to be turned on. This map features Russian cosmonaut, scientist, military and civilian zombies. However, gas zombies do not return. This map also advances the zombie storyline much more than the previous Call of Duty: Black Ops map Kino der Toten. This map includes more radios similar to the ones in Der Riese and the Kassimir Mechanism Easter Egg which advances the story of Samantha Maxis as a demonic being. Characters from "Five" can be heard on this map by using the three red telephones, indicating that the two maps occur simultaneously. The map is based on Launch. Ascension is also available on the iOS version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies.
"A shipwrecked crew of fearless explorers is hopelessly stranded in an abandoned Siberian outpost. Their dream of discovering the true origins of the Element 115 unravels into a hellish nightmare."
Call of the Dead is the ninth map in Zombies game mode, released on May 3rd, 2011, in the Escalation map pack for Xbox 360 and later on June 10th, 2011, for PS3 and PC. It is the first to feature real life celebrities as the playable characters, instead of "the original crew". The celebrities are Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Englund, Michael Rooker, and Danny Trejo. It also features George A. Romero as a special boss-zombie that spawns before the first round. The map is also the first to include regular Ziplines and the Flinger. There are two new Wonder Weapons, the V-R11 and the Scavenger. It also introduces a new Perk-a-Cola called Deadshot Daiquiri. The Original Characters Trapped is an Easter Egg in this map where the player must help the four 'original' characters escape to Paradise. The Wunderwaffe DG-2 makes a re-appearance as a Power-Up (called the Lightning Bolt), awarded after completing the Original Characters Trapped Easter Egg, however, it does not re-appear in anymore maps. Call of the Dead is also available on the iOS version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies under the name of Call of the Dead: Director's Cut and features the original characters instead of the celebrities.
"A legendary shrine lost in an exotic jungle. Where the undead lurk within a treacherous labyrinth of underground caverns, deadly traps and dark secrets."
Shangri-La is the tenth map in Zombies game mode, included in the Annihilation map pack. The four original characters return as the playable characters after being teleported here from the Siberian facility in Call of the Dead. It is the first to feature the new Napalm Zombies, Shrieker Zombies and Zombie Monkeys. The map includes many new utilities, which include the Mine Cart, the Geyser, and the Water Slide. It also features a new equipment; the Spikemore and the new Wonder Weapon, the 31-79 JGb215. There is also a major Easter Egg in this map referred to as Eclipse, which rewards a player with the Focusing Stone, giving them every perk on the map permanently until the game ends, and is the only Easter Egg that can be completed more than once per game.
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. (John F. Kennedy, 1961)"
— Level Description
Moon is the eleventh map in the Zombies game mode, included in the Rezurrection map pack. It starts off at Area 51, otherwise known as, No Man's Land, where for the second time, Hellhounds spawn with Zombies after a certain amount of time. Teleporters return, and the main area takes place on a base on the moon. The four original characters return as playable characters. It features new Wonder Weapons, one of which is called the Wave Gun, which has a dual-wieldable function (dubbed the Zap Gun Dual Wield) and the Quantum Entanglement Device, a new tactical grenade. The map also introduces the Phasing Zombies and Astronaut Zombies and sees the return of the Crawler Zombies and Hellhounds. The map also introduces a new Perk-a-Cola called Mule Kick and two new pieces of equipment called the P.E.S. and the Hacker. The map does not feature any traps, but does have a new utility: the Launch Pad. There is also a major Easter Egg in this map, referred to as Richtofen's Grand Scheme, which helps Richtofen gain control of the zombies.
"Continue the fight against the undead and search for clues to the truth of what lies ahead..."
— Level Description
Green Run is the twelfth map in the Zombies game mode and is the main location of the zombie mode, TranZit in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It takes place directly after the apocalypse, more specifically, after Richtofen's Grand Scheme on Moon. When playing in Survival or Grief, Green Run is divided into three separate maps: Bus Depot, Farm, and Town. Diner is only available when playing Turned.
"High above ground, the terrifying combination of dizzying heights and the relentless undead may be your downfall."
— Level Description
Die Rise is the fourteenth map in the Zombies Campaign, included in the Revolution downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The map takes place in China, throughout the interior of toppled and crumbling skyscrapers. The Die Rise Easter Egg continues from the Tower of Babble Easter Egg from Green Run. It features a new buildable weapon, the Sliquifier and another the Trample Steam that launches players across buildings and kills zombies that move over it. Die rise also features new wall weapons, the AN-94, the PDW-57 and the SVU-AS. Elevators transport Perk-a-Cola machines and the Pack-a-Punch up and down the floors. New to the map is the Who's Who perk, which allows you to revive your character with another "ghost" character that spawns when you are downed.
"Battle the undead as you attempt to break free from the physical and metaphorical incarceration of Alcatraz Prison."
— Level Description
Mob of the Dead is the fifteenth map in the Zombies Campaign. It is included in the Uprising downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The map takes place at Alcatraz Island. This map includes four brand-new characters, those being: Finn O'Leary, Albert Arlington, Salvatore DeLuca and Billy Handsome, who are mobsters that are inmates in the prison. It also includes a new wonder weapon, The Blundergat and a new perk, Electric Cherry. A new boss zombies known as Brutus can also spawn in with regular zombies. There are a variety of sub-objectives the player can complete to earn special items such as the Hell's Retriever, Hell's Redeemer, and the Golden Spork. This is the first map in Call of Duty: Black Ops II to feature traps and the Afterlife Mode. This is the first zombie map with an alternative ending other than death.
On November 16th 2009, Nazi Zombies was released for the iOS as an application for £6.99 (UK) and $9.99 (US).[1] Originally, only Nacht der Untoten was available to play, but Treyarch confirmed that other maps would be released in the future. Verrückt was released for £2.99 and $4.99 on February 11th 2010.[2] The iOS version have lower quality graphics than their console counterparts, but they do include leaderboards, unique Achievements and 3 different control schemes. The game also includes an Aim-Assist like feature, as the camera will snap onto nearby targets, even from the hip. On June 2nd, 2010, version 1.4 was released, and along with it, Shi No Numa, the third map to be released for the iOS also for £2.99 and $4.99. As of September 30th 2010, version 1.5 was released and includes Der Riese, the fourth map, for no additional payment, new achievements, better Zombie A.I., improved graphics, the previous two maps were also made free, and made the app itself £2.99 and $4.99.
Call of Duty: Black Ops: ZOMBIES was released for the iOS for £4.99 (UK) and $6.99 (US) on December 1st, 2011, and later on Android. The application features Kino der Toten, Ascension, Call of the Dead & Dead Ops Arcade & teases "more maps coming soon". It boasts four player online (Local Wi-Fi only on Android) as well as new voice chat, which utilizes the device's internal microphone. It is also the first time you can choose from the four original playable characters. The controls are similar to its predecessor, but appearance has changed drastically to a comic-book stylized theme based off the consoles version's loading screens. Dead Ops Arcade is unlocked after finding four hidden coins in the main menu screen (similar to how it's unlocked in the console version). It includes 50 levels, 10 more than on consoles, as well as all of the power-ups featured in the original.
Players that bought the Hardened or Prestige editions of the game or the Rezurrection map pack have access to the original four maps. The maps have had updates to their graphics and Cold War-era guns added to the Mystery Box. The four main characters have been added to all of the original maps, replacing the unnamed Marines.
All games come with Kino der Toten automatically unlocked, while "Five" is unlocked once the player completes the campaign on any difficulty. Dead Ops Arcade is unlocked once the player enters a code in the terminal. The First Strike map pack includes the level Ascension, the Escalation map pack includes Call of the Dead, the Annihilation map pack includes Shangri-La, and the Rezurrection map pack includes the level Moon with the four Nazi Zombies Maps from Call of Duty: World at War.
There is a Zombies Mode for the Nintendo Wii edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops. The only map available is Kino Der Toten, in which the graphics are scaled down in quality. A patch hinted to the release of "Five" and Dead Ops Arcade for the Nintendo Wii as it contained images of them contained in folders marked dlc1, dlc2, dlc3, however, they were never released.[3]
Zombie Mode appears on Call of Duty: Black Ops DS, in a similar format to the consoles. The concept of the game and many mechanics are the same, but many changes have also been made, such as an increase in damage from the zombies (able to down the player in one hit at round one), an increase in zombies' health, more points needed to buy weapons and doors (players are awarded more points for kills) and barrier mechanics (can't be repaired while being destroyed, zombies able to attack when mantling the barrier).
Zombies Mode returns in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The mode now supports up to eight-player co-op in Grief and runs on the game's multiplayer engine, rather than a modified singleplayer engine as in Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops. It also supports four-player co-op split screen.
Additionally, a promotional poster for the game depicts a woman, now known as "Misty", wearing plaid shirt, a trucker hat with the number 1221 on it, a sheathed sword, a Winchester Rifle, and a decapitated head of a zombie.
The story appears to follow a group of four survivors surviving the events following the destruction of Earth in Richtofen's Grand Scheme in the American South-West in the 2020's, and must fight the nationwide apocalypse to survive the harsh environment. Elsewhere, U.S. surviving government factions CIA and CDC (Center for Disease Control) must combat each other to gain the upper hand in survival with the zombies.
Later on but possibly previously, this group is teleported to China in 2025, where they survive against SDC and Chinese civilian zombies.
In another downloadable map, Mob of the Dead , four mobsters imprisoned in Alcatraz, Finn O'Leary, Arthur Arlington, Salvatore DeLuca and Billy Handsome, fight off the endless waves of the undead in the 1930's; one of the first ever zombie outbreaks. This map is the first map to have an actual ending, where O'Leary, DeLuca and Handsome kill Arlington, or are killed by him.
Numerous choices are now given to the player in lobbies such as what round to start on (1, 5, 10, 15 or 20); enabling or disabling Hellhounds; turning power-ups and other "supernatural" advantages (called "Magic") on or off; as well as headshots only. An "easy" difficulty is also given in addition to the original.
Theater is also introduced in to Zombies, similar to the one in Multiplayer.
A ranking system is a new feature that was introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It has a total of five levels, a bone, a cross bone, a skull, a skull with a knife behind it and a skull with two shotguns. In order to rank up, one must have a high K/ D(Kill/Down) ratio and must have at least more than 5000 kills. Ranking up from a bone to a cross bone requires at least a 10 K/D. A cross bone to a skull requires a 20 K/D. A skull to a skull with a knife behind it requires a 50 K/D, but must have at least more than 10,000 kills overall. A skull with a knife behind it to a skull with two shotguns requires a 160 K/D, but must have at least more than 15,000 kills overall. One slash on the emblem indicates that a player has played minimum one game within the last 24 hours, two slashes indicates that the player has played minimum one game every day for two days, and so on. After gaining five slashes (which means the players has played at least one game of Zombies for five days straight) the blue eyes will appear on the skull (must have the Skull rank). If one does not play the next day, he or she will lose a slash.
In Call of Duty: Black Ops, only a maximum number of 24 zombies can be alive at one time. A larger amount can be alive in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. If a zombie cannot hit a player within a certain amount of time, the zombie dies, allowing another zombie to spawn.
So far, there has been a total of 44 playable characters. (This includes the Marines, CIA Agents, CDC Soldiers, Alcatraz Prisoners, Alcatraz Guards, Samantha, Rook, and the two Call of Duty: Black Ops (Nintendo DS). This does not count the Zombies.)
All of the identified playable characters have at least an opening cutscene in one of the maps they have played, except the "Original Crew".
While playing co-op, it is not possible to use the "/record" console command.
All Zombies characters use the same first-person character model, despite what their third-person model looks like. It is Miller's bare hands with sleeves of an American Army uniform.
This mode is not available in the Nintendo Wii and all German versions.
Just before the countdown to the start of an online match, the words "Locking in bets" can appear briefly above the players names in the lobby, as if it were a Wager Match.
The characters have different first person models, most of which are borrowed from another character:
Tank Dempsey uses Mason's model from "Payback", as do the characters from "Five".
Nikolai Belinski uses Mason's model from "Vorkuta". It does not match his thrid person model.
Takeo Masaki uses the NVA Ghost Multiplayer model. This, also, does not match his thrid person model.
If one looks closely in the release trailer, they can see a player getting over 100,000 points.
It is now possible to invite players in the middle of the game instead of just waiting for a new game to invite players. This applies only to custom games.
A zombie will die if the player(s) get too far away from it. This can make it difficult to complete steps of an easter egg or explore a map. A solution to this is to have someone accompany the zombie in a certain area while the other goes away until they are ready to kill it.
In Mob of the Dead, it is possible for a zombie spawn two power-ups, though it is rare.
Standard Equipment May Vary(25 / Bronze Trophy ) In TranZit, acquire 4 different equippable items in 1 game.
You Have No Power Over Me(10 / Bronze Trophy ) In TranZit, kill "him" (the Avogadro) before being attacked by "him". Note: The Avogadro will electrocute you when he enters the map, but it will not count as being "attacked" by him.