Treyarch revealed exclusive details for Modern Warfare 3 Zombies at COD NEXT, and via a private gameplay event where creators got their hands on with MWZ. Modern Warfare III zombies is reportedly getting round based content ahead of the Black Ops 2024 release, while there’s also a number of secrets that were not shared during the COD NEXT reveal event.
Real Life Perk Machines From COD NEXT
At COD NEXT, I managed to checkout real life Cold War perk machines which took everyone by surprise. The same Cold War perk machines are set to return inside of Modern Warfare 3 Zombies, as the mode is canon to the dark aether storyline. Each perk machine dispensed a different flavor of liquid death, which is flavored water. It’s likely these perk machines will wind up at the Treyarch headquarters in Los Angeles. The Zombies reveal during COD NEXT revealed an incredible amount details about the next iteration of the mode, while some details were learned off camera, as we’ll be discussing below.
Main Easter Egg Quests, Contracts & Missions
Both Kevin Drew and Miles Leslie sat down with casters at COD NEXT to share the first official details about MW3 Zombies to the world. While they didn’t elaborate too much on how the traditional easter eggs would work, content creators who flew out to play the mode early did share some details about the various quests we’ll be seeing. MW3 Zombies is said to have three different tiers of missions on launch day. The first tier is said to be “tutorial like” with basic missions tasking players to become familiar with the environment, open the mystery box, get x amount of kills, etc. The second and third tier missions are reportedly story focused, with players being taken on a helicopter to a sub-map, outside of the playable space where a cinematic will play after completing the objectives.
The different missions and contracts are similar to those of Outbreak and DMZ’s set of challenges. Specific examples include holding out in an environment, shooting and securing an elemental orb, disabling aether extractors, escorting an ACV, eliminating a disciple, delivering a cargo to HLZ, etc. Treyarch also confirmed traditional Easter Egg quests, without any guidance, are being planned as post launch content, and could drop as soon as Season 01 on December 6th.
The Gameplay Loop & Item Persistence
Unlike the Outbreak mode in Cold War, DMZ allowed players to exfil with a limited amount of content that they could take into their next infil. MW3 Zombies will allow players to keep just about their entire loadout including points & pack a punched weapons while contraband and insured weapons are also making a return from DMZ. The gameplay loop Treyarch described consists of completing missions, collecting essence, upgrading your arsenal, passing increasing zones of difficulty followed by unlocking permanent rewards. Players can also find ammo mods around the environment versus pack a punching their weapons to receive them.
Schematics, also found around Urzikstan, will allow players to craft a wonder weapon, perk cans and ammo mods that they can take into their next match. It’s unclear how you can find schematics or how long you can use the items that you craft, but it’s replayability nonetheless. DMZ offered weapon cases, which simply provided you with a reward upon exfiling with one, while wonder weapon cases are said to offer much more gameplay wise, inside of MW3 Zombies.
Boss Fights, Heavy Enemies & More
Zombies fans quickly pointed the giant sized abominations, the return of hellhounds, mimics and even manglers. The amount of heavy enemies will increase as players make their way into higher threat zones on Urzikstan. One boss in particular, the centipede, was teased at the end of the trailer, and is likely tied to one of the story driven tier missions that’ll be available at launch. Treyarch urged players to assimilate with up to three other players to form a six man platoon. With a 24 player limit in a zombies lobby, players could theoretically use proximity chat and work together with non teammates to face off against the hardest bosses in the game. The studio has made it clear that you’re encouraged to survive at your own pace, regardless of how much prior zombie knowledge you have.
Mercenary AI, Outposts and The Fortress Warlord
Amongst one of the most asked questions about MW3 zombies is in regards to human AI which will roaming the map. Zakhaev’s mercenaries, Terminus Outcomes, will be facing off against the undead, but also the real players on the map if agitated. Treyarch insisted that players could lead a horde of zombies into the AI, pop Aether shroud and move away to watch the mercenaries get eaten by the undead. The AI doesn’t seem to be as aggressive as they are in DMZ, while they’ll also be located in outposts. Clearing an outpost will give players a stronghold key, while clearing a stronghold will then provide players with a fortress key. While not shown in the gameplay, the fortress contains someone called the Warlord, who is described as a boss that players shouldn’t take on in their first playthrough of MWIII Zombies.
Perks, Field Upgrades & Consumables
The Cold War perks are set to return, but without their tier upgrades in Modern Warfare 3. It’s currently unknown if the tiers are set to be added in a different way, or if the upgrades are already built into the experience. The perk machines are said to be randomized in every match that is played. Nearly all field upgrades are making a return, but ring of fire was not seen or mentioned. Consumables are said to be additional upgrades which may act as gameplay enhancements, like gobblegums and elixers, but it’s unclear if they’ll be incorporated into microtransactions, such as the DMZ benefits from Modern Warfare 2.
Unlike past zombie experiences, going down will not make players lose their perks, but fully bleeding out will. Tombstone is described to have one of the greatest uses, as players who die can come back to their tombstone in their next infil to reaquire their loadout. The pack a punch prices have also been reduced to just $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000 unlike the more expensive prices that were in Cold War and Vanguard. With MW3 Zombies having three threat zones per match, there is said to be one pack a punch machine in each zone.
The Scorcher Wonder Weapon
As seen in the trailer and the early gameplay provided to select creators, the new wonder weapon is bound to be one of the most exciting yet. While the Ray Gun and Wunderwaffe are set to return, the scorcher is the new wonder weapon that was designed for demolishing the highest density of zombies. This new weapon also features an alt fire attachment, which can launch players into the air, either away or towards a horde. The scorcher can be found both in the mystery box, or through a schematic, as described above.
Extend The 60 Minute Timer in Game
The announcement about MW3 Zombies having a 60 minute time limit created endless controversy in the community. Players will actually be on a 45 minute timer to complete their objectives, while the aether storm won’t fully collapse on the entire map for another 15 minutes. While this timer may be adjusted after launch, players can quickly exfil and jump into their next match with the loot they just obtained. The escalating zones of difficulty have been designed based on location, not time or number of kills. This means players can choose to go straight to an area of interest in their next match, after having learned new map experience in their previous match.
Content creators were privately told that players can extend their in game time by another hour after doing an “endgame contract”. Treyarch provided some context in a reddit QnA just a few hours ago, which also was not discussed during the COD NEXT broadcast. It’s entirely possible that timer extensions are necessary in order to eventually complete hidden Easter Eggs, which won’t be added until a future season.
Round Based Maps Coming Before 2024
Four round based maps were featured in Cold War, while only two made their way into Vanguard following a change in trajectory from the game’s original objective focus. New rumors suggest that Black Ops 2024 is set to launch with two round based maps, and offer a more classic experience compared to the new Outbreak, DMZ hybrid in Modern Warfare III. It’s been rumored that Outbreak will eventually go free to play, and may do so during the next Black Ops game’s lifecycle.
Creators who played MW3 zombies early did suggest that Treyarch may be cooking up round based sooner rather than later, and we may see some classic experiences before the launch of Black Ops 2024. Treyarch recently expanded their zombies department and opened up a new studio in Vancouver. It’s likely that their new zombie teams have allowed them to be ahead of schedule, hence why they’re able to pump out a lot of content for Modern Warfare 3.
For further details on the MW3 Zombies reveal, a footage breakdown and the future of round based, checkout the following video:
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