Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombie / Updated Guide

The zombie mode belongs to Call of Duty like ketchup belongs to fries. Also in the reboot of the Black Ops series, you may plunge into the fight for survival against endless hordes of zombies. In this guide we give you tips & tricks that will ensure you stay alive longer.

How do I behave in the first waves?

In the first waves you should focus on close combat, because the zombies can only take one or two blows at the beginning. If the first four to five waves remain in the starting area – kill the still weak zombies and collect essence and junk this way. Do not start exploring the map and unlock other areas until wave four or five (if your teammates have not already done so). You should also gradually get a stronger weapon – preferably a rarity level 3 rifle – from wave five on. The rarity levels affect the attachments and the damage output of the weapons. The higher the level, the better the attachments. Your initial weapon from your loadout is always at level 1, so it is only really useful in the first waves.

What upgrades are available for the weapon classes?

In Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War does not improve individual weapons, but the entire category. If you buy an upgrade in the weapon class submachine guns, the improvement you purchase will be applied to all submachine guns. The upgrades are permanent, and even a failed evacuation will not cause you to lose the upgrades. Each weapon class has three upgrade levels. Level 1 always costs one ether crystal, level 2 costs two and level 3 costs three crystals. The following upgrades are available for the weapon classes:

Weapon Class	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Machine Guns	Increases melee damage by 10%	Increases critical damage by 10%	Unlocks 3 additional attachment spaces
Shotguns	Increases melee damage by 10%	Increases critical damage by 10%	Increases armor penetration damage by 10%
Pistols	Increases melee damage by 10%	Increases critical damage by 10%	Increases armor penetration damage by 10%
Tactical Rifles	Increases long-range shot damage by 10%	Increases critical damage by 10%	Unlocks 3 additional attachment spaces
Sniper Rifles	Increases armor penetration damage by 10%	Increases critical damage by 10%	Unlocks 3 additional attachment spaces
Light MGS	Increases armor penetration damage by 10%	Increases critical damage by 10%	Unlocks 3 additional attachment spaces
Close combat	Replaces weapon butts with melee knives	Increases melee primary weapon damage by 10%	Replaces weapon butts with Bowie knives

Initially, invest mainly in the weapon class you use most (for example, shotguns). You are free to invest in several categories at the same time, but don’t forget that I also need to improve your field equipment and extras. And ether crystals are only earned in longer lasting matches (more than 5 waves). In our opinion the Gallo SA12 is the best weapon in zombie mode. Therefore we recommend to invest in the shotgun class. Of course, the other weapons are not useless – but with no other weapon will you decimate the zombie hordes as effortlessly as with a SA12 equipped with real attachments and enhanced with pack-a-punch.

What field equipment is available in Zombie Mode?

The available field equipment differs from the regular Versus multiplayer. In fact, the field gear in Zombie mode is more comparable to special abilities like those in Apex: Legends. Like the weapon classes, field equipment can also be permanently upgraded with Aether Crystals. You are free to choose what field equipment you want – unlike Apex Legends, it is not tied to your chosen operator (The Playable Characters in Black Ops Cold War). The following field equipment is available:

• Frost shot Creates a cold gust of wind that causes forest damage and slows enemies. Slowed zombies take additional damage.
• Energy Mine (Level 35) Creates a mine of pure energy that explodes when approached by enemies, causing explosion damage.
• Ether Veil (Level 39) Enter the dark ether for 5 seconds to become invisible to the zombies.
• Healing Aura (Level 45) Generates energy rays that instantly heal you and your fellow players completely.
• Ring of Fire (Level 53) For 15 seconds, form a ring of fire that increases your damage output. Also applies to your teammates. Zombies that enter the ring receive fire damage.

How do I behave in the first waves?

In the first waves you should focus on close combat, because the zombies can only take one or two blows at the beginning. If the first four to five waves remain in the starting area – kill the still weak zombies and collect essence and junk this way. Do not start exploring the map and unlock other areas until wave four or five (if your teammates have not already done so).  

• 

You should also gradually get a stronger weapon – preferably a rarity level 3 rifle – from wave five on. The rarity levels affect the attachments and the damage output of the weapons. The higher the level, the better the attachments. Your initial weapon from your loadout is always at level 1, so it is only really useful in the first waves.

What upgrades are available for the weapon classes?

In Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War does not improve individual weapons, but the entire category. If you buy an upgrade in the weapon class submachine guns, the improvement you purchase will be applied to all submachine guns. The upgrades are permanent, and even a failed evacuation will not cause you to lose the upgrades.   Each weapon class has three upgrade levels. Level 1 always costs one ether crystal, level 2 costs two and level 3 costs three crystals. The following upgrades are available for the weapon classes:

Field equipment	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Frost shot	Detonations last 3 seconds longer and continue to slow enemies	Increases the maximum number of charges to 2	Doubles the extent and damage of the detonation
Energy mine	Increases the maximum number of charges to 2	Doubles the size of the explosion	A mine that explodes twice in quick succession
Aether veil	Activation immediately reloads ammunition for your weapons	Extends the duration of the veil to 8 seconds	When activated, you are immediately promoted a little bit forward
Healing aura	A regenerative healing effect is applied to you and your allies that lasts 10 seconds	A beam throws normal enemies to the ground and stuns special and elite enemies	A beam revives all players who are switched off
Ring of fire	Doubles the fire effect damage	The ring blocks enemy projectiles	While you are standing in the ring, ammunition is taken from the ammunition supply instead of from the magazine

Be sure to invest in field equipment upgrades! Pick the field equipment you like the most and level it up to level 3 as soon as possible before moving on to other field equipment.

What extras are available in Zombie mode?

The extras work slightly different in Zombie mode than in Versus mode. They are not part of your loadout, you have to buy them in the game for essence. The extras are in the form of vending machines on the map. These machines always stay in the same place, so you will remember their location after a few matches. 

You have to buy extras in every match. However, the extras can also be upgraded permanently by three levels. The Extras themselves can be bought and drunk regardless of your level, but upgrades can only be bought for most Extras at higher levels. The following extras are available:

• Jugger-Nog Increases maximum health by 50.
• Tempo Coke Increases the reload speed by 15%.
• Quick Resurrection (Level 18) Reduces the time for complete regeneration by 50%. Reduces the time required to resurrect an ally by 50%.
• Stamina (Level 33) Increases the running speed and the sprint speed of the player.
• Elemental Limo (Level 41)  Each shot has a small chance of triggering a random ammunition modification standard effect.
• Death Daiquiri (Level 51) Targeting via rear sight & front sight automatically targets a critical enemy hit zone. Also eliminates scope movement.

 

For the first time in the history of Call of Duty extras such as the Jugger-Nog can be permanently improved. The cost of upgrades is similar to the cost of weapon classes and extras upgrades. You can see which improvements you unlock in the following table:  

Extra	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Jugger-Nog	Deals 100% additional critical damage when an enemy is at full health	Increases damage against armor parts by 50%	Reduces dispersion when firing from the hip
Tempo Cola	Change your weapons faster	Increases field equipment recharge speed by 20%	Increases reload speed by 30%
Quick Revive	Increases crawling speed on the ground by 100%	Reduces regeneration delay time by 50%	Reviving an ally also fully restores your own health
Stamin-Up	Slightly increases the speed of movement backwards	Grants immunity to fall damage	Enables faster movement when aiming over the rear sight and front sight
Elemental Pop	Damage from equipment has a small chance to trigger a random ammo modification standard effect	Reduces the cooldown of ammo modifications by 20%	When applying a random ammunition modification, the current level is used instead of the standard level of modification ability
Deadshot Daiquiri	Deals 100% additional critical damage when an enemy is at full health	Increases damage against armor parts by 50%	Reduces dispersion when firing from the hip

Since your standard health is rather low, it is important that you get the Jugger-Nog Extra in every match. Especially on the higher waves, where countless zombies are chasing you, you need a lot of health to survive several blows. So in the beginning invest mainly in upgrades from Jugger-Nog to get the most out of this extra.

What are ammunition modifications and how do I use them?

The ammunition modifications give your weapons certain attributes such as fire damage or electrical damage. You equip ammunition modifications to the Pack-a-Punch machine. We will show you how to summon the Pack-a-Punch machine in the appropriate section of this article. While you can buy all modifications within a match on the Pack-a-Punch machine, upgrades for each type of modification are only unlocked after a certain level. The following modifications are available:

• Napalm Salvo Bullets cause fire damage. Every shot has a chance to cause a fire effect on normal enemies. This burn effect lasts 5 seconds and causes fire damage equal to 10% of the maximum enemy health.
• Dead Line (Level 11) Bullets cause electrical damage. Each shot has the chance to stun normal enemies for 2 seconds.
• Cryo-Rigid (Level 23) Bullets cause frost damage. Each shot has the chance to reduce the running speed of normal enemies by 30% for 3 seconds.
• Brain rot (Level 48) Bullets cause poisonous damage. Each shot has a chance to turn a normal enemy into an ally for 15 seconds before dying.

Since you only have access to the Napalm Salvo and Dead Line for the first few hours anyway, it is also recommended to invest mainly in one of the two modifications. However, in our opinion, brain rot is the strongest modification – especially in the high waves (from wave 15). When you unlock Brain Rot upgrades, you should already have a certain amount of Aether Crystals that you can use to buy Brain Rot upgrades.

What can I craften on workbenches?

Zombies drop scrap metal from time to time – use it at the new workbenches and in the arsenal. At the workbenches you will be able to use them for primary throwing items, tactical equipment and scoring. Do not confuse scrap with essence. The latter is the currency you receive for killing zombies, repairing windows, and completing special tasks on the quest computer. With essence, you pay to open new paths, buy extras and get damage upgrades from the Pack-a-Punch machine.

The point series and field equipment are mostly the same as you have in Versus Multiplayer. The following equipment and point series can be crafted at the workbenches:  

Name	Items
Tactics	Stimulant – Stun Grenade – Decoy Grenade – Monkey (Attracts zombies before it explodes)
Primary	Tomahawk – Frag grenade – Semtex – Molotow – C4
Points series	Combat bow (arrows burn targets and surrounding area) – gun – war machine – self-resuscitation – helicopter gunner

It’s tempting to use all your junk immediately to build up strong point series, but you should save your junk for armor and weapon upgrades in the arsenal. Zombies very often drop frag grenades, semtex and even C4, so you don’t need to rely on the workbench. Only the point series are worth it – and you should only get the strong (and expensive) ones like self-resurrection or helicopter gunner. In the first waves you can safely ignore the workbench.

How do I improve my armor and weapons?

Zombies sometimes drop armor as a loot, but this is usually level 1 armor. To get level 2 and level 3 armor, you need to access the armory. The Arsenal is in the form of an armored mannequin in the underground laboratory – very close to the portal machinery. This mannequin allows you to crack level 1, 2 and 3 armor – provided you have enough scrap metal with you. Level 1 costs, level 2 costs, and level 3 costs. If you already have armour on, you can also have it repaired here. You can also upgrade your weapon to level 5 (Legendary). Since level 1 and level 2 weapons are only really useful in the first six to seven waves, we advise you to save your collected scrap and, late in wave 10, upgrade your weapon in the arsenal to level 3 or 4.

How do I summon the Pack-a-Punch machine?

Pack-a-Punch has been an integral part of Zombie Mode for years and that doesn’t change in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. With the Pack-a-Punch machine you set your weapon to a higher damage level. The texture of a punched weapon changes color and you shoot laser beams from now on. The Pack-a-Punch machine is not available immediately, but must be conjured up by you first. To do so, you have to go to the underground laboratory (the way to get there is automatically marked) and then enter the portal into the ether dimension. In this parallel world, you have about one and a half minutes to activate an ether tunnel, which is also marked. Once you have done this, you will return to the normal world and the pack-a-punch machine will be placed in the lab where the portal was before. Be sure to use the Pack-a-Punch! Save enough essence to buy at least the first level. The zombies are very resilient in the later waves – even if you use weapons of higher rarity levels. The Pack-a-Punch is the most important improvement, so after the Jogger Nog, the next step is to target the Pack-a-Punch.