Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies Mode Explained

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The Story Of MWZ+−
- Victor Zakhaev Lives; Incusion In Urzikstan
- Operation Deadbolt
The Gameplay Of MWZ+−

For the first time in Call of Duty history, the fan-favorite Zombies mode is making its way to the Modern Warfare series with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Still developed by the mode’s main studio, Treyarch, this version of Zombies known as Modern Warfare Zombies, or simply MWZ, introduces new story content for fans of the mode’s ever-enigmatic narrative but also completely reshapes the foundation of the mode into something new for long-time series veterans. Before jumping into the mode, players should have a basic understanding of just how different the mode is and the horrors they can expect to overcome. This article will provide a full breakdown of the new Modern Warfare Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

More Modern Warfare 3 Guides:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Full Achievement and Trophy List | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – How Does the New Gear System Work? | All Perks Explained | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Tac Stance Explained | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Aftermarket Parts Explained

The Story Of MWZ

This section will cover the narrative of the new mode and how it continues the story of the Dark Aether.

Victor Zakhaev Lives; Incusion In Urzikstan

Taking place in between Modern Warfare (2019) and Modern Warfare 2, the believed dead Victor Zakhaev has resurfaced in Urzikstan. He hears rumors of an otherworldly substance known as Aetherium that can be a great boon in his weapon dealings. When a job to retrieve this Aetherium goes wrong, Zakhaev releases the Aetherium, causing a Dark Aether Incursion and bringing in the horrors from the realm beneath creation.

A few weeks passed and Terminus Outcomes, a PMC led by a man named Jack Fletcher and working with Zakhaev, has set up in the Exclusion Zone to learn more of the Aetherium outbreak.

Operation Deadbolt

With the world now at risk from the Dark Aether and whatever Zakhaev is planning, Laswell, Soap, and Specialist Sergei Ravanov bring together a team for Operation Deadbolt. It is up to you and all other Operators who enter the EZ to ensure that everything happening in Urzikstan doesn’t spread. Time to get to work!

The Gameplay Of MWZ

This section will cover how players interact with the world of MWZ. This will cover the pre-game setup, the enemies you will encounter, and the missions you will be able to complete.

Open World Zombies

MWZ has changed the familiar Round-Based maps that the series is known for and instead combines aspects of the open world Outbreak mode introduced in Treyarch’s last game, Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, and the extraction mode DMZ that was introduced in last year’s rendition of Call of Duty: Warzone. At launch, players will load into the new Warzone map Urzikstan (with more maps to be added later). They will load in with their Squad of up to 3 people into a match that can max out at 24 players.

Once in the game, players will find the map infested with the undead and with other threats from the Dark Aether along with Terminus Outcomes. You will need to scavenge for supplies to build your loadout and complete missions around the map. The map is broken down into 3 zones. You can move between the zones at your own pace but just know that each zone steps up the difficulty from the previous one.

The outer zone is known as the Low Threat Zone. Zombies move at regular speed here and their health is fairly low. This is where all players spawn at the start of a MWZ match. Novice players or players with low-level equipment will have the chance to improve their loadout before venturing deeper toward the map’s center. The second zone, known as Medium Threat is marked in orange and makes up the zone between the outer rim and the center of the map. Zombies are tougher here and you are more likely to find minibosses like Manglers and Mimics here. The Zombies also have the chance to wear armor here and become super sprinters, which will catch up to you if you aren’t running. The trade-off here is that you are more likely to find better loot in this area.

The Final Zone is at the center of the map and is fittingly called the High Threat Zone. This is where the toughest enemies are found. Even the most basic Zombie will require fully upgraded weapons to get put down with most of them gaining that super sprinter quality. This is an area not for the weak or even the strong but for the strongest possible Operators with the biggest rewards waiting behind this zone.

Each game has a 45-minute time limit before the Aether Storm spreads across the EZ. After an additional 15 minutes, the whole map will be covered and the game will end, killing anyone still in the game. Players can use Exfil points found around the map to call in a helicopter to leave the match at any time.

Strike Team Loadouts

Players will have the chance to build out their Operators before they go into a match. Just like DMZ, players will be able to have (at the time of writing) 3 Active Operators that you can choose from. Each one is able to carry their equipment like Rucksacks, Killstreaks, and Armor Plate Vest that they find between games. Every Operator begins with a 1-Plate Armor Vest and a Small Rucksack. You can find bigger versions of the Vests and Rucksacks in-game, increasing the amount of armor you can equip and items you can carry, respectively.

Shared between these Operators are the weapons that you can equip. You can pick an Insured Weapon, which you are able to customize in the Gunsmith and will return if you lose it in a game by leaving it behind or by dying after a cooldown period. All other weapons that you extract from a match are known as Contraband. These weapons have pre-selected attachments you can’t edit and disappear forever if left or lost in the field. Dying in a match of MWZ will cause you to lose everything on that Operator, resetting that Operator to having nothing.

Scavenging, Weapons, And, Upgrades

Completing missions, killing zombies, and selling materials at Buy Stations will help you accumulate Essense, aka Points. You can use these points to buy things like Armor and Killstreaks from Buy Stations or use them to purchase weapons from Wall Buys or the Mystery Box. You can also just find weapons in loot stashes and weapon lockers. Each weapon you find also comes with a rarity. The more rare the weapon you find is, the stronger it is. Each weapon in the game (besides Wonder Weapons) can be found at any rarity. Below are all of the weapon rarities in MWZ:

Grey: Starting Weapon (All weapons that you bring into a match will start at this rarity)
Green: Uncommon
Blue: Rare
Purple: Epic
Orange: Legendary
Gold: Wonder Weapon

There is also the return of the Ammo Mods, powerful abilities that will randomly add extra effects to your bullets. Below are all of the Ammo Mods in MWZ.

Brain Rot: Turn a Zombie into an ally.
Dead Wire: Shock and chain some lightning between a few enemies to kill them.
Napalm Blast: Ignite an enemy on fire.
Cryo Freeze: Case an enemy in ice, slowing their movements.
Shatter Blast: Cause an explosion that can quickly break through enemy armor.

Weapons that you extract will lose their rarity and Ammo Mods, so they will return to the Starting Weapon tier when you bring them into your next match.

There are currently two Wonder Weapons in the mode: The classic Ray Gun that has been in Zombies since the very first map and the Scorcher. This new weapon charges up an Aetheral blast that will knock back enemies and cause damage over time. There is also an alternate fire mode that allows players to launch themselves high into the air. Wonder Weapons cannot be carried over between games.

Along with the weapons that you can find and buy, there are also the iconic Zombies Perks from the machines that spawn randomly around the map. There are a total of 9 Perks that you can find across the maps as well as multiple Der Wunderfizz machines where you can purchase any Perk in the game from a single location. Below are all of the Perks in MWZ:

Juggernog: Increase your player’s health by 100 HP
Speed Cola: Increase reload and armor plate replacement speed
Quick Revive: Improve health recovery and revive speed
PHD Flopper: Become immune from splash and fall damage. Dolphin diving from a height will cause a large explosion around you on impact
Stamin-Up: Increase sprint speed
Deadshot Daquiri: Aiming down sight will lock onto an enemy’s critical location. Increase critical damage
Tombstone Soda: If killed with this Perk, you will be able to visit the location where you died in your next match to find a tombstone. You will be able to recover the Rucksack items that you were carrying when you died.
Death Perception: All enemies, chests, and items around you are outlined in red. Can be seen through walls
Elemental Pop: Every bullet fired has a chance to trigger a random Ammo Mod.

Finally, there is the Pack-a-Punch system. Each weapon can be PaP’ed up to 3 times. The first time cost 5,000 Essence, the second 10,000, and the final one 15,000. There are Pack-a-Punch machines found in every Zone of the map. Players are only able to upgrade a weapon to the level that corresponds to the zone the machine is found in. This means that a machine found in the Low Threat Zone can only get a weapon to Pack-a-Punch Level 1 while the machine in the High Threat Zone can increase a weapon to Levels 1, 2, and 3.

You can’t skip any levels, however, so if you bring a base weapon to the Medium Threat Zone, you will first need to get the weapon to Level 1 before getting it to Level 2. When you extract a weapon, it loses its Pack-a-Punch and returns to the basic version of the weapon when equipped.

Acquisitions And Schematics

While weapons that are brought out of a match become Contraband, there are other items that you can take out of a game that will also carry over to another match. These are known as Acquisitions and these are carried in your Rucksack. These items include Perk Cans which can be discovered through the map. When you find these cans, you can use them instantly to get that perk for free or you can hold on to the can and bring it into your next game.

There are also Aether Tools, items that will increase the rarity of the weapon you are holding to the level that corresponds with the tool. There are Green, Blue, Purple, and Orange Aether Tools, all of which correspond to their respective rarity levels. Unlike Pack-a-Punch, you can skip rarity levels. So, if you have a Legendary Aether Tool, you can instantly turn a Grey weapon into an Orange one with this item. Finally, there are also Aetherium Crystals. These items allow you to instantly Pack-a-Punch the weapon you are holding. Below are all the Aetherium Crystals in MWZ:

Raw Aetherium Crystal: Instantly Pack-a-Punch your weapon to Level 1.
Refined Aetherium Crystal: Instantly Pack-a-Punch your weapon to Level 2.
Flawless Aetherium Crystal: Instantly Pack-a-Punch your weapon to Level 3.

In addition to Acquisitions, there are also Schematics. These items can also be found in the world and upon exfiling with them will unlock them for you to craft the item for that Schematic. You are able to find Schematics for every Perk, Ammo Mod, and even Wonder Weapons. You can find Schematics for all the Aether Tools and Aetherium Crystals except the Legendary Aether Tool and Flawless Aetherium Crystal.

All of the Schematics have a Crafting Cooldown after you use them. These can range from 2 hours all the way up to 48 hours for the Wonder Weapons.

Enemies To Fight

There are many more threats in the world of MWZ that go beyond your simple zombie. Both the Undead and Terminus Outcomes have many different character classes that you will need to deal with. Here are all the enemy types for the human Terminus Outcome enemies in MWZ:

Grunt: Simple, unarmored enemies.
Soldier: A lightly armored Grunt
Shield Soldier: A Soldier that wields a Riot Shield. Shoots a pistol from around the shield’s protection.
Sniper: A Ghillie Suit-wearing Solider that will engage you from long range with a sniper rifle.
Anti-Tank: A Grunt that wields a Rocket Launcher.
Recon: Fast-moving Soldiers that sprint toward the player and utilize a flurry of melee attacks to disorientate and down you.
Shock Trooper: Soldiers with more armor as well as a helmet that will require you to fully destroy a piece of armor to deal damage.
Sergeant: Leaders of Mercenary Camps and Strongholds.
Elite: Soldiers that have the most health and armor.

In addition, there is a special boss enemy that is known as a Warlord. Currently, there is only one Warlord in the mode and that is Legacy. You will need to get a Legacy’s Fortress Keycard from the safe of any Mercenary Stronghold. Check out Gameranx’s full guide on how to defeat Legacy here.

Below are all of the Dark Aether enemies in MWZ:

Zombie: The basic, shambling Undead.
Light Armored Zombies: A Zombie with some armor covering them that will increase their health slightly.
Armored Zombies: Heavily armored zombies that have a large health increase.
Hellhound: A firey canine that will charge you and bite you. Will leave behind a pool of fire on the ground when killed that will damage both players and enemies.
Nest Crawler: Found in Infested Nests and Strongholds. Small creatures that will drop from the roof when Cysts are destroyed and will explode when close to the player. This will leave behind an electric pool on the ground that will damage the player.
Mangler: A large Zombie wearing a suit of armor and wielding a sonic cannon that can be fired to attack the player from range.
Mimic: A creature that can take the form of loot to ambush the player. Its tendrils can grab the player and pull them in to get bitten.
Disciple: A floating Zealot that can supercharge the zombies around it. It will siphon the life of both the player and other Zombies when it gets close.
Wretchling: Small crawlers that will spawn from a Mega-Abomination if you try to escape it by running indoors.
Mega-Abomination: A giant 3-headed creature only found in the High Threat Zone. It can spawn Wretchlings, fire lasers from each of its mouths, and charge at the player. It has a massive health pool that makes it a massive challenge to take down.

Contracts And World Events

Killing Zombies isn’t the only way to get things like Perks, Weapons, or Perks. There are many objectives found around the map that will reward you for completing them. Contracts function exactly like they did in DMZ. You will find a Contract Phone and upon interacting with it, you will begin that objective. When you complete that objective, you will receive an amount of Essence as well as a Reward Rift. This rift will give you random items that can range from Aetherium Crytral or Perk Can to an Ammo Mod.

Below are all of the Contracts you can find in MWZ:

Sabotage Aether Extractor: Find and destroy Aether Extractors before Terminus Outcomes is able to escape with them.
Outlast: Find and activate a generator purging an area of Aetherium. Remain in the area until it is fully powered.
Defend Ground Station: Activate 3 Seismic Refractors to gather data on the surrounding area. Take that data to a nearby server and defend it from Terminus Outcomes until the upload is complete.
Deliver Cargo: Drive an LTV to a location to extract cargo from the EZ.
Eliminate The Bounty: Find and defeat an HVT target.
Escort: Lead an ACV rover to 3 Aether portals and defend it while it closes the rifts.
Raid Weapon Stash: Break open a locked Weapon Safe while Zombies swarm the area.
Spore Control: Take an Inhibitor to a collection of Spores in the area and destroy them.

While you need to pick up a Contract Phone for these activities, there are other events known as World Events that are simply found in the world for you and any other player to complete. Below is the full list of all World Events in MWZ:

Infested Nest: Destroy the Cysts found in an area to clear out the toxic gas and unlock loot containers found inside.
Infested Stronghold: The same as the Nests though in much bigger buildings with more Cysts. More containers and rewards are found inside.
Mercenary Convoys: A group of 3 armored cars controlled by Terminus that can be found traveling the roads of Urzikstan. Defeat all the enemies here to finish this Event. You can also find a Mercenary Stronghold Keycard here.
Mercenary Camp: A small outside base controlled by Terminus Outcomes that have a Counter UAV circling it to scramble your HUD. Defeat all Terminus mercenaries to complete this Event. You will find a Keycard for a Mercenary Stronghold in a small loot container in the camp.
Mercenary Stronghold: A large building controlled by Terminus Outcomes that requires a Keycard to access. Clear out the enemies inside and open the safe found in the base. Pick up the Legacy’s Fortress Keycard to complete this Event.
Legacy’s Fortress: A heavily guarded location on top of a hill that is the home of the Warlord, Legacy. Players will contend with guards, helicopters, and mortars and require a Legacy’s Fortress Keycard to enter the main building. Prepare for a fight!

Along the way, you will also find easter eggs to complete to get supplies and learn more about the story, staples of the Zombies mode!

Acts And Missions

The main mission progression of MWZ is found in the Missions that you select before entering the game. These missions will task you with performing specific acts in a match that will include story dialog and progress the narrative. These missions are broken down into 3 different Acts and broken down even further into Tiers. You can select the order of the Missions you complete when they are in the same Tier but you must complete every Mission in a Tier before progressing to the next Tier. Once you complete every Mission in an Act, you will unlock a Story Mission which will end with a cutscene and will unlock the next Act. Once you finish all 3 Acts, you will get the final Cutscene and will unlock exclusive cosmetics as well as the “The End?” Achievement and Trophy. More story content and Missions will be added over the next seasons of content which will continue the story of the Dark Aether.