The survival formula is changing in Call of Duty: WW2. The new mode, dubbed Nazi Zombies, doesn’t rest on those gameplay tropes we’ve all become familiar with. There are multiple ways the game has changed, and we’re going to delve in deep and reveal 4 ways Zombies is completely different from every other map since the mode’s original inception in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Call of Duty: WW2 isn’t just a return to the World War 2 setting — it also takes the series back to its gameplay roots. Shocking the old Call of Duty health system, you won’t regenerate anymore. Instead, you’ll need to use health packs to stay alive. During the campaign, you’ll swap and play as multiple characters, including a female French resistance fighter. Those features alter the way Nazi Zombies plays out — you won’t regenerate for one — but the extra mode is getting even more feature love. Let’s see what’s different.
#1: Objectives Unlock New Areas
The world can’t be accessed through mindless killing in Nazi Zombies — while wall buys, area gates and secret puzzles all return, you’ll often have to complete special objectives to unlock deeper paths into the nefarious facility spawning these undead abominations. Sledgehammer Games aims to create a more freeform experience, one that doesn’t lead to perfect, planned-out runs. No more sticking to one room and acquiring points to open every door — there’s an experience for each new area you unlock.
Objectives vary, but Sledgehammer describes one mini-objective — forcing your team to kill zombies in a shifting circle to generate power. You’ll have multiple objectives to tackle throughout your quest to the very bottom of the Nazi Zombies lab.
#2: A Dynamic Horror Experience
Utilizing Sledgehammer’s experience creating the Dead Space series, Nazi Zombies is all about horror. Taking a very different approach from Advanced Warfare’s campy zombie mode, Nazi Zombies wants to terrify you through dynamic, unique events and a variety of special boss zombies.
The standard wave-based zombie hordes are back, but the type of encounters you’ll face change depending on the area you’ve reached. Sometimes unique events will occur — special hordes of zombies with bombs strapped to their backs, or entering a zone protected by a flame-throwing uber-zombie. Certain areas will feature a unique arsenal you can access — such as Tesla-based wonder weapons, or heavy weapon emplacements — which lead to special survival situations as even larger hordes encircle your team.
#3: Load-Outs & Classes Are In
No longer just different characters, players can now select their load-out and class before entering Nazi Zombies. There are four core classes; offense, control, support and medic. Offense is your standard soldier class, best for taking on (and taking down) zombies. The other classes provide helpful enhancements to your team (support) or debuff the undead (control) — the medic class makes bringing your allies back to life after a down much faster than before.
Before a match, you can customize your class thanks to a permanent progression system that’s instantly easier to understand than previous entries. The perks provided by each class are meant to help casual players ease into the mode, and should make a little more sense than consuming (and unlocking) gumballs.
#4: Unleash Ultimate Abilities To Survive (Slightly) Longer
Before jumping into Nazi Zombies, you’ll be able to select a special ability. These special skills give your chosen class a single super-skill that charges up over time. When your meter fills, press [R1 / RB + L1 / LB] to unleash whatever your special happens to be. It’s almost a hold-over from the character selection in Black Ops 3.
The only special ability revealed so far is Unlimited Ammo. We can only guess there will be many more, with a variety of different effects to save your team or smash the zombie threat.
[BONUS!] #5: The Easter Egg Is Back
And finally, we come to one feature that will never change. Yes, the Easter egg quest will return in Nazi Zombies, and Sledgehammer promises it will be harder than ever before.
Want to start the Easter egg quest? Clues left all over the map by a mysterious toymaker might help you get started.
