Treyarch has recently released new footage about the new Zombies game mode in the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 along with the cinematic cutscene for the map Terminus. Treyarch has also announced the official gameplay in Black Ops 6 Zombies and the second starting map Liberty Falls on the Call of Duty Next event on August 28. There’s much anticipation and hype surrounding this game already and this adds fuel to the fire for the Call of Duty fanbase. But, what makes a starting map iconic and beloved in the zombie community?
Qualities of a Great Starting Map
What makes a starting map in Zombies so great? To best determine this, one must understand the core gameplay of Call of Duty Zombies For round-based survival maps, the one and only true objective is to survive the unrelenting waves of zombies for as long as possible until death or when you get extracted in more recent call of duty zombies. Nacht Der Untoten was the first zombie map in Call of Duty history, in the eyes of new generations of gamers and seasoned veterans, some aspects of Nacht Der Untoten are a bit outdated but it served its job well by introducing one of the most beloved game modes in the series.
The map must be expansive but balanced, with enough room to accommodate all types of playstyles but not too big or small to constrict any playstyle. The map must do a great job at teaching the players, new and returning, about the new game mechanics introduced in the game. The map’s easter egg/main quest, should it have one, must be fun and coherent to do, it can be challenging but must be fair for balance. Lastly, give the map a unique personality, the style and theme of theme of the map can have subtle storytelling about the map itself or how it fits into the lore.
3. Shadows of Evil
Shadows of Evil was met with mixed reception at launch with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops III, considering that the style of the map was extremely different from what was shown in the storyline so far. It also introduced a whole variety of enemies who weren’t zombies such as the keepers and the apothicons, basically retconning the lore of the series, for the better or for the worse. Depends on who you ask. The map itself was also cramped, mainly consisting of tight walkways and hallways with little to no room to maneuver around hordes of zombies when the player needed to.
Despite these flaws, Shadows still has plenty of replay value to offer and did a good job as a starting map for a new generation of zombies. The setup for pack-a-punch isn’t difficult, just requires patience and skills to open it and upgrade your arsenal. Despite the map being cramped, the set pieces and locations of each area are easily recognizable which can be learned quickly with experience, so the player is never truly lost. There are many buildable items for the map that led to iconic weapons and items such as the Zombie Shield and Wonder Weapons. The world is also rich with lore and has a great music soundtrack.
2. Die Maschine
The first map for the new storyline in the new era of Call of Duty Zombies, Die Maschine served as an excellent introduction to the new Dark Aether storyline following the events of Tag Der Toten. The map was a remake of Nacht Der Untoten, adding the entire building that was the map of Nacht while also adding the surrounding environment and an underground bunker. A new system of weapon rarity and pack-a-punched upgrade tiers that worked for the most part, a coherent easter egg for the wonder weapon and the main easter egg of the map. After the failures of Black Ops 4 Zombies, it was a breath of fresh air.
The best feature to be added was the option to extract from the game instead of quitting the game or dying to end the game. It gave the players more incentive to keep playing and extract to not only get more gameplay from the match before it was over but also earn bonuses should the player succeed. However, it’s not perfect, despite being able to get collectibles, they’re a hassle to get because you can only collect a certain amount per game which can lead to a lot of repetition. Also, with the inclusion of operators instead of a dedicated crew, since they only have a few select lines for Zombies, it ironically makes them one-dimensional.
1. Kino Der Toten
Kino Der Toten is continuously regarded as one of the best, if not, the best starting map in Call of Duty Zombies history. It has almost everything a zombie player needs, a simple and easy map to learn and survive on. It accommodates all types of playstyles and has a handful yet balanced selection of enemies that is manageable through experience. The map has a unique personality that has rich storytelling for not only the history of the map but also the progression of the storyline overall. This map also introduced one of the most beloved wonder weapons in Call of Duty Zombies history.
Lastly, it has one of the best easter egg songs of all time, it’s a great listen even to this day. Sure, the map itself and what it has to offer might not be much by today’s standards, but regardless, the map is fun, enjoyable, and has a lot of replay value.
Departing thoughts
The aforementioned maps are just a couple of examples of many great maps throughout the Call of Duty franchise. Terminus and Liberty Falls have many opportunities to learn from the mistakes of the past and more importantly, listen to what the community wants. So far, the hype and anticipation is warranted considering the exciting features in this new cod.
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