When Call of Duty Zombies first began, the mode was incredibly simple, with only a single Wonder Weapon available to acquire. The original Ray Gun was there at the beginning, and while it is still around in the most recent Zombies maps, there have been a few dozen Wonder Weapons added to Treyarch games since its inception. Designed to be the most powerful weapons on their respective maps, the guns often meet the expectations of players — though not always.
In the long history of Call of Duty Zombies, there has been a mixture of good, bad, and truly overpowered Wonder Weapons. From elemental bows and staves to a mixture between a Blunderbuss and a Shotgun, Treyarch has shown immense creativity in their Wonder Weapon designs over the years. As such, nearly all the special guns are fun to use in-game. While there are several reasons why Zombies has become the phenomenon that it has, Wonder Weapons have undeniably played a big part in the mode’s success. As such, plenty of fun can be had by looking at the best and worst of these iconic items.
D Tier - Hardly Wondrous
- Tundra Gun
- Jet Gun
- VR-11
VR-11: The VR-11’s only appearance in Zombies was in Call of the Dead, and that is for the best. Used for the easter egg to turn a Zombie human, the gun is otherwise useless in solo play. While it has a great effect in co-op that gives players Zombie Blood and insta-kill, it being so worthless in solo makes it one of the worst Wonder Weapons released thus far.
Tundra Gun: The Tundra Gun from Tag Der Toten also finds itself in D Tier. While the weapon fits with the theme of the snowy Siberia, this Thunder Gun variant is a significantly worse version of one of Zombies’ best weapons. Not only is it less effective at killing, but it causes severe splash damage, something that is not an issue with the original Wonder Weapon. Besides trying it out once to see the ice effect, players will likely always go for the normal Thunder Gun instead.
Jet Gun: Rounding out D Tier is TranZit’s painfully weak Jet Gun. Much like TranZit as a map, the weapon is deeply flawed, as it can break if used too much. Not only does this defeat the purpose of a Wonder Weapon, as it encourages players not to use it often, but it is a pain to rebuild. While it can be useful in the right hands, it simply is not worth the effort.
C Tier - Getting The Job Done
- DIE Shockwave (all variants)
- KT-4
- Scavenger
- Serket’s Kiss
- Winter’s Howl
- Savage Impaler
DIE Shockwave: The DIE Shockwave from Die Maschine is a fine Wonder Weapon, but little more. While the base version can destroy a full train, it only does so until about round 30. While the variants are all fine, none are particularly strong, as this gun often feels like a secondary weapon as opposed to a primary source of damage.
KT-4: Zetsubou No Shima’s Wonder Weapon was essentially a more balanced Sliquifier, as it consumed three shots for each train kill. While it doubled as a way to water plants and make them stronger, the gun ultimately suffered from a lack of ammo, keeping it within C Tier.
Scavenger: The explosive Scavenger sniper rifles excelled when combined with the PhD Flopper perk, as the splash damage being taken away allowed players to shoot the floor and essentially become invincible. Unfortunately, this power faded away in high rounds, with the weapon running out of ammo fast and quickly becoming useless.
Serket’s Kiss: This living Scorpion fit the setting of IX well. While it is fun to train up enemies and paralyze them by holding them in the air, it takes far too long to kill. Larger gladiator mini bosses also require a few shots to take out, which is a major downside of this visually stunning weapon.
Winter’s Howl: While this ice gun is an in-universe attempt by the Americans to make a Wonder Weapon like the Ray Gun, it is a clear cut below. Though it got a damage buff inside Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Classified, its ammo issues hold it back from greatness.
Savage Impaler: Dead of the Night’s special Crossbow weapon is great at killing vampires. Beyond that, though, its damage is minimal, making it is a poor choice for fighting werewolves and regular Zombies.
B Tier - Stylish and Solid
- Ray Gun
- Ray Gun Mark 3
- God Hands
- Wind Staff
- Void Bow
Ray Gun: A tale of two weapons, the Ray Gun is tough to place. In Call of Duty: World at War, Black Ops, and Black Ops Cold War, the Ray Gun is as good as it gets. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, 3, and 4, however, it is basically useless, as the gun does more damage to the player than Zombies and makes crawlers constantly. With so much inconsistency, sadly this is the highest the legendary gun can go.
Ray Gun Mark 3: The excellent Zombies map Gorod Krovi saw the introduction of the GKZ-45, AKA the Ray Gun Mark 3. Firing a single sniper like shot from one gun and a ball that slows Zombies down from the other, combining the two created an awesome singularity effect that killed Zombies quickly. Unfortunately, this effect falls off at around round 40.
God Hands: The peak of the Chaos story in terms of map quality, Ancient Evil allowed players to wield the powers of four Greek icons– Charon, Herema, Gaia, and Ouranos. While all these hands were unique and extremely fun to use, all suffered from major ammo problems. As such, even the awesome earth attacks of Gaia’s hand and Herema’s stunning sunbeam are not enough to escape B tier.
Wind Staff: The Staff of Wind, like many other Wonder Weapons in B Tier and below, suffers from a major lack of ammo. Though it is just as fun to use on trains of the undead as the other Staffs, its severe ammo issues keep it out of A Tier.
Void Bow: Der Eisendrache is a beloved map, and for good reason. Alongside a great setting and main quest, the Elemental Bows are a blast to use. Unfortunately, while firing demonic skulls that eat Zombies is a blast, the slow-killing nature of the Void bow makes it the worst of the four. That said, it still remains a solid Wonder Weapon.
A Tier - Reliable and Deadly
- Ray Gun Mark 2 (all variants)
- Kraken (all variants)
- Blundergat (all variants)
- RAI K-84
- Baby Gun
- Wunderwaffe DG-2 and DG-3
- Wave Gun
- Sliquifier
- Paralyzer
- Fire Staff
- Lighting Staff
- Wolf Bow
- Magma Bow
Ray Gun Mark 2: Starting out A-Tier is the beloved Ray Gun Mark 2 and all its variants from the Nuketown remake Alpha Omega. Whether it is the default 3-round burst version, the explosive variant, or the dual wield setup, every Ray Gun Mark 2 is a blast to use in-game and is always reliable.
Kraken: Voyage of Despair’s Wonder Weapon has the benefit of being able to refill ammo by changing to one of its four variants, all of which are strong. A great train-killer due to a lack of splash damage despite being a literal canon, this is one of the stronger Chaos Wonder Weapons.
Blundergat: A Mob of the Dead and Blood of the Dead staple, this Wonder Weapon is fun in any of its forms. While Mob’s acid gat was overpowered, it was dethroned in Blood by the even more absurd Magmagat. The default Shotgun version is also fun, even if it is less effective at killing full trains.
RAI K-84: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s second original Wonder Weapon, the Ray Rifle is an awesome gun in both Firebase Z and Zombies’ new Outbreak mode. Boasting an awesome slowing effect alongside great, consistent damage, there is nothing to dislike about the RAI K-84.
Baby Gun: Shangri-La’s excellent train killer, the 31-79 JGb215 is arguably the cutest Zombies weapon ever. Turning special and normal Zombies into babies, players proceeded to kick them to death afterwards. Running through a train of shrunken Zombies was both hilarious and effective, making the Baby Gun worthy of an A-Tier position.
Wunderwaffe DG-2/DG-3: The first Wonder Weapon added after the Ray Gun, Richtofen’s iconic creation has become a fan favorite. Boasting a cool visual style and awesome sounds alongside the ability to wipe out entire trains with electricity, it is easy to see why Zombies fans have made Wunderwaffe replicas over the years. The DG-3 from Tag Der Toten also proved to be equally great, as the sniper-like nature made for a fun spin on a classic weapon.
Wave Gun: A fun transforming Wonder Weapon that allowed players to zap or cook Zombies, the Wave Gun was the best of both worlds. Players could kill trains or single enemies easily, and the Wave Gun also boasted some of the most ammo for a Wonder Weapon ever.
Sliquifier: Before it was patched, the Sliquifier was completely broken on the map Die Rise. One shot could kill an entire round, carrying players as far as they want to to. While the post-nerf variant was more balanced, it was still a great train killer.
Paralyzer: The most efficient Wonder Weapon ever, the Paralyzer excels for having infinite ammo. While it took ages to kill Zombies, there is no denying how overpowered this mechanic was, and it proved to be the safest high-round weapon ever. The ability to lift players into the sky when shooting the floor was also a fun touch.
Fire Staff: A great Origins Staff, this fire weapon burns hordes of Zombies with ease. Quickly killing the Panzer Soldat mini boss as well as regular Zombies, there is no downside to the weapon, and the only reason it is not in S Tier is because one staff is clearly superior.
Lightning Staff: Another Staff, the weapon is on par with the Staff of Fire in terms of its quality. While it lacks the quickness in train-killing, it can still do it with time, and the Lightning Staff also boasts the best ammo and escape potential of the four weapons.
Wolf Bow: Essentially the Lightning Staff of the bows, the Wolf Bow has some great ammo capacity and serves as a perfect escape option. While it may not be the best train-killer, it is still a top-tier Wonder Weapon with a cool ghost effect that cannot be seen anywhere else.
Magma Bow: The reverse of the Wolf Bow, players can find themselves getting in trouble if trapped with the Magma Bow. However, the weapon is a terrific train killer, dropping hordes of Zombies extremely fast. Like the Fire Staff, though, it is outclassed by an S Tier weapon of the same style.
S Tier - Absolutely Overpowered
- Alistair’s Annihilator
- Ice Staff
- Storm Bow
- Thundergun
- Apothican Servant
Alistair’s Annihilator: One of the many reasons it would be great to see the Chaos Story return is so that this underrated weapon could be used again. Upgradeable two times, the weapon has several different effects. Zombies can be turned, disintegrated, and burned with charged shots, while the single fire shot serves as a Ray Gun-like blast — but without splash damage.
Ice Staff: The best of the best in terms of staffs, Origins’ Staff of ice is absurd. Melting panzers and full trains with a single shot, this weapon can carry even the least skilled Zombies player into the high rounds. While it does take some work to build it, the process is more than worthwhile.
Storm Bow: Easier to craft than the Ice Staff and even more overpowered, the Storm Bow is arguably the best Wonder Weapon in Zombies history. When combined with the Alchemical Antithesis Gobblegum, high rounds are automatic, as players will have no issue killing everything that comes their way.
Thundergun: Joining the Wunderwaffe DG-2 and the Ray Guns as Zombies most recognizable weapons, the beloved Thundergun is always sought after in all the maps where it appears. Great damage, having a solid reload speed, and good ammo capacity are all strengths of this classic air-blaster. Beyond that, it boasts great boss-killing potential on the Zombies map Revelations.
Apothican Servant: Neck-and-Neck with the Storm Bow is the Apothican Servant. A squid that shoots portals that last an unfair amount of time and have laughable range, players can essentially sit in a corner and spam this weapon to push through an entire round. With Revelations adding an upgrade that only made this gnarly alien even better, there is a good chance that this will remain the most overpowered Call of Duty Zombies gun of all time.