Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War recently debuted its Season 4 trailer at Summer Game Fest, and it was as action packed as the usual Call of Duty videos. While there was plenty of multiplayer content shown, like the return of Hijacked from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the Zombies content was mostly kept hidden. The Berlin map teaser was limited to a burning Subway car, while Outbreak’s new Zoo region was only shown for about five seconds.
However, despite so little being seen for the new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies location, the fact that it is being included at all is promising for Outbreak. Unlike the other regions, which see players placed into massive woodland or farmland areas, the Zoo region will keep things more close quarters. This compact map design is a big deal, as it allows Treyarch to make the location feel more zombified. The actual Zoo itself is promising for other reasons, as potential enemy types and easter egg opportunities are possible. With so much upside, Outbreak’s latest map addition could prove to be far more exciting than those that came before.
How Outbreak’s New Zoo Region Could Look
Outbreak’s Zoo region only shows up in the reveal trailer for a few seconds, but it gives a small glimpse as to what fans can expect. Alongside a massive sign that serves as the entry point to the Zoo, an Orda can be seen walking around inside the confines of the Zoo. As such, it can be expected that the area will be massive like other Outbreak regions, but with a focus on the Zoo itself. While there may be small areas on the outside, most of the map will likely be set within walls. Much like how Sanatorium Night places the actual Sanatorium building front and center, fans can expect the actual Zoo to be the star of this location.
As for what the map could look like, fans should look to the map of the same name that appeared in the original Black Ops. The Zoo map saw players exploring special exhibits as they fought the enemy team. These ranged from caves to proper management buildings, all of which could be expanded upon with an Outbreak region. Given the side of the Zoo, an Aquarium could also be included. Given that Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 featured an Aquarium map, that location could be worked into the map too, giving gamers that chance to fight the undead through some water-based exhibits.
Considering that the Duga region repurposes Grid from the first Black Ops game, working other multiplayer maps into Outbreak regions would make sense. Both the original Zoo and Aquarium are perfect options, with Treyarch possibly expanding on each to add more exhibits to the overall map. At the very least, these older multiplayer maps will likely inspire the Outbreak region. Visually, this should be a nice change of pace from military-focused areas like Duga and Ruka, giving players a new visual style to enjoy as they complete objectives for Requiem. However, Zoo playing well is far more important than how it looks, and there is reason to believe that it could be the most enjoyable Outbreak region yet.
How Outbreak’s New Zoo Region Can Fix Two Of The Mode’s Big Problems
Currently, there are two key issues with Outbreak, the first of which is the mode’s lack of personality. While it is fun, and additional side objectives like the Orda world event and the fishing mechanic have helped, Outbreak still feels like reused multiplayer assets. While this does make sense to an extent, as the regions are taken directly from multiplayer’s fireteam maps, fans have wanted to see them Zombified for some time now. Zoo has the opportunity to do this right out the gate, with the area automatically being more like a proper Zombies location than the other regions.
In other Outbreak regions, players can run for long periods of time without getting into a fight, as the undead only run toward them in the higher world tiers. With Zoo, though, the many interiors of the map should keep the action more fast-paced. In turn, it could feel more like a proper Zombies map instead of a reskinned multiplayer area, with the close quarters action giving players a more intense experience. To truly make it feel different, though, Treyarch should introduce some special enemies that are exclusive to the Zoo map.
Given the map’s setting, filling each exhibit with special, zombified enemies seems like a wise idea. The monkeys from Ascension and Shangri-La could return, stealing points and salvage from players if they land a hit. The tigers and elephants from the Chaos Story in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 could return, with the former standing in for Hellhounds and the latter being a mini boss that roams the Zoo like Orda. Other zombified animals like bears could fill exhibits, while an underwater aquarium section could feature a zombified shark for players to gun down. If Treyarch adds a few special enemies to the Zoo, it could get a lot more Survival fans interested in Outbreak.
How Outbreak’s New Zoo Location Could Be Used For The Next Easter Egg
While special enemies and a tighter map design could make the map more replayable and fun than other Outbreak locations, it could also be expanded upon with the next Outbreak main quest. In the original Outbreak easter egg, players entered a brand-new area in Ruka, with the missile silos designed specifically for Zombies. Adding a fresh gameplay mechanic where the mini map is scrambled. As such, it would be great to see a similarly fresh area added to part of the Zoo, with players only accessing this part of the map during the easter egg.
Considering that the first Outbreak easter egg is a big step forward for the mode due to this special location, seeing another could help improve the next easter egg as well. While the new region is exciting enough on its own, being able to unlock a special part of it during the main quest makes players feel like they are doing something meaningful. With this Outbreak region launching around the same time as the new main quest, it would make sense if Zoo featured some kind of unlockable area at some point during the easter egg.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies fans can also expect Zoo to feature in the scavenger hunt steps, with players likely able to find certain items in the Zoo and other maps. If it is used for the second quest’s finale, though, it could be truly special. Treyarch has the opportunity to make Zoo a more impactful Outbreak addition than Duga or Sanatorium. While it could just as easily feel like another reused Fireteam space, there is a chance that it feels like something bigger. If it does, the future of Outbreak will be something to get excited for.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.