Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies has gotten off on the right foot, delivering two solid maps in Firebase Z and Die Maschine. While Firebase Z mixes in new elements like Assault Rounds, and Die Maschine has the interesting Dark Aether mechanic, both maps maintain the classic survival format that has been Call of Duty Zombies’ signature style since 2008. However, the next Zombies experience is about to change this, as Outbreak will see the mode’s dedicated community entering an open world.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies is hardly the first time Treyarch has dabbled with different ways to play the mode. In Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the popular Grief game mode saw two teams battling it out in the hope that they could outlive their opponents. The interesting but limited Turned featured in the same game, while the fine-but-forgettable Zombie Rush featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. With Cranked, Onslaught, and now Outbreak, the latest Black Ops game is pushing alternate game modes once again — though Outbreak is undoubtedly Treyarch’s largest attempt thus far.
Pro: Making Good On TranZit’s Promise
When Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies released, players were met with the map TranZit. An interesting take on a map that saw players progressing through a massive play space and riding a bus to several points of interest, the map had tons of potential. Unfortunately, it was greatly limited by the tech of the time, so much so that it is viewed by many as the worst map in Zombies history. With pesky lava and frustrating fog covering a majority of the map, it is often more annoying than fun. Still, there are things about the map that work, something that has pushed fans to ask for a TranZit remake over the last few years.
Regardless of whether players finally get their wishes regarding the return of TranZit, though, Outbreak could prove to be more of what fans wanted. Taking place in a huge Fireteam map covered in snow instead of lava, all of the hazards from TranZit are gone. The points of interest will likely remain, with players trekking through Zombie-infested forests on their way to each area. Players will likely be able to go where they please without needing to wait on the bus or brave a storm as well, something that removes another negative feature from Black Ops 2’s launch map. With the good remaining and the bad being stripped away, there is a chance that Outbreak will satisfy fans’ cravings for open world Zombies.
Con: Another Forgettable Distraction?
While being optimistic is always nice, it is important to go into Outbreak without too many expectations, something that would be especially wise considering past attempts at alternate modes. Thus far, only Grief has truly been a hit with Zombies players, and even that mode came nowhere near the quality of Treyarch’s classic survival style. Thus far, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s attempts have included Jingle Hells, a cute seasonal variant of Die Maschine, and Cranked, a rework of the multiplayer mode that shares the same name. While both were fine additions, neither took the community by storm.
As such, there is potential for the upcoming release of Outbreak to fall into the same category — or become something even worse. While the mode will not have to deal with the PlayStation exclusivity issue that Onslaught has dealt with, it could prove to be just as disappointing. After all, with Onslaught taking place on multiplayer maps and Outbreak occurring on Fireteam maps, it is easy to picture a scenario where this open world Zombies mode feels like a larger Onslaught. If this happens, players could be stuck playing an equally boring and overly difficult game mode as opposed to the open world Zombies concept they have dreamt of for years.
Pro: A Whole New Way To Play
Even if Outbreak Mode is not as strong as classic Zombies, at the very least it will be interesting. After all, players will be able to control vehicles in CoD Zombies for the very first time, something that would have been hard to imagine when the mode made its debut years ago. Several screenshots have shown players fighting around trucks and inside cars, and while this is an interesting way to get around the map, it will be intriguing to see how Treyarch balances the mode of transport. After all, what is to stop players from running Zombies and mini bosses over in a car for the entirety of a match?
On top of this, a returning mini boss will be seen in Outbreak, with the Panzer Soldat from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 3 shown in the mode’s reveal. An enemy that is both fun and tough to battle against, new and returning fans alike should enjoy their intense clashes with the Panzer. Outbreak appears to be moving to more objective-oriented gameplay as well, something that Treyarch has only dabbled with in certain easter egg steps and power activation processes. Whether the community takes to this remains to be seen, but it is hard not to be excited about the fact that something truly fresh is coming.
Con: Firebase Z’s Short Lifespan
Part of what made Outbreak's teasers and leaks so surprising is the fact that the mode is arriving so soon after the debut of Firebase Z. If it feels like Firebase Z only just came out, that is because it has, as the map dropped on February 4 — a date that will put a difference of exactly three weeks between Outbreak and Firebase Z. A truly unprecedented move in the history of Zombies, fans have always had to wait months between new Zombies experiences, making Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War the first game to have two Zombies maps launch in the same month.
While back-to-back Zombies releases will surely be considered a positive by many fans, a small downside is the fact that players will be moving on from Firebase Z so soon after its debut. With CoD Zombies maps being so jam-packed with hidden details and easter eggs, there are surely some things players have not yet found inside the first DLC map. With Outbreak set to split the community and attract the attention of most players, though, whatever secrets have not been uncovered will likely stay hidden for some time to come — and an argument can be made that players have not been given the proper amount of time to enjoy Firebase Z.
Pro: More Of What Players Love
Still, most players will be content to move on, and there is plenty of potential inside Outbreak for fresh easter eggs and side quests. While some things will surely have to change to make such a large-scale Zombies experience work, hopefully Treyarch’s easter egg expertise still shines through. With a massive play space available to work with, several hidden details can be spread throughout Outbreak’s map. More easter egg songs can be available, for example, while several new upgrades can be hidden throughout the “open world” map.
On top of this, the sheer size of Outbreak means that it may take players a long time to solve all the puzzles and find all the secrets of the new map. Easter egg hunts will likely take longer, something that fans have missed with the relatively simple main quests that have appeared thus far. If done correctly, Outbreak could provide Zombies fans with fresh content and something to do for months on end, giving the easter egg hunters in the community a map that keeps on giving.
Con: What If Outbreak Is Too Successful?
While there is potential for Outbreak to fail, there is just as much potential for the mode to be a success. While this would obviously be a good thing, it is hard not to fear what could happen if the mode takes off like Call of Duty: Warzone. If Treyarch does too good of a job with Outbreak, and players prefer the objective-oriented and open world style over classic survival, fans of old school Zombies may see the mode phased out. With resources always limited for the Zombies team, Treyarch would likely prioritize the content fans like most. If this were to become Outbreak, fans of traditional CoD Zombies gameplay could see less and less content focusing on the old style. In a perfect world, both modes would be great and well-supported, but it is hard not to fear a scenario where classic, round-based gameplay disappears.
Whether Outbreak becomes a good thing or a bad thing for Call of Duty Zombies remains to be seen. However, with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season 2 dropping very soon, players will not have to wait too much longer to find out.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.