Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will have three zombie maps at launch

Die Rise

While zombies being present in Black Ops 4 was kind of a given, Activision confirmed during today’s reveal event that three different zombie maps will launch with the game. Each will feature wildly different themes and have distinct player characters as well as feature bot support for solo players.

Along with that, there will be weekly challenges for zombies mode alongside a whole host of customization options. If you feel the game is getting too easy, you can customize the parameters for player health, zombie damage, zombie speed, etc.

The first map shown was set in a gladiatorial arena. Called “IX,” I’m not exactly sure what the whole story is, but it looks like players will be trying to survive a zombie uprising in ancient Rome. There are rituals and weird priests and this looks absolutely nothing like past Call of Duty games.

The second map, “Voyage of Despair,” came about from the idea of zombies being unleashed in a more vacation like atmosphere. Here, the plot seems to resemble Raiders of the Lost Ark and involve trying to prevent the destruction of the world by stealing an artifact. Obviously that fails and you’ll need to fight your way out.

Finally, the last map looks to be a more traditional take on zombies that was introduced in World at War. I’m not sure if the setting is in Alcatraz or just a general prison, but you’ll be tasked as fighting off zombies in the series’ typical war backdrop. Titled “Blood of the Dead,” this is apparently a return of a fan favorite zombies map from the past.

Despite me not having played Call of Duty in nearly a decade, I’m actually damn excited to try these zombie maps. These look like just the right amount of crazy to keep the gameplay from growing stale. This reminds me of how insane I thought that JFK zombie map was in the original Black Ops, which is certainly a good sign.