Throughout the two years when it was Activision’s primary focus, the originalCall of Duty: Warzonehad a number of events. Some of these, like Hunt for Adler, were grounded in reality and tied directly into thepost-launch story forBlack Ops Cold War. Others were more absurd, like the Godzilla vs. Kong battle that took place on Caldera. The use of Zombies falls into the latter category, and it was divisive to say the least.
While many adored the Zombie Royale game mode, and the eventual nuking of Verdansk was memorable, the Zombies that were randomly scattered and slowly spreading throughout Verdansk had their critics. Not everyone enjoyed having AI to fight, and as the undead became more prevalent on the map, players searching purely for normal PvP encounters were disappointed. Fortunately,Call of Duty: Warzone 2’s DMZ mode provides a perfect playground for the undead hordes if Infinity Ward wants to bring them back.
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How Zombies Could Work in DMZ
First and foremost, Zombies would not feel out of place within DMZ, as the mode is already a PvPvE experience. With a lower player count in each match, players are guaranteed to battle more AI than regularCall of Dutyplayers, constantly fighting computer-controlled soldiers as opposed to real people. As a result, Zombies would just feel like increased enemy variety instead of a forced addition, and they could be an excellent way to keep gameplay fresh.
Battling the undead could result in freshmissions for DMZ, which is important since missions are the primary reason to keep playing the mode. If the undead were included, players could be asked to complete tasks like killing a certain number of Zombies in a set amount of time or killing Zombies with certain equipment. Each Zombie-specific DMZ task could reward players with themed Calling Cards, Emblems, and blueprints, with Zombie motifs present in every unlock.
Instead of just randomly scattering Zombies across the map, they could be kept to certain Quarantine Zones. These Zones could be accessed via a new form of DMZ Contract, with players needing to enter a building and clear out the undead within. Inside Quarantine Zones, players could need to use gas masks like inThe Last of Usseriesto not breathe in any infected spores, and the areas could be covered in blood and gore to make them feel more thematically appropriate.
If Infinity Ward wanted to make Zombies content in DMZ feel special, it could partner with Treyarch to include some content from its Zombies universe. For instance, clearing a Quarantine Zone could lead to players unlocking a Mystery Box, similar to how Zombies areas functioned in Blackout. The Mystery Box could contain fully kitted weapons as well asWonder Weapons, with players having a small chance to land on something like the Ray Gun. Bosses from various Zombies maps could have a chance of appearing in a public event, too, like the Blightfather from the Chaos Story or the Megaton from the Dark Aether universe.
With DMZ still in beta, there is plenty of time to add fresh content to the mode, and Zombies feel like a natural fit given the current style of gameplay. Though they were accessible through anEaster egg on Fortune’s Keepand featured prominently in Verdansk as well as Rebirth Island, they were controversial because they got in the way of normal battle royale gameplay. That would not be a problem with a primarily PvE experience like DMZ, and whether they appear in random buildings or more visually interesting areas like Sawah Village’s crashed ship, Zombies would be an exciting way to shake up the mode.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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