The popular Call of Duty Zombies mode is going to look a bit different to franchise fans when the game drops this week.
Call of Duty developer Treyarch is handling Zombies this year and has told GameSpot that the upcoming Vanguard is going to be missing a couple of things.
No round-based Zombies
Series veterans familiar with round-based Zombies will be in for disappointment as the new map – Der Anfang – is scrapping it altogether.
Instead, progress will be objective-driven, like Outbreak, but the devs say you should still give it a chance.
“I think we stripped down the round-based experience,” says associate director of design, Gavin Locke.
“The ever increasing challenge and choosing how you want to play and unlocking the map, we wanted to incorporate those elements, and then we used the objectives to be the gate.
“To expand the hub, you complete an objective as opposed to surviving zombies, earning Essence [points], and then opening a door.
“So, we put a spin on some of the mechanics they’ve always really liked. And then the world and zombies definitely grow in intensity and difficulty as they’re used to.
“So, there’s still that endgame.”
Miles Leslie, creative specialist, added: “If Outbreak is one extreme and RBZ [round-based Zombies] is one, very directed versus very open, we’ve taken the ingredients from both and mashed them together.
“So, you can get in the action faster, but there’s still player agency like Outbreak gives you. We’re trying to offer a little something new from the best of both worlds.”
When asked if there’ll be round-based maps coming post launch, Leslie said: “Well, I think the thing there is round-based as you know it might get worked into some other mechanics.
“That’s probably the best I can say without giving it away, but I think because RBZ comes up a lot; we’re not forgetting the RBZ fans. They are going to be satisfied [with] some upcoming stuff that will be pretty cool, I think.”
No Zombies campaign
To rub salt into the would for Zombies fans, the mode is launching without a campaign either.
But on the plus side, we know it’s definitely coming; it’s just delayed.
“Starting on December 2nd, new Zombies content & features will begin to roll out in Vanguard, including a new Objective, additional Covenants, new weapons, Zombies Season Challenges, holiday-themed updates, and more,” reads the blog post.
“Players will also encounter some other surprise elements later in Season One that will set the stage for our upcoming Main Quest.”
Apparently the main quest will be “tied to the arrival of an unexpected ally after Season One, which will further expand the narrative of the Dark Aether, and reveal more details about the characters and entities that players will have encountered thus far.”
So in short, no round-based zombies (at all, possibly) and no Zombies campaign at launch.
There should be plenty of other content to keep you entertained but if you’re a diehard zombie fan, the news could be a blow.
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