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Published: 6th October 7:20PM
Welcome to Ashes of the Damned
Alright zombie slayers, gather ’round because Treyarch just dropped a massive intel bomb about Black Ops 7 Zombies, and it’s absolutely mental! The launch map Ashes of the Damned is bringing us into the Dark Aether proper, and trust me, this isn’t your average undead romp. Let’s break down everything you need to know.
If you’ve been following the story from Black Ops 6’s Reckoning, you’ll know our crew got properly done over. Now we’ve got an eight-person mashup crew including Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, Richtofen, Maya, Weaver, Carver, and Grey all trapped in what’s basically the Dark Aether’s twisted version of the Bermuda Triangle. Locations from different times and dimensions have been violently chucked together, creating a proper nightmare landscape.
The map features six main areas connected by fog-shrouded roads that are absolutely teeming with threats. You’ve got Janus Towers Plaza (a triple-towered monstrosity), Vandorn Farm (gone full ritualistic horror), Blackwater Lake (haunted waters, lovely), Ashwood (a sunken frontier town), Exit 115 (a doomed rest stop), and the Zarya Cosmodrome. Each location has its own dark history and unique atmosphere.
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Meet Your New Ride: Ol’ Tessie
Here’s something brilliant – you’ve got a Wonder Vehicle called Ol’ Tessie, which is essentially a rusted pickup truck that becomes your lifeline across the map. The fog-covered roads are properly dangerous to traverse on foot, so this beat-up motor is essential. You can upgrade it with various improvements, including mounting T.E.D.D.’s head to it (yes, really) and even a DG-2 turret. Just remember, Ol’ Tessie can take damage and needs repairs, so don’t go thinking you’re invincible.
The Necrofluid Gauntlet Wonder Weapon
Alongside the classic Ray Gun and Ray Gun Mark II, we’re getting a proper wicked new Wonder Weapon. The Necrofluid Gauntlet is a black, skull-fanged glove that controls a viscous liquid. You can reshape this dark fluid into spikes that skewer enemies at range, then yank them back for extra damage. Word is it’s got vampiric tendencies and can even pull in items and Power-Ups from a distance. Sounds absolutely mint!
What’s Trying to Kill You
The bestiary is proper nasty this time around:
Base Zombies & Armoured Zombies: Your standard shambling threats, but now they’ll actually throw chunks of their own flesh at you if you’re out of reach. Charming.
Ravagers: Four-legged beasts that prowl in packs and will nick your salvage if you’re not careful. They can even latch onto moving vehicles, so keep your eyes peeled.
Zursa: This is basically an undead bear on steroids, covered in parasitic ‘Zombees’ that swarm from hives in its fur. It’s an Elite enemy that’ll charge you down and dish out proper damage with bites and claws that leave you wounded.
New Modes to Tackle
Wraith Seeds: Explosive growths lurking in the fog – definitely one to watch out for.
Black Ops 7 is launching with four distinct modes:
Standard: Your classic round-based experience with Main Quest and Side Quest content. This is where the story unfolds.
Directed: A more streamlined path for newcomers or those chasing story completion with clear objectives and guided progression.
Survival: Focused, bite-sized maps (launch features Vandorn Farm) with no quests – just pure survival against endless hordes. And you can play this in the Beta!
Cursed: This is the hardcore mode for veterans. You start with just a pistol, no minimap, and a classic point system. The real challenge? Finding and activating powerful Relics that make subsequent matches even harder but unlock unique rewards. Proper masochist stuff, this.
Loadouts and Enhancements
You can bring 30 different weapons into Zombies at launch, each with their own levelling journey and camo grinds. Weapon Prestige is back, Build Codes let you share your setups with mates, and melee weapons now have proper Critical hit mechanics.
The enhancement system is absolutely massive:
12 Perk-a-Colas including the new Wisp Tea that summons a companion creature to help slay zombies
6 Ammo Mods including the returning Fire Works that creates a proper lightshow of explosive death
6 Field Upgrades including Toxic Growth, a defensive plant that slows and poisons enemies
Every enhancement comes with 8 Augments to unlock (including two new ones per returning enhancement), and you can equip up to three: one Major and two Minor Augments. Your Black Ops 6 Augment Research carries forward too, which is brilliant.
GobbleGums Galore
There are 47 different GobbleGums at launch (six new, 41 returning), and all your Black Ops 6 GobbleGums carry forward. New additions include Aftertaste (keep your Perks after being revived), Power Vacuum (increased Power-Up spawn chance), Round Off (prevents rounds from advancing for two rounds), and Gift Card (instant 30,000 Essence).
Here’s a clever new feature – you can now recycle GobbleGums you don’t need into instant Essence. The amount depends on the rarity, and it stacks with Double Points too!
Essential Features and Changes
Wall Buys: Now let you purchase ammo for weapons you’ve already bought at a discount. Armour Wall Buys are combined, letting you upgrade from Level II to Level III at the same location.
Mystery Box: Now has a chance to drop Aether Tools for instant weapon rarity upgrades. Weapon rarities improve as rounds progress, and Wonder Weapon chances gradually increase.
Pack-a-Punch: In Ashes of the Damned, it’s mobile and clamped to Ol’ Tessie’s exhaust! You can upgrade weapons three times, and there’s an option to toggle the glowing camos on or off.
Exfil Phone Booths: No more helicopter extractions – now you answer a creepy German phone booth that summons a High Value Target you must defeat before time runs out. Other teammates can teleport in through linked booths across the map. The twist? If some players decline the Exfil vote, they can keep playing whilst those who accepted end their match after the HVT fight.
T.E.D.D. Tasks: Similar to S.A.M. Trials, these timed challenges offer rewards based on performance, including equipment, tools, and Perks.
Dead Ops Arcade 4: Papaback in Black
After five years, Dead Ops Arcade is back! This twin-stick arcade mode features over 80 levels across 20+ arenas, with the Silverback family’s Papaback seeking revenge for you nicking their pet chicken Fidolina.
You’ll battle through multiple arenas with over 10 weapons (including the Wunderwaffe DG-2 and Jet Gun), face bosses like the Z-Rex, Zursa, Guardian Golem, and Mega Abomination, and even control devastating vehicles. For the first time, Round-Based Zombies mechanics like Ammo Mods, Field Upgrades, and GobbleGums are available in DOA4!
There are multiple difficulty modes, including first-person variants, and progression links across Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies, DOA4, and Warzone for unified levelling.
Beta Access and Launch Details
The Black Ops 7 Beta runs from 2nd to 8th October, with Early Access starting on 2nd October at 10AM PT for pre-orders, and the Open Beta kicking off on 5th October at 10AM PT for everyone. You’ll be able to play Zombies Survival Mode during the Beta, which is a proper treat!
Black Ops 7 launches on 14th November, and all your Black Ops 6 content carries forward – Double XP Tokens, GobbleGums, Augment Research, and the Dedicated Crew Operators.
Final Thoughts
Mate, this is shaping up to be absolutely massive. Ashes of the Damned looks like it’s going to push Zombies in some brilliant new directions whilst keeping that core experience we all love. The addition of Cursed mode for hardcore players, the return of Survival maps, and the absolutely bonkers Dead Ops Arcade 4 means there’s something for everyone.
Whether you’re a Zombies veteran or jumping in for the first time with Directed mode, Black Ops 7 is bringing the goods. The Dark Aether awaits, and it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
What are you most excited about? That Necrofluid Gauntlet looks proper deadly, and I’m definitely keen to see how the Cursed mode Relics system plays out. Drop your thoughts below, and we’ll see you in the fog!
For the latest updates, guides, and tips on all things Call of Duty, keep checking back with Elitegamerinsights. We’ll be covering everything from loadout recommendations to Easter egg guides when the game drops.
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