Call of Duty: Warzonefeatures its fair share of different game modes, from standard Battle Royale on the large map of Urzikstan to the smaller,more chaotic Resurgence mode.Warzonealso includes various limited-time modes, each of which switches up the gameplay of the popular Battle Royale formula. One of these isZombie Royale, an annual LTM appearance duringCall of Duty’sThe Haunting event.
Zombie Royale is back forModern Warfare 3andWarzoneSeason 6, but this time there’s a twist. Instead of taking place onWarzone’slarger map, players can expect todive onto the spooky mapsof Hellspawn Island and Vondel Night. In this rendition of Zombie Royale, players will have to fight both the living and the undead to become the last human standing. Upon elimination, players will become members of the zombie horde and must earn their way back to being human. The competition is fierce in this mode, sohere are some tips to increase the chances of victory.
1Land At The Edge Of The Map
Low Profile Areas Offer Operators The Best Chance of Survival
This first tip is about priming players to handle the early game of Zombie Royale better. There aren’t necessarily anystandout locations for Rebirth Islandor Vondel, especially considering Supply Crates are widespread across each location and are constantly resupplied throughout the match. However, if players want to increase their chances of surviving the early game while also securing solid gear,heading towards the outskirts of each mapmay be their best bet.
Dropping near the edge of the map or safe zone canreduce the risk of being shot in the back. To take this tip a step further, players looking to gear up before engaging in combat should aim to drop close to the end of the plane’s flight path. This will limit early-game encounters, as most players will jump out earlier to head into hot zones. For zombies, be sure to do the same — pick uncontested spots to drop into to avoid being quickly eliminated by cautious Operators, as zombies are generally vulnerable for a short duration after landing on the ground.
2Choose The Right Weapons For The Job
SMGs & Assault Rifles Reign Supreme in Zombie Royale
One of the best ways to come out on top in Zombie Royale is for players to get their hands onthe best weapons available. In the early game, players will likely grab any weapon they can find, but with the abundance of loot in the mode, they can afford to be more selective as the game progresses. For Zombie Royale specifically,Submachine Guns and Assault Rifles are currently reigning supremesince most gunfights occur at close to medium range, especially when dealing with zombies.
Choosing the right weapons also extends to players' loadouts, as they will often come across their loadout weapons in Supply Crates, receive them from Buy Stations, or acquire their entire loadout from Loadout Drops. Again, Submachine Guns and Assault Rifles reign supreme, with options like theBP50, theBAL-27, theMCW, theFJX Horus, and theStatic-HVoutperforming the competition. Long-range weapons are also quite viable, however, with Sniper Rifles like theKATT-AMRandBattle Rifles like theDTIR 30-06being effective against distant Operators. Shotguns like theReclaimer-18are also great for quickly taking down zombies, so players should be sure to prime their loadouts for every possible scenario.
3Prioritize Looting Antiviral Syringes As A Zombie
Grabbing Four Antiviral Syringes Allows Zombies To Return as Humans
One of the most fun elements of playing Zombie Royale is that eliminated players return to the battlefield as zombies, and can earn a second life as an Operator by collecting Antiviral Syringes. Onlyfour Antiviral Syringes are needed for players to gain a second life. While players may want to hunt others down as a zombie, being eliminated as one can lead to a long wait, as they won’t get another chance until the Infestation timer reaches zero. Forplayers looking to get back into the fight much soonerafter being eliminated, their best bet is to search for four Antiviral Syringes as soon as they enter the game.
There are a variety of methods to acquire Antiviral Syringes. The first is simply looting Supply Crates. Pretty muchevery Supply Crate can drop Antiviral Syringes, and since zombies are immune to the gas, they don’t necessarily need to search within the safe zone to loot them. Zombies can also acquire Antiviral Syringes from eliminated human players.Humans will drop two Antiviral Syringes upon being killed, making it quite a reward to get a kill as a zombie. Of course, hunting down Operators comes with the risk of being eliminated, so heading to areas where Operators have already died can be an effective way of gaining Antiviral Syringes quickly. For players scouring the map for Antiviral Syringes, be sure to use the minimap, as their locations will be revealed for all zombies to see.
Performing a finishing moveon an Operator as a zombie will grant players a second life, regardless of the amount of Antiviral Syringes they have on hand.
4Utilize Zombie Abilities To Your Advantage
Zombies Boast Abilities That Make Them a Formidable Threat
Zombies may be relatively easy to take down with just a few bullets, but what makes them a nuisance to deal with is the range of abilities they boast. Zombies have three main abilities that players should use to gain an advantage. The first ability is theCharged Jump, which sends zombies higher into the air the longer it is charged — perfect for evading gunfire or quickly scaling buildings with ease. The second is theGas Grenade, a tactical tool used to disorient humans, making them much more susceptible targets while also dealing a small amount of damage to those within its cloud. The final main ability isFury, which slows down and stuns nearby human players.
Each of these abilities has different cooldown durations, with the shortest being the Charged Jump, so players should be mindful of when to use them. However, these three abilities aren’t the only advantages zombies have.Zombies are inherently immune to the gas, which opens up a variety of flanking routes and vantage points they can use. Of course, this advantage comes with the drawback that zombies can only regenerate their health within the gas, so they should avoid staying in the safe zone if their health is low. Another inherent zombie ability is thathumans will be highlighted in red, making them easy to spot, even through smoke. With that information in mind, humans should either avoid using Smoke Grenades altogether to prevent giving zombies an advantage, or use them strategically to help their zombie teammates secure a kill within the smoke.
5Beware Of Infestation
All Spectators Will Return As Zombies During Infestation
One of the biggest aspects that sets this current iteration of Zombie Royale apart from its predecessors is the return ofInfestation, an event that sees all spectators return to the battle as zombies. Though this event is a plus for players looking to jump back into the action after exhausting their second chance as a zombie, it significantly increases the chaos for any humans still on the battlefield, especially as large numbers of zombies begin dropping into the map during the later stages of a match.
Infestation occurs every three minutes, with the countdown leading up to the event being displayed on screen for everyone to see. This gives all humans time to prepare, allowing them to retreat to key vantage points in anticipation of the incoming horde, or to take down a few zombies as they drop onto the map. For players already playing as zombies, be sure tokeep an eye on the Infestation timeras well — getting eliminated shortly after the event starts could mean waiting another three minutes for the next opportunity.
6Pay Attention To The Minimap
The Minimap Provides Key Intel
The minimap is a crucial aspect of any mode inWarzone, as it provides players with key intel that can help them navigate tricky situations. The primary benefit of the minimap is its ability to reveal enemy locations, either through a UAV or when an enemy fires an unsuppressed weapon. This feature carries over to Zombie Royale. For humans, paying close attention to the minimap can be incredibly useful for picking off the competition, as itallows players to pinpoint enemy locations, either via a fortunate UAV or when enemies are engaged by another human squad or a swarm of zombies.
While human players benefit from the minimap, zombies also gain an even greater advantage.For zombies exclusively, all players appear on the minimap, making it easy to track them down. This is especially useful for hunting humans down as a zombie, avoiding highly contested areas, or pinging enemy locations for human squadmates. Zombies can also see other zombies on the minimap, which can help call out other zombies attempting to attack their human companions.
7Choose The Right Tacticals & Lethals
Tacticals & Lethals Can Enhance A Player’s Loadout
While players may focus heavily on choosing the right weapons for Zombie Royale, a player’stactical and lethal equipment are equally important. In the early game, players will often have to settle for whatever they can find, but for loadouts, it’s worth considering a few tweaks to the equipment they have equipped. Some of the most popular choices inWarzoneincludeSmoke Grenades for mobile coverandThrowing Knives for instantly eliminating downed Operators. Both are excellent against human opponents, but if players are struggling with zombie hordes in the late game, there are alternative options to consider.
Stims are a particularly good choicefor Zombie Royale, especially during the late game. They allow players to quickly regenerate health and provide a short burst of speed, which is incredibly useful after an encounter with another player or for surviving longer in the gas. For lethals,Claymores and Proximity Mines serve as effective counters to flanking zombies,and work well for players who prefer to camp in buildings or other key vantage points.
8Utilize Highground To Your Advantage
Height Provides An Advantage Over Other Players
Utilizing height is a strategy that players will often use in every major game mode in Battle Royale, but with the added chaos of zombie players, it’s only become more prevalent in Zombie Royale. As a human, finding a solidhigh position can often provide a significant advantage, especially considering that most other players will also be sitting on rooftops and elevated areas of the map. With a height advantage, players on the ground are much more susceptible to losing gunfights, particularly if they’re also being chased by zombies.
Aside from granting players a competitive edge against other Operators,using height also makes it easier to stay out of reach of zombies, as they’ll often need to utilize their Charged Jump to reach higher positions, leaving them vulnerable to being eliminated. While the best-elevated areas may vary based on how contested they are and the position of the safe zone, key locations that provide a notable height advantage on Hellspawn include Prison, the water tower northeast of the Prison, Headquarters, and the Chemical Engine. For Vondel Night, great locations to make use of height include the Police Station, the Museum, and the University.
