Call of DutyZombies has had an interesting few years to say the least.Call of Duty: Vanguard’s take on the mode, for example, has been seen as a massive disappointment. However,Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which released back in 2020, can be deemed a success. While plenty have focused oncriticizingVanguard’s flawed main questand objective-focused approach, others have continued to show appreciation for the previous iteration of the mode.
While there were issues to be had, like a lack of personality in the round-based maps and the use of Operators instead of characters,Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarZombies was solid overall. One of its most interesting additions was Outbreak, which saw Treyarch taking another shot at an open world Zombies mode. While it was not for everyone, and it was built around reused multiplayer maps instead of original locations, Outbreak had potential. As such, a futureCall of DutyZombies game should bring back Outbreak, and the second coming of the mode should take a lot fromElden Ring.
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Elden Ring’s Clever Use of Focused Areas Would Benefit Outbreak
There is plenty thatElden Ring’s open world does right, but one of its best aspects is how it retains classic, Soulsborne level design despite its open world focus. While there is plenty for gamers to do out in the game’s open world, there are also several areas that are more linear.Raya Lucaria Academyand Stormveil Castle play like traditional FromSoftware levels, and this is something that could be kept in mind if Outbreak ever returned toCall of DutyZombies.
One of the biggest criticisms ofthe original Outbreak modewas the Ural Mountains setting, as the areas lacked the personality of an intricately designed Zombies map like Shadows of Evil. While there should absolutely still be open areas that allow for vehicles and exploration, as that is a major part of the Outbreak gameplay loop, it would be awesome to see some classic Zombies areas added as well. Players could stumble upon locations that become round-based Survival maps once entered, and they could be free to survive for as many rounds as they like before returning to the open world.
Addingproper Zombies mapswithin an open world could be a lot of fun, with Treyarch able to give players the best of both worlds. For example, an Outbreak map set in Germany could feature iconic locations like Der Riese and Kino Der Toten. Once players enter into these areas, they could use whatever items they have gathered in the open world to get a head start on their Survival match. Gamers could then play a normal, round-based match until they get bored, and then they could leave Kino Der Toten to further explore the open world - or travel to another round-based map like Der Riese.
Properly mixing Outbreak’s open world style with Survival gameplay could allow players to see whole new sides to certain maps. Gamers always wanted to visit the Sky Needle in Kino Der Toten, for example, something that could be achieved if players were free to leave the theater and explore. Likewise, the gondola fromDer Eisendrachethat leads down to a snowy town could actually be functional, with players able to explore the area and then return to the castle to play through a normal match.
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Elden Ring’s Rewarding Exploration is Needed in Outbreak
Alongside adding some round-based areas to Outbreak, Treyarch should learn fromElden Ring’s brilliant side activities. While theOrdaenemies that randomly roamed the map were solid enough stand-ins for mini bosses like the Night’s Cavalry and Tree Sentinels, there is far more that Treyarch could take fromElden Ring. For starters, NPCs and Merchants could be a good addition.
DespiteCall of DutyZombies relying on a points system, it has yet to experiment with a merchant of any kind. This could be especially useful in something like Outbreak, though, as players could buy several upgrades to help them in the open world. Better tires could be purchased for vehicles that help with off-road traversal, higher quality bait could makefishing in Outbreakyield better rewards, and so on. Merchants could even get better inventory the further in the match players get, adopting unique items from the various areas players visit.
While NPCs would likely not providevague quests like inElden Ring, they could give players some clearer objectives. Players could escort survivors to safe places, capture Omega agents for Requiem, and fight gangs of human enemies in between the usual hordes of Zombies. All these objectives could provide different rewards, from free Perks to point drops and salvage. The version of Outbreak inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warfelt empty, and not just because it was built around repurposed multiplayer maps. While they should be rare like they are inElden Ring, finding NPCs when exploring would instantly make Outbreak more interesting.
Another highlight ofElden Ringis its dungeons. This is something that Outbreak should absolutely adopt, with players finding caves or hidden areas with their own special encounters and loot. This could be as simple as sticking a portal in an area of the map that many might not notice. Once players use this teleporter, they could be thrown into an arena with a few Megatons from Die Maschine or two Abominations fromForsaken. Once done, they could open a chest with exceptional rewards before returning to the central area of the map.
The original Outbreak was far from perfect, but it had a good foundation. Further, given how much Treyarch supported the mode post-launch, it was undoubtedly a success. Though the negative response toCall of Duty: Vanguardcould push Treyarch away from round-based Zombies modes, it should not abandon Outbreak. If the mode is refined to include some of the aforementioned features, adds moreexciting areas to explore like the Dark Aether, and does not take away from traditional survival content, it could be incredible. WhileElden Ringis a very different game fromCall of DutyZombies, The Lands Between should still influence Treyarch as it attempts to expand its classic co-op mode.
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