WhileCall of Duty: Black Opsbuilt offCall of Duty: World at War,Call of Duty: Black Ops 2served as a true evolution of the mode — introducing the buildable system to Zombies. Depending on who is asked,Call of Duty: Black Ops 2is one of the worst or best Zombies experiences, as it boasts some major highs and lows that the mode has not seen since. While Origins and Mob of the Dead left theirmark on Zombies’ history, TranZit remains an ugly duckling that would need a full remake to match up to its fellow maps. Similarly, the game’s easter eggs were a mixed bag.
On the other hand,Call of Duty: Black Ops 3is what many consider to be the ultimateCall of DutyZombies game, citing a great season of DLC and the Zombies Chronicles expansion as major pieces of support for such an opinion. Perfecting the crafting system, each map had a very different tone and setting, and the fact that each of the easter eggs focused on one main character only helped matters. With strong ending cutscenes for every map that focus on character development, it is easy to see why most Zombies fans see this game and its main quests as top tier.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Black Ops 2’s Zombies storyline picked up where Moon left off, with players controlling the Victis crew instead of the original cast. A group of random survivors beingcommanded by Maxisand Richtofen, it took some time for fans to warm up to Victis — and some never did. Still, the concept of having two different paths for the crew’s quests was intriguing, even if a few of the easter eggs were lackluster. Fortunately, Mob of the Dead and Origins delivered in a major way.
TranZit - Tower of Babble:The flaws of TranZitshow clearly in the map’s easter egg, as tedious objectives involving box luck and EMP grenades are included in both sides of the quest. While Maxis’ side of the quest was shorter and could be done with less players, it shares the problems of Richtofen’s side in terms of nothing significant really happening.
Die Rise - High Maintenance: A bit of a cult classic, Die Rise is one of the only maps thathas not been remade— joining TranZit and Buried in this category. Though the map is either loved or hated for its verticality and chances for players to fall to their deaths, it is certainly unique. That said, the main quest is forgettable, as like TranZit, all Victis does is power up a pylon to boost Richtofen or Maxis' power.
Mob of the Dead - No One Escapes Alive: A classic map through and through, the main quest ofMob of the Deadfocuses on four mobsters reliving their deaths endlessly, with players learning why they are trapped as the quest goes on. At the end of the easter egg, players enter a 3v1 PvP boss fight where they can extend the cycle or break it depending on who wins. This PvP ending has not yet been replicated, making for one of the coolest easter egg endings inCall of DutyZombies thus far.
Buried - Mined Games: While TranZit and Die Rise have their fans, the maps remain controversial to this day. However,Buried is different, as the Victis crew’s finalBlack Ops 2appearance is undeniably its best. Aside from its unforgettable setting, Buried boasts a great main quest. Aside from unique moments like an infinity round where the map’s cast sees themselves dead, two different finales can take place based on who players sided with in the previous maps — though Maxis’ side of the story is canon. The quest also introduces interesting rewards for each ending, such as a Zombie Richtofen that drops power-ups and the ability to carry four guns.
Origins - Little Lost Girl: Introducing players to the Primis versions of the Ultimis crew, the younger Zombies cast saw each character becoming more than just a stereotype of the country they came from. Beyond this, Origins saw players upgrading the beloved elemental staffs in its main quest, with the end goal being torelease Samantha Maxis— a neat objective that saw Sam whispering to each character as the match went on. With standout moments like entering the heads of the giant robots patrolling the map, Origins and its story quest rank near the top of many players’ tier lists.
Aside from an abundance of radios,Black Ops 2has lots of memorable side easter eggs. Some of the best ones are as follows:
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s main quests all shared the same dark theme ofthe Primis charactersmeeting and killing their Ultimis selves. With solid boss fights and fun objectives taking place in between these devastating scenes, the easter eggs of the thirdBlack Opsgame are truly as good as it gets.
The Giant - Paradoxical Prologue: While theDer Riese remake The Giantboasts a thought-out intro that sees Primis Richtofen killing off his evil Ultimis self, its easter egg is simply a new version of The Fly Trap quest. With Samantha no longer evil, her father Ludvig Maxis leads the hide-and-seek game. Players also get the Annihilator pistol from the furnace as a reward.
Shadows of Evil - Apocalypse Averted: This fully original map set in the fictional Morg City introduces the Apothicons, an alien race responsible for sending 115 to earth and starting the Zombies storyline. Filled with cosmic horror inspirations and using a celebrity cast, this map seems disconnected from the main story — only with the twist being that it is very much intertwined.The main quest endswith Richtofen appearing through a portal and stealing the Summoning Key after the Shadows characters trap the Shadow Man inside of it.
Der Eisendrache - My Brother’s Keeper: In this quest, Richtofen and the Primis crew begin their journey to gather the souls of their Ultimis selves. The original Dempsey is the first character that needs to be killed, withthe Der Eisendrache questintentionally mirroring that of Moon’s. Not only are there similar Simon’s Says steps to complete, but the quest ends in the Moon being destroyed like the earth once was inBlack Ops 1’s Zombies finale. Aside from the bow Wonder Weapons being a blast to use, the quest stands out for a great final boss battle with a huge Keeper and an emotional ending where Primis Dempsey turns off the life support of his older self.
Zetsubou No Shima - Seeds of Doubt:Zetsubou No Shima’s questhas Primis working to kill Takeo, and the map’s overgrown Division 9 base serves as a great setting for the grim task. A short quest which sees players shooting down a plane and entering a room that teases Gorod Krovi’s dragons, the easter egg ends with a boss fight against a special Thrasher that has trapped the Ultimis version of Takeo. After revealing to Primis Takeo that the Emperor was corrupt and his whole life was a lie, Ultimis Takeo commits Seppuku, ending his suffering in another heartbreaking scene.
Gorod Krovi - Love And War:A fan favorite questand map, Gorod Krovi joins Der Eisendrache and Shadows of Evil as the highlights ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 3. Set in a version of Stalingrad ruined by war, players need to take down Ultimis Nikolai. After completing a series of challenges, players enter an arena to face off against one of the map’s dragons. Once it is dead, a second boss fight begins against Ultimis Nikolai, concluding with the Primis version of the character killing his older self. Aside from the fun setting and exciting double boss fight, the map adds great depth to both versions of Nikolai, revealing the tragic story of how they lost their wives.
Revelations - A Better Tomorrow: Theculmination ofBlack Ops 3’s storylinesaw the Apothicons attempting to ruin the perfect universe the group was trying to build. Though a few steps are tedious, the easter egg is mostly entertaining, and it concludes with another boss fight against the Shadowman. Once completed, it is revealed that the entire storyline is one big cycle like Mob of the Dead, with all events doomed to repeat themselves unless something changes. If players completed the previous easter eggs, they will be able to purchase Takeo’s Katana off a wall while also starting all matches with a better pistol.
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As is the case with previous Zombies games, there are a whole lot of side easter eggs to complete. Here are the standouts:
With the characters trapped in an endless cycle, the story could have come to and end with Revelations. However, Treyarch had other plans, as Richtofen, Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai’s stories would not come to an end untilCall of Duty: Black Ops 4.
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