Zombies and Call of Duty just go together, plain and simple. With Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War on the horizon, it’s only fair that players be teased with their favorite part of any Treyarch lead Call of Duty. The fact that Call of Duty: Warzone will be transcending Cold War shows that both companies (Infinity Ward & Treyarch) have recognized Zombies & Warzone to be the two cornerstones of the franchise.
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This leads the community to 'The Haunting of Verdansk', and with it, Zombie Royal. Not only will players be dropping into nighttime Warzone, but they’ll also be fending off human-controlled Zombies. This guide will focus on how players can best survive Zombie Royal and have fun doing it.
Call of Duty: Warzone - Zombie Royal (Tips & Tricks)
Players have been patiently awaiting Zombie Royal since rumors began to surface a few months prior. 'The Haunting of Verdansk' has given the community a plethora of fun ways to play during the spooky season. Night Royal gets the adrenaline pumping enough, adding Zombies into the mix turns the entire experience into a beautiful explosion of chaos. Their fast, deadly, and well equipped. They’re an undead UAV for teammates and excellent scouts for tough rotations.
Zombie Royal - The Finer Mechanics
Zombie Royal works similarly to Mini-royal. The game starts right after the first circle closes in a normal Warzone game. However, the lobby is still full of 150 players. Most drops are now hot drops, especially when going after contracts. Players looking to maximize their survivability will want to drop outside of the first circle to an area with good loot but limited contracts. Money is plentiful in Zombie Royal, and so is decent ground loot. Most guns will come equipped with Thermal Optics. Players will also spawn in with Spotter Scopes. Landing outside the zone will force players into some zombies. Most of the time, Zombies will spawn in the gas. Listen for their jumps and grunts. The free Loadout drop will fall shortly after the first circle closes, however, it will always fall INSIDE the next circle. This will force players to travel great distances for their Loadout should they be far from the next circle. Completing a Recon contract is a great way to anticipate where the team's Loadout will fall.
Zombie Royal - Ideal Loadouts
As mentioned, money is plentiful in Zombie Royal, especially after killing a zombie. They drop loads of cash, often enough to buy a Loadout right away. Players will want to build a custom Zombie Royal Class while in the lobby. They should most certainly equip Cold Blooded and Ghost to stay off thermal and radar. Zombies get up close and personal, so having a close-range weapon like an SMG or Shotgun will keep players safe. Players should also keep a thermal scope on one of their custom weapons. Enemy players will also be running Cold Blooded, so having a back-up plan is ideal. Snapshot grenades and smoke will help reveal enemies and hide squadmates. Make sure one teammate keeps their spotter scope though.
Zombie Royal - Being the Zombie
Finally, the moment players have been waiting for. Once they die as a human, players will drop back in as a zombie. They’ll come equipped with gas grenades, an EMP blast, and a charged super-jump. They’ll have heightened movement speed and roughly 200-250 base HP (Full health & 2-3 plates of armor) Most importantly, zombies will have infinite UAV, but more on that later.
The zombie's abilities are what’s going to get them back in the game and ‘restore their humanity.’ A fully charged jump will launch them like The Incredible Hulk as they can leap over most buildings and cover long distances. Use this in an attempt to land on an unsuspecting human. Be careful, the super jump is loud and attentive players will hear it coming. Throwing the gas grenade at a human's feet will disorient them enough to charge in for a kill. They’ll be forced to hip fire as their operator covers their face and their movement will be slowed. However, the effect doesn’t last very long, so make sure the timing is right. Don’t hesitate. The zombie’s EMP blast will also help in disorienting their prey. Their electronics will be shut down and their scopes won’t work. The EMP will also disable vehicles, so don’t be afraid to sabotage an enemy car and then super-jump to safety.
The Zombie’s goal is to obtain 2 ‘humanity vials’ to come back as a human player. These vials are dropped by dead human players and can be pinged on the map. Players can also return to where they died and pick up their own vials. Zombies are immune to the gas, so feel free to explore the entire map if there is a vial on the outskirts. Thankfully, returning to the game will spawn the player back with everything that had when they died (yes, they’ll come back with their loadouts). They are also free to die again and become a zombie. However, if the player dies as a zombie, they’ll have to be bought back at a buy box. (There’s no zombie Gulag). Players can also buy their zombie teammates back as humans at buy boxes. All three members of a team CAN be zombies, however, they cannot win the game unless 1 of them is human. Zombies can NOT attack each other, nor can they revive teammates or open crates.
Finally, the most important part of playing the zombie is infinite UAV. Their radar will blip and reveal nearby (non-ghost) enemies. There is some merit in having one teammate kill themselves and spawn in as a zombie for recon purposes. They’ll be able to ping enemy locations for their human teammates. They’ll also be able to knock out electronics and disorient with gas grenades. Communication is key here. This stagey only works if everyone can talk to each other.
Zombie Royal may just be the best alternative way to play Warzone since Mini-Royal. It’s fast-paced, it’s fun, and it’s scary. With jump scares packed away in loot chests, as well as the blooded curdling sound of encroaching zombies, 'The Haunting of Verdansk' has made good on its promise of a spooky Warzone season. Will we see Zombie Royal integrated into Cold War upon release?