Zombies mode in Black Ops 6 was largely overlooked when the big Season One patch came rolling in but that’s certainly not the case in Season One Reloaded—with the big highlight being a brand-new map, Citadelle des Morts.
The drop of the new environment takes the maps available in Black Ops 6 Zombies up to three, joining Terminus and Liberty Falls, and comes alongside a plethora of other additions including a new Perk-a-Cola, a new Ammo Mod, new Field Upgrades, and a lot more.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, however, as BO6 Zombies is also bringing the festive cheer in a variety of ways. To make things easier for you, we’ve highlighted all the major additions and changes in this guide.
BO6 Zombies patch notes: Season One Reloaded
With so much coming to Zombies in Season One Reloaded, we’ve broken down the guide into sections focusing on different areas.
Citadelle des Morts & Wonder Weapons
Citadelle des Morts is the newest map joining the BO6 Zombies family and certainly doesn’t seem for the faint of heart, as a “dark disaster” has struck “a place already soaked in blood.” The events of Citadelle des Morts directly follow on from Terminus in BO6 lore.
- POIs: Town Square, Tavern and Cellar, Village Ascent and Upper Village, Nature Path and Hilltop, Citadelle Courtyard, Village, and Hillside Ramparts, Entrance Hall, Sitting Rooms, Dining Hall, Dungeon, Undercroft and Oubliette Room.
- New Enemy – Doppelghast: This terrifying two-headed creature attacks with rapid melee strikes and fires “an array of sharp, bloody needles” that lead to hallucinations. Expect this enemy to spawn as an Elite, similarly to the Abomination.
- Other Enemies: A surge of familiar enemies feature in Citadelle des Morts, including Vermin, Parasites, and Amalgams.
- Main Quest Rewards: “Jackknife” Operation Skin for Weaver, 5,000 XP and a unique Calling Card if the quest is completed before Citadelle des Morts Directed Mode releases later in the season.
Wonder Weapons
Four elemental swords can be forged from The Bastard Sword “through unknown means.” On it’s own, the Bastard Sword is a “formidable melee weapon” but “can be transformed into one of four elemental Wonder Weapons”. Each has a special attack and a passive effect that powers over time.
- Caliburn: Dragon’s Fire – Set zombies alight and summon an immense fireball.
- Durendal: Stag of the Storms – Discharge voltaic power to stun and stagger, followed by an electrical beam.
- Balmung: Raven’s Shadow: Cast enemies into the Aetherial abyss.
- Solais: Lion of Light – Send foes screaming into darkness.
Perk-a-Cola: Vulture Aid
Returning from Black Ops 2, the Vulture Aid Elixir results in an increase to the variety of loot dropped from enemies, with additional loot coming in Essence Vials and Ammo Drops. Vulture Aid is available on both Terminus and Liberty Falls via the Der Wunderfizz Machine, while the Perk-a-Cola machine itself is located on the Citadelle des Morts map.
- Major Augments
– Fetid Upgr-aid: On Death, zombies have a chance to create a gas cloud that charges your Field Upgrade.
– Smell of Death: On death, zombies have a chance to create a gas cloud that conceals you while standing in it.
– Parting Gift: Vulture Aid ammo drops give more ammo to Wonder Weapons. - Minor Augments
– Condor’s Reach: Auto-pickup loot from father away.
– Carrion Luggage: Critical kills have a chance to drop extra Salvage.
– Picky Eater: On death, zombies have a higher chance of dropping your current equipment.
Ammo Mod: Light Mend
The light mend Ammo Mod results in bullets dealing Light (elemental) damage. Each bullet fired can transform an enemy’s health into a healing glyph that moves to nearby injured allies. This mod is available across all Zombies maps.
- Major Augments
– Antibiotic: Glyph damages enemies that touch it but lifetime is reduced.
– Big Game: Can activate on Elite enemies, dropping three more healing glyphs.
– Dual Action: Consuming a healing glyph temporarily allows you to heal faster. - Minor Augments
– Longer Life: Lifespan of healing glyph is increased.
– Extra Strength: Glyph replenishes more health.
– Express Remedy: Increase the range the glyph will move to an ally.
Field Upgrade: Tesla Storm
Using this Field Upgrade results in lightning connecting to other players, stunning and damaging normal enemies. It can be used across all three maps when selected in the pre-game lobby or swapped via the menu in game.
- Major Augments
– Transformer: Field’s damage increases by the number of allies connected.
– Shockwave: Stun and damage all nearby enemies on activation.
– Static Discharge: Create a lethal surge of electricity around you on activation. - Minor Augments
– Power Grid: Increase range of tether to allies.
– Overclocked: Increased movement speed during Tesla Storm.
– Lithium Charged: Increased duration.
New Gobblegums
Three new Gobblegums arrive in Season One Reloaded, which can be used across any Zombies map when added to your loadout.
- Power Keg (Rare): Spawn a Full Power Power-up.
- Time Out (Ultra): For three minutes, clearing all Normal and Special enemies ends the round. Normal spawning does not resume in this time.
- Holiday Cheer (Whimsical): Zombies have festive decorations.
These Gobblegums are not immediately available, however, with Power Keg and Time Out unlocked as part of the upcoming Gobblegum Mania Event, while the Holiday Cheer Gobblegum is earned primarily through the upcoming Jingle Hells LTM and randomly from a successful Exfil.
Zombies-related events
Three new events are coming in BO6 Zombies before the end of Season One, beginning with Gobblegum Mania and Merry Mayhem from Dec. 5 to Dec. 19. On Dec. 19, Archie’s Festival Frenzy will begin and run until Jan. 3, 2025.
On top of that, Jingle Hells, last seen in Black Ops Cold War, is coming to Liberty Falls with festive-themed decorations and the removal of Mystery Boxes, Crafting Tables, and Arsenal machines. In return, there are some special features.
Jingle Hells will feature bespoke audio, Snowball Piles, a Naughty or Nice Power-Up that either dishes out presents or spawns Vermin, Snowman that can contain Zombies or loot, Present Boxes dropped by Zombies, S.A.M.T.A Trials, and rounds where a freezing chill will slow you down unless you head indoors.
Gameplay Updates
It’s not just new content that is coming in Season One Reloaded, as some gameplay updates are also coming to BO6 Zombies. We’ve highlighted some of the biggest below:
- Reduced Mangler spawns at mid-to-high rounds and a maximum cap on active Manglers until Round 100.
- Reduced health of the Mangler’s arm cannon.
- Reduced length of Special Rounds by a reduced number of spawns and adjusting the spawn delay rate.
- Scaling Parasite damage between rounds 31-91 and a slight increase to damage scaling for base zombies at round 150-400.